Scout and Tiny Elvis

I finally got it to download (What I really did is re shot it with my new nano that has a video camera and then downloaded it directly from the ipod so there was no internet connection to mess it up). Therefore, this is a reproduction from the original, but quite similar.
Anyway, enjoy.

Sunday's With Sue 12/13/9

A Christmas Story! One of the best Christmas movies ever! A total classic and one that you just can't help but watch when you see it's on. One of the cable channels always does a marathon of this movie a couple of days before Christmas. Sorry I didn't get to this last week, but I didn't get around to it, then I forgot, then Em reminded me and I forgot again. Sorry, I've been busy putting together a cookbook that my Bunko group is doing. And I'm sorry I had to miss the family festivities this weekend, especially the blessing! I had to work, I tried to get someone to cover my shift and I couldn't get anyone to do it. So, I'm really sorry. And Saturday night we had a Christmas party we had to go to.

Em guessed first! It's crazy how good you are at this Em! Dad guessed next, yay Dad! Then Jeanine, then Cat, then Amy.

Here is this week's movie quote:

All we kept was a 50 foot plot, the pigs, and the worm farm.

CHESTER.....update

Chester is about 8 weeks old now and doing very well.  He has almost doubled in size since Thanksgiving.  He has his own personality now and is very smart.  He uses Duncans pet door to the outside and most of the time he just goes through the door to do his "business".  He pees now and then in the house because his bladder is so small and he can't hold it for long.  But he has the idea and in another week I bet he will be 100 percent house trained.  He is too cute to believe and he is our fluff ball Polar Bear cub.

A Blessing

It's about time we blessed this sweet little blessing of ours. For all of you that aren't savvy to it, we are doing it this weekend. Anyone and everyone is invited. It is at 9:00 at the church just down the hill from our house, with sandwiches and other such things at our house afterwards.
Amy, Scott, Annie, Kyle, Mom, Matt and B are all due to arrive on Friday night around 10 or 11. Pops can't make it due to Airport duties --BOO!!! Dad you will be missed greatly, but we understand. Hope all the Utah peeps can make it-- Dan- you and your family are welcome of course, but certainly no pressure, but know we'd be glad to see you. Ben-- if you aren't working you are like 100 yards away.... Sue and Cat? Did I miss anyone?

Matt- You're in charge of bringing Settlers!

The Kids Were All Wright Book List

Long long ago, when this blog was just an apple in my eye, I wrote this post on my own blog. It's of that old list of books that goes around every once in a while. Well, after posting it, me and everyone else that weighed in on it, gradually got more and more critical of the list. We finally decided that we need to make up our own list of must reads. Well, over a year later, I am finally committed to making that happen! I volunteer to be the one that does all the sorting and work on it since I don't have a job at the moment and no prospects of one for a long time. (Riverside is still in limbo and who knows when it will ever actually get torn down, let alone a new clubhouse built for me to work in.) Anyway, we decided that list sucks and we could come up with a better one. I realize the holidays are coming up along with a very busy time for everyone, so I am writing this post as just a forewarning that I am going to be asking for your choices in January. I know I am going to need a lot of time to really think about which books I would like to include, and as weeks go by I will remember really important ones cause that is how it goes with me. So, I thought I would give you all a little warning so you can start listing books in your head.

I've come up with a few ideas in my head about the list (and some ideas that were thought up on that blog post I mentioned earlier). Here are my ideas/vision on how the list should be:

1. We originally were going to call it a Wright Family book list, I would like to broaden it a bit by calling it "The KWAW Book List" because I would like it to be a little more encompassing. I think any of the readers/contributors of this blog should be able to fill this list with good reads. So, anyone that would like to contribute to the list, should feel free, I know I am always in the market for a good book.

2. The list we referred to as kind of crappy was 100 books. I am not sure at this time I can commit to how many books our list will have. I think I will just ask everyone to provide a list of what they consider must reads and I am sure we will have doubles turned in (when that arises, I will make sure there is a way to find out who/how many recommended that particular book). I don't want to have to cut anyone's books off (how can anyone make that kind of judgment?). So, until the list is made, it will be of an indeterminate number. Related to this, I will think of a way to show who contributed what book (color coding perhaps).

