Just Another Day in Paradise

We love you Pearlene, you will be missed

2010-09-29T17:50:00.004-06:00

My aunt Pearlene passed away on Sunday night due to breast cancer. She has a special place in my heart. She loved life and lived it to the fullest and was enveloped by love as she left her physical body.

Seven Years Ago Today

2010-09-17T00:46:00.003-06:00

Seven years ago today I met the man I was going to marry. I have always loved this song by K-Ci and JoJo and it reminded me of Mark:

Here is one of the hundreds of emails we sent back and forth. This was was sent by Mark on Wednesday February 18, 2004.

It was titled: To my perfect woman

I guess what I really wanted to tell you was that I am so happy and blessed that you have come into my life. You fill a void in my soul and after being with you last week not being with you is never going to be the same again.

I long to look into your eyes and feel safe. I love to see that smile that melts my heart ad I long to feel like a man again the way I do when I have you in my arms.
I long to look into your eyes and feel safe. I love to see that smile

Whatever you are doing this afternoon I hope you can feel my love around you.

I love you Princess

Mark.

Getting Excited For Our Visit

2010-09-03T00:31:00.002-06:00

Looking forward to another trip to Aotearoa...the land of the long white cloud

Congratulations Steve and Kara

2010-08-13T22:16:00.004-06:00

Today my beautiful cousin Kara married her version of Prince Charming (aka Steve) in the Salt Lake temple. It was an amazing ceremony, probably my favorite one to date. It was a special experience to see them sealed together for time and all eternity.

The triumphant exit out of the temple.

I'm not sure what Steve's looking at. Kara looks great in this picture.

It was a gorgeous wedding dress. She was so happy she was glowing.

A picture with Kara's family.

Trip to Hogle Zoo

2010-06-29T14:06:00.010-06:00

On Monday we took the twins on their first trip to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. We didn't get on the road until about 11:30 but we had a great time.

Hogle Zoo has a promotion where you can get tickets if you turn in 4 empty packets of Cache Valley cheese. We use a lot of if when we make pies so we were able to get 2 free adult tickets (and the girls got in free). Click here for more information.

I think my favorite moment was watching the girls go on the carousel there. They also LOVED looking at the animals and learning their names. We saw a llama and Maile kept calling it a la-mama but she did a great job of trying to pronounce all the other animal names. Joni was the fearless one and had fun sitting on the wooden elephant and posing with the statues. It was a little harder to talk Maile into doing it.

With the look on Joni's face you would think we weren't having fun. I let them watch The Little Mermaid on the way up and she started pouting when I turned it off (because they weren't falling asleep for their morning nap). I finally got smart and left the movie on and turned the volume off. They were sleeping in 5 minutes...

Me and Maile are waiting for the elephant show to start. Maile liked watching baby Zuri roll around in the mud.

Here is Maile hamming it up for the camera. She's so photogenic!!

Maile pointing at the elephant Kristie. She was scared at first but then loved watching them. Joni was more interested in trying to "fix" the stroller. She didn't watch the elephant show at all.

Mark and Joni posing on the rhinoceros statue. I love Joni's face here!

Mark and Maile. He was holding onto them carefully but they were both great and didn't try to climb around when they were there.

Maile and Joni petting the rhino statue. It does look very realistic! When I showed Kristina the pictures it took her a minute to realize that it was a statue.

Here is Joni with her "cheese" smile. She wanted to pose for the camera. We took this when we were looking at the giraffes.

2 of the giraffes outside.

Mark and the girls posing by the tiger. It came right up to the fence and the girls LOVED it. I tried to get a quick photo but wasn't quick enough.

Maile riding an ostrich on the carousel. They loved the movement and were very careful when sitting on the animals. Joni was initially riding on some type of deer found in Africa but it was broken (it didn't move up and down) so she was moved to a hippopotamus.

Maile and Mark having a great time. This is Maile's happy face. Mark's face (look in the mirror) is very happy too.

This is Joni's happy face.

I think this picture is my FAVORITE picture of Joni, ever. She looks so happy here. The girls had so much fun on this ride. I loved this ride because the adults got in free to supervise the kids. We got 4 for the price of 2.

After the carousel we took a break and got some dip n dots. I got each of the girls their own. It was HOT outside.

Here is Maile. She's doing a great job of following instructing and smiling while concentrating on her ice cream.

I am proud to say that my husband is as big as a male gorilla. The height is not as impressive as the arm span. Who knew he had gorilla arms?!?!

A quick picture of Joni and the gorilla statue.

Maile and Mark. She was a little hesitant to get on but Mark promised he wouldn't let her get hurt and then she was fine.

Joni on the elephant trunk. I thought it would be such a cute picture to have the twins both on there but Maile refused to get on. I was trying to talk her into it (standing in front of the elephant trunk) when the elephant 'sneezed' and got water all over us. She couldn't believe I let that happen, you should have seen how indignant she was!

We ended up settling for this picture. We went to the car shortly after this and the girls were asleep 5 minutes later. We had so much fun at the zoo!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-06-24T17:15:00.007-06:00

I can't believe 6 years has gone by. I love my husband and am grateful that we are an eternal family. I have been blessed to have a husband who has all the qualities I need to keep me happy and well adjusted.

Here are 3 of my favorite pictures from the day we got married. You will notice there are no pictures from our reception (that was 2 days later). Mark thought it would be funny to give me a hickey in an obvious spot on my neck. You can clearly see it in most of those reception pictures. Funny yes...blog worthy no.

I have huge cheesy chipmunk smiles in these pictures. I was SO happy and couldn't stop grinning ear to ear.

Twins are Twice The Fun!!

2010-05-06T13:41:00.007-06:00

I have so much fun hanging out with the twins every Monday. We have fun watching "Elmo" and going on outings in the afternoon. I like to give them the choice of where to go. Most of the time they will choose getting a "boon" (balloon) at Macey's grocery store over almost every other activity I suggest. Here are some great pictures from the past 6 or so months...

Here are the girls at the McDonald's play area. They LOVE that slide, and are always trying to crawl back up the slide instead of using the stairs.

Here are the twins posing with Mark. I love this picture of the 3 of them. They all look so happy. I am usually pretty strict about them eating the food FIRST before playing on the toys. They were waiting for the chicken nuggets here.

Here are the girls sleeping in the spare bedroom.

Joni on the swings at Paul Reams Park. We like to go to this park because of the walking trails, the duck pond and the swing set. We usually feed the ducks and then play on the swing set.

Maile LOVES the swings. She looks so happy here!

Joni loves the swings too but she is more adventurous and also LOVES going down the slide.

This was taken SEVERAL months ago, but I didn't want to post the picture until Kristina (their mom) had exposed them to carbonated beverages more. Mark had gone to the store and brought home a Dr. Pepper for me. I had put it on the side of the couch (almost hidden) and went into the kitchen. I heard Maile coughing and came running out thinking she was choking. I found her like this. She LOVED it, and by the coughing I could tell this was her first exposure.

Ahhhh.....tastes good. You can tell by the look in her eyes (and all the soda on her neck) that she is hooked! I let her drink it for awhile but then took it away before she had too much caffeine.

These next two videos document the first time we fed the girls Pop Rocks. I love the second video where Joni reaches over and gives Mark a big hug.

Grandpa's Funeral

2010-05-04T20:03:00.003-06:00

I took over 250 pictures at the viewing and funeral. A lot of people were asking me for copies and wanting me to post all of the photos on the blog. I have decided the easiest way to do this is to post the pictures in video format. If you want any of these pictures, email me or post a comment and I can send them to you...make sure to leave your email address!

Grandpa's funeral was an emotional time, but a healing time for me. I was able to grieve, say my goodbyes (for now) and remember all of the great memories I had with him. It was great to spend a few days with the whole extended family.

I was actually surprised no one was waiting in the dark to scare me and that no one honked their horn loudly as I walked by. Our family is known for playing these kind of practical jokes on each other!

Miss You, Love You, Know You're in a Better Place

2010-04-27T01:37:00.008-06:00

My grandfather passed away on Saturday April 24th. Although his health had been declining (I think his body was just wearing out), I never expected that he would passed in the night so SUDDENLY.

I was still awake, winding down from work when I got the call from my mom Saturday morning at 3am. I literally started sobbing on the phone, it almost sounded like a wail. I went over to their house immediately with Mark. It was evident he had recently passed away, as his body was still warm. I know he is in a better place, where he is not shaking so much and where every day is a GOOD day (instead of here on earth where he had bad days and good days).

My grandpa stepped up and happily took the role of "dad" when my own father couldn't or wouldn't do it. He baptized me, and was there for every important event in my life. We were reading his journal yesterday and he spoke about my high school graduation and my mission farewell talk (among other things). I could hear the pride in his voice, so to speak.

I lived half a block away from him growing up and when we bought our own house the half a block grew into about 2. He was a constant fixture in my life. I spent some time (ranging from 1 to 3 weeks) every summer with him and Grandma in Escalante when I was younger. So many of my childhood and adult memories have my grandfather in them. I will miss our visits and talks.

We often talked about our heritage, Utah's history and American history as I was growing up. The talks continued when I became an adult, and although I had heard several of his stories dozens of times, I still LOVED to hear them.

I know that my love for my grandpa, along with his stories about our heritage and history helped me cultivate my deep and continuing love for history today.

Here are some of my FAVORITE pictures with him. I found the older ones when I was looking through pictures to submit to the slide show that will be shown at his funeral:

At my wedding
Grandma and Grandpa with Me and Kristina

This was taken on the day I was baptized. I look very happy in this picture!

Me and grandpa both looking happy. This was taken on his 80th birthday.

Taken on the way to Escalante one summer. This is how I will always remember Grandpa.

Gratitude

2010-04-23T16:46:00.005-06:00

Sometimes I get so caught up in what I don't have that I take for granted all of the AMAZING things I have in my life. I am still working on trying to get pregnant. I want to have my own children and be blessed with the wonderful calling of "Mother."

I am doing everything I can on my part and will continue to have faith and put it in the Lord's hands. I was reading the Bible Dictionary and was reminded what the word Faith actually means. (Click on the word to read it for yourself).

I am going to keep "hoping for things which are not seen but are true" and placing my "confidence in Him without reservation."

I have been trying to stop focusing on not having children and instead focus on everything the Lord has been blessed with. I may not be able to control my circumstances, but I do have control over my attitude and the way I approach the situation.

I have a lot to be grateful for. My blessings are infinitely greater than my trials.

He is Risen!

2010-04-04T16:41:00.005-06:00

I tried to think of some eloquent speech, or story that I could use to express how much I appreciate Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for me.

I simply want to say that I am grateful for Jesus Christ, for the atonement, and for his resurrection. "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

"And he shall go forth suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind...And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." Alma 7:11-12

I love this video. This song is quickly becoming one of my favorite hymns...

Easter Bunny 2010

2010-04-03T20:24:00.004-06:00

It was great to spend time with my family on Saturday as we got together to have a Easter Barbecue (and watch conference). We didn't get together with the extended family this year so it was just the nieces and nephews doing the Easter hunt, all of them under age 4.

We had fun hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Griffin and the Alan Griffin family.

Here are Joni and Maile posing with the Easter Bunny. My mom and I took them to Macey's grocery store on Friday to pose with the Easter Bunny and go on an Easter egg scavenger hunt.
Here's another look at the twins with their bunny ears. If you look carefully you can see the painted on pink nose and whiskers. I love how Maile is pointing to her bunny ears in this picture.

The girls getting ready to go on the Easter hunt. Zoei looked so grown up and old today. Looking at this picture I can't believe how quickly she has grown up!

Tina helping Joni find eggs. This was a few seconds before Joni started stomping her feet because she couldn't hold the basket.

Siosefa looking for eggs. Alan and Talya are freezing!!

Maile carefully putting the candy in her basket with Riley's help.

Maile was eating a chocolate marshmallow egg and looking at her candy. She gave me a sucker that I started to eat and she decided she would rather have the sucker than the egg. She gave the egg to Mark and I gave her the sucker. While we were quickly trying to find a napkin for her hand, she decided to just wipe it on her face...

Zoei and Kendra hanging out. I still can't get over how old Zoei looks. Her hair is getting long. She said,"Stephie, it's getting curly and long and beautiful."

Noa and Sefa. This is Sefa's "Cheese" face. While he was saying cheese, drool started coming out of his mouth. Too cute.

Florida - Temple Trip and Orange Grove

2010-03-31T14:13:00.008-06:00

These are the last of the pictures from our Florida trip. We went to the temple on Tuesday and went to the Florida's Natural visitor's center on Wednesday and spent lots of time at the pool and with Angie's family our last 2 days there.

