Bucket List: The Begining

Well, since it's a friggin' 9 degrees outside all I can do is think about places that I would rather be. I started to write out my bucket list. I doubt there will be "1001 things I want to do before I die", but I've got quite a few. The first things on my list are places that I want to go or things I want to see.... The list is probably not going to be in order of importance, more so just the beginning....

1. Visit Petra
2. Climb Macchu Picchu & since I'm in Peru check out the Nesco Lines
3. Go to Coppacabana Beach in Brazil for New Year's
4. See fireworks over the Sydney Opera House
5. See Easter Island
6. See the mountain gorillas in Uganda
7. Stay at Ashford Castle in Ireland
8. Watch the World Cup in person
9. Bungee Jump head first off the bridge in Austria
10. Go Sky Diving
11. Safari & visit Kreuger Park
12. Ride an elephant in Thailand
13. See the great pyramids of Egypt
14. Relax on the beach in Phuket
15. Visit the Dalmatian Coast
16. Shop in Dubai
17. Watch a Real Madrid game....in Madrid
18. Go to the Opening Ceremonies of an Olympics
19. Buy a 30-day train ticket & just travel across Europe with a back pack
20. Ride on the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul- just like the old days
21. Ride in a hot air balloon
22. Galapagos Islands
23. Volunteer

Christmas Night

On Christmas night I took the boys to visit Grandma Tammy. We also were able to go and see Great-Grandma Dusty and Great-Great-Grandma Hougaard. The boys got 4 of the 5 living generations in one picture...& it was really nice to be able to catch up with the boys' family. It breaks my heart that their daddy can't be apart of this...but I feel good by at least keeping the rest of the family in their lives.

Merry Christmas! XoXoXo

Christmas Afternoon

Christmas afternoon was spent at Grandma Cindy's house....fun!!

Anna was so exicted to open presents. Jonny is teasing Anna by making her JUMP for her Christmas gift:


Too bad once Anna got her present she wasn't so exicted about it- Notice that she is the only one frowning about wearing a tutu or tiara! She asked Santa for a remote-control Jeep for Christmas:

Even Trevor smiled about wearing a tiara:

Lainey was more excited about playing with the paper in that her actual present:

Christmas Morning

Man! The boys had an awesome Christmas this year. They loved the blanket sleepers that I got them. They have worn them every night since Christmas. They were spoiled rotten by Santa Claus & the family.

I am truly blessed that my boys have never had a want or need for anything. We are very fortunate and very grateful....especially during the holiday season.

Ballroom Dancing

Okay, Jonny refused to look at the camera or let me snap any cute shots of him. Jonny has been taking ballroom dance lessons before school on Wednesdays & Fridays. He has learned the Cha-Cha, Tango, Foxtrot, etc. His school recently had an assembly for the parents to come and watch what our children have learned. I am amazed! Jonny is a really good little dancer.

Allergic to Walmart....

I used to joke that Walmart is so dirty & nasty I'd need a tetanus shot to go there. Turns out that I need am Epi-Pen. I am literally allergic to Walmart. I reluctantly went in there for something and within a couple of seconds my hands were swelling up over my rings. OWIE! I HATE YOU, WALMART!!!!


(Normally my hands are long & lean....)

SNOW - SNOW - SNOW

Attention skiers & snowboarders! Utah got about 12-18 inches in the valleys this week. I can only imagine how much snow there is up there on the slopes.

Jonny was an ANGEL an offered to shovel the snow away from our drive.

Alex was happier to lay in the snow and make snow ANGELS.

I was standing on the porch snapping pictures and wishing I could be in ANGEL's Beach.

Jonny is 12th... Oh, MY!!

Geez! I feel really old when I say that I have a 12 year old... but Sunday was Jonny's 12th birthday. He is getting so mature that it's scary!!! He is the MAN of the house & sometimes I feel like it is him raising me instead of the other way around.


It was Jonny's chocolate cake, but he let Lex help blow out the candles. What an awesome big brother. <3

FLOWRIDER - Surf's Up!!

This year for Jonny's birthday he really wanted to go surfing. It may be snowing outside in Salt Lake City, but indoors it is surf time!!!

Jonny did AWESOME!!! He was able to surf with the tow rope!!! Lex rode the waves for 15-20 minutes on the boogie board. Also along for the party were Jonny's BFFs Ben and Trevor.

Miami & Ft. Lauderdale

Ok- it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it....

While Utah was suffering from below freezing temperatures, Miami reached a record high of 87 degrees in December. Utah was 8.7 degrees. I was happy to be in Miami.

We ate at Monty's in the Grove on Tuesday night. Mmm....It was some of the best Mahi Mahi ever! I also tried oysters & conch fritters. Interesting... but glad I tried them. (Well maybe not the oysters.... I got SICK!!!)

On Wednesday we went to Ft. Lauderdale beach and ate at LuLu's BaitShack! YUM!! Yummy happy hour menu...although I passed on the Raw Bar this time.

In the pic- Me, Wendy Peck, Calli Toulatos, and Lisa Broadhead (AMEX)

Extreme Makeover

Well, maybe the fall/winter weather had me depressed... I don't know for sure, but the other day I woke up feeling like I needed to cut off my black locks and GO BLONDE!!!

BEFORE:


AFTER STRAIGHT:


AFTER CURLY:

Halloween

For Halloween this year, Jonny was the Grim Reaper and Lex was a Zombie. Their costumes were pretty scary. In the afternoon we went to Grandma-Great's Assisted Living center for trick-or-treating. Then we went to Grandma Cindy's/Grampa LJ's house to carve pumpkins. Finally we went trick-or-treating again to see Gramps & Grandma Bob.

In this picture are Jonny & Alex; Trevor, Caleb & Anna; and Isaac Martinez (a friend).






After the kids had their fun, I went out to a costume party @ a club in Salt Lake City with Lupita & Raul. Lupita was a gypsy, Raul was Phantom of the Opera, and I was Amy Winehouse. I looked exactly like her when I first got ready. My beehive fell throughout the night though. I guess I should have used Aqua Net. ;-)






These Smurfette's won the costume contest! The deserved it- they painted themselves completely BLUE!

A Rude Awakening & Dressing for the Occasion

This morning I woke up to Alex yelling.

"MOM!!! Come quick!!! Something really bad has happened!"

So, of course, I throw off the covers & go running to his room. I am thinking I am going to find something broken or a dead hermit crab, or perhaps even worse!

But, as I reach his room I see that he has pulled his blinds all the way open and is pointing out the window at the horrible, horrible mess outside. SNOW!!! First snowfall of the year- Blah! :0(

----

So, the morning continues. I tell Lex to put his coat on so that I can drive him to school. He comes back downstairs wearing three T-shirts, a long sleeve shirt, his brown dress sweater, and a camo hoodie over the top. He says, "Ok. I know it's cold so I broke out the heavy artillery."

I ask him, "Why don't you go back upstairs, take all of that off, and just put on your coat?"

His reply, "Because I will stupid in my coat if no one else is wearing one."

So I say, "Umm, HELLO!?!?! You look pretty stupid right now with 5 layers on!!! Go change." What a morning!!!

The Empire State

"In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of...", Alicia Keys

The last weekend of October, I took a much needed "therapy" trip to NYC. Lupita, BreAnna, and me left for a weekend of shopping, sightseeing, and dancing. It was sooo much fun. Lupita took about 200 pictures, but since it would take forever to upload them all here are a few: