Our Story

(Warning: The pictures are not very good. I do not own a scanner and I had to take a picture of my pictures. I apologize.)


1. Where did you meet your husband? I worked with Mitchell's mom at the school's District Office. Mitchell would call to speak with his mom I would be the one to answer the phone. He told me later that he loved the sound of my voice. Funny thing was that he and I would both spy on each other while we both worked there. After two months of flirting with each other he finally asked me out.

2. What was the first thing said? Not sure about that one.

3. What was your first date? We went to a Jackie Chan movie. About fifteen minutes in we noticed that their mouths didn't match the words and realized that it was dubbed into english. Mitchell got a large popcorn and it was really full so he picked off the top pieces with his tongue. Then he turns to me and asked if I wanted some. Not this time.

4. How long did you date? We dated from January 1997 until April 1998 when we were married. I was still in high school when we met so he was able to go to my Senior Prom. After I graduated I went to Ricks College and we were apart for a couple of months yet we still found time to talk on the phone every day. One month Mitchell's phone bill was over $250.

Prom 1997

5. First kiss? On our first date, in the movie theater, about an hour into the date. I know it sounds bad but we talked on the phone for a couple of months before he even asked me out. I was ready! Yum, butter flavored kisses (Mitchell added that one).

6. Where did you get engaged? I was at Ricks College and at the time he lived in Hanford California. The day before he proposed to me we were talking about marriage and he said that he was just going to mail me a ring. I said there is no way that he was going to mail me a ring. He then surprised me the next day and flew to Rexburg. He came to my dorm room and I was so excited to see him. He told me that he had something to tell me. He said that he was going to go on a mission and that he wanted to take our last picture together before he got back. My jaw dropped. We had talked about marriage but never a mission. (He is a convert to the church and was baptized when he was 18). I knew I would wait for him, but it was still a shock to me. There are some beautiful gardens at Ricks and he asked me where they were at. I did not want to take a picture there because that is where people go to get engaged. He then grabbed his camera (or so I thought, he was getting the ring) and led me to the gardens. Mitchell then knelt down on one knee and said that the reason that he had come all of the way there is not because he was going on a mission but it was to ask me to marry him. I was so excited. He gave me his Great Grandmothers ring.

Back at my dorm room right after we became engaged.

7. Where did you get married? April 10, 1998 in the Los Angeles Temple on a beautiful Spring day. That night we were to have our reception in Corcoran so we had a three hour drive to get there. During the ride home there was a rock slide that covered the freeway thus turning our trip into a six hour detour. To make a LONG story short we were 2 hours late to our own reception!


8. How did the reception go? Once we finally got there it was nice. My sister, Tricia, and her husband got there after we were done opening our gifts. They also had to take the detour along with most of my family. We just happened to be the second to last ones to get there. It is definately an experience that we will NEVER forget. I bet many of you also remember that.
This is the newspaper clipping about the landslide on the grapevine. We were at a standstill for hours.


9. Where did you go on your honeymoon? After our reception we stayed in Bakersfield, California for the night then we drove onto the Luxor in Las Vegas for two nights. What a beautiful hotel.

Need to Spice Up Your Relationship? Fun Ideas!

Since February (Valentines Day) is right around the corner I thought it would be fun to post an email that I received today. There are some fun ideas on how to spice up your relationship. Studies prove it's not grand romantic gestures that cement a couple but small acts of kindness that makes the biggest impact. Consider these love boosters daily vitamins for a healthy relationship.

1. Flatter. Have something nice to say? Say it out loud. If you can't think of anything...well, think harder and tell them.
2. Spoil. Bring them their morning juice, coffee or hot chocolate in bed.
3. Coddle. While they are in the shower, pop the towel into the dryer so that it's toasty-warm and fluffy when they get out.
4. Play footsie. At dinner, under the table, slip off your shoe, and let your toes do the talking. Great at restaurants.
5. Post it. A bathroom mirror and a steering wheel are prime places to leave a surprise I love you note.
6. Forgive. Vow to let pass the next thing they say or do that annoys you.
7. Laugh. At their lame jokes. At their funny stories. Out loud.
8. Treasure. Take their face in your hands, then lightly stroke their forehead, eyelids, cheeks, lips and jaw line.
9. Pay. Leave some change in their car for parking or ice cream or a drink.
10. Make music. Put their favorite song on the CD player; dance with the lights on and your clothes off.
11. Boast. In front of your spouse's family or friends, mention something terrific they did recently. Then turn towards them and beam.
12. Light up. Eat dinner by candlelight, make love by candlelight, bathe together or watch a video by candlelight.
13. Send. Voice mail, e-mail and faxes with can't wait to see you tonight messages.
14. Clip. Come across a magazine article they would like? Notice a sporting event, concert or show announcement? Get the scissors ready.
15. Smooth. Take a bit more time to kiss hello and goodbye. Studies confirm that the first 3 minutes you spend together at the end of the work day sets the tone for the entire evening. And when you leave in the morning give them more than a peck. Wrap your arms around them and count to 10.

