The Latimer Family

Health Nut

2012-02-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

I've read a lot of articles lately that have inspired me to get back to healthy eating. As the cook in our home, it is my job to prepare healthy and nutritious meals for my family. I'm trying to eat more whole, fresh, and unprocessed foods. I bought this awesome Blendtec blender and have been having so much fun experimenting with it. I've had a green smoothie every day for the last two weeks and I've noticed that I feel better and have lost a few pounds too.

My favorite combo is spinach, pineapple, mango, banana, and coconut....yum! Today I made raw almond butter with my Blendtec. So easy and a lot cheaper than buying almond butter at the grocery store.

Here's to a healthier me....

Maui Day 1

2012-01-23T13:52:00.001-08:00

We stayed at the Ka'anapali Shores Resort. We had a beautiful view of the pools, gardens and ocean from our balcony.

We spent some time exploring our area and walking along the beach.

We enjoyed watching the humpback whales right from our beach. This one put on quite a show...launching itself out of the water and slapping it's arm on the water over and over. The waitress said it was part of the whale's courting ritual.

We drove into Kahului for some shopping at Costco and other stores for food. It was a relaxing day with beautiful surroundings.

Maui Day 2

2012-01-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

We went shopping in old downtown Lahaina. Such a cute place. The biggest Banyon tree was fascinating to me...such a cool plant.

That night we enjoyed a luau at the Sheraton.

Maui Day 3

2012-01-23T13:23:00.001-08:00

We spent the day driving the Road to Hana. We made many stops along the way to see waterfalls and hike. It is the dry season and so some of the falls were mere trickles. We loved the jungle feel of all the foliage.

We did a lot of boulder climbing and hopping to get to some of the hidden waterfalls.

My favorite part of the drive was making it to the Pools of Oheo (The 7 sacred pools). I have done this drive twice before and not made it to the pools due to time restrictions. The water was refreshing and the kids had fun jumping from the waterfall.

We continued driving around the big part of the island and stopped at this cute little lava rock beach to watch the sun set.

Maui Day 4

2012-01-23T13:08:00.001-08:00

We went exploring the northwest side of the island. Many beautiful sights along the way.

Kahakuloa Head

The very narrow and winding Kahekili Highway....just big enough for one car.

Loved this jungle trail leading down to a cute snorkeling beach.

We stopped at Naplili Beach to enjoy the sunset.

Maui Day 5

2012-01-23T12:55:00.001-08:00

We woke up at 4am to make the two hour drive to the top of Haleakala Crater to see the sunrise. It was very chilly at the 10,000 foot summit (40 something degrees), but the sunrise was breathtaking. Here are the beginning colors starting show along the horizon.

Later that morning we rode horses down into the crater. The trail was very steep in parts and I felt bad for the horses. It was a little scary at some of the downhill, narrow, rocky parts of the trail. We ate lunch down inside the crater and then began the 2 hour ride back up.

We all had sore bottoms the next day.

Maui Day 6

2012-01-23T10:26:00.001-08:00

We went on a snorkeling/snuba tour out to Molokini Crater with The Pride of Maui. I tend to get very seasick on the ocean and so I took every precaution I could think of to help me. I took a combo of dramamine, Compazine, wore a scopolomine patch, sniffed peppermint oil, and sipped on fresh ground ginger root in sprite. Whew. It worked and I was able to avoid getting sick.

We went snorkeling first and then had our Snuba turn. I wish I could say that I loved this part of our trip...but it kind of freaked me out. I hated the feeling of the weight belt dragging me down into the depths of the sea. I had a hard time calming myself and relaxing so that I could breathe through the regulator. I guess I wasn't meant to be a fish. The rest of my family absolutely loved the snuba! Here are some great pics of them enjoying themselves.

This is kind of a family photo. If you look up in the left corner you will see me hanging on to the raft looking down into the water :)

After spending the day on the ocean, we had a relaxing evening at the Old Lahaina Luau.

Maui Day 7

2012-01-23T10:15:00.001-08:00

We were so sad to have to pack up and leave this beautiful island.

We spent the day strolling along the beach boardwalk, shopping and lunch at Whaler's Village.

We drove to the Iao Valley and saw The Needle. Very beautiful area!

Later in the afternoon we drove over to Wailea, which was pretty much the only part of the island we hadn't been to yet. We strolled along the beach while waiting for sunset. This is taken at the Grand Wailea...beautiful resort!

We sat on the beach and watched our final sun set in Maui. It was a beauty! We had an amazing week and created a lot of memories. Time to start planning our next trip :)

Goodbye winter blues....

2012-01-13T07:36:00.001-08:00

We leave in the morning for a much anticipated week in Maui. It has become our tradition to escape the blah of winter, mid-January and take a trip somewhere warm and tropical. The kids get to come with us and we always have a great time. In past years we have spent a week on Kauai and Oahu with them. This year the island of choice is Maui. I'm looking forward to a beautiful week in paradise!

Utah First Lego League

2012-01-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

Dalton competed in the Utah First Lego League competition last Saturday. This is the first year that FLL has been in Carbon County and it's 2nd year in Utah. Eight local teams competed in three events that incorporated the FLL theme of “Food Factor.” The events included an examination of food safety, a presentation about FLL core values, and a robot competition that required teams to program their own Lego robots that accomplished missions on a tabletop course.

Dalton's team, The Rockin' Robots, took first overall and first in the theme project. They will move on to the state competition held at the University of Utah later this month. This was Dalton's least favorite part of the competition....performing a skit.

Dalton and his friend, Andrew, were the two main computer programmers for their robot. They spent many Saturday afternoons working on the project.

In past scrimmages they have scored really high (130s) on this part of the challenge. The robot wasn't cooperating on this day however and their highest score was a 98, putting them in 4th place for the robot challenge. Luckily this was only 1/4 of their total score and they were still able to pull out a win in the end.

The Rockin' Robots

Packing up the equipment after the competition.

Celebrating their victory at Cold Stone.

