The Best of Times

Forget-me-not!!

2011-09-28T16:52:00.002-07:00

http://lds.org/general-conference/watch/2011/10?lang=eng&vid=1180453706001&cid=7

Here is Hope - Lamb of God

2011-08-31T08:41:00.001-07:00

Mute my playlist below to hear this incredibly beautiful song about the Savior and His sacrifice for us all.

Just some fun summer photos...

2011-08-05T22:51:00.005-07:00

Me and my siblings: Janet, Clynn and Bev

Lots of Christensen cousins in Broadway Kids

The cast of an impromptu Dr. Seuss Book of Mormon skit

Gramy Ruth with new little Tessa Ruth

Tyson and Jack at Lagoon

The Lagoon Gang

Carolina and Grace at Lagoon

Joey and Carolina

Gramy and Tyson at lunch in Lagoon. I loved it that they let you bring in coolers and all the food and drinks you wanted to bring in. Everyone just left their coolers on the tables and no one bothered them. Only in Utah!

Grace Christensen Emig

Fiona Calista

Carolina and Grace loved their new dolls

Ty and Jack

Jack

These guys were just about to get very wet!

Joey and Joe about to get shot straight up into the air and then dropped!

Sure do love these Utah grandkids of ours! (I think Fi was napping.)

Straight from Heaven

2011-06-04T11:04:00.003-07:00

To quote Grandma Christensen, "There's really nothing cuter than 3 little girls."

Could someone turn the lights down a hair?

A REAL baby doll for Jane.

This baby has more hair than me!

Can't stop kissing those yummy little cheeks!

Almost 8 year old Kate can't stop smiling.

Precious mother and baby

Sorry Austin...all the pics of you are on YOUR camera..we will fix that soon!

Another miracle for our family...little Tessa Ruth Abney joined our clan on June 1st. She is beautiful and perfect in every way and may or may not survive all the mothering that will go on in her little life. Kate and Jane are CRAZY about her (not to mention me) and want to hold her and "pet her" regularly. Lindsay will have LOTS of helpers this go 'round. We sure are grateful for her sweet little life, and for the opportunity we will have to love her and watch her grow. Great job, Lindsay and Austin! This makes 18 for us! Wahoo!

Too beautiful not to share(press pause on music at bottom of blog)

2011-05-05T09:57:00.002-07:00

Press

When you're a Mom....

2011-05-04T23:01:00.001-07:00

...some days it's just hard to keep your ducks in order...
Happy Mother's Day to all my favorite mothers...young and old.

Happy Easter

2011-04-04T13:37:00.002-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXrOG02NMB0&feature=player_embedded

Friends

2011-03-24T17:48:00.017-07:00

I have been contemplating the blessing of having friends in my life. I was thinking over the years and remembering all the many people who have stepped into my life and made me smile.

As a child, there was Paula Ellison, Brenda Bronson, Karla Solvesky, Linda Adams. I wish I had pictures of all of them, to remind me how lucky I was/am, but here are a few that I found in my files.

Brenda, or Bea, as I called her. We were literally inseperable as children in Grace, Idaho. What a beautiful person she is, inside and out. I will always love her.

Linda Adams--We were little girls together in Grace, Idaho.
I saw her in Salt Lake City last year for a happy reunion.

In high school there was Michele Alcorn, Dawnie Mendenhall, Carla Stalker and all the Grace gang.

Michele married my brother, Clynn

Dawn Mendenhall Baxter

In college there was Vickie Kunst and Judy Humes and many others. And of course, Carla. (Why do I NOT have any pictures of my Carla???)

Dan and Vickie Kunst--she was my first BYU roommate. She put up with a LOT!

Judy Humes--BYU together

As a young mother, there was Sylvia Harris and Lynette Webb. I got to spend some time with Lynette in Salt Lake City last month.

Lynette Webb

Lynette with crazy Allen

In Arizona, raising my children, there were so many influential women that I can't begin to name them. We lived in the best ward in the Church...So many great ladies...Jeannine, Judy, Alonna, Shanie, Linda, Jill, Sherry, Lorraine, Wanda, Carol, Cathryne, Julie, and on and on and on...I love these ladies.

Shalimar Ward Lunch

Lorraine

Judy and me in New Zealand

At that time, I was called to work in the Tempe Stake Young Women Program. For 9 years, I was privleged to rub shoulders with some of the most amazing women on the planet. This week, we had lunch together and spent some time reminiscing and catching up on each others' lives.

Patty Larson, Marie Despain, Bev Taysom--my sweet sister

Patty and Marie

Marie

The whole gang: Bev, Patty, Marie, Carolyn Butler and me.

The last 20 years of my life have added new and wonderful friends---some from Southwest, some from the neighborhood...Cinda, Michael, Victoria, Erica, and so many more, including my amazing piano teacher, Stella.

Cinda with her Mom Barb and grandson

My Cinda

Michaels x 2

Victoria and Ron

Precious Neighbors

Stella

I am so grateful that I have been blessed to have great friends in my life to learn from and to love. Each one has taught me lessons I have needed to learn and enriched my life in countless ways. Each one is a precious gift from my Heavenly Father to help me along my journey here on earth....I am so grateful---and lucky....

Jimmer Time

2011-02-26T13:51:00.001-07:00

Sure is fun watching BYU take on #6 San Diego State today. Gotta love Jimmer. Go Cougs....

Wolf Creek Christmas

2011-02-12T22:45:00.002-07:00

The week we had planned for and waited for for 2 years finally arrived near Christmas 2010.
We had booked a lovely home in Eden, Utah, near the Wolf Creek Ski Resort for five days to spend with 27 of our most favorite people in the world. Our kids arrived from Washington, Arizona, Utah and Alaska to spend the holidays with each other. Here are some random pictures of our memorable time together.

The Broekmans
Davis, Tate, Holland, Brady
Natalie and Dave

The Abneys
Jane, Lindsay, Austin, Kate and ?

The Palenskes
Addison, Ainsley,
Jared, Emily, and Avery and ?

The Chans
Tanner, Ashton, Dallin
Allison and Aaron

The Emigs
Tyson, Fiona, Jack, Carolina
Cali, Grace, Joey

The Grandkids

Future Snowboarders
Kate, Addie, Avery and Holland

The tiny ladies shared many meals together on these stools.

And the boys enjoyed dinners with a view out of the totally glassed in dining area.

Boy cousins playing in the beautiful snow
Jack, Tanner, Ashton, Brady

The cousins played a Get Reacquainted with your Cousins game where they were blindfolded and had to figure out who the cousin was with only 2 spatulas!! It was a hoot!

Five giggling girl cousins all snuggled in a bed!
Holland, Carolina, Addie, Avery and Grace

The boys spent lots of hours on the Wii together

The tiniest cousin, Tate Joseph, practiced his crawling skills.

Joey made some amazing pancakes when it was his turn to cook breakfast

Poppy is at the bottom of this dog pile, and loved every minute of it

My Brady Bear

Jared and two sweet girl cousins....Ainsley and Fiona

Dr. Aaron kept us technologically and chiropractically tuned up

Dave and Tate had some good Daddy Time

My sweet boy, Dallin

My brown-eyed Addison

Avery and Kate shared lots of secrets and projects.
They agree that Arizona and Alaska are way too far apart.

