The Wonderful Wells'

Dana's sister, Esther and her family drove up this year for Thanksgiving, too! They stayed at his sister, Ivy's house for the weekend, and it was so fantastic to see them! We saw them on our way home from vacation in August, but that was nearly 4 months ago! The kids have all changed so much since then!
Her kids' birthdays fall two days apart from each other. Isaac is the 23rd, Ethan the 25th, and Evey the 27th- and she was 1 this year!! So, in addition to seeing them on Thanksgiving, we got to see them again last night for the birthday party! I forgot my camera, but thankfully Alex remembered his, so these are ones he took. Once Es posts hers, I will have to snag them, because I took them with her camera! Here are the cuties:

We got to bring Granny along to the party with us- they all love Granny!

Ethan turned 6 this year- he is quite the jokester and funny man- we love him!

Here's the birthday girl eating her own cake with her sweet momma!

Isaac is almost always rocking out to something!

Keep in mind Alex took these- but he did a pretty good job!

He and Isaac had a ton of fun playing Rock Band at Aunt Ivy's house- she has all the fun stuff and they rocked out for a long time! We hope to see them soon- twice a year is just not enough- my kids said they really love their cousins!! We love them too!

Thanksgiving Traditions 2008- New and Improved!

Ever since Dana's parents moved to California, we have had Thanksgiving with my parents at their house. With the exception of 2001, when were at Sean's, we have been there. Every other year, Sean and Steph and the girls come too, but we are there no matter what. This year, we broke the mold, and did things a little differently- it was great!
Sean and Steph decided to host dinner at their house with her family and ours. There were 10 adults and 8 kids- who thinks that sounds fun?! I was thinking she was crazy for doing it, but she was amazing- she did so much and it was more than great! Between her, my mom, her mom, me and her new sister-in-law to be, we got everything food wise made. It was so yummy. I couldn't have asked for anything else- our family all together with her family, who we've known for years and years- all partaking of the wonderful festivities of Thanksgiving. Here are some pictures:

We all fit at her wonderful dining room table-so much food and such great people.

All the kids ate in the kitchen, and they loved it!

Uncle Sean with all the kids- he is just like them!

So, are we up next year?! Perhaps if we get a bigger house...we shall see!

A Daddy's Girl...

Yes, I am a Daddy's Girl- 100% - always have, always will...despite getting older, not much changes with that relationship. I love my Dad- his 65th Birthday was last Wednesday, but due to my late night partying with Madonna and next day recovery, I failed to blog about it. His birthday always falls the week of the OSU vs. Michigan game- and if they are playing at the Shoe, he always gets a ticket! This year, my brother was the giver...they had a great time, and enjoyed the awesome win!
I once was asked to give a talk in Sacrament meeting on Father's Day, years ago, and so I wrote about my relationship with my Dad. It was heartfelt and probably one of the best ones I have written- sadly it is saved on a floppy and I can't access it to share it with you, but I will try to impart a little of how I feel about him.
I had an amazing childhood- really, truly, my parents are more than I could've ever requested- they love unconditionally and with their full hearts- my dad especially. I don't really remember him being furious with me, even as a teenager- well, I remember arguing with him about whatever, but he never stayed mad at me for long and always spent time with me afterward to help me mend. He took me on all sorts of learning excursions, including hunting...surprise to all you who think I am a "girly girl"- I didn't say I loved it, but it was interesting. I only went once, by the way. We went camping all the time, and he taught me how to catch "craw dads- or crayfish, the correct word"- can you even picture me doing that now?! Funny thought, huh? He tried to make a fisherman out of me, too, but that failed when I started to get motion sickness every time the boat stopped moving. Sorry, dad...I treasure those memories, like when he taught me how to water ski, and a boat nearly ran into me while I was in the water- he was screaming a few choice words at the other boat for that! Thanks for always saving me, dad. But also, thanks for the time that you made me return the "sail naked" shirt that I bought while on vacation! I may not have been happy with you at the time, but now I see the wisdom in why a 13 year old shouldn't have a shirt like that!

