Back Home!

My little vacation has ended...sad to say!  I spent almost 2 weeks with Danny, Trisha, Ali, and Grant.  They are always so hospitable and nice to me.  They make me feel right at home and part of the family, I really appreciate that (even when I stay WAY too long!)  It was Ali's Spring Break, so I got to see quite a lot of her, that was nice.  She has a great fan club in Clarkston and the doorbell rings first thing every morning with friends that want to play with her!  She is a great helper and has a chore chart that she has to earn stickers for jobs and then trade them in for playtime, so she is always scurrying around to get her jobs done so she can go outside!  Grant is still not so sure about Gramma...I think he likes me...but I was NOT his Momma!  He really likes his mom, and so when I am around, he likes to be with Mom!  I got lots of smiles and hugs and even kisses, as long as he felt secure with mom, or if mom was not around, then he was fine, but with her there, the only time he would decide to come with me is if I told him we would go for a ride in Gramma's car!  He really liked my car...even if he didn't really care for me!  ha  Danny had to work most of the time I was there, but he did have the weekend off, and it was fun to spend some time with him.  On Monday, Trisha was sick, so Danny and I went to lunch, and that was like old times sake and fun!  He used to let me take him to lunch about once a week when they lived here.  He's always a hoot to be around, makes me laugh most of the time or at least smile!  Trisha and I...well, we got very familiar with the sewing machine while I was there!  We spent a few days sewing...Danny had us working on a 'secret project' for prototypes, Trisha and I were also making dresses.  Ali got a beautiful new Easter Dress (on Trisha's blog) and I was able to make Emmy and Lilly Easter dresses with a lot of help from Trisha!  It was fun to work together and it made everything go a lot faster with one sewing and the other pressing and pinning or vice versa.  Danny even sat and watched us the one night and was getting a few sewing lessons...ha (he wanted to!)  All in all it was a fun trip.  We did have a couple of very good laughs about me and Restraunts...it seems I had a curse while in Lewiston with every place we went to eat!!  We either "got behind a few big tables" or "had a new waitress" or "was having a Record Night!"  Whatever the excuse, we would wait forever for food or service and always end up being stuck for a couple of hours waiting...after about the third straight night...it became a stinkin' joke!  We kept getting coupons for their lousy service or slow food, so we were getting quite a collection of free stuff...I finally decided we should go out every night and see how long the weird streak could possibly last!!  Maybe you had to be there...but anyway, we had some laughs.  I would love to post some pictures of my trip, but Brent had taken my camera to Moab with him, so I got stuck with the video camera, and that's all I got, so sorry!  Thanks again to Danny and Trisha for letting me come hang out with you!  Love ya!

Sick-oh

So this weekend was supposed to be a fun girl's day away in Boise.  My fellow YW leaders and I were going to go to Boise to support our Beehive leader as she participated in the Mrs. Idaho Pageant tonight, unfortunately I got bit by a vicious flu bug yesterday about noon and started throwing up and other yucky stuff, so I was not able to go with them.  Instead I am spending my weekend in bed with severe stomach cramps...yucky!  Yesterday was pretty bad, in fact I lost 6 1/2 pounds in half a day (great diet, but pretty painful!)  Today I am feeling a little better and have been able to hold down some food and drink.  Wasn't what I had expected, or planned for, but glad that the 24 hours is about over, and I can maybe get back to normal soon!  So much for Boise...hope they all have fun!

Widow Weekend

Brent is having his "guy" trip in Island Park this week/weekend.  Clinton was able to go with him since he's not working...all in all, there are about 9 or 10 of them having a good time hanging out, riding sleds, and going to the Expo in West Yellowstone!  

Of course that leaves me ALONE for 4 days...which I don't mind much, but when I get bored...I eat...so that is not good for the diet!  I have been working on a sewing project, of which I have completed...sorry, but I have no camera to take a picture (it's in Island Park with the men), and anyway, I would rather it be a surprise for the person I sewed it for...so just know that I finished another project!  I also 

have been to the gym a bit, played some computer games, watched 

a little TV, put a new background on my blog...and read a bunch of books and facebook....yeah, it's pretty boring here...and I have a couple more days to go!!  Oh, NO!  I hope the cookie dough holds out..... 

Project, YW...

I just finished one of my 10 hour projects, which was to make a handout for our upcoming New Beginnings on March 17th. I bought 12" tiles and had Brent cut them into three and then I made little tags that read "Be thou an..." and then put the word "EXAMPLE" on them in vinyl. This goes with our mutual theme this year of "Be thou an Example of the Believers..." 1 Timothy 4:12. Just a little something I have been up to lately...other projects to follow!

A Special Day...

Today, Emmaline was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!  

She was baptized by her father Jaron Brent Simonson.

Here was Emmy with her brothers, Carter and Ashton, 

and her sister, Lilly.