Donkey-earred Lindsay and Allison with Natalie's Tater Tot

After the kiddos were put to bed each night, the adults pulled out all the games and played into the wee hours. I'm not sure what Joey was charading as, but ya have to admit, it's pretty good form.

Luckily for us, Chunk and Sandy showed up one night with lots of treats and played games with us.
Thanks for coming up, you two. We had such fun with you!

The family room area.

Emily and her sparkling smile...and Ainsley with her nootsie!

Little Jane doing her talent on Christmas Eve.

The melee that was Christmas Morning
Oh, my goodness.

To share or not to share---that is the question.
Ainsley and Fiona

Love that Ty guy

There seems to have been a lot of "team checking" going on

My beautiful Emily Ann

The beginnings of a great snowman

My ice-blue-eyed Jack

Holland's talent on Christmas Eve

A sweet song from Ashton for his talent

Game time for the adults--we LOVE this time together

Oh, that Ashton

A real snow angel...Carolina Jones

Addie did a trick for her talent

Part of the gang watching "Elf"

We had an "Elf Yourself" of each family. Here is Gramy and Poppy.
For some reason, my head wasn't really hooked on. It was a hoot.

Chilly CC

Avery played a beautiful song for her talent

Some pretty darling elves

We made some fun projects during the week, including reindeer for our Dads and soap for our Moms.

17 little eleves lined up to see what Santa had left downstairs.

Tyson and his new jersey

Miss Fiona was pretty overwhelmed by it all

Avery by our little Christmas tree
Uncle Aaron brought his very cool train for us

Emily organized a puppet show for our Nativity presentation. Everyone had a special part to appear from behind the couch. It was a great show.

The cast of characters for our Nativity Presentation.

Our Family. Thanks to all of you for making this one of the happiest times of my life.

And Now for the Little Misses....

2011-01-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

And here are my beauties...I could honestly eat them up.

Kate

Avery

Carolina

Addie

Grace

Holland

Jane

Fiona

Ainsley

Eight Little Men

2011-01-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

Ty, Dallin, Davis, Jack, Brady, Ashton, Tanner, and little Tate

My eight little grandsons. They take my breath away, I love them so much.

Elves in Eden

2011-01-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

These little people turned into elves on Christmas Eve 2010 in our Christmas Cabin in Eden, Utah

More pics to come soon....suffice it to say, it was MAGICAL!

It's an "EVEN YEAR CHRISTMAS!"

2010-12-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the Christmas season, and I have nothing against Christmas '07, and '09, but now that we are Empty Nesters and don't get to see our far away extended family as much as we would like to, the "even years" have become especially wonderful. These are the years when ALL our family gathers together for fun and memory-making! This year, all 29 1/2 of us will be meeting in Eden, Utah, in the beautiful home we found on VRBO, to spend five fantastic, fun-filled days together. The Palenskes have already flown in from Alaska, the Chans have driven from Washington, and the Broekmans have made their way from Arizona to Joey's house in Utah. The Abneys and we will join them all on Tuesday. Then let the Wild Rumpus begin!!! We have anticipated this since the last "Even Year Christmas" two years ago. Here are some pictures of the last few times we have met up. My heart is grateful for this chance to have our precious family together once again. I will post pictures of Christmas '10 soon.

Washington and Arizona cousins.

Brady and Dave.

Avery came all the way from Alaska

Boy cousins--so much fun together.

Snow fun in Heber.

Christmas '06 in Heber, Utah. We have grown by 5 this year.

The gathering at Joey's before our exodus northward.

Nothing could make a Gramy happier than this.

Do you just love the shepherd's staffs? Pool cue sticks! And notice the Nativity Chicken.

AZ Abney's enjoying some sledding

A precious Nativity

Jack Frost

The awesome house we found at Bear Lake in '08.

We made these nativities in teams. I think this was the winner.

Can't have an Emig gathering without some serious Ticket to Ride, or "Trains," as we call it!

Grace and Holland with Gramy on a sleepy Christmas morn.

Dr. Chan made an excellent donkey to carry Mary.

Lots of snow angels! This might be Brady.

Where's the Line to See Jesus?

2010-12-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas, and may we remember the true reason for the season....

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=pPViKJRHyZo&vq=medium

Gramy gone crazy for Grandkids! (Warning: Probable Picture Overload!)

2010-08-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

These little faces are the greatest blessings in my life. I adore these 17 precious little people, and thank my Heavenly Father for each one every single day.

Our newest little Tate--growing too fast!

Addison

Ainsley

Dallin

Kate

Our Jack

Tyson

The Animal Lover, Ashton

Sweet Fiona

Brady Bear

Carolina

Avery

Grace

Jane

Tanner Man

Big Bro Davis

Holland

Jackson Douglas Emig is Baptized!

2010-08-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

It was so wonderful to be able to go to Utah to attend the Baptism of our precious grandson, Jack Emig on July 31, 2010. He is a great 8 year old, and has prepared well for his baptism day. He was really excited for it, and it turned out so nice. Afterwards, we took him out to lunch with his parents and then they took him to buy his scriptures. His sisters sang at the service, which was adorable. What a great day in his life. Congratulations, Jack

Jack Emig

Joe and Cali Emig and family

Is there a cuter face anywhere?

Summertime!!!

2010-07-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

What a great summer this has been for us! We started it out with a trip to see our Chan Clan in Washington. We had so much fun with them, hiking, picnicing and playing.

Our little Tate Joseph's arrival was the highlight of the summer. He is healthy and strong and smiling and cooing now. What a cutie pie.

There are lots of birthdays in our family in June and July: Natalie and Holland, Carolina, Jane, Gramy Ruth, Jack, Kate and Emily. So that means lots of parties and fun!

Joe and Dave went to Alaska to see the Palenskes and do a little salmon fishing (and get out of this unbelievable AZ heat!) They had a great time up there.

This is also the month for Jack Emig to be baptized. I will post pictures later of that special occasion!

In July we traveled to Utah for a wonderful Steinerson Family Reunion. It was 4 days of getting to know our Steinerson relatives from Oregon and Utah and St. Louis and playing with cousins we don't see very often.

Here are some random pictures of all our Summer 2010 Fun!

The family page below is from the beautiful book that Emily made for each family at the Reunion. Thanks so much Emily. We all loved it!

(sorry about the double picture below. I CANNOT get rid of it!) HELP!!

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The Joe Emig family with Gramy

Joe, Jeanne, Charlie and Mom

Our old family picture with the new babes added on!

Joey conducting our family meeting at his house.

Our great Oregon relatives, the Charltons

Lots of busy mamas keeping track of about 30 kids
Our neice, Sang, from Missouri

Five little lunching ladies

Boy cousin fun!

Allison with Joe's cousin Alexis from Oregon

The Abneys with Gramy Ruth

The Chan Clan with Gramy Ruth

Sang and Gramy and Chase

Natalie with her kids and Gramy. Dave had to work. We missed him!

