2Yorks 1Smith 1Jones

NASCAR VEGAS, 2011!!! WOW, WHAT A BLAST!!!

2011-03-19T20:27:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am again slacking in my effort to keep up this blog! I should just keep it up on my computer screen all of the time so I don't forget to write.
We have just been living and having fun. We went to Vegas for the Nascar races in early March and it was a ball!! We got to go to the pits and see all of the cars in the garage!! Harry Gant signed our t-shirts!!! I got my picture taken with a transformer. Don got his picture taken with two show girls!!! I think I was jipped there somehow!!?? :) It was a blast tho! I got to walk on the actual track and stand in Jeff Gordon's pit box!!!
I picked Carl Edwards to win the race in our weekly pole, and guess what!!! He won!!! It was cool!!
We camped at the track and that is an experience in itself!! So many Nascar fans in one place is crazy!! As my nephew Josh said while he was visiting from Ohio, "You guys are Nascar fans? You guys are NUTS! Nascar fans are crazy!" I claimed that title immediately!! We are crazy, and we have so much fun doing it!!! :D

Connie and Ron went with us! Connie bought me that beautiful new Dupont jacket!! All in all, it was a great silly, fun, happy trip!!! Next year I hope all of you can come with us!!! You would love it!!!

THE RAVINGS OF A SEMI-MAD GRANDMOM

2011-01-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday, January 16, 2011
Time to start writing again, but where to start? How do I tell the story of a wonderful, happy, heart wrenching, full, beautiful life? I guess I start by trying to find my journals from when my children were small. Possible titles for books: MONSTERS DON'T WEAR PINK, THE RAVINGS OF A SEMI-MAD GRANDMOM, BEING A NON-MORMON GRANDMOM IN A PREDOMINANTLY MORMON COMMUNITY? Hm, I don't know. I guess we'll see where it goes. Maybe SARCASM HEALING? :)
Tick-tock, tick-tock. The clock seems to run twice as fast now that I am in my forties, almost 50! Taking care of one child seems much more difficult than caring for six or seven when I was young!! And I seem to have been promoted to family planner for my whole family! My parents 50th wedding anniversary is this month, and as the oldest sibling, and the only one whose job is caring for a small person, an older son and a husband instead of working outside the home, I was elected to plan and organize the HUGE party!! I guess it's just as well, I planned and organized our family Thanksgiving celebration in our garage when it was 20 degrees outside and we had 50+ people who attended!! Can you say Redneck? I would think so. It was a great party though!! We had a ball and wouldn't have changed it for anything!
This Anniversary party should prove to be much larger, but at least this time we are renting a hall instead of doing it in the garage, (almost did). I still have to coordinate the potluck dinner, the decorations, the invites, the toast to our parents, everything!!Oh, and let's don't forget the clean-up after the party!! That could be a handful in itself!!
And , before the Anniversary party, this Tuesday, I have my first Relay For Life meeting to plan the Relay Kick Off for this year. I am second in charge (or should I say responsibility?) of an overnight event that takes place in July, but we have to plan and promote beginning now (January)! About 800 to 1000 people either participate in or come to this event to enjoy the activities as we raise money for the American Cancer Society. I must be crazy!!

Monday, January 24. 2011

Well, the Anniversary Party on the 21st went off without a hitch!! Whew!! It was a crazy, insane, fun, emotional, wonderful memory we made that night!! So many people helped, and so many attended. Mama and Daddy were , I think, a little overwhelmed. Me, Joey, Connie, Cindy and Shawna got up and did our own little toasts to our parents. (Connie and Joey didn't say a word, but Shawna (adopted sister) more than made up for it!) When it was my turn, they made me sing 'The Little Blue Man', a song our mom sang to us as kids. Everyone chanted till Mama came up to sing it with me and I made Cindy help. It was a blast!!! We also got some great pics of the family!! Thank you to all who helped set up and clean up, and to the band, and everyone else involved in making this a perfect night!! Happy Anniversary Mama and Daddy!! Love you!!

