I Bid You Farewell 2010

The year of 2010 is coming to a close.  In most cases it was a good year, of course to spice things up there were some days, weeks that I could have done without, but I am generally a positive person so I list here some of "My Favorite Things" for the year of 2010:

1- January - I got new tires on my car.

2- February - My sister Nancy came through surgery A-OK.

3- March - My Dad, Mom and I visited Cannon Beach with the Clark family and I turned the beautiful age of 55.

4- April - My son Andy married his sweetheart Jennifer.

5- May - I received my very first Passport and my daughter Amanda received her Bachelors Degree.

6- June - I was a Dutch Oven Judge for the Coalville County Annual Pig Roast event.

7- July - Ali moved to Utah, there were several weddings, funerals and babies born and America celebrated another year.

8- August - I listed my house for sale.

9- September - I enjoyed some lazy vacation days and my California Cousins visited - D.E.L.I.G.H.T.F.U.L.!

10- October - My sister Ruth came through surgery A-OK, Andy and Jennifer's adoption is complete and Dad, Mom and I stayed at beautiful Zermatt Resort.

11- November - Thanksgiving Day and Family.

12- December - We had a successful Price Family Annual Christmas Party, Snow, Snow, Snow and Christmas Day was full of surprises and family gathering.

So I bid farewell to 2010 and welcome the New Year of 2011 with open arms!

End of Year

It has been way to long since I took a few minutes to reflect upon the simple happenings going on in my life and with the end of 2010 fast approaching (in just 2 days) I thought it best that I catch myself up and those who "check in" on me.

 Thanksgiving was a wonderful celebration!  This year my little family gathered at my daughter Amanda's home.  I drove up the night before because we needed to get up bright and early to make my yummy dressing to stuff the 24 pound turkey Amanda purchased.  I got up at 4:30 am and went right to work to get things prepared and done.  I told Amanda that the rules are to get up early, make the dressing and stuff the turkey - throw that bird in the oven to start cooking and then YOU MUST GO BACK TO BED for just a little while longer.  This way you wake up to the sweet smells of turkey cooking. 

Everyone showed up at about 1:00 and the kitchen was bustling with happy faces, laughter and getting everything on the table for our family meal.  As I sat at the table and the blessing of thankfulness was said I looked around the table with joy in my heart and soul and said a quiet thank you for everyone around this table because they bless my life every day with their love.  I have so much to be grateful for!

 Our annual Price Family Christmas Party was held on December 4th.  We always have a "Visitor" come by and this year was no exception.  My Dad always knows people from far and near and so many also knew my Grandpa Price.  Well our visitors were Giecko and Bellorina from "a town with no name".  They are pictured above.  They had bells and streamers on their clothes and the funkiest hats I have ever seen.  They taught us to place our feet forward and walk to the top of every hill with determination.

My Grandpa Charlie Price said the following words
to my Dad in 1943:

These feet which have carried me to the top of this lowly hill

will surely carry me to the top of the highest mountain

if I will but turn them in that direction,

trust in the Lord, and urge them on and on and on.

We had 63 family members attend this year.  We had breakfast together, exchanged gifts, laughed, enjoyed all the little children and had such a wonderful time together as a family!

 The Christmas season is here!  I really minimized this year!  I didn't get all stressed about shopping, making lists or decorating.  It was so nice!  My focus was on family and the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior.  I have this little miniature Nativity I keep out all year long.  It stands maybe 2 inches high, but I love the reminder it gives me year round.  Amanda and I spent Christmas Eve with Dad and Mom.  We had such a fun evening.  We had little individual pizza's, watched "It's a Wonderful Life" and topped the night off with individual Creme Brule'.  Oh so yummy!  Christmas Day was delightful - filled with gathering of family, excitement, opening gifts and so much laughter.  I loved every moment of the day.

So in just 2 days we will get to celebrate the close of 2010 and welcome in 2011!  I am excited for the New Year!  I know and feel that there will be some positive changes for me!  I want and embrace the start of new adventures, changes and positive paths that I will encounter and trails to walk.  My wish for all of you is happiness and joy for 2011.

Going to the Library!