The Cousins performed their song beautifully. We showed all the pages of the book Emily put together on the big screen behind the kids. It was pretty awesome.

Aaron even brought a great tent to cook under on Joey's lawn.

Holland turned 3 on June 3---lopsided peanut butter angel food cake!

Jane loves her Great Gramy Ruth

This Janie girl could swing all day long.

Our fun trip to Washington to see the Chans.

Dallin was in the Boat Derby and did really well.

Those chocolate brown eyes just melt my heart.

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

2010-07-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Being a Mom of young children is a hard job....here's to all of you out there in the trenches, having good days and not so good days. You are doing a great work. Don't get discouraged. Heavenly Father is watching over you and your little ones....

Our new little Tater Tot

2010-05-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quite like having a new baby around. They smell good, they taste good, they ARE good, and they are so fun to snuggle and kiss. WE have a new baby down the street. His name is Tate Joseph Broekman and he is Adorable (with a capitol A.) We sure do love him!

Proud greeters at home are Brady, Davis, Holland, Natalie and Dave. Congrats to all!

Taking a closer look...

2010-05-14T00:22:00.001-07:00

Wednesday morning found me with nothing on my schedule and three of my favorite little girls at my disposal for an hour or two. We headed down the road to inspect some things along the way and to see what we might discover.

We found flowers and bugs and old, popped balloons to look at with our magnifying glasses. We gathered small rocks that we especially liked, and furry cattails on a bush. A tiny ant even climbed right onto one glass, which elicited screams of delight from each of us!

After a good intellectually stimulating session such as that, it was good to spend some time at the park and run with wild abandon through the grass and woodchips and swing "higher and higher" with the wind blowing our hair every which way. We snacked on grapes and crackers and M&M's and headed back home to glue all our interesting findings onto paper.

We discovered that our Heavenly Father loves us and that He MADE all these beautiful things for us to enjoy together. Quite a concept at the ages of 1, 2, 3, and 57.

I love these three miniature humans. I am thankful for little girls who find joy in the simple things of life and offer their smiles and giggles as payment in kind for a lovely spring morning spent with good friends, inspecting the small things of life on our street.

...and now for SEA WORLD!!

2010-04-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

Our last day of this fun vacation included a great day at Sea World with Palenskes and Abneys. The weather had turned beautiful and it was just a great day of exploring all the venues and seeing all sorts of crazy sealife.
These cousin girls had such a fun reunion. Living in Arizona and Alaska makes it pretty tough to connect very often.

And now, back to our California trip...The San Diego Zoo

2010-03-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

On Day Two, we had a fun surprise, as the Broekman Clan joined us in rainy San Diego. We had lots of fun together in the hotel, playing games and jumping on the beds! The next morning we had a yummy breakfast at IHOP and then braved the weather and had a great time at the San Diego Zoo, even though it was pretty rainy.
Playing Ticket to Ride, our new favorite game.

Davis' Baptism

2010-03-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

What a special day we had last Saturday when our grandson, Davis, was baptized. He had waited a long time for this day. Lots of special people attended and there was a special spirit present for this important occasion.
We sure are proud of you, Davis, for following Jesus Christ in your life.

.

A Really Fun Weekend

2010-03-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

Emily and Jared decided to treat their girls to a fun trip from their home in Alaska to California this month. We were invited to join them, and had an amazing time with them there. The Abneys and the Broekmans also joined in the fun and some amazing memories were made as we went to Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo and Sea World. Here are some pictures of the highlights.

We flew over with Lindsay's family. Kate got to pass out peanuts on the flight and became a Junior Flight Attendant on Southwest Airlines.

She soon met up with her beloved "Girl Cousins"--Avery and Addie. What a fun time they had together for the next four days.

I got to finally get snuggles from my sweet little Ainsley. She is a remarkably happy baby, and was such a joy to love on for the next few days. Lindsay got to know little Ainsley better......and Emily got to spend some long awaited time with her namesake, Jane Emily.

More to come...

Mary Poppins

2010-03-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

Kate and Davis went on a date with Poppy and me to see Mary Poppins at Gammage last month. We started at IHOP for a fun pancake dinner date and then walked across the street to the beautiful Grady Gammage Auditorium for a magical night with Mary Poppins. The kids had lots of fun exploring this amazing structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright--scampering up to the top level and down to the orchestra pit, and then outside, to run up and down the ramps (where do they get their energy?) during intermission! The production was wonderful, highlighted by Mary Poppins herself flying right over us as the end! Such a fun night together.

2010-02-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

Our little Alaskan Ainsley. Almost 3 months old. I sure miss her. I think being a Gramy is the best job in the world. See you soon at Disneyland, Ainsley.

Fiona's Blessing

2010-01-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to Utah the first weekend of January to be there for our sweet little Fiona's blessing day. Joey gave her a most beautiful blessing. She was a dream in the dress from Belgium and "the Blessing Quilt." (See Alaska post about Ainsley's blessing) Her little hat is one that I was blessed in clear back in 1953. It was so much fun to be there for this special day in our family.

photos by Cortney Boice

December in Alaska

2009-12-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

This was my view of a sunrise out of Emily's kitchen window in Palmer, Alaska in early December. I was awestruck. It was more fantastic than any Arizona sunset I had ever seen. Joe and I were in Alaska to meet our newest granddaughter, Ainsley. Plus I hadn't seen our two other little ones there for a whole year, so we were very anxious to spend some time with them. Alaska was cold and beautiful but we were warm and toasty in their darling home and had lots of quality time together.

Emily is a perfect little mama and is totally in love with her 3rd little daughter.

I loved just holding her and getting to know her. She is a beautiful and sweet baby.

Addison is finally a Big Sister, and seems to be loving every minute of it!
Avery wants to hold her constantly and is very sweet with her.

Ainsley was blessed on Sunday and looked like a little princess in her fancy dress and the "Blessing Quilt" which was made in 1953 by my Grandma Hair and has wrapped up me and each of my children and all of my 16 grandchildren on their blessing day. It is blue satin on one side and pink on the other.
We played lots of boardgames together.
Making a gingerbread house together was lots of fun. We ate more candy than we put on the house!

One day Addie and I went to school with Avery. We spent most of the day there and had fun meeting her friends and teacher and helping out in the classroom.

Avery and her great teacher, Ms. Bishu

This is what recess looks like in Alaska. Brrrrrrrrr....coats, boots, hats, gloves and snowpants.

Jared sure is crazy about his girls....what a great Daddy.

Our four Alaskan beauties...

It sure was a fun week together!! Thanks, Palenskes!!

My Dad's Funeral December 11, 2009

2009-12-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Allison, did such a beautiful job of blogging about my Dad's funeral this month. I am going to borrow her pictures so that I, too, can record this beautiful day. We were so grateful to Southwest Airlines for flying our children and grandchildren home for the funeral. Thanks, Southwest. Of course, Emily had her hands full with a tiny little newborn, and we encouraged her not to make the journey from Alaska, although she was definitely there in spirit, and we missed her immensely.