Some Thoughts on our Dear Prophet President Gordon B. Hinckley

What an amazing man. He was so full of love and compassion. My sister told me this dear sweet story about him today. She said that President Hinckley was walking on the temple grounds and went up to a temple ground landscaper and said that his wife loved the flowers on the temple grounds and he wanted to know if he could pick some and take them to her. The ground keeper told him that was fine. The landscaper then turned around and noticed that it was President Hinckley (how would that be). President Hinckley then went to his dear wifes grave and placed them upon her grave. He then returned to the temple grounds and thanked the grounds keeper for letting him take some of those flowers. He missed her so dearly. I know that he is having a glorious reunion right now. What a wonderful thing to know that they are married for Time and All Eternity. They are still married and still together. That is the purpose for temple marriage, something the President knew and talked about a lot. He said, “One of the bellwether marks of the growth and vitality of the Church is the construction of temples. . . . We will keep on working to bring the temples to the people, making it more convenient for Latter day Saints everywhere to receive the blessings which can only be had in these holy houses.” ( “The Work Goes On,” Ensign, May 2001, 1.)



When I lived in Utah I had the opportunity of attending the Womens portion of General Conference. As I sat there waiting for Conference to begin I saw President Hinckley walk into the room. The whole room became silent. The room sits 21,000 people but you could have heard a pin drop. As he was helped to his seat I thought to myself the song We Thank Thee Oh God For A Prophet. How amazing to be in the same room with our present day Prophet. I wish that he would have addressed us that day, but it is something that I will never forget.

My favorite quote given by President Hinckley is, "Under the plan of heaven, the husband and the wife walk side by side as companions, neither one ahead of the other, but a daughter of God and a son of God walking side by side. Let your families be families of love and peace and happiness. Gather your children around you and have your family home evenings, teach your children the ways of the Lord, read to them from the scriptures, and let them come to know the great truths of the eternal gospel as set forth in these words of the Almighty.” ( “Selections from Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, Mar. 2001, 64.)

What an amazing man of God. He will truly be missed!

Carnival and a Game of Cards

We have had a really fun weekend. Our Elementary School does a carnival for a fundraiser. Our girls really look forward to it every year. They have some really fun games for the kids and it is really cheap. I got 100 tickets for $20.00. Each game is 1 ticket so we were there for quite a long time and we brought home a lot of fun prizes.


If you know me I am compulsive about knowing where my children are at ALL times. I actually let Lindsay and Ashley run around with a friend and I did not even worry about them. (Baby Steps). They are growing up and I just have to allow it.

This is the only picture that I was able to take of Ashley. (She is the one in the blue coat). She is such a social butterfly. It was a lot of fun watching her with her interact with her friends from school. At church she is pretty quiet, this is not the case that night.

Face Painting is Hailey's favorite. She asked for a butterfly.

Hailey at the fishing pond.

Lindsay playing skee-ball. She has had a lot of practice at Chuck-e-Cheese so she did quite well.
Lindsay with some of her prizes. We had a fun night.

We just found this really fun game, Apples to Apples. It is so much fun. My brother, Jared, came over with his two kids and we had to play it with him.

Jade is such a doll! I could play with her all day long and so can Lindsay.

Hailey and Tavis, Jareds son, are best buddies. They play so well together. It is fun living so close to some of our family. We sure do miss the ones that are so far away but we look forward to our family reunion during the summer.

This-N-That

Who doesn't love Costco? We had to get matching dresses for the girls when we saw these. I usually get the girls the same type of dress in different colors but Mitchell thought it would be fun to get them matching dresses. The day I took this picture it was 19 degrees outside and I made them take off their coats. Sorry girls! They are troopers.

Hailey and I have started preschool together. It has been a lot of fun. There are so many fun preschools around but since she just turned three in August I wanted to wait until next year to put her into one. Ashley was in a preschool at our High School that was taught by the students. It was a lot of fun. I hope to get Hailey on their list.

After she works in her workbook she gets to put a special sticker next to the letter that she learned that day. We then put on our alphabet goggles and search our home for the letter of the day. Today we learned the letter "C" so we discover where all of the C's. It has been fun and Hailey really enjoys it.

