A CHRISTMAS OF "FIRSTS"

Terry & I had our first Christmas in many years without the presence of grandchildren, which was sad. We missed and thought about them all. Talking to them, they all had great Christmases, even without us! A first for both of us was spending Christmas in San Diego with Rowdy and Diane. That was a good first. We also went to our first Bowl Game, the Poinsettia Bowl, we rooted for Diane's home team, Boise State, but against the odds they lost, but only by 1 little point. It was much more fun than I anticipated. Terry & Diane are the big football fans so they really enjoyed it, Terry the most. Next "first" involved a trip to the hills along the California/Mexico border where we went for a ride and a little hike. Rowdy tried to lock me in a cell for captured IAs, but I managed to escape! It was interesting to see the Border Patrol at work. Next was a new to us restaurant, The Linkery, for dinner. It was great. Next day, Christmas day, was the first time Terry & I had been on the beach for Christmas. I found a hermit crab (a sure sign of good luck), and had to at least get my feet wet in the Pacific waves. Terry would have if he hadn't been recovering from pnuemonia. Rowdy tried to talk us all into wearing wet suits and going all out, but we weren't having any of that. It was awesome! The day after Christmas, we had to fly home, but before we went to the airport, we had lunch with Diane. After lunch we took a trip to the Museum of Flight & Space (I think that's the name). It is a great place. It rivals the Smithsonian Museum of Same and we spent an entertaining afternoon there. Then as another first for me and for Rowdy, we took a ride in the flight simulator. It was a wild ride. Rowdy piloted us safely off the deck of the aircraft carrier and around the San Diego countryside. This included many steep climbs, nose dives, and barrel rolls which, thanks to the simulator, were very realistic! I think I love to fly upside down and spin over and over. It was the best. Two other firsts for me were playing "Swap" and "Othello", both fun games.

If you ever want to spend a few days with a great couple, have new and interesting experiences, just call up Rowdy and Diane and get ready for the time of your life. Thanks, guys!!!!!

But wait!!! There's more!!!

Towel snaps seem to leave larger welts than the spatula...FYI

ST. GEORGE THANKSGIVING

We had a GREAT time over Thanksgiving weekend in St. George. When we first arrived, it was raining, so we occupied our time cooking dinner, wii-ing, playing a fun dice game where everyone won prizes (great ones, trade show give-a-ways!), and just catching up. We truly missed the one Bricco fam that was missing.

The following day was nicer weather wise, allowing swimming, hot-tubbing, b-ball, and playing at the little park there. I think Craig and boys caught at least 6 trout in the lake adjacent to the condos.
Tyler took us to one of his favorite spots from college days there and it will be a place we all want to go to again. There were so many rocks to climb and so much dirt for kids to play in. In one place, after climbing through a small cave, Craig had to literally drag me and Tory up the last 6 feet as there were no hand or foot holds. Great times.

Even the babies made it to the top. It was a little nerve wracking as they all thought they were mountain goats and were very determined to go everywhere by themselves, especially Krew and Bradlee. She is definitely an outdoor girl.

We had Christa's first birthday party there. Plans for a birthday ride on the Texas Roadhouse saddle were nixed when the wait was nearly 2 hours. We ended up celebrating her birthday dinner in the mall's food court! Yes, this is Bradlee shopping and she does have a credit card in her hand.

It was so beautiful up on the rocks.

Christa was the cutest at her party. She really loved her cupcake...so did everyone else!

The pool had a waterfall which everyone had a blast with.

J & A in Zion's National Park. Another beautiful place. We took a stroller friendly hike there and it was awesome.

Here's Molly and Kole emerging from the narrow slot on the trail to the top of the rocks.

Here's Craig and Bradlee going into the slot.

We got some of the G-kids up on the top of a rock with us in Zion's.

The "babies" had a good time together. They are the best.

On the steps of the St. George temple. It was a beautiful temple on a beautiful day.

We had a puzzle for the down times that was a murder mystery, 2 puzzles, mixed up in one box, with no pictures to help with the construction. Who knew that Craig would turn out to be the puzzle guru!

After Christa' party, the adults played Bunko, thanks to Molly. It was tons of fun. She had prizes for all. We then had an adult dance contest, judged by the kids. It was the funniest thing ever. The look on the kids' faces said, "I thought this was a dance contest!?". They called Molly the winner, but I think we were all real "winners". My video will go into the dark recesses of oblivion for all time. I will leave it up to the winner, Molly to post the videos...trust me, they are blackmail quality.

Terry and I are truly thankful for our family and opportunities to be together in great places and share great times and make memories. The Lord has blessed us beyond our imaginations in a loving, fun, righteous family. We love and miss them all.

