Grandma and Grandpa Hart

Breakfast and more sledding

2011-12-29T20:57:00.001-08:00

December 27

This was our last day. Janna and Luke had told us about a breakfast/lunch place called Snooze. We thought we would try going. We get there and were told we had a 45 min. wait. The kids were already hungry. We walked down the sidewalk a short ways and found the Corner Bakery. We had breakfast here. The food was good. All of the plates were empty. Snooze will have to wait until next time. (Maybe in February and without kids.)

It was a warm sunny day. The temperature was in the forties. So off to sledding again.

Leah ready for the hill.
Lilly didn't get to go last time because she wasn't feeling too good. I think she enjoyed herself.

Janna ready for some fun.

Janna put Sawyer on a sled by herself when we first got to the hill. She wasn't too happy about the bumps. She stayed next to Wayne after that. She didn't want Janna making her go down again.

Shea just loves the snow. We had a hard time getting her to quit.

See how nicely Shea fits the sled. She is so light she just sails down the hill.

Carin helping Lilly back up the hill.

Three way race. I wonder who won??

Rusty enjoyed himself. It got so warm that some jackets came off before we head for home.

The Lee children.

What a great way to spend a Christmas vacation. I was sad to go home, but at least Wayne and I are going back in February.

Christmas Lights

2011-12-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

December 26

Wayne and I sent two nights at each of the houses. Monday night was one of the nights at Carin and Trent's. Since they hadn't gone to dinner with us earlier in the week we took them to dinner. Afterwards Trent wanted us to see some Christmas lights. These next few pictures are from just one house. I can't imagine how much time it takes to set up and take down this much in decorations, or how big their electric bill will be come January. We were just glad to be able to enjoy their effort.

There was an amazing train set. I have a feeling that it is up all year long.

This family has been doing this for 29 years. Carin said it was their last. They are going to try to sell different cases and displays. Where would you store all the decorations the rest of the year?The Garner girls by their tree.

Christmas

2011-12-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

December 25

The Call family gets up early. The children were told they could not get out of there area until 6:00am. Kari and Matt got a phone call from the basement at 6:00. I understand a few of the boys had been awake since 3:00. They stayed downstairs.

Ryder enjoying his new train set.
Haylie investigating her sock.

Cade checking out new sports shorts.

Tanner ready to ride his new bike through the house.

Weston admiring his new BB gun. I think they were all happy. For some reason I didn't take any pictures at Carin's house when we went there after church.

Musical Program

2011-12-29T18:25:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve would not be complete without a musical program. Abby is doing quite well on the flute.

Brynn has just started playing the violin. She is using the violin that was Carin's and then Sara's,

Leah is singing a primary song. She has a sweet voice, very easy to listen to.

The boys sang Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. It was entertaining.

Haylie got Sawyer to sing a song with her. Haylie also has a good voice.

Janna and her kids sang a primary song. Sawyer insisted she hold the book. It made for a fun evening.

Nativity

2011-12-29T18:21:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve continued with a program. It started with the nativity. Matt and the kids put together costumes while the kitchen was being cleaned up. Wayne read from the Bible while the kid re-enacted the story.

Shea represented the animals in the stable. Like all the stuffed animals around her.
Brynn was Mary. Weston was Joseph. Cade was the donkey.

Abby and Haylie were the shepherds.

I really like this costume. Leah was the angel, thus the baseball cap.

The shepherds show really good amazement.

Next, the three wisemen came in bearing gifts.

Here is a view of the whole scene. They all played their parts well.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-29T18:16:00.001-08:00

December 24

Christmas Eve was spent getting ready for an early dinner. I was in charge of stuffing (of course). All the girls had assignments. Carin made party potatoes and other things. Janna was in charge of deserts. They were yummy. Kari had been struggling with the hives the last few days. She finally decided it was time to see a doctor. We only saw her lips, eyes, and neck swollen. It really looked uncomfortable. Kari had the turkey in a brine. My job was to get it in the oven while she was at the doctor.

Luke had my camera for a while and took some candid pictures.
Ryder

Don't you just love the expression.

Stone

JannaTanya had told us about a tradition in Great Britain. They have party poppers. Wayne and I saw some in World Market in Whittier. We decided to look for them when we got to Denver. We found a World Market and bought some.

You pull on both ends of this tube. It pops and out falls a crown, a surprise and a joke. I guess I didn't explain them too well before we pulled. Some of the kids threw away the crowns and couldn't find their surprise. Oh, maybe we will try again next year. Dinner was delicious. I should have taken a picture of the adult table.

Sledding

2011-12-29T18:03:00.001-08:00

December 23

It snowed most of Thursday. Only the main streets get snowplowed. The neighborhood streets are left unplowed which means you are on your own to get out of the neighborhood. Our car (Lex) doesn't have snow tires so we didn't go very far on Thursday. Janna's car has snow tires so she drove us to see the Garner family.

Friday morning the sun was out. The Calls and Garners came to the Lee's house. It was decided the weather was great for sledding. Janna took us to the neighborhood sledding hill. It was a great place, just a little tricky since it was a horseshoe shape. The sledding paths would cross.

Weston and Leah
Haylie and Abby

Cade and Van

Tanner and Stone

Shea, Leah and Brynn

The group climbing back up the hill.

Stone, Rusty and Abby

Janna

Leah

Abby

Brynn

Cade

Rusty.

Look how intense Weston was one this run down the hill.

Shea and Haylie

All the adults saw this one sledder going down the hill really fast and going further than anyone. We finally realized it was four year old Shea. She just fits the sled when she lies down. This position allows her to sail down the hill.

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-29T17:55:00.001-08:00

December 22

Dreaming of a White Christmas?? Well Colorado had a White Christmas. Wayne and I arrived in Denver Wednesday afternoon. Luke picked us up. We finally made it to Lee's in the late afternoon. We spent the evening enjoying the Lee family. Before we went to bed it had begun to snow.

When we woke up there was a lot of snow on the ground. This is the Lee's driveway. The one branch gets very low with the heavy snow. Luke tried to get his snowblower working. While he was doing that Wayne and the boys started shoveling. Wayne loves to shovel snow as long as it is just once or twice a year.
Kari sent us this picture of Tanner in their yard. They had just as much snow, maybe more.

Wayne working hard.

All the kids bundled up to be outside. Sawyer even spent sometime out in the snow.

Stone

Sawyer and Van

Washington at Night - Saturday

2011-12-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

November 26

Saturday was a fun day. Wayne has a client, a retired doctor that moved out in this area. When he heard that Wayne was coming to visit family, he invited all of us out to his place for lunch. It was a beautiful drive and very remote. The houses have to have at least three acres. Everyone has to get their own water, electricity, and sewer systems. The house was situation on a slight hill. It was all very lovely. Dr. Irwin and his wife were wonderful. They provided us with a delicious ham lunch. After spending a few hours visiting, we went to investigate some Civil War battle sites.

The next two pictures are out of order. (Again.)
This is an actual cannon from the Civil War time period. I believe several of the cannons traded sides or went back and forth because they got captured by the opposite army.

Two battles took place here. Both were called Bull Run. It all looks so peaceful now.

Later in the evening on Saturday, we went back to Washington DC. We had arranged for a night tour of all the monuments. Here is the WWII Memorial. This memorial is new since I was last in Washington. It is right across from the Washington Monument.

The Washington Monument can be seen from almost anywhere. I know these are the best of pictures. I need a tripod and a better camera to make them better. But I did my best. I wanted to remember what they looked like at night.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. monument is relatively new. It has been open for just a few months.

Lincoln Memorial

The Korean Memorial.

Iwo Jima. I was very impressed with this monument. It looked different on all sides.

We ended our tour by walking past the White House. We started our trip at the White House.

Sunday November 31st was our last day. We were able to go to church and hear Sara play the organ. We stayed just for Sacrament meeting. Their ward is quite large with many young couples. Sara and Mike seem very happy to be there. As always, it is sad to leave our children and go home. It too quiet at our house.

Washington DC Temple and Mount Vernon-Friday

2011-12-28T20:23:00.002-08:00

November 25

Friday morning we left to the Washington DC temple. It is actually in Maryland. The drive was very pretty. It is very wooded. We drove past the city that Sara works in. We didn't go through a session instead we did sealings.

The grounds are very pretty. As you approach the temple you drive through lots of trees. I imagine the leave change is amazing. Most of the trees had lost their leaves.

Sara and Mike's place is very cute. It is in a very friendly neighborhood.

After we changed and had lunch we headed to Mt. Vernon. The drive along the GW Parkway was very enjoyable. Sara and Mike have gone on a bike ride through this area. The suggested we park a short way from Mt. Vernon and walk. What a great idea. Once we got to Mt. Vernon we were glad we had walked. The parking was really crowded.

