Brad and Alane Clark

My Birthday at Disneyland

2011-12-23T07:51:00.001-08:00

I know it has been a long time since I have posted so I thought I would start up again with my birthday. Brad and I decided to take a trip and go to Disneyland for my birthday. We had a fun time and it's the first time I have been there during the holidays. We loved the Nightmare Before Christmas haunted mansion and It's a Small World too. The fireworks were spectacular as well. I couldn't believe how gorgeous the castle is all lit up with icicles. I had a wonderful day. The next day we headed down the coast to see Steven and Kim. We had a nice visit and went to church with them on Sunday then headed back home. It was a great birthday.

The Voice Off - Steven J (original)

2011-06-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

Elder Kitchen Returns 12/13/2010

2011-03-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Matt returned from his mission on December 13, 2010. He was supposed to arrive in the early afternoon but when his flight arrived he wasn't on it! Fortunately, another missionary was coming home at the same time and his folks had found out that due to some bad weather they had not gotten on the plane on time in Spokane. I had only checked on the Salt Lake leg of the trip and saw that that flight was on time and I didn't realize he wouldn't be on it. The other family knew which flight they got on and let us know that it would be a couple more hours before they arrived. Everybody took a break and found food and drink and we reassembled near the escalators he would be coming down. While we waited we all sang Christmas carols to pass the time. The moment finally came when the flight had landed and the other missionary that returned at the same time came down the escalator. But there was no Matthew! They decided to come down separately so each family could greet them. We were so excited when he finally got here. It was so good to see him. We took him to President Warren's house for him to be released and then went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. After that we took Steven back to the airport to catch his flight back to San Diego. It was so good to have the four kids back together again - even if for only a little while! We are so proud of Matt and his service in the Spokane Washingon Mission. Yay!

Higher Window (by Josh Groban; Cover by Steven Sanford)

2010-11-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

Steven's cover of Josh Groban's song "Higher Window". I love it!

October 10, 2009 - Sealing Day

2010-06-02T23:29:00.000-07:00

The most glorious wonderful thing happened on 10.10.2009. Brad and I were sealed in the Las Vegas, Nevada Temple for time and all eternity. All of Brad's kids were there—James, Heather and her husband Quinn, Candee and her husband Derek and Blake, and two of mine—Stephanie and Steven along with their spouses, Jeremiah and Kim. Candee and Derek did not come in the Temple with us but watched all the kids - Braxton, Rykker and Derringer and brought them to the Temple afterwards for pictures. We took lots of pictures at the Temple and after at the dinner/party we had at the Church. Many of our friends were there with us and it was a great time. The Penns did the food and Stephanie made cupcakes and we were so happy to have so many of our loved ones there to share our special day. It was a day I had been waiting for for a very long time. Together Forever! What a blessing it is.

Christmas 2009

2010-06-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

For some reason I did not take many pictures for Christmas 2009. I have put them into this movie (click the link above) set to the beautiful violin music of Jenny Oaks Baker and her version of Stille Nacht. We had a nice Christmas. Kayla came home from Maui for a short visit. It was good to see her. After exchanging gifts and eating wonderful cinnamon rolls made by mom we went to see the movie "The Princess and the Frog" and really enjoyed it. Steven and Kim came on Christmas Day just in time for dinner. Dinner was wonderful as usual!

Gingerbread Cookies - November 2009

2010-06-02T22:39:00.000-07:00

Before Thanksgiving Stephanie and I made Gingerbread cookies using Heather's delicious recipe. I think we doubled or tripled the recipe and made way too many but we wanted to send some to Matthew (Elder Kitchen) and Kayla (in Maui) and keep some for ourselves and to share. They turned out pretty cute and I guess they shipped ok. Kayla said some of hers had fallen apart but they tasted great just the same. Some were gingerbread men and some were cute gingerbread houses.

Kayla Left Home

2010-02-01T10:09:00.000-08:00

Well - she did it! Kayla left home to move to Maui on September 1, 2009. I can't believe the last of my children have left the nest. And Kayla has moved so far away. We are going to miss her and her funny laugh.

Here is a picture she took of her ticket to Maui. I cried and cried after leaving her at the airport. She made it there and will be living in my cousin Teri's house, renting a room from her. Bye Kayla - we miss you!

Blake Comes Home 8.28.09

2009-11-04T22:09:00.000-08:00

On August, 28. 2009, Blake came home from his mission to Des Moines, Iowa. He looked so good. We barely made it to the airport cause his flight was early. It was great to see him.

All his nephews and his niece were there. It was fun cause some of the kids were born while he was away so this was their first meeting.

We got together for pizza at Heather and Quinn's house that evening and had fun visiting. The next day we went shopping in St. George and Blake and James got new suits and Blake got new shoes. Later we had barbecue at Heather and Quinn's house and visited some more. We got to hear a few funny stories from Blake's mission.

Blake spoke in Church August 30th and did a very good job. Such an inspiration. We are proud of him.

Kayla Graduates! June 11, 2009

2009-11-04T21:59:00.001-08:00

It was an exciting day! Kayla - the last of the kids to graduate from High School - Graduated! Yay! I dropped her off at the Thomas and Mack Center and then met up with everybody for the ceremony. After the ceremony, we had food at Stephanie and Jeremiah's house. Stephanie made the cutest banner congratulating Kayla and the most adorable cake with cute candy graduation caps. We watched a video of Kayla's Spring Concert and visited. Kayla got some great graduations gifts. The Elmers were there and many of her friends from work. It was a great day!

Kayla ready to go!

Kayla singing The Star Spangled Banner at Graduation

Family and Friends

Cute Banner

This is the cake that Stephanie made. Aren't the graduation caps adorable?!!!

Kayla Turns 18. June 13, 2009

2009-11-04T21:58:00.001-08:00

It is hard to believe it but my baby girl turned 18! We had a nice birthday dinner celebration at Grandmas house. DJ came. Kathy and Ruthy, Kenny and Kerry, Uncle Tim and of course Grandma!

The Campbells Come to Visit June 2009

2009-06-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

Heather, Quinn, Braxton and Rykker all came for a visit. It was fun to see how much the boys have changed. I made this video of the pictures we took of them. The music in the background is from Inside Out's album Primary Colors.