The birthday/retirement party the next night at Nicole and Mike's Stockman's bar was a blast too. Happy birthday to Uncle Johnny and Dusty, and Happy retirement to Uncle Johnny! You deserve it!! It was the first time I have really sang Karaoke since Tracy killed himself in October. That is a whole different story in itself! Anyway, thank you to Sonja for insisting I at least try! It felt good. And, by the way, who stole my voice? After singing several songs with others that I don't usually sing, my voice is going, going, going, almost gone!!? I will get pics on here of both parties as soon as I can get everyone to email them to me. (My camera forgot to go with us in all of the commotion!!)

New Years Eve

2011-01-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

AHHHH!!!!! Happy New YEAR!!!! We had a great time at Stockman's Bar with all of our friends and family!!!

Naughty girl!

Now for 2011!!!

Chrismas Parties 2011

2011-01-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

I just love these videos!! My grand children make me so very happy!!!

This second video was taken at our family party at our house on Christmas eve eve. It is sooo funny! Aren't these kids adorable?! At one point in this second one you can even see Ellie's plumber's crack!! (Like mother like daughter!) Sooo funny!!! This party was great!!

What a great chaotic evening!!

Christmas Morning!! More fun!! Doesn't it look picture perfect? Yeah, just wait.

That was a nice mess!! Then there were my gifts!

And Christmas French Toast Bake!!!

What a great Christmas morning!!! And now for Christmas night at Cindy's family Christmas party!!! Holy Cow!! Party on!!!

What a GREAT Christmas!!!! And I didn't even get to Connie's party on Christmas Eve till her kids were all leaving, hence, no Pics!!! Wow, what a season!! And next comes NEW YEARS EVE!!! Cheers ya'll!

Christmas Tree Hunt 2010

2011-01-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

The Christmas tree hunt!! What a crazy, strange, fun, catastrophic, joyous, insane, hilarious trip!!! As usual!! We had to walk all the way up the mountain this year as there was just too much snow to drive. (We tried!!) We had fun once we got up there. (Except the part where I couldn't breath!) What the hell did I quit smoking for just to gain weight and about kill myself getting up the mountain?
We found some pretty trees and proceeded to try to kill me dragging them down the mountain!! It was a blast!!! :/

Smartypants, again!! Next came the tackle!!

Now that's some deep snow!!
Next came the party in Lava Hot Springs!! (This always follows the Tree Hunt! To the victorious go the spoils, or something like that.)

Needless to say, good times were had by all!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-01-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving this year was quite the adventure!! Sonja called and told us they were coming in from Mississippi for the Holiday, passing through to California, and would love to come to our Thanksgiving celebration. Problem was, we weren't planning one!! I hadn't even thought about it yet, and it was only about 3 weeks away!!
As I began talking to all of the family I found that everyone missed being together last year and wanted to do one big celebration this year!! As it turned out we ended up having it in our garage with it being about 20 degrees outside!! Can you say redneck? :)
There were nearly 60 people here, and so much food we had left overs till...now!
Everyone had a great time seeing everyone else!! We ate banquet style and it worked out so well everyone said we need to do it every year!!! Have I completely lost my mind? Maybe. But you have to admit, it looks like fun, huh!

We had some smartypants and some cuties!

Some didn't want to mug for the camera, some did!!

Good Times on the Home front now!!! Love to all!!

Halloween 2010

2011-01-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Wow, she is scary!!! :) Spent a lot of time in Gentry's class helping with the party and taking pics

Halloween this year was an adventure! Trying to decorate a different house was interesting! After 23 years of decorating the same house, this was NEW!! And it was a blast!! Everyone helped!! Gentry had a blast helping put up the 'caution' tape. Bobby was indispensable!! He has great ideas and can reach what I can't!! Don illuminated everything! We are a great team!!!
The Halloween party at Stockman's was crazy!! There was not even standing room!!! It was a blast, but crazy!!!

The kids and grand kids all dressed up superbly!!

The kids carved pumpkins. And I carved a pumpkin like I never have before.

UM...OOPS!

