7 Random Things

Ok, I have been tagged by Candace and Jenn

So here are seven random things about me:

1. I am a twin. Yep, I have a twin brother. He is a great guy and I miss him. We haven't seen too much of each other for the last 8 years after I moved away from California. He has yet to come out to visit. I have been back to CA several times. Let's go fishing, Pat!

2. I am learning the bagpipes! I go up to Billings once a week for free lessons. Once I am good enough, I can join the bagpipe band and perform with them. Yes, I get to wear a kilt. And yes, I do know what goes or does not go under a kilt.

3. I have run in a 10k race before. Always wanted to do it and got in shape and ran in the Long Beach Grand Prix 10k run. Ok, I was in my 20's at the time, but I felt it was a great victory for me, especially since I have always battled my weight my adult life.

4. I love to stop at historical markers. I have the urge to stop at every one. I usually stop now only if I am alone in the car. My family wants to kill me when I do that. But when we are driving somewhere, I think the journey is just as fun as the destination. One of the coolest markers I've seen is the spot where Bonnie and Clyde were shot dead in Louisiana.

5. I have seen and touched all the oceans around the USA. Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. In fact I have been in 33 states. I only have 17 more to go. AL, AK, CT, GA, HI, IN, KY, ME, MA, NC, ND, NH, OH, RI, SC, VT, and WV. I will be in MA in March, so one more down
soon. Also been in 3 different countries: Canada, Mexico and Spain.

6. I've been skinny dipping before. Yep, there were lots of fish traumatized on the Colorado River. We had a cabin on the River and I would spend all my summers down there growing up. Still one of my favorites spots on earth.

7. I have been married to Page for almost 24 years. First real girlfriend I ever had and only girl I kissed more than twice, and only kissed three of them. Third time was the charm. 3 is our special number. We were sealed in sealing room #3 in the Los Angeles Temple. She is a great wife and mother to our children. She wants to go to Hawaii for our 25th. Hmmmm, that would mean one more state......

ok- I'm supposed to tag 7 more people. I think most that I know have already been tagged, so if you are reading this and want to be tagged, I tag YOU!

Merry Christmas

Christmas was a blur just like this photo! I have gained a new found appreciation for all those homemakers that put together Christmas for their families every year. Page wasn't able to do too much with her surgery last Thursday. Yesterday, I went and bought the fixins for the Christmas dinner and breakfast before the stores closed at 6 p.m. Last night, took the kids to dinner (see prior post), wrap gift, stuff stockings, bake pumpkin pie, fall into bed at 1:30 a.m.

This morning, get up early and prepare a Christmas breakfast (see photo below). Clean up, open presents, clean up wrapping paper, then must go take a nap for a couple hours.

Get up at 3 p.m. Put ham in the oven. Cook for 3 hours, basting it with cola (tried something new), make cherry/orange glaze, glaze ham last half hours. In the mean time, make homemade apple sauce (thanks Sean for peeling all those apples for me!), make funeral potatoes, make apple cider green beans, set table (thanks Lacey for helping!), stuff celery and put olives in glass platter (which I forgot to serve at dinner- as they sat in the refrigerator), pour the sparkling cider, set out the rolls, and we are good to go.

Dinner was delicious, and it was nice to have us all sit together at the table. Lacey's friend Stephen also was at our table tonight. Then it was time to clean the kitchen (lots of cleaning along the way too), and then watch a couple Indiana Jones movies. I had a slice of chocolate silk pie and Sean had the pumpkin. So much of the holidays is surrounded by food! That's the real hard part. It took over 3 hours to get everything ready, and then another hour to clean it all up. Is it worth it? Oh yeah. It is so good to have the whole family together for Christmas. We also got to talk to family back in California on the phone today.

So how was your Christmas? Hope it was a Merry one!

Christmas breakfast featured a Christmas Fritata, Orange Julius, bacon, sausage and cinnamon rolls.

Santa thought Lacey was a good girl this year.

Santa thought Sean was a good boy this year too

Count Down to Christmas

I took Lacey and Sean over to Cody tonight for a Christmas Eve dinner at the Rib and Chop House. We love the Rib and Chop in Livingston, so we thought we would try the one in Cody. Same menu and just as delicious! Page is still not feeling well so she wanted to stay home in bed. Hope she feels better for Christmas tomorrow.

It was snowing in Cody. So we got to see some of the white stuff for Christmas.

Sean and Lacey were having a little fun drawing on the dinner table.

Here is a picture of the Crazy Mountains as we are leaving Livingston.

Page, Sean and I went to Livingston last weekend. Sant is leaving for Germany in the Air Force on Wed. so Sean wanted to see him. This also gave us an opportunity to go to church at the Livingston Ward. It was good to see old friends. I also loved singing the Christmas hymns in Sacrament Meeting. We headed back a little earlier than expected because Page was feeling really ill. She had hand surgery on Thursday and we may have pushed a little to hard, having her come on the trip. Thanks Jenn for the nice room and letting us have a late departure. Hope you didn't get in too much trouble....

