VEGAS

Our first stop was Vegas.

Our hotel room was beautiful and comfortable.

The hotel also had a large aquarium.

The girls could have spent hours looking  at it. 

 

The girls were so excited the hotel had a pool.

We went swimming for a little bit.

It was cold.

The girls spent most of their time in the hot tub.

 

Then we went to Café Rio for dinner.

Yummy.

 

We walked the strip and ate gelato.

It was a relaxing beautiful night.

 



BABIES

 Our biggest fear about taking a trip to Disneyland was these two.

They were great the whole time.

They loved, It's a Small World and the carousel and Dumbo ride.

I was amazed at how baby friendly the whole park was.

BLIZZARD and BENJI and KARALEE

 I raced home from the photo shoot and through the kids clothes in bags and cleaned the house as quickly as possible.

I was trying to get on the road a decent hour, but because we live in someone's basement I didn't want to leave anything undone.  

Nate finally said, "Lisa, leave now."

There was a blizzard that was suppose to hit the mountains and he didn't want me driving in it.

I drove to Price without a hitch.

When I looked to the mountains at the west as I left Price, I knew I was in trouble.

 

We drove through a blizzard all the way to Utah Valley.

I don't like driving through Spanish Fork canyon anytime, but not at night and not in snow.

You could only see a little ways in front of you.

The lines of the road were covered in snow. 

 

Sierra started make believing.

She said, "I bet the snow witch did this."

We just finished reading The Lion Witch and The Wardrobe together.

She said, "The witch has probably sent her wolves to stop us from going to Disneyland."

I said to appease them we should make an offering.

She said, "Of what?"

I said, "Hmmmm. Maybe baby James."

She said, "No, he is helpless. He couldn't defend himself."

I said, "Then you."

She said, "Why me, why not Madison?

Madison piped up, "Because I am precious."

I had to giggle.

 

Sierra could feel my anxiety.

She started singing the song she sang on Veterans day.

She sang the words over and over again.

(Click here to hear the beautiful words.)

Her words didn't just calm me, they brought a beautiful spirit into that vehicle traveling down those icy roads.

I thought of how blessed I am to have her.

How very blessed I am to have each of my children and their sweet tender spirits.

How they strength me and calm me.

I love her dearly.

 

She was my little angel that day.

Sunday the girls discovered Aunt Karalee's collection of Polly Pockets and her dog Marley.

I couldn't get them to leave her apartment.

PHOTOSHOOT

(One of Nate's Assistants)
Nate asked me to do a photo shoot for him.

He was offering free photos at the mall at Christmas time.

The photos were free, the clincher was they had to pick the photos up at Yes! Dental.

He felt if he could get them to drive to his office and meet him and his staff, then they would be more likely to use him as a dentist.

 

We did this for Halloween.

Bonnie, Nate's sister photographed the Halloween event.

She did a good job.

Nate wanted me to do the Christmas event.

I don't have a camera or equipment to pull off something like this.

I had to rent it.

 

It came the day before the event.

I stayed up all night trying to figure out how to use the equipment.

No sleep.

I took a bath half way through the night just to calm my frantic mind.

Then I went back to reading manuals and watching YouTube videos.

Dawn broke and I was still no closer to figuring it out.

 

I called a bunch of people at 6:00am, sorry if you were one of them.

My friend Darcy suggested I call her dad. Awkward.

I just thought I will bounce my flash off a reflector.

It may look bad but I don't have a choice at this point.

Darcy's dad called me. He asked me question after question... have you tried this? Have you tried this? He was making me more anxious. I finally said, "I have tried everything. I am sorry, but unless you were here to show me I don't think you can help me." He said, "Where are you?" I said, "I will be at the Mall in five minutes." My shoot was starting in one hour. He said, "I can come down there. I will be there in five minutes." He showed up and set up my lights and camera. Then all I really had to do was snap the pictures and pray my batteries didn't die.

 

He was an angel. I was praying all night. My Father-in-Heaven sent me an angel. I couldn't thank him enough. He rescued me. Virtually a complete stranger, took time out of his day at 6:00 in the morning to rescue me. I can't begin to say how much it meant to me.

 

I am sure you are wondering how the shoot went.
I did have interference from the Mall lights. All my pictures had a pink cast on them.
I took the picture in JPEG. It wasn't easily fixed.
I turned them black and white and gave them a copy of the pink picture and the black and white one.
I am a bit embarrassed about my work but it was free and under the circumstances... I can't be that hard on myself.

Once I was done with the photo shoot I had to rent a car and head to Utah.
Yes, right after.
I was meeting my sister and her husband in Utah and we were headed to Disneyland with my girls.
Nate refused to ever go, crowd phobias, so after four years of begging I decided to go without him.

 

BETTER?

My sister said my last backdrop sucked.

Not really....

She said it needed help.

I called my friend Natalie and she spent all morning helping me.

Thank goodness!

Right?

 



BACKDROP for a PHOTOSHOOT



WAITING for SISSY!

 We wait at Lily's house for Sierra.

She walks there from school.

It is just across the street but she loves to walk.

It makes her feel a little independent.

The kids love playing Lily's yard while we wait.

On occasion Lily will be home and we will get to chat a bit. She is a great big sister to me.

I think I will miss her Daniel when he leaves on his mission too.

He is headed to some remote islands off Australia.

LUCKY TO BE ALIVE!