See!! Wayne can do his famous pose anywhere.

I thought the house in Mt. Vernon would be decorated. Just the visitor's center had festive decorations.

We walked down to the dock on the Potomac River. Just imagine walking on the same ground as George Washington. As we walked around his house and land we learned some interesting things. He considered himself a farmer. He tried many new things to help make crops grow better. He had a seven year crop rotation schedule. This allowed the ground to be healthier.

He created a sixteen sided barn. This allowed the horses to walk around in a circle to step on the wheat stalks. The wheat seeds then fell through the cracks to the room below. It made for an easier way to harvest the wheat.

Our return walk to the car gave us this sunset. I really enjoy colorful sunsets. In the evening we had the chance to walk around Alexandria. It a cute little city. We did some shopping. We were told that Pres. Obama also shopped here for his girls' Christmas presents.

Thanksgiving Day - Thursday

2011-12-28T20:23:00.001-08:00

November 24

We didn't get up too early, but once we got up we got the rolls started and the stuffing. Once the turkey was in the oven we drove to the Arlington National Cemetery. Again we had another pretty fall day.

There is no longer a tram to take you to the different places in the cemetery so we got our exercise in. This area reminded me a lot of the cemetery in France.

The Arlington House was own by George Washington's granddaughter. She married one of the leaders of the confederate army, Robert E Lee. I don't think he actually ever lived in the house.
The Eternal flame for President Kennedy.
I'm glad we had to do some walking. This is what we were able to see.
We made it in time to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is quite emotional to see this. Everyone was really quiet.

The amphitheater is in back of the area of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I believe there have been many funerals take place here.

Wayne wanted to find the memorial. It is in honour of the Battle of the Bulge that took place during WWII.

This is the view from the Arlington House.

The Thanksgiving feast preparation.

Mike made the sweet potatoes. They were really good.

We had a great meal. Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Week - Wednesday

2011-12-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

November 23

Sara had planned a lot of fun things for this day. Once we were off the metro we started walking to the capital building. There were a few trees that still had leaves. It made me realized that it was still fall.

The rain had stopped. It was a little brisk, but Washington DC was pretty. I had fun taking pictures of the different views of the capital building.

This picture is taken from the capital building's stairs.

We had tour tickets of the building. We had to wait for awhile so we visited a few other building first. Besides it was windy and cold.

I could have spent more time in the Supreme Court Building.

These are a few statues of the different Supreme Court Judges.

We weren't allowed to go on this staircase, but I thought it was a great view.

This is the first thing you see to greet you when you get into the capital.

The rotunda

In one of the rooms there are statues of someone important for each state. Brigham Young represented Utah.

After our tour we had lunch at the Indian Museum. It has some interesting food to buy. We still had time to kill before the hockey game so we went inside the Air and Space Museum. My school class had just read a story about Amelia so I took a picture and then showed it to my students.

I know we had done a lot of walking and visiting, but this is a classic. I think they were exhausted.

All the museums were closing so we had to go outside. The Washington monument was lite up. The iphone takes a better picture at night than my regular camera.

We stopped at Starbucks to get something warm. They finally kicked us out because they were closing. I guess it was time to head to the hockey game.

We had great seats. I enjoyed watching the game. It went into overtime. I believe Washington lost.

Mike knew some tricks to avoid some of the crowd on the subway going home. It was still crowded, but we as least had seats.

Thanksgiving Washington DC Style -Monday and Tuesday

2011-12-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

November 21 and 22

Sara picked us up from the airport. She did a great job driving since she is still new to the airport drive. It was a little rainy and overcast. Once we got home she made a great dinner. Then we decided to go to the grocery store and buy the last few things for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Tuesday we started our day at a cute little restaurant then we were off to explore Washington DC.

We walked past the White House. There was a moving van in front. I wonder what that means.

We walked past the Treasury building.

Our first real stop was at the Newseum. It is rather new. It is a museum all about the news. Sara is standing in front of a piece of the Berlin Wall. (This picture is out of place. I got ahead of myself. I still can't figure out how to move pictures around.)

Occupy Washington DC. I just don't get it. Why would you want to spend months in a tent? And it is raining.

We stopped at the National Archives and saw the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. You aren't allowed to take pictures of these documents.

Back at the Newseum. Here is Wayne trying to be a gangster.

Sara and Mike tried to be gangsters also.

Just outside the doors I got a great view of the capital. As you can see the day was a little gloomy but it didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves.

This is the top of the twin towers from New York.

Veternan's Day

2011-11-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

A Grand Canyon Veteran's Day

School has been in session for one whole quarter. It is the only quarter when we don't get any days off. Everyone at school was ready for a long weekend. When I told Wayne that I had a four day weekend we decided to take advantage. I saw an advertisement in the travel section of the newspaper of a train ride to the Grand Canyon. I thought it sounded fun. I booked a ride and a two night stay in the Grand Canyon Railroad Hotel. The train ride starts in the small city of Williams Arizona. Yes, it is small, maybe 1,000 people live there. There isn't a stop light.

The first night there we were trying to find something to do and noticed that a train was approaching the station. We decided to watch. The train from the Grand Canyon comes back at 5:45, it was only a little after 5:00. As we watched we noticed Christmas decorations on the train cars. One of the cars had the words "Polar Express." We asked a few questions. It was the employees night to take the Polar Express. The next night was opening night for the season. Families were dressed in their pajamas. There was excitement in the air. I'm sorry I don't have a picture. We only had Wayne's phone and I haven't download his pictures. We are told the train goes to the North Pole and back. The story Polar Expess is read and hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies are handed out. They reach the North Pole and Santa gets on and gives everyone a bell. They actually have two sessions each night. The workers were dressed as the cooks in the book. They had the cook chef's hats and white shirts. We were told that Friday night they had 16 train cars with over 1,500 people. I just wish we had grandkids with us. We will have to go another time and bring grandkids.

Friday morning at 9:00 there is a Wild West Shootout. It was pretty funny. We watched and then got on the train. The ride wasn't as scenic as I thought it might be but we were kept entertained. A cowboy played an accordion and different size harmonicas on our trip to the canyon. On the way back we had an Indian sing to us. He sang songs in at least 5 different languages.

These are the characters in the shootout.

There was several times on the trip that you could see the rest of the train. We were in the cheap seats. Some of the cars had sky windows.The first view of the canyon is truly amazing. You almost think it is just a painting. At the South Rim it is 12 miles across. There are a few areas where it is 18 miles. Down to the canyon floor and the river is 1 mile, however to actually walk it, it is about 18 miles. This is what we missed 28 years ago at Thanksgiving time. The snow was coming down so hard we couldn't see the canyon then. We thought we might have the same experience this time. Luckily it was just overcast. The canyon was beautiful.

The views are unbelievable.

If you look closely you can see a trail zig-zagging. This just takes you to a plateau.

This is the plateau. If you look you can see where the trail drops off to the next level. Wayne claims he took this Bright Angel's Trail to the bottom and spent a night or two at Phantom Ranch. He was a teenager. He thinks I wouldn't make it back up once I made it to the bottom. I probably could if I had a mule. But then I was sore with the short horse ride we took in Steamboat Springs.

I had fun taking pictures. The view changes every few steps.

Believe it or not Wayne is really on the edge. I don't think his hands were sweating.

He was sitting on a ledge. I caught him with is eyes closed. We joked that he was too scared to look down.

On the ride home we had train robbers get on. If you look at the very first picture in this blog you will notice it is the same characters as the shoot out.

The sheriff saved us.

I I don't think I have ever seen a prettier sunset. The sky just kept getting redder and redder. It was a great way to end our train ride.

Lisa's Baby Shower

2011-10-29T17:53:00.001-07:00

Can you believe that Lisa is going to have a baby. She has always been so good to all of our little kids I know she will be a great mother.

Angie gave a really nice party. Lisa looked so cute and happy.

It was amazing how many presents she received. I'm sure her place in San Diego will have to be bigger to fit all the new things.

This was a silly game. We had to guess the size of Lisa's stomach. We measured it by how many piece of toilet paper she was around.

It was a fun day. I got to spend time with Carol and Martha and visit with Lisa, Kaitlin, and Natalie. It was so nice to be included in this party.

October

2011-10-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

October is one of our birthday months. There are 5 birthdays in our family in October. June is now the only month that has more birthdays even if Kari said she was going to be the only one with a birthday in June. I have loved October because of birthdays, the changing of leaves and Halloween. This year was kind of a big birthday for me. I have been trying not to grow older, but nothing has stopped it from happening. Our kids decided I needed to have a party. It was easier for Wayne and me to go to Colorado then all of them to come to California. So Wayne and I took off after work. Luke picked us up and we spent the first night at the Lee's. When we woke up in the morning we found that it was snowing. This canceled games for the Lees and Garners. Tanner's team still played. It was rain instead of snow at their place. We tried watching the game but ended up watching from the car.

