Time Flies....

Where has the time gone? Today Blaine and I achieved something... a milestone that by the world's standards is getting harder to reach; our 30th wedding anniversary! One problem though, I'm in Boise and he's in Mexico. Before you get too worried, we're not having marital troubles and I didn't miss the plane. Blaine is on a trade mission to Mexico with Idaho's Governor. It just so happened that the trip was scheduled over our anniversary. However, Blaine did give me a dozen roses before he left with a promise that he'll make it up to me later :)

As Blaine and I have reminisced about our life together we have felt very grateful for the many blessings we have received as a result of our marriage in the Washington, D.C. Temple. The most important one is our family. Our 4 children have brought so much joy to us (okay... there have been moments of some anxiety but then we wouldn't know real joy :)) We are thankful for Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness and the promise that if we live up to our covenants we will be together as a family through eternity.

I tried to find some photos of Blaine and me together without anyone else in the picture. It was really hard but I did find two from last year's trip to Washington, D.C. One is a little dark and we're standing in front of the Washington, D.C. Temple. The second one we are enjoying the cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin in D.C. I guess we need to make sure that more pictures are taken of just the two of us during our next 30+ years together.

Turning 11...and becoming a 'guitar hero'

Jennifer turned 11 years old yesterday. We enjoy the special person that she is and the fun and excitement she brings into the family. We also appreciate the closeness she has with her older sisters and brother, despite the difference in years. She has really blossomed this past year as she has studied hard in school, worked diligently to develop her talents, and made many new friends.

The birthday gift she really wanted was Guitar Hero to play on her Sony PS2. It was waiting for her when we returned from Spring Break and she wasted no time in jumping into it. The photos show Jenn jammin'.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!

Somehow my camera setting was switched to video before I could take a picture of Jenn zip-lining. I couldn't figure out why the camera wasn't working. I didn't realize I was filming her until after she landed. Good thing though because now we have a shot of Jenn "in action!"

Warning: For some reason the video loaded sideways. I have spent hours now trying to figure it out and thought I had it corrected but ...well you'll see for yourself. So instead of spending anymore time on the video I decided that you can help me fix this problem. To view the clip put your left ear to your left shoulder and don't blink or you'll miss it!

Caribbean Cruisin'

Spring break this year found us sailing the Southern Caribbean on the Crown Princess. (Yes, the "Love Boat" and no, they didn't play the theme song.) With winter lasting longer than normal this year, it was a nice warm weather break. We had a great time, got a little sunburned and ate plenty of food. Knowing that the average weight gain for someone on a cruise is about 5 pounds we decided to always use the stairs instead of the elevator. The ship has 17 levels and is one of the largest in the Princess' fleet. Our cabin was located on the 12th level (the Aloha deck, notice the Hawaiian connection?) and we did plenty of stair climbing. Our legs and lungs got a great workout and best of all we didn't gain any weight!

Hope you enjoy these pictures from our trip.

"To be or not to be..."

Jennifer was a terrific Hamlet in her school play. She practiced her lines for several weeks so she could concentrate on her acting and not worry about trying to remember what she should be saying.

Cherry Blossoms in Washington, D.C.

This is the time of year the cherry blossom watch and predictions begin. A news report said that this year's most likely peak viewing days would be between March 27 and April 3, and it reminded us of our wonderful visit to Washington, D.C. and New York City with Jaime and Jennifer during spring break last year.
There are several thousand Japanese cherry trees around the tidal basin and Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. and it is spectacular when they open up. It is like walking in a fairy tale. The cherry blossoms typically reach their peak the first two weeks of April. However, with climate change those dates have been moving forward. Among our trips to D.C. to try to see the cherry blossoms this is the first time we hit them on their peak.

We went to NYC first and finished in D.C. The peak days were Friday, March 30th and Saturday, 31st. We enjoyed a walk around the entire basin on Friday with very few people, but the following day, Saturday, when we made the loop again, it was quite crowded. The link below provides information on the National Cherry Blossom Festival:

http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/cms/index.php?id=390

The NYC portion of our trip was also fun. Blaine's sister, Marilee and her family, live in NYC and they joined us for The Lion King show on Broadway and some sightseeing.

Snow Day!!!

Ever since Jennifer first saw the movie, "Snow Days" she has wondered if she would ever experience one. We've told her not to count on it since the school district here rarely cancels school because of snow. I think the last time they did was over ten years ago. Well, today Jennifer got her wish. We received about 3 inches of snow overnight which usually isn't a big deal but there was a layer of black ice under the snow which made the conditions treacherous. When she heard Channel 7 announce this morning that all of the Boise Schools would be closed today she let out a great big "Yippee!" She spent most of the day playing in the snow, having snowball fights with her friends, and shoveling our big driveway :). I hope the day was all that she had imagined it would be. She certainly was tired when she crawled into bed tonight. I can remember what it was like to have a snow day. There was always something magical about them.

The picture shown below was taken a few days later when the sun came out. It is not often the creek freezes, but it was cold enough long enough this year to freeze the moving water (at least on the top).