Skinny dipping

One recent evening we were out night swimming enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. The kids were in the pool and Rob and I were watching them from the hot tub. Alex, all of a sudden, asks us if he could skinny dip. Well we were quite taken aback from his request as he is the most modest and shy of all of our kids. We decided that since it was just our family, and it was dark, it would probably be ok. We also didn't think he would actually do it....Well, he did.

 Alex stood proudly on the waterfall overlooking the pool and said, "Get ready to see art!" as he threw his arms up and dove in. That's all it took. The other kids were shedding their suits for their birthday suits and having a hey-day diving off the diving board into the pool yelling "I feel free!" I just shook my head and hoped that we didn't make a huge mistake as Liam ran around the backyard naked with Gavin's swimsuit. (No pictures have been included for obvious reasons). Thankfully we haven't had any complaints from the neighbors....yet. We did take several minutes outlining the strict and exact circumstances that skinny dipping is allowed. Thanks goodness for security cameras to enforce those rules :)

Redneck or Diva?

Last Thursday I did something I haven't done in a long time...BOWLING! What's even better is I got to go with some of my favorite friends. We had a Girl's Night Out where we connected with our inner-redneck selves. 

Jen, Melody, Julie & Traci (Left to Right)

Elise, Me & Traci

It was fun to see all of our different styles of bowling and throw in a little competition. 

It's very important to pick the right color of ball...Elise chose a nice orange that brings out the beautiful coloring in her skin.

Rule #1 of Bowling....you must look glamorous on the approach.

Notice the perfect form of Melody...oh, and she has a good bowling form too :)

The little known, but highly effective bum-grab maneuver produces a strike every time....well almost!

The Diva Victory Dance! performed so well by Traci!

Jen spanked us scoring 116 the first game!

The guys bowling in the Men's League that evening threw several annoyed stares our ways as we hooped and hollered our successes, or mourned our gutter balls. One old guy who was very serious about his bowling game told us that if we didn't quiet down he'd have us thrown out. He was kidding...I think. We did, however, get invited to join a league on one condition, we would sign up for bowling lessons as well. 

So, we must conclude from our lack of bowling skills, but effortless skill at looking good while we were bowling, that we are indeed DIVA'S and not rednecks!

Fabulous Friends

This last week I met up with a dear friend from junior high and high school...Beckie Child now known as Rebecca Bateman. Beckie recently found me on Facebook and after chatting back and forth invited me and Owen out to lunch. It was so fun hooking up with her again and picking up where we left off 14 years ago. I was so excited to meet her for lunch and loved seeing her again. She looks exactly the same and I felt like we were back in high school! (Surely I'm not any older now than I was then :)  I loved hearing about her life for the last 14 years and get an update on what's going on in her life. Beckie is so talented and accomplished and is a wonderful influence on her family. I enjoyed hearing how she is so faithful in following the Spirit and doing what she knows is right. She is and always has been a wonderful example to me.  She married David Bateman, who I grew up with since elementary school, so I got an update on him as well. Having lunch with Beckie reminded me how great friends are and how I need to be better keeping in touch. Facebook has been a fun way to hook up with friends and see how they are doing. 

This weekend we had another reunion with dear friends. Dave and Amanda Laycock from Canada were in town for a business conference at BYU. They stopped by yesterday for dessert and hot tubbing and we met them again today for the BYU game and had so much fun. (It really helped that BYU killed UCLA 59-0!). I'm convinced that the Kanuks brought good luck and that's why BYU did so great today! I love David's energy and zest for life, and Amanda's sense of humor and her ability to find humor in any situation. I admire the way they are raising their family and spend quality time with them. It's truly a blessing to have friends that no matter the time that passes you can just pick up where you left off. 

As a side note, my Mom and Dad came to the game with us today and had a lot of fun. It was so great to see them there cheering on the Cougs! Mom felt really good and is getting so strong again. As I watched my parents at the game, my Dad with his arm around my Mom, I was so grateful that they were there and are doing so well since their accident last May. We have witnessed many miracles and blessings through their recovery process. I am so grateful that they are still alive and able to spend time doing things they love. Love ya Mom and Dad!

                                  

My beautiful Mom and Amanda in the "mystery white tent" at half time.

Fore a Cure Golf Tournament

Yesterday was my first ever golf tournament! Booyah! We were the only all girl team and we rocked! We played in the Hemophilia Golf Tournament at the Homestead in Midway, UT. Rob was the Tournament Director this year and did an excellent job of organizing and running this amazing tournament. Ok, he did have a lot of help from some really amazing volunteers too.

My team was made up of me, Heidi Pestana, Kari Lawrence, and Bonnie McDermott. Heidi is my good friend and old back door neighbor in Provo. Her husband, John, is Rob's business partner as well. Kari, aka. Dr Lawrence, aka best golfer ever, is my good friend and neighbor. She's also become my golf mentor of sorts. And Bonnie golfs at Alpine Country Club and was a great asset to our team. 

