They came, they visited, they left......

They, meaning Allison & John, one of my beautiful daughters and my favorite son-in-law! They were here for the weekend for a special occasion! Allison's friend from High School, Katie Butler, was getting married. Now, if you have read my blog at all you know that Katie is my daughter even if I didn't give birth to her and she has a perfectly wonderful mother, but we love her for so many reasons! Allison and Katie were tied at the hip through high school, she was an excellent friend, one that a mother could be pleased that their child had, and she loves Aileen. She has babysat Aileen for us for many years and has been a life saver after all my children but Aileen moved away!! Now that Katie is married and moving to San Diego while her husband is in the Marines, I don't know what we will do now! But that's not important now, what is important now is the Wedding and that I was able to spend time with two of my children that live far away!!

After I picked them up from the airport we had to hurry and get them ready for the Wedding Rehearsal dinner.

After the Rehearsal dinner, Allison was going to spend time with Katie, so John and Alan were able to go to a guys night out to the Movies and saw "Green Lantern" they said it was good but it needed more action......I think that is totally a guy thing!

Saturday morning after Katie and Allison got pedicures, we all went to Sundance Square, downtown Fort Worth, and went to Razoo's Restaurant so John could eat some good ole Alligator!! Aileen loved being with John and Allison and we all had fun eating out! I had never been to this restaurant, neither had Alan, but Allison who has been everywhere assured us that we would love it! And we did!

Took a driving tour of the Stockyards, ended at the famous "Billy Bob's", but couldn't talk them into going in and seeing the the famous mirror ball saddle or ride the mechanical bull!!! I told them it was just like what you see in the movies....but no go!!
John and Aileen waiting for the wedding to start.

Allison walking down the aisle

Allison as a bridesmaid

Allison and Katie!

Allison and John at the Reception

Dad and Aileen, she was so good!

I love this picture!

and this one...Katie and Aileen. So, funny, Allison was telling Aileen that she had to be careful of Katie's dress and Aileen looked at Allison like, this isn't my first wedding, you know! It was kind of funny! But Aileen was careful and posed so nicely for this picture.

Theatre friends from High School, Allison, Katie, Josemar, and Nicole.

After the wedding and reception, Aunt Elizabeth came over and we played canasta until 4:30 am Sunday Morning!!! Crazy right? But fun with lots of laughter!

Went to church, and I swear I cannot remember anything about my lesson on Sunday even though I know I stood up front and gave a lesson. I came home made Sunday dinner and Grandpa and Barbara came to see Allison and John and have dinner with us, which was very nice. Then it was off to the airport again so they could fly home!

Allison wanted her flowers to be put on Grandma Clay's grave!

It was an awesome visit, but entirely too quick

Pirates..... and bad hair

I loved the new Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides movie!!! I think its the best one since the 1st one!!! I've enjoyed them all mind you....but I really enjoyed this one and my friend Becky Wangler took me to it for my birthday.....with a large popcorn and large diet coke what more can you ask for!!! It was a great time and great company! Thanks Becky -- Love you!!! Becky is a Wedding planner and was up to her eyeballs with a Wedding when my birthday rolled around, so we agreed to wait and I have to say after last week, I was ready for something fun and this totally fit the bill!!

I got my hair cut, colored, and styled by the great Don Martin and looked awesome all week until Thursday when I woke up late and said bag it!!! Do I have a single picture of me looking awesome!! No! But yes, we have a picture of me with my BAD HAIR DAY!!! Now its Friday and I knew I couldn't be caught with bad hair again and I have great hair.....and no camera!!! Story of my life!

Happy Father's day and more.....

Oh, my children are so blessed! They have the best father, really they do!! He has and will always be there for them! I have heard from several women as my children were growing up things such as "I wish my husband would play with my girls they way your husband does" or "I wish my husband came to all of our children's performances" etc... anyway you get the idea, he really does love his girls and would do just about anything for them or with them!! His ultimate dream would be for he and Allison to be on the "Amazing Race" together and be the 1st father daughter team to win! And going on a cruise with Anne Marie to some exotic place! And being with Aileen when she talks for the first time!!! He actually has had this dream and feels that he has heard what her voice will sound like. Anyway, as you can tell his girls (me included) are his life!!! And now he is loving life because he has a boy (our John) to talk sports with!!! He is livin' the good life!!! Can't ask for much more!! Thanks honey for being the best Dad ever.......