Shortly after the game everyone arrived at the Calls. We had a wonderful meal Cafe' Rio style. Then we played some games. I appreciated learning about what prices were like in 1951 and some of the important events that happened that year. The family feud game about my favorite things was fun. It is amazing how many right or close to right answers the family came up with. The highlight of the night was the book the family put together. I have looked at it many times.

We had a family sleepover. Kari and Matt were wonderful hosts. Everyone had a good place to sleep. It was fun having everyone around.

I just want my family to know how much I love them. I am so glad I am a mother to five wonderful children, and 16 terrific grandchildren. I would do anything I possibly could for each of them. I'm so grateful I know that families are forever.

Tanner and Conference

2011-10-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Wayne and I were very concerned when we heard about Tanner being hit by a car. We are so grateful that he has only minor injuries. He is such a determined soul that I have always thought he will do something great. I know he had angels watching over him.

October is one of my favorite times of the year, Conference is one reasons I like October. It is always so good to hear from our Prophet and other church leaders. President Monson always seems to talk right to me. I love his sense of humor and his many stories. He makes me want to try harder to do what I should. I want to go out and rescue, however, it is harder then it sounds.

Conference has been a time when I could get together with my family. This year is a new adventure for me. I am by myself, all by myself. Wayne is with his mom and brothers on the houseboat, and the children that use to live here have moved to distant places. They live too far away to come for Sunday morning breakfast of scones. Tanya asked for the recipe, maybe she will make some.
Just the same, by myself or with loved ones, I love listening to conference. I feel the spirit and this helps me remember that I know the church is true. I am so lucky to live at this time when I can here the Prophet's voice right in my own home.

In Loving Memory

2011-09-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

Today was James Brown's funeral. It was very nice. We learned a lot about his life. It was interesting to hear about his childhood. It was his mother who encouraged his testimony. He came from very humble beginnings. If you read his "What I know," you will realize he truly lived what he believed.

James Brown

2011-09-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

James Brown died this week. He was such a giant of a man. He was an amazing example for everyone. I will always be grateful for what he did for our family. He not only gave all our children their patriarchal blessing, he also married three of them to their spouses. He had a terrific sense of humor. His understanding of the gospel was what I would like to emulate. I believe he had an awesome reunion with those that passed on before him.

He will be missed.

Monday will be the start of the 4th week of school. Last week was just a blur to me. The principal asked me to take a 1-2 combo. The class started on Tues. The students weren't assigned to me until Friday after school. That only gave the five teachers involved one day to rearrange, yet we still had to teach on Monday. Therefore, there has been a lot of moving and confusion during after school hours. First, I had to give most of my second grade supplies to the new 2nd grade teacher. (Papers that had already been torn out of consumables and copies of assignments had to all be recounted. ) I'm still missing things. I already had student pictures and work on my boards. So I had to redo my boards. To make things even harder Thursday was Back to School. Somehow I made it through the week. I have been happy to have a weekend to correct papers and hopefully do some planning. I enjoyed my combo last year. I'm sure I will enjoy this class this year once I get all my supplies and books. All the teachers just wished the district people incharge would look at the numbers during the summer rather than waiting for school to start. All of us had already gotten attached to the students we had. I gave up 25. I only kept 5. Here's hoping for a good year.

In Memory of 911

2011-09-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday Michael and Alyana came to visit. Really they came for a vacation. They were busy. They went to Disneyland, the beach, an Angel's game, and the USC - Uof U game. They both graduated from the U of U and they love the Angels. We did get to see them a little bit on Saturday morning when we went to Ruby's in Whittier for breakfast. It was nice to get to know them a little better.

Do you think they wanted the U of U to win? It was a close game, but the U still lost.
This is a small garden of flags. The flags represent the different people who lost their lives on 911.

Today is the 10th anniversary of the 911 attack. The news the last few days has shown lots of picture from that dreadful day. I just remember how numb I felt. Since I was teaching, I wasn't able to watch the event unfold. It would not have been wise for me to have the TV on in my classroom. However, during recess and lunch it was on in the teacher's room. I just couldn't believe it was happening. One thing that stands out for me was the airplane traffic above our house. There wasn't any for many weeks. It was almost spooky. We have grown accustom to seeing the planes. Also, Tim was on his mission. We didn't receive any communication from him for almost 3 weeks because the planes were not carrying the mail. I think this was about the time that the missionaries were able to begin to email their families. Watching the memorials that have been going on this weekend helps me realize what a wonderful country we live in. I'm sure the terrorist were hoping this would pull our country apart. However, I think it has brought us closer and made us more patriotic. I know the USA still has many problems, but I love this country. I love the freedoms that we have here.

I know the next few pictures are kind of dark, however, I wanted to take part in some of the services that were happening this weekend. Rose Hills had a rememberance going on. Wayne and I actually got to touch a smalll piece of the Twin Tower wreckage. In the background is a wall of names. The names of people who lost their lives that day.

Inside the chapel at Rose Hills names were being read. Then a bell was chimed. It was a little humbling to hear the names.
God Bless America!!!

Labor Day - The End of Summer

2011-09-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

As Labor Day approaches I get mixed emotions. It is sad to see summer end, then it is exciting for school to start. This year has been a little confusing for me since I have already had four days of school. I think that is a first in my teaching career. This year has also been different for Wayne and me because we have just the two of us here to celebrate.

We decided we would go to Ruby's for breakfast. The 60 freeway hardly had anyone on it and we had showers. This is unusual.

We were able to get right in. The help asked where the rest of the family was.

It tasted as good as it looks.

Wayne always goes for the big breakfast. That means he usually won't let us get anything else for the rest of the day. He has had his one meal for the day.

After breakfast we walked down to the Wedge. There has been a big storm down by New Zealand which caused really big waves to come to the Wedge this week. The waves even crashed into the parking lot so berms were pushed up to prevent any more flooding.

The really big waves have passed, but I was able to catch a few that look pretty dangerous. The kids out in the water were just picked up and smashed to the ground. I think I have outgrown the need to be smashed. The waves were still fun to watch.

I thought this was a really good shot.

We continued our walk to the ferry and then over to Balboa Island. The cloud cover kept the walk very pleasant.

This sailboat caught my eye. It just looked so big. It was moving at a pretty fast pace.

We ended the day by going to the movies. We saw "The Help." It is an excellent movie. It helped me realize how far this country has come in the way we treats people. Now that Labor Day is almost over, I have to face reality and get serious about school. I have a sweet class. I have many different learning levels to work with which will make it a hard year. Having thirty students is also going to keep me busy. I hope all my grandchildren that are in school will try their best. I want them to have a good year.

Janay and Michael

2011-09-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Wayne and I have been home from our vacation for just over two weeks. It has been a busy two weeks. My first day back brought a phone call about a sister in our ward that had passed away. Anna Smith was 93. Mimi and I arrived at the Smith home while she was still at the house. We did our best to console the family and let them know we were there to help. As the funeral approached we had the privilege to dress Anna in her temple clothes. Her son was the only member of the church. A week after Anna passed away, our dear friend Rick Westbrook died of cancer. Wayne and I had visited him on Sunday in the hospital and he was able to talk to us. On Thursday we had made another visit to him in his home. Shortly after we left their home he passed away. His funeral was yesterday. I believe over 500 people attended. The service was very spiritual. Our ward asked Hacienda 2nd ward to help us with the food. We fed over 200. The Westbrook family is truly an amazing family. They appear very composed. I believe they have been blessed and comforted with the knowledge that they will see him again.

After the funeral Wayne and I went to Janay and Michael Petty's wedding reception. It was very lovely. All of Lily Ann and David Peeler's children and grandchildren were there except for Andrew Hatch. He had to be at school.

Janay and Michael are a very cute couple.
The reception was in the Peeler's backyard.

Janay sang a love song to her new husband.

Lily Ann and Christian had a dance together. He truly is tall. I can see why he plays basketball in college. It was fun to see all the Peeler family. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Extras

2011-08-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

I found these pictures on my other camera. I had just taken a few so I had forgotten about them. I wanted to remember how the London Eye looked at night.

The night we went to Harrods we found this amazing dollhouse. It would be fun to watch my all my granddaughters play with something like this.

I borrowed this from Tanya's blog. Tim was the only one who was crazy enough to take a picture. It really was a scary room. Thanks Tanya for sleeping so close to me.

Parliment

2011-08-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

Day 14 and 15

August 16-17

Wayne and I got up early so we could be at Parliament for a 9:15 tour. I think one of my pictures from the last post is suppose to be on this post. Oh well, it is what it is.