Are you old enough to remember during those hot summer days when you were out of school and the Bookmobile would come on a specific day so you could check out books to read until the next week when you anticipated the arrival once again?  I remember those days fondly!  Oh how I would love to run my fingers against the spine of the books stacked neatly on the shelves until I came to the one I wanted to choose for the week.  Oh how I loved the smell of those books as I stepped into the bookmobile.  This was a magical escape for me.  I loved the treasures I could choose from the shelves.

Bookmobile - The one that came to our house in Draper

was NOT this fancy but it was M.A.G.I.C.A.L.!

 I haven't spent much time at the library in my adult years.  But I still love to read.  I have a dear friend Chris who also loves to read and we trade each other books.  I knew I had a lot of books but didn't really realize that all they really did was take up space on my book shelves so I re-read a whole bunch of them and then took them to my local library and donated them.  It was on one of my "donation" trips that I realized how much I missed the feel, the smell and the excitement of pulling a book off the shelf.  And I realized that I missed all of it! 

My new shiny Library Card!

Well . . . the other day I decided to change that!  I have obtained a new Library Card!  I am so excited!  I can either go to the library or I can go online and reserve a desired book or I can just go sit in the comfortable chairs and read magazine's or the newspaper.  My adventures are just beginning!

Hot Cocoa

Hot Cocoa

I was talking on the phone the other day with my sister Bonnie and we both mentioned how the air has turned so cold this past week.  The snow we received in both Utah and Idaho will do that. It was just a light snow fall but it is cold during the month of November.  We finished our conversation and I emailed her the documents she was requesting.  I got an email back that suggested I make a cup of hot chocolate - and that is exactly what I did.  I made me a hot cup of cocoa and sprinkled mini milk chocolate chips in the dab of whipped cream.  Ohhh, Yummy!  It warmed my soul!

Veterans Day

Today is a very special day!

It is a day when we can reflect upon our lives, the lives of those who have gone on before us and the sacrifice so many have made.  Our Veterans!  My Dad is a Veteran.  He served in the Navy.  My Dad loves this country with all his heart.  As a young girl I recall the day my Dad put a flag pole in our front yard and every single morning (except of course those days when the weather did not permit) he put our flag up that pole and every night he took it back down.  And my Dad has done this every day since.  You always see the American Flag waving in the breeze at my Dad and Mom's home.  It is beautiful and it is an honor my Dad respects!

My daughter Amanda loves both her Grandpa's who served in wars.  She has such respect for the sacrifice they both made in serving their fellowmen and their country.  Ever Veteran's Day Amanda honors her grandfathers with some kind of gift, a remembrance, a token of her love of them, of freedom and this land of America for which they fought.

Thank you to those who have gone on before, those who are still here and those who are now serving the United States of America!  May you always be blessed and honored.

Be sure to VOTE!

Have you voted yet today?

GO

Zermatt Resort

My sister Ruth is the director of the Spa at Zermatt Resort.  This beautiful place is nestled in the mountains and in the city of Midway, Utah.  The setting is spectacular and gives you the feeling you are in the Swiss Alps.  If you are looking for an elegant place to visit, this is the place to "get away"!  Ruth and Konny gave my wonderful  parents the gift of a few days at this beautiful resort in celebration of their 60th Wedding Anniversary.  And here is the story of their few days at Zermatt Resort, Utah.

The perfect white robes provided in every room along with cushy slippers wrap you in the warmth and cosiness of the comfortable rooms.  As you go about your day your mind wanders to the time when you know you get to go back to your room and take that hot shower and then slip your arms into the comfy robe and your lotioned feet into the slippers and r.e.l.a.x.

Mom in the "Grotto".  This is the hot tub in the pool room.  The pool is divine!  And then you walk across to the hot tub which has this great water fall pouring hot water over rocks.  A very relaxed setting

The Robert Duncan studios are located in Midway, Utah and we stopped in for a visit.  This art studio is just a huge great room with a fire place, comfy couch with all his art scattered about so you can look at and enjoy the calmness, beauty and loose yourself in the story of his art.  Robert Duncan uses his family and close friends as his "subjects" when painting and creating a scene. I couldn't find his web site, but if you google Robert Duncan paintings you will find his Art.

