CAR TROUBLE !!!!

In April, we took a fun Spring Break trip to California to visit Disneyland with Baylee for the first time and to see the Red Sox play the Angels. We planned to drive because there were six of us going - Val, me, Kelsey, Travis, Liz and Baylee. We prepared for the trip as usual, with Val going over the Suburban with a fine tooth comb. He had it serviced, checked everything out. I even drove it to Tremonton the day before and everything seemed fine.

Well, we got on the road and things were going great for 200 miles until we were just outside of Beaver. Then the car started making a terrible noise and the engine started losing power. We pulled over and Val checked things out and decided we needed to be towed into Beaver. He pulled out his AAA auto card and made the call. Now I have had a AAA auto card for years but never once have carried it in my wallet. Boy was I glad he carried his!

The man (Rick) and his flatbed tow truck arrived quickly and Rick (who is also a skilled AAA mechanic) listened to our engine and determined that it was shot and we needed a total engine replacement. He told us that he could do the repairs while we were in California and have the car ready for us to pick up on our way home. Yay, Rick! He loaded the car onto the flatbed and because of space, Val rode in the cab with him and the rest of us rode in the suburban on the flatbed, securely buckled in, of course.

While being towed, Val got on the phone and made arrangements for a rental car. We were towed 100 miles, all the way to St. George where we picked up our lovely new suburban. Our car was then taken back to Beaver to be repaired.

We enjoyed a wonderful trip (more about that in a future post) and then made our way back to St. George, where Rick had driven our car and left it at the airport for us to pick up. We dropped off the rental picked up our car and drove home. Rick is now my new best friend. We only had a 2 hour delay on the way down and a very brief delay on the way home. The only drawback was the rather large expense of PUTTING A NEW ENGINE IN OUR SUBURBAN.

We feel so fortunate, though, to have had the entire situation turn out so well. I can tell you one thing - I came right home and put my AAA auto card in my wallet. Those people are lifesavers. They will tow you from anywhere! Below are some lovely photos of our great adventure.

Kelsey is a Wolverine . . .

On Saturday, April 18, Kelsey auditioned for the UVU Dance Team and won a position as one of their nine rookies for next year! She is really excited about this new opportunity. Val and I are excited to start paying tuition to yet another Utah school of higher learning. We have already been affiliated with Utah State University, Weber State University, the University of Utah (north to south). Now we will begin our tenure with the southernmost school to date. Great job Kelsey! We are proud of you!

March Madness

On March 19-22 we had our annual March Madness party! Wow, four days of basketball, scrapbooking and FOOD. I spend most of my time cooking for everyone. This year, Tara and I took some time out on Friday morning to go to the Scrapbook Expo. It was so fun and we got lots of great stuff. I think Tara was a little frightened by all the hard-core scrapbookers, though. Here we are shopping till we dropped!

Dan and Wade approved this year's menu. We ate pretty well. Here I am cooking away. Our dear friends Mike and Kathryn Nyborg always join us for the games and food. We always have such a great time together.

Mike, Kathryn, Val and I at dinner

Tara Shayla and Liz in scrapbook heaven!

Travis, JB, Dan and Wade had a great time eating, watching the games, and playing basketball in the driveway during the breaks.



Happy Birthday Mike! Mike celebrated his ?? birthday on Saturday. We all had a great time, but four days of basketball and eating is enough. Thanks goodness it's over until next year!

THE GLAD GAME

One of my favorite movies is the Disney film, "Pollyanna" with Hayley Mills. In the movie, she talks about taking a situation or set of circumstances and, instead of being gloomy about it, trying to find something to be GLAD about. She calls it "The Glad Game". Since our family has experienced an unusual amount of trials and challenges during the past six months, Val and I have decided that we need to make "The Glad Game" a part of our daily routine.

Val's mother has experienced a dramatic decline in her health and now requires 24 hour live-in care. My darling niece and her wonderful husband are able to live with Grandma and care for her, but of course, they need time off. Our extended family has been able to join together and provide care for this dear lady, and in addition, give her caregivers a much-needed break. We are GLAD that we have been able to spend this time with Grandma and grow closer together as a family as we provide care for this sweet mother. We are GLAD for the sweet moments we have shared with one another and with her as we listen to and laugh about the funny things she says. We are GLAD that we have learned that we can do things we never thought we could and that it's not really that bad.

As we experience other challenges and difficulties, we are GLAD that we have family members to support and sustain and help us. The Lord definitely knew what he was doing when he put us on the earth in families.

Try to implement "The Glad Game" in your life. When you face difficult times, try to find something in the situation to be GLAD about. You will be surprised at how easy it is!

Peek-A-Boo Barn

Okay, I tried to get these pictures to rotate but I can't so you'll just have to look at them sideways. Val got a game on his iphone called "Peek-A-Boo Barn" that Baylee absolutely loves. It show the animal, makes the sound and says the animal name in Spanish (or English). She loves it! This sideways picture on the left shows her reaction when it starts.

At the end the animals go to sleep and the game says "estan dormiendo" (they are sleeping) "shhhhh". Here is Baylee going "shhhhh". She can play this game over and over with her Papa. They both love it.

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

Last Sunday was the Super Bowl and we had our annual party. Our friends Mike and Kathryn and their son Zach joined us. Welcome home Zach! He missed the last two years since he was in Tennessee. Too bad I neglected to take a picture of him. Unfortunately, all the pictures I did take are a tad blurry - SORRY! My niece and her husband also joined us as well as our kids. I cheered for the Cardinals but the Steelers won. Oh well, it was a good game anyway and we had a blast. Thanks everyone for coming. Dan, Angie, Travis and Baylee enjoying their food.
Kathryn, Tara and Baylee - Go Cards!

Baylee spent most of her time coloring.

JB, Liz and Travis

(wow, blurry!)

Shayla and Kelsey
(blurry again)

Kelsey Wins Again!

Just a quick news bulletin - Kelsey placed 3rd in the Drill Down at State Drill last week. She competed against all the 5A girls in the state (approximately 320 girls) We were so proud of her. I hope she doesn't consider a career in the military . . . Congrats Kels!