PUERTO RICO!!!!!

One of the most exciting experiences we've had in our family happened today! James got his mission call!!! He will be serving in the Puerto Rico San Juan West mission. He leaves January 2nd.

I am so proud of him!!! He is so excited & is on a countdown until he leaves!!! His only concern is that he has to wait so long before he leaves--he's ready to go now!!!!

Soccer!

Josh is a major soccer nut!! He loves soccer & always has. His middle school doesn't offer a soccer team, so he plays on a private team with kids from his school & the only other school in the area that also doesn't have a middle school team. However, they still play the other schools in the area. The Blacksnakes--Josh's team--started practice a couple of weeks ago & their first game was last night, against a middle school team from a nearby town. I haven't been to any of the practices yet this fall, so haven't seen them working together. I was so impressed last night with how they played! There was a marked improvement upon the team from Spring soccer. They won last night, 5-1. Their second game of the day was today, against a middle school from another town. THey were nervous, as this team is quite good. They played even better today than they did yesterday & won 9-1!! They are so excited that they are starting off the season undefeated!! This is such a great group of kids who have all become very good friends--I've really come to enjoy all of these boys. And of course, I have pictures!

Josh's team is in the yellow shirts.

This is one of Josh's best friends, Cooper.

On the left is Luis, the major stud player on the team.

The two photos below are Jeff, the coach's, two adorable little boys, Thayde & Gage--future soccer stars, already with their little uniforms & soccer cleats!

September = FAIR!!

Around here, September means the fair!!! Labor Day weekend kicks off with the parade & then the fair begins. I love the fair! I have always loved the fair! Now, I'm totally beyond the rides & carnie stuff. I don't even go down there anymore. But I love to walk through the exhibits--the quilts, sewing, photography, etc. It was very fun to walk through & look for Jenni's photography entries--I was able to find 4 of them & they looked awesome!

I'm totally a country girl at heart...my favorite part of the fair is...the animals!! I love walking through the animal barns & seeing the mini horses, cows, draft horses, goats, etc. My fav!!

So here's pics from my day at the fair today!

This horse was ENORMOUS!! Probably the tallest horse I have ever seen!

First Day of School

So I'm two weeks late, but it's OK--I forgive me!


Josh started back to school a couple of weeks ago. I can't believe he's in 8th grade!! He'll be 14 next month, which I also cannot believe! Here he is in his properly cool back to school clothes, including his "tight new Pumas"--those would be his shoes!

Reliving the past...

So I saw this on Jenni's blog & wanted to give it a try! It was a long time ago, but I just loved high school & had a great Senior year!


Fill this out about your years in high school! The longer ago it was,the more fun the answers will be!!
1. Who were your best friends?
Jenni, Amy, Becky, & Nick

2. What sports did you play?
dance team & I managed the track team

3. What kind of car did you drive?
I think by the time my Senior year rolled around, I was driving my grandpa's old car--a 1992 Mercury Sable that I just loved!

4. On a Friday nights what were you doing?
Whatever my friends & I had planned...usually hanging out at someone's house.

5. Were you a party animal?
We liked to have fun, but I don't think any of us were considered party animals!

6. Were you considered a flirt?
pretty sure I wasn't

7. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?
I did it all--band, choir, and participated in musicals.

8. Were you a nerd?
I never thought I was! I sure hope no one else did either!

9. Did you get suspended/expelled?
nope

10. Can you still sing the fight song?
Nope--but I can probably still play it on my flute!

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Mr. Wilson--Senior English, Speech & Drama

12. Where did you sit during lunch?
In the seminary building

13. Name the school full name?
Aberdeen High School

14. School mascot?
The Mighty Tigers

15. School Colors?
Orange and Black

16. Rival high school?
American Falls High School

17. Did you go to Prom?
Yep.

18. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
Probably. Like I said, I enjoyed high school & especially enjoyed my Senior year. I am not sure I would change anything though.

19. What do you remember most about graduation?
I was so excited! It meant I was done with high school. Then about half way through, it hit me that it really meant that my whole world was changing & I would be leaving all of my friends for college. Then I just didn't want to start crying!!