Mom was a hit with the front desk boys.  And once they found out she is Ruth Price's Mom they were like putty in her fingertips.  Lee (in red) took special interest in both Dad and Mom and told them stories about Zermatt, took us on a personal tour of the grounds and made sure they were having a wonderful time.  EVERYONE at Zermatt loves Ruth and now they also love her parents.  Ruth's son Terry is a waiter at the adjoining restaurant Schnietters Fine Dining.  We were treated to an evening at Schnietters and Terry was our personal waiter.  The place, the setting and the service are all top notch.  If I was a food critic I would give all 3- place, setting, service a 10!  

Lee made sure Dad and Mom got to go on the Carousel.  Is this an adorable picture!  I love it!

Our stay is over and the bags are packed and on our way home. 

 Dad and Mom had such an enjoyable, relaxing time.

Thank you Ruth and Konny for your kind gift of love!

First Snow

We had our first measurable snow fall this morning.  On Monday, October 26th we had a little teaser that melted before the measuring sticks could come out and measure the dusting, but this morning everyone was looking for their window scrapers and ice melt.

 I'm always excited about the first snow fall.  I think it is beautiful, the air feels different and there is a quiet calm as the city wakes up and discovers the beauty.  You have to catch that moment at just the right time because before long scrappers are grinding against the windows of cars and horns are honking because commuters forget how to drive cautiously when we have 2 or 3 inches of snow on the ground.

 But the beauty of those first ice cycles and dainty snow flakes clinging to the branches of the trees which have just barely dropped their leaves is something to behold.  Trees are heavy with snow and they bend to the ground just waiting for the sunshine to push through the cloud cover to warm their branches and relieve them of the heaviness of moisture.

Take a moment to look into the frosted window ice patterns that form because of the crisp coldness on the outside and the warmth of the house come together and create the magical labyrinth.  I loose myself in the wonder of it all.

My Guilty Pleasure

I'm a little sad today.  My Marlboro Man is going away.

Some time ago (see post dated January 27, 2010) a gorgeous man drove into my life.  I have a window at my desk at work and I watched this beautiful man drive in on his motorcycle, leather jacket and all and casually but ruggedly step off his bike and walk into the office across the parking lot.  He wasn't in there very long, but of course I watched as he left.  It wasn't long before I noticed that day after day he kept coming back.  I nicknamed him Marlboro Man - not because he smoked cigarettes but because he is smokin' hot!  I got up the nerve to talk with him and I told him how we all enjoyed watching him each morning.  He said he liked that and that he would make a point to wave hello.  He kept his word.

Friday he told me he is no longer cleaning the building across the parking lot.  My "start off the morning" guilty pleasure has driven into the sunset one last time - leather jacket and all.  But before he left, he asked me to come outside so he could say his proper good bye.  He told me how he would miss the waves, our smiles and he gave me a hug!  Oh yummy!  It was nice. Good bye my Marlboro Man - I'll see you in my dreams.

Oatmeal

As a young girl hot Oatmeal and Cream of Wheat were a staple when it came to breakfast in the Price home.  I did not like either one (my daughter says it must be a texture thing in my mouth) so I would barter chores or responsibilities with my siblings so I wouldn't have to eat "the stuff".  You know how that goes, I will do your dishes or I will clean your bathroom if you will eat my bowl of "the stuff".  I felt like it was a good trade! 

I haven't eaten "the stuff" for years - until now!  My sister filled my pantry shelves not long ago and one of the items was a box of Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal.  I kept moving this box around, but the shelves have emptied and I was in a quandary about what to have for breakfast.  The box of "the stuff" jumped out at me and said 'take me!  take me'!

I took a package to work and prepared my bowl of hot Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal and ate it!  All gone!  And as I was finishing my breakfast I remember my mother telling me as a teenager when I wouldn't eat "the stuff", "its a grown up taste dear, when you grow up I think you will like it ".

Does it count that I threw a handful of semi sweet chocolate chips into the bowl?  Am I a grown up with grown up taste?  I don't think it matters because I ate "the stuff" and it was good!  I have actually had it almost every morning since (because there were quite a few packets in the box).