She is my little buddy. She is trying to grow up faster than she should. The other day she was spitting in the back seat of the car and I asked her to stop spitting. She said that I am a, "meanie" and that she wanted to have another mom. She pointed to the car in front of us and told me to, "follow that car." She wanted to get into some random car that was in front of us. She freaked out when the lady turned and went down a different road. She truly thought she was going to go with that lady. Once I sat her down and told her how much I loved her she realized that she wanted to stay with our family. This 3 year old is pulling my hair out, but isn't she cute?!?

Presenting Lindsay, Ashley and Hailey

This is my children's routine about once a week. They bring me an invitation letting me know that they will be putting on a show. They go all out, make tickets, provide a comfortable place to sit consisting of pillows, and usually offer some kind of snack. It is a pretty big production that they put on. Today they practiced for about 2 hours and are always fun to watch while they have a lot of fun.

I was invited to one of these shows this afternoon. Have fun watching them.

My Other Blog

I guess I love blogging so much that I made another blog. I have different recipes laying all around the house and I wanted a place to compile them into one place. What better place then on a blog for all to see. I would love it if you send me your recipes and a little bit of why you like the recipe and I will post it onto my blog. I already have quite a few of my favorites already posted.

The Link is www.easyandfabulousrecipes.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Recipe for a Cold Winter Day like Today!

My friend, Karli Grover, put a fun recipe on her blog and I thought I would do the same. This recipe came from a friend of mine. My kids absolutely love it and so do I. It is also very easy to make. I actually made mine in the crockpot and it was delicious. Thanks Tina for this recipe!

WHITE CHILI
3 cans Northern White Beans(You will find this next to the kidney beans)
4 cups chopped, cooked chicken breasts (tip: buy a Rotisserie Chicken from Costco)
1 TBS. olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 4-ounce cans chopped mild green chilies (tip: canned whole chilies come without skin. Chop them up and put extra in the freezer)
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 ½ tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
6 cups chicken stock or canned broth
3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 12 oz)
Sour cream

Simplified directions:
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, then chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne and sauté 2 minutes. Add 3 cans of Northern White Beans and stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes.

Take the meat off of a rotisserie chicken. Use 4 cups chopped of the meat (about ½ of the chicken). Add chicken and 1 cup cheese to chili and stir until cheese melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls. Serve with remaining cheese and sour cream.

What is that?????

I receive this picture from my husband on my cell phone. I could not figure out what it was. It looked pretty gross to me. What do you think it is?

It is something that he ate yesterday. He said that it is a delicatecy (not sure how to spell it). It is Chicken Feet. GROSS!!!!!!!!!!! I can not believe that my husband ate this. He said that it was a taste that he had never tasted before. (I would hope so!) One of his employees is Vietnameese and he took him to his favorite restaurant and Mitchell let him order for him. This is what he got.

Mitchell actually loves that kind of food and his employee wants us to come to their house for dinner one of these days. If the food will be anything like this, I am not sure what I would do. It reminds me of when we went to Fairfield, California when my grandparents were on a mission there. They worked with the Hmong people and they invited us into their home. We met really sweet people that day. They served us some kind of rice drink. It reminded me of a rice and raisin thing my mom made us growing up and I loved it so I thought I would try it. Sorry, but it was not good at all. It was so bad that one of the brothers of the person who made it was pouring his into the potted plant next to him. After we all drank it (not sure how we did) they gave us a huge bucket with more in it and insisted that we take it home with us, since he thought that we enjoyed it so much. We we just being nice. :)

My Water Aerobics Class

The main reason that I got a gym membership was for one particiluar class. I really wanted to take the water aerobics class. I love swimming and without kids hanging all over me it would be just perfect! Well, the first day I worked out I watched the class through the window as I was lifting weights. I noticed that everyone, but the instructor, is over the age of 65. I thought there is no way that I am going to be the only one that is under the age of 50 in that pool.

So the next day I swam laps for an hour. It was hard work, but I did it. The whole time I was there I was trying to figure out what things I could do to build muscle and not be bored. Well, I was not coming up with anything. So, I told myself that I was going to watch the class the next day through the window to find hints as to what to do on my own.

I placed myself stratigically in front of that huge window and to my awe there were about 15 people that were my age in the class. This made me so excited! I thought to myself that I can do this; so I did. I later realized that becasue of promotions for the New Years a lot of people are getting back on track and are exercising. (Imagine that, losing weight as a New Years Resolution. Who would have thought?)

Yesterday was my first class and it was so much fun. I learned so much and met some fun people. I enjoyed the older people more than the younger ones. They reminded me of my grandma. It was fun watching them interact with each other. They would flirt with the three older men in the class. It was cute. Anyways, I am so glad that I went out of my comfort zone and did it. I can not wait to go again tomorrow!

