Family

While spending time with my dad, I found this picture on his computer. I just love it. We all look so happy. I am the cute screaming baby (just in case you did not notice). I love my mom's facial expression. I truly enjoy looking at old pictures.

Family

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown

This is my family. I know it is big and can be overwhelming, so I will break it down for you.

It all started with this cute couple.

Stephen (dad) and Joan (mom)

Along came my oldest brother, Stephen.

Cree, Kristy, Stephen, Mikelle

Muriel, Audriana, Cade

And my oldest sister, Cindy.

Samantha, Brad, Cindy, Dawson

Shortly after, another brother, Darin.

Darin, Michelle, Riley, Jordan

And another brother, Randy.

Randy, Heather, Cody

Cherlynn

Another sister, Kim.

Brian, Calvin

Brooklyn, Kim, Croy

You bet, another brother, Richard.

Andrea, Richard

Jeffery, Amanda

Last, but not least...me.

Levi and Sandra

Add 16 grandkids.

Put them all together and you get one amazingly, beautiful and crazy family. I just love my family and would be lost without them. I know it can be crazy getting us all together, but in the end it is so worth it. I love all you guys.

Learning New Talents....Maybe?

Garden plot rent: $26.00

Plants and gardening supplies: $54.00

Growing a garden: Priceless

Maybe?

This my first attempt at planting a garden. I am renting a small garden plot in one of our community gardens. If it is successful I just might upgrade to a medium garden plot next year. For now, this will be my test run.

I have always wanted to grow a garden, but I do not know much about gardening. Growing up, my parents had a big garden. I loved picking cherries, apricots, strawberries, rhubarb, peas, etc. I love freshly picked food from the garden.

Before

Step one: put on glove to avoid getting dirt on my hands.

Levi told me I was not dressed appropriately to plant my garden. I guess I will need to purchase gardening clothes. Now I see why gardening can be expensive.

Step two: read planting instructions carefully.
When planting my crookneck squash, I read plant 5-8 inches apart and not 5-8 feet apart. Note to self for next year.




Step three: carefully remove plants from containers and place in the ground.
I may have done this step correctly. I also planted some seeds.


Step four: water garden and then pose for a picture with a big smile to show how proud I am.

After

I planted some seeds in smaller containers in my house. I will hopefully be adding them to the garden, if they grow that is.

Wish me luck. I am going to need it. If you have any gardening tips you would like to share, I would love to hear them.

In a New York Minute.....

Pictures of the few things we did while in New York.

Day 1:

We rode a taxi the the Manhattan Temple where we stored our suitcases while we ate and viewed the town. We attended the last temple session of the day. This is where we met up with Jamie and Derek. They work at the temple of Wednesday nights.The temple is beautiful. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to visit the temple.

We had real New York pizza. We tasted chicken and tomato pizza and artichoke and tomato pizza. Our favorite was the chicken and tomato.

We walked around the lower part of Central Park. It was very pretty and we saw squirrels. I just love animals. We saw The Dairy, the checker and chess tables and so much more.

That night we rode the subway to Jamie and Derek's apartment were we settled in for bed. Except we never slept. Who can when they have just arrived in New York and want to see everything? Thanks again Derek for carrying our luggage up all the subway stairwells.

Day 2:

We woke up at 6:30 am (really 4:30 am here wondering why we were so tired) and headed to Battery Park to get on the Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I remembered seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time when I was 10 years old. It still seems so big. Sadly the tickets to climb the Statue of Liberty were already sold out by 8:30 am, so we did not go inside the statue. My favorite part of Ellis Island was looking at the old luggage and pictures of the people.

We visited Ground Zero. Most of it was fenced off, but we were able to get a picture of part of it. When I was 10 years old, I had my picture taken laying on the floor of the World Trade Center. It was such a weird feeling realizing that I was once there before 9-11. We also visited St. Paul's Chapel across the street. This was home to the eight-month volunteer relief effort after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.

We did some shopping in Chinatown. I bought:

2 watches (one for Levi and one for me) = $23.

1 pair of pink sunglasses = $6.

We ate dinner there. It was not that good. Although the virgin piña coladas were delicious.

We were so exhausted after all that, so we headed back to Jamie's were we took an hour nap and then played a game called, The Settlers of Catan. It was so much fun.

Day 3:

We got up early again and arrived at the Empire State building by 8:00 am. We finished so fast that we decided to get hot chocolate. The only place we could find was Dunkin' Donuts. The hot chocolate was not that good, but the bagel was.

We decided to head north to the New York Library. On our way we saw a gathering for Good Friday. The people sang as they marched down the sidewalk. It was really neat to see. Bryant Park was right behind the New York Library, so we had to stop there for a photo shoot.

We rode a subway up to the Rockefeller center where we went inside the General Electric building (GE building). We did some shopping. We found the Rockefeller ice skating rink, NBC studio, a candy store and much much more.

Next, we visited St. Patrick's Cathedral where we observed part of the Good Friday service.

Jamie met us at Grand Central Station, where we headed to the Brooklyn Bridge. On the way there we saw a man painting amazing pictures with spray cans. It was awesome.

Next we headed to Washington Square Park. On the way there I was told I am too nice by a man selling fruit. He kept asking me if I wanted to purchase different fruits. I kept replying, "No thank you, no thank you."