Kansas Trip 2009

2009-06-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

On the evening of Thursday, February 26th, we headed for the airport to catch a plane to Kansas. Our plane was delayed because of runway repairs they were making at McCarran and planes were backed up coming in for lack of enough runways. But we finally were in the air and on our way. We got to the airport just before midnight Kansas time and called a taxi to take us to our hotel. In the morning we used the hotel shuttle to go back to the airport to rent a car and we drove into Lawrence with our GPS. When we got there Nyah was going to have lunch and take a nap but I played with her awhile in her room first. She had lots of fun stuff to show me! Shayna's Dad, Grandpa and Grandma were on their way and when they got there, Brad and I went to check into our hotel and then picked up Chinese food for dinner and took it back to James and Shayna's house. We enjoyed the dinner and then played Catch Phrase for a really good time and lots of laughs.

The next day we returned and just visited. There was snow on the ground and it was cold so we all stayed inside.

Sunday was the big event. Graham Blake Clark was blessed in Church. It was good to be there for that. We had early dinner after that. Shayna had made a really great dinner of salads like Costa Vida makes with pork, and black beans and a salad dressing that is sooooo yummy.

Monday we came by for one last visit and to say goodbye. Then we were off to the airport with a stop for lunch. It was our 8 year anniversary so that was our anniversary lunch! We returned the car and returned to Vegas with no problems. Our flight was only slightly delayed but we still made good time on the return. I crocheted the little sweater Nyah is wearing on the way there and while we were visting. She loved it but it was too small for her. Hope we can visit again soon.

Steven and Kim's Wedding 3.28.09

2009-06-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

On March 28, 2009, Steven and Kim got married!
The pictures in this post were taken by Mollie Jane Photography.

On March 27th we all had a nice time meeting all the family on both sides at the Fish Market restaurant in Del Mar. It was good to meet Kim's brothers and father. I previously met her sister and mother at the bridal shower. We went to our hotel after and got settled in for the night. The next morning, Brad and I got ready to go to the Temple. Grandma and Kayla got ready a little later and Whitney, Sam and Noah picked them up on their way to the Temple.

The ceremony was wonderful. The temple sealer knew Steven from Steven's working in the Temple. It was fun to hear his comments as they were more personal in nature. After the ceremony we waited outside for the Bride and Groom and took pictures. Then we headed over to Whitney and Rob's place for some lunch. Brad and I then headed to Redlands to check in to the hotel we reserved for Steven and Kim's wedding night. It was a very nice hotel and we brought some snacks and sprinkled some rose petals throughout the room to welcome them when they got there.
Then we went to the reception for more pictures and standing in line to greet all of the guests. Its such a small world because I met the daughter of some people I knew when I lived in Fontana. She was a friend of Kim's. I also met my old Bishop and his wife from when I lived in Fontana. They had moved to Redlands and had been in Kim's families ward. They said that when they got the wedding announcement they just knew it had to be our family because they remembered our names. Steven sang for Kim at Kim's mother's request. I was glad she asked him. He sang, "I'm Peanut Butter and You are Jelly" and everyone loved it.

We had some dancing, food, cutting of the cake and then when it was all over blew bubbles as the bride and groom drove away. They seemed very happy.

CHS and Mack and Woodbury MS Pre-Festival Concert

2009-06-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

On March 10, 2009, Chaparral hosted Mack MS (Stephanie's school) choirs and Woodbury MS choirs to come and join them in a Pre-Festival Concert. Its practice for festival! The choirs sounded great and were ready for their upcoming festival.

Kim's Bridal Shower - February 21, 2009

2009-04-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

On Friday, February 20, Kayla and I drove down to San Diego to attend Kim's bridal shower. We made a stop in Barstow for gas and to Burger King to get something to eat. That Burger King was understaffed and we took more time there than we wanted to. Then we hit a detour somewhere on the way where they had the freeway closed and we had to get off and take the detour before getting back on. We heard later from Kim that there was some kind of sink hole in the freeway. That took an extra half hour because of the slow down funneling everyone off. We finally got there and stopped to visit Whitney for a few minutes and firm up our plans for the next day's trip to Orange County to the shower. Then we got directions from our GPS to go to Kim's apartment (soon to be Steven and Kim's). We found it with a little help from Steven and spent some time visiting with them before going to bed. Kim had not been living in the apartment yet but was getting it all set up to move in. It is a nice little apartment and we slept well. The next day we got up and got ready and then headed to the spot where Kim said we should all meet. A park and ride near where she was currently living. Then I drove Kim, Melinda, Whitney, Kayla and me to the shower which was being given by Kim's aunt. It was a beautiful home on the hills overlooking the ocean.

We could see Catalina from there. The shower was fun with a nice lunch and Kim got lots of fun things. I got her some things from Zappos.com, of course. I got to meet her Grandma Lenore that knows Brad's Aunt Phyllis. It was fun to meet some of the women in Kim's family. Back to the apartment we changed our clothes then went to visit a little at Whitney's. Then Steven, Kim, Kayla and I went to this little hole in the wall Mexican Restaurant to eat. Afterward, we visited before going to bed. The next day Kayla and I met Steven at Perry's for some breakfast. Steven had a nice talk with Kayla and she and I drove home in time to get to Grandma's for dinner. The sad part was I got a speeding ticket - but not until I was all the way back to town. Boo hoo. All in all we had a very fun time.

Auntie's Funeral - February 14, 2009

2009-03-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

On Friday, February 13th we headed up to Panaca with Brad's Brothers Regan and Greg to attend Auntie Audrey Roden's funeral on Saturday. We had a nice ride and got there with no problems. Brad and I had gone to Panaca the weekend before to visit Auntie and we were glad we got to see her. She passed away Monday after we had been there so we felt good that we had been able to go up and spend some time with her. Brad read to her and we visited and she told us a little about when she used to work for the government by watching for airplanes that flew over. I think she said they kept a log.

The funeral was lovely. I led the opening song, Brad said the opening prayer. Dennis, Debbie and Daniel spoke. Andrea, Tammy, Danny and another young lady from Panaca sang. Tawny would have sung but she had surgery on her sinuses and was not feeling well enough. Later in the service Andrea sang a solo and it was lovely. Greg gave the closing prayer and then we went to the cemetary for the dedication. Then it was back to the church to visit and to eat some food provided by the ladies from church. We had more food later that evening at Bev and Jack's house. Heather and Quinn came with the twins so it was fun to spend time with them. Kristy and her husband Nat were there too. Aunt Rosalee and Lawrence were there from New Mexico, too. Uncle Dean and Uncle Royal made the journey from Salt Lake and left that same day to return.