2011-01-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! I slid into 2011 so fast I kinda skipped some stuff!!
Our Flaming Gorge trip is a complete blur, JUST KIDDING!! It was a great trip!! After all, we only blew one tire and it was on the way home! Last year we blew three tires on our camp trailer and the kids blew one on their boat trailer on the way there!!!
It was great fun to watch the antics of our sons-in-law and their friends!! They were a riot!! When the boat was turned on with the motor up and just kept going in circles we laughed so hard we cried!! I won't say who did it. You know who you are. So do the rest of the people who got a kick out of it in person!! :)
Chasing Daxton was interesting. Everyone just took turns following him all over the beach all day long. He is soooo cute!!

Everyone had a blast playing in the water, some more than others!

Terry came out from Indiana to go with us. He loves to just sit there and laugh at all of the rest of us!

All of us had a blast and came home safely!! Great trip!!

HOME

2011-01-12T15:00:00.003-07:00

Whew! Sliding into 2011!!

2011-01-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a year!!
I don't think I have ever had a more challenging, rewarding year in my 49 years on this planet!! Well, maybe year and a half. I have learned some very insightful lessons, and come full circle about what 'home' means and where it is!!
Home is not where you have been for your whole life. Home is where you belong with who you belong. Or is that whom? Doesn't matter. Home is family and friends spending good times with you no matter where you are. Home is just doing nothing together and enjoying it. Home is watching movies with snuggie blankies and popcorn. Home is a bon fire and beer with the best of friends, whether related or not. Home is Thanksgiving with 50+ people in the garage when it is 20 degrees outside! Home is grand children sleeping over. Home is getting ready for work and school. Home is cleaning for the next party. Home is just loading the dishwasher and fixing dinner. Home is where we are and who we're with and what we're doing at the time. Home has finally come home to me this year. Thank God. I needed to find home again. I was lost for a time. I am happy to be home.

Grandbabies!!!

2010-08-26T14:31:00.000-06:00

Daxton "Whaaaaaat?"

Emma and Gentry

Abbi

Gentry

Splashing

Ethan

Sebastian and Mom

Ellie

Simon and Dad

Grandbabies!!!

Wow! It's been awhile!!!

2010-08-26T13:59:00.000-06:00

All of Us!!!

I can't believe it has been so long since I last blogged! It is the end of August and I don't know where the summer has gone!! Gentry went back to school (first grade!) on Monday!! We are getting a little more used to living here everyday. It's so much nicer here. And the cleaning is so much more productive!! When I clean I feel like it is really clean.
The garden, though we didn't have much time to prepare it, has done amazingly well!! We are currently buried in cucumbers, zucchini, peppers...and there are spaghetti squash and pumpkins out there getting ripe! It has been great! I can't wait to see what next year brings!!!
We had a fabulous barbecue on August 7th!! All of our kids and grand kids were here!!! That hasn't happened in a long time!! It was so great to get photos of everyone together!! I will post some for you to see if I can figure out how.
My 8 grandchildren are amazing!!! I know I am biased, but they are the most beautiful children I have ever seen!!! And there is one more on the way in December!!! I can't wait to see that beautiful little girl!!
Well, I must go now. Have to get ready for our annual trip to Flaming Gorge next weekend!!! That will be a blast!! I will add more when we have pics from this trip!! Blog ya later!! ;-}~

Getting Better (Mostly)

2010-01-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

So I got Gentry back into school today. She did great and loved it!! She acted a lot better after school than she has for days!!! I hope it lasts.
I also sent Bobby back to school. He did well with the new bus routes. It was weird to be here alone for awhile. It has been the holidays since we moved and I have had someone here with me all of the time since.
I found myself tearing up as I walked out to get the mail all alone in this strange neighborhood today. I can't help but think how silly that is. I just miss home and the familiar things, the familiar stores, the neighbors I knew. How silly.
A little Gentry funny: As most of you know, Don and I quit smoking almost a year ago. This afternoon we were sitting at the table with Gentry and a commercial for quitting smoking came on the tv. Gentry said, "We don't smoke anymore!" We both laughed and told her, "No, WE don't smoke anymore." She popped right back with, "Yea, you quit with enchanted, huh?" (We quit with Chantix.) We were rolling. It didn't exactly feel enchanted, but I guess it worked that way. This is good.
Well, this is me signing off from the new home front. Stay safe!

WOW!!! What a month!!!