That night Jamie made a really good chicken and rice dinner. Then Jane and I headed to Times Square. While there we rode on the Ferris Wheel inside Toys R Us, ate New York cheesecake at Roxy's and did some major shopping. Note to everyone: be careful shopping at M&M world, you will spend a lot of money.

As we were heading back to Jamie's we saw a group of boys break dancing in the subway. It was so fun to watch.

Day 4:

We slept in on Saturday and then played Pirates of the Caribbean Life with Jamie. Then we went to see Wicked on Broadway. I just loved it. We had orchestra seat, so we could see every facial expression and every costume up close. It was amazing. The show was better than I thought it would be. I did not want to leave. I was ready to watch it all over again. Now, I really want to read the book.

After Wicked we met up with Derek and Jamie to eat lunch at Tom's Restaurant were the TV show Seinfeld was filmed. It has been remodeled a bit and the food was not the best, but it was still fun. Derek took us to Columbia University to show us where the main campus of his school is located.

Jane and I took another subway to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was really cool, but I was way to tired to walk anymore. There is no way to see the whole museum in one day. It is huge.

Day 5:

Sunday morning we got up and went to Levain Bakery that was mentioned on Oprah as being the cinnamon bun winners on Friday, March 13th, 2009. I must not have good taste because I have tasted better, but they were not bad. They do not make them plain only with walnuts or raisins, I prefer plain.

Next, we headed to Central Park. We got lost and were only able to find two things on our list: Belveder's Castle and the Marionette Theatre within two hours. We were both very tired and complained about body aches. At that point I was quite ornery and walked up to some man with a map and ask him, "How do I get out of here?"

From Central Park we went to Subway and got a sandwich and ate our Subway on a Subway (get the play on words?). We were pretty good at getting around using the subway system. In fact, we found it rather fun and we figure we blended in with the New Yorkers cause we were so good (we think).

After we ate lunch on the subway we headed back to Derek and Jamie's apartment were we visited for awhile and Jane played with some kids in the hall. Then we took a town car to the airport where we headed home.

I want to thank Derek and Jamie for a wonderful time. You guys are awesome. Jamie we miss you and hope to see you again soon.

Jane thanks for a great time and for getting along so well with me. It is so amazing how much we are alike. I cannot wait to see ya at work.

It was a fun trip, but I was ready to be home. I missed Levi tons and was worried about my sick kitty that Levi I had to take to the vet. It is nice to be home again.

P.S. Brandi don't worry we are still friends.

Where Does The Time Go?

Here is my attempt to catch you up on everything that has happened since my last post.

I got to hold a duck at work. I really want a duck too. I figure I could house train it. What do you think? I just love animals.

I went shopping at Ream's for candy and found this. When did they start feeding dog food to kids? Actually, the dog food is gingersnap cookies and the dog bone is a candy. It was so cute, I had to buy one for Jane too.

I celebrated my 4th anniversary with Levi. It was all a surprise. Levi took me to Olive Garden for dinner (my favorite place). Then he took me to the hotel where we went on our honeymoon. When I walked into the room there were these flowers, chocolates, fruit, sparkling cider, candles and a Jacuzzi. Later that evening we rented the movie Marley and Me. Levi you are the sweetest guy ever. I look forward to many more wonderful years together. I love you.

I finally signed up for facebook after being told I should for months. I found a friend, Jenny, who I have not seen or heard from in 9 years (that kind of makes me sound old). We got together for dinner and talked for awhile. It was so much fun. We made plans to get together again. Thanks for a great time Jenny.

I visited my new nephew who just came home from the hospital on Wednesday. He was born on March 24th the day before our anniversary. He was sent to the UofU where he was placed on a vent for a few days. He is doing well and is as cute as can be. I forget how tiny babies can be. Welcome to the family Croy!

Big News!

Jane and I are going to...NEW YORK!

We are going to visit our friend Jamie who lives in Manhattan. Jamie, Jane and I were all new Education Specialist at Head Start last year. We had such a blast working together. We would pull pranks on other staff and each other while at work. Jane and I were very sad to see Jamie move away, but I guess it is okay if we can visit her in New York.

We will be in New York for 5 days, April 8th-12th. If you have any suggestions of site to visit, please leave a comment. I am looking for fun and interesting ideas.

The good and the bad

Who would have thought this cute little kitten would turn out to be...

...this big kitty.

I took Sadie to the vet because she was not feeling well. The vet discovered that she had a urinary tract infection and a serious case of obesity. Ideally she should weigh 8 pounds, but she weighs 17 pounds. Needless to say, my poor Sadie is on a diet and needs to lose at least 7 pounds in the next year. The worst part is that a bag of diet cat food cost over $53.00.

Tea for Three


Jane and I love to have tea parties over at Gardner Village, so we decided we would try having one of our own at my house. Jessica, Jane and I planned the menu, bought the food and created our own version of a tea party. It was a lot of fun and rather tasty. I cannot wait to dress up and have tea parties with my future kids. Thanks for a great time girls. Let's do this again soon.

Happy Valentine's Day Levi

Pictures of our life together...so far.

Caught in the Act

Levi claims he hates my cats, yet he is always trying to pet Sadie, catch Alley or make Rigby listen to his requests. The other day I was ironing and turned around to find this...

...proof that Levi likes my cats. Need I say more?