Journaling

2012-01-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning to a gorgeous sunrise casting it's colors on our normally brown cliffs. Such a beautiful start to the new year. Made me reflect on how blessed I am and what I can do to improve myself. One area I need to work on is journaling. When my in-laws were on their missions in South America I used to send them a weekly email telling them all about the events of that past week. I printed out those emails, made them into a book and used them as our family journal for several years. I love having that record of our day to day lives and the ups and downs of raising two small children, while working full time from home and having Darin work 80+ hours a week at his medical residency. Somehow we made it work. Life was good then and still is. It is my goal in 2012 to keep a weekly family journal as well as a personal journal. This blog will be a way of sharing some of the events in our lives. Looking forward to what 2012 may bring.

Florida

2011-10-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Darin and I took a trip to Florida in September. He was attending a conference there but we were also celebrating my 40th birthday and our upcoming 20th anniversary. We stayed at an amazing place in Palm Beach....The Breakers. Everything about the place was elegant and beautiful. We had a very nice room with a bathroom twice the size of mine at home. Darin had to get up early each morning for classes. Meanwhile I was able to sleep in, read, & hang out by the pool. It was a very relaxing vacation for me.

View of the courtyard from our room.

Lucious, tropical grounds.

The ocean water was 86 degrees and the breeze coming off of the ocean was so refreshing.

One of the gorgeous pools at The Breakers

Entrance to The Breakers

The Breakers was built in the early 1800s and the lobby area is still the original building. The detail work was amazing.

For the second part of our trip, we drove to Orlando and stayed at Loew's Portofino at Universal Studios. It was also a beautiful hotel. We felt like we were in Italy.

We spent two days at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I loved The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! So well done! I just felt bad that our kids weren't there to share it with us.

More Lake Powell...

2011-10-13T10:31:00.001-07:00

In September we went to Powell for my birthday weekend. Dalton brought a friend along and we all had fun swimming and playing in the warm water. My dare devil kids jumped off of this 47 foot cliff.

Dalton wakeboarding

Cove at Lake Powell

Looking up Tapestry Wall

Open week at the Cabin

2011-10-13T10:03:00.001-07:00

Each August we have a week at the cabin that is open for all family members to come stay. My sister-in-law also reserves her family cabin that is just down the road, and we cram as many people as we can into both cabins. It is always a fun time and I love strengthening those extended family relationships. I married in to such an amazing family!

Gregg & Helen keep their horses up at the cabin all summer. We were able to go on a horse ride on one of the days that the weather didn't cooperate for boating. The mountains here are so scenic and we enjoyed our ride. Thanks Gregg!

There is a beach area where the family gathers to wait for turns on the boats. Here is the captain relaxing for a moment.

Dalton wakeboarding

The boys and their toys

Jared surfing with Mason.

Christian and I didn't plan it, but had on the same fluorescent yellow.

Summer Cabin

2011-10-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend two weeks this summer at our family cabin in Montana. It is small and cozy and wonderful.

We went for fun RZR rides in the beautiful mountains. Darin and I took a ride at dusk and saw what we thought was a really fat elk. We stopped to get a better look and realized it was a huge grizzly bear! We didn't stick around to take a picture.

We had some friends come and join us for a couple of days of boating on beautiful Hebgen Lake.

Darin can still tear up the water!

Darian wakeboarding

Dalton getting better and better at slalom skiing.

This beautiful lake gives us glass every day! Just wish it wasn't so cold.

I woke up to amazing sun rises like this each morning.

We love our cabin time!

Lake Powell June 2011

2011-06-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Darian wakeboarding

We spent a fun week at Lake Powell with my side of the family. We stayed at motels in Page and set up a day camp on the beach at an area called Lone Rock. The weather was hot which felt great because the water was a chilly 66 degrees. It hasn't had time to warm up yet. We put 30 hours on our boat in 4 days! That's a lot of time out on the water...just how we like it. We enjoyed skiing, wakeboarding, surfing, and cliff jumping.

Lone Rock

Glen Canyon Dam

Dalton Wakeboarding

Dalton helping his cousin get ready to wakeboard.

We found an awesome cliff to jump off of. It was about 50 feet high! Those who jumped had to take a running start to clear the edge. Scary!

Darian jumping

Dalton jumping

My niece, Kailey was scared and took a long time to jump. Just as her boyfriend jumped, a park ranger came zipping around the corner and caught them. It is illegal to jump off of anything higher than 15 feet at Powell. After an interrogation and check to make sure they weren't felons, he let them go with a warning. The ticket would have been $250 per person! We stopped cliff jumping after that.

Lake Powell is one of my favorite places on earth. I think the Bullfrog side is prettier than the Wahweap side. It has more of the giant orange rock canyon walls and coves. If you haven't been there, check it out! It's gorgeous!

Spring...

2011-04-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

I love spring time with the tulips blooming, trees flowering and the days turning warmer. This is the time of year that I plan all of the amazing things I'll do to the yard, but then get too busy to actually do it. Softball and baseball seem to take over my life and I find myself spending nearly every afternoon sitting at a ballpark for hours cheering my kids on. Jake and Jasmine can spend more time outside. This is where they like to nap....Jake on the patio table and Jasmine IN the flowerpot.

No point in trying to have a pretty backyard while we've got these two around. They like to dig and chew anything I try to plant. Maybe when I'm an older and the kids have moved away and the dogs are old and lazy, I'll have the yard I dream of.

Las Vegas

2011-04-10T13:44:00.001-07:00

Last week Darin attended a medical conference in Vegas. I tagged along and enjoyed my days sleeping, reading, and hanging out by the pool while he was in class. At night we went out and enjoyed the great food and entertainment Vegas offers. My favorite find of the trip was mac and cheese sticks. I ordered them at Kerry's Gourmet Burgers inside Harrah's. They take mac and cheese, shape it into a rectangle, bread it, and then deep fry it. It's served with a white cheddar dipping sauce. Delicious!

We spent an afternoon at the Mandalay Bay pool along with thousands of other people. It took us 30 minutes of hunting and stalking to be able to find two chairs to relax in as soon as the previous occupants left. The sun felt great though! I also enjoyed "Sinatra's Dance With Me" show at the Wynn. Beautiful dancers with beautiful bodies! We were on the front row and got the occasional sweat flung on us during a pirouette. "Absinthe" was another favorite! An amazing show but for adult audiences only. Once again we were front row and amazed at the talent. It was a fun and relaxing quick trip.