The next day we ate some breakfast and visited and then had to head back to Vegas around 1pm so that Regan could make his flight home. Greg missed his flight home (sort of Brad's fault)! Who knew that if you aren't there an hour before your flight they can sell your seat to someone else. Sorry Greg. He stayed overnight and caught another flight the next day. Poor guy spent the whole day traveling. Here are the pictures from the funeral day.

The Twins - Christmas 2008

2009-01-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas Heather, Quinn, Braxton and Rykker came for a visit. They also brought the dogs, Jasmine, Cooper and Braveheart. We had a great visit. They got here Friday evening. On Saturday we went shopping to Nike at the Outlet Mall and then over to Bass Pro Shops so Brad could spend some of his Christmas present gift cards. Sunday we had dinner at Grandma's and visited. It was great to spend time with them and see the babies. They are changing so quickly. I hope we get to see them again soon! Here is a little video of the pictures we took!

Christmas Day 2008

2009-01-01T20:45:00.001-08:00

This year for Christmas things were a little quieter, fewer gifts and a very nice feeling. This year we drew names for Christmas at Mom's. We did this for 2 reasons. Cut costs and just make it a nicer feeling - not all about gifts. It was also different not having Matt there. But he said he was enjoying the MTC and the spirit there and he would be thinking of us.
We had our traditional homemade (by Grandma) cinnamon rolls - Yum - and an egg dish.
We also started a new tradition. I brought a little white Christmas stocking for Jesus and those who wanted to put a note in it with their gift to Jesus. It could be anything from trying to be kinder or doing a good deed everyday, to something we wanted to do to improve ourselves or get closer to Jesus. I explained that the notes would stay confidential and inside the stocking until next year when we would get them out to review what we gifted to Jesus and make a new note for the next year. After I explained this new tradition we sang Silent Night and I reminded everyone that Matt said he would be thinking of us while we sang.

When we were all done opening presents we visited for awhile then went to see the movie, "Marley and Me". It was a great movie that made you laugh and cry.
Then - back to Mom's for a delicious dinner and pie with whipped cream. I whipped the cream and made too much! Oops.
Merry Christmas!

CHS Mariachi Concert - December 16, 2008

2009-01-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

Kayla took a Mariachi Guitar class this year for fun. She has long wanted to learn to play the guitar and is having a ton of fun in this class. Here are a few pictures from her concert.

CHS Christmas Concert - December 11, 2008

2009-01-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

The day after we returned from taking Matt to the MTC

we attended Kayla's Christmas Choir Concert
at Chaparral High School.
All the choirs sounded great.
Here is a picture of Kayla.
If you want to see all of the
pictures we took you can click here.

Expressions sang:

Jumble Bells
Deck the Halls in 7/8
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Still, Still, Still

Varsity Choir sang:

Riu Riu Chiu
Swinging With Santa Claus
Baby What You Going to Be

Matt to the Missionary Training Center - December 9th and 10th, 2008

2009-01-01T14:56:00.000-08:00

We all woke up early on December 9 to hit the road to Utah to take Matt to the MTC. There was Brad, Me, Kayla, Stephanie, Jeremiah and of course, Matt. DJ was there in the morning to say goodbye and take the picture for us and off we went!

First stop was McDonald's where we got some breakfast to go! Then on the road with a stop in Cedar City to deliver some presents purchased from Zappos.com for Heather and Quinn. We got to see the babies and visit a few minutes then we had some lunch and hit the road again. Matt drove part of the way from before we got to Beaver the rest of the way into Provo. We stayed at the Residence Inn in Orem which is very close to the MTC. After unloading the car and freshening up we hit the road to Salt Lake City to see the lights at Temple Square. It was very beautiful but cold!!! We also took some pictures inside the Tabernacle. Then we made a stop at a Deseret Book Store to buy a few things.
After that we met up with Roger, Melissa, Caitlin, Jessica and Maria for dinner at this neat Brazillian restaurant called Rodizio Grill. Yummy food. I highly recommend it, but bring plenty of money! We had a fun time there and then we headed back to our hotel where we were off to bed.
The next morning we decided that we would go to IHOP for breakfast. Same place we had breakfast before we took Steven to the MTC. We really missed Steven and were sorry he could not come but he had finals at school in San Diego. After breakfast we went back to the hotel to load up the car with all of our stuff and went to the MTC where they unloaded Matt's stuff and we went inside. Matt got his official name tag - Elder Kitchen - and we took plenty of pictures.
We gathered in a room with all of the other missionaries who were reporting at the same time and their families. They played lots of those sappy commercials about family that bring tears to your eyes before the meeting started - so I was already teary eyed as the meeting began. We got a little card with Matt's address at the MTC and they told us a little about what he would be doing for the next few weeks while at the MTC and of course we sang, "Called to Serve" which I had a hard time getting through.
Then it was time for goodbye hugs and Matt went out one door and we all went out another. Of course, I cried. We stopped at another Deseret Book and bought a card to send him before we left. We all wrote a note in it and found the post office (with our Tom Tom) and mailed it.
I cried off and on all the way home. We stopped at Cracker Barrel in St. George for dinner and purchased some fun treats to mail Matt in a care package. It was a good trip. We are so proud of Matt!

Mack Middle School Christmas Choir Concert - December 8, 2008

2009-01-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

Stephanie's third year teaching and this was her best Christmas Concert yet! The kids were very well behaved and sang beautifully. The audience is starting to get the idea that just because the concert has to be held in the gym doesn't mean they get to be roudy and loud. There were a few times when Stephanie waited while the audience quieted down but they got the idea. I took videos and Brad took pictures. I am only posting the picture of Stephanie because I don't know if parents would object to their childrens' pictures being posted online. One of the groups wore cute antlers while singing one of their songs. Stephanie wore them too!

Open House - December 7, 2008

2009-01-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, December 7th we held a joint Open House with Jessica at Roger and Melissa's home. It was great of them to host the party so that people could see both Jessica and Matthew and wish them well before they leave. We had quite a few people there, good food and fun.