I ate Popeye's chicken twice while I was there. On Wednesday we had chicken with some of the pies Mark made for Angie's family. I don't want to go into details *shudder* but let's just say that I WON'T be eating at Popeye's for a very LONG time.

Favorite picture of the blog:

There were orange trees everywhere we went. I was still fascinated and love looking at them, they looked more like large bushes than trees. Here were some of the orange trees at the Florida's Natural orange house.

One angle of the Orlando, FL temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was beautiful inside!

Here is Mark posing by the temple after we finished our session.

Me by the fountain...

Another view of the lovely temple...It was cute, one of the workers there thought we were newlyweds. I was flattered.

Stopped at this AMAZING BBQ restaurant on the way back to the condo. The BBQ really was bodacious!

Here's Mark's meal. He got the spare ribs, I got the baby back ribs. They were already seasoned (with dry rub) when we got them. They had 4 or 5 different kinds of barbecue sauce on the table that you added to the meat.

Mark getting ready to enjoy the food. I LOVED the food. I had been craving Ribs since watching the Travel Channel show "Ribs Paradise." We still want to go to the cook off in Sparks, NV one day, but this more than satisfied my ribs appetite for now.

Florida's Natural orange juice plant. They had a visitor's center we went to. We watched a video, sampled juice from the juice bar and bought some cute souvenirs. It was just a few minutes away from where we were staying.

Mark posing by the oranges. The juice here was delicious. Although it is more expensive than other orange juice brands, we have started buying it. I was impressed to hear that this company is actually a co-op made up of several smaller farmers in the area. I support small businesses and local farmers!

Me by the orange trees. You could tell when you looked at the fruit on the trees that it has been a cold winter. They looked pretty damaged, but I LOVED to look at them.

Florida - Cocoa Beach and City Walk

2010-03-29T19:54:00.006-06:00

After going to Clearwater Beach and experiencing the Gulf of Mexico, we decided to drive to the other shoreline and see Cocoa Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

On the way to Cocoa Beach we stopped at this Orange Ring and bought some authentic Florida Oranges and piked up a cute salt and pepper shaker too...

Here's the view from the other side...

Some scenery on the way to the beach. I loved looking at the trees and the shrubbery in Florida. It was nothing like the stuff we have in UT. I REALLY liked the mossy looking trees...

Mark at Cocoa Beach. This is the view from the restaurant we went to for lunch.

Me at Cocoa Beach.

Me at the beach around 5 or 6pm. It was really cold that day. We went on a Monday however, and noticed that Spring Break had officially started. We hung out with a bunch of college kids who were on a cruise ship that had docked. There were A LOT of open alcohol containers and people playing Frisbee...

Stopped at Ron Jon's and picked up a few things. This mug was HUGE...even in Mark's hands! We didn't end up buying it, I didn't want to pay $50.00 for it.

On the way home we stopped at University Studios and ate at Hard Rock Cafe. I loved the city walk. I have been to the one in Cali...it was nice to go to the one on the East Coast.
Mark posing on the surfboard. I LOVE this picture of him!
Mark's interpretation of "Hard Rock"
Here we are at the end of our meal. The food was pretty good, the service and atmosphere were outstanding!

Florida: Angela and Family

2010-03-20T13:42:00.008-06:00

One of the reasons we went to Florida was so I could spend more quality time with my high school friend Angie. I also had a chance to meet her husband and her newborn daughter Gwendolyn. It was fun to spend time with them and I had lots of fun braiding Lulu's hair, playing my little pony and watching her dance around the living room during the Flight of the Conchord songs!

Favorite picture of the blog:

I love this picture of me and Angie. This was taken on the last night we were there about 2 hours before we left for the airport...

The condos where Angie lives are right near protected swampland. This interesting bird was wandering around the morning after we got there.

This was the entrance to the condo we were staying at. Notice the sign at the top. We didn't literally stay in the restrooms (thank goodness). When you walked in there was a hallway with the bathrooms on one side and our suite on the other side.

Front of the club house. Our little suite was on the right side...

First night there we went to this biker bar for dinner. It was "bike night" so I was expecting to see all kinds of bikers there. None of them looked very scary (to my disappointment) and most of them were gone by the time we finished dinner.

Sunday we had a "Princess Party" that meshed with an "Oscar night" party. Had lots of the fun. Here is the delicious meal Angie made for us. The fish and rice were AMAZING. They tasted better than they looked, if you can believe it. Yum!

Here is Lulu posing for the camera!

Here is Lulu getting ready to blow out her candles. There was a mishap with the cake (Lulu was caught red handed picking at the cake earlier in the day). The cake was delicious. Afterward we broke a pinata to celebrate. We had a rubber bat as the only weapon and after Lulu and I both hit it several times, we had to get Mark to hit it several more times before it broke...

I LOVED spending time with Angie and family. I'm sad I didn't get any pictures of Roberto or Gwen. We had lots of fun watching Black Adder, Flight of the Conchords and just enjoying the company.

Happy Birthday Kristina!!

2010-03-18T21:03:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to the best sister a person could wish for!! My sister is a wonderful, talented, AMAZING woman.

Love you Sis!!! These are some of my favorite things about her:

1. She was my wedding planner, caterer, hostess and anything else you can think of...for me when I got married.

2. I love that we have the same fashion sense. More than once growing up, and even now, we will show up to a family gathering etc. wearing similar outfits (same color top and bottom etc.).

3. She is an AMAZING sister, friend, mother and aunt. She always remembers birthdays and gives thoughtful gifts to all those who know and love her. (She gave me a microwave for Christmas that I absolutely LOVE)

4. She loves a challenge. She never backs down, she is feisty and doesn't take "no" for an answer when it comes to something that is important to her.

5. She is dedicated to what she believes in. That quality makes her an amazing boss, a doting mother, a compassionate wife, and an understanding sister.

The list could go on and on. I LOVE YOU TINA!!!

Florida - Clearwater Beach

2010-03-17T14:13:00.008-06:00

After we went to Disney World we decided to go to Clearwater Beach in Tampa the next day (Saturday). I was up nearly 24 hours on Friday, but that's all part of being a tourist. . We got up early to go to Disneyworld and when I got home I hung out at Angie's house until 5:30am!! I had a blast but was SO tired.

I LOVED Clearwater beach!! If only it was warmer the day we went. The sand felt great on my feet. It was white and literally had the texture of sifted flour. We got there just before the activities started during the daily "Sunsets at Pier 60" activities.

Favorite pictures from the blog:

On our way to the beach we passed the First "The Original" Hooters restaurant. (Kind of like the first KFC restaurant in Salt Lake City). On our way home we stopped to eat. We went inside and put our name on the list. It felt creepy in there. I was the only woman there under 60, and the wait was over 30 minutes. We ended up going to Crabby Joe's instead(it was gross).

First view of the Gulf of Mexico. I LOVE the ocean!!

Some of the items they had set up for kids...

Me posing by the turtle. Look at how white the sand is!!

Mark by the turtle.

Mark looks cute in this pic. It was fun to go walking along the seashore picking up shells and getting our feet wet. I wish we could have gone swimming but I think the water was only 45-50 degrees.

On the beach hanging out, watching the ocean. I LOVED the smell, the sounds, the sand, and the company.

View of the beach from the pier.

Sunset on the pier.

Sunset from the beach. As we were getting ready to leave we saw a groom and a bride coming toward the parking lot. It would have been very romantic to get married on the beach during the sunset. That would have been my second choice (but thankfully we got married in the temple instead).

Florida - Disney World Part 2

2010-03-16T13:09:00.013-06:00

Here are the rest of our pictures from Disney World that day:

Favorite picture from the blog:

When I was researching Disney World I discovered that they sell turkey legs. Soon after taking pictures at the castle Mark decided he needed a turkey leg. We found one (in Frontier land) and this is the picture of Mark taking his first bite. The leg was 1.5 pounds, it was huge (but looks average in Mark's hands).

Here is Mark still eating the turkey leg at the entrance to Adventure Land.

Here is a picture of the 50 foot drop on Splash Mountain. For anyone not familiar with this ride, it tells the story of Briar Rabbit. The drop at the end is the only really scary part. You can see the log filled with people near the end of the drop.

Here is Stephanie on the Jungle Cruise. I think this is my "Hurry and take the picture" smile.

I LOVED the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The renovations are amazing!! I loved the fact that they played music from the movies and showed Capt Jack Sparrow and other movie characters in the ride. I picked up a set of Pirate Ears in the gift shop here.

Mark smiling in line while we were waiting to go see the Tiki bird show.

This is one of my favorite old school Disney movies. I loved the tree house!

Me with my pirate ears posing near one of the rooms in the tree.

This is one of my favorite rides. It was Mark's first experience.

Mark posing near the entrance.

Mark took a lot of pictures in the ride. Here is the Maori warrior dancing with the kiwi birds in the Polynesian section of the ride (They feature children dancing and singing from all the countries of the world in this ride).

After the Small World ride we hurried over to Liberty Land to get a good seat for the "Celebrate Today" Parade. It was great seeing all the Disney Characters from the movies I grew up loving.

Snow White and her Prince

The step mother and step sisters from Cinderella. Great acting. Their faces looked sour the whole time and their make up was over the top ridiculous!

Snow White and her Prince. They also featured Aladdin and Jasmine; Beauty and the Beast; Ariel and her Prince among others

After we ate at Liberty Tavern (excellent food) we went to the Hall of Presidents; waited for 40 minutes to go on the Peter Pan ride (well worth it) and went on several other rides. I wish I would have gotten pictures at the Haunted Mansion!! Here are me and Mark taking a quick picture on the Teacup ride (one of my favorites). It was dark by this time...

We finished the last ride (The Buzz Lightyear Ride) 5 minutes before the firework show started. I saw and did everything I wanted to that day. I LOVED the firework show!!

The Finale. Afterward we got pie and cheesecake at a bakery on Main Street U.S.A., picked up our purchases and took the monorail back to our car.

Florida - Disney World Part 1

2010-03-15T11:18:00.009-06:00

I was SO excited to go to Disney World. Mark had never been before so we just decided to go for one day to see if he liked it (and we would pay for a second day if we wanted to). We did the Disney Volunteer program and after donating some items to United Way we got our free tickets.

I had a plan of attack, had marked the rides I REALLY wanted to go on and found the best route through the park (plus made dinner reservations at the Liberty Tavern). We got there to watch the opening ceremonies and finished the last ride 5 minutes before the fireworks show.

Favorite picture of the blog:

This is the first time Mark went on any type of roller coaster ride. This is the first thing we did when we got in the park. We got on the train and went to Frontier Land. Didn't have to wait in line (thank goodness because Mark may have chickened out). Here is the resulting picture. I am having the time of my life, Mark looks scared to death. Note the little blonde girl in the seat behind us...

Entrance to the park. We got here at about 8:20 to 8:30...no lines and parked very close to the entrance.

Me on the ferry boat. It was a little chilly that morning but there was no humidity and the sun was shining the whole day!

First glimpse of the castle!

Mark on the ferry boat. Note the "volunt-ear" button we got.

A picture of a ferry boat that looked like the one we were on.

Opening ceremonies. (I had never gotten to the park in CA early enough to see it)

Mark took this picture as we were walking into the park.

Mark standing in line AFTER Splash Mountain waiting to go on the Thunder Mountain roller coaster.

A nice German couple who spoke very little English took this picture of us. This was the outside of the Thunder Mountain ride.

After we went on those two rides (and my make up was smeaing as water was being splashed on me during Splash Mountain) I realized that I had not gotten any pictures in front of the castle and wanted to do that before I became all sweaty from the day's activities. We hopped back on the train...

just in time for one of the parades going down Main Street. It was great!

The Mad Hatter's encouraging everyone to celebrate and dance.

I'm not sure if this is Chip or Dale...

My favorite picture of Mark in front of the castle...

Me in front of the castle...

Love this one of the two of us!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T16:35:00.003-07:00

February 14, 2004 was the day I got engaged to my soul mate Mark. I was indifferent about Valentine's Day before that, but I really look forward to the holiday now. We were in New Zealand when it happened and it was one of the most romantic days of my life.

Every year on Valentine's Day Mark buys me roses and chocolates (just like he did the night we got engaged). Here are some great pictures from that day:

Here we are in front of the jewelry store where I picked out my ring. It's in the shopping district of Wellington, New Zealand. Notice the matching hearts we are wearing. We still have those necklaces.
We got home from Wellington and I went to go and take a nap. When I woke up Mark and his mum had set out dinner. I walked out and there was romantic music playing and Mark's mum Jean was rushing her husband out the door so we could be alone.