3. I am thinking we are going to have to come up with a way to add some sort of testimonials to our book choices. I know I am going to want to explain some of my choices. We may not need to have a testimonial for every book we list, but I am sure they would be a must for some. I am more likely to read a book after hearing why it was so important to someone I respect or care about. Also, a brief explanation helps too in getting committed to reading a book. So I would like ideas on how this might work best from all you smart people out there.

4. In the spirit of the old list, I think we need to include just all around enjoyable reads (if those are your cup of tea). That list included everything from War and Peace to the Bible to Harry Potter. I agree with that. Let us include the classics side by side with the brain fluff we so enjoy. While I am on the subject, I will go ahead and nail down what we are looking for in this list: A list of books that we HAVE READ (no fair adding A Tale of Two Cities just because we know it is a well respected classic book), books we have enjoyed reading/shaped our lives/deserved the hype it's gotten (either recently or by your 8th grade English teacher)/made us think/is sitting on your book shelf right now with no cover and a broken spine because you've read it so many times you've almost read the words right off it/impacted us/or just kicked your butt cause it was so bippin' good.

5. Please give an indication if the book contains material that as we like to say- would cause B permanent scarring. As cited in the post on my blog- me, Cat and Sue like an author whom is quite free with his language and subject matter that we can't see "the innocents" enjoying too much (Amy you are now included in that group).

So, what I would like in the next few weeks is feedback from everyone who is interested in contributing to the list. Just let me know in the comments that you are interested in being a contributor so I can start figuring out how it is going to work. Also, please feel free to come out with any suggestions you feel would make this better- tell me if you have an idea for it I didn't include or if you think one of my ideas was bad and would ruin this list forever.

Alright peeps! Get your brains working on books you want on this list. Right now, I think I am going to give you the whole month of January to contribute your picks. But feel free to send your lists sooner. I figure not a lot happens in January and we all get the winter blahs then, so it would be a perfect time to do this. I think everyone has my email right? You can send them via hotmail or facebook messaging- whichever.

The Blind Side - 41/2 Stars

Wow, we all saw this movie last night and we all loved it! It seriously is such an amazing story, truly inspiring. I can't stop thinking about it and can't wait to see it again. It's a great story, great acting, funny, heartwarming, really everything! I love inspiring true stories and this certainly is. I don't like telling the story because it gives it away I think. I think you all would love it. Everyone is calling it Sandra Bullock's best role ever and I think I agree, she was great in this. I just thought it was very well done and it just leaves you desiring to be a better person.

Sunday's With Sue 11/22/09

Home Alone! Thought I would start the Holiday Season off with a fun, family, holiday movie. I've never seen any of the sequels, but I like this movie a lot, and think it still holds up. Sorry I didn't get to this last night. It started snowing around 5pm, and by 6:30, my power was out. So out of pure boredom, I went to sleep around 7. Oh yeah, sorry I didn't do a Friday quote. I forgot.

Haley got it first! Way to go Haley! Haley got it really quick too. B was next! Yay B! Haven't heard from you in a while! Em was next, then Jeanine, then we got a guess from one of our blog stalkers! Emily Kim! For those who may not know (Dan, Jeanine), Emily (Peterson) Kim is a childhood friend of Emily's. She was hoping we wouldn't mind if she guessed, and I told her of course not. I've always thought it was funny how well the Wright kids got along with the Peterson kids. The Casper's might have them beat, but there are a lot of Wright/Peterson friend combinations. I am friends with Jane, Catherine and Emily are friends with Andi and Emily, and Matt is friends with Spencer. And, we are all still friends.

Here is this week's movie quote:

Some of us are Baptists, others Catholics. My father was an Oldsmobile man.

CHROLS--New Moon Book Thoughts, I

I finished New Moon this morning. Hmmm. Want to say I liked it and liked the books so far, but I can’t say I do. I’m still only barely sympathetic to Bella (and if it weren’t for Kristen Stewart playing her in the movies, I know I’d like her even less!), and I’m now less sympathetic to Edward than I used to be.