Matt's Talk in Church - November 30, 2008

2009-01-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

On November 30, 2008, Matt spoke in Church. It is tradition that before a missionary leaves for their mission they speak in Church. Also on the program that day were Roger (who spoke), Caitlin and Jessica did a musical number, then Jessica spoke (who is also leaving for her mission), then Stephanie, Steven, Matthew and Kayla sang a musical number "Lord Please Hear My Prayer", then Matt spoke. He did a fantastic job. He seemed so grown up. Bev and Jack, Robert, Whitney and Sam and Noah and Grandma came to hear him speak as well as Quinn and Heather and the twins. After Church we all went to Grandma's house and had food, fun and visiting. Its hard to believe that Matt will be gone for 2 years. We look forward to seeing what he does and where he goes! Good luck Matthew!

Here is a video of the kids practicing for their musical number!

Family Pictures 2008

2008-12-28T21:34:00.001-08:00

On November 28, 2008, we went to Lake Las Vegas to take our family pictures. We had Stephanie, Steven, Matthew, Kayla, Jeremiah, Quinn, Heather, Rykker, Braxton, Brad and me all dressed to match! We took some great pictures and I picked the one above for our Christmas Card. Yes! That's right - I did a Christmas Card and letter this year! Every year I say I am going to do one and then time gets by and I don't get it done. This year I finally did it!
See the slide show for all of the pictures from that day!

The Many Faces of Kooky Kayla!

2008-12-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

THESE PICTURES WERE ALL TAKEN ON THANKSGIVING 2008!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving at my Mom's house.
It was a small gathering. We were glad that Aunt Patty could come. Steven came home for Thanksgiving too. We had a nice quite day with good food and good people. Phil & Tracey, Kenny & Kerry and all of my kids were there.

It was a fun day.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

CHS Fall Choir Concert - November 5, 2008

2008-12-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

This year the Fall Choir Concert at Chaparral High School was a little later than usual but very well done. I thought all of the choirs did a very good job. Ms. Gardner should be very proud of how well it went. I know the kids all miss Ms. Borovicka, but Ms. Gardner is working hard to make a great program this year. We will be watching for more great things to come!

There are pictures of all of the choirs and a picture of Kayla and her friend Casey, Kayla with Grandma, Kayla with Jeremiah and Stephanie and Ms. Gardner as well. Of course, I did not end up in any pictures because I was the photographer and forgot to have someone snap my picture too!

Matt's Day at the Temple - November 8, 2008

2008-12-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, November 8, 2008, Matt went to the Temple for the first time. Many were there to be with him. Bishop Andersen and Sister Andersen, Craig and Vonnie Call, Melissa, Jessica and Roger Elmer, and, of course, Stephanie, Jeremiah, Brad and I. It was a great day. After Matt's session we were able to go down to the atrium and take pictures while we were still dressed in white. It was the first time I had heard of being able to do this. Matt took the opportunity to go the Temple several times more before he reported to the MTC. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to be there with him. We are very proud of him and the decision he has made to go on a mission.

Zappos.com's Halloween

2008-10-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

At Zappos.com in the corporate offices we did all of our Halloween celebrating with a pumpkin carving contest, costume contest (individuals and groups) Team Decor contest and trick or treating in the office for children of employees and children from the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation. The legal dept. won first place in the team costume contest and as of this writing I have not heard who one the Team Decor contest. We were the Justice League with Wonder Woman (Amber), Batgirl (Lisa), Robin "girl" (Rebecca), the Wonder Twins (Millie & Donna) and I was Super Girl. I kept telling everyone I was more like Super Old Woman but we had a great time. Our department was decorated like the Hall of Justice and Metropolis. It was fun to see all the children come through in their costumes.

Jean and Brian's Wedding

2008-10-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

On October 18, 2008 we attended the Temple Sealing of Jean (Jeremiah's sister) and Brian. I love going to the Temple and watching these young people begin their married lives the proper way. We took pictures at the reception with our new Nikon digital SLR. I have wanted one for a long time. It is so much easier to take high quality pictures without worrying about the 35mm film being developed or coming out right. We could see on the camera if we got a good picture or not. Watch the slideshow for all of the pics we took. Congratulations Jean and Brian!

Twins' Blessing Day

2008-10-25T10:35:00.001-07:00

We traveled to Cedar City on Saturday October 11 to be there for Braxton and Rykker's Blessing on Sunday. It was so great to spend time with them. They have grown so much. Almost all of Quinn's family were there. His parents and all but one sister could come. They have so many kids and grandkids. What was even more special was that all of Brad's grandkids were there. Shayna and Nyah traveled to Utah for an event in her family. Then she had her cousin drive her to Cedar. It was also very special to finally get to see Derringer. He is adorable. Here are pictures of all of them.

The blessings were wonderful. Quinn did a great job. There was food afterwards and everyone had a nice time visiting.

Matthew's Mission Call

2008-10-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

On September 4th, 2008, we finally received the much anticipated Mission Call for Matthew. We invited the Bishop and his wife and kids, Melissa, Craig and his wife Vonnie, Dave, and of course Stephanie, Jeremiah, Brad, Kayla and I were there. Also Matt's friends CheyAnne, Chelsea and DJ came to witness the event. Steven was on the phone to hear Matt read his papers and announce that he would be going to the Spokane Washington Mission! We all shouted as he told us because Steven served in the Tacoma Washington Mission. We are so excited. Before he opened his papers we sang "I Want to Be a Missionary" and had a prayer. It was a great moment.

He reports to the MTC in Provo Utah on December 10th. We have much to do to get him ready! Matt had a map that he posted everyone's guesses on. He took some last minute guesses too and the only one that was close was Kim - she guessed Washington! Good guess Kim!

Labor Day Weekend

2008-10-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day weekend Brad and I got in the truck which was hitched up to our 30 foot trailer and headed off for a long weekend getaway! We went to Panaca so that we could visit Brad's Auntie Audrey. She has been going through treatments for Cancer and we wanted to see her. After visiting with her and Barbara Ann who stays with Auntie at night we headed over to Bev and Jack's and parked in the driveway to sleep. My kind of camping. We brought the dog - Cowboy - with us so we slept out in the trailer instead of in the house. The next morning we had some breakfast with Bev and Jack and then headed over to Cedar City to see Heather and the babies. Quinn was working so we missed getting to see him. We enjoyed holding the babies and helping to feed them. They are sooooo adorable.

