Christmas Cards 2010

Joy And Magic Christmas Card

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Cruisin.....The way life really should be!!

I have to be honest with everyone. I am just not that good at blogging anymore, it has taken me 45 minutes to download the pictures from my cruise. Either my Java needs updating, or I need the memory on the computer increased. I find it so frustrating!! To me it is so much easier to facebook, I can add a quick comment, add pictures and be off in just a few minutes, and I haven't even farmed on my farmtown farm for weeks. But the whole purpose of my blog was to journal the life happenings, for family and friends far away, and for my posterity. SO... here is a quick post.

Just recently, Mike and I celebrated our anniversary/my graduation on a cruise in the Western Caribbean. It was the best week of my life! We have decided that we are going away every year some where together.

This is Jamaica!! My most favorite stop.

The homes you see up on the hill, belong to Mick Jagger and Barbara Streisand.

Mike and I on a charter boat cruising the Island of Jamaica.

We climbed Dunn's River Falls. To climb it, you have to make a human train, and you walk up the falls. (see below)

This is us in the falls!!

This is Mike playing with the turtles in Grand Cayman.

Below is a picture of Mike and I in Hell in Grand Cayman. Behind us is a field of black coral.

This is our cruise ship, just before the storm hit Grand Cayman Island. The storm is the aftermath of Hurricane Jean, that hit Cancun Mexico and brushed Cuba, while we were on our cruise.

This is me in Grand Cayman.

While in Cozumel, Mexico, we visited the Mayan ruins. It is amazing to think that these things are still standing. This Mayan temple was built around 1200 A.D. You still could see the stucco and streets that they used. It was truly amazing.

There were lizards every where!! This guy was the hugest! I can't imagine eating him, but the Mayans ate them. I heard they tasted like chicken. (Don't they say that about everything though)

This is our ship. We cruised on the Carnival Liberty! Here we are in port at Cozumel. We had a balcony room. It was so awesome eating breakfast on the balcony, watching the dolphins play off the ship, watching the clouds move in, and the stars' and moon's reflection fall onto the ocean waters. The Caribbean waters are so blue!!
Mike and I had such a fantastic time on our cruise. He always thought that he would be restless on the ship, but there were so many things going on all times of the day. Most nights we ate in the dining room, but one night we ate at the Sushi Bar. There were two formal nights on ship, where we got to get dressed up in cocktail dress and suit. It was fun to see everyone all dressed up.
The three days we were at sea, we spent time lounging in the sun on the top deck and each of us read. One day we had a couples massage, afterwards Mike went and sat in the men's sauna, and I went and sat in the steam room. It was raining at the time, and it was fun to be inside watching the rain pelt the windows, as I sat soaking in the steam.
On Tuesday night it was Mardi Gras Night, and we went and did the Conga, and the cruise assistants were throwing beads.
My favorite thing to do at nights after dinner was go sit in the Flowers Lobby, and Mike and I would dance and listen to this girl and guy sing. She had the most amazing voice!!
We saw comedy shows, a movie on deck, which happened to be playing at midnight, played bingo, and went to see the dance productions. It was fun to be around and meet so many people from so many different places. We met the nicest couple from Barbados, who sat by us each night in the assigned dining room, Dawn and Harry. We became friends, and met up at Mardi Gras and the comedy show.

Now that we have been home for a couple of weeks, I find myself wishing that time could go backwards, and I could be climbing the waterfall again, or having dinner in the Golden dining room with Harry and Dawn, or reading my Jodi Polcoult book on the deck. I hope I am cruising again soon. It was awesome to just reconnect with my husband, not worry about kids, school or anything else. When people ask me my favorite thing about our trip, it is hard to name one thing.

To see more pictures, check out my facebook page. I posted over 45 of them. :)

Arizona is Grand...

Arizona has many things to offer and lately has been in the news. We decided to show the girls one of the grandest things that our state has... the Grand Canyon.


M had been wanting to visit the Grand Canyon, especially after she learned about the history of Arizona in school this past year. The view into the canyon is really breathtaking!! There is one part at the park, that you can pay to walk on glass over a section of the canyon and look down as if you are floating above the canyon, but it ended up costing more than I was willing to pay, so we just walked and drove along the canyon so that the children could see different views. (Although, if you have ever been to the canyon, it pretty much looks the same, at least to me, no matter what view or sight you are at.)

You do realize as you look over into the canyon, that it is an amazing sight and what a miracle that wind, water and help from God can really make some something so magnificent.

Time flies when you are having.....

Braces off... Tiffany now after 4 years of orthodontic work now has a beautiful smile. Calla just got her braces on, and looks really cute. Next post, I will show the new brace face!!




Prom 2010. Tiffany was asked by JJ Holcomb to the prom. He called us and asked if she had a date and then a few minutes later came over and stuffed her truck cab full of balloons. Inside some of the balloons were words that asked her to the prom. The five couples all went to Carrabas Italian Restaurant for dinner.