Overall, I still like Charlie, and I like the Cullens, and the La Push wolves, and Billy and Emily. To me, their ongoing struggle to transcend their biology and live in a new way that overcomes their baser urges and live with love and as family is the only really compelling part of the novels. Bella’s line to Jacob to the effect of “It isn’t what you are, it’s what you do” that is the heart of the story and the only thing (besides urging from all of you) that keeps me mildly interested in finishing any of the books. The Volturi were kind of fun (especially Aro) but at their glee when the tourists came to their lair for dinner, I lost interest in them.

The major exasperation to me, and where Edward fell many notches in my mind (though he still gets points for choosing the Cullen way of being), is how both Bella and he clearly hate themselves. (I know some people really do care this little for themselves so perhaps it's good to get a glimpse into this kind of mindset, but I just don't enjoy spending time there.) This mutual self-loathing causes them to cling so tightly together—they are each other’s fix—in ways that make me completely uncomfortable. And this is especially bad—-harmful to people, even-—because Meyer thinks, and I think that most readers must think, that theirs is some great love story when it’s really just major dysfunction. Romeo and Juliet are NOT models for genuine love yet Meyer and others hold their story up that way. These books (so far, at least) are, like that play, heroin for romance junkies. “If only I can find my one and only, I will be complete…” “I’d rather have him here with me for just a few more minutes and die than face life without him.” “I can’t live in a world without you in it…” Holy crap! That’s obsession, not love. It’s unhealthy, and far too many people who don't get that will feel badly that they have never felt so deeply about another that they will think there is something wrong with them. I know I need to give folks more credit than that but here in the midst of New Moon mania it's hard to think there is a lot of deep self-reflection going on. (Of course, much of it may simply be because of beautiful boys and beautiful abs and women now feeling empowered to lust much more openly than they used to.... I hope it's mostly that!)

I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m really feeling pretty worked up right now. Sorry to be so blunt! Please fire back and help mellow me!

Happy Birthday Emily!!!

Happy Birthday Emily!!!!


That's all I got.

HAHAHA...A LITTLE OVER THE TOP, PEEPS

I was at the dreaded Wall Mart lamesauce super store this morning and at the checkout counters was this big spread of NEW MOON candy bars. I thought, wow!, a little commercial there boys and girls. They do look pretty good however, milk chocolate, peanut butter, creme and caramel. I bought one to check it out and then thought I would post it so you can all run out and buy a bunch. I bet Edward Cullen won't eat one. Taylor L. the wolf guy would go out and eat a case. Is it Ellen? the dancer. She would tippey toe around them until they were melted mush. Have fun!

Sunday's With Sue 11/15/09

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory! The classic, 1970's version with Gene Wilder. I think this is my favorite movie from my childhood. I remember being kind of scared of parts, like the Oompa Loompas and the weird boat ride and song Gene Wilder sings, but also just loving it because it is just a crazy, fun, magical movie. I also really liked the books, I think the Glass Elevator was my favorite. If you haven't read the books, I highly recommend doing so. I also really like the Johnny Depp version of the movie. The movies are different enough, that I think you can enjoy the new one without comparing it too much to the original. Johnny Depp is great as always, I love how he's always telling the one kid to stop mumbling. And Depp plays Willy Wonka in a great, kind of creepy way.

Emily guessed it first! Nice job Em! Dan guessed right second, then Ben, and that was it! This was harder for you guys than I thought it would be. Dan's first guess was Monty Python's Meaning of Life. I went back and read the quotes I did and they totally sound like they could be Monty Python.

Here is this week's movie quote:

Person #1- Did anybody order me a plain cheese?

Person #2- Yeah, we did but if you want any somebody's gonna have to barf it all up, cause it's gone.

"THIS IS IT"

Here is a pic of Stanley/Neil/Chester at 4 weeks, 2 days. Pretty cute, huh!

Snob Violin Bow of the Century

• This was just funny to me. I was daydreaming about getting back into playing the violin, and buying myself a nice new bow. The one I have now is fine, but needs to be re-haired, and is not as bouncy and springy as I'd like, but it did get me through All-State Orchestra twice, and bi-annual recitals for 3+ years. It was about $80. So I was on this site, fisherviolins.com, and came across this little gem. Another one I came across was made of "Finest Stallion Hair." I think that there is something different about a stallions hair vs. other horse hair, but I couldn't tell you what. Anyways, my favorite part is that it offers free shipping. In bold. I'm pretty sure the people that buy this bow don't really care about saving $20 on shipping. 
• Free Shipping!
• Finest Old Materials
• Fine Pernambuco Stick
• 14k Gold-Mounted, Hand-Made Frog with Abalone Slide and Parisian Eye
• Gold Winding and Leather Grip
• Siberian Horsehair
• 4/4 Size Only

Price for this glorified piece of horse hair and wood? $8,400. 