Here's a picture of the cute couple. Notice the lit candle and the rose. You can really see Mark's heart necklace here.

The BEST surprise of Valentine's Day!! We ran into this quartet on the street and they sang to me. They literally stopped us and said we looked in love and wanted to sing to us.

2010

2010-01-03T16:08:00.003-07:00

New Year, New Possibilities!!

Looking forward to what is ahead. I'm not planning on making any "new year resolutions" but can tell this is going to be an EXCITING year for me and my family.

This year I hope to:

Travel to Florida
Travel to New Zealand
Travel to Tahiti
Get pregnant
Continue to babysit my twin nieces who I LOVE very much
Spend quality time with my family
Attend more family functions
Get a tan this summer
Get a Seven Peaks Pass
Continue to laugh often
Stay madly in love with my husband
Continue to maintain my close friendships
Be more adventurous
Go on a spontaneous weekend get away

... among other things

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE my life?

Happy Birthday!!

2009-10-09T13:33:00.009-06:00

Happy Birthday Joni and Maile!!!

I can't believe it's already been a year since the twins became the newest addition to the family. I love these girls A LOT. I enjoy spending time with them on Thursdays and seeing their distinct personalities develop as they get older.

Here is the latest video of the girls singing with Mark a few weeks ago. They're both happy and content sitting with Mark and singing along. Maile's more into it than Joni but they're both having fun.

Watch for Maile to drop the wireless mouse she is holding (it's an old one they play with when they come over). As soon as she drops it she stops singing. She looks for it for awhile and then you'll see her look right at the camera (right at me), with this face that says "can you pick that up for me?"

Big Shoes To Fill

2009-09-18T22:53:00.003-06:00

I love spending time with my nieces and nephews. It's so refreshing to see the world from their perspective. I love how excited they get about the littlest thing, and how much they enjoy being showered with attention from Mark and me.

Here are a few pictures of Noa and Zoei at our house a few weeks ago. We were just hanging out (I think we had just finished dinner) and Noa came in wearing a pair of Mark's size 21 Nike shoes. Zoei thought it was hilarious and joined in on the fun.

It's amazing how much these small and simple moments seem to make life complete.

Zoei bending down to adjust the shoes...

Everyone smile at the camera!

Here is Noa posing with his Thomas the train. The little bit of food on his cheek is so cute!!

August Happenings

2009-09-16T22:23:00.004-06:00

We had quite a few family events that happened in August and I wanted to post a few pictures from each of the celebrations.

On August 10th, we celebrated Jeanne's 21st birthday with a family dinner. Here's the birthday posing with her flowers.

Here's mom with Siosefa getting the food ready for the event.

About a week or so later we got together for a family dinner and ate the trout that was caught by Alan's family when they went to Fish Lake in their boat. The fish was SO YUMMY, and it was nice to eat fresh corn and tomatoes etc. from mom's garden.

Here are Maile and Joni waiting for dinner to start. Joni's hair is SO CUTE. It was in baby pigtails but she pulled them out so she just had two pieces of hair sticking up on each side of her head.

We actually ate outside in a tent that Riley and Tina put up. Zoei's smile is SO FUNNY in this picture. Here she is posing with Joni, Noa, and Maile.

At the end of the month, we celebrated Grandpa's 82nd birthday with the extended family. There was pizza provided and more corn from mom's house.

Here is a picture of Grandpa blowing out the candles on the cake. Notice that there are actually no real candles on the cake...Grandpa is just doing this for effect.

Here is Maile at the party just before I started to feed her and Joni some cake and ice cream. That's one nice thing about being an aunt. I can feed them all kinds of sugar and then send them home with mom and dad.

Bold Political Move??

2009-09-15T19:34:00.004-06:00

This year there are a few city council seats and the mayor's office that are being decided in the election. Because I care what happens in my town, I vote in both the primary election and the general election in November.

I try to read up on the candidates and vote based on the issues. A few days ago I was driving up north State St in Provo and saw this campaign sign. I had seen quite a few signs for this particular candidate, but had not paid attention to what it said, mostly because I had already decided to vote for someone else in the mayoral race.

I couldn't believe someone would want to put their sign on a lot with a vacant house that looked like it could have been condemned. Notice the near hole in the roof, the boarded up windows and the dying grass...

As I took a closer look at the sign I laughed out loud and grabbed my camera to take picture.

This location definitely shouts "Prosperous Provo," don't you think? Only time will tell if this bold political move paid off...

Hike to Timp Cave

2009-09-15T01:43:00.006-06:00

Last Monday Mark and I hiked to Timpanogos Cave with some friends. The sites were beautiful but I about killed myself getting to the top and back. Okay...I didn't literally almost die, but I thought I wanted to a few times.

Mark was a great help to me. My health has been slowly improving and this was the most strenuous thing I have done since my diagnosis. I felt so powerful once I reached the top and the views were breath taking. All in all, I was glad we went. I know it bonded us closer together and was just another step I took in feeling better and beating my cancer diagnosis!!

After this hike, getting pregnant should be a piece of cake for me.....right?

Here is the sign in front of the ranger station (or whatever its called).
Mark looking happy at the 1/4 way marker

I loved the beautiful views we saw both up and down the trail

Still smiling at the 3/4 way sign. Only a little way left to go...

This is a friendly chipmunk that literally posed for this picture. You can almost see his smile...he was looking right at the camera too!

Mark was SO HAPPY he made it to the top.

I was another story. I was exhausted and this was my best attempt at a smile...

Inside the cave. This is the "Heart of Timpanogos"

Outside the cave posing with Andrea, Alex, Maile, and Isaac.

I love the background in this picture. We took this as we were beginning our hike back to the bottom.

Poor Mark!! The cave was a hard walk for him. He had to crawl at one point in time to get through and seemed to be bending and contorting his body the while time.

Born to Shop

2009-08-02T01:33:00.004-06:00

Here is Maile playing with a mini shopping cart while I was babysitting the twins. Joni was still asleep and it was so cute to watch Maile walk around the kitchen with her little basket. She and I both loved every minute of it!!

Family Reunion Highlights Day 3

2009-07-30T12:59:00.005-06:00

Top 10 Memories From Today:

1. Being the first ones (from our extended family) in the chapel. We usually run late and Mark was fairly surprised we were actually EARLY to church.

2. Writing and mailing a postcard to Mark's family. I didn't realize until after I mailed it and we got back to Provo that I was 10 cents short. I didn't put a return address so I guess it's the thought that counts.

3. Getting back to the house right before a HUGE thunderstorm hit. I couldn't believe how loud the thunder was!

4. Following Alan's family back to Provo.

5. Stopping at our favorite pizza place where we had terrible service, but the food was great!

6. Letting Zoei and Noa pick out a treat at the gas station when we stopped to fill up. Noa picked out bug juice and Zoei picked out a package containing candy necklaces and bracelets

7. Having Zoei and Noa ride home with us from Panguitch to Provo. We actually had to pull over to put Noa's seat belt on and ended up taking away some of the candy and Noa's Thomas the Train because the kids were fighting over it.

8. Mark, Alan, and Talya enjoyed the leftover pizza on the way home. (Actually it was a whole pizza that they forgot to cook, and then gave to us right as we were leaving. We were of course were still charged full price.)

9. Giving the kids sugar in the car and then regretting it when they got hyper. They were both excited to see a train off of the freeway. Noa was making the cutest train noises!

10. Sleeping in my own bed that night. I hated the pillows in the hotel and was glad to return home to mine. I am pretty particular about pillows. I sleep with 2 and have several "old" pillows in the spare bedroom. I buy new pillows twice a year.

Here are some pictures of the scenery we saw on the way home:

I wish the camera captured how red this hill was.

This building is some random museum/petting zoo. I have always wanted to check it out. Maybe I'll save that for next time.

Alan's silver car is the one in front of us. Here we are going under the first arch in the road.

Here's the second arch.

I love the how beautiful this area is!!

Beat It!!!

2009-07-28T17:17:00.004-06:00

Here is Noa after the fireworks show in Escalante rocking out to his FAVORITE song. I loved how he was jamming his head and started screaming when he heard the words. This was taken at night so the video is kind of dark.

Family Reunion Highlights Day 2

2009-07-28T16:26:00.007-06:00

Top 10 Memories From Today:

1. Mark and I were so tired we actually slept through the 5am cannons that go off around town (and always right in front of the motel where we stay).

2. The breakfast was DELICIOUS and we finished early enough to put some chair along out favorite spot on the route (under the trees near the flower boxes).

3. Getting sprayed by the fire truck this year, even though I was no where close to the middle of the street.

4. Going with a bunch of family members to see Great-Grandpa and Grandma Griffin's grave site along with other ancestors in the cemetery.

5. Going to the old dump (which is no longer there) where Karly found an old tea cup

6. Having lunch with Mark and Colton where we had a great discussion about life, our family, our missions, etc.

7. Noticing the water does not taste good in Escalante, as usual. The soda at the restaurant tasted weird, and I hated the after taste in the water. Good thing we brought a lot of bottled water this year!!

8. Sitting around the yard talking about nothing with family members and enjoying every minute of it.

9. Keeping up with tradition of rolling up to the high school/gas station 5 minutes before the fireworks started. Luckily the people from the town haven't picked up on our little trick and no one was in our parking spot

10. Watching YouTube videos with a bunch of cousins in our room (the motel actually had free WiFi this year which is a big deal in the town!!)

Alan had fun riding this pink bike around the parade route with Talya.

My cousin Colton with Sefa. Girls, if you know anyone he's single. He's an RM, speaks fluent Spanish, is a gentleman, and comes from a great family!!

The annual Smokey the Bear picture. The kids were not happy about it this year. I think Alan was literally saying "take the picture!"

This is one of the favorite parts of the parade for the kids. The best part of the parade is, of course, the candy being thrown from the floats.

Mark hanging out in our room.

Getting ready to eat in the backyard.

After dinner sitting in the front of the yard enjoying each other's company. Here is Grandma, Mike, and his daughter Lydia.

Karly helping the kids with sparklers (in case you're wondering, that's an ice cream cone in her mouth).

Notice Mark's big green chair. He loves this chair and didn't complain about being uncomfortable at all this year. The chair holds 1,000 pounds and is sturdy, yet comfortable.

Zoei playing with the sparklers.

Loved the fireworks show this year. Some of the fireworks were so big, and we were so close, I was sure a fire was going to start (that's the dispatcher in me thinking that).

Family Reunion Highlights Day 1

2009-07-27T12:21:00.004-06:00

Top Ten Memories From Today:

1. Mark and I waking up at 3:00am and not being able to sleep (we are entrenched in our sleep habits of going to bed at 2:30am and waking up at 11am)

2. Packing up everything and leaving the house at 4:30 so we could make it to Fish Lake by 7am (we didn't get there until 8am)

3. Remembering why I hated camping or anything like it. I HATED using the port-a-potty's by the marina.

4. Having the twins cry the WHOLE time we were out on the boat. They were not very happy about the situation.

5. Fish lake was a BEAUTIFUL place to be. They have a whole little community there with a little store, hotels, cabins, summer houses, 2 restaurants, and even have church services on Sunday.

6. Eating lunch with Mom and Neil at the lodge with a gorgeous view of the lake. The bacon mushroom burgers were delicious (especially since we had only eaten junk food since waking up).

7. Listen to Michael Jackson #1's album over Boulder mountain. I love that music!!

8. Getting to the hotel, checking in and getting a much needed rest before the family dinner at Calf Creek (which is such a BEAUTIFUL place to be)

9. Eating pulled pork burritos beans and rice with the family and catching up with family members I had not talked to in a LONG time.

10. Mark was traumatized from last year and politely declined the invitation to go rabbit hunting. A bunch of my cousins and uncles were going. ("Hunting" consisted of sitting in a back of a truck, using a huge spotlight and shooting at rabbits while four wheel driving in the brush)

Several of my cousins hiked to the top of the mountain/hill that was closest to the dinner site.

Love this picture of Mark. He's in his Akubra hat waiting for a fish to bite.

Maile smiling for the camera. This was before she got really cranky.

Riley, Tina, Joni, Summer (Riley's sister) and Mom at the front of the boat.

Nice fish Riley. He threw the perch back but we did end up catching 2 nice rainbow trout.

What a picturesque lake.

Mom was driving the boat for the second half of the trip (after we dropped Riley's family off).