VETERANS DAY

Last night in preparation for Veterans Day, we had a great FHE. Jeff Nalwalker, an Army Reserve Major, came to share with the Singles Ward regarding his 18 mo. tour in Afghanistan. He left at home his wife and 3 children, 16, 12 & 5. He gave a great slide and narrative presentation on his time there. He was fortunate to be on a mentoring, good-will building mission. He got to really get to know the people there and took special interest in helping get children into schools with the supplies they desperately needed. When they drove through towns in their armored Humvees, they had supplies of toys and candy in their ammo storage up top to throw to the kids. He feels that great strides have been made in helping the people in Afghanistan progress towards greater personal freedoms. The goal in Afghanistan is much different than that in Iraq. It was very touching to hear him talk of his time there. Thanks to all who serve in the cause of freedom. And happy birthday, Tyler.

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW

This is what we woke up to this morning.. I love it! The first snow of the year always gives me a burst of energy and makes me do all the things I've been putting off...like cleaning the pantry and such.

HALLOWEEN WEEKEND

Last weekend was both happy & sad. Sad, because we had to miss most of Rowdy's trip here and Max's ordination to Teacher. Happy, because we were able to go Trick or Treating in Klamath and attend Kole's baptism. Mom was doing very well and we had a great visit with her. Jamie and fam were able to come. Their first trip back since moving and the first time to see mom. Happily, Rowdy was still here when we got home, but J, K, & M were only able to stay about 30 minutes. Jaiden was particularly sad not to be able to spend more time with them.

It took Jetrin a little time to warm up to Rowdy, but like all kids, he did!

Just two cousins having their first sucker together.


The big kids ready to hit the streets for some treats.

A little game of "Baby Break the Ice"

J-DOG DANCIN'

Jaiden has a great dance that we all love. When Craig and Jaiden have a dance off, it's hard to beat. Hope everyone can see that one day.

SOME FUN

This weekend was fast but great. It really started Thursday with a trip to the temple. Friday night we went out for lobster dinner for our temple anniversary(which we both forgot...Oct. 10). Terry has never forgotten anything before. I guess that after 35 years the honeymoon is over. I always forget, so nothing new there. Then we went to see "Eagle Eye". That was way different than I thought, but we both enjoyed it. On Saturday Jordan & Keiler came to visit. Terry and I were kind of duds, but the kids are always fun to be with. We tried to do a 1000 piece puzzle but decided we only like to do the edges. Made caramel corn, played wii, and just messed around all day. Missed Max, but next time. By the way, Keiler went to a High School debate Fri. night and took 2nd place. Way to go, Keiler!

Today was "Linger Longer" at church. It was the Great American Cereal Bonanza today. Lots of great cereal to chow on. It was fun.

About that "honeymoon over" crap...it's just that!

ANOTHER FAST WEEKEND!

First thing, Terry is pretty much recovered from his bout with pneumonia. He started feeling bad in DC and just got worse with each trip. But all the meds have done their job and he is feeling much better. He seemed to fully recover last weekend in New Mexico. While he was there, I went to Cheyenne to stay with Jaiden & Thaiya while Jamie & Amy & Jetrin went to Kansas City. Amy did great in the marathon and we had lots of fun at home.

As you can see, Jaiden gets pretty excited about the wii. Maybe because he beats us all the time.
Thaiya is getting so grown-up. She was kind enough to sleep with me every night so I didn't get lonely for Terry. She is so helpful and has a great sense of humor. She is also doing great in school.
On one of the trips to the park, Jaiden found out he gets sick from too much spinning. He was in bad shape, but it only took some pop and lovings from Brock to make him better. Jaiden still has the baby touch and can always make Brock & Bradlee happy. By the way, Brock thinks I am about the greatest thing next to Jaiden. Or else he just finds me very funny looking!
Bradlee is getting bigger and cuter all the time. She is so fun to play with. I wish I had a picture of her signing. It is the best. She says more all the time..."shoes mine!".

Love and miss every one of my family.

KLAMATH FALLS VISIT TO MOM & MOLLY & ALL

This weekend we took a quick to K Falls to visit mom (mainly). She had been calling and sounding pretty good so we thought we should visit while we could. Molly had them, Chris, Jack, & Cooper over for dinner Friday. Saturday we went to Kole and Chase's soccer games, out to lunch with Mom, Walt, & Jeanne. Then we just visited. It was so good to be there. Kole scored 5 goals and Chase played a great game. Krew & I had snacks and hot chocolate! Mom is still having chemo and uses a wheelchair, but seemed to know what was going on for the most part while we were there. I understand that is not usually the case.




Christa takes her piano playing seriously and will
climb the stairs from the basement when she
hears it playing. She is amazing. If Molly plays a
single note she will play that same one.

More D.C.

We were able to visit just about every memorial there. It was amazing and really brought home how much sacrifice has been made for our freedoms. So often at the sites everyone was so quiet and respectful. We saw gangbangers posing in front of many memorials and feeling the spirit there.

Here we have FDR and his little dog Toto!

Washington, D.C.

We spent the last week in D.C. It was much more interesting and fun than I expected. We found the city easy to negotiate and friendly. I can't count the times we were overcome with emotion. First up are pictures of the Lincoln memorial, where other visitors, many who didn't speak English, were moved to tears. Sorry my blogging skills are so bad. I can't seem to type wherever I want.