I really enjoyed our tour of Parliament. I learned a lot about the way Britain's government is set up. It is very different from America's government. The governing body is the House of Commons. There are over 600 members. How can that many people make decisions? The room they meet in doesn't even have that many chairs. The queen is not allowed in this room. On Opening Day of Parliament the queen reads a speech that the House of Commons writes for her. Once she is in her throne ready to address Parliament the House of Commons makes her wait. That is their way of saying we are in charge. I was not allowed to take pictures. The House of Lords side is very richly decorated. The House of Commons is nice, but not as ornate. I really enjoyed the tour.

I have always liked looking at Big Ben.

We next walked around Westminster Abby. It is a good thing we had taken a tour last year. The line was way too long. We hadn't looked at this side of the Abby. It is a great looking building.

We continued our walk down Whitehall. As we were approaching Horse Guard we were blocked off by the police. We soon found out why. Horses were coming out so they could trot down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. It was time for the changing of the guard. We didn't see the changing of the guard but we did see the horses. We walked through the Admiralty Arch and then down The Mall. This is how the Mall is decorated.

We came across these two statues of the King and Queen. They are the Queen's mom and dad.

At the end of The Mall is Buckingham Palace. I had fun taking pictures as Wayne rested.

Once we were through with Buckingham Palace we strolled through St. James Park. We came across this little cottage. I think it has been the caretaker's place.

Our walk continued back to the river where we crossed on the pedestrian bridge. It was here that I found my souvenir, a small painting of London.

For our final night, took a picnic to Greenwich Park. We ate in the flower garden. It was very calm and relaxing.

It was a great way to end our London Holiday.

We left early Wednesday morning for the airport. It was sad to leave this cute little family.

Natural History Museum

2011-08-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

Days 12 and 13

August 14-15

We got up early Sunday morning and walked across the street to the train station. We had to look around for the Eurostar area. Once we found the area we went through customs. Tim and Tanya had to talk to the agent longer than Wayne and me. Tim showed all his paperwork with his copies of their original passports and visas, their temporary passports and visas, and their new passports without the new visas. The agent approved everything and they walked through customs. I think all of us were a little worried, but there was really no reason to be worried. Once back in London we spent the rest of the day just recuperating. We did get dinner and had fun walking to Greenwich Park. It was fun and enjoyable watching the girls play. Natalie is much more courageous than Marisa. Marisa learned how to slide down a pole by watching Natalie.

Monday morning, Wayne and I went and explored London on our own. We spent some time at the Natural History Museum. I just love the outside of this building.

The Natural History Museum was different than the museums we have visited so far on this trip. It was actually nice to see something besides art and old buildings. There were a lot of good displays. Since it was free, we didn't feel bad that we didn't spend a long time here.

Once we finished the museum we did some more walking around parts of the city we haven't seen too much of. We headed to Leichester Square. Half price play tickets can be purchased here. We were hoping we could see a matinee. They aren't available on Monday. As we were walking I saw this interesting building. It belongs to the Masons. It made me think of the Di Vinci Code.

Our next stop was Covent Gardens. It is a cute shopping area with lots of outdoor entertainment. We found a nice place for lunch. We finished our tour of the city by shopping on Bond and Oxford Streets. We had promised Natalie that we would buy her a train set for her birthday. Tanya told us about John Lewis. It is a huge store that had everything I was looking for, train set, flashdrive and books. I finally had a good shopping day.

We headed back to Tim and Tanya's. As we got off the underground, Tim was also getting off. We went the rest of the way home with him.

Monte Michel

2011-08-22T20:39:00.001-07:00

Day 11
Mont Saint Michel

Saturday morning after our breakfast of French pastries we got back in the car to drive to Mont Saint Michel. The drive was very green and pretty. As we got close, you could see this gigantic building in the skyline. There was nothing else around it. It took us awhile to travel the roads to actually get to this island. We went through several small French cities. Mont Saint Michel is actually an island, but then it isn't an island when it is low tide. The water goes way out when it is low tide. We would have to wait several hours until high tide so we didn't see it as an island. People still live and work here.

This is what you see as you approach the island.

Here you see homes and shops.

As you can imagine there were tons of steps. It wasn't too stroller friendly.

Wayne, Tim, Marisa and I climbed the stairs to the top.

It is still a working church. There was a service going on when we reached the top. Because the priest and nuns (I don't know if that is what they are called) were so still I thought they were models, but then the models stood up.

This is a view of the channel from the top. Those tiny little dots are people. As I mention before, the water was at low tide.

This is the court area at the top.

We didn't spend a whole lot of time here because we wanted to get back to Paris before it got dark. Our drive back was pleasant and we weren't have any trouble following the roads to get to Paris. That is until we were in the city. The GPS was working, but it was recalculating when we weren't going the way it wanted us to go. One of the tunnels was under construction. The GPS kept taking us back to the tunnel. Thank goodness for Tim and his maps. I wouldn't really say we were lost but it did take us a long time getting to where we wanted to go when we were so close to our original destination. It allowed us to see more of the city then we would have seen. Wayne drove around the Arc de Triomphe. Because there are no street lines he got to dodge the other cars. We finally arrived in the part of the city where the train station is. Pretty scary part of the city. The guys were going to drop the girls off at the hotel, but changed their minds when they saw the parking entrance. It was an interesting experience getting the car parked and our luggage up to the street. We finally made it. Only the girls weren't too excited about the looks of the hotel. There was only room for two people in the elevator. The room was really a dump. It is a good thing that Tanya can tolerate her in-laws because it was very close quarters.

We really didn't want to spend more time than we had to in this tiny little room, so off we went to the underground, back to the part of the city we knew and felt comfortable in. We wanted to have one more crepe before we headed back to London. We found a place right by the river then we stood on the bridge and watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle. What a wonderful way to leave Paris.

Our Bayeux Hotel and pastry shops

2011-08-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

My purpose for this entry was to remember the color scheme in this hotel. The walls were orange and lime green. Inside the cupboard was blue. It sounds funny, but it certainly made this place a place to remember. I wish the pictures had turned out better. As you can guess by the ceiling, we are on the top floor. This time there was an elevator, but it only went up to the third floor. We were on the fourth floor. Yes, we had to climb more stairs.

The two mornings we were in Bayeux we explored the pastry shops. In this city we didn't have much luck with the French speaking English. Just the same, we got them to understand us. Saturday morning the city had a huge open air market set up in the main city's parking lot. We still liked the pastry shops the best. Don't they look wonderful?

The cutest little street in Bayeax

2011-08-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

As we were strolling down the street in Bayeux we came across this adorable street. Some of the pictures are Tanya's and some of them are mine.

The flowers and the waterwheel just make it look so refreshing.

This street was blocked off for just pedestrians. Then all of a sudden this little train appears.

Bayeux

2011-08-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

Day 9

August 11

Wayne and Tim went to pick up the car from the train station. We had rented a gps but couldn't get it to work in the city. It was a good thing Tim likes maps because he brought his big map book which got us out of the city.

It was a pretty drive to the French city of Bayeux. It was really close the D-day action in WWII.
It has a cathedral. It was hit during the war, but fortuately not badly damaged.

It is a very quaint little city.

After dinner we drove around a little and found the British Museum. It was closed so we just walked around the small grounds in front of the museum.

There is a memorial down on Omaha Beach. Seeing the memorial you have to feel some reverence for the fight for freedom that took place here and other beach on France's coast.

Day 10

August 12
After our breakfast of French pastries we headed to the American war cemetry.

It is very beautiful done. It truly honors those who died.

It was a cloudy. It tried to rain and then the sun tried to come out.

The rows of crosses are so perfectly lined up. I believe there are over 9,000 Americans buried here. The French had less than 20 die during this battle. Really??? I find that hard to understand since it took place in their country for their freedom.

We then went back to the British Museum. It was interesting to see their persective. Just about the time we were leaving I heard someone call my name. It was Marikate Wissman. She is a teacher at my school. I knew she was going to Germany this summer. I didn't know she was also going to spend time in France. Who would have thought I would see someone I knew in a foreign country?

Versailles

2011-08-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Day 8

August 10

Versailles was our destination this day. We took a train out of the city. The approach to the royal palace is quite impressive.

The crowd was impressive as well. We had to zig-zag back and forth several times before we got to the inspection spot. Once inside we found out the stroller had to be left behind. Tim checked it in.

The front gate was very radiant.

The decor was very lavish.

It amazes me that royalty would have their own private chapel in their home. The organ has so much gold ornamentation.

This is a lovely stairway.

Here is the chapel again on a lower level of the palace.

I think all of us were blown away by this hall of mirrors. The mirrors made it look twice as big as it was and it was big. This picture also shows you an example of the crowds we were up against.

At one time there were about 20,000 people living here. Most of them probably took care of the gardens, the palaces and the king and queens' demands.