Another view of the lake.

First Steps

2009-07-16T12:39:00.004-06:00

I was watching the girls today and this is what they were doing. I was surprised Maile could walk so far! Joni is still trying to get the hang of it. I love these girls!!

Nostalgia

2009-07-10T19:22:00.002-06:00

I was looking through the pictures on my computer today and found some that made me smile when I saw them...

Me and Jeanne in the wildlife sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia
Posing for Jeanne's graduation. If you look carefully you can see the colored contacts in my eyes.

Awww....look how cute Noa is in this picture. Mark and Noa posing after Alan was ordained an Elder.

New Zealand with mark attending a Valentine's dance shortly after getting engaged.

Fourth of July Part II

2009-07-08T18:11:00.005-06:00

Mark and I went to the Stadium of Fire after the family barbecue. I noticed that they were still selling tickets to the event through BYU tickets, and some people on KSL classifieds were selling their tickets for 15-20 dollars less than they bought them for.

I ended up buying 2 tickets on the west bleachers (on KSL classifieds) for 30 bucks each...a savings of 42 dollars (with the surcharges and fees). The show was great! We enjoyed the fireworks and the patriotic performances. The Jonas brothers were ehhh...I think I would have enjoyed them more if there wasn't a little 12 year old girl screaming in a high pitch banshee tone the whole time...

View of the field and the HUGE flag that would be burned later in the show...

Flame throwers in the center stage...

View of the Jonas Brothers on stage.

A view of the huge flag being burned.

Firework spectacular...

This is my favorite pic...

Despite the long hike to and from our car (because of construction around the campus) we had a great time. I think I enjoyed it even more knowing we didn't pay full price!!!

Fourth of July Part I

2009-07-07T09:01:00.006-06:00

This Fourth of July is the first one in several years where I have not had to work on the 4th or the night before. Because this is one of my favorite holidays I was determined to do everything this year.

I went with Mom and Alan's family to the fair on July 3rd. It was fun to see the kids play on the toys and get the traditional snow cone at the fair.

At the last minute we decided to stake out a spot on the parade route. We went out at about 11:20 the night before and found the perfect spot under a tree near the Tabernacle. I sat out all night with Jeanne, Kevin, and Alan who kept me company at different times before the parade started. It actually rained a lot the night before but we were right near a Comcast booth that was set up so we were able to wait under their canopy for the rain to stop and the grass to dry.

The parade was great. I loved every minute of it!! After the parade I went home to take a nap (because I got little or no sleep the night before) and then went to the traditional barbecue at mom's house. The food was GREAT!! Because there are so many pictures, I will put the rest of the Stadium of Fire pictures in the next blog...

Here is Zoei at the fair. Notice the princess crown she is modeling...
My FAVORITE picture from the fair. I love Zoei's expression here. She loved the slide. Notice Noa in the background going down the slide face first...

Early morning balloon launch. I think my favorite balloons are the pig and Smokey the Bear.

Star Wars legion marching in the pre-parade. I was sad that Mark missed it.

Sefa, Noa, and Zoei posing before the parade started...

Me and Zoei sitting on the parade route. Say cheese!

Alan and Sefa

A picture of everyone at the parade. Good thing we saved a spot so big. Karly and some of her siblings left their parade spot because of the rain...

Beautiful Kylie and Squinty Siosefa

Maile's grumper face with Aunt Gina. She was getting tired of the pictures...

A picture of the parade route across the street...

Just like I promised Zoei there were princesses in the parade. Tinkerbell in the front, Belle and Snow White, followed by Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella.

Love these girls!!

My best attempt to get all the kids to look at the camera and smile in their Fourth of July attire...

WWII Planes

2009-07-02T10:54:00.011-06:00

On Monday we went to the Provo airport to see some authentic WWII planes. We got there early enough to actually see the planes fly in from Heber where they had been for a few days. We went with Mark's friend Brian and his wife Marci.

The two boys were like kids in a candy shop. They loved every minute of it. I had a lot of fun as well. We called my grandparents and it was fun to hear Grandpa reminisce about his time in Tokyo right after WWII ended. Mark narrated the rest of this blog as follows:

The B-17 and the B 24 were some of the bombers used to soften up Omaha beach on D-Day. They were supposed to take out the defenders on the Atlantic wall. However because the pilots were worried about hitting allied troops as they were storming the beaches and the bad weather conditions they waited too long to drop their bombs and completely missed their targets. (see D-Day by Stephen E. Ambrose)

The P51 Mustang Fighter plane as it was going down the runway.

The B-17 "Flying Fortress" as it was coming in to park in the runway.

The B-24 Liberator. This one was named Witchcraft.

This is the bomber bay on the B-24. The bombs you can see there weigh 500lbs a piece...almost as much as I was at my heaviest. The airmen on these planes must have been tiny as I couldn't even get through this part of the plane.

This is me outside the B-24. It was quite an imposing sight. It didn't seem natural that something so big and clunky should even be able to get off the ground.

General info about the B-24.

The B-17 flying fortress. The common idea about this bomber is that it was called the flying fortress because of all the machine guns it carried to take out enemy planes. According to my source that idea is incorrect. This plane was developed before the US entered WWII. At the time there was concerns that the US not enter another European war but at the same time people were worried that the European war could spill over into the US. When the makers of this plane tried to sell it to the war department they impressed upon them the great range of the plane and its ability to engage targets at sea that were coming to invade the US. Hence the name Flying fortress was not so much about how the plane was a flying fortress that could defend itself but more about how the plane could defend the US main land as a flying fortress. If you disagree talk with my source... aka Brian Cole.

Here are Grandma and Grandpa posing by the B-17. I love how they are holding hands in this picture!!

I love hearing Mark talk about WWII. He is so passionate and knowledgeable about the subject!!

Celebrate!!

2009-07-01T14:08:00.006-06:00

We went out to dinner with Brant and Ariel and then went to a movie to celebrate our anniversary this year. Ariel and I have been best friends since junior high. We both graduated from BYU, went on missions, married foreign husbands (hers from Canada, mine from New Zealand), we actually work at the same place (me full-time and her part-time), and we got married in the Salt Lake temple one day apart from each other.

It has been fun to share so many life experiences with her (and now Brant). I can't believe both of us has been married for 5 years already. We had a great time with them. It was fun to catch up and hear about what they have been doing lately.

Ariel and Brant posing by the Transformers sign after the movie

I literally took the camera out and said "smile." Notice Brant's old school Transformer's shirt.

Here are the credits of the movie. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would...

Me taking a picture of us after the movie. It was HOT inside the theater.

I thought Mark's dad would get a kick out of looking at this car. It was in the parking lot of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant we went to. The food was superb!!

Second view...I'm guessing the vehicle is a 1936 Benz.

Can someone make sure that Mark's dad sees this (E'Stonie, can I put you in charge if it)? He loves old cars and this is one of the coolest I have seen in awhile.

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-06-24T14:02:00.004-06:00

When I was 19 I wrote down all of the qualities I was looking for in an eternal companion. Here is the journal entry word for word:

June 1999

Qualities I Am Looking For In An Eternal Companion:

* Always puts Christ first; strong testimony; return mission; temple worthy; teaches me by example; pure in heart, body, & mind

*Great sense of humor

* A Good listener/give advice when needed

*Can keep secrets

*Amazing smile

*Giving/forgiving

*Humble - but not too passive

*Loves classical music/Broadway plays/ballets or things of that sort

*Educated/intellectual

*Males me feel like I am the only woman on earth

*Always keeps promises - his word is his bond

*Gets along with my friends/family

*I can trust him

*Not afraid to show affection

*Willing to compromise

*Slow to anger

*Loves romantic movies/gushy songs (if only occasionally)

*Makes me feel safe

*Wants a family/interacts well with children

Mark is all of those things and more. I feel so blessed to have him as my eternal companion.

Can you believe it has been 5 years already?

Mom's Birthday Party

2009-06-22T13:58:00.007-06:00

Last week we celebrated Mom's birthday as a family. I was able to get off work early and join the party. I can't believe how much our family has grown. There are now 5 grandchildren under the ages of 3!! The first two pictures are my favorites from the night.

Here is Maile being the Happy Girl that she is
Noa got cake everywhere and was upset it had to be cleaned off. I love his face in this picture.

Here's a close of picture of Maile...you can see her beautiful eye color in this picture.

Maile and Jeanne posing before the cake.

Mom blowing out the candles

Poor Joni's eye was swollen and both the girls had an ear infection...

Tina's braided hair, posing with Joni

I tried to get Zoei to smile but her mouth was full of cake so this was the best I got.

Las Vegas

2009-06-17T14:21:00.008-06:00

I am finally getting around to posting pictures from our Las Vegas trip. We had so much fun hanging out at the beach, relaxing, and exploring as well.

I can tell my health has improved A LOT in the past year. When we went last year I was SO SICK. I had difficulty walking long distances, I felt tired and blech the whole time. I literally had to stop 3 or 4 times to rest while walking from our room in the MGM to the pool. I had to take naps every day for a few hours each day and just felt unhealthy and I literally felt like I had cancer.

This time around I had no problem walking to the pool. We even went exploring and went to the shops in Mandalay Bay. We walked over to the Luxor, and I had no problems walking when we went to Fremont St (which was a first visit for both Mark and I). I didn't need naps or extra rest and didn't have to stay in my room for hours and hours after going to the pool. This trip was just what we needed.

I have no idea why Mark made this face. This was a picture from the Lion King show playing at the Mandalay Bay. We saw this as we were checking out the shops in the casino.

I LOVED the smell of the casino. The smell reminded me of Hawaii. Here is Mark posing on our way to pick up the vehicle in valet parking.

I found this English Pub online while researching fun things we could do. It was a fun place to visit. They play all the soccer and rugby on their big screen tv's. They had Australia Rules Rugby on while we were there.

I thought it would be fun for Mark to eat food that tasted like home. He got the "Bangers and Mash" and said the sausage tasted like proper English sausage. I got the Fish and Chips...it was delicious. For dessert we got a trifle, it was a great meal.

This is a picture of the Berlin wall bathroom. I finally got to see it this time. It was at the Station Casino downtown...and yes I was the one who took the picture in the men's bathroom.

Here's another view of the wall. I waited outside the bathroom door for 10 minutes and men kept walking in and out...I just wanted to get in there and see the wall myself!! I almost just went in but I finally asked an employee who told me I needed a security escort.

This is my favorite picture of the three. After about 15 minutes of waiting, I got the security guard who escorted me in. Later Mark told me he was glad I did it the right way so I didn't get arrested or see something that would have traumatized me.

Here's Mark posing at Freemont St.

The cheesy look. It was fun to go downtown and see all the lights and stuff. And yes, there were homeless people, we saw one man running down the street with a shirt tied around his waist (and nothing else) and I'm sure I saw a lady smoking a crack pipe but it was well worth the trip.

Every hour they put on a show above the street. You can see it in this picture. The hour we were there it was a tribute to Queen...sweet!

Here's me posing for the camera. I think I am holding the frozen chocolate dipped bananas we bought. They were delicious.

Here is a view from our hotel from the wave pool. It was a great area. Real sand on the beach, lots of palm trees and the pool was 7 feet deep...I had a blast laying on a chair sipping drinks and getting sun.

Here is Mark posing at the Bellagio botanical gardens. Every time we talked about Vegas everyone raved about the Bellagio buffet. We went and I thought it was good, but not as fabulous as everyone said. The Mandalay Buffet was just as good...

This was AWESOME. It's an advertisement for the new Transformer's movie on the side of the Luxor. We saw it everytime we drove by. Viva Las Vegas and Viva Transformers!!

We also picked up a hitch hiker in St. George and took him to Provo...but that is a story for another entry.

Mother's Day

2009-05-13T15:55:00.003-06:00

We went over to Tina's house on Sunday to celebrate Mother's day. It was so much fun to eat together and play together. Kristina looked so cute with the girls, I got quite a few cute pictures. I made a macaroni salad that actually turned out to be really good and we all spending time and laughing together.

The first two pictures you will see are two of my favorite from Sunday.

Here is Tina feeding Maile. Maile looks so happy and content! I love the way Joni and Tina are looking at each other in this picture!!

Zoei didn't want to miss out on all of the fun so she had Uncle Mark life her up too!!

Riley and Tina playing with the girls outside.

Mom is looking on while Zoei is trying to balance on Uncle Mark's hand.

We look away for a split second and Zoei is dumping grass on Noa's hair...