It was so wonderful to have so many of our extended family there to honor Dad and his amazing life. He looked so peaceful and finally at rest after a long struggle. Closing that casket was possibly the hardest thing I have ever seen happen, but such a big part of me was relieved for him to be able to move on and to be with the Savior and his family awaiting him there. Here are more pictures of our day with Dad.

His beautiful Grandchildren
His valiant grandsons, singing "Called to Serve."
Beautiful casket spray made my sister, Beverly
The display with many of the things he loved in this life, foremost, his well-worn scriptures, which I am honored to be the owner of.
So many of his friends and family attended the funeral. We appreciate their love and support at this time of loss. Here are a few more pictures of the day.

Saying goodbye to Dad and closing the casket. Pretty hard to do...

His grandsons as pallbearers.They are so grown up and handsome and righteous. They each adored their grandfather.

My brother, Clynn, dedicated the grave.

"We've Got It Good!"

2009-12-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

That was a favorite line of my sweet Dad, Leo Christensen, who passed away on Sunday, December 6, to be with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Heaven is a happier place this week. One of God's most precious sons has arrived home. He was so many things to me. He was a peacemaker and a man without guile. I never heard him complain. He loved all mankind. He was a missionary and a testimony giver. He was the hardest working man I ever knew.He was the best Dad in the world, and he loved me, his baby daughter. I hope he is watching over me and knows how very much I love him. How great to know that I will see him again.

Here is a quote from a friend of ours about Dad....Thanks, Gerry.

"He was certainly the most consistently and completely benign man I've ever met. That this continued into his years of diminished cognition is a testament to its authenticity. A simple and kind man who loved and was loved by his family, doing the best he knew how in a world that wasn't always what we might have hoped for... we can all take a lesson from this life well lived."

Our sweet new baby

2009-11-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

Ainsley has arrived into the bitter Alaskan winter with little pink cheeks and a happy disposition. We can't wait to see her this week as we travel to the Palenske's. Welcome to earth, Ainsley.

Kneadful Things Now

2009-10-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

A great site with lots of great ideas and recipes.
http://www.kneadfulthingsnow.com/

2009-10-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

A beautiful message

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coef8G5ax6E

OUR TRIP TO SPAIN

2009-10-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

I can't imagine how this happened. Just "yesterday" we were 20ish, going to college, getting married, and starting our family and career. How did we get from there to HERE? Although I am a few years behind Joe turning 60, it still stings a little to know that we are definitely on the downhill slide of our lives! It has gone so fast. We are so blessed to have had the opportunities we have had, to have a wonderful family and the gospel of Jesus Christ in our marriage. It seems like this truly is the best part of our lives, now that we have some quiet time together and chances to travel. To celebrate all of that and more, we jetted over the ocean and landed in the Canary Islands and then on to Barcelona. It always takes a lot of planning and backup plans, but it was well worth it. Here are some of our favorite pictures of our trip. We stayed on the island of Gran Canaria in the southern part, at Anfi BeachClub. It was spectacular. The salt water pool was just beautiful, and we spent a lot of time there, reading and relaxing. We were right on the ocean as well. There were lots of activities at the resort which we took advantage of: water aerobics, yoga, flamenco dancers at night, etc. Two days we drove around to other parts of the island. When we left there, we flew to Barcelona and enjoyed our time there, for the most part. The pickpockets were everywhere, and attempted us twice. Unnerving. We enjoyed the Gaudi architecture so much. What a great trip it was!

Little Miss Fiona

2009-10-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

The next order of business after leaving Kennewick was to stop off in Utah for the birth of our beautiful little Fiona Calista Emig, daughter of Joey and Cali. It was a very long and arduous day for the mama, but she was a trooper and little Fiona is nothing short of perfect. We are so grateful for her safe arrival and for being able to be a part of it with them.

Dallin's Baptism

2009-10-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

We spent four fun-filled days in Washington with the Chan Clan. The best part was seeing our handsome grandson, Dallin Sun-Wing Chan, baptized by his daddy. It was a very special day.

We had such a great time just playing with the boys and relaxing together. We also got to watch both Ashton and Dallin (in the green cap--look at that form!) play soccer. It doesn't get any better than this and a good Monopoly game with our grandkids to make it a perfect weekend!!! Thanks, Chans....we love you! Can't wait for Turkey Day!

Rise and Shout! The Cougars are out!!!!

2009-09-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

"It was the best birthday EVER!"

That is a direct quote from my cute husband, Joe, after spending a wonderful weekend with "most" of our family in Utah to celebrate his 60th birthday. He has had a great month and has decided that being 60 "ain't all bad."

We flew with our little Holland to Utah on Friday morning and met up with our kids for a funfilled weekend.

We missed Emily and Jared and girls SO very much, and they were always in our hearts and our conversations. Dave and Aaron picked us up from the airport and we went to Joey's house to meet up with everyone else. After leaving poor Cali with 4 kids while she was supposed to be on bedrest, we caravaned up to BYU campus---one of our favorite places in the world. We walked through the "Wilk" and let the kids eat lunch there, and then some shopped in the BYU Bookstore, and others just enjoyed being with cousins and having the run of the place. Those campus traditions are precious to us. They were all excited, and just their sheer numbers created quite a buzz as we trekked through campus. Pretty fun little gang. Poor Kate and Carolina were pretty outnumbered!!!
We then headed for the Cougar Bowling Alley in the Wilkenson Center, where we celebrated Dallin's 8th birthday with a Bowling Cousin Party. It was hysterical watching some of them bowl. It is a wonder those heavy bowling balls which were hurtled through the air didn't create a crater in the alley!! Some of the boys even tried out the air hockey. It was just fun to be together.

A great time was had by all and Poppy even showed 'em how it was done.

Everyone loved the ice cream cones in the CougarEat after bowling.

We walked around the beautiful campus for a while and then headed back to Joey's. The two brave sitters arrived for the evening and the adults headed for dinner at none other than "Heaps a Pizza", now the Brick Oven. We had a special room that was big enough for all of us, and had delicious pizza--Poppy's favorite, of course. This is where we went on one of our first dates, so it was fun to reminisce.

We were all tired out, so we headed to bed for the night. We all stayed at the LaQuinta Inn very near Joey's house, so we were back and forth a lot. Morning brought the free breakfast buffet and then a good cousin swim. Poppy was the "shark," of course, and there was lots of squealing and chasing. Gramy even took the girls up to her "suite" to swim in her hot tub!

We then hurried off to Tyson's flag football game to watch him play and Joey coach. Quite a cheering section!!

Talk about fitting a lot into 2 days!

We went back to Joey and Cali's, where we were all directed downstairs into the theatre room for a "surprise." This was the highlight of the weekend, as they showed, on the big screen, an amazing video that Emily had produced with the help of her sneaky sisters, about Poppy's life. There were pictures of him as a baby that we had never even seen before, and both Joe and I shed a few tears, as we watched the last 60 years of his life flash before our eyes. It was just an incredible gift from our children, and our sweet Emily was so represented and appreciated. Thank you so much for your love and your time. It was very meaningful to both of us.