This view of the gardens is just a small section. There are many different gardens. I think it would take years to walk through and explore all the gardens.

There was also this garden.

And this garden view.

I couldn't even begin to count all the statues.

In the background you can see the grand canal. It is in the shape of a T. Many people were boating.

This cute little palace is called the Petit Trianon. It was Marie Antoinette's palace.

The Petit Trianon had its own garden.

Can you spot Wayne relaxing while I take pictures?

This is the king's summer home. Remember I just walked here from the big castle. This is huge. It is really close to the Petit Trianon.

We were able to get the stroller back to walk around the gardens. It was a good thing because this place is gigantic. I can see why the people of France rebelled against their royalty.

We went back to Paris for dinner. Up to this point we had not had dinner outside. The main reason is that many people smoke in the outside eating area. We found this little place right across the street from St. Chapelle.

After dinner we went looking for ice cream. Both Tanya and I had heard that the best ice cream in Paris is found on the Island of St. Louis. On the walk I took several pictures of Paris' beaches. Sand has been trucked in the last 10 years. I guess if you can't make it to the real beach this would work.

Yes, we found the ice cream. I think the next few pictures tell you how delicious the ice cream was.

The cone was very artisticly presented.

I think you could say it was yummy.

Eiffel Tower at Night

2011-08-22T16:43:00.001-07:00

Wayne and I went back at night time to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up.

It really is an amazing sight. My camera and my photography know how do not do justice to the experience. It would have helped if I had a tripod.

This only attempts to show the sparkling lights.

Eiffel Tower

2011-08-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Day 7

August 9

To be honest with you, this is the day I have been waiting for the most while visiting Paris. I really wanted to have an up close look at the Eiffel Tower in daylight and night light. We had reservations for 10:00. Not knowing how long it might take us to get to that part of town, we left rather early. The girls had plenty of time to run around and get their wiggles out. It was here that I noticed the most gypsies. They carried around clipboard and would ask you to sign something. It was a way to distract someone. Tanya had warned us about this technique, so we just shooed them away. It was interesting to see them scatter when police showed up.

The beginning of the day was overcast and gloomy which makes picture taking a littler harder to get a good picture. I took a few shots anyway.

This shows the staircase we could have taken.

The sun started braking through the clouds. I wondered how the elevator would work. As you can see, it is two parts and goes on a slant.

Waiting for our turn to line up.

The next few pictures are view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower.

If you look at the far end of the little island you can find a miniature Statue of Liberty.

It was really cold and windy at the top.

The sun finally came out and we had beautiful blue skies.

I don't think Wayne got to sweaty standing on this level while looking out at the city.

I need to find out why these names are on the tower.

We ate lunch at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

Our next stop for the day was the Arc de Tromphe. It is really majestic. There are twelve streets that start at its base. The street is just a big circle (roundabout) and there are no lines to help the traffic stay under control. Several people tried running across. That's not the safest way. There is actually a passageway underground to help you get to the island in the middle of the street.

The architecture is very cool.

We took turns climbing to the top. First is was Tim and myself. Wayne and Tanya weren't sure they wanted to climb. Once we were down we told them how neat it was on top so they took Marisa and climbed the stairs.

This is Avenue des Champs Elysees.

This view definitely shows the more modern part of Paris.

As we walked down Champs I saw this telephone. It looks a lot different from the cute red ones in London.

I also spotted this and thought of Steamboat Springs. It was a word we used quite often that week.

We eventually got to the Tuileries Garden by the Louvre. It had a fun playground. Marisa was daring and tried the ropes. After this Tim and Tanya took the kids back to the apartment.

Wayne and I saw a few more sights. This is Napoleon's Tomb. It is housed in the beautiful Hotel des Invalides. We have been able to see this round dome around the city. Our riverboat trip pointed it out and we could see it from Eiffel Tower.

It is also a military museum. The dome is really pretty.

We found lovely flower gardens as well.

This is really a great bridge.

From this bridge you could also see the Eiffel Tower.

St Eustache

2011-08-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

This lovely church was right across the street from our apartment. We had a great view of it from our windows. We walked past it several times on our way to the underground.

It was built between 1532 and 1642. Its front facade resembles Notre Dame's large transept. Its outside stonework does look unfinished. When I got up close I thought it looked like it needed a cleaning. That it what gives it its charm.

I wish I could have found out more about this statue that is in its courtyard.

I went inside and someone was practicing the organ. The sound was beautiful. I learned that it has over 8,000 pipes. The organ was used by composers Franz Listz and Berlioz.

It was considered the church of royalty because its proximity to the Royal Palace at the Louvre.

Also, the apartment was right next door to a huge mall, Les Halles. It had construction work going on so we didn't get the true effect of the mall. I saw a picture of what it looks like when it isn't being worked on. It is gorgeous.

47 Rue Berger

2011-08-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

This was our address in Paris, 47 Rue Berger.

This was the front door.

Our apartment was on the top floor. It didn't have an elevator. I counted at least 85 windy stairs.

Wayne and I had this room. Can you tell we were on the top floor? Look at the slope of the ceiling. To get to our room we had even more stairs. They were very steep, thin stairs. I had to be careful, especially as I went down. There weren't any handrails to hold onto and I could have easily bumped my head.

This was Tim and Tanya's room.

And this is the other side of their room.

Their stairs were unique.

The girls did a good job climbing up and down.

This side of the room was Natalie's.

This side of the room was Marisa's. They found some fun toys inside the cupboards. The floors squeaked. I think we upset the lady down below. She told us we were too noisy.

The kitchen was not very big, but big enough.

The last two pictures are of the living room. It was a great place to crash each night.

I didn't take a picture of the bathroom. It didn't have shower curtains, so we all had to figure out how to take our shower.

Day 6

2011-08-20T19:54:00.001-07:00

Day 6

August 8

As you can see from this next picture that we enjoyed beautiful blue skies this day. We took the subway to the Montmartre section of Paris. I remember this underground stop had a set of really windy stairs. It kept going around and around. Once we were out of the underground it wasn't long before we see this beautiful building, Basilique du Sacre- Coeur.

Off to the side is a funiculaire that takes you to the top of the stairs. We decided we would ride up. We took time to walk around and explore the inside.

All the views of this building are amazing.

It was fun to walk through the streets of the neighborhood. The buildings are close together and look like the way I visualize Paris in my head. Fortunately our walk was down hill.

This area of Paris is known for its artists. We stopped and watched some of them as they were painting. I would have loved to have bought a painting from one of them.

As we continued our walk we saw many cute shops and restaurants.

I thought this was a cute picture. Tanya takes really good pictures. She is very artistic in the different shots she takes.

After walking around to find Moulin Rouge which was a disappointment we headed back to the Ile de la Cite where we got to see Sainte-Chapelle. It was created by the same man that created Notre Dame. Notre Dame is over 850 years. Sainte-Chapelle is older. Wayne and I remember it being close to 1000 years old. Notre Dame took 200 years to build, Sainte Chapelle took only 6 years. The stain glass windows are the best I have ever seen. They are fantastic as the light shines through. Along with the thin columns this room is stunning.

I was able to take a better picture of Sainte-Chapelle's Rose window. Notre Dame's window is too high, so the pictures just come out blurry.

The wall paintings were amazing to look at as well.

Almost next door is the Conciegerie. It was used as a prison during the French Revolution. One of its famous guests was Marie Antoinette. She stayed her before her execution. By this time of the day we had done a lot of walking. We went back to our apartment.

After awhile, Wayne and I decided to do a little more exploring on our own. We walked through the Tuileries Garden. It is very pretty and very large.

We enjoyed this fountain area. You could see all the way down Avenue des Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. As we continued to walk it started to rain. We just ran from shelter to shelter.

These are some other site we saw.

Another fun day had ended.

Day 3, 4 and 5

2011-08-19T20:07:00.001-07:00

August 5

Hampton Court

Friday, Wayne and I took off on our own. We took a train to zone 6 to see Hampton Court. We learned a lot about Henry VIII. He was a very selfish man. He worked with Parliament, however, he only used it to change laws that benefited him. He had six wives. Several of them were beheaded because they didn't bear him a son.

This is the main court of Hampton Court. The front approach was being restored so it had scaffolding around it.

I believe this was the window in the chapel. I'm fascinated with all the stain glass in England and France.

This particular room was decorated with different kinds of weapons. They were decoration only until they need to be used to defend and protect the palace.

The staircase was very elegant.

The gardens were very pretty. I could have spent more time enjoying them.

At the Greenwich underground station there is a building called the O2. It is a huge building that houses an arena, movie theatres, shops and restaurants. It will be used for the Olympics next year. I know basketball will be played there and maybe other events. It is a strange looking building. The ceiling is canvas, just like the Denver airport.

