Marching Band Season is Upon Us!!!

When I'm not scrapbooking (which by the way I've done 5 books so far), we've had homecoming, football games, and band competitions! I got back Sunday from chaperoning a 3 day trip to Spokane (pronounced spo-can) Washington. It was a very fun trip. We were on the go the entire time, and the 8 hour bus trip was not very comfy, but it was FUN!!About 200 of us slept on the gym floor of a middle school. The kids were very good. We put the boys on one end the chaperones in the middle and the girls on the other end. It was wall to wall sleeping bags. I'll blog a picture later. We ate like kings...the people in charge of our food are amazing. Breakfast burritos, chicken fahitas, brownies and ice cream, turkey sandwiches.....it was all very yummy. I loved helping prepare and serve the food. The kids were very appreciative. The weather was BEAUTIFUL!! It got cold at night so we had to bundle up then, but it was perfect marching weather.

Oh....and we WON!! We came in first in our division and won the Grand championship.
Our competition this weekend will be more challenging....there are one or two bands that will give us a run for our money, so I'll let you know. But we are having fun!If you enlarge the picture of the band, Jon is on the top left.

Okay, Okay Okay......

So WHY have I not been blogging? Well, I have been spending most of my time SCRAPBOOKING instead. Since Jon is a Senior this year, and his scrapbooks have not been done for several years, for the boys for Christmas I'm catching up. Jon knows it's for Christmas, but because it's so all time consuming, I have to do it in the open. Josh doesn't know I'm going to do his, so he will think I'm doing Jon's when I do his. So far I've done from 1999-2003 and filled up 3 notebooks. Jenny has 6 or 7 scrapbooks and hers are pretty up to date, except her senior year. She has most of the stuff to do that. The bottom scrapbook is actually one of the ones I did last time I worked on them. It was ALOT of work. Now I am mostly using black cardstock....I'm NOT using any fancy scissors....I'm ONLY cutting the pics in squares with my paper cutter and I'm being simple so that I can get it done!!! They will still be nice, just not as pretty. Hey, boys won't care!!
I work on 1 year at a time. The table is a great workplace. I have stickers, scraps, cardstock, paper cutter and all the other supplies I need.
I have piles on the floor next to the table of each month...in each pile I put pictures, award certificates, church talks and any and all things I have saved for them to look back and remember their childhoods. Since I can't remember most of MY childhood, my kids will remember theirs!!As a note..... after I get all caught up I'm going to do one with all Jon's scout stuff and another one for band. Those will be for graduation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU......

Happy Birthday Debi!! I can't believe you are 55!!!
Just imagine....55 years packed with all sorts of life's experiences. I think you have more energy today than you did when you were a little curly headed girl. Now that you are an "empty nester" you will fill your life with new and exciting experiences. I know you won't let any moss grow under your feet!!
HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY WITH YOUR FAMILY!!!!

What a Deal!!!

I was headed out to our yearly Relief Society craft day on Saturday, when pulling out of the driveway I noticed one of our neighbors was having a sale. I had been wanting to talk to them because I want to show them Jenny and Logan's wedding pictures. They were unable to attend the wedding and had their house up for sale with plans to move. My plans were simply to go say "hi" and talk to them. I left, having bought new furniture for our family room!!!
Chris and Jeff (the neighbors) had just bought all new furniture for their house and were selling their old stuff.(they took their house off the market) I got this sofa and loveseat...in near perfect condition for only $175.00!! On top of that when Richard and Jon went to pick up the furniture, Chris threw in 2 pictures I had looked at. (I had gone on to the church after I paid them...one of the pictures she gave me is on the far left)) Chris and Jeff told Richard to bring our old furniture over and they would sell it for us. The sofa sold before Richard even took it over, and they sold our chair. We got $60. That means the entire set only cost us $115.00. Good deal don't you think!!!!!
The boys love it and Jon is the one who arranged the furniture this way for me since I was gone. I love it... They were so excited they wanted to have scripture and prayer in the family room last night, to break it in.

They're OFF!!