We left Heather's and headed out for something to eat and some fuel before heading up on to Cedar Mountain. It was dark by the time we got up there and we could not really find a place to camp so we ended up just pulling off the road to sleep for the night. We slept pretty well and woke to rain in the morning. With it looking like rain for most of the day we decided to head back down to dryer ground. We made another stop and spent more time with the babies and then headed out to Gold Butte (an area out between Mesquite and Lake Mead) to camp. We found a nice place to pull off the road and made dinner. It got really windy during the night. So much so that at times I thought we might blow over. We did not sleep very well that night but the wind died down somewhat in the morning and we slept in. After breakfast we took the dog and got on the four-wheeler to go for a ride. We rode for about 15 to 20 miles and only ran into 4 guys while we were out. 2 were out riding and they had a dog with them as well. It was so fun and we had a great time away!

Les Miserables at Tuacahn

2008-10-07T21:52:00.001-07:00

On August 9th Brad and I went to see the musical Les Miserables at Tuacahn. It was the first time we had ever seen the play and it was a great production. I always love the shows at Tuacahn because of the natural backdrop of the red hills behind the stage and the use of the scenery. During the scenes of the French Revolution they had men up in the hills hiding behind rocks with authentic explosions and smoke. It made the scene seem so much more real! Very effective. The singing was wonderful and brought tears to my eyes several times. I loved it!

Happy Birthday Stephanie and Jeremiah!

2008-10-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

On August 10th we celebrated Stephanie and Jeremiah's birthdays together. It was fun to watch them celebrate together. There was even some debate about how old Jeremiah is. We are happy to have him in our family! We celebrated with dinner at Grandma's and some of Jeremiah's family was there too. We had plenty of cake and ice cream to go around.

August 8th Visit with the Twins

2008-08-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Brad and I went to Cedar on Saturday to see the babies and visit with Heather and Quinn. Pat and Louis were there and have been there helping. It was fun to see how they are doing and hold them. I got to feed Rykker some of a bottle and try burping him and Brad gave Braxton some of a bottle and burped him too!

Great pictures of the Twins

2008-08-11T21:37:00.001-07:00

Quinn's sister Katie took these fantastic pictures of Braxton and Rykker. They are so sweet!

Megan and Jackie's Wedding - August 2, 2008

2008-08-11T21:30:00.001-07:00

On Friday, August 1st Beverly, Jack, Debbie, Brad and I all piled in the Explorer and headed out for San Diego, California to be there for Megan and Jackie's wedding. We had a nice ride with no mishaps and a few jokes here and there. Upon arrival we checked into our hotel (Days Inn) and met up with the rest of the family who were already there. Then we headed to Mission Bay Park to participate in Megan's bridal shower. The guys all hung out in another part of the park with the kids and played games and ate pizza while the ladies played shower games and watched Megan open her gifts.

Saturday we went to the Temple and were there for the lovely ceremony. It was my first time inside the San Diego Temple and it is so beautiful. It amazes me that Steven is a worker in that beautiful Temple and is there every Tuesday serving the Lord.

After the ceremony we waited for the Bride and Groom and took pictures. Then went to a restaurant for lunch as a group while the Bride and Groom took more pictures. Back to the hotel and then on to the wedding reception held at a friend of Jackie's family who live in El Cajon. It was a lovely day with great weather and a beautiful bride.

Opening of the Wedding Gifts

2008-08-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

After the celebration of Matt and Ruthie's birthdays we all sat around and watched Stephanie and Jeremiah open all of their wedding gifts. They got a ton of stuff and I forgot to take a picture of all the gifts. It really looked like Christmas in July! They have a lot of thank yous to write!

The Twins are here! - Born July 25, 2008

2008-08-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 25, 2008, Brad received a telephone call from Quinn saying that Heather was going in for a C-Section and the Twins were coming. As soon as we could we left work and got on the road to Cedar. We got there a couple of hours after they were born and got to see and hold them both. Bev and Jack got there before us and we all enjoyed visiting and admiring Braxton Lois and Rykker Bradley. They are great! Braxton was 5lbs 15oz and Rykker was 4lbs 15oz. We are so happy they are here!

Matthew and Ruthie's Birthday Dinner

2008-08-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

This year we celebrated Ruthie and Matthew's dinner together. It was yummy as usual. Grandma always makes great dinners. It was fun. We had cake and they blew out their candles together. Matt turned 19 on July 25th and Ruthie turned ???? on July 23rd. I don't want to write her age in case she would rather I did not publish it!

Stephanie & Jeremiah - Wedding Day - July 12, 2008

2008-08-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

The big day finally came. All of the planning and preparations culminated in the wonderful wedding day.

I spent Friday preparing the food and getting all of the last minute stuff done. Then Saturday we got ready and went to the Temple. We spent about an hour outside (overcast and not as hot as it had been - yeah!) taking pictures. The professional photographer took some wonderful pictures. The pictures posted here were taken with our Kodak digital camera.

I felt very blessed to be in the Temple with my oldest child helping her to prepare to be sealed for time and all eternity. The ceremony in the Temple was wonderful. President Gary Earl sealed Stephanie and Jeremiah and his wife Diane (Aunt Diane to my kids) was there too. It was a very emotional time with all of us shedding tears of happiness. After - we waited outside for the bride and groom to exit the Temple as man and wife. The bride and groom stayed for a few more pictures and we rushed home to get the food and take it to the church.

We had lots of help from Holly's sisters and Katie's husband Richard who just returned from Iraq. They were all great and kept the food and punch in great supply. Everyone enjoyed the food and many stayed for the whole time of the event.

Millie and her husband Brent took hundreds of pictures. I was so grateful to them for being there and they took some great shots. There were so many people there I cannot name them all but I am so thankful for all who came to celebrate with us.

We had speeches by the best man, the father of the groom and the father and step-father of the bride. Then the bride and groom danced together and afterwards Jeremiah danced with his mother while Stephanie took turns with her dad and Brad.

They cut the cake, threw the bouquet and the garter and we all blew bubbles at them to wish them well on their way. What a great day!

Here is a link to a scrapblog I made.

Groom's Dinner

2008-07-16T06:24:00.001-07:00

The Groom's Dinner was held the evening of July 11, 2008 at the Chapel on West Charleston. Jeremiah's mom—Elaine—and her friends put on a great dinner with chicken and rice, stew, broccoli salad, jello salad and some delicious fresh fruit and cream puffs. Everyone had a great time. At the end we had everyone introduce themselves and how they knew the Bride or Groom and tell a funny story about them. It was fun to get to know each other better and hear the funny things everyone had to say. After the dinner, Stephanie, Brad, Kayla, Matt and I went to the Galleria Chapel to make some final touches on the reception setup. Holly and Ryan came too and we got everything in place in preparation for the big event!