Dreaming...

2011-03-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

Dreaming of someday owning this set instead of my random collection of bedroom furniture. Love it!

Dream home

2011-03-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend in St. George for a high school softball tournament. It was a cloudy, chilly weekend, but we still enjoyed watching Darian play. In between games we drove around St. George and looked at homes. We came upon this beauty and I fell in love!

It sits up on a cliff overlooking the Santa Clara valley. Even on an overcast day these views of the red rocks and snow canyon are to die for!

We love St. George and hope to someday move there. It is a perfect size for us...just big enough to have one of everything. I love the southwestern influences that remind me so much of Arizona.....the stucco, tile roofs, palm trees, the heat, etc. Here's to dreaming about a life there someday.

Almost Spring....

2011-03-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

These last few days have brought beautiful spring-like weather. I've had the windows open and enjoyed walking the dogs without having to bundle up. With warmer weather my thoughts always turn to boating. We have our first boating trip of the year planned for Lake Mead at the end of April. Can't wait!!! I'm so happy that we'll be able to attend Tiger Jam 2011 while we're there and see Keith Urban (my favorite!) and John Mayer in concert.

Body Image

2011-02-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

I will turn 40 this year..yes 40! I find myself struggling with unrealistic dreams of having my 20 year old body back. I have a hard time accepting the changing shape of my body, my lower metabolism, and the lack of energy I've been experiencing the last few years. I recently read a book called "Outsmarting the Midlife Fat Cell" that is helping me to put things in the right perspective. I'm trying to embrace my curvier body and learn to love it. I'm trying to appreciate all the things my body CAN do, instead of focusing so much on what it can't do. So what if I'll never have this 115 lb body of muscle again? (115 is what my 13 year old son weighs!) The body I have now is still fit, strong, and beautiful. Here's to a more positive body image and acceptance of the changes that come with age.

Best Valentine's gift ever!

2011-02-14T14:28:00.001-08:00

I absolutely love a chocolate covered strawberry! I'll take them over flowers anyday. Thanks honey!

LiLash

2011-02-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

I am a fair skinned, blue eyed, blond. I was born with very blond eyelashes. Mascara is my best friend. Without it, my eyes disappear. Really. I was so happy to discover LiLash. I have been using it for the past 6 months and have noticed a considerable change in my lashes. They are longer, thicker, and much darker. I can apply one coat of mascara now instead of ten. If you too have blond lashes, you should check it out. www.lilash.com

Last Day in Oahu

2011-02-03T10:14:00.001-08:00

We checked out of the condo, packed up and headed down the west side of the island. We found a nearly deserted beach named Mokule'ia where we spent the morning.

In the afternoon we went to the Dole Plantation and walked through the 100,000 square foot maze. It took awhile to find all the clues, but we made it all the way through the maze.

The kids got temporary tattoos and thought they were cool.

We ended the day at Waikiki for our last sunset on Oahu before our flight home that evening.

It was a wonderful trip to Oahu. We have many fond memories of our time there and look forward to our next visit to the Hawaiian islands.

Oahu Day 7

2011-02-03T09:27:00.001-08:00

Friday we went on an open air (no doors) helicopter tour of the island. It was a very windy day and we felt a lot of turbulence. I fought motion sickness most of the ride. Poor Dalton got sick and threw up a couple of times. He was in the front middle and didn't have the benefit of all the fresh air like I did. Despite feeling sick, the scenery was gorgeous! This is Turtle Bay Resort, a 5 minute walk from our condo. View of Honolulu and Waikiki Beach

Next we headed to Waimea Botanical Gardens for a walk through the jungle. I loved all the giant trees and beautiful varieties of leaves and flowers.

If you look closely you can see Darian & Dalton at the base of this giant tree.

At the end of the walk was Waimea Falls. The kids got in and swam for awhile.

In the evening we went to our favorite beach...Waimea Bay. We enjoyed watching the waves, listening to the ocean and watching another gorgeous sunset.

Oahu Day 6

2011-02-03T08:58:00.001-08:00

We spent the day at Makapu'u Beach Park soaking up the sun and warmth.

That evening we attended Germaine's Luau.

We loved watching the beautiful Polynesian dancers and I wish I could move like that!

Another beautiful sunset to end the day.

Oahu Day 5

2011-02-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday we spent a relaxing day exploring beaches along the east side of the island. The scenery was breath taking and the long walks down sandy beaches felt great. Darian and Dalton at La'ie Point

Buddist Temple

Dalton ringing the bell announcing our arrival.

Gorgeous sunset at Waikiki.

Oahu Day 4

2011-02-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we went on a whale watching cruise. No pictures posted because you can't even see the whales in them. We had to stay 100 yards away from the whales, making it hard to get a good shot. In the afternoon we went Xtreme Parasailing. Extreme because it was a 1000 foot rope and most use a 400 foot rope. It was fun, but a bit scary when we could hear the rope popping and then feel a jerk. I was imagining all kinds of things that could go wrong. They asked us if we wanted to get "dipped" in the water which sounded great to me. I thought we would be dipping our little toes in the water...how fun! Well apparently getting dipped means getting everything but your head in the water. Unexpected, but still fun.

This is me and Darian getting dipped.
This is how little we looked from the boat. Looking down in the ocean the boat looked just as small.

The boys having their turn.

Darin and Dalton getting dipped.

Oahu Day 3

2011-01-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

On Monday we went to The Polynesian Cultural Center. We met up with cousin, Eliza Latimer, who is attending BYU Hawaii. We had a fun day learning about the different Polynesian cultures. Darian and Eliza were drooling over this handsome Samoan. He was really cute and had a fun personality. Darian fell in love with the Polynesian people and is determined to marry one someday :) In each village we were able to try or see something unique to their culture. In the New Zealand village we tried to master Poi which is a dance using swinging balls on the end of a rope. It was very difficult.

We enjoyed the luau and the show that followed. It was a fun day spent with the beautiful Polynesian people.