It was finally time to get ready for the BYU vs. Colorado State football game. We left the 4 little ones--Grace, Carolina, Jane and Holland once again with bedridden Cali, and we were off. Some of us went back up to campus for lunch, and some went right to the stadium for hot dogs. We were able to see the team run onto the field, which the boys loved. We even got a look at Coach Bronco Mendenhall, up close and personal. The game was wonderful, and we won, which made it even better. It was pretty hot up in the stands, but nothing that a slushy couldn't fix. What a great day to be together!

Everyone had matching BYU shirts! Here is a picture of our resident engineer, Uncle Austin, helping the kids with their lego creations!

Thank you to everyone who came and/or contributed to one of the best weekends we have ever spent. Our children and our grandchildren are the love of our lives, and make life worth living. Thank you for your sacrifices to make this weekend a reality for us. We love you !!!

Cougars Forever!!!!

Dallin comes to AZ!!!

2009-09-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to be able to spend some fun time with our grandson, Dallin Chan, this summer, when he flew here from Washington to spend a week in hot old Arizona! We had lots of good time together. Here he is with Cousin Kate.

Off to the beach!!

2009-09-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

We spent a wonderful few COOL days out of the Arizona heat in Oceanside, CA with the Broekman family in July. We had such a good time and loved the water and sand and cool ocean breezes. We stayed at the Wyndham Pier and even ran into some old Tempe friends, the Longs and the Cattanis while we were there. Thanks, Broekmans, for inviting us along. We loved it!

My good, goofy friend, Michael

2009-06-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Some of the best things about my job as a flight attendant are the people I am privleged to fly with. Michael is one of the best. What a gentleman he is, as well as a great flight attendant. He put this little montage together the last time we flew together.

Blog Blues

2009-05-15T09:39:00.001-07:00

Sorry about the little glitch in my blog workings the last week. I have finally figured out the problem and am back in business! I am in Washington at my daughter Alli's house. It has been so great to be here and have some time with this cute batch of boys for a few days. It was especially fun to be here for Ashton's 5th birthday yesterday. I am dreading going back to the AZ heat....however, I do have some pretty adorable grandkids there that I miss, too! Dad is basking in the Alaskan springtime. Wish I had made it up there, too.

Easter Thoughts

2009-04-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

There is much to consider this Easter season regarding the Savior and His ultimate sacrifice for us. I am undeserving of his love and gift, and ever grateful for His unconditional love and the Peace that His life represents.

Australia/New Zealand Part 2

2009-04-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

It has taken me a long time to get back to my pictures of our trip Down Under. After we left the Broekmans in Queensland, we flew back to Sydney to spend the night before our cruise ship left the next evening. We loved Sydney. We did a lot of walking around to see the sights of this unique city. If you know us, you will know how much we love to EAT! So, one of the first things we did was eat meatpies in Dave's honor. They were pretty good.

We also decided to walk across the massive Sydney Harbor Bridge. What a beautiful structure this was. You could see the Sydney Opera House from there, which we also walked to.

We loved the huge park in the middle of the city with this beautiful church and fountains and trees all in bloom.

There were lots of friendly people and also helpful signage.

Tanner-Chan-Man

2009-04-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I am almost to the end of the birthdays! Little Tanner had his 3rd birthday in March. He is the youngest of that little gang, but certainly has lots of influence around that house! He doesn't let anyone push him around, and has lots of great independence. He is bigger at this age than either of his brothers, so it is a good thing that they are on his good side! He loves his brothers a LOT and loves to do whatever they do. He has the sweetest big brown eyes you will ever see, and could melt your heart easily. And speaking of melting, it looks like he takes after his Gramy in his love for chocolate as well!! Love you, Tanner Man....

Brady Bear

2009-03-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, I witnessed the most miraculous birth I have ever seen. Brady Paul Broekman, my grandson, entered the world on his own. That's right...on his own. His mama never even had to push to get him out of his warm and safe environment. He was ready, and he was coming. I have found this to be a prelude to his life. He is a handsome, intelligent, happy, sometimes mischievious, funny and passionate boy. His eyelashes should be under contract with Mabelline. He has a lot of ideas about life. His own ideas. He gets into a little trouble now and again because of it, but he has lot of spunk, which is sometimes hard to find in people these days. I believe it will serve him well as he goes through life. I love to snuggle up with him and a good book and pick his brain about what he thinks. He is always ready for a little fun and excitement, and of course, a treat from Gramy's candy jar. I love you, Brady. I am glad you were born into our family five years ago---in your own creative way!

Calista

2009-03-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

It has been fun this year to post about some family birthdays on my blog. I haven't really done "the guys" because I think they would be embarrassed about that, so my grandkids and daughters have been my targets. In February, my beautiful daughter-in-law, Cali, had a birthday. I need to just say how very much I love this lady. She is so perfect for my son--like she was MADE for him. I knew it the moment I met her. (And believe me, I was picky about who married my kids) She treats me like a friend even though I am a bossy mother-in-law sometimes. She has produced 4 1/4 of the most amazing kids in the world and I love her beyond words. I daily thank Heavenly Father for sending her to our family. She is a beauty in every way. Right now, she is super sick with her 5th pregnancy, and I want her to know she is in my prayers every day and that I hope that 16 weeks hurries quickly by!!

My Northern Princess

2009-02-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

This is Avery. She is a snowy little Alaskan princess who brings sunshine wherever she goes. Her heart is so tender and she is so full of love. There is quite a bit of innocent drama that seeps into everything she does. She is a lover of life. She is a strawberry haired sprite who lives way too far away from her Gramy. She has just had a birthday and turned 5. Lots of wonderful adventures await her this year as she gets ready for kindergarten. I miss her so much, and sweet, sunny thoughts of her brighten even the cloudiest of days.

Davis....a very good boy

2009-02-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

This is my sweet grandson, Davis. He is a very good boy. He lives on my street and comes to see me almost every day with a little skip in his step and hopes for a treat from his Gramy. He has just turned 7. He was born on Australia Day, January 26, which made his Daddy and his Aussie grandparents very happy. He has a good heart and always shares with his family and friends. He is a first grader and is learning to play the piano from his wonderful teacher, Stella. I love his blue sparkly eyes and the way he loves his Heavenly Father and Jesus. It sure is fun to be his Gramy.

A Gramy Vacation

2009-02-13T23:49:00.000-07:00

I'm at Allison's in Washington and it is COLD! The boys are so precious and we are having some good "Gramy Time." Dallin's piano Playthrough is on Sunday and he is practicing hard for that....Sure is good to be here.Ashton is CRAZY about animals--cats, in particular!

We had a good morning doing playdough while Dallin was in school.
More pics to come later....

Koalas, Kangaroos, Kiwis and Crocs! Oh My!

