I knew I didn't ride ELEVATORS for a reason!!

Okay...so one of my biggest fears, perhaps my second biggest fear of all is getting stuck in an elevator! I don't have a problem riding in the one that has glass walls or windows in it because if it got stuck, people could see me screaming and panicking and then they would rescue me really quickly! But...the elevators that are like little closed up closets that move scare the heck out of me. My family and close friends know this. I will take the stairs even it I have to cover 5 or so floors. Occasionally, I have been known to ride in an elevator if it is big and clean and new. This is very rare indeed and it has to be fast because I start to hyperventilate. I am not kidding. I really do carry one single tranquilizer in my purse in case this ever happens to me. I was once in the elevator at the Joseph Smith Building in Salt Lake City and they were piling people in because A FEW of the other elevators weren't working. So..we are in this elevator on the 9th floor with a million other people...packed like sardines, literally...the doors close...it moves one floor and stops at the next floor. But the doors won't open...panic builds...I bang on the "open" button...the door opens and I burst out onto the 8th floor, a floor that guests aren't allowed on and then I argue with the sweet little old man and I tell him I won't get back on the elevator. He shows me the stairs!! (And, you know the Haunted House ride at Disneyland? Well, my family knows to stand back and create a large bubble of space around me as the room starts to grow longer so I don't embarrass them because...I don't want to ruin this ride for anyone...but I know that we are in an elevator!!)
Well....Tracee works at Banner Thunderbird Hospital on the early morning shift. She is a phlebotomist; she draws patients blood for the nurses and doctors. Anyway, she came home on Friday and told me a story. Yep...she got stuck in an elevator. She said it stopped between floors with the big jolt just like you see in movies! Then...after a few seconds....the lights went out and it was pitch black. Okay, I have to pause and breathe for a minute..... Anyway, a little closed up closet dead stops and then the lights go out! I thought I was gonna die just hearing the story.
The moral of this tale is this: I will NEVER ride in an elevator again because they really do get stuck!!!! I know someone in real life that has gotten stuck! (Okay, so it was maybe a few minutes, but it could have been longer!) I could probably take that tranquilizer out of my purse because I will never need it!!!! Breathe, breathe, breathe.....

Just Stuff!

It has been a while since I last blogged. Not too much going on in my life. Let's see.....I had a gross eye infection, much better now; Steve took the kids on a great hike to Salome Canyon, which is becoming a yearly thing; I got to watch Keegan ALL day, which was a blast; Joshua graduated from ASU, so excited for him; Tracee began working at Banner Thunderbird Hospital, she is awesome at her job and making lots of money to save; Jamon is doing so great at his new job; Kristen is out of school for the summer and having fun with Keegan full time, and she is teaching him so much (I think he is a genius); Courtney is now officially a Senior in high school!!! So...I guess that is all of my news. Oh...and I have another hero: she is so brave and can make you smile even when she is nervous. She has such a strong testimony of the blessings of the Priesthood and she is a terrific example to me. Again, she probably didn't want to be my hero...but she is!! And I love her!! Here are few pictures just because:

A friend of mine told me this picture looks like the mug shot of a drugged out shoplifter!!


How do they always find this cupboard??


Pictures of part of the canyon hike: the group entering the canyon, Courtney on nature's waterslide, and my girls (and a stranger) floating through.




Well, until next time; Happy blogging!!

A hero is......

To me, a hero is someone that makes you think, re-evaluate, ponder and believe. A hero makes you realize that life is what you make it. A hero takes what comes their way and finds the blessings. A hero is humble and grateful.
I have a hero. She is a beautiful daughter of God. She gives strength to others in her time of sadness. She has a beautiful understanding of the Plan. She would not want to be a hero....but to me, she is. And I am grateful for her example.

Adorable Babies!!

So...in my last blog, I posted about how much I love Spring. Well, here is another reason I love this time of year.....BABIES! These little creatures live near our home. We have been watching their parents for a while, but we didn't realize they were raising a family so close! Tracee was out catching some sun and looked up only to see that she was being watched....curiously. We thought there was only two furry, feathered baby friends until we took the pictures. All of a sudden, another one popped up and wanted in on the fun. Beautiful!


Then of course there is my beautiful grandson. We went up to Pinetop for the weekend and I got to spend 4 days with him.



I hope everyone has a great week! And...if you want to have a fun time with the people you love, rent a cabin in the mountains, eat good food, and play "wuffle ball" for three hours in a park! What a blast!!!!

Happy Easter...Happy Spring!!

I LOVE Spring!! It feels good outside, it smells good outside, the sun shines in my windows earlier and sets later in the evening. I love that school is almost over! I LOVE Easter! I find it easier to focus on the Savior at this time of the year than at Christmas because we don't have as much of the major commercialism. A big plus...we get to hear from our church leaders at General Conference. I really liked Jeffrey R. Holland's talk about the Savior's Atonement. This talk was so comforting to me...I needed to hear it right now! Elder Holland always speaks so I can understand what he means! I LOVE Spring!!
Here are a few pictures of a "just about perfect" Easter Sunday: Grandpa and his buddy watching fish jump, three beautiful daughters, the hunt and the find!





Have a great week!!

Just a Shout-Out to my Kids

I have great kids! We spent Sunday evening with everyone over at Josh and Rebecca Elliot's house. It was a blast. Josh and Rebecca made the most amazing lasagna stuff!! Then we had birthday ice cream cake (for Josh T's 27th) and Texas sheet cake for dessert. Too good! I LOVE hanging out with my kids!!

The boys! Josh, Dustin E., Josh E., Jamon and Keegs

The girls! Rebecca E., Kristen, Courtney and Tracee

Happy birthday, Josh!!

Do you think Jamon and Keegan are related? Ya think??!!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Happy blogging.

Happy Monday.....so far!

I thought I would blog today because all seems quiet...at the moment. The flu is gone, the infections are healing, and the jaws are beginning to recover. Mom/Grandma slept pretty darn good last night. It is so nice to have everyone back on their feet after a rough week and weekend!
Have a great week all my blogging friends!

Tracee had her wisdom teeth out on Friday...this is day 1...ouch!

This is day 2, can you say...."Vicodin?" Look at those druggy eyes! Cindy and Rhegan brought her the pretty tulips.

This is day 3, definite chipmunk cheeks!

And...this is day 4! Still cute even with food storage in her cheeks!

And this is my favorite grandson, Keegan, dreaming of one day being a big boy and playing football in Grandma's front yard like her neighbors do!