This is the Mafia pose!

Tiffany and JJ

Tiffany in her dress!

Northern Arizona University Graduation. Here I am walking into the ceremony to receive my masters degree in education. I didn't think I would be emotional but I was. I got a little teary eyed as we were walking on. I can't believe that my 2 years of hard work is finally over!! I graduated Summa Cum Laude getting a 4.0!

Here I am being hooded. This was very exciting for me! I never thought that I would want a master's degree. I have thought of the different things that I now can do with my degree. I can teach at Junior College or Community College, something that I think I would really enjoy! With my Reading Endorsement I could exclusively teach reading in the elementary schools as a specialist. Time will tell. For right now, I am perfectly happy teaching 1st graders how to read, write, and tell time!
This is my colleague, Maria Martinez, she teaches in my building, along with a couple other girls who have also been working on their master's degrees with me. Maria and I pushed ourselves this last semester and doubled up on classes so that we could graduate in May instead of December. It was so fun to graduate with a friend!!!
While doing my master's degree, I met some other teachers who became dear friends of mine, Jenny and Dawn (2nd from right and far right). They also pushed themselves to finish early with Maria and I. We had several classes together, and would often have stress meetings in the parking lot after class. It is so nice to be able to study, work hard, and have friends who are feeling the same stresses as you!

Things do come in 3's....

The saying is that things always come in 3's....and it's usually bad things right? Well I have 3 good things that have happened to us recently.

#1 Graduation:
Yes! I am officially counting down the days to MY graduation. This is the reason, I have been absent from bloggy land for the last nine weeks. I decided that the short term sacrifice of taking 2 graduate classes together would have long term benefits; mainly not attending graduate school this summer. Because of this, I found out recently, that I can walk on May 7th rather than wait until December. I am very excited about getting to walk in the graduation ceremony! It's even more fun, because I am graduating with a couple of friends who have been completing their master's degrees too. In addition I am graduating Summa Cum Laude! Something that I am really proud of, because I have studied so hard.


#2 Braces off!!

T finally got her braces off after 4 LONG years! She has a beautiful smile now. (Her sister is now starting the orthodontic process)


#3 T Got a Job!



T finally got a job! (isn't that sad, that I would be excited about that) She is working part time at a make and take pizza restaurant that recently opened up near our home. She works about 15 hours a week. She has always been good about saving, and buying things that she wants with her babysitting money. SO now she has started her college fund! Also, now that she is driving, she realizes that driving has it's privileges and it's disadvantages. She is contributing by putting gasoline in the truck, since she drives to high school, and likes to cart her friends to the mall. Hopefully, she will also help with a small portion of the insurance fund, since the rates went up after her rear end collision! (another post at another time)

Sentimental Saturday...A Few of my Favorite things!

Today, I am sort of sentimental and thought I would share a few of my favorite things. I hope at the end, that you will share your favorite things on your blogs. I got this idea from
http://circlecliffviews.blogspot.com

My most favorite thing! My best friend of 20 years:

He has been my rock and support! He is an excellent cook. He cooks more than I do! He always makes me laugh. He goes to the gym with me! He has always encouraged me to try new things and I always appreciate his honest opinion.

My 3 girls:

All 3 of my girls, are talented, smart, and very different. My oldest is very organized, a leader, and very talented with scrapbooking and crafts. She used to play the flute. She is very laid back, and is a jeans and pony tail girl! She has beautiful penmanship.

My next daughter, is a talented cheerleader and dancer! She is a 4.0 student, and loves to read! (Thank-you Mr. Case, her 4th grade teacher). C is honest and straight forward. She gets that from her dad. She plays first violin in the 8th grade orchestra and loves to write stories.

My youngest, the ballerina. She is starting to like reading, after many years of making her:) She is an excellent swimmer and diver! M is good at school and has made the honor roll 2 quarters in a row. She is very emotional, and sensitive to others' needs. (She gets that from her mom). She is a friend to everyone!

I love Disneyland! It truly is the happiest place on Earth.

Where else can you be goofy and unwind with your favorite people in the world?

Lake Powell my paradise in the desert!

I love the down time I get at Lake Powell. I usually just sit and read a book! Here my 3 girls sitting in the sun! When we go to the lake, we ski, explore, and fish. (see previous posts)

I love the desert in the spring!

When I moved to the desert from the Northwest 5 years ago, I thought it would be sandy, brown, and filled with cactus! Well there are cactus, but year round the desert is beautiful. My favorite time is in the spring, when the whole desert is in bloom with wild flowers. I also love the sunsets in the desert!



I love the smell of campfire, I love sitting around the campfire relaxing and staying warm. Smores aren't to bad either.

I love Sonic diet coke with lime!