I Think I am Afraid of Heights.....

...or I just like being in control. Mitchell has wanted us to go on the new tram that is in Downtown Portland. It connects a hospital that is on top of a hill to a hospital that is on the bottom of a hill. We went on our tram ride this Saturday.

As you can see it is pretty high and where you see that first huge pole, the tram sways three times, which is pretty scary.

I was very surprised that Lindsay and Ashley liked being up that high. They said that it was fun. (They get that from thier father.) I feel bad that I chopped Mitchell's head off in this picture.

Ashley enjoying the view.

This is Haileys way of enjoying the view.

We had a fun time. When we got to the top we went into the hospital cafeteria and got icecream. It was a fun weekend.

How is it?

How is it that your child can be perfectly fine one second and the next second she is hysterical? I went to pick up Hailey from "Kids Club" at my gym and I noticed that she had a scrape on her arm that had bled at one time. I knew that this happened at Kids Club so I asked her what happened. She did not even know that it was there, but the second that she saw it she started crying hysterically. We figured that she got it from the slide that is there, kinda like a rug burn. As she was screaming she said that if she went to McDonalds she will be all better. We came home and I put a bandaid on her arm and she thinks that bandaids are magical and that her scrape is gone. What a kid!

How is it that my other child, Ashley, can draw beautiful pictures like this...

but write stories like this?

It says "Once upon a time loved Mickey Mouse. He was bad today."

"So he lit a house on fire." (Normal children do not write this, do they?)

"Mickey didn't realize that it was Minny's house."

"So he went and apologized to Minny."

"The End."

Are there any psychologists in the house? I am beginning to think that she needs some attention or something. I do not think this is something that is normal. Any help would be appreciated.

Blogging is Taking Over

My blog has been taking over my thoughts lately. I want to make it just perfect so that I do not have to keep changing it. There are some blogs that are just adorable with cute pictures and a fun layout. Since I am not computer savvy I have been trying so hard to figure this out. I know what I want in my mind, but I have no idea how to incorporate that onto my blog.

I have changed my layout about 10 times this past week or so. I think I have finally come up with something that I am happy with. I have lost my title for my blog and can not figure out how to place it back on there, but hey, I still like it. Hopefully it is something that I can be satisfied with for some time now because everytime I change it I lose my friend and family blog pages and have to relist them. So, for now, I hope that you like my new look of my blog.

Here are some fun pictures that we took today.

Where a Kid can be a Kid

I remember always wanting to go to Chuck E Cheese as a kid. It was always such a fun place to go to. My girls love going there also. The one near us is always so clean and so fun. Chuck E comes out and dances with the kids and then throws tickets in the air for confetti and the kids run and grab as many tickets as they can. It is such a fun place to go.

I took the girls there today. We had such a fun time. I love that I can give my older two some tokens and send them on their way. I give them four at a time then when they run out they have to find me and they can get more tokens. This way I know where they are every couple of minutes. Also, they stamp your hand upon entering so no child can leave without the person who brought you. It makes me feel very safe and that way I let my kids run around alone.

Here are some fun pictures from today.

Hailey, Lindsay and Ashley having fun at Chuck E Cheese.

Hailey stomping on the spiders.

Ashley taking a rest.

Up, Up and Away!

I love Haileys look in this picture.

Playing Skeeball. We need to work on this game. We are not too good at it.

Say Cheese!

Isn't she cute?

I love doing fun things with my girls. It is too bad that things do not last forever, but we still had a great time and some fun pictures to share along with it.

What a Week

One of these days this sickness will finally leave our house. My poor Ashley seems to take the brunt of every sickness. No matter what we do, she is always the one that gets sick if there is a sickness around. It seems like she is feeling better this morning, but you never know with her.

On New Years Eve we went to a hotel in downtown Portland. We had a great time. Our room had a jacuzzi in it and the hotel also had an indoor swimming pool. Ashley learned how to swim by herself for the first time. It makes things nice when your kids can swim, you do not have to worry about them as much. Hopefully she will remember how to swim this summer.



Mitchell is at a campout with the Young Men so I took the girls to see "Enchanted". It is such a cute movie. I loved it and so did the girls. Whoever wrote it is a genuis. I am definately buying it when it comes out on DVD. When we got home all layed down in my bed and watched
"Underdog" and "Hairspray". I fell asleep during Underdog but Hairspray was so cute. John Travolta did a great job. It was funny seeing him portray a woman in the movie.

School starts on Monday and I think my kids are ready to get out of this house. I am so grateful that they love school so much. It has been a fun two weeks, other than the sickness, but it is time to get into our normal routine again.