This is the second picture I took. Alan has noticed I am taking a picture and is giving his signature smile with the bird...just like he always does. You can tell he has matured and has children now because he is now holding bubbles in his other hand, which is something you don't see in all the other pictures.

This is the first picture I took, my favorite of the two. There are so many things to look at in this picture. Maile has a cute look on her face and here Alan is playing with the kids and the bubbles...

Everyday Happenings

2009-05-06T13:55:00.006-06:00

Here are a few recent pictures that I have taken...of course it features some of my favorite people! Here are some cute pics of Maile, Joni, and Mark.

Here is Mark fertilizing the lawn. I think we're one of the only people in the area (besides my mom) with a clothes line.
Another shot of my handsome husband!

Here is Joni cuddled next to Uncle Mark. She is so adorable.

A back view of the girls hanging out in Mark's show box.

The girls both fit in Mark's size 21 Nike shoe box. They had lots of fun being pushed around.

They each had a separate box for awhile...until Maile accidentally broke hers. Notice Mark's shoe in the middle.

Voices on other end of 911 are honored

2009-04-20T18:20:00.003-06:00

Check out the recent honors my dispatch center was given. When the incident occurred I heard it from my house (on the other side of town) and came into the center to help with the call volume.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705298083/911-dispatchers-honored.html?pg=1

We Miss Mommy and Daddy

2009-04-16T14:08:00.010-06:00

Here are the girls with Mark having fun on the computer.

Maile really seems to like video games. Within a few seconds she had already hit the mouse key to throw a bomb at someone and killed one of the soldiers!

Tina and Riley are in New Orleans for training right now (for Tina's work). I know she misses her girls so I thought I would take some pictures and video for her to watch.

Here is one of their favorite activities...

They love watching YouTube videos of babies.

Here is the YouTube video they were laughing at...

Easter Message

2009-04-12T12:11:00.002-06:00

Here is an Easter Message about the Savior from one of my favorite Apostles, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

More Family Fun...

2009-04-11T20:43:00.003-06:00

These are the last pictures I have with Mark's family. On Monday, we ran a few errands and then went to the "This is the Place Monument - Heritage Park." We took the train ride around the area and then Mark's family went to look at the monuments while we got a bite to eat.

Everyone was ready to go a lot sooner than I anticipated. I think the girls were ready to go shopping at the outlet stores in Park City. We went to the outlet stores, mainly the Nike outlet and then went out to dinner at the Pizza Factory in SLC.

As I side note let me just say that I love having the internet on my phone. When Mark's family wants to go to the Pizza Factory for dinner I can just look it up and off we go. When they want to go to the nearest Walmart, I find it on the phone and we go. It made things a lot easier for us.

I was glad we got to spend time with Mark's family. It was nice to catch up with them and I know it made Mark feel less homesick.

Here we are waiting for the train to start.
A beautiful view of the pioneer village and Salt Lake valley.

Mark smiling by the original monument. By historian's best estimates, this monument is where Brigham Young stood with his wagon party and said those famous words "This is the place...."

If you're a foreigner visiting the Park City Outlet stores, PLEASE wear underwear or a long shirt or at least wax....let me just say, that is not dirt on his backside!!

Everyone eating dinner after a LONG day of sight seeing and shopping.

From L to R around the table: Mark, Me, Auntie Faye, Candy, Wati, Megan, Lehi, Amakura, Uncle Dave.

Sunday Family Gatherings

2009-04-07T13:39:00.005-06:00

Sunday morning before the General Conference began we gathered as a family to have our traditional conference breakfast. I think this is one of my favorite traditions. We each brought part of the breakfast feast and enjoyed a delicious meal together.

After we all gathered in the living room to watch Conference together. Some people watched it with their eyes closed, but it was great to listen to the prophets speak to us together as a family.

A few hours later we all got together AGAIN for dinner. We invited Mark's family but only Dave, Faye, and Amakura were able to come. It was fun to have them come eat an "American turkey dinner." Zoei was excited to meet Nanny Jean's sister and my parents were thrilled to spend time with Dave and Faye.

It was a LONG day but one I really enjoyed. I really appreciate how hospitable my family is. They always make Mark's family feel so welcome and loved.

These first 3 pictures are my FAVORITE ones!!

This is Noa's sad face. He climbed in the baby jeep and then got stuck and couldn't get out!

Awwww....cute. This is Maile sleeping on Uncle Mark's tummy. Mark is so good at putting the babies to sleep. Maile loves to sleep sprawled out and looked so adorable in this picture.

This is Zoei posing with her toy. She's so cute. She already has her smile perfected!

Mom, Tina, Alan and Sefa preparing the food.

Apparently mom has been feeling left out because I post a lot of pictures of everyone but her. I am going to make sure she is in at least one of the family pics I post from now on.

Joni playing with a balloon before breakfast.

Here is the feast we sat down to. Notice Tina's sausage smile...

Noa and Grandma playing with the balloon while Benson and Jeanne look on

Everyone was sleeping during conference. They must have been learning by osmosis!!

Love this picture. Auntie Faye with Maile.

Mom, Maile, Uncle Dave, Auntie Faye, and Amakura after turkey dinner.

New Zealand Family and 5K Race

2009-04-04T18:15:00.008-06:00

It's been a pretty busy 24 hours!! On Friday we went up to Salt Lake City to take some of Mark's family around to see the sites. They had a hotel room close to Temple Square (so they didn't need to go see those tourist attractions). We had told them, through Mark's mum, that it was going to be COLD in UT and to pack warm clothes. I'm sure they figured it was April and Springtime and weren't too worried.

The first morning they woke up to snow and so they called us to take them shopping for warm clothes and other necessities. We just did the emergency shopping tonight...a skirt for Megan (the cute girl in pink) and some food to "nibble on" during Conference sessions.

After going to the music store and JC Penney we stopped at Carl's Jr. for a quick bite to eat before the New Zealand mission reunion that we attended. After that it was off to Walmart for food supplies. We ended up getting home around 1:30. Poor Mark was so tired and exhausted for his 5k but we both agreed it was worth it for Mark to spend time with the family!

Here's my handsome husband posing for a picture at the music store

Here is a picture of the family. From L to R: Uncle Dave, Auntie Faye, Megan, Lehi, Cousin Candy, Cousin Wati, and Amakura (in the purple)

Mark and Kevin at the beginning of the race.

Here are a bunch of the people lined up to run. If you know what you are looking for you can see Mark in the picture.

I had never noticed this statue before...I thought it was interesting Provo had it's own "10 Commandments" statue

Some random guy dressed in a Joker costume. Jeanne and I saw him while waiting at the finish line.

My sister Jeanne and her husband Kevin after he finished the race.

Here's Mark running toward the finish line. That random woman in the hoodie is pretty funny. You would think with a face like that she would be yelling obscenities at people...

Here are Mark and Kevin after the race. They were both very tired, but happy they did it.

April Fools Day Memories

2009-04-01T21:08:00.004-06:00

I have always been particularly aware of April Fools Day. The April Fool's joke in 1st grade coupled with my family history of practical jokes has led me to be very careful and cautious on this day.

This year was pretty tame. I woke up and shortly after went to a disability training for the city which was NOT a joke and I'll be home from work a few hours after Mark leaves to for his graveyard shift. I think I should be pretty safe.

Here are my top 3 favorite memories from April Fools Day:

1. Mrs. Bakke giving us a test in first grade that everyone failed. If I remember correctly it was Fairy Tale dress up day and I had come as Cinderella in a peach ruffle dress that suffocated me (that dress is quite another story in itself). I always knew I was a smart kid and I was pretty baffled by the test. I think it had fractions and/or multiplication and division which we had not learned yet. We were told that we would not move onto second grade. I wasn't too upset but I still remember one of the boys in my class bawling his eyes out. It didn't help that he was in a costume where he wore what looked like tights. I thought the teacher was mean for making the kid cry when he was already wearing tights.

2. My mom pretending to fall in the shower when I was 10ish or so. I heard a big boom and my mom yell for help. I came running. Now just as a background to the story, I was the sensitive obedient child back then. My heart was in my throat as I ran to see what was wrong. Just a few years before I and had held my mom's hand after the car ran over her ankle. I was scared to death something had happened. I got there and she was laughing hysterically. I wasn't amused. She tried the joke few years later and I didn't even move to check on her. I had learned that there was a wolf in the house.

3. When I was 17 and in high school my sister, who had a steady boyfriend, told my mom that she was pregnant. Some how I had found out about it before and so I sat there with doe eyes watching the joke unfold. My sister produced the fake tears and told my mom how sorry she was. My mom turned pale and her mouth fell to the ground for a half second. Just when it looked like she was going to really FREAK out my sister started laughing hysterically. To this day, that is still the best April Fool's joke I have witnessed!!

Anticipation

2009-03-28T15:36:00.005-06:00

I'm really looking forward to the Spring season this year. Winter has been REALLY long for me and I am looking forward to seeing all of the flowers in bloom. I'm not completely into gardening and lawn care like my mom is, but 2 years ago I planted some flowers in from front yard that were really cute. There were 3 pots and 3 hanging flowers. If you know my house address, you can look up the street view in Google maps and see the flowers.

Last year I didn't feel very well most of the time and so I didn't plant anything in the front yard. We didn't even get our traditional season passes to Seven Peaks! I think every time I saw the front of our house it reminded me that I was too sick to plant the flowers and it made me feel sad and frustrated.

This Spring is filled with hope and renewal for me. I am excited to again plant flowers and watch the few lilacs on my bush come to fruition. Most of all, I am excited to see what the future holds for me. I feel like the cold snowy days filled with cancer and worry will be over soon enough and I can look forward to what lies ahead.

For the first time in over a year I am looking forward to what my live holds, instead of holding on to what was left.

I can't wait to see what lies ahead!!!

BYU Luau

2009-03-26T16:49:00.004-06:00

I have been feeling a lot better lately and have been going out in public more. When I felt really sick I preferred to stay home but now that my health continues to improve it's fun to get out.

On Tuesday we went to the BYU Luau dinner and show. It was fun to see people we knew and it was cool to see the different dances they put on this year. Mark got really homesick during the Aotearoa part (Aotearoa is the Maori word for New Zealand). For all of you who don't know, Mark is part Maori . We were trying to figure what percentage of Maori on Tuesday night but couldn't find a definite number.

We had a lot of fun spending time together and people watching. Only at BYU would you see 4 white guys come in wearing lava lavas and speaking Samoan. They loved watching the Polynesian girls dance but weren't interested in the white girls at all...typical return missionary stuff.

Here is Mark with our friend New Zealand friend Adam who was the host for the night.
Self portrait of us. I look pretty cute but cut half of Mark's face off....

One of the guys in a lava lava. There were 6 or 7 of them sitting together on a row.

Two of the guys after the show. Is it proper to wear sneakers under lava lavas?

Beautiful dancers during the Samoan part. Some of the girls there had GORGEOUS long hair.

The men dancing during the Hawaiian part.

Here is a Maori warrior with the traditional markings on his face.

Some of the Maori men preforming a traditional dance

Kristina's Birthday

2009-03-25T22:35:00.005-06:00

It was a week ago today that Tina celebrated her 28th birthday. It was a family event and was lots of fun. We went to Mom's house and had a taco bar, played games and enjoyed each other's company.

It's interesting to see the dynamic of our family change with the addition of so many babies! There were 5 children there ages 3 and under.

I love my sister and admire her work ethic, tenacity, and her love for her family. She's been an incredible blessing in my life!

Here's a picture of the birthday girl and Zoei blowing out the candles.

Here's Grandma Jo with Soisefa, Alan's youngest. He looks so much like Alan in this picture!!

Here's Maile in the pink Jeep. She loved the noises and sounds it made.

Here's Uncle Riley and Zoei. Zoei had just gotten a new swimsuit from her other grandma, Grandma Tammy and didn't want to take it off during the party.

The Roberts Family. From L to R: Kristina, Maile, Joni, and Riley. Very cute!!

This is the funny face pose. I think Joni thought it was the perfect time to play with the feather on Maile's head!

Here's the birthday girl posing with the Twins. They really did not want to look at me or the camera today...it was probably because I had spent 9 hours earlier in the day playing with them and making faces.

High School Nostalgia

2009-03-05T00:14:00.004-07:00

For those of you who don't have Facebook I have posted some photos from high school. These are, of course, the ones where I look least cringe-worthy and highlight some memorable events that happened my Senior year.

Sleeping on the bus during the choir/orchestra trip to Disneyland. During that trip some weirdo kept calling our room in the middle of the night and playing Boys II Men songs!!