 

 

Nate bought me a beautiful car about three months ago. He was tired of the 91' Camry, he bought me upon graduating from dental school, continually breaking down. He bought me a 2004 Lexus, which was a major upgrade. It had over a 100,000 miles on it, but it was beautiful. (I think it is ghetto to brag on social media about cars and houses and toys, especially when it is just more debt, and so I never took a picture and posted about how much I loved it. I wish I had of just because it would make you sad to see it so gnarled.)

 

I don't mean to make this about my car. I am so glad my husband is alive and safe and that he isn't injured in some hospital somewhere or even worse, no longer with us. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for sparing his life.

 

However, I have to say this car meant a lot to me. Especially because Nate bought it and handed me the keys and said, "Lisa, I bought you a car." Then he never referred to it as "his car" or even "our car" it was always "your car". He would say, "Can I borrow your car today?" or "I am headed to Denver this weekend, can I use your car." Then he continued to drive our pre-dental school car with over 200,000 miles and no heat or air conditioning. I guess the sacrifices he made, made this car special to me.

 

Story: Nate was headed to a class in Denver this morning. He left early, like at 4:00am. I got a call around 5:00am. The phone was rang. I saw it was Nate and I picked it up and said hello. There was no response, so I hung up. The phone rang again. I was a little annoyed. I said, "Hello." Nothing. "Hello." (I thought he was butt dialing and it wasn't funny. I hadn't gotten to bed until 1:00am and I had already been woken up three times.)

 

Finally, I hear Nate on the other end and he launches into a monologue, "Hey, honey I just tagged a Elk. It is huge. You should see the rack on this thing. Do you know of anyone who could help me skin it and butcher it? Could you call someone? Like Chuck, do you think he could help me?" My mind was racing and I was trying to figure out what was going on. "You want me to call Chuck at 5:00am and ask if he can help you butcher an Elk?"(I was trying to figure out why he was hunting Elk on the way to a class in Denver.)

"Yeah, you think he would? And do you think he could bring his truck out here to pick me up?"

"Why?"

"Because your car is totaled." "

"What? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, and you wanted me to buy a minivan. I can't imagine what kind of shape I would be in if I had of clocked that Elk doing 75 mph in a minivan. I am sold. The Lexus handled the impact of that Elk like a champ."

 

He said he didn't even have time to hit the brake. He said the Elk towered the SUV.

 

To answer your question, no we didn't keep the Elk. In the state of Colorado you can keep your road kill but Chuck said it was beyond saving. (Thank goodness!)

 

To answer your other question, yes Chuck and Kay went out at 5:00am to save Nate on the side of the road and to help him transport his Elk, even though it wasn't salvageable. (Thank goodness.)Thank you Chuck and Kay.

 

I am grateful for good friends. I am grateful for a merciful Father-in-Heaven. I am grateful for a husband who was so excited he got to keep the Elk he didn't even think about the car. I am grateful for car insurance. I am grateful I and the kids weren't with him, because the night before I was trying to convince him to take us on his mini road trip. I am grateful it was just the car hurt. I am grateful for a kind insurance adjuster. I am grateful to be less in debt today than I was this morning, paid off car. Check! I am grateful Nate walked away without a scratch. Life is good and we are grateful for it and these moments help remind us of that fact. 

I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN

Sierra had her patriotic program today.

The 3rd graders have been practicing for while.

I guess there is a PowerPoint that goes with the songs that will accompany tonight's performance. Sierra said she can't watch it because it makes her cry and so she just keeps her eyes forward.

She has been teaching her sister "50 Nifty United States" all week and correcting her when she messes up.

The kids were all adorable especially Wyatt, who sang a solo and Sierra's friend Hailey who sang a duet.

My mother would have loved to see them perform.

She loves patriotic programs.

She would have been singing along with all the songs I sang in my patriotic program when I was a little girl. Like..... "From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee across the plains of Texas....."

When my sisters and I did our patriotic program in elementary school, my mother loved it so much she made us sing the songs to all who would listen. She would line me and my three sisters up and we would sing the very songs Sierra sang today.

 

My feelings for my country run deep.

The words to these songs warmed my heart.

I feel it is a blessing and privilege to be born a citizen of the United States of America.

I try to do all I personally can to protect my nations freedoms.

I want my children to do the same and love this country like I do.

I think programs like these help.

Thank you elementary school teachers who think it is important to teach our children to be proud to be an American and don't shy away from songs that proclaim was are one nation under God.

 

 

(Thank you Barbara for watching my boy while I got way too camera happy!)

SUNDAY

 I LOVE Sundays.

For some reason every Saturday night I determine I am not going to church I have a million excuses, but for some blessed reason even though Saturday nights are hard Sunday mornings are always easy. Before I know it, we are all ready and heading out the door again.

I got stopped in the hall and I was asked to teach music in primary.

I ran and put a few things together and did it.

I am the eternal last minute substitute.

I have become really good at winging it.

I love those primary kids.

I miss them desperately.

I loved singing with them.

I felt the spirit of my Father-in-Heaven fill the room.

I know the kids did too.

I got to tell them about the spirit and how it works through music and they felt it.

He is the messiest eater on the planet.

Even when I spoon feed him, he spits the food out and then puts it back in his mouth.

He wants to feed himself.

He wants to feel his food before he eats it.

It is messy.

We take a lot of baths.

 Love this girl she is such a happy child.