2009-01-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to find the time to post about our amazing trip down under. It was truly one of our most interesting trips, full of adventure and new experiences. We flew from San Francisco to Sydney on United, standby, of course, which is always stressful for me. Joe was right--again. We got on. After 14 hours of flying (aarrgghh), we landed in Sydney and immediately hopped a plane for the Gold Coast. The Broekmans picked us up and proceeded to treat us like royalty for the next 3 days. They were so wonderful. Fred took off work and Sisca totally rearranged her schedule and planned an itinerary to show us around their beloved part of Australia. We absolutely loved Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. This may have been the highlight of the whole trip for me. We were able to hold a koala, feed and pet lots of kanagroos, see Tasmanian devils, and feed lorikeets. Here are some pictures of that day with Fred and Sisca. It started out with Joe and I being able to actually hold a precious koala while our picture was taken. If those little faces aren't the cutest thing since my grandkids!! It was amazing. Then on to the kangaroo area where we could pet and play with hundreds of kangaroos of all sizes and varieties!! I am not kidding! They let you feed them and scratch their bellies and everything. Sisca even got one to let her reach down into her pouch to see her little joey. My mouth was just hanging open! We saw a bird show that was wonderful, and of course reminded me of Brett, with the most exotic birds you can even begin to imagine. Just incredible. We saw wombats and more koalas and crocs and kookaburras in the old gum tree! It was like an overload almost...all these things I have heard of and sung about all my life and there they were...to touch and pet. I loved it so much.

We ended the day by "feeding the LORIkeets." Yes, I spelled that correctly. My very own bird. They are BEAUTIFUL green and yellow and blue and orange parakeet looking birds.

You are given a little pie pan with a nutritious liquid in it to hold out with two hands. Down from the tall trees surrounding the area come hundreds of these amazing birds and sit right on your arms and head and on the dish to eat!!!!! I am not kidding. Poor uncle Clynn would have had a coronary right there. I had 5 birds on my head and probably 15 on my arms and in the dish I was holding. Their beauty is beyond description. I couldn't believe that we had all these beautiful birds sitting all over us for 10 minutes!!!! And just chirping their little hearts out. We also saw a huge crocodile display. These are serious Aussie crocs!

Here is a cute wombat! Who knew they were so cute! I was entranced by the beautiful, haunting music of the diggerydoo.
We watched the Aboriginal dancers, and Joe got called up out of the audience.

Unfortunately, my battery ran out just before his turn!!! He was a great sport!

One night we went to the Outback Adventure. Oh my gosh. Sisca tried to explain it to me beforehand, but there is really no adequate way to do that. It is a huge inside stadium/arena. They do a show with horses, helicopters, 4 x 4's, more horses, and DINNER. You are eating a 5 course dinner being served during all of this going on around you--delicous filet mignon dinner in the middle of all that!! Your senses are just on overload. There is trick riding and beautiful music and barrel racing and humor and just everything OUTBACK. It was one of our funnest things we have ever done. I loved the "Waltzing Matilda" solo at the end. What a night! Well, that's enough for now...be back later.

The Christmas Cabin 2008

2008-12-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

Our family just spent the most wonderful holiday season in Bear Lake, at Garden City, Utah. We found this amazing place online at VRBO and booked it last summer. It was everything we had hoped for. Nine thousand square feet of FUN! There were bedrooms and bathrooms for each family, a state-of-the-art kitchen with double dishwashers, ovens, microwaves, washers and dryers, etc. as well as the highlight for everyone...a 1,500 square foot, two story playroom, equipped with half court basketball court, putting green, in-ground trampoline and great playhouse and swings. The kids loved it so much, and the Dad's had some pretty good b-ball games as well. We did so many fun activities together and just mostly enjoyed coming around the corner to see one of our kids or grandkids with smiley faces! Here are some pictures of our week together at Bear Lake. Thanks to everyone for making the effort to be there. SO many great memories were made.

There were 26 of us there--12 adults and 14 kids. Our oldest grandchild is 8, so there were LOTS of little people. They got along so well. There were two fun spiral slides built into the walls...one originating in the kitchen going to the next floor down, and then one from there to the bottom. There was even a miniature rock-climbing wall! Something for everyone.

We had fun in the snow and lots of hot chocolate from Lindsay's CocoMotion and food, food, and more food. The adults played games each night when the little ones were tucked into bed. "Ticket to Ride" is a new favorite, and Lindsay even taught us to play Bunko! Good fun.

One day we made little nativity scenes in teams: Team Aaron, Team Jared, Team Joey, Team Austin, and Team Dave. The kids really had fun making the little characters and it was fun to see how different they all turned out given the same directions!

My favorite activity was our Live Nativity on Christmas Eve. All the children were assigned roles, brought costumes and learned their parts. It was precious. Little 6 month old Jane was a very well-behaved Baby Jesus. Natalie did a great job as the Director and we all felt closer to the true meaning of Christmas.

Every nativity needs a horse, a Christmas chicken and a couple of good-looking shepherds.

An innkeeper, a Christmas horse, and a wiseman

Little Grace holds the star...and says "Hark!"

Lovely "Mary" is led by "Joseph" on their obedient donkey.

These 14 little faces just make me smile.

Everyone loved their Gramy jammies and stuffed animals and dolls.

Christmas morning was fantasic, as Santa had found us, and there was fun for all!
After playing with our new toys, we played in the snow. What a fun day!

I cannot, in my wildest imagination, think of a more perfect Christmas with our family. There was a lot of tolerance and patience and love and memory-making. I love each and every one of you---all 25, with all of my heart..Happy New Year.

My Own Christmas Baby

2008-12-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

My very most special Christmas was 1981 because, I, like Mary, was blessed with a beautiful, newborn baby to love. We named her Lindsay, and her middle name means Christmas--Noelle. She was perfect in every way and so tiny and beautiful against the harsh Idaho winter she was born into. She completed our family and was the best Christmas present I ever received. She has turned into one of my favorite people. She is clever and happy and funny and organized and grows stronger every year as she learns to be an exemplary mother and wife. She works hard at everything that she undertakes and is no stranger to adversity.I admire her strength and perseverance in all she accomplishes. She seems to love life and welcomes its challenges. She will always be my Christmas Baby and I love her even more, 27 Christmases later! Happy Birthday, Lindsay Lou.

Lorikeets

2008-11-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

We are in Australia. Not much time to post right now, but suffice it to say that yesterday I had approximately 15 of these birds eating out of my hands and on my head and arms for about 10 minutes at the Currumbin Wildlife Park in Queensland, Australia. It was quite the experience...we are having the time of our lives! G'day...

My First Princess

2008-10-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

In the autumn of 1975, a tiny, crooked-nosed angel was placed in my arms. My first girl. I had never seen such a beauty. She has turned out to be one of my best heroes. She spent 18 months unselfishly serving the people of Argentina for the Lord, and was rewarded with a husband who adores her and 3 tiny men who will follow her to the ends of the earth. She is Allison. It has been rewarding to be her Mom, as I have seen her emerge as a Woman of Faith and a woman of strength. As she turns 33, I want her to know that I will always love her unconditionally and that I want to be her friend forever. Thank you for all you have given me, Alli. You are still a beauty in every way.

