Sarah's Big Date

Sarah went to the Tooele High School Girls Day Dance on Valentines Day. She asked a young man, Micah, who is in her physics class. She went with a group of 5 other couples. Aren't they a handsome looking group. Sarah's dress was beautiful and I must say (unbiased of course) that she was absolutely striking. The group went to one of the girl's home to play games and watch a movie earlier in the day. Then they came to our house at 5:30 for dinner. We had spaghetti, salad, french bread and cheesecake for dessert. Everybody appeared to have a good time. After dinner and getting a mild case of hypothermia taking pictures outside, everybody went home to get ready for the dance. They all met again at our house and we were able to take some more dance pictures. At about 11:30 they arrived at our house again for a light dessert (icecream and cake). It was fun to host the kids and everybody seemed to have a really good time. They are all such a good group of kids. I am so glad that Sarah was able to make such outstanding friends when we moved to Tooele. (Actually, all the our children made top notch friends when we moved here.) I have to admit, though, that it is kind of emotional as a father to see your daughter dressed up so beautifully on the arm of another young man (they are just friends - but isn't that how it starts). Just another year and Sarah will be off to school and it will just be the three of us here. Well, I digress. Life is good and yesterday was fun and left us with great memories for years to come.

Girl's Day Dance

 This is Sarah and her date for the Tooele High School Girl's Day Dance. We had twelve kids at our house for dinner. It was a blast.

 

Gardening Fever

I have started to receive the yearly spring gardening catalogs at home and online. With each catalog I am more ready for winter to end and the 7 months of digging in the dirt to begin. To be quite honest, I actually enjoy mowing the lawn and pulling weeds. Sherrie was complaining last night that I am watching too much TV. Well, when the weather is more accommodating and I can spend time in my yard, I don't watch any TV (well, very little). Today at lunch I went through one of the online catalogs that I received and picked out the flowers that I want to add to my garden collection. I have enough of the staples, that I am trying to find that special new flower that nobody else around me will have. I am making my list early so that when my favorite nursery opens this spring I can take my list and see if they will be stocking any of them. I once tried ordering plants out of catalogs. I received small, barely alive stock (some of it was actually dead) and I don't think anything that I planted survived. I found that buying my plants at the Tooele Valley Nursery has given me a 100% success rate and he tries to carry some of the specialty plants. I really like all the varieties of echinesia that are being developed. They have such beautiful blossoms, bloom so profusely and last for a long time (and they are drought tolerant). I noticed that my wisteria had started to leaf out before our last snow. The leafing was high on the vine so it should have made it through the winter okay. I always worry about the plants for the first couple of winters while they are getting hardened. But, as I stated in a previous blog, the winter thus far has been very good for the plants. The ferns on the side of the house didn't even die back all the way. I understand my Grandpa Gibby's love for his plants and flowers. I could see myself retiring and never leaving my house again (scary) because I need to care for my gardens. Sherrie has talked about putting a small playhouse in the backyard. If I do that I will have to take out my small vegetable garden. Although I wouldn't be that heart broken. I've grown quite a few tomatoes and squash, I just have harvested very many of them. It probably would work better to have the tomato plants in plants next to a cute playhouse. I wonder if she would let me keep the lawn mower and other gardening items in the playhouse... I doubt it. We keep driving past one that she likes. I told her I would build it for her. I don't think she trusts me because she says should would just like to buy the one she sees. I think it will be more expensive than she realizes. I will likely be building a playhouse with a porch swing this summer. It will look nice with the flower gardens around it.

The Groundhog was Right

It appears the groundhog was accurate in predicting six more weeks of winter. I have been greeted by a blanket of white yesterday morning and this morning. I got my hopes up to early for spring gardening. This is good weather for the gardens with the moderate temperatures and the wet snow. I will just be trapped in the house for a few more days. On the positive side, it is a good excuse for planting myself on the couch and watching American Idol tonight.

BYU Near the Top

 
BYU is ranked second as "most popular college" based on a yield rate (percentage admitted that enroll). I knew there was a reason I went to BYU (besides the scholarship they offered).

St. Valentine's Day Pix

After church this afternoon we decided to get some early Valentine's Day pictures. Aren't they a handsome group of kids!

Garden Update

Today was a nice day. It was a little overcast and drizzled occasionally, but it was warm enough that the snow was melting. I ventured into the backyard - which I found the neighbors cat has been using as a litter box all winter (I guess snow is like kitty litter)- to check on my gardens. This has been a great winter for the gardens. It hasn't been bitterly cold unless there was snow protecting the plants. I found my azaleas big and full with lots of buds. My crepe myrtles did not die back to the ground which should make them hardier next year. A number of the perennials are already starting to sprout up. My cherry tree appears to have made it through the winter (I was concerned because we transplanted it in the fall). The snow this winter has been really wet so all the ground is wet and the plants aren't dehydrated. I am excited to get out into the hard the start cleaning up the gardens. Hopefully by the end of March I will be out there.

Ruby is a Good Cat

Jonathan thought he would have some fun with Ruby. He is such a gentle cat and will let Jonathan do anything to him. So Jonathan wrapped his head up with Britney's scarf (sorry Jared). Ruby just sat there and then let us even take pictures of him. To take it further he put the hat on Ruby. He still just sat there. I think he liked the attention. I have never seen a cat that will put up with so much.