20. Where did you go senior skip day?
We went to Salt Lake City overnight & then went to Lagoon for the day.

21. Favorite memory?
Spending time with my friends, but I also remember the week of Homecoming as a pretty special one for me as well.

22. Were you in any clubs?
FHA, FFA BPA, Student government

23. Where did you go most often for lunch?
Ahh--we had a closed campus, so the Seminary Building was our hangout for lunch. If you wanted to go somewhere in town though, it was the Tiger Hut or nothing!

24. Have you gained some weight since then?
Unfortunately

25. Who was your Senior prom date?
Logan

26. Are you planning on going to your 10-year reunion?
I was planning on it, but soccer got in the way!

27. Who was your home room teacher?
We didn't have home room.

28. Who will re-post this after you?
Blogging buddies

29. Who was your high school sweetheart?
Hmm, probably Nick

30. Do you still talk to people from high school?
Yes

31.Did you win prom queen or king?
Nope

32. Where did you work in high school?
Blackfoot Animal Clinic

33. what were your grades?
A's & B's

34. What was your dress style?
I don't know--I guess normal.

35. What year did you graduate?
1997

Mom & Dad

I think I was blessed with the best parents in the world. This is sort of an older photo, but this is my mom and dad.

Yesterday was a tough day, as it was the anniversary of my dad's death. Unfortunately, he was taken from our family far too soon. I was privileged to have him in my life for as long as I did and be able to make the memories with him that I will cherish for a lifetime. He has set the bar extremely high for me in regards to a father and husband should be.


My mom must be one of the strongest people I know! She was not only able to survive losing the love of her life at a relatively young age, with a teenager still at home, but she has been able to find a way to thrive. Seven years ago, when the need arose in our family, she opened her home & heart to two of my nephews who needed her. I moved in at that point to help out. I don't know how much help I've been, but I know how much I've learned from not only my mom, but also James & Josh.

In short, my parents rock! I hope that I can live up to the example that they have always set for me!

Gardens & Kitties

I love working out in my yard, because I love my flower gardens & puttering around in them. Whenever I'm out in my garden weeding, the kitties always come up & get in the way, asking to be petted & get attention. It always takes me longer to weed the garden than it should, because I'm always stopping to play with the kitties.

Yeah, in case you couldn't tell--I have the garden & the kitties on my mind this afternoon because I spent my day working out in the yard!

Above is a photo of Buffy(in the rear), Amber, and Sammy. Below is the same group, only Sheba, the calico with white, has joined them.

Below is Uncle. When we first got him, he had a real name. But then when his sister had her kittens, we started calling him Uncle. That stuck more than the other name & now, that's what we always call him. I can't even remember what his name was supposed to be!


Below is Meow Meow. She was originally called Snickers when she was a kitten, but she talks alot. She is constantly talking to us & meowing at us. Needless to say, MeowMeow just stuck.

Josh took this photo of MeowMeow. I love this close up of her face. This is the look she gives us all the time. She is very sure of her infinate wisdom & that she knows far more about everything than we do. I think she is just one of the prettiest kitties I've ever seen.

New Blog!!!

Wow! Now I'm becoming like Jen...getting others to start their own blogs! My mom started a blog today, dedicated to her gardens...her garden of flowers, her garden of kids & grandkids, her garden of the collies, and her garden of quilts.

Believe me, if you want to see some beautiful quilts, you should check out mom's blog. She absolutely loves to quilt & she does such a beautiful job. In our family, quilts from mom are prized possesions. I always tell her that she needs to go into business with them! Anyway, here's her blog: Nana's Gardens

Mission Prep

I can't believe it, but James will be 19 this fall. For him, that means that he is preparing to leave on his mission. I am not quite sure how he got to be that old, but it sure makes me feel old!

So, he's got his paperwork all just about ready to go & all we had to do was take the picture to turn in. He's so handsome in his suit I just had to share a photo!

Of course, then I got a full view of him & he was James the goofy teenager again & no longer James the soon to be missionary!

I look at him & I just can't believe he's all grown up. In my head, he's still this shy, bashful 12 year old. But he's so happy, he's so confident, he's so smart. He's kind & compassionate. Being a cutie, he has a way of drawing girls & is just as easy being friends with girls as he is with other guys. I'm so proud of the person he's becoming & the choices he's making in his life!! What a terrific young man!!