Kayla's 17th Birthday Dinner

2008-07-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

We held Kayla's Birthday Dinner on Sunday, June 15, 2008 at Grandma's house. Her birthday is June 13th. Here is who was there—Grandma (of course), Uncle Tim, Ruthie, Kathrine, Me, Brad, Stephanie, Jeremiah, Matthew, Shalene and Hannah Grassie, and the Guest of Honor—Kayla! Ruthie and Kathrine also brought their kittens and there is a picture of Kayla holding one of them. We had a great dinner and everyone enjoyed Kayla's birthday pie.

Mission Preparation

2008-07-05T07:36:00.001-07:00

My son, David Matthew Kitchen, is preparing to go on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He has had a physical and is all clear by the doctor to go and he has had his wisdom teeth removed. He only has to go back to the dentist for the final sign off of his dental work, then fill out some paperwork, meet with the Bishop and Stake President and they will submit his papers! He turns 19 on July 25th. We are so excited to see where he will serve.

The Twins

2008-07-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to post this for awhile and have been so busy doing things for the wedding that I have not had the chance. This will be a better posting if I post what Heather wrote in her email when she sent us these pictures. She said:

"When we went to the ultrasound last night they did print us out some pictures that are amazing. I have attached 2 of them to this email. I hope they turn out. Sometimes they are hard to look at because they pick up everything that is i there, including the placenta.
Baby A is on the top. You can see his face really well. The thick line in front of him is the cord
Baby B is on the bottom picture. He is harder to take pictures of because he always has either his arm or leg in his face. You can see his eye and nose and his arm is right in front of his mouth. You can also see his other hand by his eye. He is always chewing or sucking on something. He is the only one we have seen suck his thumb."

We are so excited for these baby boys to arrive. They will be coming soon!

Now At Last

2008-06-15T10:41:00.001-07:00

Here is the video of Kayla singing "Now at Last" at the final Spring Concert May 16, 2008. She had some boys from the group carry her out and set her on the piano. Stephanie played the piano.

Wedding Announcements

2008-06-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

We spent a couple of hours on May 27th putting together Stephanie and Jeremiah's wedding announcements. We had a lot of fun and I forgot to take pictures until the very end so all I have are pictures of Stephanie and Jeremiah. We had lot of help though. Kayla, her friend Christina, Jeremiah's Mom - Elaine, me, Stephanie and Jeremiah. It went very quickly with all of that help. We had a little assembly line going. The announcements got mailed out during the next two days and we are getting the reply cards back every day!

Uncle Glenn's Birthday

2008-06-12T21:16:00.001-07:00

So - on Saturday, May 24th we had a real nice time celebrating with Uncle Glenn. It was his birthday. Brad is not sure how old he is but it is 80 plus! He looks great. His brothers Larry and Dean were there as well. We had a nice lunch at Mom and Jack's. Linda brought lots of cakes for us to enjoy. We sang "Happy Birthday" and he blew out the candle. A great day for a Great Uncle.

Larry and Linda Lee...
Glenn looks a little choked up. I think his eyes were watering from all the fire!
Here he blows out all the candles!
Brad's brother Regan was there. Here he is with Aubrey - Kurt and Tammy's little one.

Dane and Robin's Wedding

2008-06-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

On May 23, 2008, in the St. George Temple, we witnessed Dane and Robin being sealed for time and all eternity. It was a great ceremony and we were very happy to be there to share in their day. They held a luncheon at the church across the street from the Temple. It was very nice.

Here is a slideshow of the pictures I took.

We then traveled over the hill to Panaca and their wedding reception that evening. It was a great time to visit and enjoy the new couple.

Steven and Kim

2008-06-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

It was fun having Steven and Kim here for the weekend. They came to see the final Spring Concert and to go to Mrs. Borovicka's retirement party. We had a nice visit and they stayed until after Sunday Dinner at Grandma's house. They make such a cute couple!

Chaparral High School 2008 Spring Concert

2008-06-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

The next event was the Spring Choir Concert at Chaparral High School. The kids were great. This was Marsha Borovicka's final concert as after 23 years of teaching at Chaparral - she retired. Here is her picture. I know she was proud of the kids.

Expressions did a great medley of songs from Mary Poppins, the Classical Broadway Musical. The choreography was done by Cathy Allen (Dance Instructor at UNLV) and she brought in five girls to dance with the kids. Marsha even played the role of the "Feed the Birds" lady. It was great and brought tears to my eyes.

The performance was great and the kids did a great job singing and dancing. You can see Kayla with Marsha and on the left below. You could tell they really enjoyed the performance as much as the audience did.

Then Kayla sang a solo of a song I had never heard before. She looked stunning and sang so well. In my opinion - she had the best solo of the night! (Of course I would say that - I am her mother! But its true.) I will try to post a video of her song soon. Her sister Stephanie played the piano for her after listening to the song and writing it out.

Guys and Dolls

2008-06-11T22:04:00.000-07:00

May has been full of events. The first event was to go see Kayla perform as a Hot Box Girl in the musical "Guys and Dolls". I have to say the best part of the play was the Hot Box Girls. They sang and danced very well.

Also - the lead was played by Kayla's friend Christina and she did a great job. Caitlin was also excellent in her role.

Since the director saw us an gave us a direct order not to take pictures we did not take any during the play. But here are two pictures we took right after. Isn't she cute!!

Heather's Baby Shower

2008-04-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 19, 2008, Brad, Stephanie, Jeremiah and I went to Cedar City for Heather's baby shower. The plan was that the guys were going to go riding on four wheelers and the girls would go to the shower. It was a very windy day but the guys went riding anyway. They were pretty dusty when they got back. The shower was lots of fun and Heather got lots of really neat stuff. Quinn's mom brought Graco car seats and a Graco double stroller. The ladies all had fun putting the stroller together and figuring out how the car seats attach. See the slideshow below for the pictures I took. Be sure and share your comments!