Oahu Day 2

2011-01-24T18:54:00.001-08:00

Walked down to the beach at Turtle Bay. Enjoyed the warmth and sounds of the ocean on a nearly deserted beach.

Turtle Bay Resort

Spent the afternoon driving around the north shore exploring different beaches and towns. We ended up at Waimea Bay which seemed to be the surfing spot. Large waves were crashing and they had warning signs up for tourists. Loved watching the ocean's power!

Oahu Day 1

2011-01-24T18:46:00.001-08:00

We arrived in Oahu in the afternoon after a non eventful flight. We rented a car and drove to the North Shore to our cute little condo, named The Blue Hawaiian. It was decorated in a beach theme and was quite homey. This is the view from the condo. We got settled in and then ate dinner at Ola's right on the beach at Turtle Bay Resort. It was a beautiful atmosphere and great way to begin our vacation.

And we're off.....

2011-01-14T09:51:00.001-08:00

We're leaving in the morning for a vacation on Oahu. The kids get to go with us and we've got a lot of fun things planned. Looking forward to a week in paradise!

Take a deep breath....

2011-01-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when the Salt Lake Valley is covered in a blanket of fog and pollution called the inversion. It makes me feel gloomy and my throat itches when we are there. I am so grateful for the beautiful blue skies and clean air of Eastern Utah. This is a photo my neighbor, Allison Williams, took of the view of the plateaus from my front yard.

My Obsession......

2011-01-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

I have a new favorite author....Marcia Lynn McClure. My sister suggested I read her books and I haven't been able to stop. She writes clean romances, most of which are historical fiction.

I have enjoyed every one of her books, but my favorite so far is "A Crimson Frost". They are easy reads, and yes often predictable, but a fun little escape from every day life. As Marcia would say...."It's all about the kissing".

Christmas 2010

2011-01-08T16:08:00.001-08:00

It was a quiet Christmas for us this year with no visitors. We enjoyed a traditional Christmas Eve dinner of honey ham, cheesy potatoes, homemade orange rolls, green bean casserole and sparkling apple cider. For dessert we had pumpkin roll and pumpkin pie squares. We watched several movies on Christmas Eve and enjoyed being together.

On Christmas morning the kids marched down the stairs with Robert Goulet singing in the background. After presents were opened we enjoyed Eggs Benedict for breakfast.

We lounged around all day in our University of Utah pajamas watching more movies and playing with presents.

On Sunday we went up north for dinner with The Taylor side of the family.

Last Boating Trip of 2010 :(

2010-09-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

We went to Lake Powell over the weekend for our last boating trip of 2010. This is always a sad time for us, knowing we'll have to wait at least 6 months to go again. The weather was hot, the water warm, and the scenery breathtaking.

We enjoyed the views as we explored the many canyons. We had to stop for the kids to jump off some cliffs. These weren't very high, but were accessible.

While swimming in one narrow canyon, Darin pointed out what looked like an alligator swimming in the water. We all freaked out and climbed back onto the boat, where it was obvious it was just a log.

Dalton and I swam over to a slot canyon and tried to climb in, but it was too high and too slippery.

I love how the canyon walls look like they have paint running down them. So beautiful!

We swam, skiied, wake boarded, surfed, and a new favorite for my kids.....dragged behind the boat on a short rope. I tried this and don't understand why they think it is so fun, but it kept them entertained all weekend and is a great arm workout.

It was a perfect weekend to end the boating season.

All good things must end...

2010-09-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to see summer go so quickly. We took a quick trip down to Powell the weekend before school started. The weather wasn't great, but we still had fun. The kids started school on Aug 30th. Darian is in 11th grade and Dalton started Junior High School as a 7th grader. I already miss having them at home. At least I have Jake & Jasmine to make the house feel not so empty :) The morning temperatures are dropping and I can feel Autumn just around the corner.

We've been busy watching Darian play volleyball for Carbon High and traveling to her away games. She's turned into a great player and we get such a thrill living vicariously through her. We hardly see her at home due to school, practice, games, and friends.

Dalton is adjusting well to 7th grade and is such a good student. He does his homework every night without reminders. He really takes pride in his grades. He's growing like a weed and we're hoping he'll get some of the Latimer genes and be tall. He is already as tall as his sister and has bigger hands and feet. Where has the time gone?

Two weeks of heaven....

2010-08-13T14:20:00.001-07:00

This year was our first time doing two weeks in a row at the cabin. It was heaven! We might just have to do this every summer. We had my parents and sister, Holly, and her kids(Taylor & Hannah) with us for several days. We had fun boating on beautiful Hebgen Lake. This is Dalton and Taylor on a tube ride. We went into Yellowstone one day and enjoyed the unique landscape and of course went to see Old Faithful.

We brought Jake & Jasmine with us. They were in dog paradise! This is Dalton and Jake.

I was the lucky one that got up with the dogs every morning at sunrise. I enjoyed the stunning view that greeted me each day.

We spent almost every day on the lake. Hebgen has given us the best water we've ever been on. Darian learned how to clear the wake this trip. It was so fun to watch her!

We enjoyed many afternoon and evening thunderstorms.

We went swimming at Firehole one day. Not exactly warm water, but much warmer than the lake.

We took our Ranger Rzr on a few long rides up into the mountains. Darin and I went all the way to Lion's Head one day. The views were incredible!

My new favorite thing is surfing behind the boat. It doesn't take much energy, but is fun, and the wrecks don't hurt this aging body.

Dalton improved his wakeboarding and started getting some air. He is also a great slalom skiier.

Darin showing off...

Darin's cousin, Nathan, came and spent a weekend with us. He brought a couple of his kids along. It was fun for Darin to have time with Nathan at a place that they both have so many great childhood memories.

Papa Louie came to spend the 2nd week with us. It was so fun to have him there. He also brought Hannah Latimer to be with Darian. We had fun visiting with some of the Smith cousins that were up at the Big Cabin. Here is Lou and Aunt Mary at the beach...

On our last day, our friends (the Petersons) came and spent the day with us. It was so fun to have time with them, but made me miss Debra even more.

Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and head home. I already miss eating out every night in West Yellowstone, Buckaroo Bill's ice cream, family time and the beautiful Montana scenery. I look forward to next year's trip!