Well, as most of you know, Debi and Melissa left us yesterday morning for the next leg of their journey....to Salt Lake and then Rexburg. We got to the airport about 5:30 AM and got all the luggage checked in. It was sad to see them go, but I was so excited for Melissa to get to college. I wanted to hide in a suitcase, just to experience all the college "firsts" with her and Debi....just like I did Jenny 3 years ago.
We had such a nice time....very relaxing for me, since I could use the excuse that my family was here to be a homebody and lay low for a few weeks. But, as is in her blood, my sister couldn't sit still for long. Her trip here was like a service mission. Not only did she give us ALL to die for neck AND foot messages, but she brushed our hair (including David's long locks) AND put together furniture AND mowed lawns (here she is at Grandma and Grandpa Drew's mowing.) We could all benefit from her example!!!!
We had our usual LATE night visits, staying up until 2:00, 3:00 and even 5:00 AM one morning (SHHHH don't tell anyone.) We loved listening to Melissa play piano for us...I especially loved singing the songs Jenny and I used to sing together as she would play. (come home Jenny :( I miss you) It was fun having "Extra" voices for scripture reading each night and they enjoyed having someone different to say family prayer at night besides them or Uncle Mike. We had a great time on Labor day driving up the Gorge. (I'll post more pictures later.)
THANKS FOR COMING DEBI AND MELISSA!!!

Applesauce Incident

See story in blog below.....We were all dying of laughter as you can tell by Uncle Ronnie's face.

Travel Log

Here are a few pictures we picked to show you that Debi and Melissa really ARE here..... Saturday was spent at Dad and Rose's house. Elizabeth, David and Henry came down from Seattle to visit. We all ate dinner together after putting together a new table and chair set for them. After dinner we all took turns mowing the front yard with their super fantastic lawn mower!
Sunday, after church, Mom and Bob, Ronnie (and his friend Tammy), and Aunt Ellouise all came over for dinner. Melissa played the piano and we all sang. It was a fun evening. Something funny happened at the dinner table. Debi was eating her applesauce (that she had put in a small serving dish). She was busy visiting and had put the bowl down. At the end of the meal she picked up the spoon and started eating the applesauce again. She wondered why she had so much applesauce in her bowl. She said, "This is a lot deeper bowl than I remembered." Then I looked at it and I realized she was eating out of the serving bowl instead of her own personal serving dish! It was a much bigger bowl. We all laughed so hard and Debi was so embarrassed, she crawled under the table!

Aunt Janes Visit

Aunt Jane was here from Arizona last week to attend her high school reunion. She has always been a "special" aunt to me. I thought I would share a few of my memories with you.......
*Aunt Jane taught me how to drive in her little yellow Renault. In those days small cars were an oddity. * She pierced my ears when I was in high school. She used 2 ice cubes and a needle. * I loved her clothes....she let me borrow her clothes sometimes...I felt so "Cool" in them. I wore her clothes in my Senior pictures. * She is very talented. I remember her learning to tole paint. She has done alot of different crafts throughout the years. *Jane is very generous and compassionate and is a good Christian woman. I remember going to church with her as a girl.Here she is with Grandma Cameron and Aunt Ellouise.....my other "Special Aunt" See you next time Aunt Jane!!!!

It has been about 20 years since I had a yard sale....and then again, I've only had 2 before this one. They are very fun to go to, but not my idea of fun to have. BUT....it ended up being lots of fun! Our family is planning a church history tour next summer and I thought doing this would be a good way to help the cause. Richard did a great job on the signs, don't you think? I was up until 2AM Friday morning getting things separated and priced. We used 6 card tables, 2 sheets of plywood(put on top of sawhorses), some shelves from Joshs room and I even put a piece of board on top of a big rubbermaid container to put stuff on. Richard found a plank that was about 7 or 8 feet long and we put it on top of some bricks and put shoes on it. My neighbor even had a round rack to put clothes on. This picture was taken on Saturday after we were done (Not Sunday like it says)The next picture was taken in the garage in the wee hours Friday , but I didn't remember to get one with everything put out in the driveway. Sorry so dark!!!
I began cleaning things out in June and my pile kept growing. We had just donated alot of stuff to the young women for their garage sale, so I really didn't think I would have much. By the time I got done, I had alot of stuff I could live without. I had a little bit of alot of stuff....crafts, fabrics, clothes, jewlery, lotions and perfumes, kitchen stuff, coloring books and a few books and games. I had decorating stuff like shelves, mirrors, silk flowers. We had a dog run, dog house (Lady never would use them....she stays inside mostly), canning jars, shoes....you get the drift! It is AMAZING what people will buy. I had my old earrings on on index cards, like 4 pair per card and old necklaces in baggies...they sold out in NO TIME!!
Oh, Richard was worried about me being alone taking care of the money, so we decided it would be a good idea to use a pouch. I actually used 2....one had bills and quarters in it and the other I used for nickels and dimes and paper, pen and tape.
I put really cheap prices on things. I walked around visiting with people. I placed an ad in the paper for Friday only because I wasn't sure how it would go and I didn't want to be tied down for 2 days if I didn't want to. I also put it on Craigs list.....a first for me. As it was we did do it Saturday, but we just put our signs up again for that day (Since our signs were generic). I must say I was totally exhausted Saturday night with all this yard sale stuff AND doing Josh's room. We were very blessed to have such a sucessful sale. I KNOW Heavenly Father wants us to go on this trip! The weather had called for rain, but we woke up to clear skies on Friday morning.

