Aint nothing better!

When you love your job, you love where you live, you love your
ward, you love your calling, you have the best family ever,
some great friends and your car still runs.....
then LIFE IS GOOD!

ID road trip!

Steph and I took off Fri afternoon and headed to Idaho to support my little sister Denise for the Grand Opening of her cute store called "Beautiful Girl" in Idaho Falls on Sat. We stayed over in Rexburg at Steph's aunts house on Fri and enjoyed their gorgeous home, yummy homemade bread with strawberry pear jam for breakfast and soft beds to sleep in for the night.

The next day we traveled to Idaho Falls to check out the new store and support Denise and Mark. What a cute store! I sure hope it is a success for them. Leah and Lydia sure loved their new dresses I brought them home today!

All in all it was a great trip! Next time we are going to bring our temple clothes to go to the new Rexburg Temple and hope the weather is better so we can stop in Arbon to let Steph reminisce and visit old friends! Even if the weather wasn't the greatest, it was fun just to be in the car for so many hours with someone I absolutely love, enjoy chatting with and just spend time together. Thanks Steph for driving your car.

Here are a few pictures from the trip....

Janice and Merle's house in Rexburg where we slept

The two amigo's with full bellies!

Reegan and Tessa... up and coming models

The store... Beautiful Girl in Idaho Falls

Mark and Denise... new owners!

Cute Saige!

Inside the store!

A true blessing!

Spencer Ben got blessed today! It is tough to keep the little guy
from being sick when his two older sisters are sick and they love
t0 smother him with loves and kisses. He is such a cute
little guy who continues to change and grow
and is now laughing out loud along with
his continuous smile.

It was fun to spend time with those of both families

who could come for lunch after the meeting.

My first attempt at making carrot

cake didn't turn out too

bad either!

I'm four now!

Happy Birthday Leah! We braved the snow and went out
closer to Grandma Glade's and Emily and Jared to go
bowling for Leah's big day! So much fun!

After a fun afternoon of pizza and frys at the bowling
alley we enjoyed Chinese food and an amazing
barbie doll cake!

Everybody's favorite friend Stephie came to join us
for the bowling fun! She even owns her own
ball and shoes. Can you say pro?

Merry Christmas 2008

Until I find the camera the Kellie took Christmas morning
pictures on this is the only picture I have of the actual day!
What a wonderful Christmas with many thoughtful and
fun gifts and getting to spend time with those I love!
I could not ask for better family or friends!
I love you all and hope 2009 brings
more time to spend together.

A Christmas Gathering

For Christmas this year, we as a RS presidency decided that our gift to the women in our ward would be to get them all together in one place and share the Christmas spirit along with some talents of sisters that maybe some didn't know the others had. It was truly a wonderful morning... we invited YW, the YW leaders, all the Primary and Nursery leaders, all the home bound and less active to join those who regularly come to RS to join us in the chapel during our regular RS block time. The spirit was so strong with the wonderful music, songs, video and talks that were given. I think (if I counted right) we had 99 women there altogether. We were missing some, but know they would have been there if they could. We have already scheduled on the calendar our 2nd annual Christmas Gathering. So looking forward to that!

I was asked to write a poem for the program on the theme of "Give As Jesus Gave". This is it:

Can I ever hope to show Him?
Through my scant and meager ways
That I love my neighbor as myself
His charge that stands unchanged today

Do my actions match my heartfelt prayers?
That I ask on bended knee
Do I love and lift with kindness
Those less fortunate than me

Have I moved to fill an empty seat?
Next to someone lonely or brand new
Have I stopped to lift the heavy heart?
Of one whose name I never knew

Will I be able to convict myself?
That I have lived my life for Christ
That I loved and served and testified
Like the Master, His whole life

Do I seek with open eyes and heart?
The chance to give as Jesus gave
Will I ever learn the Healers Art?
His kind and loving, selfless ways

Concerts galore!

This is the group Voice Male. If you have never heard them or heard of them, you should either go purchase one of their two Christmas cd's or make sure you get tickets for the concert next year. What an absolutely great concert! Seriously. If they would have sang more Christmas songs than their kiddie stuff I would have absolutely loved it... but nevertheless it was still wonderful!

My Holiday season was started by being invited to join some friends at a really great concert called Forever Plaid Tidings! This was a great concert also... pretty similar to Voice Male except there are only four guys who sing.

I also had the chance to get in a dress (yeehaw) and go downtown among all the throngs of people and enjoy the Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert. Man, you are one lucky dog if you get tickets to that concert. This years guest vocalists were Brian Stokes Mitchell (who was great) and Edward Herrman (who doesnt really sing). It was fun to be there and we even got better seats than our tickets said cause the section we were assigned to was filled to overflowing.

I can't believe Christmas in just a few short days. It hardly seems possible to me that 2008 is on its way out. Where does the time go?

Best Recital.... EVER!

Leah's dance class awaiting their turn to perform!

The VERY short (lasted all of one minute)
but VERY cute recital!

The performer posing for the camera!
I'm so glad I was on time so I didn't miss this!
Way too cute!

Just shoot me now

It sure seems like a lot of sickness is floating around out there... and I have been lucky enough to steer clear of most of it.... that is until now anyway.

I have not felt well for the past week. Gratefully my stomach is back to feeling normal and food looks appetizing to me again. But the head cold I picked up is hanging on like its my new best friend. The days are much better than the nights. Why is that? I have not slept well... however this morning about 3am I realized that Heavenly Father created the human body in such a way that both nostrils dont ever get stuffed up at the same time! How cool is that!!

Thanksgiving 2008

The Friday after Thanksgiving is always designated Terry Thanksgiving Day... and this year was no different... only we had more come this year than any in the past that I remember. We were blessed to have 72 descendants of Vaughn and Peggy together(plus a couple extra who joined us) to celebrate and missed the other 14 who could not make it due to illness or other commitments. It was a great time with more food than we could all eat and so many people that I missed out saying hello to some and getting to find out how life is going for them. I would only change one thing... have the party last a little longer.

Here are a few pic's... I think I stole them all off Alisha's blog. Thanks... and so good to have you and Emma with us!!