Ahhh vacation at last!

2010-07-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

We're leaving soon for a much needed two week vacation at the cabin!!! Poor Darin hasn't had a week off since January due to being short staffed and his partner leaving. Now that things are calming down at work and getting back to normal, we get to take off for two fun filled weeks at the Montana cabin. Here's to skiing on glassy water, Buckaroo Bill's ice cream, mountain thunderstorms, family time & beautiful scenery.

Memories...

2010-07-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get caught up on my digital scrapbooking which is bringing back a lot of memories as I sort through years of photos. I came across this one of a 6 year old Dalton and was reminded of my all time favorite "Dalton story". It's too good not to share....

One day I caught a young Dalton picking his nose and eating it.
I said "Dalton, don't eat those...they're nasty."
Dalton replied "Well obviously you've never tasted mine mom, cause they're yummy!"
How could I argue with that?

It's official...

2010-07-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today it became official...Darian has her driver's license! She turned 16 on June 27th but had to wait for time in the Driver's Ed car with an instructor. She finished up her driving time and took the test today. Her real driver's license will take 4-6 weeks to arrive in the mail. Meanwhile, the paper copy will do. She has already spent the day driving around our little town and took Dalton to his guitar lesson and to get some food at a drive thru. I have to admit I'm a bit nervous about letting her drive alone, but realize I need to let go of that controlling part of me and let her grow up. Wish us both luck!

Poppies...

2010-06-29T15:01:00.001-07:00

I planted these beauties from seed last year and am so happy to find them popping up all over my yard. They are drought and heat resistant too which is a plus in my climate. Love them!

Graceling

2010-06-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

I found another author that I love...Kristin Cashore. She currently has two books out: "Graceling" and "Fire". I read "Graceling" and loved it! It's my favorite genre of book ...fantasy/adventure/romance. I read it every spare minute and thought about it when I wasn't reading. It ranks as one of my favorites along with "Poison Study" and "Hunger Games". Can't wait to start reading "Fire" next.

My guilty pleasure...

2010-06-23T15:24:00.001-07:00

A friend recommended Haagen-Dazs mango sorbet to me as a lowfat, delicious summer treat. I bought some at the store, brought it home, had a taste and fell in love! Then I realized that this is not sorbet at all, rather the full fat mango ice cream. Oops. Oh well, I'm hooked now.

Crush softball tournament/ Brigham City

2010-06-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

Darian is playing for a traveling softball team this summer called Crush. They had a tournament in Brigham City over the weekend. Darin was on call, so we left Dalton home and had a girl's weekend. We had fun eating out, driving around in Darian's new car, & shopping. Darian's team did well for their first tournament of the year and the fact that they were playing in the 18 and under division with mostly 16 yr olds. I enjoyed watching her play.

On our way home Saturday, we stopped and delivered Father's Day gifts to the grandpas. It was a fun weekend, just the two of us.

Westwood Girl's Camp

2010-06-21T11:30:00.001-07:00

I was able to attend two days of girl's camp at Helaman Hollow this year. We had a great group of girls there. It was fun to get to know them better and bond with them. Day 1 was spent setting up camp and doing certification. We had a yummy dinner of Navajo tacos and then played games and listened to a speaker. Day 2 we went on a hike that was also spiritual. We stopped several times to listen to speakers talk about Christ's life. The theme of the hike was "Following in Christ's Footsteps".

After lunch we went down to the lake for water games. Big dark clouds came in and there was a strong wind. The girl's only wanted to stay about 20 minutes because it was so cold. We went back to camp and played games in one of the tents while it rained.

When we got back to camp there were several deer feeding right next to our tents. That night was skit night. We were given a bag full of random costumes and had to create a skit using the props, an Action movie theme, and "Choice and Accountability". I thought our girls did a really good job and were very creative. Here I am modeling one of the costumes :)

Lake Powell June 2010

2010-06-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

We had a stormy weekend at Lake Powell. Temperatures dropped 30 degrees and there were thunderstorms on and off all weekend. That didn't stop us from having a good time. Here are the kids cliff jumping. Darin skiing...

Kamie trying to stay warm and dry. We had just driven through a major thunderstorm and huge swells for an hour on our way back to the marina.

Dalton skiing on Darin's competition ski...
We finally had some good water and sunshine.

Darian wakeboarding...

It was a good weekend despite the weather. We love being at Lake Powell!

Dalton surfing at Sand Hollow

2010-06-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Quail Creek & Sand Hollow

2010-06-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

We were able to get away for a weekend in May to go boating in St. George. This was our first boating trip of the season! The weather was great, but the water was ice cold and choppy from the many boats. We weren't able to ski, but the kids had fun wakeboarding and surfing.

Dalton became the master of the surf. He was able to go for several minutes without the rope.

Darian still has her wakeboarding skills.

...And she was pretty good when it came to surfing too.

We enjoyed our time on the lake which we have missed so much all winter. We had fun eating out, shopping and seeing a few movies while we were in St. George also.

2010-05-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Darin is on call Memorial Day and so we had a fun day out on Saturday instead. We began by watching "Prince of Persia" which I really enjoyed, followed by some shopping, Lunch at Applebee's, and finally a stop at the cemetery to leave flowers for Ruth and see the new headstone. The American Fork Cemetery looked so beautiful with all the trees in bloom and flowers all over the lush, green lawn. The head stone looked like it was glowing as we approached. It was the sun reflecting off the shiny, gray granite. I'm wishing I would have had my camera to take some pics. It was a beautiful day spent with my family.

Quail Creek & Sand Hollow

2010-05-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

We spent our first boating weekend of the season at Quail Creek and Sand Hollow in St. George. The weather was great but the water was cold (in the 60s!). Both lakes are pretty small and crowded, so we couldn't get good enough water to ski on. The kids had fun wakeboarding and surfing though. Dalton became the pro surfer, going for several minutes without holding a rope. It felt great to be back on the boat and in the sun!

Good while it lasted....