Unless of course we are talking about my dad, I think he would have to join the ranks of best dad as well! I went over and visited my Dad on Sunday and had a special visit. I appreciate all he does for and with me now and all that he did for me in my youth and that he made it possible for me to go to BYU and meet this fabulous guy I'm married to that continues the tradition of awesome Dads.

Friday, we had a scare Anne Marie had not been feeling well and out of breath and called and asked if she should go to the Doctor or did I think she was over reacting. I'm so glad that I told her that she needed to listen to her body and get checked out!! Turns out one Doctor sent her same day to another specialist and on the same day was sent to another specialist until she was put in the hospital because of 2 blood clots in her lungs!! Of course the question on every one's mind is how does this happen to a 30 yr old!! They have put her on Coumadin which is a blood thinner taken her off other medications that they thought might be causing the blood clots and have given her another med to stabilize the blood clots she already has so that they don't move to places we don't want them to travel to i.e. the brain etc... The body eventually takes care of getting rid of the blood clots as long as they don't go somewhere and cause more problems. They thought she would be able to go home on Sunday but her blood levels are not where they should be yet and when she gets up to move around her heart beat goes crazy and is very erratic, so not gonna happen yet!! Oh, my sweet baby! I was going to fly out for the weekend, but Anne Marie said that she didn't really feel like it was that urgent of a thing for me to come! But its been a tough weekend being away!! Thank heavens for family - Mom and Jay have been there with her and Kevin & MaryAnn my brother and sister-in-laws, Anne Marie's cousins have been by and her friends have come to visit and the Doctors and Nurses that she works with have all been by several times to see her so that is very cool! But I must admit now that she has not gone home on Sunday I do regret that I didn't fly out........work would have been a problem for me, but I would have dealt with it......and I do wish I would have gone! But my girl is an adult and I am so proud of her for so many reasons!!!

Then......Allison posts on Facebook that she had a close encounter with a shark!!! I was finally able to talk to both John and Allison, and it was no joke, it was scary, and they are swimming in the pool in Orlando now and not the ocean!!!

Wow, I think I am ready for a new week!!! Everyone be safe and get well in my family!!!

Can you say....."Best Birthday Ever!!!" ?

My birthday this year was awesome!!! The Doctor that I work for and his wife always do something really nice for me (see post below). Some friends from church the Betts, brought me flowers (that really was a surprise). Also mentioned in an earlier post I was taken by Rebecca to see the movie "THOR" and anyone who knows me, knows I'm the movie queen....so nothing better than going to the movie!! I got a birthday card from my old boss at CFT, Karen Vanderwerken, that made me smile to be remembered!!! My very thoughtful mother-in-law, sent a beautiful card with money, thank you Mom and Jay!!! My Dad and Barbara gave me a card with money as well, so thoughtful. Of course both of these birthday cards had little to do with the money which was a nice gift and very much appreciated, but knowing how Mom spends hours reading cards to say just the right thing, and I'm not sure if my Dad did or Barbara did....but the sentiments of both cards meant the very most to me!!! When you are younger and hear people say that, you think, yeah right! But it really is true what the card said the personal notes inside was the best part of that gift!!!

My husband and Aileen, on Saturday, took me out for breakfast, my favorite meal to eat out! They got me a beautiful flower arrangement, for my home and for Sunday Lessons!!! Does my husband know me or what!! And spent the day running errands that I wanted to get done!

Sunday, my actual birthday, Anne Marie called, John texted me, and Allison called all to wish me a happy birthday!! Really made my day to hear from all of them!!! And my Sunday School lesson at church went well, can't ask for more than that!!

But the part that made it the "Best Birthday Ever" is that the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA National Title!! It was so exciting, and I was so noisy cheering the Mav's on!! It was AWESOME!!!

Have I hidden my talents?

This weeks Sunday School lesson on the parables - The Ten Virgins, the Talents, and the sheep and the goats has made me very thoughtful and has had me looking back over my life several times. As I have been thinking about what personal experiences to share or not share several have come to mind at different times based on what part of the lesson I was focusing on.

Although I did post a comment about this very thing on my friend Mona's blog I don't think I have posted about it on my blog.

Growing up my family has always been a musical family, I've played the violin for years, was a member of the Murray Utah Symphony as an adult etc... but my love is singing. I started taking lessons late in High School but made up for lost time quickly because the talent was natural and inherited from my mother!!