We met Tim again after work. This time our destination was Harrods. It is always a fun store to walk around. We didn't stay until it was dark to see it all lit up. It was okay because the outside was having work done so part of it was covered up. We had hoped to get a treat in the ice cream area, but we were too late. The store had closed before we got to that section of the food area. We then thought we would walk around the London Eye and find ice cream there. There was a McDonald's, but it too was closing as we got there. We finally found a shop that was open. It closed as we were finishing our ice cream. Before we went home we spent time at a playground in the lights of London Eye. Another fun day.

August 6
Paris

The day we have been anticipating finally arrived. The only problem was the train didn't leave until the afternoon. Tanya has told us about Borough Market so off we went Saturday morning. It is really an exciting place. There are lots of fresh produce stands. The breads looked especially good.

I think all the food looked delicious.

This building when finished will be the tallest building in London. I know Tim told me its name but I have already forgotten.

After this little side trip we went back to Tanya and Tim's place to get ready to depart for Paris. We were going to take the underground but decided to crowd into a large taxi and let the drivers drive us. He took us through some very interesting neighborhoods. The train station has been updated and look like it is ready for the Olympics. It even has the Olympic rings displayed. The Eurostar was a great way to travel. When we arrived in the train station in Paris, it was raining. We ended taking two taxis to 47 Rue Berger. Our adventure had begun.

August 7

The Musee Du Louvre

Sunday was the day we decided to spend some time at the Louvre. We knew there would be a line, but we were not prepared for the line that we found. It wrapped around the outside of the building. I really didn't want to wait for 5 hours to get in. Fortunately one of the workers saw that we had a little one in a stroller (buggie) and told us, "No line for you." She told us which way to go to find the entrance we could use. We walked right in and even took a special elevator down to where we should start. Our first stop was to see the Mona Lisa. I have been told it is small, but I was still surprised at how small it is. Tanya took some great pictures. I couldn't get close enough. I didn't like the crowded feeling I was getting. All my pictures have other peoples heads. I still glad I got to see the painting.

Wayne said he doesn't remember seeing The Winged Victory of Samothrace. Here is proof that we saw it.

When we walked into this court area we could believe how calm and peaceful it made us feel. I think all of us could have stayed a lot longer. Maybe we could have found a place to sit down and read a book or take a nap.

I thought this staircase was amazing.

Dinner anyone?

In the Napoleon III apartments we found this dining room. We thought it would be a perfect place for a Sunday dinner.

The outside of the Louvre is just as nice as the inside. The architecture is really gorgeous.

Our next stop was St. Michel Notre Dame. Wayne and I saw this last year. It was just as great to see it this year. It is located on an island in the middle of the river. The island is called Ile de la Cite.

Can you find St. Denis? He is the one who is holding his head. I think I need to find out why he is holding his head. I wouldn't be surprised if he was beheaded.

To end our first day in Paris we took a scenic boat ride on the River Seine. It was good to see the different sights.

This adorns a bridge. If I remember right, it is the most expensive bridge in Paris and there are a lot of bridges.

A view of Notre Dame from the river.

This is the ornaments on another bridge.

We had a great view of Notre Dame's Rose Window. The boat also took us past the Eiffel Tour. The French call it Tour Eiffel. Wayne and I had purchased a four day travel pass, so after the boat ride we thought we should try out Paris' underground. We found our way to the Eiffel Tower. It is very pretty with its lights on. So this ends our first day in Paris, France.

Day Two - Greenwich and London

2011-08-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

We woke up August 4th with this little one in our bed. It was her birthday. Tanya always does the cutest things for the girl's birthdays. This birthday was a tea party. Instead of tea we had hot chocolate. It was yummy.

After we were cleaned up we went out for a day of fun. Our first stop was the National Maritme Museum. The museum has a lot of hands on activites to make it interesting for the kids. Adults can enjoy it also.

Natalie kept coming back to this fun little area.

Marisa and Tanya made a craft of a beach scene.

Wayne was suppose to be babysitting Natalie. Like how he was watching?

The rain was on and off during the day. Marisa loved the puddles.

More puddles.

Greenwich Market. Thursday is antique day. There were many things to look at and enjoy. We enjoyed our lunch here.

Our next stop was at the Royal Observatory. This is where you find the prime meridian.

The line goes right through Tim and Tanya's borough.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub is where we ended up for dinner. We left Greenwich and went into downtown London after we picked Tim up at Canary Wharf. It was at the time everyone gets off work so the underground was crowded.

After dinner we walked around the city. Instead of the underground we took buses. The walk took us to St. Paul's Cathedral.

The cathedral is really pretty inside and out. We didn't go in, Wayne and I had a chance to do that last year. I hope Tim and Tanya get a chance to go in while they are in London.

We took the bus to Trafalgar Square. Natalie really enjoyed the fountain. To prove it she even licked it as she was trying to climb in. We had a fun day.

Canary Wharf

2011-08-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

This picture belongs with the last post. We are waiting for Tim to get through with work.

London and Paris Holiday

2011-08-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

Jet Lag

Wayne and I have been home from vacation for almost two days. I'm still trying to get my nights and days back to California time. The first night I slept for 3 hours. The next night I slept for almost 6. Maybe tonight I will be back on track.

Day 1

We left on our trip on Tuesday August 2nd. Marc and Mimi Lauper picked us up and took us to the airport. The plane left around a 4:00 pm. We landed in London on Wednesday about noon. We thought we were going to take a taxi to Tim and Tanya's, but once we found out how much it would cost we took the underground. We got to their place around two. We were tired, but really didn't want to take a nap hoping to adjust to London time. We talked with Tanya and played with the girls before we went to Canary Wharf to meet Tim. The area Tim works in is amazing. It is so huge with all kinds of businesses.

SS Abraham Lincoln

2011-07-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today Wayne decided we should go on a one day vacation. Earlier in the week he notice that this week was Navy Week. Los Angeles hasn't had a Navy week for 22 years. We went down to San Pedro or The LA Port in hopes to see the SS Abraham Lincoln. There were three other boat in port but the exciting one was the aircraft carrier. Over 6,000 sailors live on the ship. We knew the line would be long so we left the house at 7:15. Tours started at 10:00. We couldn't believe how long the line was. First we got off the freeway and thought we could just pull into the parking area. Wrong. We had to turn down the road, go for a few stop lights, make a u-turn and get in line. That took about and hour. Next we got in line to get on a bus. Another 2 and 1/2 hours. We were shuttled to where the aircraft carrier was docked. We walked around for about and hour. It was fun to see. It is the size of three football fields. To get back to the car we stood in line for another hour. By this time we are hungry. We went to Lucille's, a favorite BBque place. To end the day we saw the last Harry Potter movie. It has been long enough ago since I read the book that I didn't remember all of the events. It was pretty good. It made a good ending to a fun day.

Steamboat Springs

2011-07-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful week in Steamboat Springs. We did miss Tim, Tanya, Marisa, and Natalie.

This was the first Sunday. Luke and Trent had to leave early to work.

Our first adventure was the Alpine Slide. Everyone had fun.

Tanner getting ready for a ride.

The ATV ride was really exciting. The little boys loved to go fast in the mud puddles. You can only imagine how muddy we ended up getting.

It was absolutely beautiful at the top. We even found snow. A few snowballs were thrown.

The rest of the group met us at Steamboat Lake. The little girls really enjoyed the mild, cold water. There were so many different kinds of wildflowers in the open meadows.

Even Ryder enjoyed the day.

I thought this was the cutest picture

Wednesday was our hike to the top of the gondola. Anyone who gets to the top can take the gondola down the mountain for free.

The kids were excited about fishing. Several of them caught their first fish. This is one caught by Brynn. I wasn't around when the other three fish were caught.

Tubing was another adventure. Even the commerical companies weren't in the water yet. We found a section of the river that was very slow. It was cold but fun. Carin's tube got a hole and she was connect to Leah's tube. It made Leah a little anxious. Carin could touch the bottom of the river and was able to get out with just a little extra effort.

While the men went golfing the rest of us went for a walk to see Fish Creek Falls. It was well paved. Right before we went, there was a summer thunderstorm. It was a good downpour which also included peas size balls of hail.

Horseback riding was an activity the kids could hardly wait for. They looked so cute in their $5.00 cowboy hats.

I love this picture. I just wish the lighting was better. My camera was not focusing or adjusting correctly, but it is still a fun picture.

Our last event was the rodeo. The older kids tried to grab a ribbon off a young cow's tail.

The younger kids tried to grab the ribbon off a little lamb's tail. It was funny to watch.

Everyone left for home very tired, but it was worth every minute.

More Summer Fun

2011-07-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

I now remember why I haven't published a blog for awhile. I have so much trouble getting the pictures uploaded. Once I upload they aren't in the order I want them. Just the same I'm going to keep trying.