San Diego Trip 4/4 - 4/6/2008

2008-04-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

Brad and I took a quick trip down to San Diego to visit Steven and to meet his girlfriend Kim. We had a nice time. We stayed in a crummy place called the Cabrillo Motor Lodge. It was cheap but run down and not as clean as I would have liked. From their pictures on their website it did not look so bad. But we dealt with it.
On Saturday we ate breakfast at IHOP and then went to Balboa Park to see the Pompei Exhibit. It was very interesting to learn about the explosion of Mt. Vesuvius in 79a.d. and what happened to the people there. They had many artifacts and some interesting casts of the people who were killed. Archaeologists discovered while digging that they could pour plaster into the cavities left by the people who were killed and make a cast of what the person was doing. It was obvious that many tried to save themselves by covering their mouths and noses but they had no chance of surviving. While at Balboa Park we saw some squirrels. Here are two pictures of them.

Later we visited Steven where he works and then shopped at Target.

We also took a walk down to Shelter Island to get some fresh air and wait for Steven and Kim. Steven went to Priesthood session and then met up with Kim and picked us up for dinner. We went to Roy's Restaurant for some Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine. It was delicious. We had a great dinner and really enjoyed getting to know Kim. She is a great girl and we are happy that Steven found her.

On Sunday we went to Kim's house and watched the final session of General Conference. It was a great session. We had lunch before that. Kim and her roommate Cassie had prepared some sandwich fixings and we made Panini's with Kim's new Breville Ikon Panini Press from Williams-Sonoma. It made great sandwiches and now I want to get one. Here is a picture of Kim and Cassie in their beautiful kitchen.
We had a great time visiting and I took this picture of Steven and Kim before we left. They are a cute couple.

Concerts

2008-04-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

On March 25, 2008 we attended a concert at Chaparral High School. Two of Stephanie's choirs performed as well as Expressions and Impressions. All the groups performed very well.

Here is a slideshow of the pictures I took. There are pictures of Stephanie, her choirs and some of Kayla and Expressions. Jeremiah and Matt made it into the pictures too!

Savior of the World

2008-03-28T22:58:00.001-07:00

Me, Stephanie, Matthew and Jeremiah are all singing in the choir for the Henderson Nevada Anthem Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presents a two-hour musical production, “Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection” at the Henderson Pavilion (200 S Green Valley Pkwy in Henderson, Nevada) on April 9, 10, 11 and 12 at 7:30pm. We have been having rehearsals Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night of this week. I made it to all three nights. The production is really coming along nicely and I think it will be wonderful presentation. If you want more information you can check it out at www.savioroftheworld.info. I have some tickets for the 1oth, 11th and 12th performances if you want them just let me know.

Stephanie and Jeremiah's Engagement Party

2008-03-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from the Engagement Party (the final surprise for Stephanie) we threw at Grandma's House on Sunday afternoon. Jeremiah's family came and we all had good food and a good time. We listened to them tell the story of Jeremiah's surprise trip to San Diego to propose. Its a wonderful story and we had a great evening together.

Here are pictures in a slideshow...

If you want to view the album to see the pictures better or download them for printing, click here.

Stephanie and Jeremiah's Engagement Party

Stephanie and Jeremiah - Engaged 3.22.08

2008-03-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah surprised Stephanie with a trip to San Diego to go to all of their favorite places and asked her to marry him at the tide pools. They had a wonderful day and it ended with a surprise party at her Dad's house arranged by Whitney. Here are some pictures from the event!

I am hoping to get more pictures from Stephanie! It was a great day.

Pioneer Trek

2008-03-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 21 and Saturday March 22, 2008. Kayla Marie went on the Youth Conference Pioneer Trek. She really did not want to go but she went. We are proud of her and I think she had a good time. Here are some pictures of her in one of the dresses I made for her true "Pioneer" experience.

A Prophet Has Died

2008-02-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

The President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has passed away. He died the evening of January 27, 2008. When I heard the news, at first I thought I might cry. But then I thought of how much he missed his wife, how old he was (97) and all the years of service he had given and I could only be happy for him to now be reunited with his wife and going on to his next mission. We will surely miss him. His funeral was on Saturday, February 2 and was a lovely service. That's when I cried. To hear all of the stories and the wonderful things he did was so inspirational.

The next day I heard about a new website that was created called the Hinckley Challenge. They are challenging everyone to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days - one day for each year of President Hinckley's life. I took up the challenge and have already begun reading. You can see my progress below. It will update everytime I add an entry for the number of pages I have read. I hope to read it in the 97 days challenged but in any case, I plan to read the entire book this year as we are studying it in Sunday School. Wish me luck!

So Much to Write - So little time

2008-02-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

Well - so much has happened in the last couple of months but I haven't had time to write. We had a wonderful Christmas holiday. Steven came home and all the kids were here. Stephanie and her new boyfriend Jeremiah are getting closer than ever and they went to Jeremiah's company party. We went to see Jeremiah in the Live Nativity and enjoyed that. Steven has a girlfriend named Kim that we haven't gotten to meet yet. I don't have a picture of her.

We went to Panaca and met up with James, Shayna and Nyah, Heather and Quinn to visit and to celebrate a birthday for Nyah. It was fun to watch her with the cake and her presents. We got her a baby doll and a book with nursery rhymes. She got another baby doll from Great Grandma and Grandpa Lane. She is so cute Then we and the kids went over to Cedar City and went to Church the next day with Heather and Quinn. They have a nice Ward. Here is a little video of Nyah with the book we got her. She has the hiccups. You can hear Shayna talking and also Grandma Lane telling a story about Kurt and Tammy's little boy Dahlin.

Then we brought James, Shayna and Nyah home with us to Las Vegas. We took them on Monday out to see Hoover Dam. Shayna had never been there. It was a nice day!

CHS Choir Singing Star Spangled Banner

2007-11-24T00:15:00.000-08:00

Click Here to see the Chaparral High School Choir singing The Star Spangled Banner October 2007. Kayla is the last one attending Chaparral!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIik9lp1abo

November 23, 2007

2007-11-23T23:19:00.000-08:00

Well - for Thanksgiving this year we went to San Diego, California to have dinner with Rob and Whitney Sanford and their two little boys. Yes - you are right if you are thinking - Isn't Rob Alane's ex-husband and father to Steven and Stephanie? But it was fun for all of the kids to be together for what may be Matt's last Thanksgiing before his mission. And Stephanie said it was the first time she could remember spending Thanksgiving with both of her parents. That's a good thing. The dinner was delicious and Whitney is a wonderful hostess. Stephanie made a pumpkin, apple and banana cream pie. She has become quite the pie maker like her Grandma Fox.