The Boy Returns.........

Well, here it is!! Josh was SO EXCITED!! We finished it up just minutes before he arrived home. Well, it's not completely done....I still need to find some car posters. Every place that I went to didn't have car posters, so someone told me to check the mall. He already had one car poster, so I got it up. And, I got some frames last night to put the Mormon Ads in. I'll get them up then post that wall.
I ordered the wallpaper online, and it came late Friday. We were exhausted from doing the yard sale, so Richard put it on Saturday morning while I manned the sale outside. We quickly put the furniture back in place and I got the bookcase done while Richard picked Josh up. Josh LOVED everything. For hours after he came home, he kept hugging us. He hugged Richard and told him thank you. Richard siad "I'm glad you like your room".....Josh answered.... "No Dad,I LOVE my room!! "
Here's Josh with the items he made for his basketry merit badge!

A Little Glitch.....

A little update on the room.......

I was in bed last night and about 2AM there was a knock on the front door. We jumped up and looked out and there stood Josh. Apparently he had had a panic attack and was having difficulty breathing. Long story. Anyway, Josh now knows we are doing his room. He slept in it when he got home. I had been on the internet last night when they tried to call for us to meet them to pick him up. The camp is in southern Oregon and a 3 hour drive. Needless to say, because I was on the internet (we have dial up), they we unable to get ahold of us. They left a message, but I didn't check because it was so late. They brought him all the way home.
WELL....he wanted to go back today, so Richard drove him back this afternoon. He will still be surprised when it is all done.
On top of that, I put an ad in the paper and will be having a yard sale on Friday. I have been getting things ready as well as painting.
More later.......

Painting Progress

Believe it or not Richard was eager to help me today. He is such a helpful husband!!
I did all the trim work and he did the roller. He got 2 coats on, but I still need to put the 2nd coat of trim on. Hopefully the border will be here tomorrow or Thursday so Richard can get it up. The color is called chalkware and it's the color of our downstairs. I had a full gallon from when we added on to the house, so I only had to go buy one gallon today. One gallon wasn't quite enough to do the job. We figure we can use the xtra paint to do our room next Stay Tuned........

Whistle While You Work......

For the past month I have been planning to surprise Joshua by re-doing his room while he's away at scout camp. I thought you might like to see the transformation.
He left this morning at 4AM for southern Oregon. I began right away with getting things cleaned up and moved out. I talked to him yesterday and asked if I could clean up his room while he's gone. He was all for it. He had mentioned to me a few months ago that he thought the walls in his room were too girly. I had painted it when Jenny turned 12 and was away at her first year of girls camp. Now that Joshua is a teenager himself, I wanted to give him a room more boyish.
While he thinks I'm just cleaning, We'll be painting it and putting a border around it. I got a new bedspread and a valance for the window. No drawings on the wall, but it will be a BIG surprise. Richard clicked a pic of me while I was cleaning (He's into the blogging spirit). The last picture I clicked very late tonight, after I got everything stuffed into the closet and hallway. We'll leave the bed in the middle while we work. STAY TUNED.........

I've Been Tagged..........by DEBI

JOBS I'VE HAD
Retail clerk: Kanes Tot's and Teens (6 months), Payless Drug Store (4 years), Fred Meyer (8 Years)
USA Today Distributor- 10 years
Evergreen School District: 6 years- Health Screening, cafeteria monitor, learning support, Early Childhood Education Staff Assistant (PRE K- Debi calls it my babysitting job....I could say the same for her aide job!!)
Being a mom.....PRICELESS


PLACES I'VE LIVED

Vancouver Washington
Austin Texas
Mt. Kisco, NY
(Did I live in Portland too??)

A side note....I've moved 30 times that I could count....I probably lived places I can't remember.......... AND I went to 10 different schools in 12 years.
(No wonder I've lived in the same house for 15 years and my kids have all gone to the same schools)


FAVORITE MOVIES
You've Got Mail
Sleepless in Seattle
Sound of Music (I'm not copying you Debi....honest)
ALL the Harry Potter Movies
Hook
Jumanji

FAVORITE TV SHOWS
Currently....Cash Cab, Rachel Ray Show

FAVORITE WEBSITES
BLOGGER.COM....for all my favorite blogs!!!
LDS.org
Google/Google Maps/Google Earth
Travelocity
EHS Boosters.com

FAVORITE VACATION SPOTS
Oregon/Washington Coast
Anywhere my family is....Utah and Texas (but just to visit)

PLACES I'D RATHER BE
At home.....EVERYDAY....being a homebody!!