2010-05-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday, a post op visit of the tummy tuck I had back in January. I have a lump in my abdomen (called a seroma) that won't go away. It is a pocket full of fluid that I have had drained many times, but that keeps returning. So looks like I'm headed to surgery next week to take care of it and also do a revision of my scar.
I won't be able to do the hcg and be on all those pain meds and other drugs, so Darin and I decided to stop and we'll try it again when I'm all healed. I was secretly happy to have a reason to stop because this diet was so hard for me. I told Darin he could continue without me, but he was happy to stop too. So we left the doctor's office and went to Olive Garden :) I had the grilled chicken flatbread...delicious! That kept me full all day long. So far I've managed to keep the 7.2 lbs I lost off during the week without the hcg.

End of week 1...

2010-05-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

I'm on Day 9 of the hcg diet or Day 7 if you don't count the two loading days. It was a rough week. I have wanted to quit many times. Darin's dad came to spend the weekend with us and brought Costco Apple Crumb muffins. I love those! Just the smell was enough to make me almost cheat. Friday night I had to run the scoreboard at Dalton's baseball game. I sat inside the concessions stand for 2 hours smelling all those good foods around me.
Sat morning when I weighed I had gained 1/2 lb! I was so mad! Can you gain weight from smelling food? Luckily, this morning when I woke up I was down 1 lb. again.

I have lost 7.2 lbs and a 1/2 inch off my hips, bum and thighs and 1 inch off my waist and arms.

2010-05-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

Had to have this beauty cut down today. This was a picture from 6 years ago when we first moved into our home. The tree has grown much bigger since then, but unfortunately doesn't do well in our harsh climate. The branches are splitting all the way down the trunk. It's sister tree on the other side of the driveway had a huge branch break off last summer in a windstorm that took half the tree with it. It landed across our driveway. Luckily we weren't home and no cars were parked in the driveway. As a precaution, I am having tree #2 removed. It is on the side of the driveway where Darin parks his truck and the boat is parked.

Days 5 & 6

2010-05-06T07:12:00.001-07:00

Day 5 was a killer. I felt so hungry! I was ready to give up. Glad I have friends and a husband I can whine to. I realized that I associate an empty stomach or hunger pains with being nauseous and feeling sick. (This comes from my extreme morning sickness with both pregnancies where an empty stomach triggered dry heaving and feeling sick.) I've now learned it's okay to feel hungry.

Day 6 was much better. I'm getting used to this routine and have learned that I need to eat a fruit in the morning so that I'm not hungry. I also "cheated" today with a piece of sugarless gum. What a treat!

I'm down 6lbs so far! Darin is down 10lbs!!!

Day 4...

2010-05-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today has been a hard one. My parents were in town and wanted to take Darin and me out to dinner for Mother's Day. I had to decline since I can't eat at a restaurant :( I did however find a yummy strawberry vinagrette recipe that I had on my salad for lunch.

Strawberry Vinagrette...
strawberries (I used about 6)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

Puree until smooth. Pour over fresh arugula or green salad. Garnish with sliced strawberries and freshly ground pepper.
Makes 2-3 servings.

I felt hungry throughout the day. It didn't help that every commercial on TV seemed to be about food or the fact that my dad watched part of a cooking show. At Dalton's baseball game, the smell of popcorn popping was hard to resist.....but I did.
I am down 2.6 lbs. in one day!!!

Day 3

2010-05-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

I've felt a little hungry throughout the day. Found out I don't like herbal tea.....will try to drink lots of water instead. Hardest thing of the day has been no lotions or chapstick. My hands and lips are SO dry. Going shopping tomorrow for oil free lotion!

Day 2

2010-05-01T20:37:00.001-07:00

Finished two days of loading. I feel fat. I managed to shove down a lot of fattening foods in the two day time period. Sad thing was I had no strong cravings or desire to eat. Could the hcg be working already? I went shopping yesterday for all the healthy foods and found myself wanting those instead of the junk. The hard part begins tomorrow....

HCG Diet

2010-04-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

So after much research and testimonies from others, I have decided to do a round of the hcg drops to get rid of some body fat. Somehow I managed to talk Darin into joining me on this journey. I'm actually really excited about it. I've decided to blog about it to keep myself accountable and motivated. We plan on doing a 21 day cycle. Days 1 & 2 are "loading" days. Basically I get to eat as many fattening foods as I can fit in my belly. So far Day 1 has been a breeze :)

Personal Progress

2010-04-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

In Dec 2008, I was called to be the Miamaid adviser in our ward. I have enjoyed this calling so much and love being able to work with Darian so closely. The one frustration I have is Personal Progress. It has been such a challenge to get the girls (including my own daughter) to want to participate. This year new books came out and the value of Virtue was added. The church leaders have encouraged YW leaders and Mothers of young women to earn their Young Womanhood Recognition along with the girls. Since I am both a mother of a young woman and a YW leader, I began working on my own Personal Progress this month. I look forward to completing the goals and sharing this experience with my daughter. Wish us luck!

Orange Rolls

2010-04-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

These are my favorite rolls to make for Sunday dinners or Holidays. The recipe comes from the Lion House and is delicious!

Orange Rolls

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast, (approximately 1 packet)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons orange peel (orange zest)
5 cups flour, approximately
2 cups powdered sugar
Method:
Scald milk then add butter, sugar, and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and stir. Stir in beaten eggs, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice and 2 tablespoons grated orange peel. Add 2 cups of flour and beat well. Stir in additional flour until dough is stiff enough to handle, do not add too much flour - keep dough soft and pliable. Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise in warm place until double in bulk (about 2 hours).
Knead down. Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Roll each piece of dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Brush with melted butter. Cut circle into 12 equal wedges. Roll up each wedge, from wide end to small. Place on a greased baking sheet tip side down. Allow to rise until double in bulk. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown.

If you want to turn these rolls into a dessert you can top them with this glaze:

GLAZE: Combine powder sugar with 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, and 1 tablespoon grated orange peel. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls. Serve rolls warm or cold.

Fashion Challenged...