AP US Government. Lots of smart kids + completely different views on the political spectrum = hilarious!! My friend Ariel wasn't ready for a test one day and asked me to stall for her. I raised my hand and randomly told the teacher I completely agreed with affirmative action... It stalled the test for 2 days.

After graduation with some of my friends. Those leis were beautiful but smelled so strongly (of sweet flowers) that I got dizzy a few times!!

Notice the door propped open by the chair. This was the entrance to the school newspaper classroom. I spent countless hours after school/on weekends in that room. Some of the time we were working, other times we were having chair races, getting the janitor's tour of the girls locker room (at Dan's request), explaining what those metal boxes in the stalls of the girls restroom were for (because Nick was confused) or making up last names for Gino the Italian janitor after we interviewed him. I should never have listened to Dan. Louise saw through the name "Gino Prego" in about 30 seconds!!

Rodeo drive on the Disneyland trip...and yes there is a black smudge on the picture but I didn't want to cut Kamberlyn out of the picture!!

Stephanie's Birthday

2009-03-03T20:27:00.003-07:00

My birthday was a few days ago, but I wanted to put some pictures up. I had SO MUCH fun on my birthday. It all started that morning. Mark came into my room and woke me up to show me the AMAZING flowers that came. I opened the card (not sure who they were from) and they were from one of my dear friends, Lonna! They were the perfect bouquet. She knew what kind of flowers I loved and there were some purple accent colors in there that were so BEAUTIFUL.

For lunch I went out with my dad and Mark to the Cheesecake Factory. My salad wasn't very good, but the cheesecake dessert I got was phenomenal. We had to wait 30 minutes to get seated for lunch and so I was late to my salon appointment (where Mark got me a facial and pedicure). I rescheduled and actually had the facial and pedicure today. It was amazing and I felt so relaxed and rejuvenated.

Dinner with the family (just like all other holidays with divorced parents, I have 2 of every holiday) was so much fun. I love spending time with the family. After we went over to Alan's and played Guitar Hero for awhile. The perfect ending to the perfect day.

Here are the flowers Lonna got me. This picture does not do justice to the flowers!
Mark pulling faces at Sefa while playing Guitar Hero and Alan's house.

Blowing out my candles. If you think about it I'm sure you can guess what I wished for ;)

A picture of the candles shaped in a "29"

Grandpa Lewis and Alan holding Zoei and Noa

Zoei and me. I think she was trying to give me a butterfly kiss and pose for the camera at the same time...

Mom, Tina, and the Twins. I was making faces at Maile while Mark took the picture but we couldn't get Joni's attention. This is how Maile looks at me when she thinks something I am doing is funny/amusing.

Everyday Happenings

2009-02-22T23:43:00.002-07:00

Here are some pictures I took this past week while we were just hanging out at home:

Here is the Valentine's Day bouquet Mark bought for me. I was so proud of him, he actually pre-ordered them and picked out the perfect ones. I love red roses, but love the star lilies more!
For the record, Mark is not wearing this shirt, he took it off right before he got in the shower. He works HARD at the gym preparing for his 5k and the sweat marks prove it. He is posing in our office. Note the Star Wars, Australia, New Zealand and Simpsons items...and yes, that is the R2D2 Robot box on the floor :)

I LOVE this picture of Mark and Tina's twin girls. Joni is on the left and Maile is on the right. I tried to get their attention for the picture but they were both mesmerized by the television.

Having Cancer Has Taught Me...

2009-02-21T21:58:00.009-07:00

For the past few weeks I have been feeling really grateful. I'm grateful for my life, my family, and the peace I feel. Having cancer has given me a different perspective on life and has led me to appreciate the small things.

I know my life has changed for the better after my diagnosis. I didn't suddenly morph into a "new and improved" Stephanie and I didn't decide to ignore the cancer and pretend everything was fine. I found hope in unusual places and wanted to share some of the things I have learned because of my cancer:

I don't find little kids annoying anymore. I see every infant and toddler as a gift from God and feel a tenderness and love for them I have never experienced before.
Take time to enjoy the beautiful scenes of nature you pass every day.
Happiness is a choice.
Don't obsess over things you can't control.
When something devastating happens in your life you can quietly accept the situation or spend useless hours wondering "why me?"
Sometimes doctors are wrong.
Having a balloon in your uterus for a week is EXTREMELY painful.
When I am trying to sleep because I feel sick or am in pain don't try to vacuum near my door, don't set off the fire alarm, and don't pound on my door like you're on the SWAT team (you know who you are) because it will make me ANGRY!!
When people tell you that you look sickly or don't look well don't take it personally.
Cry when you fee like crying, laugh when something is funny, tell people how much you love them.
My mom loves me A LOT. She was there during my surgeries, brought me food when I needed it, called to check up on me, pounded on my door like she was on the SWAT team to check on me when I was home alone and not answering my phone.
People do not think it's funny when you joke about having cancer.
People in church, in your neighborhood and in your extended family will always be asking you how you are feeling/doing. Just expect it.
When telling your friends about your diagnosis don't EVER leave a message telling someone you have cancer and asking them to call you back. They may freak out (Sorry Ariel!!)
My husband is a VERY patient man.
Telling people I have cancer is a convenient excuse. I can't go "insert activity or assignment here" because I don't feel good and I have cancer. I may have slightly abused this power.
If you feel like something is wrong with you body or something doesn't quite feel right, get it checked. I had that happen twice and immediately called the doctor who was glad I came in both times.

Having cancer has honestly been a blessing (I know I hate people who say corny stuff like that too). The most important thing I have gained since my diagnosis is a stronger testimony of the gospel. Jesus Christ is my Savior. The atonement covers not only sins but pains and sicknesses people experience as well. When I felt alone I prayed, when I was scared of dying I prayed, when I succumbed to fear I prayed and am the better person for it. I am grateful for the priesthood and the blessings I was given. I was never scared to go into a surgery because I had received comforting words of counsel. I know the Lord loves me personally and has a plan for each of us on earth. When we stay close to Christ and his teaching we feel peace amid chaos. I am not afraid to die because I know what will happen. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. At 14 he did in fact see God the Father and his Son in the Sacred Grove. Amidst persecution he told the truth and stood as a witness to the restored gospel. Thomas Monson is our current prophet and he is guided by inspiration to lead our church into the future. I am grateful Mark and I were sealed in the temple and that we are a "Forever Family." That is probably the most important gift I have been given. I love Jesus Christ, his gospel, and the opportunity I have to tell everyone to come until Christ.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T19:15:00.001-07:00

Having the Smurfs on-demand with Comcast is AWESOME! I seem to be watching that cartoon all the time now...and I still hate Brainy as much as I did growing up!

Mark's Birthday

2009-02-11T17:49:00.003-07:00

Mark's birthday was yesterday and it was such a fun day. Mark took the day off from work (and I didn't have to work either) so we spent the whole day together...which hasn't happened in awhile because of our crazy work schedules.

I surprised him with a massage appointment in the morning (after his workout) but he was late to the appointment and decided to reschedule so he could have the full 60 minute massage. We went to lunch at Ruby River and had time to chat and catch up on things. Random tangent...we have been married for almost 5 years and haven't run out of things to talk about yet. That's one thing I love about our marriage.

After lunch we went over to mom's house and played Guitar Hero with Alan and Talya. Mark and Talya went to a bakery called "The Sweet Tooth Fairy" and brought home some cupcakes. They were delicious but not with the $2.25 per cupcake.

We then went and picked up a new pair of pants for Mark. Now that he is working out every day and eating better foods his pants all seem to be too big for him! We then went to Outback for dinner and spent time with the family. It was almost like it was my birthday...I had just as much fun as he did (maybe even more). Here are some pictures from dinner:

I adore my nieces and nephews and actually had Tina wake Maile up so I could hold her (Joni had already made her way around the table). Poor Maile was such a grumper, she did NOT want to wake up. Mark laughed when he saw this picture, he said this is what I look like in the mornings!!
Maile chilling with Grandpa Neil

Here's Zoei eating the blue frosting off of her piece of Mark's birthday cake.

This is the first half of a picture I took of Tina, Talya and the babies. I had to edit Alan's finger out of the picture (can you guess which one). He stuck it in at the last second and I really liked the picture. Here's Talya and Sefa.

Here's Tina and Joni. Noa's the little head by Tina's arm. Poor Noa felt sick all night. We took his fever and it was a 102 degrees! Talya and Alan ended up taking him straight to the doctor's office after dinner.

Here's Zoei feeding Mark some of her beans.

Mark pulling a face as usual for the picture. Happy Birthday My Love!!

Reunited and it feels so good!!!

2009-02-05T18:44:00.002-07:00

When I served my mission a few years ago in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, I met the most amazing woman who helped me see my potential. Her name was Lonna and I met her for the first time in my last area (Van Nuys) and we had an immediate connection. It felt like I had known her forever. We started sharing stories about our lives and we had so many spiritual, weird things in common. We went through common experiences growing up and even then we were experiencing similar things. I really grew to love Lonna as a sister in the short time I knew her.

On the last night before I went home we had a fireside in Santa Clarita where the missionaries who were leaving were able to bear their testimonies etc. Lonna came and I got to say my goodbyes to her before leaving. We had both planned on staying in contact, but months passed and then years passed and I was never able to find her.

Every so often I would think about her and hope she was well. I thought about her again about a month or so ago and decided to see if she was on Facebook. To my surprise, her name and her picture popped up. I was literally thrilled to have finally found her.

We have started talking again and it feels as if no time has passed. She is so amazing and I have felt so much hope after sharing all of my cancer issues with her. Amazingly enough, we are still sharing common experiences and I feel emotionally and spiritually strengthened after talking to her.

Me and Lonna at the fireside right before I came home from my mission.

Nostalgia

2009-02-03T16:11:00.003-07:00

Here's a cute video taken when Mark's parents were visiting us. We sure do miss them! Mark's mum was so excited when it finally snowed here. She had never had a "White Christmas" or been in so much snow in her life.

Maile Loves Beyonce!

2009-01-29T20:30:00.013-07:00

I love Kristina's twin girls. I babysit them one day a week (on one of my days off). It is so much fun to play with them and see how different and distinct their personalities already are.

Maile LOVES watching the new Beyonce video "Single" and stares at the TV when it is on. Joni could take it or leave it. I put a cute video of Maile taken today while the video was on.

For some stupid reason I turned the video camera sideways for part of the video so you'll have to turn your head sideways to see the cutest part.

And yes, for the record I do sound like a babbling, doting auntie when talking to Maile...I do realize that.

Now just to be funny, watch this hilarious parody from Saturday Night Live with part of the video put in as well (Notice Justin Timberlake and Andy Sandberg as backup dancers)

25 Random Things About Me!

2009-01-28T23:29:00.002-07:00

I was tagged with this on Facebook but thought I would post it here for those of you who who aren't on Facebook:

Rules:Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. When I get really stressed out I get a big red dot right between my eyes. I absolutely hate it. It's a dead giveaway to Mark or the rest of my family. They will always ask me what's wrong when they see the dot.

2. My red dot is a remnant of the "Griffin V" that seems to go through my mom's side of the family. You can see a faint red "V" in the middle of someone's forehead when they are sunburned, stressed, or if they are just in the right light. My mom, cousins, and even a couple of my nieces and nephews all have it.

3. I am not and have never been a morning person. I absolutely HATE waking up to an alarm clock...which is why I love working the swing shift.

4. I recently found out that I do not like the taste/smell of lamb.

5. My first middle and maiden name are 27 letters long and I was born on Feb 27th

6. I have a hard time hiding my emotions...they are always on full display on my face. If I hate you, if you did something disgusting, if I think something inappropriate was secretly funny you will know by looking at me.

7. In high school and in college I was obsessed with watching Johnny Lingo (old school version)

8. When I was 16 I got into 5 or more accidents/incidents and wrecked 2 cars in 2 years. There was a reason my friends were always deathly afraid to ride with me.

9. I get stir crazy when I am in Utah for a 3-4 months without leaving the state. I enjoy traveling.

10. I have a half brother that I haven't seen in 15 years.

11. I always hated the sound of my voice growing up but now I love the sound of my voice (minus the sometimes uncomfortable comments men sometimes make).

12. For some reason I got my hair cut SHORT (we're talking boy short) in the 5th or 6th grade. It was so hard to grow out that I have never gone to short hair since then.