We went to divide and conquer the men at this tournament and did a pretty great job of it. We shot 12 under (62 I think), Kari won the women's "longest drive", I won (woohoo!) the women's "closest to the hole", Heidi won the women's  "straightest drive", and Bonnie won women's "closest chip". Kari eagled our last hole (a par 5) with an amazing chip, and I even birdied on the "closest to the hole" hole. Kari, Bonnie and I all got on the green for the Jet Blue Challenge, and Bonnie and I were drawn out of the raffle. What a team of winners! We had a lot of fun golfing and joking around. 

I always look forward to having Rob's business affiliates, who have become great friends, come out to Utah for this event. This year on Monday the guys went golfing at Talon's Cove and then came back to our place for swimming and a BBQ. I loved having everyone here hanging out with our family. It was a great way to spend the evening.

The best part was the event itself. This tournament raises money to help families in Utah with bleeding disorders. Most of the money goes to pay for Camp Valor which is a summer camp for kids with bleeding disorders. It gives them an opportunity to do really fun stuff with kids just like them, to learn that they can do whatever they want, and also learn how to self-infuse themselves. This involves sticking a needle into their vein and administering medicine 2-4 times a week. Because Liam (our 6 yr old) has hemophilia, we are so grateful for this great foundation that provides support to families like ours. We are also so grateful for the friends that continually come and support this golf tournament through donations, golfing, and buying items in the auction that help this foundation.

.Rob's team from left to right 

Mike Fankhauser, Dwayne Fowles (bro in law), Rob, Brian Santiago.

This was the longest putt...I didn't win this contest. In fact, I didn't even come close :) I guess you can't win it all, someone might get suspicious. 

 

Things I love!

Things I love...hmmm where to start? Sunshine, road trips, basil (i love the smell of basil. It makes me want to rub it all over my body), taking a nap in a patch of sunshine, a good book, hot chocolate, pajamas, an early morning run on a warm summer morning, a witty sense of humor, music that makes me feel something, giggles, silly and quirky things my kids say, jeans that are comfortable and look good, the smell of lemon, the beach, hitting the perfect golf shot that is effortless and the result is amazing, smile lines, living beautifully, spending time with Rob, an unexpected phone call or note from a friend I haven't talked to in a while, babies, "wrestling" in the middle of the night when you are half asleep and when you wake up in the morning you're not sure if it was a dream or real, ice cream, glitter toes :), orange (the color, the fruit, the fragrance), sunrises, being warm, getting into a hot car when I'm really cold and my skin gets all tingly, my iPhone (love it!), surprises, texting, my kids doing acts of unexpected kindness, being authentic, Rob making me laugh, being spontaneous, laughing with girlfriends, sisters, making good choices, learning from wrong choices, living from a place that's REAL inside, traveling to other places and seeing the beauty of other cultures, the smell of a new baby, lunch with friends, fresh salsa, yoga, heartfelt talks, a deep belly laugh, a yummy salad, throwing together a meal that everyone likes, being open-minded, the satisfaction that comes from completing a project and doing a good job, a clean house, planting flowers and seeing them bloom, getting a massage, making cookies for my kids, hugs and kisses from my kids, my family! :)

Girl's Day Out!

Yay for Girl's Day Out! Today we snuck away from the hectic life that keeps us all busy and had a first ever (I think) Girl's Day Out. Nothing fancy, but lots of fun. My sister Heather,who is in town visiting from Washington, her daughter Kati, who is on break from BYU-I, my sister Megan, Mom and I went out to lunch at Chili's (thanks for treating Mom) and then went to see Indiana Jones at the dollar theater. The only ones missing were Amber (who had to work :(, and of course Melanie (since she lives in Georgia it would've been really hard for her to come. Maybe next time though :). Heather gave us all cute key fobs (I think that is what it is called) to remember the occasion. Mine is cute pink flip-flops with a yellow flower...perfect!

Megan (next to me), Me, Kati (across), Heather, Mom

So, I was really excited to see the Indiana Jones movie since I hadn't seen it yet. I'm a huge fan of Harrison Ford's and think he is still super sexy even as he gets older. I think it must be that ruggedness and the quirky things like the crooked nose that makes him so appealing. I love that he is doing an action film in his later years. I'm just realizing that he's really not that old, but I do have to say he looks pretty good in that white t-shirt and jeans. Ummm...K moving on....Anyway, the movie was fun, but so unrealistic I couldn't even try to believe it, but hey it was Indiana Jones. I did, however,  start to lose interest when it started into the sci-fi bit at the end. Atleast I got to watch cute Indie :) and it was only $0.50 that I didn't even have to pay (thanks Heather!).

It was super fun to see Heather again. We've all missed her and loved having her around so much while she was here helping Mom and Dad. I love spending time with Kati and is sad she is leaving for school on Friday :( but excited for her to start school again. Love spending time with Mom now that she is retired and has more time to hang out. We cherish you Mom and are so glad you are getting so much better! So glad Meg was able to come since she is always so busy working and raising 5 cute kiddos. Love you girls! Let's do this again...soon!