I couldn't resist I had to share some more, I can't say a few because it is a bit more than that.

My car & Dad's This was after the mini blizzard that occured overnight...we arrived just in time.


Blake's Snowdive


Perfect Grandpa Material Now, if we could just get him and mom some grandbabies and not just baby neices and nephews.



Stairs are a GREAT way to keep the little ones entertained-Porter & Tori


And Back Up They Go


My Family






This family group photo is the siblings that were actually there at the moment of the picture and thier children: Uncle Mitch & Angie; Tiff, Me (at my heaviest) & Dad; Aunt Teresa & Coley; John & Uncle Stu; Porter, Emily, Uncle Derek, Emily, Madison & Blake; many were not present at this photo, so this is just a small group of us. We are a fun, crazy, goofy, supportive, loving family and I wouldn't have it any other way. I LOVE MY FAMILY!

These are some of my favorite photos that I took from my trip to Utah last month for my Grandpa's funeral. I took over 200 photos that I'm still putting onto CD's to mail to family, but these are some of my favorites.

Victoria (Tori) & Emily


Aunt Michelle & BlakeAfter Blake tried to out muscle his mama-think again mister. :o)


Father & DaughterMy Daddy and Sister


Coley & Mom EmbroideringI have no idea what was so funny, but knowing our family, it could be anything


Father & Son-Uncle Stu and John


Cousins-John, Coley & Mikey


Brothers-Dad & Uncle GregThere are very few pictures of these two and so it make this one all that more precious.


Uncle Derek & Aunt Michelle


You had to be there :o)


Dad, John & Blake cleaning my K&N air filter


John playing with Porter & Emily


There are so many more photos, but like I said i took over 200. As you can see, we are a large family (that wasn't even 1/4 of our family featured)-and we are always having a good time. Anything goes when we get together and we always have fun, even sad times are good times because we all comfort and support each other. I love my family!

These are pictures of my Mother's Day corsage and the plants Jarom bought me the same day for all my remaining pots. I planted a variety of different flower seeds in the majority of my pots, but I still had several left that needed some flowers still. I'm not really picky, just as long as I have a variety of colors.

As far as seeds go, I planted dwarf sunflowers, red poppies, morning glories to grow up and over the lattice covered part of the back porch, and so many others that I can't even remember. I still have some seed packets that I want to plant, but I think I want to plant them in the front yard--if I can get rid of those weeds. I just can't seem to get one certain section to go away, no matter how much we spray and pull. Those three packets left are: coneflowers in purple, a dragonfly hybrid mix of Columbines and summer carnival mixed colored Hollyhocks. At this point, however, they won't grow and blossom until next year. they should have been planted in March, but that gives me more time to work out those pesky weeks and create a better plan as to where exactly to plant them.

Jarom did a really good job picking flowers for the remaining pots. A few days later, I was out taking Jenna around town to get job applications and we stopped off at OSH to get her a housekey made and a couple shade plants for the front porch entry.

So, here are the following pictures I took before they were plantes. Sunday I will go out and take pictures of all the potted/planted plants; including the pots with bulbs that I planted a few years ago that rebloom each season. You won't believe the size of my lilies and they ahven't even bloomed yet! One plant, I'm positive is 4 feet tall! I'll have to take a tape measure out and actually measure it to see.

Mother's Day Orchid Corsage


Santa Barbara Daisies


Blue Moon Lobelia


Lavender Cuphea


Red Geraniums


"Ultra" Burgundy Petunias


Vintage Mix Stocks-My Favorite! I just LOVE the colors!!


Kimono Mix Celosia (shade plant) I love the bright colors and that yellow orange-not really orange but not yellow. Beautiful!

...was a big weekend. Jerry and Carla moved Jenna down for school. They arrived Thursday evening about 7pm, while I was at the grocery store.

