Sisters, Husbands, & Joe Vera's



Ramona, Denise, Charles, Steve, Ken (Clockwise from Left)

 Friday evening, we met at Joe Vera's in Provo to start a wonderful evening together.  Can you tell by the placemats it was a Mexican restaurant? We were glad we left a little early, because the traffic was slow and backed up due to multiple accidents and it took us 2 solid hours to get there.  No distance is too far to get together with my sisters and their husbands!  The meal was good but the company was fantastic!  After a tasty dinner, we went to Charles and Denise's home in Provo and chatted and laughed some more.  Denise served yummy homemade fruit smoothies and also Choc-o-nut cookies.  The cookies remind me of Mom because she made them for us growing up.  I had to have one.  It was delicious!  I am so blessed with the family I have!  I wish my brothers and families lived close enough for all of us to get together often.  I am glad my sisters live so close.

Celebrating 2 Birthdays here plus 1 in Alaska

Steve on Saddle @ Texas Roadhouse

Sorry that these pictures are a little fuzzy.  Steve just wouldn't sit still on the birthday saddle at Texas Roadhouse!  I tried to take the picture when he had his one arm up in the air, but he moved too quickly and I missed it.  Anthony wrote a note on a napkin about it being his Dad's birthday, then casually dropped the napkin when our waiter was at the table.  He was so sly, although we all knew what he was doing.  Steve  kept threatening Anthony to not say anything about his birthday, but Steve was a good sport!

Erna, Nate & Steve

  We had a great time visiting, laughing, and enjoying being together.  Of course, we miss Ty & Jake and their family.  EmberLee turned 7 this week and we miss being with them.  We are happy for the experiences they are having in Alaska.


Anthny, Charlee & Christina

Here's the other side of the table.  I should have asked our waiter to take the picture of all of us. I'll remember to do that next time....  We thoroughly enjoyed the evening!

Christina's Birthday



Christina's 26th Birthday



May 3 is Christina's Birthday.  We enjoyed a delicious homemade lasagna dinner which is a traditional birthday dinner made by her mother.  Her brother Zack was there also.  We enjoyed being together and celebrating her birthday.  Christina and Anthony are expecting their second child in October.  She looks terrific and we all love her!



Charlee, Dad (Anthony) and Grandpa (Steve)

Here is a picture of Charlee playing Peek a Boo with Grandpa.  This included screaming with glee when Grandpa gruffly says Boo!  This happens over and over again with the same happy scream.  What a happy family. We love Anthony, Christina and Charlee!

Random Ramblings May 1

     This week, I went to the gym (Roy Complex) every day - Monday through Saturday.  I am so proud of myself.  I lost another 2.2 pounds this week for a total of 20.8 lbs.  I love Weight Watchers - healthy eating and exercise.  I feel great!  I am going to walk in a 5k on May 21 for the Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge.
     Saturday was a Riverdale Clean Up Day where you can dump things for free.  We got rid of a broken big screen TV (monster - not a flat screen) that has been in our storage unit for over 9 years.  I shouted with glee when it landed in the dumpster!
     I wanted to try something new this week and went to a beginner Zumba class.  No one showed up - not even the instructor.  I was disappointed, so I went inside the gym to use the elliptical.  Then I was on my way out when I saw an old friend who said she was going to the next Zumba class.  I told her I wanted to go to the earlier class which was supposed to be a beginner class.  She said come on in.  Since the first class was free, I decided to try it out.  Talk about feeling like a KLUTZ!  They would go one way and I'd almost catch on...when they turned and were going another way.  My arms would go up, when they'd switch and do something different.  I didn't want to see like a quitter, so I stuck it out.  It was the LONGEST hour!  I almost ran out of there as soon as it was over.  So, what did I do?  Yes - I got on the internet and looked around for a beginner dvd for Zumba.  I ended up with one I liked on eBay and bid on one.  The next morning when the bid was over, I looked and I had won the bid.  So now I am waiting for it to arrive sometime later this week.  I want to learn the basic moves, then go back to the class because it looked like such fun and is such a great workout.
     I have been "randomly selected" (again) for Jury Duty the first week of May.  I had to call in on Friday to find out if I had to go in.  I was elated when the recording said "All juries for the week of May 2-6 have been settled.  No need to call in again."  Right on!!  Yahoo!

Micah - Belated Birthday Celebration & Easter Egg Hunts



Micah with new Zhu Zhu Pet Elevator & Garage



Saturday morning, Steve and I went to a Weight Watchers meeting in Layton, then to Eli and Mary's for a tasty breakfast.  We gave Micah his belated birthday present since he was in California on his birthday.  We were glad he enjoyed the Zhu Zhu accessories.  Then we were off to the Clearfield Easter Egg hunt.  You wait and wait for it to start....then it is over in 1 minute!  It looked like the children had fun picking up the eggs.

Micah @ Clearfield Easter Egg Hunt

Next, we went to the Clearfield Aquatic Center.  They had an Easter egg hunt in the pool.  They did it by age groups.  Here's Micah in the 7 year old group. Of course there were more children - I just happened to get a shot with just Micah.  They turned their eggs in for a bag of candy and treats.

 Here's the cheering section!