I am going to consider myself a grown up and call this delightful find exactly what it is!  Hot Oatmeal.  I think I might graduate to trying Cream-of-Wheat!  Yikes!  I have grown up!

A pocket full of SUNSHINE

During the last few weeks I have had a pocket full of SUNSHINE! 

There have been so many activities and events happening that I wake up every day with a smile.  My sister and her family were here visiting and family gathered - a ray of sunshine!  We went on an adventure to Albion Basin in Little Cottonwood Canyon - the day was cool, beautiful and hardly a cloud in the sky - a ray of sunshine!

Many met to sit around a table at Mimi's Cafe and have breakfast together - another ray of sunshine!  There were many birthday's and a couple anniversaries to remember - many sprinkles of sunshine!  The birth of a new baby and the marriage of an adorable couple - bursts of sunshine!

I took a few days of vacation and celebrated my daughter's birthday - buckets of sunshine!  My Uncle and cousins visited from California and brought sunshine with them!

The days are getting cooler and the leaves are changing on the trees and our glorious mountains are a vision of an artists paintbrush stroke of autumn colors.  The sunshine of my soul is bursting!

SCATTER SUNSHINE!!

Angels

Are their angels among us?

I SHOUT YES!

I have a saying that I have quoted over the years - Its the little things that matter, and over the past several months I have seen this come to life.  I have many, many angels in my life!  And each have performed so many little things lately and have meant the world to me that I must say a collective THANK YOU!

So - - to all my angels out there I thank you for the fresh vegetables from the garden, the gift cards to buy groceries, the overwhelming response to "Janet's Garage Sale", the filled pantry shelves with groceries, the encouraging phone calls, the tin of cinnamon rolls to heat for breakfast, the format and photo's that helped to make an incredible "for sale" flyer on my home, the fix-it jobs in my home that are done with such love, the numerous invites to lunch or dinner, the very special delivery to my work of lunch on a tray and flowers, to a container of home made beans sent home after visiting- they were yummy!  So many gifts.  But what makes all this even more special is the heart felt love behind each action.  I have gratitude in my heart for each of you and each gift of love.  My cup runneth over.

Happy Birthday to Mom

My Mother is an angel!  As a young girl I always thought she was superwoman (and I still do!).  My mom could do anything and at times she juggled phone calls, kids, baking bread and laundry all at the same time!  There are 9 children who call her Mother, but we share our mom with many others.  Growing up we all had friends who called our mom for advice, the need one of her famous hugs, help with a project or just to hang out in our kitchen to be close to mom and "feel" of her love and comfort.  Our home was the meeting place for everything and everyone.  I'm sure everyone wanted to be in our home because of the feeling of love and harmony.

My beautiful Mother - Marcine C. Price

Mom making the Wedding dress for

her Granddaughter Ashely Price

My mother is beautiful, creative, a mother hen, industrious, a fabulous cook and a sought after seamstress!  Her sewing skills are impeccable!  She has hemmed pants for golf pros to creating a wedding dress and brides maid dresses for the full wedding party.  Mom made the song leader dresses for Jordan High School one year.  Mom gives the best gifts because they have been "homemade by Marcine"!  They are treasures!  I feel that mom is very happy when she is creating for her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She has a twinkle in her beautiful brown eyes as they open their gifts with wonder.

Dad and Mom- walking home from church services-

always hand in hand

My mom has a jest for life!  She loves her husband, her children, grand children and great grandchildren.  She has friends far and near.  She has a heart of gold and a peaceful nature.  My Dad always says he fell in love with her beautiful deep brown eyes and they are the windows to her soul.  My mom's eyes twinkle when she laughs and smiles.  Mom loves the Lord and is happiest when she is in the service of her Father in Heaven.  She loves life and lives the life she loves.

Dad and Mom - Eternal Sweethearts

My mom is queen, sweetheart, partner, lover and best friend to my Dad.  They love each other today as much as they did when they met.  They will celebrate their love affair of 60 years in October 2010.  They are the perfect example of true love!

I love my mom with all my heart.  She is my best friend, my example, my confidant, my rock.  She continues to lead, guide and direct me so I can become the woman she knows I can become.  She is patient and kind.  I love being in her presence.  I know and feel of the love she has for me.  Happy Birthday Mom!