It was a nice weekend. Friday afternoon, while Jarom was at work, I went with Carla and Jenna around town shopping. I made Greek Karbohnarrah for dinner with a green salad becuase it is full of starch, lots of cheese and cream. I had to have something healthy for us on the table.

Saturday morning, I started us all off with a small breakfast, but I have been struggling with getting good sleep so I hung out at home while Jarom went with Carla and Jenna to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I mostly spent the day watching tv, but I did get a small nap in. Jerry's depression still isn't really under control. I really think he needs a different medication, because he sleeps a lot--like I did when I first began my journey down the road to find the right medication for me. Saturday night, everyone went to dinner except me. I suffered with my IBS a lot this weekend so I didn't make it to dinner at Red Robin, but they did bring back a chicken Caesar salad that I asked for. It was nice and super yummy.

Later, we all sat down and watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and enjoyed strawberry shortcake. It was hard to watch the movie, but it is hard to watch any movie with Carla. It drives us all nuts, even Jerry. She constantly asks questions or the sound isn't right, but the questions are what is so irritating. On another note, I didn't care for the movie much. I found it to be far too long and boring. I don't understand what all the hype was about. Other than the make-up I just didn't see all the glory that it was bestowed by critics and people around the globe.

Sunday morning brought with it Mother's Day and still no sleep for me, so I got up and made a nice breakfast of french toast, bacon and fruit. Jarom ran to OSh to get some light bulbs for the guest bathroom and picked some grass seed and fertilizer for the yard. Also among his purchases were several plants for all my remaining pots that didn't get seeds planted in them. And, he picked up orchid corsages one each for Carla and me. They were beautiful!

I was touched at breakfast by one of the nicest gestures Jerry has ever done for me. I was cranky in the morning from several days in a row of little sleep and kind of perturbed that Jarom didn't wilingly help me with breakfast and further upset when he didn't even help his mom set the table for me. I told her not to do, it was her day and she is the last one to be setting the table. To top it all of I was hot-we were having aheat wave in the upper 90's and 100's. After everyone was about done with breakfast and I was finishing up the cooking of the french toast, Jerry came over to finish it up for me so I could sit down and eat. I can't remember a time when he has offered to help me with something. It was nice and I appreciated the gesture. The rest of the day was spent just visiting and a light lunch before dinner. Dinner was big with ribeye steaks, leftover Greek Karbonarrah, fruit salad, and green salad. We had strawberry shortcake for dessert again...tis the season for berries. With Monday morning arriving early, we were all in bed at 10pm.

I was up with Jarom Monday morning before he left for work and his parents got home to say goodbye to him. By the time they were up and just before Jarom left, I had warm, freshly made cinnamon rolls on the table for breakfast. I didn't exactly have cinnamon rolls to make but I had Pillsbury Grands biscuits, cinnamon, sugar and butter and was able to make them myself quickly. I just flattened the biscuits, spread some butter on top, sprinkled cinnamon and brown sugar on top and rolled them up, then cut them in half and placed them in a baking dish topped with butter and more cinnamon and sugar-baking according to package directions. The only change I would make next time would be to cut the rolled dough into thirds instead of halves. They are mini rolls, so I think we each at 3 for breakfast. Once they ate and Jarom left for work, Jerry and Carla went back up to bed. I didn't know when they would leave and while I was extremely tired from so much lack of sleep, I stayed up so I be with Jenna when we saw them off. They were up around 9:30 and on their way home around 10am. When they left, I promised Carla I would drive Jenna or with Jenna home in mid-July for a friends' wedding.

Okay, let's see. It's been quite awhile since I updated this blog. Life han't been too exciting, so there has not been a lot to share, but it is still very unlike me to not at least post something-even if it is just something I'm thinking about. I'll be better.

February-we did some shooting at the range behind Beal Air Force base. On Valentine's Day, Jarom and I celebrated 12 years of courtship.

March seems like a blur. It went by so fast. I did do some cooking-doubling what I made and freezing the second half. Meals for those days when I forget to take something out for dinner or when we have just had a long day and the last thing you want to do is cook.