I have posted before about how he never missed an important event in my life- ever- I really can say that he was always there for me when I needed, wanted, or even when I didn't want him to be.
When something happens in my life, he is still one of the first people I call. He knows so many people, and can almost always save the day for me. He is a great rock in times of need, and I love him more than these words can say. He and I are more alike than we probably can admit, but both very stubborn when we want to be and very opinionated at times, too. Take it or leave it, you always know where we stand. I love that he has fostered so many traits for me- though sometimes now he is grouchy, and as Leah calls him, "grumpy", he is still there for me and still loves me no matter what. He would support me in any choice I make- and that is something I cannot fail to mention- even when I tried tap dancing, gymnastics, and didn't do so well, and then cheer leading and playing the trumpet, which I did- it didn't matter, he was always supportive.
They say that a girl looks for a husband that is like her father. Though on the outside Dana and my Dad aren't that much alike, they have the qualities that mean the most inside. They are full of love and devotion to their wife and children- sacrificing all to make them happy. What more could I ask for?!

My Dad and Grandfather in 1945- I love this picture.

Me and my Dad- 1980- love this one too.

And now:

Happy late birthday, daddy- your little girl loves you forever.

Twilight Last Night...

Here we all are ready for our show to begin: Suzanne, Jackie, Katie, Ashley and me- the oldest ladies there, I think! We went early- in fact, we were afraid it would be super crowded, so we were the first ones in the theatre, and therefore chose the perfect center seats! Luckily for us, it was not crowded at all. So, here are my thoughts:
1- I am in love with Edward in the book- so in love, in fact, that Robert Pattison just wasn't good enough to be my Edward - IN THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE- but, can I just say that by the end of the movie, he was super super hot! I was soaking up all the scenes at the end- he just evolved into my Edward, and I ended up loving him! In the beginning, he was so ghostly, almost corpse white that it was distracting and too unrealistic- for a vampire, anyway!
2- I didn't really like Bella in the beginning, either, but she warmed up and again, I liked her by the end, too. I really liked the actor who played Mike, he was fun, and also Jessica, who reminds me of a typical teenage girl in so many ways.
3- The cinematography wasn't that great, though the studio that produced it isn't that big, and so I hear that New Moon will be much better and smoother. I am hoping for that.
4- It was a bit cheesy, and like Liza, I feel like there were a few quite moments and way more laughter than I thought. I feel like it could've been so much deeper and better put together, but for all intents and purposes, I had a good time. Will I see it again- probably...it is a great story, I mean one that I could read more than once, and there aren't too many that I feel that about.
5- The love story between the two went far too fast for me- I realize movies have a time sensitive issue, but it just developed much too quickly. Don't get me wrong, I love their love story, and when they finally kiss, and I mean, finally, it is worth the wait. I loved that part- it is so sincere and sweet- what a romantic I am...I guess.

Anyway, we had a great time despite the so-so movie. I love girls' night out and these girls just don't disappoint. I love that everyone has different opinions on the movie, and that we will all go to the next one hoping to love it more.
Here is my favorite poster: Told ya he was hot!

M.A.D.O.N.N.A.