School Shopping!

I can't believe it's almost back to school time! Josh is quite pleased to let me know that he goes back to school on the 22nd, which is in just 2 weeks! Summer has gone by way too fast. So Josh has been so excited to go school shopping. He's been begging to go to Idaho Falls to work with me so that he can go school shopping. I finally decided that this was the perfect week to do it. My boss is out of town for two weeks & it's really quiet around work. My company has a big National Seminar at this time every year & all our Senior Management attends, which means that my office is almost totally empty. So, today, Josh went to work with Liza. Talk about an adventure! Josh is the funnest kid & he likes to have a good time, joke around & always be doing things. So, I guess it should go without saying that I didn't get a whole lot accomplished today at work. But I had a fun time! Josh had me laughing all day long. He's a kid who knows no strangers. He had a great time visiting with everyone who came by my area, testing out all of my office gadgets(paper shredder, electric pencil sharpener, paper cutter, laminator, 3-hole punch, etc). But, we got all the school shopping done! We hit Wal-Mart, ShopKo, Sports Authority, Big 5, Ross, and the mall. Josh now feels that he is properly set to go back to school with new jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and as he says, rockin' new Puma shoes. James isn't going back to school, but managed to convince me that he needed a new pair of jeans & a new pair of shorts. Shopping with Josh is definately entertaining! Shopping with both James & Josh is a once in a lifetime experience! We then capped off the evening with a wonderful dinner with the whole family at Olive Garden, which I absolutely love & haven't been to since the new one opened in town.

So, after a long day, James & Josh ended it by modelling their new clothes & goofing off. It was a good day & I'm pretty sure that I'm tired enough that I'll be sleeping very, very well tonight!

Odds & Ends

So, I was looking through my digital picture album & found some fun photos that we've taken over the last couple of weeks. They're not from any one event or activity, just photos we've taken when we've been places or when we've been goofing around, or whatever.

Josh is a huge ham!! He loves to goof off for the camera, make faces for the camera, take pictures of himself...basically, he loves the camera!

This is James and his "good friend" Ashley. James & Ashley have known each other for quite a long time & have always been close. I absolutely adore Ashley & love the influence she has on James. However, I have to admit that with James getting ready for his mission, I'm glad that Ashley has gone to work back east for 5 months. On the other hand, I really hope we see lots of her after James gets home!

Cade is one of James' best friends. It's a very common occurance to find Cade sacked out on the couch in our family room on a Saturday morning! Cade's one of those terrific friends that James has been blessed with!!

James & his two best friends, Mike & Cade, went on a 4-wheeler/motorcycle day trip. Below is Mike(on the left) and Cade hiking on the trip.

Ok, my mom would KILL me if she knew this photo was on here, but oh well! I just will hope she doesn't check out the blog! She was doing her favorite thing in the world--genealogy & I called her name & surprised her with the camera.

So, honestly, even though he looks, well, I don't know what he looks like in this photo...but James actually knew this photo was being taken & deliberatley made this face. Nice, huh?

Pretty, huh? This is the view from my backyard. The grain looks so pretty as it turns gold & gets ready for harvest. Of course, the problem with it turning gold & getting ready for harvest means that my misery then starts. The only time of year I have allergy problems is during grain harvest--and believe me, at that time, I am miserable!

This used to be the best place in the world to swim. When I was in high school, my friends & I swam here all the time. James & Josh & their friends have always swam here. It's surprising to me how many kids not living in this immediate area know about & love to come to "The Tube". Sadly, apparently the county decided it was a liability to have that many kids there all the time & so they demolished The Tube. It is now just a shallow part of the river system going into the resevoir. Josh was so bummed about it he wanted to go take photos to be able to record the destruction done to their swimming hole! Josh said to me--I guess the only place we can swim now is the canals. Seriously, we almost had a teen uprising in our area over this travesty.

Josh is a pipe mover. There are times he absolutely loves it--like when he picks up his paycheck--and times he hates it--like when he has to be in the fields at 6:30am. But he decided that he had to get a picture of himself in front of the fields...again, this goes back to the camera hog thing. Personally, I just thought it was an awesome photo of him!! How cute is this kid? I guess that's why we have girls calling the house already--and he's only 13!!!