2010-01-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

I never dreamed it would take this long to get used to a new house! Poor Gentry! I think we really screwed up her security! She is very clingy, won't go to sleep with her door shut, wants to get in our bed(has never slept in our bed), and won't go stay with anyone except my mom, who isn't very far away!! She says she will miss us too much if she goes with Mommy, or Tammy and Sherm. I hope she can adjust to this move without too much more trouble. I will be putting her back in school tomorrow. I hope that helps. I know there are some little girls that live around here, I just don't know where exactly. Maybe if she finds some friends close by she will feel a little better. I sure hope so!!! I feel guilty, like I stole her security!!
The house is starting to come together. We now have a place to sit comfortably and watch the football games and our own bed to sleep in. The wood burning stove in the basement is really cool! It has heated the house this whole weekend! The first time Don lit it was a fiasco!!! The chimney was backdrafting because it was so cold and the house filled up with smoke! It was a little scarey, but more funny in hind sight! He has mastered lighting it now and if anything, this house gets too hot! There are still alot of things we can't find yet, Don's beard trimmer, Gentry's pet net,etc. There are still alot of boxes in the garage, but we can fit my car and the old little black chevy in there! We are making progress, slowly, but surely!
We have met a few of our neighbors. They seem to be nice. Our next door neighbors were at the Last Chance last night when we got there. It was his birthday. It was fun.
I still feel like I am staying in someone elses house. I guess that will go away eventually. I can't wait till summer. I feel like if I can get this whole place in shape the way I want it, I will feel more at home. The thought of someone else living in our old house gives me butterflies and makes me tear up. I know it is silly, and better for us, but I miss home. I guess I can sympathize with Gentry! They had a for rent sign in the front yard about a week after we moved out! I wonder if they even bothered to get the mold out of the basement. I sure hope so. I wouldn't want to have some other family living with that!!
Well, this is me signing off from the new home front. Stay safe!

OMG!!

2009-12-25T22:17:00.000-07:00

Kay, we got moved, and did Christmas, and survived!!!! We are not caught up on our sleep, or really oriented to this place, but we are here!! I feel like I am staying in someone else's house. A hotel? A motel? Feels weird, I don't know what to think!!! To all of you that helped us, THANK YOU!!!! To the rest of you, wait till you need my help!!! Just kidding, I will be there anyway! I'm cool like that!!! :) Love you all!! That's all for now!! LOL!!!! Next time!

Here we are!

2009-11-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

Hey, I finally figured out how to work this stupid computer:) I hope to not bore everyone too much!!
Gentry, being 5 years old and couped up in the house all day is bouncing off the walls! She needs a playmate. It is November, cold outside and supposed to snow tomorrow. Maybe she will get to play in it. That would make her day!
Being the stinker that she is, after I trimmed her hair the other day (it was so long she was sitting on it) she decided that it would be fun to cut some more off with the school scissors!!!! She now has hair to her fanny in the back and just past her shoulders in the front!!! Atleast she cut it the same on both sides! I didn't think school scissors were that sharp?!
Yesterday she said to myself and Grandpa,"Everyone close your eyes so I can do magic!"
We snickered and closed our eyes. She said,"I'll count, one, two, three." She is moving around the room as she counts. "Four, five, six." She is moving down the hall. "Seven, eight nine." She is in her room. We are giggling now. I open my eyes just enough to see her monitor. It is in her room and lit up like a christmas tree. "Ten, eleven, twelve." She now sounds muffled. "Ok, you can open your eyes," she yells. Grandpa and I are laughing. I say, "Where did Gentry go?" She says, "I'm invisible." Grandpa says, "You're invisible in your closet?" We are laughing so hard we can barely talk. She says, "No, I just went invisible. It's magic, see?"
How cute and innocent for a little monster child! The light of our lives!

Prime example of classic Gentry tattletailing on her self: "Grandma, can I eat the other half of my donut now?" "No, we are going to eat dinner in a few minutes." Five minutes later,"Grandma, guess what." "What?" "I just ate my other half of my donut." She is beaming. "What? I just told you not to. Why did you do that?" "Cause I wanted to."
This is what I deal with on a daily basis. Atleast I don't have to catch her doing what she isn't supposed to. She just tells on herself instead:)