Up - 4 Stars

We watched this movie last night and we absolutely loved it! It came out on DVD two days ago. It is a Disney/Pixar so the animation is great and it is all very well done. It is a heartwarming adventure story. It has some really great lessons in it as well. It is a must see for all ages. It also has some great humor. There is a Golden Retriever in it named Doug and I think he was my favorite character, really funny! It follows Mr. Frederickson, Russell, Doug, and Kevin on their adventure to get to Paradise Falls. I don't want to explain the whole story line because it will ruin it. I am making no sense and this is a really hud sauce review but it really is a great movie so you all need to watch it!

OKAY YOU FOUND OUT

I know I called Emily and Rob "crazy idiots" for getting a puppy just before Ells was born. Well what goes around, comes around, and now mom and i are the "idiots". What can I say? We miss having a dog and I am sad driving around town without a dog in the truck. So we are trying it one more time and I must say I can't wait... I am picking the little hummer up on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.



Some name choices on our short list are: Walter, Chester, Tucker, Stanley, Nelson, Baxter and Neil. Any comments would be welcome.

CHROLS--Twilight Progress Report 1

Hey Fellow CHROLS... Finished Twilight yet?

I finished it a few days ago. For the first couple hundred pages I was going a bit crazy being inside Bella's head. I couldn't believe all the angst and second-guessing herself and her feelings and Edward's feelings and all the other high schoolers' feelings and all the rest that apparently goes through a teenage girl's brain. I had to check with Hope to see if it was pretty accurate, which she assured me it was. Yikes. New respect for anyone who makes it through their day with all of that going on!

Things got a bit better in this way after they declared their feelings for each other and the plot turned toward the Cullens and then the other vampires who they meet up with. The action wasn't all that compelling from that point on, but I'll have to say I kind of liked the Cullen stuff (maybe have to rethink the acronym for our little group?). The theological/philosophical issue of overcoming one's nature, striving to be something higher than one's biology encourages one to, is always worth chewing on, and my guess is that theme will continue in the coming books as we meet werewolves and Bella continues to make her choices. I was actually surprised by her being so desirous of being turned so early in the game. I sure as heck hope that Hope wouldn't ever be that boy crazy after just a few weeks that she'd be willing to leave everything behind to follow him into his world.

In that same vein (pun intended), I can't say that I'm all that impressed with Bella as a character so far. She's smart and articulate but her klutzy stuff is a bit overplayed for my taste, and I'd like to see her actually NOT need rescuing quite so often. She's a companion for Edward who has been lonely for so long, but does she really bring much of anything else to the table for the Cullen family? What can/do they learn from her and her particular qualities. Her blood smells really good but I'd like to think it will be more than that as the books unfold.

Overall, I can't say that I'd for certain keep reading the series if it weren't for our Thanksgiving Day New Moon plans, but I'll definitely have at least that one read between now and then. Thanks for encouraging me to venture into Forks at least this far. I'll keep you posted as I look around some more.

Random Movie Quote Quiz

Hey, Peeps. I'm not trying to upstage or mess with SWS. Just a little quote to keep you thinking and active on this blog. Make your guess, or a comment in comments, see who gets it. Probabally Susan.

"Thank God for the model train, because if they didn't have the model train, they wouldn't have gotten the idea for the big train."

Can't wait for Thanksgiving, New Moon, family, food and the pup.

Firelight

My friend Megan sent me this spoof and it is very funny to me. Cat and I just watched Twilight last night, so all the scenes were still fresh in my mind and I was impressed by the good job they did recreating them in classic SNL fashion. Enjoy--

Volturi Baby!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Volturi Featurette

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

Seeing this gets me so excited to see New Moon. The Volturi have fascinated me since they were mentioned in Twilight and their addition to New Moon is my favorite part about that book. Anyway, I'm excited for the Volturi scene and think the actors they got to play them are excellent. It begs one question though: Is an Aro/vampire Micheal Sheen going to remind me of Austin Powers too?