13. I have every word of the Disney movie "The Little Mermaid" memorized.

14. When I was at BYU I had my tongue pierced for about 2 weeks (I wore a clear plastic cover so no one would see it).

15. My hair was completely straight until I was 5. My mom gave me a perm and I have had curly hair ever since.

16. My great great grandfather (on my mom's side) had a mountain in Southern Utah named after him.

17. I can type over 95wpm.

18. I resented my mom for a long time because I was forced to act like an adult and have adult responsibilities after my parents got divorced when I was 12.

19. I wrote a list in my journal of qualities I wanted in a husband when I was 20. 4 years later I married Mark who had every one of those qualities (even the random one about loving classical music, Broadway plays, ballets or things of that sort).

20. When I get into discussions/debates with people I love to play the devil's advocate.

21. I do this weird head tilt thing when people are taking pictures of me.

22. I always used to wish that people would describe me as "sweet, serene, and angelic" instead of "sassy, feisty, and opinionated." Now I love it though and I completely embrace the feisty, sassy, side.

23. I don't gamble or drink alcohol, or do drugs because I have an addictive personality and I know if I seriously start I won't be able to stop.

24. When I was in 6th grade I got the reader of the year award for reading more than 7 book lists in a school year (each book list could only be completed when you read 20 or more books from that category).

25. I try to listen to people as much as I speak to them.

Hail To The Chief!!!

2009-01-20T14:29:00.004-07:00

I love the inaugural speech President Obama gave today. It was filled with hope and determination. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it please take a minute to do so.

In my line of work as a 9-1-1 dispatcher people always seem to be so cynical and negative. That kind of attitude wears you down and can be depressing at times. If you have been negative about the new president, keep an open mind and at least listen to what he had to say on this historic occasion:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

**Did you know President Obama used the same Bible President Lincoln used when he was sworn in?**

I loved the whole speech but these are my two favorite quotes:

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

That last quote really struck me. We are in an era of change. The hope in the air is palpable.

Laugh Out Loud!

2009-01-12T17:19:00.002-07:00

After I picked up Mark from work we stopped at Subway to grab some lunch before I had to go to work at 3pm. While we were there the employee who was making the sandwiches had pretty large color tattoos of Mario and Yoshi on his arm.

Because I am on a Mario Bros kick (I am obsessed with playing it on my DS) I thought that was cool in a weird way.

When Mark saw the tattoos he seriously said "That guy's either a virgin or a child molester."

It was such a true and hilarious comment. What made it even funnier was that the guy was pretty hairy so it was weird to see his hairy arms have such bizarre tattoos.

I recently upgraded my cell phone so I could take pictures of these funny events. I was too embarrassed to go and ask him to pose for a picture. What was I going to say? um, sir can I take your picture to make fun of you on my blog?

Maybe next time....If I see him again I'll try and muster up the courage.

Random

2009-01-07T21:27:00.006-07:00

One thing I love about having a digital camera is that I can take the most random pictures (with the weirdest stories behind them) whenever I want. Because it is FREEZING and SNOWY in Utah I was looking at some of my vacation pictures while secretly planning another tropical trip...round trip tickets from San Francisco to Honolulu are only 298 right now.....

I love these random pictures!

Can you guess where this is? (Hint, it somewhere in Washington DC)
According to Mark this is a pretty famous landmark in Australia. They had AWESOME meat pies here.

Random Australian people at the beach in Surfer's Paradise
Beautiful view from our hotel room in Hawaii. The ocean view was even better than this one!
The traffic in LA sucks...
I don't even know that this ad is for. I saw it on my way to the airport in New Zealand
Loved this Elderly crossing sign. Notice the cane in the picture! Doesn't this house look more quaint once you know this picture was taken in New Zealand?

Alan's Birthday

2009-01-06T17:29:00.003-07:00

It has been a few days since Alan's 26th birthday, but I wanted to post some pictures from the festivities. We went out to dinner at Tepanyaki's and then went back to Mom and Neil's house for cake and ice cream.

I am so proud of my brother and the decisions he has made in the past few years. It was so awesome to see him get sealed to his family last year. He is such a good father and is so protective of his little babies. Growing up I know I was a brat and wasn't very nice to him but I hope he knows how much I love him and his family.

Mark giving pony rides to Noa and Zoei after cake and ice cream.

Zoei helping her daddy blow out his candle at the restaurant

A picture of the other side of the table. From L to R: Neil, Mom, Tina, Riley and Jeanne

Yum! Noa loved eating those noodles.

Alan's beautiful wife Talya posing with him for the picture.

Guilty Pleasure

2009-01-05T23:54:00.005-07:00

Or should I say TrashFest...

I absolutely LOVE this show and will guarantee you now that I will watch each and every episode and may re watch them on the show recaps leading up to the final elimination.

I have been a so-so fan of reality TV, but this show rocks (ha ha get it Rock of Love rocks, corny yes). It will be interesting to see how much more wasted the girls will get this year as they travel with Bret on the tour bus.

I would never let my grandma or any of my nieces or nephews watch this show but It's hilarious in a raunchy "I can't believe that just happened" sick and twisted way.

I almost wanted to throw up myself after watching this kiss...Nasty! If you watched the episode I'm sure you'll agree with me.
OK girls, a hint for you...Bret ALWAYS goes for the good girls. He may have a good time with everyone who will let him but he always ends up with the relatively "good" girl.

Great Night's Sleep

2009-01-01T13:41:00.003-07:00

Our new California King was delivered yesterday. I was so glad it came before I went to work so I could at least see it in our bedroom before I left.

When I got home and got into bed it was so comfortable. Our old bed was a piece of you know what. I had been stubborn and didn't want to get a new bed, but after enduring it for years and waking up 3 nights in a row with horrible back pain I finally relented and we went and picked out a new, improved, not broken bed.

Lately I have not needed as much sleep, which I hope is a sign my cancer is decreasing or at least remaining stable. I picked up a horrible sleep disorder on my mission which has stayed with me for years. I am optimistic that I have finally gotten rid of my sleep problems. I think this bed will help A LOT.

Mark is looking very blissful.
Here is the bed before the bedskirt, sheets and blankets were put on.

AAAHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

2008-12-31T16:21:00.003-07:00

It's my worst nightmare come true! Here I am at the movie theater with a bunch of family members and before you know it I have stumbled into a mini Crystal Lake.

I know I won't see this movie, but it was fun to pretend to be a blonde white girl getting killed by Jason. You'll have to look carefully for the blonde hair.

Here is Tina's best "scream"

This is just me pretending to be terrified. Honestly, when I get truly scared my knees buckle and I fall on the ground. It's only happened a few times in my life and it happened in what I thought was a life threatening situation.

I think it was Elder Barlow on the mission who was the last one to scare me like that. He broke into the apt and I honestly thought it was a burglar. He claimed he had to use the bathroom while they were in the area and his companion couldn't believe he wouldn't go in the bushes (I don't even want to go into that).

When I got to the door I immediately noticed the door was locked differently. I figured there must be a burglar inside the house and so I immediately began to think of the scariest thing I could say. Being a missionary of faith, I immediately kicked open the door and screamed the missionary scripture (3 Nephi 5:13) "Behold! I am a disciple of Jesus Christ the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people that they may have everlasting life." I figured I would glow or scare the intruder at least.

Mid sentence I heard someone start talking. I could only see a shadow. I was so freaking scared my knees buckled. My companion flipped on the light and lo and behold it was the Office Elder, Elder Barlow. I was so upset!

After the incident the story was hilarious, but when it was happening I didn't think it was the least bit funny!!!

Christmas Update - Christmas Day

2008-12-30T12:13:00.005-07:00

We had so much fun spending time with family. I felt rushed to go and see everyone and make it to work on time but everything worked out thank goodness. Mark had to work that morning from 7am to 11am. When he got home we opened presents and then went to grandma's house. During this time I prepared the rolls for the dinner later.

We went over mom and Neil's house and then went over to Tina's house for Christmas with my dad. We had finished eating and I was on my way to work by 2:45pm...It was quick but time well spent.

It was a very Merry Christmas. After I was diagnosed with cancer my priorities have changed a lot. I love spending time with my family. The gifts were nice, but I really loved feeling like I belonged and that I was surrounded by people who loved me.

Mark's mum Jean with her Christmas slippers
Mark's R2 D2 robot that dances and responds to commands

Maile hated wearing this outfit but she looked so ADORABLE in it!

Awwww...here's a second shot of her.

Joni and Sefa with Grandpa Noah. I don't think Sefa liked the red jacket and tie.

Talya's little boy Siosefa

Here's Joni with Mark. He wanted to make sure I got his hand in the picture. I'm not sure if he wanted to point out how big his hand was or how small Joni was.

Nice smile Riley...at least Joni looks very cute in this picture.

Christmas Update

2008-12-29T11:17:00.003-07:00

Christmas Eve-

I have lots of pictures from Christmas so I am going to post them as soon as possible. I got a new camera for Christmas (hooray!) so as soon as I can get those pictures downloaded onto my computer I'll put them up.

I had to work Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and the day after Christmas. The work week seemed so long! Thankfully my family worked around my hectic schedule. Here are some pictures of dinner at my mom's house (before I had to go to work at 7). I gave Christmas presents to my nieces and nephews that night.

Noa and Zoei with their presents. I think Mark is already trying to brainwash him with Star Wars (he needs to grow into the helmet). Zoei had tried 2 of her princess dresses on in 10 minutes!
Love this picture!

Princess Zoei with her pink dress

Maile (with the bow) and Joni with their toys. I love Joni's expression here. Check out Talya...I don't think she realized I was taking this picture.

His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful

2008-12-25T15:49:00.002-07:00

I love this picture by Simon Dewey of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus.

This year especially I have been grateful for all of my blessings and have been thinking a lot more about how my life has been impacted and changed because of my Savior Jesus Christ.

Now more than ever I am so grateful for the atonement. Not only does it cover out sins, but it also covers our pains and afflictions. When I am sad or when my body literally aches I still feel the peace that comes from Christ's gospel.

I am comforted knowing that Christ felt the same pain I feel when I look at a child and so desperately long for my own. He feels the aches of my body. I am comforted in these minimal afflictions and feel so much peace as I pray for divine guidance.

Last Sunday we had an amazing Christmas program. The bishop spoke about gifts and more specifically reference the talk from President Hinckley where he spoke about Gifts we bring home from the Mission Field. They include:

1. A knowledge and love for God our Eternal Father and His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. A knowledge of and love for the scriptures, the word of the Lord.

3. An increased love for parents.

4. A love for the people among whom they labor

5. An appreciation for hard work

6. The assurance that the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is available to each of us when we n we live for it.

7. An understanding of the importance of teamwork.

8. The value of personal virtue

9. The Faith to Act

10. The Humility to Pray

I am grateful that I was given these gifts and somehow I believe that I was prepared for the cancer diagnosis that I had. I received the necessary tools (most importantly faith, guidance of the holy ghost, and prayer) so that I could overcome this obstacle.

I am grateful for all of my friends and family (yes you!). Merry Christmas to you all. I will continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Neil's Birthday

2008-12-22T15:14:00.010-07:00

Yesterday we went over and celebrated Neil's birthday. Instead of cake we had apple, peach, and banana pie. It was fun to spend time with the family. After everyone was there we sat around and sang some Christmas songs and enjoyed each other's company.

Here are some pictures of the fun:

Jeanne, Riley and Tina by the pies

Tina and Kayla were wearing matching outfits, both sweaters and pants.

The birthday boy holding Joni by Grandpa Griffin.

Bryan and Uncle Alan having a nice conversation.

Grandma Durrant, Jean, and mom

Mary's cheesy face next to his mum.

Noa...silly boy what are you doing?

A group shot of a bunch of people there...

Zoei looking adorable as always

Tina and Zoei

This was a picture Zoei took with the camera.

The Jeans with Mark

Stop making funny faces Mark!

Maile and Tina

Noa, what a cutie!!

Nostalgia

2008-12-17T13:43:00.005-07:00

Here are some cute pictures I found of us when we were younger. It's fun to look back and see how adorable we were!

Here is Mark as a child. Check out that blonde hair!

Here is me around that same age...at least I think so anyway. Notice my straight hair. I didn't have curly hair until I was about 5 years old.

awwwww....here's a picture of me and Tina with Grandma and Grandpa. I am the older one with the chubby cheeks.

Temple Square Lights

2008-12-15T21:49:00.006-07:00

Tonight we went with a group of people to go eat at "The Roof" restaurant (on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building) and then went to look at the lights. It was fun to hang out with Alan, Talya, my dad Noah, Jean and Bryan.

The restaurant was a gourmet buffet and the food was DELICIOUS!! The desserts were outstanding and the view was impeccable. After dinner, Bryan stayed in the building and the rest of us went walking around temple square. We saw the nativity scene and the beautiful lights and I thought that this night was the stuff memories were made of.