Today - after Brad, Matt and I rode to San Marcos to buy a part for the trailer (our tounge jack broke) we all got to take a ride in a boat down at the Marina where Rob and Steven work. Everyone went except for Steven. He stayed behind to manage the store. Stephanie, Matt, Kayla, Brad, Whitney, Rob, Sam, Noah and I. It was a beautiful day and we had a nice ride.

After the ride we all got together to play a little baseball on the grass at the Marina. Everyone took a turn at bat and running around the bases. It was a fun game! Pictured here are Steven and his little brother Noah. Noah is taking a turn at pitching. Below that Brad is catcher!

On the way back to Rob and Whitney's house the sunset was so neat that we all had to stop and take a picture. The sun looked like it was sitting on the ocean. It was beautiful. Then I turned around and there was the moon. Sun going down with a full moon behind me. Wow.

After another feast of leftovers we went to Garrison Street to see all the decorations. The whole street (except for a few houses) decorate for Christmas. Some of the houses really went all out. Most of the pictures I took did not turn out but here are some of us!

And - then Brad and I went to see his nieces Megan and Kim. Kim just had her second baby, Skyla and we got to see her and Azure. Both little girls are beautiful. I got a good picture of Kim, but Megan refused to get her picture taken. All in all it was a good and busy day. Happy Thanksgiving to all! We hope you had a good one too!

Time Flies

2007-09-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

Well - so much has happened since my last post. Brad and Matthew went to the Stake encampment in Kolob (which is in Zion National Park). I went up with Brad the weekend before to drop off some provisions they would be needing for the week. We had a nice ride.

Brad on the quad!

Later in August Brad and I took a weekend trip with our quad and the trailer up to Echo Canyon. We stayed in an RV park rather than at the campground and were able to run the air conditioning and have power. We rode the quad in a really pretty area that had been burned in the past. I will post some of the pictures we took. There is a little meadow that we saw lots of deer and we also saw some horses. We had a nice time. We stopped in to visit Brad's family in Panaca and had a nice visit there. It is always relaxing to take a break in Panaca. It is cooler there and everyone is so laid back.

Deer in Echo Canyon, Nevada.

We took a 4 day weekend over Labor Day and went to Lawrence, Kansas to see James, Shayna and baby Nyah. We forgot our camera so we don't have any pictures. We had a good time. The first 2 days were spent moving them from their old apartment to a new townhome with a fenced back yard and a 2 car garage. It is a very nice place. We enjoyed visiting and watching the baby. She is growing sooooo fast. James is doing very well in school and with his work.

Baby Nyah in her high chair - Sept. 2007

From James and Shayna's Blog!

Cowboy

School is back in session. Matthew is attending UNLV, Kayla is a Junior in High School and Steven is attending San Diego Mesa College. Stephanie is in her 2nd year of teaching middle school choir. Everyone is doing well.

Blake left on his mission to Des Moines Iowa. We have not heard from him but pray for him every day.

Heather and Quinn were here last weekend and we had a great time visiting with them. They brought their dogs, Jasmine, Cooper (Cowboy's brother) and their new dog Braveheart. He is a Mastiff but is still a puppy. He will be very big someday. Cowboy always enjoys playing with the dogs when they come.
Well - this post is long enough for now. Life is good.

Another Week Almost Gone By

2007-07-27T11:23:00.001-07:00

This week has been busy. We celebrated Matt and Stephanie's Birthdays on Wednesday, July 25th - Matthew's actual birthday - by eating out at Cheesecake Factory. Brad, Me, Stephanie, Matthew and Kayla all had a good time. We will celebrate again on Sunday with Dinner at Mom's.

Brad is getting ready for the Stake Encampment up at Kolob. They almost did not get to go there because of fires but this past Sunday they had a meeting and they all prayed for rain to come down and put out the fires. The woman who runs the website for Utah Fires reported that they were not expecting rain but the next thing they she knew - rainclouds rolled in, the heavens opened and rain came pouring down on the fire and put it out! She said it did not rain much anywhere else but there. I guess the Lord wants these boys and their leaders to experience what has been planned for them. What a blessing! We will be leaving in the morning to take one of the trailers for the cooking crew up and come back. Brad and the boys will all leave early in the morning on the 30th. I hope to have some pictures to post after he gets back.

For now - here is a pretty picture of Kayla!

July 23, 2007

2007-07-23T21:32:00.001-07:00

This past week was so busy I can hardly remember what we did. On Tuesday night we had a camp dinner for Young Women to recognize their participation at girl's camp and to watch a slide show of pictures from Camp. It was fun to go since I did not go to camp and see some of the pictures.

Heather and Quinn came on Friday and stayed until early Sunday morning. I had fun shopping with Heather, Kayla and Matt, while Brad and Quinn took my brother (Kerry) and went shooting.

We had our weekly dinner at Mom's and it was great as usual. We all watched the finale show of The Next Food Network Star and the lady I was hoping would win won!

I created a power point presentation for my Lesson on Sunday. It was fun to work on since I am just learning how to use the program.

Well - that is all for now!

Our First Post

2007-07-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

I thought I would start a blog since keeping a journal has been a struggle for me and I fail to put in writing what is going on in our lives! This is the first post to the Brad and Alane Clark blog. I am hoping that people can check here to keep up with what is going on in our lives.

We recently finished fixing up the front yard by taking out the remaining trees in the front yard. Last year (2006) we took out the olive trees. There were two of them and they were messy and huge. This year we took out the 2 40 year old pine trees that were next to the driveway. Brad rented a manlift and Steven steered it while Brad cut branches. At one point Steven climbed out of the lift and into the very top of the tree. It is 65 feet high! Yikes. Over three stories high in the air and Steven is balancing on the top branch. It was a good thing I was not home. Matt helped throw branches in the dumpster as well as Dave Huntsman and his wife Mary. Also Dave's son came and helped. Dave cut the branches on the ground and took all of the logs he wanted away. It was great to have their help. You should have seen when the trees came down with such a thump.

Brad's mom and step-dad flew in to Vegas after being in Indiana to help Brad's brother during an illness and she even got into the manlift and went up.

Now the yard has three new trees and some bushes and rock. No grass. The backyard has nice grass for the dogs.