Sunday's With Sue at last

The Watcher in the Woods! I knew this would be a tough one, but I thought more people would get it. Especially how it's become a classic at the Phister house. I thought of this movie because when Booker was here we were laughing about how Matt scared us while we were watching this movie. I kind of gave it away with the last quote. Anyway, Amy got it first! Way to go Amy! You haven't won in a while, and I don't think you've won since we started the playlist thing, so looking forward to hearing some Amy tunes. Cat got it next and that was it. Haley thought maybe it was Ghostbusters.

Here is this week's movie quote. I'm going to let this one go until next Sunday, since it is already Wednesday:

Just remember, there are many more important things in the world. Many, many more important things. I can't think of what they are, but I'm sure they're out there.

Happy Birthday Kelly!

Kelly is 18 years old today! Hard to believe we have another adult child. Kelly is enjoying her senior year of high school. She is involved in a lot of activities; she is an officer in a club called CAN (a club which encourages kids to stay off drugs & alcohol), she is a peer leader (visits elementary schools to spread the message), played volleyball (kindof--long, sad story :( worst coach in history!), is in her second or third year of stained glass (the sun behind her is not one of her projects--that picture was taken at a friend's house-but she does very nice work!), is taking pottery, Cullinary Arts for the second year for college credit, and some other college classes. She does well in school, LOVES to read vampire books (not just Twilight), and has too many friends for me to keep track of. She just got a snowboard for her birthday (she loves to do that, too!). Transformers is her favorite movie and she loves starbursts, cheese and carbs in all forms. She loves babies and small children and is like a magnet to them. She has a very contagious smile. She lights up the room with her smile and sparkly eyes. She is strong-willed (in a good way), dedicated and friendly to everyone. She thinks she would like to go into the field of social work in the future. Well, there's just a little about Kelly. I feel absolutely privileged to be her mother. Happy Birthday Kellz!! Love you.....Kisses!!!!

Dear Sue

There once was this thing you used to do on the blog and you called it "Sunday's With Sue". What ever happened to that?

Love,
Em

THIS IS IT!

I have never done a review on here yet, so here goes. My friend, Lynette Czirr Jones, came to visit me yesterday. Her husband, Gary, had to pass through Riverton yesterday on business and dropped her off for the day. We had a great time catching up. We still finish each others sentences and laugh a lot and really enjoyed being together. Anyway, she called me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I was going to be around on the 29th and told me about the possibility of her coming up. She said, " ...and guess WHAT?!...The new Michael Jackson movie is coming out on the 28th, so wouldn't it just be right if we saw it together?" We talked about how fitting and perfect it would be because of our long history with Michael. I'll fill you in a bit. Michael's career was at the pinnacle during our Senior year of High School. Thriller came out and he was on top. We LOVED him and spent a lot of time trying our best, but really quite unsuccessfully, to copy some of his moves. Our favorite song was "Wanna Be Startin' Something". Maybe five years ago she came up to visit one summer with her kids and we got on the Michael Jackson subject with our children. Possible because Kyle had been recently in his "phase" which you guys probably remember. My kids preceded telling her kids how much they liked MJ and the Jackson 5 (probably our favorite trip CD for the car ever!) We watched the collection of Michael's music videos with her kids and they were fascinated and quickly were converted to the MJ fan club. By the way, this was probably during the worst time for Michael as his personal life was being dragged through the mud with his trial and everything. Needless to say, it wasn't very popular being a fan as a middle schooler/high schooler, but our children were proud to claim their love for him and they have defended him against ridicule of close-minded classmates for a long time. We have mailed videos back and forth so our kids could see them.

Anyway, those are some of the reasons we felt that it would be so great to see it together. We knew all the stars would have to align for this to work out. The movie had to be in our little Riverton theater (yay, it was!), the weather had to cooperate (weather was super lame on their way up, but they made it), and other things which could come up. But, we were lucky and found ourselves in the theater excited for the movie, but not knowing that much about it, nor what to expect. (Didn't do too much research and hadn't seen too much promotion).