October Girl

2008-10-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

Our granddaughter, Gracie, was #100 in her great-grandparents' posterity. That's how she got her name--Grace, for Grace, Idaho, the old homestead, and Christensen for her middle name. She is turning 2 this week. She looks like her daddy and her Grandma Connie , and is a Christensen through and through, as well as an "Earl Girl"; she has the bluest of eyes and the sweetest of smiles. She can also hold her own in her little circle of siblings and cousins. When I saw her a few weeks ago, she called me "Gwamy" and offered a yummy, solid hug. Couldn't ask for more than that from a precious girl named Grace.

Photo by Cortney Boice

Addison

2008-10-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

Addie Palenske is an Alaskan Snow Princess. She just had her 3rd birthday. She has big brown eyes and a smile a mile wide. She has her own ideas about things. She has a Palin-esque independent streak and a mind of her own. Her mom hopes she will soon make an executive decision about the potty. For my part, I just love to watch her in action. This Snow Princess is going to go far...maybe even to the White House. I love you, Miss Addie Lee.

Our first baptism

2008-09-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

Our oldest grandchild, Tyson, was baptized by our son a few weeks ago. We were able to travel to Utah to be there for it. It was a beautiful ordinance and very special to see him take on this responsibility of becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. He is such a kind-hearted young man and holds a special place in my heart. Here are a few pictures of his special day.

Dallin

2008-09-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

My second grandchild, Dallin Sun Wing Chan has turned 7 years old! He is such a special little light in my life. I have called him my "fortune cookie" since he was born. He was so tiny and had a hard time learning to thrive at the beginning. Now he has taken off and is an energetic, brilliant, kind, quiet, giggly, talented and sensitive boy. His big brown eyes will melt your heart if you aren't careful. Dallin is learning to play the piano this year and has amazing little hands on the keyboard. I love to watch him play his songs. We have had some good time together in the last couple of months, and I can't wait till Christmas to see him again! Happy Birthday, Dallin. I love you so very much.

This says it all.....

2008-09-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

www.youtube.com/inspiredmoments

How many of me?

2008-08-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
3
people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

"Talk low, talk slow and don't say too much." John Wayne

2008-08-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

Ashton Chan is visiting. He is a cowboy from the city. He is quite the little buckaroo. In his low talkin', slow talkin' way, he happily rode off into the sunset in his new black boots.

My Pioneer Day Baby

2008-07-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my amazing daughter, Emily Ann. She is 30 years old today, although it seems like that must be a mistake....it was only yesterday that this little angel graced our home with her prescence and it was never to be the same. She was born on the birthday of and named after her great grandmother, Martha Ann Winward Hair, a pioneer in her own right.

She has an energy about her that is undeniable. She is ultra-smart, kind of forgetful, beautiful, compassionate and kooky, all rolled up together. She tries new things and always succeeds at them and is raising two of the cutest girls in Alaska OR the "lower 48." I hope she always knows that no one could ever love her as much as her mom. I couldn't be prouder of her life--all 30 years of it. Happy Birthday to my little Pioneer Day girl....

Here we go........

2008-07-24T23:58:00.000-07:00

So I guess it is my turn for this tag.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you knew me a little or a lot, if we’ve actually met in person or not, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you don’t want to play on your blog, or if you don’t have a blog, I’ll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Kate

2008-07-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

When a girl turns 5, all sorts of wondrous adventures await, kindergarten among the most exciting. Kate turned 5 yesterday and she is off and running. She has a little "Minnie Mouse" voice and is as smart as a whip. She loves to say that she is my "First Princess" since she was my first granddaughter born. She is all things girls--dolls, make-up, High School Musical and Barbies.

Happy Birthday, Kate. I love you.

Jack

2008-07-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

My grandson Jack has just turned 6. What a great age that is. He is a very sweet and sensitive boy who also happens to be an amazing athlete. He has a little grin that warms my heart and his toothy little smile reminds me a lot of my own at that age. I love you, Jackson. We are coming to see you in two weeks...We are bringing your birthday gifts with us...hope you like Indiana Jones!!! See you soon!

Photo by Cortney Boice

Where in the world is my Gramy?

2008-07-12T23:24:00.000-07:00

I have been flying a LOT lately, and it is scary that I feel "at home" in the cabin of a Southwest jet almost as much as I do in my own home. I am super grateful for my great job, but I need to stay home more! I sure miss my family when I fly.

The Hills are alive...

2008-06-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

...and HAPPY!! Congratulations to my sweet Hill Family on the official closing of their beautiful new home! It has been a long, arduous process for them, and their faith and patience was tested to the limit. Now, they are official homeowners for the first time, and I am so happy for them.
I don't know of anyone who deserves it more than you. What a beautiful little family you are and we love you a LOT!

Carolina Jones

2008-06-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

My sweet granddaughter, Carolina, just had her 3rd birthday. She is quite a girl. She reminds me a lot of her dad at this age--very smart and very in charge. Joey calls her "Miss Entitlement." I simply adore her, and wanted to post this precious photo of her. Happy Birthday, CC.
I love everything about you.

Photo by Cortney Boice

Lady Jane

2008-06-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful granddaughter, Jane Emily Abney, made her appearance at 9:30 this morning via C section. She weighs 8 pounds and is the picture of perfection. What a sweet baby she is. We feel very grateful and humbled to have had her arrive. Great job, Lindsay and Austin and Kate!

Here we go.....

2008-06-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special day. My daughter, Lindsay, is giving birth to our 14th grandchild. It is 6:45 am and she just left our house with Austin for the hospital. Although we are very excited at the prospect of another precious little angel, it is always a very unsettling time for me. I am a worrier by nature, and having been in attendance at a lot of births, I always get weak in the knees when one of my kids has a new baby. We have prayed for many months that all would be well, and yet as the moment of truth arrives, I feel like a caged animal...like there must be something I should do to make this easier for Lindsay, something to make it go quickly, something to make it all come out right. Instead, I will watch the clock, and dry my tears, and remind myself Who is in charge. You are a brave little trooper, Lindsay Lou. I love you so much.....

Daddy's Girl

2008-06-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

Today is my sweet Daddy's 93rd birthday. I am pretty lucky to still have both my parents at age 93. My Dad is the sweetest man I ever met. He is humble and kind and gentle and he loves me very much.

This is a difficult time of life for him. His body is nearly worn out, and he can't always remember the things he wants to remember, but he can always remember to click his fingers and say, "We've got it good." And we do. Happy Birthday, Dad. I'll always be your baby girl.

36 years and Counting....

2008-06-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary by attending the 70th wedding anniversary of my parents. Yes, 70 years. That's a very long time. It seems like Joe and I have been married all our lives, but my parents have been married twice as long. Whoa. That deserves some accolades. I wish that they were both healthier, but at age 93, they are doing pretty darn good, and still love each other.

I hope that my adorable Pizza Man always knows how very much I love and admire him. We are pretty different in most areas, he is kooky--I am quirky, but somehow we are still best friends. He treats me like a princess and just makes me feel glad that I said YES 36 years ago!!! Let's shoot for 70! I love you---still.

"Love is not a matter of counting the years, but making the years count."

Mommy/Daughter Birthdays!!!

2008-06-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite people are having birthdays today!! My beautiful daughter, Natalie, and her tiny little 1 year old, Holland. What a joy these two ladies are in my life! Having them live down the street is like pure gold. I can't imagine life without them in it. Thanks for bringing so much sunshine into my life, Nat and Holl. And Happy Birthday....