The Material Girl in me came out Tuesday night as Liza and I went to Detroit to see the one and only true Material Girl in concert! Thanks to Ivy's generosity with the tickets and her sweet brand new car- and Liza for choosing me to go with her- we made the 3.5 hour journey to see her live! WOW!! It was truly awesome, I can honestly say that there are only a few major stars I would love to see in concert in my lifetime, and she was so on that list. Not that I love all the things about her, but come on- it's MADONNA! She rocked the stage in every way- she is an unbelievable performer- she danced and sang non-stop for the entire 2 hour show. She did lip sync every once in a while- she had too- her dancing was phenomenal. I was in awe- she is 50!! Did you know that?!
I loved it all, and Liza and I had a great time. Here are some side notes of the show:
1- we left here at 4:30ish for a 7:30 show 3 1/2 hours away- you do the math- we were not going to make it on time!
2- we got there at 8:15- parking was $30!! We found a garage for $15- but it took us 45 minutes to even get out of it! Now we see the wisdom in paying more!
3-we get there and at the same time so is everyone else!! Seriously? We are like, "why is everyone just now getting here, and who is her opening act that we are all missing?"
4- it's Madonna- she has no opening act!! Oh, and she takes the stage whenever she wants!!
5- she did it at 9:30! Apparently everyone else knew that already!
6- we sat in front of a bunch of drunk moms who obviously don't get out much! They were a bit obnoxious!
7- she sang a ton of her new songs that we weren't totally familiar with, but we loved anyway.
8- yes she was a bit trashy- but that's Madonna, right? You expect that.
9- she rocked "Like a Prayer" and Liza and I did too!
10- the special effects and lighting effects were tremendous! Dana says, "uh, it's Madonna, of course she has state-of-the-art effects!

All in all, I was just speechless about it. Only downside- the drive home- lost in Detroit at 1am! It took us over an hour- (after getting out of the garage) to actually get on the real highway. Consequently we got home right before 5am- and the next day for both of us started at 8am!
The things you do for fun, right?
Check out our fun- (my camera isn't as great as Liza's- so I will have to wait to add more clearer ones when she does her post- but for now)...

Her set was so cool- anchored on both ends by these M's that lit up during the show- so cool.

These are my camera zoomed all the way in and then edited...we were a ways up, but still center seats- they had these screens up, and that is what I watched most of the time!

Liza and I wore our Buckeye gear, since this is the week of the BIG game-

We saw a few others with the same idea, but we saw more that were dressed for the concert- in true Madonna fashion- sadly I didn't think to take any pics of them- but trust me, it was interesting!!

So, thanks, Liza and Ivy for a truly memorable night- and early morning- which I am still feeling the effects of- boy, I am getting old- I used to bounce back in my younger days much easier!

Popcorn Popping...

I found these pictures I took last month, but forgot to blog about. When we went pumpkin picking with Sean and the family, he bought us an ear of Indian corn for us to pop. Have you ever heard of this?! Well, I hadn't and so he assured me and then challenged me to pop it. He said you put it in a brown paper sack and microwave it for a few minutes- 2 I think. The girls were very excited to try, so we did. Here is how ours turned out: So, ours didn't turn out as good as it should have, but maybe we didn't cook it long enough.
The girls try it anyway...they decide it is not really as good as the "real" kind, they say.
I encourage them to try it after I put lots of spray butter on it...
Celeste is the only one who keeps trying, and even I do- but no, it's not that good!
Sean said that he ate it at his work and it was okay. Maybe next year we will try again. Has anyone of you ever tried it and it worked and you actually ate it? Ours didn't even come off the ear that well! I think we will stick to the "real" microwave popcorn...but hey, at least we tried!

Update and Tag Along...

For those sweet friends of mine who were concerned about me during our little plumbing crisis, I would like to give you a little update on how things are going:
I know I didn't take a before picture for you of what our basement looked like, but it was okay- decent, in fact, that I knew pretty much where things were...except that I found this while cleaning it out the next day after the plumbing disaster:

Do you see what I see?! Yep, that's a sewer pipe all right! Right smack on the basement floor, right where the plumber said it wouldn't be! When I saw this I nearly cried...well, in fact I did...I was so upset that the whole disaster could've perhaps been avoided...but then I took a deep breath, and moved on...now this is what my basement looks like: (after nearly 4 hours, mind you). All my seasonal things in boxes, clealy labeled, and my other important things that I can't keep in the garage all nicely stored and protected in plastic bins. I was exhausted after this, but it was sooo worth it!