Trees

I have had a secret crush on trees my whole life.  I love how beautiful they are - regardless of the season, there is always something beautiful about trees.  I love the fresh smell of pine as I drive along the roads in Oregon and the dense forest with moss hanging from the branches.  I love the shade they provide.  I love the tree outside my bedroom window which provides shade to the north east corner of my home.  I have watched this tree grow over the years.  My tree and I began our growth at this address about the same time.  My tree was young and newly planted and I was starting out in my new home - new adventures for both of us ~ ~  and look how we have grown!

Janet's Tree - front yard

I love springtime when trees take on their brand new growth and beginning.  I love that they resemble "popcorn popping", and I sing the song every year when my tree blossoms with full blooms.

I looked out the window and what did I see

popcorn popping on the apricot tree .  .  .

I love the change of season and with this change comes my favorite time of year.  Fall!  I take myself  for a drive into the mountains to see the changes and smell the change in the air.  I love to walk along a path and feel the crunch under foot.  The colors are beautiful to my eyes!

I love the first dusting of snow and the excitement of winter fast approaching.  I feel like I am in a winter wonderland when the air is so cold and the ice hangs onto each branch as a fragile piece of glass.

Trees are so beautiful as they sway in the wind - I could swear they filter secrets and whispers through the branches and leaves, the sounds muted just enough so the whispers thrown to the wind are still safe.

Am I like a tree?  Do I change with the seasons of my life?  Is my foundation (trunk) strong and does my core center stand firm?  Do my branches get heavy as I take on worries and burdens but hold fast as I sway with resolve?  Am I a chameleon and change with the seasons of bright and colorful to bland and barren as my moods change?  Does my shade give comfort and relief along life's path, not only for me but others? 

This I know for sure!  My roots are solid, my roots are firmly planted.  If I am to be compared to a tree I know for sure that my family tree is noble and wonderful and I thank my mother and father and so many grandfathers and grandmothers for their courage so many years ago for being a part in molding me into who I am and will yet become.  Our family tree may shake at times, but I know we are firmly planted!

My Sister Nancy- Happy Birthday!

I have a younger sister Nancy and today is her birthday!  There are so many things I love about my sister Nancy - just look at her in this picture!  She is so adorable!  I have a memory of her when we were both so much younger, she would take her hand and push a stray hair from her face, just the way she did this was magical to me.  And she had the cutest smile!

Nancy Price - Draper Utah House

Nancy loves where she lives.  She and her husband Jim live in Portland Oregon.  The have close access to the beautiful ocean.  Nancy has created a very loving, comfortable home where you always feel welcome.  When I walk in her front door I have always felt safe, warm and comfortable.  The phrase "My home is your home - welcome" describes the Clark Home.

Erin Clark and Alison Clark - Visit to Utah

Nancy and Jim have two adorable daughters.  Erin and Alison.  I love these girls with all my heart!  The are fun, smart, caring, lovers of nature, easy to laugh, always aware of the beauties around them, hard working - they are a carbon copy of their mother!

Jim and Nancy Clark with Ozzy and Dash

Cannon Beach - March - 2010

Happy Birthday Nancy!  I want you to know how much I love you and that I appreciate who you are and who you are yet to discover.  You are pure.  You are devoted.  You are a great listener. You are my sister!  I love you and I want you to always know and feel that!

My Sister Bonnie

It's my sister Bonnie's birthday today!  Happy Birthday Sis!  Bonnie is the 2nd child, 1st daughter of Elden and Marcine Price.  I got to come into this family after Bonnie and she always tells me that she was so excited to have a younger sister.

Bonnie and I had such fun growing up!  When Dad built our home in Draper we shared a room together.  I was the neat-as-a-pin occupant in this room - Bonnie, not so much!  We have so many stories and memories in this house and in our shared room.

Bonnie Ann Price - Draper

Dad and Mom made it possible for every child in our family to earn money doing chores, weeding rows in the garden, etc. and we were very good at saving our funds to buy Christmas presents for each other for gift giving.  One Christmas Bonnie and I were sitting on our beds in our room and we decided that we were going to give each other their Christmas gift BEFORE Christmas Day.  We opened our gifts and we both started to laugh because we had purchased the exact same thing for each other.  We re-wrapped the gifts and put them back under the tree - then on Christmas morning we made such a big deal about our gifts.  Oh goodness!  We thought we were so clever!

