Hawaii March

Last year we went to Hawaii with a couple of our kids, and we had invited Kimber and her husband to go with us but they couldn't because she was about to have a baby!  So she and a couple of the other kids asked us about having another trip that would include the grandkids, too.  Taylor, Lindsay and Kimber and their families came with us and we had such a good time! It was a lot of fun showing our grandkids all the things we love about Hawaii...

tiny crabs in seashells

remembering the fallen heroes at Pearl Harbor

One minor mishap... I ripped the toenail off my toe while snorkeling!

snuggling together for some tv time

getting splashed by the waves

the Temple in Laie

the Polynesian Cultural Center

Waimea Canyon

the Napali Coast

Mermaids on the beach

turtles on the beach!

tidepools and waves crashing on the rocks

being together

so much luggage!

keeping occupied on the plane...

feeding the fish at the Waiohai

looking for turtles in the surf

climbing trees!

Sunsets from our balcony

Ziva

My big news for this year is that we bought a horse.  Yes, a horse!  Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted a horse.  The opportunity came along, it actually kind of fell into my lap, and I did it!  I bought a horse that had been boarded at a nearby boarding facility, which is owned by someone I know from Church.  I have continued to board her there and the owner, Kari, and I have become good friends.  This picture is from when we first met her at the previous owner's house.

Her name is Ziva and she is 9 years old.  She is a Quarter Horse and Palomino mix and she's really big!  I have learned so much about horses that I never knew before!  They are pack animals and I, as the owner, have to establish my dominance constantly so that she knows who is in charge.  But that's kind of scary since she's so much bigger than me.  I'm learning how to train her and work with her.  I need to do it more.  She's a really good horse and very gentle.  She's really good at trying to understand what I want from her.

A couple of days after we got her, my daughter Lindsay brought her kids over to meet her and they got to ride her for just a little bit.  This is Ivy and Kai on Ziva...

 Ivy wasn't too sure about it, but Kai kept saying, "Up, horse!"  He loved it!

I look forward to really getting to know her better and take care of her so that we can have lots of years of riding ahead of us.

Once Upon A Time...

Wow, how time flies! 
I don't think I could recap everything that has happened, but I'm going to try.  My daughter Lindsay recently brought my attention to another person's blog and it made me remember that I had a blog once upon a time!  I'm going to try to spend some time every day catching up on my blog.

Max

Max has been a part of our family for the past 16 years.  Last week, he finally passed away and there is a huge hole in my heart.  Those words are so hard to say!  He was such a  big part of our lives and I have been dreading this day for the last few years.  It had been getting more difficult the past few months because he was hard of hearing and he probably couldn't see very well and he couldn't do all the things he loved.  But he was still Max and we loved him and we tried to accommodate him as best as we could.  What made it worse is that he passed away while we were in California for a family reunion.  I wasn't even here for him.  When we got home, we were able to go see him at the Veterinary clinic.  He looked very peaceful and finally at rest.  No more pain and he's probably running up and down the grassy hills in heaven.  He was the best dog and he will always be in my heart and my memory. 
Bye Max, I'll miss you!

Another New Year...

Usually every year I make a bunch of New Year's Resolutions that I don't do very well in keeping.  This year I'm only focusing on a couple of them and I'm going to work on them for a couple of months at a time.  We'll see how that goes...

This year a big change in my life is that I have started working at Robert's office part time.  I haven't been in the work force (outside the home, that is) since 1977!  It feels a little strange, but I feel very productive at the same time.  I am in charge of the filing and I help Cindy with whatever she needs done around the office.  Right now we are working on making binders for all the clients.  I don't understand everything yet, but I hope to soon!

I still have my Etsy business, but it's very slow, which is okay with me and I also have started a new business with Taylor, Larry and Bradley.  We are part of a team that sells Nutritional Supplements made by a company called Kyani.  I've been taking the product since I joined the team in November and I like it a lot.  I've been sleeping like a rock for the past month or so and that makes it worth every penny!

Tonto Natural Bridge

One of the activities we wanted to do with everyone was a hike.  Tonto is really beautiful and a fairly easy hike, so we thought it would work.  It was a perfect day!

We gathered in the parking lot while everyone arrived and we figured out which trail we would take.

We were treated by seeing a wild herd of javelinas in the parking lot.  They had a few babies, too.

Grandma          Ben & Tessa,        Robbie, Emy & Brad,       Nicole, Taylor and Emma

Catherine, Noah and Ethan        Lindsay & Ivy           Nickie, Richard & Bennett                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                               

first stop... a little pool where the river meets the trail

the trees were all changing colors and it was beautiful!

it looked more like Fall than Winter, but it was amazing.

Taylor and Emma

This was one of the prettier spots

Richard and Bennett

Taylor, Nicole and Emma

Nickie, Richard and Bennett

We reached the bridge!

Brad, Emy & Robbie

Lindsay, Ivy and Wesley

Catherine checking out the cave

Ben and Tessa

Catherine, Noah, Ethan and Uncle Taylor

Grandma & Grandpa

Wesley and Grandma picking out souvenir rocks

another beautiful spot

crossing the river sometimes was a little tricky

it was a good thing we had lots of helpers!

hiking back up the trail 

someone was getting a little tired!

but Wesley cheered her up...

the bridge from the top...

 Yes, in spite of what the the bench says, Ben DID survive...