There is nobody left to Tag....but Jenny, It's your turn!!

Camping Out

Now I really don't want anybody to get used to my blogging so frequently, BUT.......
Dad and Rose gave us a tent back in May or so, when they were cleaning out their storage room. Since we sold our travel trailer a few years ago, this is a wonderful addition for us! It's already been used by Richard and the boys for a campout, and now Josh has been camping out in our backyard.
Austin and Josh spent Tuesday night in the tent with all the comforts of home (well, almost.) They had cushy air mattresses, a television set and lamp....AND Austin brought his X-Box so they could play video games. I popped them some popcorn and took them some drinks and fruit snacks. I must say though, that I am a fraidy cat. I needed to leave the door unlocked into the house fo them and I was worried about the boys with NO protection, so I slept on the chair in the family room, with the window shades open so I could see them. I know Josh goes on campouts in the woods all the time without me, but it's a mom thing. I didn't sleep well at all (I kept checking on them), but it was a small sacrifice for my son to have wonderful summertime memories!
I unleashed a monster when I let him do it just one night, so it was hard to refuse him another night. This time we talked Jon into staying out with him (I told Jon he needed some bonding time with his little brother). Now tonight I can sleep in my own bed and I gave them a key to get in so I could lock the door. We plan on taking the tent to the Ward campout just before Debi and Melissa get here. Richard and I decided we could have our I scripture reading in "the tent". Jon refused to let me get his picture during scriptures so I got one of Josh. (The date is wrong on the picture it should be 08/01/07))

Oh What Do You Do In The Summertime?????

Our boys went on a pioneer trek after we got home from vacation. It was a real adventure! This was Jon's 2nd trek, Josh's first. They pushed handcarts up on the Old Barlow Trail on Mt. Hood. They pushed and pulled for 3 days and though the Stake isn't saying exactly how long it was, we heard it was about 35 miles, which averages out to about 12 miles per day. They crossed 3 bodies of water,and you guessed it....getting very wet in the process, but as Josh tells it, they dried off quickly in the heat. Each night they would gather around the campfire and have a program, one night staying awake for hours watching electrical storms off in the distance. It was a great experience for them. A little background....on Richards side he had family in the ill fated Willie Handcart company (Cunninghams) and my side we had family that was in the rescue party (Dalton's). So this experience was brought close to home for them. They were VERY dirty when they got home!!!
Some boys have been having a grand time swimming this summer. Here, Josh and Clint enjoy floating in our backyard pool.
Now, some people have very boring summers and tend to get into mischief when left on their own. Monday morning in the wee hours (1:30AM), I heard a huge crash against our bedroom window as I lay finishing up the latest Harry Potter adventure. I jumped out of bed (Richard was oblivious as he lay there snoring), threw open the window and yelled at the culprits. Yes, they egged our house as well as left this lovely suprise for us. We got up and washed down the the bedroom windows (where the eggs were) and then spent 30 minutes talking to a neighbor out front who had heard the crash and went chasing down the kids....though he didn't catch them. I finally got to sleep around 3 AM!!! These were not Jons friends, but some neighbor boys who have nothing better to do than bug us!So, now you know what some people do in the summertime......STAY TUNED FOR MORE EXCITING SUMMERTIME ADVENTURES!!!

30th Annual July Picnic

Each year for the past 30 years we have had a July picnic on our Dad's side of the family. I don't have any factual trivia, but through the years it has been held at various places and sometimes not in July. The crowd fluctuates....this year Richard counted 27. It started out on the Oregon coast and is now held at Lewisville park in Battleground Washington. For many years we all wore matching t shirts (there are still a few floating around)...there were matching hats and for quite a while we've worn buttons....each year new ones are designed. Last year we had crotched frogs made special by David. Our logo is a frog.....he's mutated through the years as well. This year the buttons were really awesome. There were 3 different ones, each with a different background picture of the park, with a cute frog in the middle.
Each year we also take a family picture. Someone usually stands out to snap the photo, we usually switch off so that everyone gets in the picture at some point.
Everyone brings their own plates and things and we all bring different food to share. There are lots of desserts and we have a program of sorts. Here Grandpa and Aunt Sue visit.

The Egan Boys and Girls.....