Sean finally made it

See that little storm over the Dakotas? Well it was over Utah and Wyoming last night, right when Sean was heading back home from his semester at BYU. He left campus at 6 pm last night to get to the SLC airport before his 9:10 p.m. flight. We thought he had plenty of time. Well the snow slowed down traffice up to SLC and it took him 2 hours. Still enough time.... then flights began to be delayed because of the storm. His 9:10 got bumped to 10:15. He called us that he was boarding. At 11:15 p..m. I head to Cody. Clear skys in Powell.... 20 miles away it's a major snow storm hitting Cody. I slowly work my way to the airport and they tell me the flight just left SLC. It wont be in Cody until 12:30 a.m. this morning. That's if they are allowed to land!. Oh great. So I slowly work my way to WalMart to do some quick shopping along with only three other cars in the WalMart parking lot. I get back to the airport about 12:30 a.m. and the lights are turned on the runway (good sign) and their is a plow on the runway, clearing it. About 10 mintues later the plane lands. Hurray! So Sean made it to Cody two hours late. But he made it!

Page had surgery yesterday too on her hand. They fixed her carpal tunnel and also found a torn ligament in her thumb pad, so they fixed that too. She is going to be miserable for about 2 weeks. We are trying to keep her comfortable and help her out anyway we can.

The move happened last Saturday. We are in the new house. It is great. I have unpacked so many boxes.... Also got the Christmas tree and decorations up. We put the ornaments on the tree tonight.... on Dec. 21st! This is the latest ever for us. Might be making a trip up to Livingston tomorrow too, have to play it by ear, depends on how Page is feeling.

BYU winter dance

Got t his picture of Sean and his friend Natalie. She is in Sean's ward at BYU. They went to the winter dance together last week and had a good time. Nice how the tie matches the dress!

Sean comes home on Thursday night. We are so excited. Now he just has to get through the next four days of finals. Good luck Sean. Study like crazy!

Worst than water boarding?

I'm right in the middle of torture. Packing the house for an 8 a.m. move tomorrow and we are not anywhere near ready. It snowed this morning too. We got to get everything over to the new house, clean up the old house, unpack boxes at the new house before Thursday (when Page has surgery and Sean comes home from BYU), and get Christmas tree, decorations up before Sean gets home. I'm not a happy camper.

HuckaBOMB

See the bomb Huckabee laid at Romney's feet? He was talking to a reporter for an article in NY Times Magazine that will be published on Sunday. At the end of the interview in hushed tones, he asks the reporter (all innocently) "is it true that Mormons believe Jesus and the Devil are brothers?". Why would he ask a reporter that? He didn't want to plant that image in the minds of the evangelicals of Iowa did he? Of course not! He says he doesn't want to bring religion into the race. Isn't it interesting that he doesn't have a problem letting people know he is an ordained Baptist minister? And he says he knows nothing about the LDS church. I lived in the south, every Baptist I knew heard anti-mormon sermons given from their pulpit. Interesting he knows nothing about Mormons.
The LDS church came out with a statement that Huckabee mis-represented the LDS belief of the nature of the savior and the devil. What else is new? I was glad to hear the church say that this is a tactic used by people who want to slam the Church. YES! I guess this is backfiring on old Huck. After the Republican debate in Iowa today he tells CNN that he went up to Romney and apologized. Of course Romney accepted.
Interesting that he couldn't wait to report to the press that he apologized. Shouldn't Romney be the one to tell the press that? And if he was so sorry, why didn't he apologize on camera when he had the chance in his closing statement? I have lost all respect for Huckabee. I wonder when he talks to that reporter again if he is going to whisper "Did the Jews really kill Jesus?" or "is it true Catholics pray to the virgin Mary?"
Well, a focus group said Romney looked the most presidential and won the debate. Let's see if that has any impact on the polls. I know I am helping contribute to the religion debate with this blog entry, but wouldn't it be nice to choose a candidate based on their views, character and plan for the country?

Christmas "tagged"

Thanks for the tag, Karie. I will go ahead and tag: Jenn, Candace and Jamie

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Wrapping paper. I love opening up a wrapped gift. I usually stick something in a gift bag though, because it is a lot easier. I can make the tissue stick out of it really fancy. Somebody showed me how to do it.

2. Real tree or artificial?

Artificial! You can put it up early and take it down late and never have to worry about watering it or vacuuming up needles. I also think they look so real now too. Just doesn't have the pine smell- so go buy pinesol and spray it.

3. When do you put up the tree?

Between the Friday after Thanksgiving and the first few days of December. Except for this year because we are moving on the 15th. How fun for us!

4. When do you take the tree down?

When we get around to it. We've had it up until Feb. before, but that was only one time. It'susually down the first week of Jan.