We were not disappointed! It was really good. It is basically a documentary type movie of footage from the This Is It Tour rehearsals. The footage was intended to be for Michael's personal library and archives. It shows a very much alive Michael in good health and in good shape physically. It was rehearsal footage, so it showed him holding back a little, but sometimes he just couldn't resist being him. Some amazing moves! It showed his sweet, cute, funny side, but most of all it showed how much of a perfectionist he was and a true genius. He knows what he wanted, how he wanted it, and he wanted it the best it could be. It showed the respect that all who worked on the show had for him. He was in charge! He hired professionals to direct, etc., but they all knew that ultimately it was Michael who was the boss and they respected that. But, he was gentle and kind and loves everyone. The backup dancers were AMAZING. But we noticed that even though they were awesome and performing all out, you still couldn't help watching Michael do his thing, at about 1/2 capacity. My very favorite segment was the military type dancing sequence with "Bad". It's so cool. The musicians were great, too. Especially his lead guitarist. She is from Australia and only 24. She's adorable and incredible! So sad that he had to die, especially just 8 days before leaving for London to put on this incredible concert tour! So many heartbroken and disappointed people. The amount of people, time and work involved in this tour, not to mention the money, is too much to comprehend. The sets and special effects were incredible. Matt, I think you would really like to see some of the behind the scenes production stuff. I'm glad we went and I think you guys would all enjoy it. It's definitely worth seeing. I think it might even change some people's opinions about him. I hope so!

Happy Birthday Bronwyn!

I really hope B wasn't sitting there at work today thinking, "is nobody going to do a Birthday post for me?" I really can't bare that thought. Or the image of her doing her little sad face lip thing. I wanted to do this last night but I had homework, and school all day till now. But here it goes B!

Here are some of the things that Bronwyn loves, and things that we love about Bronwyn!



Anyone who is close to Bronwyn knows how much she values her sleep! When 9:00 rolls around, (seems to come all to quick sometimes) we can’t expect to have much interaction with the B. But I am slowly learning over the years that when she does get her 8 hours, she is a lot happier and full of energy the next day. And I love seeing her like that. I for one could learn a lot from her very normal and mature sleeping habits.

I really hope this picture doesn't embarrass her TOO BAD, because it really just says it all.



Next...



B loves and collects Rubber Duckies! This seems to me like the perfect and obvious thing that B would like. They are bright yellow and cute, they remind us all of child like innocence, and they are a symbol of cleanliness. B, B, and more B.


Bronwyn loves The Office! I must say, when she watches it, she can’t get enough. It is no surprise when I find that she has watched a whole season in 1 or 2 days. She particularly loves the character Kevin. She always gets the biggest smile on her face and says, “he is just so cute”

This is Kevin.



Next...



Bronwyn loves being smart when in comes to finances and saving money. She graduated last year with an Associates in Business Administration and works as a loan officer. She really enjoys her job and always has crazy stories (never mentioning any names) about people who don’t handle their money well. Aren’t you all glad I married someone like that!? I would be a total disaster without her in my life.



Bronwyn loves swimming! She was on the swim team in High School and enjoyed it very much. It’s fun to hear her talk about how much she loves the smell and taste of chlorine! She also loves the feeling of having water in her ears, and the release hours later when it drains out. She even likes having chlorinated water up her nose. Weird eh?






Bronwyn loves all things French! She spent a year in France during high school as a foreign exchange student. She loves the people she lived with and met while in France, and still corresponds with them on face book and through letters. She learned the language very well and still speaks it fluently. Which brings us to something else she loves...



Learning languages! She picked up French exceptionally fast while living there, and realized she had a talent for languages. The main reason she went to school for business is because her ultimate goal is to be a translator for world businesses. Her next attack will be to learn the language that has more native speakers than any other... Mandarin Chinese. (which some claim is the hardest to learn after english) Good luck in your pursuit B! Better you than me!



B loves the Rolling Stones! She has lots of childhood memories involving her and her Dad and their shared love of the Rolling Stones music. She gets pretty excited when we listen to them and loves to sing along to such favorites as: Under My Thumb, Get Off My Cloud, and Angie. Just to name a few. Speaking of Few...



