HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Here are some things I am grateful for:

1. A wonderful husband who is infinitely patient with me.

2. A beautiful daughter Christine who is kind and loving.

3. A faithful son Daniel, who I miss very much and has made me proud as he serves the Lord in Hawaii.

4. A handsome son Jason, who is always so thoughtful and generous.

5. Two wonderful grandsons that can always make me smile and keep me young.

6. A great son-in-law who loves my daughter and doesn't make me worry about Christine or the boys.

7. For great parents who are always there when I need them.

8. For 5 wonderful brothers and sisters who keep me on my toes and make my life interesting.

9. For the gospel in my life.

10. That Twilight was a better movie than I expected it to be.

11. For this beautiful state I get to live in.

12. For a cozy house that we can always come home to.

13. For Disneyland where I can go and become a kid again.

14. For second chances because I have needed a lot of them.

15. For my Savior, because everything I am and everything I enjoy each day is because of him and his sacrifices.

16. For friends and cousins who keep in touch.

17. For good health.

Now I challenge each of you to do the same!

THE ADVENTURES OF ELDER WALKER

We had a wonderful surprise last night. A missionary from our area came home from his mission in Hawaii and brought us a tape, pictures and chocolate covered macadamia nuts from Daniel. It was so great to hear Daniel's voice on the tape!

This is a picture of him at the Hawaii temple. He had to get up at four in the morning to travel there. He got to see the sun rise over the ocean and go to this beautiful building. He said it was so white you could hardly see it in the clouds.

This is a picture of Daniel with his companion Elder Nakima and as Daniel says his third companion, the Lord.

This is a picture of Dan in front of this Cafe in Laie where they filmed "50 First Dates". He said it was good and cheap because they didn't have to pay.

This picture is of Dan leaving his pad one day and he said he got hit by a rock. Then he realized that it was not a rock but a bird. He says he thinks the bird knew what he was doing and did it on purpose.

Daniel is doing GREAT! He is growing and learning and we are all being blessed by his service to the Lord!

SLEEPOVER

We had the funnest time with our grandsons a couple of weekends ago. Christine and Brad celebrated their 7th anniversary and so we had the boys for the night. What fun we have with them! The keep us busy all evening and then when we finally get them to bed we crash into bed ourselves so tired we can hardly move. Then we hear their eager voices at 6:00 in the morning and can hardly believe our ears! But how can you not smile when you see a precious face peek around your bedroom door and the other one is calling MA to you from upstairs. I'm glad we have these two boys, they keep us young!

HALLOWEEN

It was a fun Halloween this year. Scott carved these awesome pumpkins for me to use as a centerpiece at a Halloween Enrichment evening. Everyone loved them. Scott is so talented!


We had fun going and being with Christine and the boys Halloween night. We had pizza and then went trick-or-treating with them since our house is boring. We don't get any trick-or-treater's and Jason goes with his friends so we had to go where the fun was. Thank goodness someone knows how to have fun in our family.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF WESTLEY J. WALKER

We spent the whole day yesterday, Saturday October 25 at a hospital in Bountiful, Utah waiting for Scott's father to die. The hospital called the family at 6:00 in the morning and we were all alerted to get up to the hospital fast because he wasn't going to last long. True to his stubborn nature he hung on until 11:30 that night after almost everybody had left to go home. Scott and his sister Mary Ann were there with him when he finally left to go home to our Heavenly Father.

He lived 86 years the last 15 or so with dementia so we feel like we kind of lost the real Westley back then. He lived a long and full life and had so many adventures that he could talk your leg off telling you story after story.

He was a kind and loving father-in-law and I am grateful that I had the chance to love him. I can only imagine how great the reunion was with his loving wife Mary (Scott's mother) and his parents whom he hadn't seen for many years. He was the last member of his generation from both sides of Scott's family to leave us. We will miss you Westley!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

Call me crazy, (my sister Mary Jo did) but I LOVE the first snowfall. Granted it came a little early this year, but that still didn't dampen my excitement for the coming winter season. I love the change of the season's and the new adventures each one brings! We broke out the hot chocolate and flipped on the fire and sat and watched the snow fall. I then got on the phone and called my family with such excitement to share this wonderful site and every person was just grumpy about it. (Okay, except you Mom, you don't get grumpy about anything!) Scott even got so excited that he went out and bought a new snow blower. We've never had one before so this should be exciting. Well I'm looking forward to more snowy days, snowmobiling at the cabin, lots of hot chocolate - sugar free of course so I don't put on the 20 pounds I just lost - and the holidays!