So everyone was surprised when I went to College at BYU and instead of majoring with my violin I was Majoring in Music with my voice! Even all my professors said, you played the violin so long and your majoring in singing??? Until they heard me sing! My Major was Music Education. My first Jury my freshman year on my critique all of the professors said, "She should be a Music Performance Major". Which was a huge compliment and in fact at my 2nd Jury my second semester, this Jury all commented on that as well and asked why I hadn't changed my major.

But by then I had fallen in love and was about to get married that summer! And even though I had always dreamed of being a Young Ambassador at BYU, I was happy to be getting married and starting my eternal family.

I have spent many years in Primary as the chorister (15 to be exact not all in one place or all at one time but 15) helping children to love music as much as I do and I will say that there is nothing sweeter than hearing enthusiastic voices sing the beautiful, testimony building songs of primary. I've directed our Church Choir, sang in the church choirs everywhere we have lived. I've sung in the nursery at our church with the 18 month -2 yr olds. I've been the soloist for the City of Murray "Messiah Sing-In" I have performed at Pioneer Valley Playhouse on stage in Musicals, I've sung at weddings and funerals and have loved being asked by those I love and some I don't know but have heard of my talent.

I've seen other of my friends travel with professional choirs to sing at Carnegie Hall, or be in performing groups that perform for a living. Some friends have even sang on the stage in Musicals professionally! And while I will admit that I'm human and once in a while wonder what have I done with my talent.......

All I have to do is look into the eyes of my 26 y/o disabled daughter Aileen and know that I have sung for angels and my Heavenly Father......every morning when I wake up my Leeny to a medley of songs that I have sung to her since she was born, all I have to do is look in her eyes and see that I am giving the most important audience of my life happiness and joy each day as we start the new day!!!

I love being Aileen's mother! I love singing songs of praise and joy for Aileen who cannot sing out loud but I know sings in her heart! And I do know that even though others may say...."I have wasted my talent...............those who truly know me, i.e. my Savior and Heavenly Father, know that I have done the most with my talent!!! That I have doubled, tripled, my most important talent, that of being a mother! A mother who is helping her family return to a loving Heavenly Father!

And the human mother in me cannot wait until the next life or the Saviors coming to hear my sweet Aileen sing....because I know it is a beautiful voice!

Found a new store......

It's called Brighton! The Doctor and his wife gave me my Birthday present today, my bday is on Sunday, and the Doctor's wife doesn't work on Friday's so today was the last day that they would both be there to see me open my gift!!!

Never heard of this store before, I hardly ever go to the mall anymore, do most of my shopping online nowadays!!! But they do have a Brighton.com. They have awesome accessories, handbags etc... and I love, love love, the jewelry that they gave me for my birthday!!! And I think the closest one to me is University Mall, by Talbot's, I'm excited to make a visit based on the awesome gift I just received as well as checking out the website!!!



The necklace and earrings are called "Posh Posey"





Perfect bracelet to wear with everything!!!

GOOOOOOOOOOO MAVS!!!!

The Mavericks are killing me with all this last 5 minutes of nail biting stressful come from behind games!!! But they are doing it and it is exciting!!! I would love it if the Mav's could go all the way, especially since my Son-in-law, John is cheering for the Miami Heat!!! O.k. so he has one flaw, he likes Florida teams when it comes to sports..... but I forgive him!! I do realize after this post if the Heat win, I'll be eating a lot of humble pie and John will be here the weekend of the 24th with Allison to feed it to me lol!!! I like that my girl (Allison) is still loyal to Texas, is not being swayed by her husband, and is cheering for the Mav's as well.

My Mom loved watching the Mav's!!!

Go Mav's!!!

Thor - the movie!!!

For my birthday, my friend Rebecca Albright took me to the movie Thor!!! Oh, my gosh, can I tell you it was awesome and I'm not usually a really big cartoon made into a movie fan, but this was awesome!!! Bonus - Sr. Anthony Hopkins plays Thor's Dad ---- what could be better.

The whole time I was watching Thor in action and thinking "oh, my look how good looking that guy is" Then I realized....."I wonder how they got Alan to play that role and make that movie, I don't remember him being gone."

Thor is a great movie to go see for girls night out or a fun date night movie with your hubby!!!

So happy.....