I would like to say the Egan men are lined up from youngest to oldest, but in this pic I had them line up from shortest to tallest. Except for Joshua (give him a few years), Richards boys are all taller than he is. Jon has a few inches on Jeramy, but Jeramy's truck (behind them) is bigger than Jons!! (hee hee)
And yes, the Egan girls made a trip to the grocery store. I had to experience pushing the shopping cart into the apartment and unloading the groceries in the kitchen.Well, that's it for our vacation.............till next time!!!

Our Day Hike in Utah

I promise I'm getting at the end of our vacation. (yawn yawn...) Logan wanted to show us this beautiful place up in the mountains where there was a waterfall. It was a short hike (about 30 minutes), albeit straight up!
Here's a picture of the view taken from part way up. It was quite breathtaking....don't you think?? There is some green in Utah even though it gets really hot.
I figured I would make it up, but was a bit terrified of getting back down again, but I made it just fine. Of course I kept my eyes and ears open for rattlesnakes, and cougars. Logan showed us the spot where he ran into a cougar one time.

Boating on the 4th of July.....

Brent and Shannon (Logan's parents) took us boating on the Yuba Reservoir. For this homebody family, it was a real treat!!
Shannon thought Jon looked a little bored, so Brent gunned the engine and took him on a wild ride. I was hanging on getting the ride of my life too!
Josh couldn't quite muster the courage to ride the tube (or whatever it's called), but Jenny got him to jump off the boat with her into the middle of the reservoir.Here, Jenny and Logan take a ride together.

You Know You're in Utah When........

We began our vacation by driving to Boise Idaho for a few days. We spent one day at a water park, keeping cool and enjoying the sun. On Tuesday morning we left for Utah to visit with Christophers kids in West Jordan. Like a dork we totally didn't get any pictures of the kids, except this one of Josh blowing bubbles for our grandaughter Serenity. What kind of grandparents don't get pictures of thier grandkids! I guess I'll claim memory loss on that one. We had a nice time with them, although much too short, as we were headed to Gunnison for that evenings activities that Logan and Jennifer had planned for us. The Gunnison Valley puts on a wonderful community July 4th celebration. To kick it off there is a big dinner in the park (Jenny and Logan treated us to dinner) along with a good old fashioned auction with quilts galore, as well as lots of other things. To end the evening there was a big fireworks display that we watched from Logans parents yard. There was even a youth dance at the park after the fireworks.I tried to bid on a leaf blower (Josh was begging me to bid).....and we thought we had won the bidding, but it turned out someone behind us was also bidding and they got it instead. But it was fun. Next time we go for the 4th, I'm going to plan on taking enough money to buy one of those beautiful quilts!
Okay, now in case you're wondering why I titled this the way I did here is our funny story.
Instead of redneck jokes, we decided we're going to begin our own collection of mormon idioms. We had to stop at a little store in Nephi Utah and on the mens bathroom wall instead of the regular graffiti, written on the stall door it said: "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceassingly" and another wrote "AMEN".
Then, before the auction in Gunnison, they honored 3 people from the community for their service. In telling about one of the men, they told about what a good home teacher he was. WHERE ELSE but Utah would you hear someone being honored in a community setting for (in part) being a good home teacher!!!
Stay tuned for more on our vacation.............

Summer Vacation

We took our vacation to Utah to spend the 4th of July with Jenny and Logan. I was going to blog everything and so I started kind of backwards....but it just takes too long to blog on my computer. So, things are not necesarily in order.

Majestic Temples

We've been to many of the Temples in Utah throughout the years and this trip wasn't any different. This first Temple is The Manti Temple. This is Jenny and Logans Temple. It's 15 minutes from their house. It is so beautiful sitting up on the hill. It is the 3rd Temple built in Utah. It's building took 11 years. The Mormon Miracle Pageant which takes place each June, now attracts 130,000 people a year and began in 1967.The Provo Temple took 3 1/2 years to build and was finished in 1972. Jon asked to go to the MTC which is next to the temple. Kristie and Barth probably attended this temple many times as newlyweds!
Joshua asked if we were going to Temple Square (it wasn't planned) so we quickly planned a trip there. We were last there 3 1/2 years ago when we went to General Conference. Temple Square is a most beautiful and serene place. Salt Lake was the 4th Temple in Utah to be built. It took 40 years to finish and is just so magnificient!! One could spend 2 full days at Temple Square and not take in everything. We met an elderly sister volunteer outside in the 100 degree heat willing to share Temple stories with us. One of which is that before they placed the Angel Moroni on the top capstone (look how far up it is)... people were allowed to climb up the scaffolding that led to the top, to touch it.

Back in the Beautiful Northwest.......

As we drove into the Columbia River Gorge we were in awe (as usual) of the beauty of the trees, mountains and river. We stopped at Multnomah Falls, about 35 miles from home.