Who cares if the check engine light came on the Yukon or that the battery died all before leaving our neighborhood? Who cares that Alan had to jump our car and we had to fill our car with coolant (which thankfully solved the problem...I think we have a leak). It didn't matter that we were 30 minutes late or that it was FREEZING outside.

We found Bryan's camcorder tonight in the very back seat (the third row) when we moved the seats for Alan and Talya. Tonight I also discovered that I truly spoil Zoei...and even she knows it! Apparently when Zoei is trying to do something and Talya is telling her she can't, she brings up my name "Stephie" as if to say "Stephie would let me do it." And you know what, it's the truth. As long as she's not beating up her brother or ruining property I let her get her way. I love to spoil her. I have been feeling so baby hungry lately that I haven't done a good job setting boundaries with Zoei. But I have decided to at least try to be better at following through with consequences.

Here are some pictures from tonight:

Talya Jean and Alan at the tree in the Joseph Smith building.
Alan and Talya with the tree Mark out by the lights at temple square.

Stephanie Jean and Mark by the lights Right after this picture was taken I remembered that I had broken my picture rule...no standing by Talya for pictures EVER. I quickly moved to the other side of Mark for the other pictures.

A random guy that walked by my camera while I was taking a picture. Notice his hat. Cheers to you random guy for wearing a New Zealand beanie!

I love Temple Square at Christmas time.

Too bad this picture was blurry....this was a cute one of us!

Bryan and Jean in the restaurant.

Say Cheese!

View near our table.

A second view in the restaurant.

Everyone at the table eating. It was a beautiful view of the temple, conference center and even the capitol building.

Nanny Jean eating an eclaire without filling. How dare they do that!

I was the only one with a camera so i have no idea why people are not looking at the camera and smiling.

Nice. At first I thought Alan was pointing at my dad but take a closer look. Talya looks beautiful in this picture.

Sumo Bruno

2008-12-13T13:14:00.002-07:00

About 10 years ago Mark was doing amateur sumo wresting for New Zealand. While at the amateur sumo wresting championships in Japan, he met a man who was interested in doing a sumo movie in Germany. It was a Karate Kid type movie involving sumo wrestling.

They paid Mark and a few people he knew to fly out to Germany all expenses paid to be in the movie. I found the trailer of the movie on YouTube last night. See if you can find Mark. He's only in the trailer for about a second...just a hint, he has a white mawashi on and has long hair (it was his real hair too).

Apparently this movie was released on DVD in Oct of this year. I'm trying to buy a copy of it for us to watch...

Stir Crazy!!!!

2008-12-12T16:09:00.002-07:00

Whenever I am in Utah for a long amount of time I always seem to get stir crazy and want to go on a vacation. Because I felt sick all of the time and had to deal with my cancer issues, I haven't gotten to travel much this past year and a half.

I am definitely getting anxious to get out of Utah. I love my home state but I also love to get away and see new and exotic destinations. I have a few trips up my sleeve state side this next year, but I REALLY REALLY want to go to this place. I have been dreaming about it for awhile now. Does anyone have any guesses?

I think this last picture will probably give it away. Mark's mum is celebrating her 70th birthday in 2 years and wants to have a big family gathering in New Zealand. Since this amazing place is a hop skip and a jump away we are going to go there on our way to or from New Zealand....or if I can find an amazing price before then we'll go before that.

*sigh* I need to get out of this cold weather!

Baby Blessing Times Three

2008-12-08T20:15:00.007-07:00

On Sunday we blessed Kristina's twins and Alan's baby as well. I knew there were going to be a lot of people there (with the big family and family-in-laws) so we got there 20 minutes early. The church was packed and I think we scared some of the ward members when they walked in and saw how many people there were.

The blessings were great and afterward we went to Aunt Gina's house (in her new big room addition) to eat. It was fun to visit with family and friends and eat great food.

This is my cousin Josh. Check out the spread on the table. It was all so delicious.

Here is a picture of part of the room.

My beautiful sister Tina with Joni and Maile

Dad's cousin, Dad, and my cousin Mele with the babies. One of my auntie's made these blankets for them.

Dad with the twins L: Joni and R: Maile

My uncle, two cousins, and my sister

And yes, I'm sure you've noticed my dad's red jacket and tie. I'm not really sure what was up with that or why anyone would want to wear a red jacket.

We had a lot of people from mom and Neil's side of the family. I thought I had taken a lot more pictures of everyone there, but unfortunately these are all of the pictures I have.

Still Recovering

2008-12-07T23:45:00.003-07:00

It's been a few days since Mark's surgery but he is still in a lot of pain and discomfort. For those of you who don't know Mark had the deviated septum in his nose fixed. The first few hours while he was still under the anesthesia's affect he was fine and his breathing had significantly improved.

However, about 30 mins after Mark was released from same day surgery at UVRMC he began experiencing excruciating pain. He took his pain medication right then and has been in a lot of pain ever since then. He is trying his best to manage the pain but he is still not feeling well at all.

Because Mark's nose had so many problems, he had to have two stints put up, one in each nostril to make sure that the nose cartilage didn't try to move back to its original place. He is also on antibiotics and he sounds like he is really sick too. I think it's just his body trying to fight off the foreign matter in his nose.

We hope to have the stints removed by Friday and then he should be better than ever.

Here is Mark in the hospital soon after I came into the recovery room. On the outside his nose looks pretty normal...
But on the inside it hurts a lot!

I have been trying to baby and coddle Mark since this surgery. He is the best at taking care of me so I want to cater to his every want and need. Love you Mark, get better soon!

Christmas Lights

2008-12-06T21:43:00.002-07:00

We went with Bryan, Jean, Noa and Zoei to see the lights at Thanksgiving Point a few days ago. It was fun to take the 2 kids up with us. They were so excited to see the lights and Noa kept saying "ooohhhhh" and pointing to all of the pretty lights.

At the end of watching the lights we decided to go see Santa's Reindeer by the deli and gift shop. It was fun to watch them. We took cute pictures of the kids by the reindeer and I thought my camera had gotten some pictures as well, but my batteries were low. You can only reverse the batteries so many times before they die so I didn't get to take the cutest pictures of the night.

While inside the deli to get some hot chocolate and free ice cream for the kids (they give free ice cream cones to kids under 3), Santa and Mrs. Clause came down the stairs and said hi to all of the kids. Zoei immediately recognized him and I of course tried to get a picture with my dead batteries but to no avail. Bryan had his video camera that takes still pictures too so he got some pictures for me.

Everything would have been okay but when we got home we realized that Bryan had left his camera somewhere. We looked and looked and it appears the camera and those cute pictures of Zoei and Noa were lost. Despite that we had so much fun up there. We'll have to do it again next year.

A nativity scene we saw after the lights. I reminded the kids that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Here are other fun pictures of the lights:

20 James Bond Movies

2008-12-04T14:48:00.002-07:00

Bryan's birthday present finally arrived in the mail yesterday. We were so excited to give him the present that we just put it back in the box it came in and gave it to him right away.

As you can guess by the blog title, we gave him the box collection of James Bond movies. He was very happy with his present. He said he had actually seen an TV advertisement for them and wanted to price them out and see if it was feasible to bring them back to New Zealand.

I actually got for 4 box set for an AMAZING DEAL and was just as happy about the price as Bryan was about the gift. He saw them advertised for $4 dollars a movie. Let's just say I got them cheaper than that.

Here is Bryan sitting in his favorite chair showing off his present.
I know Bryan will enjoy watching all of these movies. I think Sean Connery is one of his favorite "Bond Men"

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-01T18:32:00.005-07:00

This year we decided to get a real tree instead of putting our fake one up. We went to this AWESOME place my mom goes to each year and got a tree that was very reasonably priced. Jean came along for the trip.

We opted for a flocked one this year (hoping we will have snow outside to match it before Christmas).

We put our usual Christmas decorations: purple and gold bulbs, star war figurines, and hula dancing Santas on the tree. Along with the "regulars" that go on the tree we added something new. I hope this tradition will stay in our family. Mark wrapped candy bars in aluminum, glued hooks on them, and put them on the tree this year. His nanny always used to do this and we have been meaning to do it for over 2 years.

There are Santas on the bottom for the kids and candy bars closer to the top for adults...we're not trying to bribe you or anything but if you do stop by we'll send you home with one of these delicious tree decorations.

Here is Jean posing by the trees. She said it was much easier to pick Christmas trees out when it was cold outside. For those who don't know New Zealand has Summer weather during the holiday season.
The 2 men who sold us the tree also tied it to the top of the car. I was impressed that Mark knew how to maneuver the ski rack.

My husband is so STRONG. How many other people do you know that can hold their Christmas tree over their head with one hand?

Happy 75th Birthday!

2008-11-30T19:08:00.005-07:00

Today is Bryan's 75th Birthday. We went out yesterday with my grandparents and my parents to celebrate. Bryan and Jean wanted to go to Red Lobster. I was somewhat hesitant because I didn't have a good experience my last 2 times there.

We went and the food was amazing. I even ate the seafood platter which was delicious. It was fun to celebrate among family. Mom brought the cake and it was so neat to see Bryan's face when they brought it out.

I have included some pictures from the dinner and a few others that I like.

Mark loves this picture. He said he hasn't seen his dad this happy posing for a picture in a long time.

Make a wish....

Bryan with our waiter Jillian. This cake was delicious...except for the blue icing. From sad experience (the dispatcher BBQ) I have learned this blue icing stains your teeth, mouth, and lips so I just scraped it off.
In front of the lobster tank.
Mark and his dad posing for the picture.
Bryan and Jean in front of the St. George temple on their last trip here.
At Bryan's wedding. From L to R: Bryan, Mark, Jonathan, Kiliati, Andrew

Bryan's present from us hasn't arrived in the mail yet! I'll take pictures with the present when we finally give it to him...

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-28T10:46:00.004-07:00

Thanksgiving was at Alan and Regina's house and it was so much fun! I had a blast eating and talking with the family. This year I have realized I am grateful for so many of the little things in my life...my family being the most important of those little things.

Alan and Noa, I love Noa's smile here!
Say Cheese! Zoei and Kylie

A bunch of the cousins, from L to R: Dave, Jeanne, Kayla, Noa, Karly, Kylie, Katie

A big family gathering.

Mark eating the turkey leg. He always makes funny faces when I ask him to pose!

How Many People Does It Take...

2008-11-27T19:37:00.004-07:00

How Many People Does It Take To Flip A Switch on a Fan?

Well, it depends on the fan and the people. My mom has vaulted ceilings in her house which is nice...except when you have to flip a switch or change a light bulb. Here we are being inventive and had Talia stand on Mark's shoulders with Alan's help.

Mark is 6'8 and Talya is 4'11...I think with two normal sized people this may not have worked so well.

Steady, Steady...
At last! The switch was changed and not one bone was broken in the process.

The Down Under Gone With The Wind

2008-11-26T15:56:00.005-07:00

I went and saw the movie "Australia" a few hours ago and LOVED it. The movie was brilliant. I can't rave enough about how much I enjoyed it.

I had read a review that said something to the effect that the female viewer will see a scene with Hugh Jackman where her jaw will drop. It was totally true. My mouth was gaping open. I didn't realize that my jaw literally hit the ground until after the scene was over. It's nothing perverse, but more to the effect of "man he's hot!"

Hugh Jackman definitely was one of the most "blokish" (Australian term, click HERE for the definition) and handsome man of the picture but I loved the story because it had a lot more depth. I will warn you...you will probably cry at least once during the movie.

One thing I loved about the movie was the fact that it focused on the Aboriginal children who were "half cast." These kids were half white and half Aboriginal...kind of like me. I am half white and half Tongan. Throughout the movie I actually felt like a lot of it was therapeutic for me. You see how the little boy in the movie Nullah is treated differently because he doesn't belong to any culture. In some ways he is treated worse than the full Aboriginal people are at times. He was still someone important, someone with purpose in life no matter what other people thought of him.

Watching how he dealt with it and watching how things progressed in the movie helped me work through a lot of my "issues" with not really belonging to a specific culture too. In the end I felt satisfied with where his "story" had lead him. I loved the fact that he was able to be an integral part of both cultures in the end. I also loved how they addressed racism and I LOVED the "Drover's" theory about this.

But in the end, I know I will see the movie over and over again because of the romance and chemistry between Lady Sarah Ashley and the Drover. The soapy chest helped too....

I know I will be seeing the movie again as soon as I can!