5. Do you like eggnog?

I love it! I am usually the only one to drink it, so I have it all to myself. This year I bought some Cinnamon Eggnog and lacey loves it, so now I have competition over the eggnog.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?

Fishing tackle box full of lures. I knew my Dad picked it out for me, so it really made an impact on me.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?

Yes, but I want a better one. I do have a nice porcelin Mary and Jospeph with baby Jesus, but it is not a complete nativity. I have also been hunting for year for the three kings riding camels, but haven't seen anything I like. I have become obsessed in finding them.

8. Hardest person to buy for?

My boss- usually some type of snack basket.

9. Easiest person to buy for?

Lacey- she usually has a long list

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?

Not really a gift, but worse Christmas was 1984. My sister, Connie, was killed in a car accident a week before Christmas, and it was Page and my first Christmas together and should have been special. The world stopped for us.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards?

Mail! email? are you kidding? We also put together a Christmas poem every year. Still got to do that this year.....

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?

It's a Wonderful Life

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas ?

Day after Thanksgiving, then it trickles during Dec. then full speed Christmas Eve

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

No, but did recycle Wedding gift way back when. We got like 12 Woks, what were we going to do with all of them?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

All the sweets! Not good for me, but I love it.

16. Clear lights or colored on the trees?

We have clear lights already on the fake tree. But Page loves color too, so we add bunches of colored lights to it.

17. Favorite Christmas song?

Hand down, it is "The First Noel". I always get teary eyed too when I sing it. The spirit overcomes me with that song for some reason.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?

We stay home, but I would love to travel to California to see family.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers?

No

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?

Star. We looked for one for years but never could decide, so no star on tree, but it should have one. We have had this red ribbon bow thingy that Page likes that has been our tree topper, but we really do need a star!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

Christmas Eve is not Christmas! Page and kids can't get that through their brain. We have let them open PJs the night before.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?

It's a pretty amazing time of year. Maybe having to scrape ice off your windshield to get to work.

23. What I love most about Christmas?

Making people happy

Mitt Romney gives "The Speech"

I just happened to be walking by a tv at the hospital this morning and there was Mitt giving the anticipated speech on his faith. So I stopped a listened for a litte bit. The part that I heard was very good. He looked and sounded "Presidential" to me. He talked more about religious tolerance than "what do Mormon's beleive". I was happy he did not run away from his beliefs, however, when he said he believed in his religion. I liked how he included things he liked from many different religions. I liked how he said "anybody who bends their knee to pray has a friend in me". I was happy with the speech. I don't know how it will play in Peoria, but I think he hit it out of the ballpark. What are your thoughts?

Happy Hanukkah

Today at sunset is the beginning of Hanukkah, a Jewish Holiday, the Festival of Lights. I have to admit, I always wanted to celebrate Hanukkah. I wanted to be able to have a menorrah and light a candle each night during the 8 days of Hanukkah and eat Latkes and jelly donuts and all the other wonderful Jewish delights. And especially spend each evening with my family.

Hannukkah is the celebration of re-dedicating the temple in Jerusalem after it was defiled by Antiochus IV. The Maccabee rebellion kicked the Greeks out and they were able to go in and clean and re-dedicate their temple. They needed to use oil to light the eternal flame. They only had enough oil to keep it lit one day. It would take them eight days to make more olive oil, but by a miracle the lamp burned bright for eight days until more oil could be obtained. What a wonderful blessing from the Lord! The Jewish people love their temple. We, LDS, also love our temples and know how sacred they are. So even thought I am not Jewish, ( but I am an Ephraimite, so I'm very closely related!), I can appreciate the meaning behind Hannukah and wish all Jewish peoples around the world a Very Happy Hannukah season! May the Lord continue to bless us all!

This week, I mailed Sean a humorous Hannukah card at BYU. Hope you enjoy it Sean! I know how much you love funny cards! Only two more weeks until your home! We can't wait!!!!!

First Presidency Christmas Devotional

Now the Christmas Season is in full swing. For me, the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional kicks off Christmas. It is always on the first Sunday of December. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir always does a great job. This year my favorite was "Still, Still, Still". President Eyring spoke as the new second counselor. I have to admit I missed President Faust. He always shared a wonderful Christmas memory with us every year. I love hearing from our dear Prophet, Gordon B. Hinkley as well. I know we won't have him forever, so I enjoy every chance I get to hear from that great man, and having him share his wish for us during the Christmas season.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Trojans beat the bRuins

USC 24 ucla 7

USC beats it's cross-town rivals today and propels them into the Rose Bowl!!! We win our unprecedented 6th straight Pac-10 championship, it will be our 6th straight BCS Bowl and third straight Rose Bowl. This team has been on fire for several years. I wonder how long it can last? I'm not complaining, mind you. I am enjoying the ride. We will find out tomorrow who we will be playing against on New Year's Day. How sweet it is!