We have some pretty cool sunsets out at our house. Josh thought this one was really interesting--I agree. While it's not necesarily the prettiest one we've had, it's very unusual. And I thought a sunset was a great way to cap off the night for me.

And there's a more typical beautiful Idaho sunset from outside my front door.

More of my Fabulous Nieces & Nephews!

So, I've been waiting to put up pictures of my other brother's family, because my SILsaid that she was going to send me new pictures, including photos of her & Andy. I'm still waiting....c'mon Cheri! So, I'm going to go ahead with the photos I have, even though they're old & hope I get the new pics from Cheri soon!
So, this is my SIL Cheri. I can't find the photo of her & Andy together, so we're going to go with the pretty half of the couple! In case it's not obvious from the photo, this is on their wedding day in 1998. Cheri was the most beautiful bride! Andy & Cheri have three gorgeous kids...Brittney, Billy & Tyler.

Brittney is a sophomore. She was on the track team this year & did a terrific job. She's going to be driving soon, which I think scares her parents a little bit. I can't believe all my nieces are getting this old! Britt is a beautiful girl & is so sweet & loving!

Billy is the same age as Josh, and is going into 8th grade this year. Bill's into baseball & has played on a little league team for years. I'm not biased, but he's pretty dang good! Billy's a happy, fun loving kid. He's a prankster & loves to have fun. Plus, he earns mucho extra points with Aunt Liza because he's the only Sox fan of the three kids!

Tyler is the youngest in the family. He's also going into 8th grade this year. As you can see from his shirt, Ty's a Yankees fan. I don't know where Andy & Cheri went wrong with him, but it is fun to mess with him on the phone! Ty's also into baseball & plays on the Little League team with Billy. Tyler's a sweet kid.

I don't get to see this branch of the family as often as I want, because they live farther away, but I sure love them!

One of My Loves...

I am a huge dog lover. My family has had collies for as long as I can remember. I can't imagine not having a dog in my house. I love all dogs, but my heart belongs to collies. All collies, but mine in particular. Have you ever had a dog that was just kind of your "heart" dog? You know what I mean--the dog who sometimes, you would just rather be with than most people you know? I've been fortunate enough to have a few dogs like that in my life. Two of them have now left me, at the age of 12 and 13, and the third I am still lucky enough to have in my life, my home, and most often, lounging on my bed!

So, not only do I love & adore my dogs, but I also participate in shows with them. I've been lucky enough to have some dogs with very good success in the show ring. I love participating in that world with them, but if I was never able to go to another dog show, I would still love to have my dogs. Here are a couple of my "heart" dogs...This gorgeous dog was Ch. Elsinore's Hot Pants, CGC. We called him Pants. Pants came into my life when I was 16 years old. I saw a photo of him when he was 12 weeks old & fell head over heels in love. I knew I HAD to have this puppy!!!! He became mine a couple of months later. This dog took me on the ride of my life. He did fantastically in the show ring, exceeding any dreams I had for him. He achieved almost every honor that he could in the show ring & gave me beautiful babies! More than that though, he was a friend. He was my protector & often my confidante when I was in high school. I loved this dog. Unfortunately, I lost him last fall at the age of 12. I cherish his kids & grandkids who live with me still & the memories they give me of Pants.




This beautiful lady was Ch. Pembroke Faux Pas. We called her Pas. Pas was born in my bathroom. She was my dog from the day she was born. As you can see from her official name, Pas also finished her championship, and did a fantastic job in the show ring. More than anything else, though, Pas was my buddy. I must have been about 15 when she was born. Pas never had any doubt about her place in life & in our home. She was fully sure that she was the center of the family & the center of our hearts. She wasn't too far off! As she got older, she got more charming, but hers was an obstinate, stubborn charm! Every member of our family loved her, as well as just about everyone who ever met her...she had a way of wiggling her way into hearts. This has been a tough year--we lost Pas a couple of months ago at the age of 13. Like Pants, her memory lives on here through her kids & grandkids.

I mean, how can you not love this face? As a Pants daughter & a Pas granddaughter, Brooke ensures that the legacy lives on & continues at my house....