Our Cruise to Mexico

2008-05-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

For our 36th Anniversary, we cruised the Mexican Riviera on the beautiful Dawn Princess.

Land's End in Cabo San Lucas. We took a boat out there and saw the seal colony before being dropped off at the beach for a day in the sun.

Our waiters on the ship were fantastic and made us feel so special each night.

Our super fun traveling companions were Gramy Ruth Emig and her dear friend, Shirley Pinegar. What a lot of fun we had with them in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan! They were such good sports, and we could barely keep up with them. The food was fantastic, the ports were great and the company was the best. These two 80+ year young women kept us hoppin'! They were so much fun. They hung out on the beach with us in Cabo and shopped till WE dropped in Mazatlan and ate pizza with us till all hours of the night! We had a great time with them...so thanks, Mom and Shirley. This quote reminds me of these two special ladies.

“A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart.”

We had probably the funnest, most exhilarating time of our lives on the canopy zipline in Puerto Vallarta. It was indescribable, really. We are probably way too old to be out doing this sort of thing, but we loved every minute of it! There we were, about 1,000 feet above the jungle, strapped into harnessess and flying about 30 miles per hour for 1,600 feet....just awesome. We did 12 different lines, each more thrilling than the last. I screamed at the top of my lungs--mostly for joy, but partly because I was scared to death! SO SO FUN. I am so glad to be married to a guy who dares take a chance and have this kind of fun in the middle of the jungles of Mexico with a girl who screams!! Thanks, honey! It was unforgettable.

There sure is a lot of world out there to see! We want to see it alll!!! Come with us! Our next adventure is to New Zealand in November...stay tuned.

Time Out For Women

2008-03-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

I just spent the most amazing weekend of my life with four of my five favorite girls at Time Out for Women in Spokane, Washington. Some of them have given wonderful synopsises of our time together on their blogs, but here are a few fun pictures in addition to the ones they posted.

I feel so blessed to have these 4 amazing women in my life (plus Lindsay who couldn't make it) and thank them for dragging this middle aged lady around with them for 3 days, learning and laughing together. We made memories that I will never forget. I love you all!

Moose on the Loose!

2008-02-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been home a month now, and I am finally going to post some pictures of our fabulous trip to Alaska and Washington to see Emily's and Allison's families. It was one of our best trips ever.

We loved seeing where the Palenskes are in their gorgous new home! Alaska was breathtakingly beautiful in the winter and the cold didn't bother us a bit. It was mostly a dream come true to be able to play with Avery and Addison for DAYS with no interuptions. We had lots of tea parties and stories and horsie rides and Shutes and Ladders and all manner of dancing and fun! Those two girls are so precious and it was great to be a part of their little routine for a week.

We were showered with hugs and kisses-couldn't get enough!

I think we read every book in the house! Gramy loved it the most!

These two girls are so darling. Avery tries to mother Addie around and Addie will have no part of it unless it is her idea. They say and do the cutest things and are really good friends to each other. I loved to watch them play. They both have vivid imaginations....and lots of giggles.

A hightlight for me was sitting in on one of Emily's Biology classes and watching her teach. She is an amazing teacher, and it was one of my proudest moments as a mom. Great job, Professor Palenske!!

Dad loved seeing the moose out in the wild on our Sunday drive. He got right out of the car in all his excitement! It was pretty cool to see Mother Nature at her best in this wintry wonderland.

One day was spent in Anchorage at the Children's Museum. It was tons of fun. Emily already posted about it, but here are more pictures.

We sure had fun, and then went to dinner and walked through the town. There was a great ice carving show. The carvings were all lit up at night.

It was super hard to say goodbye to this little faraway family of ours, but we were so grateful for the good lives they are living and for all the love that is in their home.

Then it was on to Kennewick for our surprise visit to the Chans!! Allison about had a heart attack when we walked in the house while talking to her on her cell phone! It was really fun. We had a great time with them, and got to go to Dallin's piano lesson with him, and out to dinner and shopping at the mall. Again, it was mostly just fun to read books and play with the boys.

We couldn't be any prouder of these handsome and talented little men....they are so sweet!

I got to go to Ashton's school and meet his teacher and see where he sat and just everything. It was very special.

We felt like we got to know Tanner better, and had some fun one-on-one time with him. He is very strong spirited and holds his own very well in that threesome.

Thanks to both families for a magical vacation for us...we are so proud of you and we love you so much!!!

One of Life's Little Mysteries

2008-02-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

One of life's little mysteries....how to get on your blog. I have been trying for several months now to be able to post on my blog. Apparently, too many cooks spoil the brew, as the old saying goes, because after lots of advice from well-meaning helpers, I was totally confused, as was blogdom itself, as to what email address, password, title, you name it, to use to GET ON HERE. Natalie has straightened me out, and here I am, once again. Of course by now I have forgotten how to post pictures. I believe it has been a very long time since I have tackled any of that, but maybe now I can keep it all together. Blog on. Whew.

Waterfalls in ICELAND?

2007-11-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

Did you know Iceland had waterfalls? Or that the original Kon Tiki boat can be seen in Norway? Have you ever tasted a pizza in Venice or been to Picadilly Square for fish 'n chips in jolly old England? I think seeing the world is my favorite thing. Dad and I want to see ALL of it! I hope the travel bug rubs off on all of my kids because it is amazing. Save your money so when your kids are gone and college tuition is paid off, you can launch yourselves into the world and experience it for yourselves...now the question is, where do we go next????

New Baby Holland

2007-06-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is our newest tiny angel, Holland Emmy Broekman, who came into the world in perfect form on her mama's birthday, June 3, 2007. We all think she is pretty wonderful. She might possibly be the best dressed girl around Chandler because of all the darling hand-me-downs from cousins and friends. We sure do love her....

Norway trip

2007-06-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous trip to Holland, Norway, Germany, Holland and Belgium in May, 2007. We took Joe's Mom, Ruth Emig and her friend, Vi Long and dragged them all over Europe! They were great sports and we had a blast! We cruised on the beautiful Celebrity Century all through Norway to Joe's ancestor's homeland and then drove through the other countries on the autobahn with the help of "Brenda," our trusty GPS Tom Tom. Here are some pics....

Vi Long and Gramy Ruth with their handsome escort!

The magnificent Neuschwanstein Castle near Fusen, Germany in Bavaria. This is my new Happy Place and my dream is to take all of my grandchildren there to experience the magic of it. It was truly breathtaking and you all MUST go!!

This is Burg Eltz, a castle in the Mosel Valley of Germany, near the Rhine Valley. It is very, very old, and 1/3 of it is still inhabited by the family that owns it. It was so interesting to wander through the many rooms and see how they lived back then. THIS is my second favorite castle!

Ohmygoodness...I'm a blogger!

2007-03-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

Well, times sure have changed. It appears that my girls have me blogging! Not sure I have much to add, but it will be fun to keep in touch. We will see how it goes! I will need lots of coaching from you pros!