Steve, Eli & Chyna (with camera)




Steve, Mary & Chyna



Famililes are great and we are sure glad they invited us!  Then Steve went to Cole's (brother-in-law) to work on the ATV trailer, and I mowed the lawn and went to the gym.  I love Saturdays!  (Did you notice I figured out how to rotate the pictures so you didn't have to lean sideways to see!)

Ladies Night



Deanne, Colleen, Margie, & Connie with her Fat App on her phone

Friday night, we had a ladies night out.  This time there were 5 of us.  We had dinner at the new Brick Oven restaurant in Layton.  Connie had a new app on her phone that would take a picture, you would shake it and it would put on 50 pounds to your face.  She was showing our waitress the latest victim.  Luckily, when you shake it again, the face goes back to the regular size.  After a yummy dinner and sharing luscious desserts, we looked around the Tai Pan store.  Then, we went to Connie's house to see her new Xbox 360 Kinect.   We had so much fun doing the dance video, the sports video (ping pong and volleyball), and a couple video games.   It was quite the workout too.  We laughed and laughed and had a great time together.    I am blessed with such great friends!

EXCITING NEWS!!



Steve's Exercise Clothes

(Sorry - I don't know how to rotate the picture.)  THIS is SO exciting!  Steve and I decided to exercise at the Roy Complex.  We get a great discount from Riverdale City, so we both joined for a month.  $13.50 each for a month is a great deal!  Steve bought exercise clothes and we went for the first time Saturday afternoon.  Yeah us!  We may have done too much the first time, as we are both sore today - but a Happy soreness.  This facility is great.  They have treadmills, stationery bicycles, elipticals, and weight machines.  I saw two machines that I used to use at my physical therapy for my knee.  I am excited to be able to do things again to strengthen it.  They also have a pool and a walking/running loop above the basketball courts.  Awesome deal.  They also have a Zumba class that I may do at some point, as I have heard it is fun and great exercise.  Maybe we'll do water aerobics sometime.  We plan to go 3 times a week and I am SO excited to do this together with Steve!!!!!  

Wonderful Weekend

BYU Ballroom Dance Company

This has been a wonderful weekend of activities.  Friday night, I met my sister, Ramona, at the Marriott Center in Provo and we watched the BYU Ballroom Dance Company perform "Imagine."  It was terrific to see the beautiful costumes and visual effects.  They were amazing and beautiful to watch their precision dancing and great formations.  My favorite part, though, was visiting with my sister.  She is a wonderful person and a great friend.  I have looked up to my older sister my whole life.
     Then, I spend the night at Denise's house, my younger sister.  It was great to visit with the 3 of them (her husband, Charles, and their son, Ben).  Again, my favorite part was visiting with them.  I am richly blessed because I have two great sisters and I enjoy being friends with each of them.  Denise is awesome also and I learn a lot from her example!  Saturday morning, I went to a Weight Watchers meeting in Provo, and then attended the BYU Easter Conference.  My brother-in-law, Charles Swift spoke as one of the 3 speakers.  Personally, I think his talk was the best!  They published the talks from last year and from this year, so here is another place he has published.


BYU Easter Conference

The drive home was VERY long, because there was an accident at Centerville and they closed the freeway.  A drive that normally would have taken 1 hr 15 minutes, took 2 1/2 hours.  I was grateful to get home safely, as it was snowing.  (Will Spring ever arrive and stay?).  THEN, I was able to spend the evening with my grandson, Jeremy.  We visited so I could get caught up on the things he is doing.  Then we watched a movie.  I stayed overnight to be there, especially as Tyler, another grandson, arrived home at 2:45 am after he worked late at Wendy's.  They are both terrific young men. 
     I am very blessed to have the family I have!

Weight Watchers

On February 5, 2011 I attended my first Weight Watcher meeting.  I was the heaviest I've been in my life. 

Today, after 8 weeks, I have lost 15.4 lbs!  No more pictures until I lose some more.  This has been a wonderful adventure for me.  I'm going to list some of the changes I've made.  Eating breakfast (1/2 cup Grape Nuts with 1 cup fat free milk) before I go to work.  I never used to eat breakfast and would be hungry all morning at work.  I make a sandwich and snacks (grapes and carrots) to take with me for work.  I never used to take a lunch at work, but now I eat my sandwich and then go on a walk.  There is a park right across the street at work.  There is an inside concrete path around the park.  I walk around 4 times in 30 minutes.  I drink lots of water with Grape Propel (it has lots of vitamins and tastes great).  Tracking the PointsPlus of everything that goes into my mouth really makes a difference.

 I LOVE the exercise I am getting now.  I feel SO much better.  I am very excited to start feeling better.   My pants are getting loose on me.  Right now I am enjoying the feeling of not busting out the seams of my pants, so I revel in feeling them loose.  Pretty soon I'll have to buy smaller pants.  My sister, Ramona, has been a great sounding board and encouragement for me as she is doing WW also.  She weighs in on Friday and I weigh in on Saturday, so we keep tabs on each other.  She shares great recipes with me also.  Here's a picture of something I never thought I would drink, as I LOVE 2% milk.....

There.  My FIRST blog post.