The next few pictures were of Haylie's birthday in Santa Monica. Getting there was awful, but it was fun once we got there.

I didn't take very many picture right at the beach. I have ruined several cameras through the years because sand gets in them. I took the camera down just once and then took it right back to the condo. M0st of the kids didn't want their pictures taken.

The Calls had already taken a family picture before I got to them. I hope Kari will post some of those pictures.

Beach Week 2011

2011-07-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt to do a blog in over a year. I had planned on putting a few pictures from our fun week. This is the only one it will let me upload. I may have to keep trying. It so nice to have some of my girls together. We missed Carin and Tanya. Actually we also missed the boys and the rest of the grandchildren. Luckily we get to see a few more next week.

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

We had a great Easter. Our numbers were small, just the same we had fun. The flowers in the backyard are doing great, so are the weeds, but there are more flowers than weeds.

We had our usual egg hunt. Marisa got to find them all by herself.
Natalie was given one egg to hold on to. Marisa claimed the rest.

The day was very nice. We enjoyed listing to all the good talks by the general authorities.

Brynn's Baptism

2010-01-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

Isn't she special?
We were so glad to be a part of the baptism.

Here she is with your fantastic parents.

Yes, the girls have attitudes.

Leah loves life.

The mischievious two year old not acting to mischievious.

Cute little Lilly.

Birthday Boy

2010-01-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday Tim. (a little late.)

Tim got an iphone for his birthday about a month early. I needed a new phone too, so I got one. Wayne could see that I just love my phone and all that it can do so e got one yesterday. Kari bought one too. I guess we are now going to really learn how to use technology. Wayne will actually text now.

Christmas lights

2009-12-20T15:28:00.000-08:00

We are having a wonderful holiday season. The weather here in California could not be more ideal. Yesterday we went to Gladstone's and ate right on the oceanfront. The temperature was in the 70's. Wayne and I decided earlier in the week that we wanted to see the Christmas lights at the LA temple. In years past there have been programs to listen to but this year the visitor center is being remodel so it was just the lights. They were beautiful. Kari and Matt spent a Saturday helping to get the lights up. As you can see Tim and Kari's family wanted to see them too. It was a very enjoyable evening. Tanner and Weston were with us. They just wouldn't stay still long enough for me to take a picture. They had more fun rolling down the hill in front of the temple. I think one of them rolled into the fence.

Thanksgiving and More

2009-11-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving

I know I have not updated my blog for quite awhile. I now remember why I don't blog very often. It takes forever for my Internet to upload my pictures. I guess I get impatient and want it done very quickly. Wayne and I are back from Palm Springs or Palm Screams as Marisa calls it. I was looking in my backyard and realized I still have a lot of flowers. All the work for Sara's and Mike's wedding is still being enjoyed. The first picture is of some flowers I planted after the wedding. They were used as table decoration and planted later. They are blooming again.

This is a new rose bush and it is doing just great. The ground cover is also.

Palm Springs was a wonderful place to spend Thanksgiving. It was such a lovely day that we were able to eat outside. Yes, it is right on the golf course. The kids went through the bushes and played in the sand trap of hole #1. It was interesting trying to cook a meal out of 3 small kitchens but it happened. I didn't bake my own pies or rolls, but everything else was from scratch. Somehow Matt and a few of the kids managed to not get in any of my pictures.
We enjoyed having Kathy and Tyler.

We even went swimming on Thanksgiving afternoon. The kids loved the waterslide. During the weekend we also went to Ruby's, went on a small hike and saw a few movies. Some went golfing. We even took the kids to the driving range and putting green.

We had a very nice weekend but missed the rest of the family.

I never posted pictures of Sara and Mike's wedding. Here are just a few.

Here are our three youngest granddaughter. Aren't they cute?

Wayne and I are so happy to have Mike and Sara married. It was a beautiful day.

The Beach

2009-07-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

I took a good look at my blog and realized I have not been very good. Yes, life has been full and my children have taken better pictures than me of the same events I would blog about. Just the same, I have several posts if anyone cares to look at them.

It is hard to believe that the beach house week has already come and gone. I believe that this is the 15th year we have done this. My children and grandchildren really look forward to July 4th. The beach house really didn't start for me until Monday. I spent a good part of July 4th with the cub scouts' pancake breakfast. Just the same Monday started out really fun. We went to a shower for Sara at Ruby's on Newport pier. Ruby's let us use the top. It was perfect up there. We enjoyed the time with all the Harts. Luke was so nice to Janna. He drove all night arriving at the beach house at 3:00 a.m. so Janna could be at the shower. It was funny that the boys (men) decided they could not be left out so they had a Man Shower. (Funny, but I think they had fun.)

Sara got some nice things. Mike and Sara have just over a month before they get married. It will be here so soon.

I really didn't take too many pictures this year. I wish I had taken more. Here are a few.

Dad's visits

2009-07-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Wayne could not wait for tax season to get over. He always takes the first week in May and goes some place usually with his golf clubs. This year he went to Carin's first. It was good timing because he was there for Lilly's blessing. Then he spent a few days at Janna's. I think he loved getting to spend some time with everyone.

Spring sure looks pretty especially with the girls in the picture.

These are the men in Lilly's life.

Janna's

2009-07-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

Once school got out I headed for Janna's house. I took this picture to show how small Sawyer started. Van actually looks really big. Remember, he is just two. Stone is six and Rusty is four.

If you look close you can see how saggy Sawyer skin was. She has now filled in and the skin looks great. We think she is at least 61/2 pounds.

This is how the family looked as we went to pick up Janna and Sawyer. The boys are good big brothers.

March

2009-07-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

I was able to go to Carin's to help her with the kids after she had Lilly. It was fun to get to spend time with them. Carin posted some good picture during the time I was at her house.

Happy Birthday, Sara

2009-02-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

Happy 22nd Birthday.

I can't believe how old you are, Sara. You made our family complete the day you were born. You have brought us lots of joy and happiness. We can't imagine life without you. We love when you are around. It is too quiet when you are not here. Remember that you are loved. Your presents are in the mail.

Here are just a few of the most recent pictures I have of you. My February pictures are not very good and the computer is not letting my transfer them the way I want to.

Thanks for spending time with us at Christmas.
It was fun having you and Janna around together.

You look so excited. I fooled you. Your big present was behind the chair.

Have a great year.

Christmas Holiday

2008-12-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

This may seem funny but I'm starting with the lasts event first. Wayne and I had a good time in St. George. This is the Brigham Young house close to the Seven Wives' Inn we stayed in. After St. George we started for home, but we first stopped in Las Vegas to see a fantastic show, the Beatles Love. There was so much to look at. I'm sure Wayne and I saw different things. We were lucky enough to have the Honeymoon Suite. This was because Ila Pyper needed to be downstairs. The day after Christmas we met Kathy and Tom Kay at the Joseph Smith Building. We also got to hear Brody and Corine and family play their instruments and sing.

There was a great tree in the foyer. We took lots of pictures.

At the feet of Joseph Smith. This was just a cute picture.

Christmas Day Van was sharing his presents with his Great Grandma.This big box had another box inside with a nice pair of boots.

The boys and Janna waited for all of us to be ready to go in the front room.

Christmas Eve was really fun. It started with a nativity scene. Van and Stone were great shepherds. Maybe next year Rusty will want to be part of the story.

Wayne was Samuel the Lamanite. The audience threw stones at him. We had lots of snow to enjoy. We had some fun rides before the tube popped.

Grandma's party was a success. Here are some pictures of the evening.

Donna and her children

The grandchildren and their spouses.

Here are the great grandchildren that came to the party. We are missing the Calls and the Garners. I think Rusty is missing also.

Grandma was very pleased with the wonderful quilt. It looks good on her wall in the kitchen. Luke and Wayne helped put it up.

Here are a few pictures from our pre-Christmas party.

It has been a great couple of weeks. I want to wish everyone a

Happy New Year.

Thanksgiving Week

2008-11-30T11:46:00.001-08:00

We had a very busy Thanksgiving week. Sara, Mike and Logan made it here on Sunday. Wayne and I had to work Mon. Tues. and Wed. so they were on their own to find their own entertainment. They spent some time down at Kari's playing with the kids. Wednesday night I came home from school to find Kari and the kids here as well as Sara, Mike and Logan. They had played games all day.

Thursday morning we went to Newton Middle School to play a family game of soccer. The fields are awful and it had rained during the week so basically we played in the mud. Just the same, it was fun. There were a few funny plays. Wayne and Kari were pretty much out to get each other. Kari also picked on her four year son, Tanner. He was a great goalie. I know you can't see his face, but it was covered in mud from a ball Kari had kicked. We were all muddy, but I think Tanner was the worst.