The Simonson Family - February 28th, 2009

Brent and I were able to travel down to Fruit Heights, Utah for the baptism.  Emmy was pretty excited and it was a really nice day.  Emmy's other Grandparents, Rae and Eldon Quinn were there, and her Uncle Cody.  Emmy's Uncle Clinton and Aunt Katie with her cousin Corgin were there also.  She was confirmed by her dad shortly after her baptism, and we had a great meal of barbeque pork sandwiches at the house afterwards.  Congratulations Emmy, we are so proud of you and we love you very much!

Snow me the way...

We had another weekend of ...you guessed it, snowmobiling!!  Brent secretly thinks I have taken it up again!!  Tee-Hee-Hee!!  As I mentioned before, the Vector is pretty awesome to ride, so I was a good sport when he asked if I wanted to go again this weekend.  At first I said I had too much to do, cause I had to teach YW on Sunday, and give a talk in church...And clean the house so we could have Bishop's Youth Discussion here...but he said he would help to clean the house, so there you go!  Actually, Clinton has been wanting to take Katie on a ride and wanted me to go so she wouldn't be the only girl there, and we wanted to go to Big Basin, where we haven't been forever, but  I can remember some pretty fun times up there, so we all took off. 

Craig met us in Soda and went with us, he's always fun to have along, and Daren and Kim also went.  Katie and I had a nice groomed trail that we could stick to and go as fast as we wanted and the guys could all take off through the hills and have their fun, so we all got a fun ride! 

After Brent and I got home and he took a good nap, I was cold and suggested we go to Lava, so we called Eric and Eva Jean and they met us at the hot pots for a warm soak, that was awesome!  So we had another fun weekend, and now it's time to start up the old grind once again...MONDAY!  Yay!

Yes, that is my shrill little voice at the end!  Just a little something for your amusement...haha, I knew Brent could make it up (he's got a turbo!)  But Clint was his shadow all day, and I was really nervous when he started following his dad up that steep hill!  But he didn't seem to have much fear...as this next video proves!

Sweet Weekend...

Brent and I had a wonderful weekend in Island Park.  We were invited to go with some old friends from 6th Ward, Holly and Derek Leslie, and spend time in their beautiful cabin with Troy and Jennifer Dye, Daren and Tiffany Crockett, and of course Craig and Dorie Boyle!  We had SO much fun!  Thanks you guys for including us 'older' set...

We traveled up with Craig and Dorie and stopped in Rexburg for dinner at Craigo's Pizza.  It was super good and fun to visit and catch up.  Then after we got to the cabin (should I say, the Leslie Lodge!) the others arrived shortly.  Holly was such a GREAT host and had sparkling Ginger Ale with pink champagne glasses with hearts on them, and a chocolate fountain with huge strawberries, bananas, apples, gummi lips, and sponge cake...even homemade caramels!! YUM!  

We all went on a fun ride together on Friday, down to Big Springs, and up around the burn area loop over to Two Top.  Holly had packed a lunch with Sub sandwiches and chips and water, the guys found some firewood and built a fire up in some trees in the snow...we had a fun day riding and hearing stories.  (Mostly about how Troy can roll a sled only about 1/4 of a mile from the cabin on a plowed road!)  We all teased him, but I hear he has a humongous bruise to show for it, and limps around a bit...so sorry Troy, you were a trooper to ride all day injured!

That night the men all took us out to dinner at a beautiful restaurant on the river for steak.  It was a fun but cold night out, they had a big fireplace which we all took turns warming our backsides...me the most!  

On Saturday we went over in the meadow by our cabin and rode sleds, everyone just playing in the meadow and climbing the little hills there around.  Jennifer got pretty skilled at the hills, and then we put her on Brent's sled and she took off across the meadow...that girl has a 'need for speed'.  She found the joys of windwhipping FAST!   We all laughed a little when she returned in a flash with a huge grin and arms in the air!  We all took turns speeding across the meadow, trading sleds and having fun.  Troy was the photographer, thanks to him for the pictures.  After the Boot Jack loop, we returned to the cabin to pack up and clean and then we went over to our own cabin, just Brent and I.  It was pretty warm, but we took a quick trip into West to have some Gusher Pizza for Valentines!  That was fun...then on Sunday Clinton and Katie and Corgin came over and stayed with us for a couple of days.  We went on a little ride and took Corgin...he was quite a trooper to be all bundled up and plopped on a sled with Grandma.  We showed him the ducks and the fish at Big Springs and then he rode back with Grandpa.  We enjoyed playing games with them, watching Corgin eat the snow off the floor and having Sunday dinner at the cabin.  

Clint, Katie and Brent went on a ride up to Two Top on Monday while I stayed with Corgin and he napped and I cleaned!  And then it was off to Idaho Falls where we all had a great dinner at Johnny Carinos!  Yes, let's just say the diet did not survive this food filled weekend...but it was yummy!  I had a wonderful time...thanks to all our friends, thanks to Brent, and Clint and Katie for the awesome weekend...and now I guess it's back to the gym for me!!