April started off slow and then Easter was here. Jarom and I drove down to Watsonville to celebrate with my family there. It was a nice weekend and would have been even nicer if I had felt better. I have no idea what was wrong, but I felt incredibly sick on the drive down. We thought maybe I was car sick so we stopped and picked up some dremamine-it made it so much worse. Shortly after we arrived I went upstairs for a nap and woke up in time for dinner and then I retired early after just one game of 7 Up, 7 Down. Sunday morning came, along with the news that my Grandpa Lewis passed away earlier that morning. I was in shock at first and then I went to take my shower, Jarom followed me into the bathroom and gave me a hug and that was when I just lost it. I already had plans to see him in May.

The hard part about all this is that we had just barely learned he had lung cancer and the doctor gave a prognosis of 6-12 months as long as it hadn't spread to the bones and 3-6 months if it was. The test came back and it wasn't in his bones-good news! It was only like a week and a half's time. It all happened so fast, but I later learned that regardless he didn't want any treatments.

Although I hate that I didn't get to see him, I'm very grateful that he went peacefully and didn't suffer. I think had he chose to start any treatments he would have ended up in more pain and suffered.

I drove to Utah with my family in Watsonville, but I took my own car becuase I wasn't sure where I would go from there. I had pondered staying back and visiting some friends and also following Mom and Dad home to Oregon, but in the end I went home. I just felt I needed to be with Jarom-it was a bit of a rough week and without him there made it harder-he's my rock.

Grandpa saved everything! So many pictures were brought back to my Uncle's house when all the boys came back from cleaning out his apartment. He had this really old gun, and just all kinds of things that they didn't even bring back. The really sad thing is the story they came back with about him suffering long before he was diagnosed. I hate the thought of him suffering and being in so much pain, so I try not to think about it.

I took so many pictures of my short 5 days there. I have some 250 pictures that I still need to put on CD's for my family. We do that. Once we all get home we email our pictures to each other, but I got a little snap happy, but then again I haven't been out there since 2004. Because of work, i was never able to make the yearly May trip or Thanksgiving every 3 years there. It was so great to see everyone. My little cousins are so big. I can't believe our little Porter is 8! and Blake and Madison are teens now! It is so crazy. I had so much fun with them and I'm trying to convince my aunt and uncle to send the four of them to me for a week this summer. Emily was my little buddy. I'll try to post some pictures later today from my trip.

Alas, with death come life. My cousin Angie is pregnant with her second child and is due in about 2 1/2 months. She is having a boy this time and Victoria is just the cutest little thing with her platinum blonde curls and that smile is to die for. And, two of my high school girlfriends are pregnant and their due dates are a day apart-October 14th and 15th. I'm so excited for them and while there, of course, there was some shopping and everyones favorite is to go to the quilt shops. I found this incredibly cute pattern for a modern diaper bag-called the nappy bag. It comes complete with the pattern for a changing pad and bag for it. I just need fabric. I picked up the pattern because mom loved he one they made and had on display at the store. She wants something that is big enough for her purse, lunch and book for work. Now I have a great babygift, too.

Finally, Jarom mom and dad and sister will be here tomorrow. They are moving Jenna down here to live with us and go to school. I'm excited for her to join us. It will be a nice new adventure for her.

The first five people to leave a comment on this blog will receive something made by me. However there are some limitations.
1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it is going to be, poetry, clothes, paper goods, or a little invention of my own. I may bake something and mail it you . Who knows? Not you that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

Here's the catch, if you choose to do this. You must post this on your blog and be ready to make something for five people too. This will be fun! When you receive the fabulous item I make you, you must post a picture of it on your blog.

Hey everyone!

I know it has been a long time...2 1/2, maybe 3 months, but I will update this weekend. There just wasn't a lot happening and then WHAM! There was all kinds of stuff going on.

So stay tuned...