Bonnie Price & Janet Price - Draper Home at Christmas

I was quite the seamstress and I could sew up an outfit pretty quick and wear it to school the next day.  Many times I would buy a piece of fabric and Bonnie would tell me she thought it was ugly - funny thing, I made the outfit and Bonnie would tell me how cute it was and want to wear it to school.  We had a pretty great wardrobe between us!

Bonnie Ann Price Jones - Daisy the Clown

My sister Bonnie loves to have fun with her grandchildren.  She reads to them, bakes with them, watches movies and enjoys spending time with each one.  Bonnie teaches a pre-school in her town of Idaho.  They learn so many things, go on field trips and even learn about bugs, nature, colors and shapes.  I don't know if Bonnie has introduced her alter-self to her classrooms, but she has been known to become Daisy the Clown and conduct reading time in the local library.  How much fun would that be!

Bonnie in Sedona Arizona - 2009

Bonnie writes a letter to each of her grandchildren every month.  She loves her husband, she loves her children and she adores her grandchildren!  She makes a killer pizza and cinnamon rolls (NO raisins!). Bonnie has a zest for life, the retelling of a story, and discovering new and exciting adventures.  She loves her Dad and Mom and her family.  I am so grateful for my older sister and the love she has for me.  Happy Birthday dear sister!

Get Up!

There are nights after I get home from work that I get so caught up in what I am doing (and sometimes NOT doing - couch potato) that I stay up waaaay to late!  I have friends who say they are a "morning person" and some who prefer being a "night hawk".  Well, I don't think either of those describe me because I can stay up late and get up early.  However, if I do that to many days in a row I get sluggish.  It's a known fact that I need my beauty sleep!

So I trick myself and set 2 alarms in the morning.  One at 5:00 so I can shut it off knowing that I can sleep for another 15 minutes because my "safety" alarm will go off at 5:15!  Aren't I so clever!  But wait!  I then proceed to reach up and hit the snooze for another 15 minutes and don't really roll out of bed until 5:30!  Why!  Why I ask myself don't I just set one alarm at 5:30 and get up promptly???  Well, one answer is I have staid up way to late and can't open the eyes and the other is .  .  . what is the other answer?  I do not know because I continue with this silly game over and over!  I need to figure me out and fix it!

I'll bet Big Ben would R.I.N.G. me right out of bed!  And I'm sure Big Ben does NOT have a snooze button!

Stacking Rocks

I have come across stacked rocks many times in my life and pause a moment to take in the beauty and wonder each time.  A few years ago my Dad, Mom, brother Scott and his wife Marla and I visited Moab.  Always such a beautiful place!  We went hiking and along the trail were Cairns.  At first it was hard to form the word but I came to know that you say it as if you are saying "Karen".   I asked my Dad what they were and he explained that in this setting people stack rocks to mark the trail.

Then I found out there is much more to the story.  Some people stack rocks as a form of art.  Some hikers call them "duckies" - which point the direction to the next stack because the top rock looks a little like a beak and it would lead the way to go - it's a little like the Hansel & Gretal bread crumb theory.

There are several purposes - they may mark a burial site, some mark the summit of a mountain, in North America many cairns were used for astronomy.  Cairns are found all over the world.  Universally it is customary that when you hike and come upon a stack of rocks you should always add your stone to the pile.

I like to think simple - in my mind they are beautiful!  I like to think there is meaning associated with the sculptor who started the cairn - it may be that they wanted to leave something behind so others could pick it up for their own meaning.  It could embody some kind of value worth reflecting upon.  It could be that as we scramble through our hectic lives and we come upon a cairn it makes us pause - and wonder upon it.

My sister has many Rock Stacks in her yard.  Each one unique, each one beautiful.  It seems that in the Price family we have always felt the need to pluck a rock from here or there.  Our Dad has many rocks - big and small that he has gathered over the years.  Each one has a story, each one has a message.