She loves Matt Wright! Since I am doing this post, it is a little awkward for me to say what she loves about me, but I can say that she proves her love for me every day as she listens to me (endless talking sometimes), treats me so well, laughs at my weirdness, supports my crazy idea’s, very patient and kind when I really don’t deserve it, and works so hard while I am going to school and trying to get this business paid for.



Bronwyn loves Pudding! 'Nuf said.



Bronwyn loves the LDS church! Some of you might not know that Bronwyn is a convert to the LDS church as of about 4 years ago. She found the church while she was dealing with some struggles in her life and it really was a big help for her. She had been looking for a church for quite a while before finding what she was looking for. She is so happy that she has found direction and purpose to her life, and loves learning more and more about The Gospel of Jesus Christ.



Bronwyn loves holding, staring at, rocking, smelling, talking to, and taking care of babies! Bronwyn and I are both really looking forward to having our own one day.... Yup.

Bronwyn, you are a wonderful addition to our family and we all love having you around. Your smile is infectious and your Disney like charm makes us all a little happier. You really look up to everyone around you and will do anything to not let someone down. Thanks for everything!

Happy Birthday!
Love you!! Kisses!!!!

Happy Birthday Jeanine!

Happy Birthday Jeanine (AKA Neaners, and what I've called her for decades, JayBabe)! We are excited to celebrate our beautiful, thougtful, outspoken, caring and loving sister, cousin, niece, and aunt on her 44th birthday. J, we hope the following list of things about you brings some smiles and not too many embarassments...


When I asked for help from people about doing this post, everyone immediately said that Jeanine is someone who makes and keeps friends FOREVER! Here is a picture of Jeanine with her best friend from high school, D'Anna, who she still sees and talks to often. And D'Anna's just one of many lifelong friends who know they will always have a loving ear and generous soul to share things with in Jeanine.


One of the ways Jeanine stays close to people is through cards and letters. Many of us mentioned her beautiful handwriting, but in the end it was George who noted the most important fact: even if everyone else were to forget a birthday, there would for sure still be a card in the mailbox from Jeanine. I know every one of us can attest to that. What a wonderful thing she does. Thank you, J!


Another way she stays in touch (and also just plain goes on adventures) it is through travel! The girl has been so many fun places--Greece, Italy, the British Isles, Hawaii, all over the U.S., and more. (We're all pretty jealous of this.)


Jeanine's best friend. Currently "her man". Frodo!


Another cool thing about Jeanine is that she always wanted to be a nurse, and so she became one. And she's great at it. She is now in her eighth year as a pediatric nurse at the children's hospital attached to Stanford. One of the ways she brightens the lives of sick kids is through the colorful scrubs she likes to wear.


When she's home, it's often reality t.v., especially American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. She also loves a lot of television dramas...


...but her most steady "must see t.v." is General Hospital, which she's watched since she was a teenager.


She lists The Sound of Music and Ladyhawke (grrrr Michelle Pfeiffer!) as a couple of her favorite movies. And in general, she's a "chick flick" girl.


As the winner of TKWAW blog's Most Embarrassing iPod Playlist contest for having the oh-so-syrupy Muskrat Love and a few other, um . . . classics there, I'm happy to report that she does like a lot of 70s (the one and only true musical decade) music, including things by the Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Cat Stevens.


She belongs on this blog and part of this family (am I the only one who hasn't read them?) as a fan of the Twilight series...


Jeanine loves playing board games, and she's especially good at "wordy" ones like Boggle and Scrabble (she and I have a very close match going online right now)


A kind of unusual thing is that Jeanine doesn't like the taste of regular water, so her drinks of choice for her healthy lifestyle are Vitamin Water and Propel


Jeanine is really very spiritual with her temperament running toward the "New Agey"


We're all excited about the amazing physical transformation Jeanine has undergone these past three years. It's fitting that she loves butterflies (even having a tattoo of one on her shoulder).


She not only loves butterflies, she's tried flying herself! NOT a surprise to any of us who know what a lover of life this girl is.

We love you, J! Have a great, great day! You deserve every happiness as we know there is nothing but love and beauty in your heart. We've all been very blessed to have you in our lives.

Love you!!! Kisses!!!