SCOTT'S EARLY BIRTHDAY GIFT

Well I was somewhat happy and disappointed when Scott called me the other day and told me that I had bought him his 50th birthday present. I was a little surprised and said "oh, I did" and he said "yes". I asked him what I bought him and he told me two new golf clubs. I told him I was thrilled that I had thought to buy him such a wonderful gift.

I was thrilled because he has been borrowing these two clubs from my father for some time and I knew he needed and wanted them. I actually was planning on getting them for him, I was just hoping to surprise him with them in December on his actual 50th birthday!

But he had a work golf tournament he had to play in and it was great for him to be able to have his own new clubs to play with. Then my Dad and Mom called and asked him to go play with them and my Uncle Clint at Thanksgiving Point last Thursday evening. He played so well and my Dad said he would trade Scott his old Big Bertha club for Scott's new one.

Well now what do I do? Does anyone have any great ideas for a 50th birthday party? I need help with some great ideas I want to do something really special for him and I need some help!!!!

A PAYBACK MOMENT

I went with Jason to get his Senior pictures taken a couple of weeks ago and while the photographer was shooting them she asked Jason if there was anything else that he wanted like a special pose and prop or anything and he said, "I want a picture with my mom". I nearly started crying. How sweet is that?! I hadn't dressed for my picture to be taken but I was so touched how could I say no. I will forever cherish this picture because he wanted it done.

MY BABY IS GROWING UP!!

This is Jason just before he left for the Homecoming dance Saturday evening. He took Daniel's suit that Dan bought for a dance and had it fitted for him and got this awesome tie to match his date's dress. He looked so handsome and he told me how good he felt in the suit. (His first suit.)

When did he get so grown up? I nicknamed him baby when he was young and then when he got too old for me to call him that anymore I started calling him abies which is babies without the b at the beginning. I still can't stop calling him baby though.

Enjoy your little children because the time when they are no longer little goes by sooooo fast! It came way too soon for me.

THE NOT SO BEAUTIFUL SIDE OF HAWAII

This is the side of Hawaii that Daniel gets to see. He says he hasn't really seen the pretty parts yet, maybe a few. He has seen the ocean once since he has been there. I have to say the picture was not quite how I had envisioned Hawaii, but I guess there is the opposite side in every city.

I keep waiting for the day that I don't miss him so much. If anyone asks me how he is I can't help but get this big smile on my face or depending on the day I might break out into tears. He is doing so great though. We are so proud of him.

Don't you love the ties in the window in the picture below. I guess they are ties left from all the missionaries that have been there. I thought they were using them as blinds or something.

30 YEARS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL -- Would I Do Surgery?

Well Saturday was the 30th class reunion. It's always fun to go and see how people have changed. Some age better than others! I am always amazed that the guys who were so good looking in high school are actually the ones that don't look so good now. The guys who were just okay are the better looking men now. It's a lot more fun to be with these people now though. Most everyone has relaxed enough that we can all be friends now and there is not the clicks like there used to be.

We did have two of our classmates come in late and I seriously thought, who are those teenagers crashing our party?! They look amazing! But you know money and other stuff can do that these days if you want. It seriously got me thinking, would I do surgeries and Botox if I had the money? I like looking my best. I'll be honest it's been hard to age and the thought of coming up on 50 scares me to death! But I can't help but think that being happy with who you are comes from within not what you look like on the outside. Would I really be happy if everything looked perfect? I don't think so. So I guess I will stay with my sagging boobs, my hands and face that are getting age spots and the extra lines that are across my face. I can't be dishonest and I feel like looking like something that I am not just isn't who I really am. After all, these lines on my face are well earned I think!

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN

Never has there been three people that have tugged at my heart more. Made me laugh so hard. Made me so proud that I become obnoxious from bragging so much! Life just wouldn't be as much fun without these three!



These two truly define the word JOY! Life is so much more complete with grandchildren in your life.