2010-03-30T17:09:00.001-07:00

So those of you that know me well, have probably realized that I am "fashion challenged". I have never been one to care about clothes or brand names. I forget to accessorize and wear shoes only if they are comfortable. In high school my mom would take my younger sister and I to the mall to do our annual shopping for school clothes. I could buy a wardrobe for the whole year in one store in under an hour. Partly because I wasn't picky and if it fit, I would buy it. But also because I really didn't have any sense of fashion and what was "cool" or not. It just didn't matter to me.
Fast forward to dating Darin......
He would always buy me clothes and then surprise me with them. He would often take me on shopping trips to the mall where I would spend what seemed like hours in the dressing room trying on the multitudes of clothing he kept providing. I know, to most women this is a dream come true! But to me..not so much. I found out just a few years ago that the main reason Darin bought me all those clothes was because he didn't like the ones I already owned :)
For the 18 + years we have been married, Darin has been the one to do most of the shopping for clothes for our family. Darian cringes at the things I pick out for her, but loves whatever Darin chooses. I'm happy to let him do it, and he's happy doing it. I usually like what he brings home (another example of the non-picky factor) and have even been known to ask him what size of pants or bra I wear because I really don't know. So today I found myself at the mall....alone! I don't know what exactly possessed me, but I decided to get some new jeans. I have one favorite pair that I wear over and over and that Darin hates (I guess they make my butt look big....not in a good way). I went into The Buckle and spent almost an hour with a really cute college girl that was so helpful in bringing me jeans that are trendy but still fit this 38 year old body. I walked away with these BKE Wendi stretch jeans that fit me perfectly. She even said my bum looked cute in them :)

Chicken-Zucchini Alfredo

2010-03-25T16:58:00.001-07:00

I LOVE a good alfredo sauce, but don't love the high fat content and guilt I feel after eating one. Here is a low fat option that I enjoyed from the Food Network magazine. I think the sauce would be good in any dish that requires a cream sauce. It was easy to make and got a 4 out of 5 at our home. Enjoy!

Chicken-Zucchini Alfredo

Kosher salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 zucchini, thinly sliced into half-moons
4 4-ounce thin skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Freshly ground pepper
12 ounces fettuccine (preferably whole wheat)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup cold low-fat milk (1%)
1/2 cup evaporated nonfat milk
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 clove garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, cover and cook until tender, stirring, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Heat another tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Cook the pasta in the boiling water as the label directs. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water; return the pasta to the pot.
Meanwhile, whisk the flour and low-fat milk in a bowl. Place the remaining 1 clove garlic and 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, 30 seconds. Add the flour-milk mixture and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the evaporated milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cheese; stir to melt, 1 minute.
Cut the chicken into strips. Toss with the pasta, sauce, zucchini and parsley, adding the reserved pasta water to loosen.

St George

2010-03-23T11:19:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Darian had a softball tournament in St. George. I enjoyed the warmer weather, watching ballgames, eating out, shopping, the beautiful scenery of southern Utah, time with friends and the feeling of the sun on my skin.

After the tournament was over, we took Darian for a tour of the Dixie State College campus. It's one of the colleges she's looking at attending. Weird that we have to start thinking about that already. She liked the campus and loves a warm climate, so it might be a good fit. I like that it's a short 4 hour drive from our home :)

Home remedies

2010-03-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

I started feeling sick last Thursday with a sore throat and stuffed sinuses. It quickly turned into body aches, fever, and a mucus filled cough. Unable to go to the store, I got online searching for home remedies to help with my symptoms. This was my favorite to calm a sore throat:

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup warm water

I have been drinking this concoction for 5 days now and it really does help (plus I have lost 4 lbs. Of course that may be because of my lack of appetite or the fact that my stomach is full of mucus from all the coughing.)

Another one that I learned from my mother in law:

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

8 oz hot water

Doesn't taste as good as the lemon, but has the same effect.

The Hunger Games

2010-02-25T10:39:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading two great books, The Hunger Games & Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins. There is a third book, Mockingjay, due out in August. I found myself immersed in this world known as The Districts and couldn't stop reading. This series has everything I like in a book....I highly recommend it!

I'm always looking for a good series or book to read. Most I have found through suggestions from friends. So, any suggestions out there for my next read? What are your favorites?

Zupas

2010-02-17T17:51:00.000-08:00

Today Darin and I were in Salt Lake and we stopped for lunch at Zupas. I absolutely loved my lunch! I had their Wisconsin Cauliflower soup w/ sourdough bread and a Nuts About Berries Salad w/ poppy seed dressing. I think Darin got tired of me oohing and aahing over each bite. To finish it off I had a big, beautiful chocolate dipped strawberry for dessert. Heaven! Zupas has moved up into my top 5 places to eat!

Ruth Marian Hansen Latimer

2010-02-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

My beautiful mother-in-law passed away on Friday, Feb 5, 2010. I learned so much from being part of her life. Ruth was confident, capable, energetic, artistic, loving, an organizer, giving & creative. We had the privilege of living in her home for 3 years in our early married life. She taught me how to be a "gourmet" cook using spices and ingredients I had never heard of. She taught me about presentation and how it's important to have things look pretty. She taught me by example of how to be a great wife and really love your husband. She showed me how to truly give all you have to your church calling. She taught me about family and how making memories is so important. She was an amazing grandmother and planned such fun activities for her grandchildren. She had a special bond with my Darian and showed her so much love. But what I appreciate most is how I was instantly welcome into the family and felt so loved by her. As she aged and had illnesses that affected her body and mind, I learned other things from her. She was so appreciative and expressed her gratitude constantly. She always told me how much she loved me and how special I was to her. I never felt like a daughter-in-law, but instead like a true daughter of Ruth. I learned what love really is by watching Lou care for her and by having the opportunity to give service to her myself. I learned what it means to endure. I treasure all my memories of Ruth and the amazing woman she is. She will be greatly missed, but I look forward to a happy reunion with her someday.

2010 Cadillac SRX

2010-01-19T09:16:00.001-08:00

The past several months, we have been busy trying to decide on a new car for me. Darian will start driving in June and so we need a third car. Rather than buy her one, we decided to buy me a new car and let her drive my current vehicle, the Chrysler Aspen. I thought I was ready to down size and go to a sedan, but after driving the Buick Lacrosse, I realized I don't like the feeling of a regular car. I'm so used to driving an SUV and like the visibility and higher ride. Darin took me to the Auto Show yesterday, where I fell in love with the 2010 Cadillac SRX! It is perfect. It's smaller than an SUV but bigger than a sedan. It's loaded with all the features and comforts that a spoiled girl like me wants :) Darin has been building cars online for me to look at and showed me the Cadillac several times, but until I saw it in person, it was just another car. We visited a Cadillac dealer in SLC yesterday and ordered one with the colors that we liked. It should be built and ready for us in a couple of months. I'm so excited!