FAMILY HOME EVENING WITH YSA's

Family Home Evening at our house last night was a blast! Great lesson on the Book of Mormon, great treats, (fruit & yogurt parfaits), great games and great people. This game is "Cat & Mouse". It involves 2 ties that chase each other around the circle...get it cat & mouse?...when the cat tie catches the mouse tie the person next to the loser gets to write on their face with red lipstick. It was sooo funny.

YEE HAW - THE SALT LAKE COUNTY FAIR!!

Saturday, after cleaning the church, we moseyed on down to the fairgrounds to check out the fair. Well, mainly to check out the Fair fare! As you can see, first up was an elephant ear. We were pretty excited to dig in, but looks can be deceiving. After one bite it went in the trash can! So disappointing. Bucky Edgar has spoiled us forever with his heavenly elephant ears. Bucky, come on over to SLC!We are not quitters, so next up were 2 kinds of funnel cakes. Much better, but it ain't no elephant ear. These were followed by mile long hot dogs and BBQ beef sandwiches. Then of course, cotton candy. Yummy!
Here we are getting ready to enjoy the rodeo. Now, this wasn't our first rodeo. We knew how to get a great seat and enjoy the show. It was lots of fun and I laughed til I cried when the 3 to 6 year old kids came out of the chutes on their wild sheep for the "mutton busting" competition. Honestly though, it wasn't the Granddaddy of rodeos...so if you want that experience, you'll have to get to Cheyenne. But for your entertainment, I will give you some rodeo jokes.

Where do you find a turtle with no legs?

Right where you put him!

Why can't you ever solve a redneck murder?

Because the DNA is all the same and there are no dental records!

What did the dentist get for his award?

Just a little plaque!

JUST ANOTHER CHEYNEYNEY WEEKEND

Look at the excitement on these faces! Grandma & Grandpa are in town!

Actually, this is how they look watching TV together on the stool in the McLachlan kitchen. They are so close, it is awesome.

I think they have the same smile...but slightly different eyes. Jetrin is growing into a clown.
We got to go to Jaiden's football practice. Doesn't he look great in his uniform?

I know what you're thinking...who is that hot woman? But doesn't Brock look cute. He smiles and laughs lots now, just not when pressed to grandma's face.

We had a great weekend "babysitting" Tory. you just never know what she might do with Tyler out of the picture, but we kept from doing stuff she might regret. We mainly just loafed and ate. We had roasted marshmallows around Jamie & Amy's fire pit and went to church with Tory. She was sustained as a Sunday School teacher. I'm jealous. I'm glad they are close enough to run over to when we have some time.

HELP!! I keep getting a message that my file for a video from my camera is corrupt or not properly formatted to post on blogger. What do I do?

FUN TIMES AT HOME WITH SOME OF MY FAVORITE PEOPLE

Last Monday Jordan, Keiler, and Max came over for some "quality time". We had to drive pretty quickly to make it to the dollar theater for my 4th time to see "Ironman". It's always great. Jordan hadn't seen it yet and she was suitably impressed. Then we came home for "10,000 BC" on PPV while we ate teriyaki chicken, sticky rice, watermelon, salad, pop, ice cream bars, popcorn, candy, candy, and more candy. It was great. then we played Mad

Gab and it was time to go home. Oh yeah, they also did homework and Max went swimming. I am so glad they live so close. They are the greatest and I really love them loads. They are getting funnier all the time, too. Wish you all could hang out with us!

I AM NOT ALONE!

As shown by a headline in this morning's paper, I'm not the only one with a snail problem. And believe me...I will never surrender.

FARMER'S MARKET FUN

Saturday morning Terry & I went downtown, (or "Uptown", if you prefer) to the Farmer's Market. It was a great place for people watching and produce buying. We bought raspberries that really taste like raspberries and fresh green beans. I had an amazingly good Thai spring roll with peanut sauce and a fresh peach and strawberry tart for breakfast, washed down with refreshing organic mint tea. When offered a small bag of mint leaves for $5 I remembered I have mint in my tiny garden! I can make my own!
When we got home I made this angel food cake with whipped cream and the raspberries with a little mint from my garden garnish.. I made the cake with the intention of taking it to our home ward BBQ Sat. evening. The African Children's Choir would be singing for entertainment. Well, about 5:30 we decided to go for a walk on the Jordan River Parkway but on the way there, we decided to go up Big Cottonwood Canyon and check out Silver Lake, a short 3/4 mile hike. When we got there it was so pretty and the weather was so nice, we took the Silver Lake hike and then went on to take the 2 mile hike up the mountain to Twin Lakes. That was pretty much straight up all the way. But it was beautiful when we got there but of course no camera since we were only going for a little walk on the Parkway. Anyway, we didn't get home until the BBQ was over so ...Oh, No! we had to eat all the cake ourselves, which we were hungry enough to do!