Draper Temple

Last night we had the opportunity to attend the Draper Temple open house. Britney came up from BYU to go with us. It was a fun and spiritual experience. We drove into our designated parking lot (RED) and proceeded into the waiting area. We were then ushered into the chapel to watch a video about the temple. Then back to the cultural hall to the bus waiting area. Before long we were on the bus headed up to the temple. It seemed like a long ride that wound around before it dropped us off at the white tents leading to the temple. I wasn't able to get any good pictures of the temple because we were never able to see it from the outside. It is a beautiful building done in what I would consider a mission motif. There was alot of cherry or mahogany with straight lines and slight curves. They also used travertine throughout. We liked the style. It would be nice to update our living room with a couch and chairs similar to the style that was used in the temple. It was fun for the girls to see the brides dressing room. They were surprised that the grooms don't get a special dressing room. We even got to tour through the men's dressing room. The Celestial Room was stunning and the kids especially liked the large chandelier. After finishing the tour we went out through another tent to a church building. We walked into the church and had "light refreshment" which consisted of Costco waters and cookies. Then it was back on the red bus to our chapel and back home. It turned out to be a rather long evening where we headed out at 6:15 and weren't home until almost 10:00.

Spring - Are We There Yet?

I received one of my gardening catalogs in the mail today. As I browsed through page after page of beautiful flowers I became very anxious for spring to arrive. With nobody skiing this year and the snowmachines out of commission I haven't really enjoyed winter like I usually do. I have spent it cooped up in the house watching too much television. I went outside and saw the daffodils starting to come up through the soil and few other cold hardy souls are putting up little blossoms. I put in a lot of flowers last summer and so I am excited to see them come back up. They should be bigger and carry more flowers this year. I think I will put some trees in the yard this year also. I am hoping that my twisted flowering cherry survived the winter. With a few more warm days I might see it starting to bud. I am taken by the many colors of echinesia and will probably work on increasing my collection of them. They blossom so profusely and the flowers last for a long time. Last year we had quite a number of volunteer rudbeckias. I took the seeds and spread them around the yard. I am hoping that I will have a good crop of those also since they are a beautiful yellow/red/orange flower and the blossoms last for weeks. The snow is almost off the front yard and I can see my back patio so maybe spring isn't so far off.

The Great American Medical System

So I finally went into the doctor yesterday (and yes, we actually do have physicians in Tooele). I have a case of strep throat and a sinus infection. I had to pay to have a doctor confirm what I already knew. I also had to wait in the exam room for almost an hour after my appointment time. I'll have to remember that for the next time I'm late to their office. I did get my prescription for penicillan. And according to the doctor I should be feeling better in about 3-4 days. This morning I got up to go to work and by the time I was half way out here I decided that it wasn't such a good idea to try and go into work. However, it was just as far home and is was finishing the driver here. So I am sitting at my desk feeling miserable again. Now along with the headache and chills I have an upset stomach from the medication. On the upside I should be better by Valentines Day.

Nine Months

It is hard to believe that Jared has already been in the mission field for 9 months. He has been out approximately 274 days which equates to 38% completion. But then who's counting. To celebrate this milestone he was transferred to Gadsden, Alabama. I don't know much about Gadsden other than it is about an hour east of Cullmen and has four missionaries working in it. Depending on your internet connection and computer capability there is a video tour available.

Another Day - Another Dollar

Maybe that is a hopeful title. I try not to focus too much on money or finance these days - too easy to get down in the dumps. We've had a few beautiful days in Tooele and I am starting to see the end of winter. The kids didn't want ski passes this season (well, the ones at home - I'm sure Jordan would have gone for one, but now that he is a college student they aren't cheap anymore). Without anyone going skiing, and not being able to ride the snow machines (one broke last season and I have yet to find a replacement part) the winter seems longer. But with the last few days of sun, the snow is receding and I am seeing my ever hopeful perennials pushing up through the sun-warmed soil. I even had a few flowers blooming (the pansies never give up). I am anxious to finish up the landscaping on my backyard this spring. I think I am anxious just to get out of the house. I've been sick for so long this winter (yes, I am still trying to recover), that I haven't worked on my indoor projects. I have some flooring and tiling projects to do, but I really need to set up on the front driveway to do them, or create a real mess inside of the house. Sherrie has stayed busy creating her quilts. It really amazes me how quickly she can design and then put together a quilt top. And she has done this whilst continuing to work on her graduate classes. She has been buzzing through this latest class so she decided to double up and finish the classes for her certificate this term. I don't know where she finds all the energy (although her short nap yesterday was longer than mine). Well, the end of my lunch break is quickly approaching so I had better end get back to earning that ever elusive dollar...

Was it a SUPER Bowl?

I watch professional football at most, once a year. That is because Sherrie makes snacks and we all settle in as a family to become professional football critics, coaches and officials (I still don't think he had both toes on the ground). It was fun as always - well, at least the second half I watched after my nap. I had a few snacks before the game began. I took Jonathan around to collect fast offerings and then I was so tired I needed a nap. I awoke in time to watch the so so half time show. I never was a great fan of the Boss. It seems that the half-time shows have become less and less over the years. I did enjoy the second half of the game. It was great to see the Cardinals come back from behind. I was disappointed to see them lose (not that I even knew who they were before today). Poor Jonathan was so engrossed in the game he had to get up and pace back and forth when it looked like the Steelers were going to win. After the Cardinals made their last touchdown and were ahead he calmed down. Only to be disappointed in the end. I usually enjoy the commercials. However, this year, it didn't look like much was put into creative or entertaining commercials (another sign of the bad economy). Well, with the infusion of stimulus cash maybe we will get better commercials next year. I mean if the banking and investment industry is going to pay its employees bonuses in such an awful year, at least we should have some decent Superbowl commercials. I've probably skated to far into political posturing with that last statement. At least the President's team won, so maybe I can take that as an omen of more good to come...