Can I tell you how happy I am that Hines and Kim won Dancing with the Stars? Really happy! I had the most fun watching them dance and I know I don't really know them but it seemed like they were always happy and laughing and just having a good time! Hines seems like someone you could have as a role model in sports for your children and not be sad about it. His background story of how his mother worked so many jobs to give him a better life was inspirational and how even when he thought he would be a 1st or 2nd round pick for the NFL draft then doctors found out that his knee didn't have any cartilage and so he got picked lower, he didn't give up he just worked harder and has been a great success. He doesn't do a lot of trash talk he just gets it done. I was really moved by how concerned he was about Kim, his dancing partner, when she got injured. They always made me smile to watch them dance!!! Never really been a big Steeler's fan but I may just become one, now that I feel that I have gotten to know one of their players a little better!!

Giggles and dominos......

Sunday Aileen decided that right when Lori Wagley started to give her lesson in Relief Society that she would start giggling, which then turned into outright laughter and a little screaming.....so of course I picked up all my bags and took her to the lobby. Then she just started laughing, laughing in the lobby and disrupting everyone even with doors closed, laughing all the way to the car, all the ride home, laughing all the way into the house, and laughing all the way to my bedroom where we laid on my bed and turned on BYU TV!!! She continued to laugh all the rest of the day. Alan came home and saw that she was laughing and so then he started laughing too! So we all giggled and laughed all Sunday afternoon!! Not a bad way to spend the day.....but who knows why she got so tickled???? There is no way of knowing but it is contagious and even though I wanted to be frustrated with her because of having to leave church.....all I could do was laugh with her!!!


For my Gospel Doctrine lesson on Sunday, the lesson was on the signs of the 2nd coming. So I did a word collage on the main chalk board with words like speculation, rumors, hearsay, prophecy, prepare, signs etc.... some good and some not good for the subject of the lesson. Then on the table in front of that chalkboard I lined up my domino's standing up in a snake like line.

When class first started I told them I was going to make a prediction about the weather today.....I told them that in 2 hrs it was going to snow (this was out of the lesson manual) they all just smiled at me....so I asked them if they believed that or not and why and I got answers like because its 100 degrees outside, because its Texas, etc... Then this was my part added to what the lesson suggested.....

So what about the on May 21, 2011 the world was suppose to end, there was a billboard on I-35 proclaiming that.....or about 20 yrs ago in Idaho there was a man that said the Lord had told him when the 2nd coming was and that we all needed to stock up on ammunition and firearms...

What words in my word collage applies to these types of stories..... so then as they said them I crossed out the words: rumors, hearsay, speculation, predictions and left the good words alone like signs, prophecy, prepare, etc...

I said today's lesson is a lesson that is easy to get side tracked and to talk about things we have heard, rumors etc... and do you know what happens to our lesson when we do that????

I then hit the 1st domino and they all snaked and fell down..... I said it runs away from us, and that we don't learn what the prophet, General Authorities and the Lord have prepared for us to learn and the spirit leaves the room.... So today as we talk about the signs of the 2nd Coming ask yourselves these two questions before adding to the lesson - "Where did I learn this?" and "Where can I read this?"

Anyway it was an affective way to open this lesson and as people commented they would say where in the scriptures they had found their answer or comment and it was very cool!!! And of course all my comments and points came from the scriptures, the lesson manual or quotes from General Authorities!

A month or so ago......

Because I didn't want to sound like I was tooting my own horn, I didn't tell about something I did to begin Gospel Doctrine class. But, because this is my personal history, that I turn into a journal at the end of each year I do want to document something I did that turned out pretty cool!

The lesson was on "Who is my neighbor" and how every person on the earth the Savior considers our neighbors. So to start the lesson off, I came in, after everyone was seated and ready to start class singing "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" song "Won't You Be My Neighbor". I came in wearing a sweater to take off and hang up, I set up my table for class, and changed my shoes to slippers, all while singing "Won't You Be My Neighbor". When I pulled out the UGG's (slippers) to change into I will say that got the most chuckles but everyone was smiling the whole time. It was great fun and a fun way to start this particular lesson! I definitely got their attention!

Here is what one of my friends (Carol Malone) emailed me later that day:

"Lois, I can't think of anybody else who could have pulled off the "Mrs. Rogers" act like you did today! What a unique way to start a lesson about "Who Is My Neighbor?"! It was great. Carol"

I went to Mr Rogers Neighborhood website and downloaded the music and words