How I spent my summer vacation

Well, you can see, it was a great summer vacation! On August 13, 2011, Mike married Arely Sanchez and Perris married Elyse McBride in the San Diego Temple. What a ceremony. Lynn and I celebrated 29 years August 25, and Perris and Elyse joined our celebrations of the evening! That's us with "Mouse Ears" as my gift to Lynn was 4 day passes to Disneyworld! We will go in October this year! As you can clearly see, I live for family and friends!

Here's Tony and Brody with Sand Crabs in San Diego!

Here is Christin Nelson. She is beginning her Senior year at Yucaipa High!

A cupcake run was in order when we visited Connie in Kentucky! 

Below is a picture of Elyse and I in the Independence, Missouri visitor's center. Believe it or not, we ran into some Yucaipa, Ca. friends who obliged to take our picture!  Elyse soon learned that the Missouri River outside of St. Louis is pretty slimy!  But, she rocks at bowling!

You have to swim in the summertime! Brody was sooo brave, he jumped right into the pool (suprised himself though, I was in the pool and helped him). It was cool to see Connie swim with her boys. Hyrum loved to try to drink pool water! 

Arely and I tackled this chicken nacho dish at Glen Ivy Hot Springs! They were soooo yummy, we nearly finished, and remarked that if Mike were there, we would have!

Xander enjoyed this little ride outside of Toys R Us in Redlands, but enjoyed the joke of what a "jip" it was when the ride ended after 30 seconds of going!

Clara Macie loves being outdoors and she loves swinging!

We attempted a Molino family dinner out at the Spaghetti Factory in Redlands. We didn't stay long though!

Perris and Elyse had no problem eating their dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in Provo,Utah!

Mike custom bought this bouquet for Arely, picking each flower himself!

My niece Sera, and Sister Marian and Me!

My sister Jennifer with her family in Cedar City. That's Jael in Billy's arms, ChristiAnna behind him and Jahziel next to Jennifer

Friends Randall, Thella, and Halley Burtis who I used to chase when they were young by playing "wicked witch" with them. They asked me to use my cackle voice again and I did! ....I'll get you my little pretty!

Forever Friends, Earl and Lanett Burtis. Time and distance don't matter!

Recently.....

 

This Honda Shadow motorcycle was bought for Dad on Saturday April 9, 2011

This is the current parking place, but once the sticker gets on the car,

 it will change to our parking lot.

He added a seat for me, so I can ride in style!

He has had this shirt forever, but not this motorcycle!

Our recent Temple trip to the DC temple on

Saturday May 21, 2011. 

The skirt I wore once belonged to my

grandmother. I love my grandmother so I am

very happy to own a skirt of hers.

Lynn said it would look great with any of my

blouses, so I had to see!

Kentucky for memorial day week-end!  I told Brody to say "cheese!"

You can tell, he did!  Hyrum was cute as ever!

Connie and I outside of the Patton Museum at Ft. Knox,

Kentucky.  There were a lot of reenactments going on, and lots

of vehicles to go with that of all kinds, but we posed by this tank!

Brody was given a helmet and gun

by one of Patton's men.

I told "Jed Rock" to show him how to hold it properly.

He learned the first time with no repeat teaching!

Later on we all went to the

Louisville Slugger Museum and

Factory.  I really enjoyed it and at the end

 of the factory tour

 they give you little souvenir bats!  Hyrum even got one!

I have more pictures to share, so keep following the post

this next week!

Run for your Life! (And other lives too)! Saturday March 12, 2011

I I was invited by Perris to come visit him this year in Provo, Utah.  This is how we spent the day today.: We ran the Rex Lee Cancer Cure Run in Provo, Utah, and despite the hills, and elevation, we both did well for ourselves and enjoyed the cause.  We have plans to run it again next year!  After that, we took Sandy (the car) to get fixed at Sears, and then went to Wingers in the  mall to eat! After that, we shopped for new running shoes for Perris, since the pair he had on today gave him blisters (he had them since high school)!  After our shopping, we saw Battle:  Los Angeles, and yesterday we saw Rango, so the movie posters are appropriate.  After the movie, we came back to the hotel to watch BYU basketball.  Later, we shopped for food for a dinner I am making Marian's family tomorrow, but today, Perris treated me to a homemade meal extraordinaire!  It was truly a wonderous day! 

Little Billies

Chic mummy is giving away a Routine Chart from Little Billies

The Beauty That Is YOU! (Post by Connie)

Hi guys...it's not mom, it's Connie.  I'm happy to blog for her, as she has asked me to (she gave me this specific topic).  I hope you read it.

Picture for a moment you painted a picture.  You spent hours on it- giving great detail into each and every brush stroke.  You painted it with a variety of colors- and shapes.  It has so much personality and depth.  You love this painting.  Then you make another painting- giving the same time and careful detail into it.  Then another, and another.

You love your work.  More than anything!  After all, it came from you.  You give them to lots of different people you care about and you just know they will love it too.  What happens?  A few of them neglect their painting, don't see it as anything much.  Some people appreciate it well enough, but not quite as much as you did.  Then there are some who absolutely do not see any of it's value.  Suppose you knew how they truly felt about your gift... it would probably hurt.

I like to think about myself as one of those paintings and the painter as my Heavenly Father.  How bad I must make Him feel when I neglect or devalue myself.  Who am I to not appreciate myself and everything that makes me, me?  I'm going to be the first to admit that self esteem has been a struggle from time to time.  Not always, but I think it's important to focus on improving- doesn't matter who you are!!

Mom gave me great sources to look to at as I pieced together this post for her.   From a talk by President James E. Faust was this:

"the self-esteem that I speak of this evening is not blind, arrogant, vain, self-love but rather a self-esteem that is self-respecting, honest, and without conceit. It is born of inner peace and strength."

Okay I don't know about you, but having inner peace and strength sounds pretty good.

I firmly believe though that every person has this same struggle to a certain degree... which is why the leaders of the church address this topic.  I've always thought that the only thing I can do to strengthen my self esteem was to think positive thoughts about myself.  Now although that does help it hasn't always proven effective.  Luckily for us, President Faust gives us 6 keys to a healthy self esteem. 
1. Keep your agency
2. Humility
3. Honesty
4. Love of Work
5. Ability to Love
6. Love of God

To read each in detail go here. It will help you to better love and appreciate yourself- and, in turn, love others.  After all, loving your neighbors AS YOURSELF implies that you have learned to LOVE YOURSELF!

Mom also included a beautiful song for me to listen to.  I didn't want to just put a plain song up here so naturally I added some pictures.  It's of mom and her two daughters (myself and Anne).  It applies to everyone though, of course!

If nothing else, remember we are children of our Heavenly Father.  He made you the way you are because HE wants you this way.  Please appreciate yourself and better yet, LOVE who you are.  I'm  going to make it my goal this year to improve my self esteem.  Not just tell myself I'm great but to absolutely believe it.

And I'll leave you with a poem mom wrote:

"Here's to all of us

God himself created with trust

That we would take what was given

And Glorify him up in Heaven

The daily task is clear to see

Love ourselves and all humans that be

Be happy with ourselves and all our brothers

And share that happy with some others

Work each day for  a good self love

That is something that comes from above

But when we finally achieve this

I just want to list

We will glorify him

Then we will truly win!"

CSN giveaway

I heart Giveaways is hosting a CSN giveaway worth  $40 to the site.

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!"

Just like the ones I used to know

Where the tree tops glisten And Children listen

To hear sleighbells in the snow!

May your days be Merry and Bright

And may all your Christmases be white!