I even found a lot of things I had totally forgotten about, and a lost box of pictures! It was awesome! I found old letters and my treasured ancestor pictures. It was a good day.
Today I bought a vent cover for the new, unneccessary hole in my bathroom. I have yet to install it, but this is what it will look like:

I also have to put on new baseboards, but after that it should be good as new...or whatever acceptibility I determine. Oh, and I got a hold of the insurance adjuster for the plumbing company that ruined my walls, and I am putting together an estimate on re-doing those walls damaged- and the adjacent ones, since I can't just re-do 2 of them! I am anxious to see how it all plays out- hopefully in our favor and we can get things resolved and redone quickly.

Okay, enough of that! Dana's cousin Elizabeth tagged me. I have to list 7 interesting things about me- there is barely one or two, so this is a bit difficult, but here goes:

1- I was a shorty all my youth. I didn't grow in height until about 10th grade- and then I grew about 6 inches- to my current height of 5'7.

2- I would love to be an interior designer, but sadly I lack the creativty that it requires.

3- I have a strict laundry schedule- Mondays and Thursdays- I have about 3-4 loads each of those days and I stay to doing them those days and if I don't get it done in the mornings, I start to feel out of sorts.

4- I love to read teenage books! The Twilight Series are my current love and Dana thinks it's hilarious that his students at school (8th graders) read the same things his 30 something wife does!

5- I could not live without girls' night out! I long to hang out with women that I care truly about. I get together with several groups of girl friends at various times, and I cherish every minute of it. My next two outings are coming up and I can hardly wait!

6- The only buffet restaurant I will eat at is a Chinese buffet. There is one that I really love that is near our house. The only downside is that we try not to pay attention to some of the other patrons!

7-Besides my love of designing, I long to take pictures professionaly. I look at my friend Laura's and Autumn's pictures and I get so jealous of that talent. I snap photos all the time, but mine are not as wonderful as I would hope. One day I will hopefully be able to afford that hobby- for now, I will have to just love my little digital one- it is good enough.

Now, it's your turn: Jamie, Jamie, Jen, Tina, Lish, Suzanne and Melissa. If I forgot you or you want to play, feel free! Have fun!

Culture Club

We have a great set of Elders here in our ward- we are very blessed to have these two young men serving here- and have had the chance to get to know them and love them very much. Elder Hatch and Elder Diaz have become my children's favorite Elders. Elder Diaz is from Chile, where Dana served his mission, and Elder Hatch is from California, very close to Dana's parents, so we already had a lot in common. One thing that we really wanted to do with them was have a culture night, where we got together and ate authentic Chilean food. So, we did! Elder Diaz worked for hours in our kitchen preparing empanadas. We took them over to Bonnie and Ivan's house, where they had made Argentine empanadas. It was a feast!! Super fun. Making the empanads was hard work, but worth it in the end. I learned so much, and everyone loved them. It was also Elder Hatch's birthday, so we celebrated that too.
Bonnie wrapped great gifts for Hatch for his birthday- watch how much fun they have:
Cans of soup and honey buns-
Shampoo and deodorant-
He's all of 20 now- man, we are getting old!
Elder Diaz thought it was all hilarious!!
Alex pretty much ate chips and salsa- he didn't even try the empanadas!
Suzanne served in Chile too, same time as Dana, small world, huh?! Her Olivia loved the food!
We made over 40 empanadas, and these Elders ate more than half!! Where do they put it?! They bike it off- they have a huge area to cover- the rest of us, no, we can't use that excuse!

Thanks to Bonnie and Ivan for hosting our "Culture Club"- we had a blast! Elder Hatch was transferred yesterday, so we said good bye for now- we wish him success in all his future areas! Just for the record: it took 5 pounds of flour, 5 pounds of ground beef, and other spices to make these empanadas- if it weren't for Diaz' work on the dough, I would never have attempted them! Thank you, Elder Diaz!!