We were the Gizzards
This is the winning team, the Star Crunch.

We enjoyed having Kathy and Tyler with us for Thanksgiving dinner. Leslie and Fernando Lobo were also with us as were Tim, Tanya, Marisa, Kari, Matt, Haylie, Cade, Weston, Tanner, Sara and Mike. Lori, Scott, Gabi and Lori's mom came to visit in the evening. It was a great day.

We continued with our tradition of breakfast at Ruby's on Friday morning. Then there was shopping at HSS.

Oops, I forgot to rotate before downloading. Sara and Mike at Huntington plaza.

Yesterday we went to see Gabi play soccer and then we went to the Call's grade school to play a game of family baseball. Everyone looked like they were having fun.

Sara, Mike and Logan, just left to go home. It is always sad to see company leave. Now Wayne and I have a house that is too quiet.

Teaching my student's child

2008-11-02T18:44:00.000-08:00

One day this week one of my favorite little boys came to me and asked if I knew Stephanie. I said, "Stephanie who?" He told me Stephanie Renteria. She would be about Tim's age. (Just think Tim, you could have a child in first grade.) She was one of my students when I was teaching my 4/5 combo my first year at Meadow Green. I liked her a lot. He then told me that she was his mother. I just couldn't believe it. I guess when I start to teach my student's children I am getting old and it is time to start thinking about retiring.

Jeremiah is the one that looks up at me and tells me I'm the best teacher ever.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

I thought you might like to see the students I get to teach this year. They have Snow White for a teacher. When I woke up Halloween morning and heard the rain I thought I was in for a wild day at school. My students surprised me. They had one of their best days. Once they got to school and unloaded their homework I took pictures of each of them. We have an annual school parade. The kids really look forward to this. The rest of the day was filled with Halloween math, Halloween painting, and an activity with their sixth grade buddies. They all told me they had had a good day. They were good but by three o'clock I had had enough of Halloween. I only wish I could have seen all my grandchildren in their costumes. Once I got home from school I thought I would have some trick-or-treaters. I only had one set of children stop at the door. That part was kind of sad. I hope the rest of you had a great time on Halloween.

In Memory of Mom

2008-11-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

As I was getting ready for church I realized that it was November 2nd. Two years ago today I was at school and told that I had a phone call from my sister. I knew immediately that this was not a casual phone call. Lily Ann told me that Mom had passed away. Today I am remembering all the wonderful memories of my mom. She was a great lady. Janna mentioned in one of her blogs that she was becoming her parents. Actually Janna, you are becoming your grandparents. Wayne and I took you to all those parks because I enjoyed it when my parents took me to all those National Parks. I think I even acted as you kids did, sometimes not showing that I was enjoying myself. We live in a beautiful country and I am glad that I get to see some of the beautiful places. I hope my children have a few good memories of their Grandma. She was a hard worker. She was smart and stood up to what she believed. She was also a very caring, kind lady. She loved her family and only wanted the best for them. I see the same traits in my children. Hopefully I have some of the same traits too. Today Wayne is up visiting his mother. I hope he realized how lucky he is to still have a mom around. Donna Mae is also a wonderful lady.

The next few days is the final push for Prop 8. I believe Mom would have done all she could to help people vote for this Proposition. I want you to know I am out there doing all I can also. I'm walking the streets and making phone calls. I want my grandchildren to be able to live in a society that still believes in marriage between a man and a woman. I don't want our religious beliefs to be taken away from us or do I want to be forced to teach gay marriage.

Yes on Prop 8.

Dreamin' of Summer

2008-09-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

This past week Wayne has been gone on another vacation. The weather here in Southern California has been hot enough to be summer. It definitely made me want to be with the rest of the Harts at Lake Powell. These pictures are to remind me of the summer I did have and the hopes that summer will come again.

I have been enjoying my students but, I enjoy watching the grandkids play their sports games even more. The Angels have been exciting to watch as well. They have had a great season and set many records. I will be cheering them on, hopefully all the way to the World Series.

Have a great school year.

Remember When?

Harborside in the Bahamas
More Atlantis
Newport Beach

More Paradise

2008-08-20T09:39:00.001-07:00

I forgot that I had used my other camera one day. So here are more pictures of Paradise. Sunday after church we walked around the grounds. One of the girls took this funny picture of me while we walked through The Dig. All of us enjoying a Sunday afternoon walk.
I didn't take very many pictures of Carin and Trent but this is a good one.
Janna looks really good with the Atlantis behind her.

Paradise Fun

2008-08-19T17:09:00.001-07:00

I can't believe our Bahama trip is over. I looked forward to it for a long time. I totally enjoyed having time with my children and their significant others. We were sorry to miss Luke. Several times with found the perfect places for him to do his dolphin splash.

This is a view of the Atlantis from where we normally sat on the lounge chairs. Most of the time we were in the water. The water temperature was so comfortable. It is so nice that I know I'll have a hard time going back into the California beach water. The slides were fun. This is Sara. I tried to take a picture of everyone that went down this slide, but it happens so fast that most of my pictures don't have any people in them. The rest of the slide goes through a shark tank.
Wednesday afternoon we got stuck in a fun thunder and lightning storm. Afterwards, Janna and Sara jumped into the jet tub. I think Kari was in with them at one time. Their hair was wet from the rain.
We went out to eat almost every night. This is one of the fun eating places.
As Kari mentioned in her blog, it's back to reality. I have a few more days to enjoy freedom to do things I want to do. I guess I have played most of the summer. Soon it will just be fond memories. Thanks for being part of those memories.

Family Fun Continues

2008-07-18T19:49:00.001-07:00

We really have enjoyed having our whole family around this summer. We were sorry Trent and Luke only had a few days with us. We loved watching Van and Shea practice their walking. They almost have it. Here a few pictures of the last few days with Carin and Janna around. It was very sad to see them drive away yesterday. It was especially lonely today with just me at home. Sunday night we had 23 for dinner and 20 spent the night. It is amazing how fast food disappears with that many people around. I loved every minute. Do you like our amazingly big pool?
We took several trips to the park. Carin and Leah enjoyed the teeter totter.
Sara and Abby just chillin'.
These kids loved the sand.
Are you dizzy yet?

They loved to climb up, but a few were not to sure how to get down.
Abby and Haylie were always together.
Shea climbing on the playset.

Grandpa reading a book to the little ones.
Sunday night the box with all the old formals came out. As you can see Janna can still get into the dress she used when she was 15. The younger ones will have to grow a little to have the dresses really fit.
Popcicles for everyone.

Family Pictures

2008-07-06T15:22:00.001-07:00

This past week were so lucky to have all of our family here in Southern California. It has been two years since we have been all at the same place. We have added three grandchildren. Since Carin and Janna and their families live so far away we took the opportunity to have pictures taken. These are not the professional pictures, those will come later. It was a fun afternoon. The overcast skies made for perfect picture taking.

Beach House 2008

2008-07-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at the beach house this year. The only bad part was having to start on Thursday and go home before the 4th of July. It made it hard to see all the rest of the Hart clan. However, our little family had everyone except Trent here during the week. He came in Thursday night after we had checked out. He was here to help us celebrate the 4th of July. Carin, Leah and Shea
Weston in the big bucket.
Walking to get donuts.
Enjoying the donuts.
With the support of three cousins Rusty made the long walk back from Ruby's without complaining.
Everyone enjoying the jungle gym at Balboa. Look at the birthday girl (Kari) at the very top.

Tim and Tanya
Janna and Luke
The 12 pack --Whit's name for our 12 grandchildren.
Donna and Wayne enjoying watching the action.
Relaxing at the Plaza.

Van's sandy face,
Marisa loves the beach.
Shea sure can crawl quickly when she spots the water.
Logan, Wayne and Sara.
Kari and Matt.
The week couldn't have been better.

Italy

2008-07-06T15:17:00.001-07:00

Wayne and I had the most amazing trip to Italy. It was great to be able to go with Kathy and Tom. We visited some wonderful places and saw things we have dreamed about and only seen in pictures. Here is just a taste of what we did.

Throwing a coin in Trivi Fountain in Rome. This was our first city.

Spanish Steps. This was just the beginning of the many stairs we went up and down on.
These next two pictures are on the top of the Vatican.

This is one of our many gelato stops. As I have been trying to rearrange my pictures I have lost two. So I give up. Enjoy!

Wayne's golf trip

2008-05-18T07:27:00.001-07:00

These are pictures from my trip to Utah and Colorado. I went to the Denver zoo with Janna, Stone, Rusty and Van. These are pictures riding the train and also the entrance.

The other pictures are taken at Brighton with Grandma. As you can see there is still a lot of snow. We ate breakfast at Silver Fork Lodge before arriving at Brighton. It was a beautiful day.