My sister Ruth gave me these rocks and I have stacked them on a shelf in my home.  I admire these rocks and change the positions sometimes.  There are days that I walk past this cairn and feel a need to reach out and touch it.  I like to think that the practice of stacking rocks is mainly a gesture of asking or wishing for good fortune to be bestowed on the stacker or possibly that each stone within the stack represents a particular wish for ones self or ones family.

Oh My . . .

See post dated July 15, 2010

My brother-in-law sent me this email that had a few t-shirts with cute sayings on them and I laughed so hard when I read this one that my boss walked in and asked if I was OK.  Yup!  I'm OK (oh the memories of what I have done . . ) and thanks Jim for the great email!  I'm sure he has NO idea that I posted my Klondike Bar memory - (because not to many manly men visit blogs), but it was perfect timing!  Go buy a Klondike Bar and I.N.D.U.L.G.E!!!!

My son Andrew D Petersen is having a birthday on July 17th!  My goodness, can he really be 31 years old?  Andy is such a laid back individual!  He loves nature, he is calm, has a huge heart and cares about others.  He had thick curly hair that grew fast!  His Dad finally got fed up with people calling him a girl so I cut his curly hair short. 

When Andy was about 1 1/2 he was standing on our back porch with a stick in his hand and he had the end of the stick in his mouth.  He fell off the porch and the stick went in his tongue.  Oh my goodness!  I was frantic, Amanda was worried and his Dad called "Ask a Nurse" to see if we needed to take him to emergency.  The answer was no - nothing they could do we just had to keep it clean.  So what does Andy want to eat?  Potato chips!  Little did we know that he knew better than all of us because the salt in the chips helped heal the cut much faster.  Such a tough little man!

Andy always loved to go to his Uncle Joe and Aunt Bonnie's dairy in Idaho.  The cows intrigued him! He would spend hours outside with the cows and following Uncle Joe around.  As he got older he would go to the dairy and help his cousin Matt do his chores.  I think Andy learned how to drive a motorcycle on the dairy.

Andy has an older sister.  Amanda Marie Petersen.  They were like 2 peas in a pod!  They cared about each other, played together and got into mischief together.  Both had wild imaginations and could pretend to be and go anywhere!  One day they were playing like they are on a train to Switzerland (picture above) and the next they were slaying dragons and saving the Queen - that would be me.

Andy married his sweetheart Jennifer this year - in April.  I get to be Grandma Janet to 3 wonderful kids, Samantha, Tabitha and Damon.  What fun we have had over the years!  They have been a family for about 5 years and I was thrilled when they decided to be married.  I am so proud of my son Andy for stepping in to be "Dad" to these kids.  Jennifer always tells me that Andy is the best thing that ever came into their lives because he has taught them kindness, rules, manners and that daddy's are good and kind.

I will be calling Andy tomorrow morning at 9:26 am to tell him how happy I am that he is my son and to sing Happy Birthday to him.  I have done this since the day he came into my life.  Every year for my kids - on their birthday I call at the time they are born and sing to them.  I make sure they know how important they are to me and what a joy it is to be their mother.  So, Happy Birthday son!

What would you do for . . .

Every once in a while I get a craving for "something".  One time it was my sister Ruth's Navajo Taco's. They are soooo yummy.  One time it was for a spinach feta wrap from Starbucks Coffee.  Anyway, you get the idea.  Well . . . today it has been a Klondike Bar!

My daughter Amanda and I used to do silly things like go to our local grocery store, buy a box of Klondike Bars and then drive like mad women through the neighborhood ( we didn't want our precious purchase to melt!) to find unsuspecting neighbors working in their yards, then stop and say to them "What would YOU do for a Klondike Bar"?  then regardless of what the answer was - we would give them one.  The total look of  "ohh yummy" on the recipients face was priceless!  It was so darn much fun!

Today as I am sitting at my desk, I keep singing the phrase from the Klondike commercial in my head , so I emailed Amanda and all I wrote was - What would you do-oo-ooo for a Klondike Bar?  She thought that was cute!  So . . . . On my way home tonight, I am going to stop and pick one up!  I'm sure that the package holds more than just one, so if you would like one come on over!