Banana Muffins

2010-01-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

I found a great recipe for banana muffins. Yummy! Thought I would share....

Banana Crumb Muffins

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 35 Minutes
Servings: 10
"A basic banana muffin is made extraordinary with a cinnamon-and-brown-sugar streusel topping."
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
Directions:
1.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Happy 12th Birthday Dalton!

2010-01-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

How did this adorable little guy get to be so old, so fast? Part of me still thinks he's my baby until I catch him doing something grown up. Like getting up early every morning to do pull ups and push ups before school or spending time actually styling his hair. (He even brushes his teeth and wears deodorant without me telling him too now.) We were in Kauai for Dalton's actual birthday. That was the day we did the powered hang gliders. When we arrived home from our trip, we had a little party for him complete with cheesecake and presents.

On Sunday, Dec 20, 2009...Dalton was ordained to the office of a Deacon. It was such a sweet experience for him. He felt the spirit very strongly. We had both sets of grandparents here to celebrate with us. I'm so proud of Dalton and the amazing young man he is becoming. He has always been wise beyond his years and kept me on my toes with the many questions he was always asking. I'm so lucky to be his mother. I love you Dalton!

My own episode of "Hoarders"...

2010-01-09T16:38:00.001-08:00

I took on the project of cleaning and organizing Darin's study so that we could have his parents sleep on the main floor when they come to visit. They came down for Dalton's ordination to a deacon and we don't have a bedroom on the main floor. It's too hard to get Ruth up and down our long staircase in her wheelchair and so I thought they could sleep in the study on an air bed... if I could make room. Darin's study looked something like this... (no joke!) I don't have an actual photo because I was always very careful to keep that door closed so that no one could see in. It doesn't help that the study is right off of our front door. It has been a source of contention between Darin and me. I was always getting after him to organize it or do something with "his mess". I usually just ended up apologizing to anyone who might accidentally get a peek of it.
I began the process of cleaning and sorting. I filled 4 large outdoor trash bags full of magazines, papers, old mail, etc. Some of it dated back to 2004!!! That was before we even moved into this home! It really did feel like an episode of Hoarders. The grossest thing I found under all the mess, was a few dead bugs and lots of dust. I stacked the remaining paperwork and questionable items into two bins for Darin to sort through later (Nope he hasn't even looked at them). After several hours of hard work, this was the end result...

I wonder how long it will stay clean...

Christmas Break and New Year Celebrations

2010-01-04T07:38:00.001-08:00

After Christmas we headed up to Highland to stay with Darin's parents. Darin's brother, Brett, has been Ruth's caregiver since Lou hurt his back and he wanted to go to Vegas with his family during the break. Darin had the time off and so we packed up and moved in for the week. We brought the dogs too since all the kennels in our area were full. We were able to get out and do a few things during the day. Tuesday we all went skiing while Darian had her snowboarding lesson at the Canyons. Dalton's cousin, Taylor came along too. On New Years Eve just the boys went skiing. I stayed back to help with Ruth and because I tweaked my knee skiing earlier in the week. They had a beautiful sunny day on the slopes.

That night Darian and I met up with the boys for an evening on the mountain. We watched a snowboarding competition until we were too cold. Then we headed inside Smoky's Bar & Grill for some food and to warm up. After dinner, we went back outside and danced to a live band. It helped keep us warm and was fun! At 7:30pm we watched the fireworks explode above the snowy mountainside. We were back in time to get Ruth to bed and watch the New Years countdown on TV.

On New Years day we took Darin's parents to a movie (Sherlock Holmes) and then dinner at The Mayan.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we had dinner with some friends, the Whites and the Rasmussens. It was fun to be with a couple other families and share good food and company. We came home and opened the traditional Christmas pajamas and then watched "Elf".

Christmas morning began with the kids (and dogs) coming down the stairs to a Robert Goulet tune. We opened presents and then had a yummy breakfast of Eggs Benedict.

After the breakfast dishes were clean we did a treasure hunt for the kid's big gifts from us. Darin wrote some clever clues, which were hidden in a special ornaments on the tree, to help Darian and Dalton each find their gift. Dalton's big item this year was an acoustic guitar and guitar lessons. Darian got snowboarding lessons and a snowboarding gear (which she still needs to pick out).

The day after Christmas we had dinner and exchanged gifts with the Taylor side of the family. This Christmas came and went way too fast for me.

Kauai Day 1....

2009-12-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Kauai on Sat evening. It was raining and dark. This was the only rain we got all week though. We stayed at the Kiahuna Plantation & Resort in Poipu. We were a short 5 minute walk from the beach. The grounds were beautiful and the bungalow very nice. On Sunday we did some shopping for breakfast foods and snacks, got familiar with Walmart & Costco in Lihue and then went on a sunset cruise along the Na Pali coastline.

We were on a large catamaran with only 12 passengers so it felt semi-private. The first couple of hours were great, but then the seasickness started. If you know me well, you know that this a problem for me. I use all the remedies and still usually end up sick. It was Dalton, however that started us off, followed by me, then Darian. So my experience of the cruise was leaning over the railing watching the ocean fly by as I fought the urge to vomit. Eventually I did, so did Dalton and an elderly man. I was grateful for the lack of people and the privacy. The crew acted like it was no big deal. They cheerfully hosed the boat down, offered us ice, ginger chews , etc. (In my defense, there were very large swells that day. The North and West coast had 40 foot waves the next day.)

Somehow we managed to smile for this family photo.

Kauai Day 2...

2009-12-22T16:58:00.000-08:00

We drove to the north shore to watch the 40 foot waves crash. It was an awesome sight! We weren't allowed anywhere near the water. We disregarded all the posted warning signs and climbed down to this beach for some closer shots. I know...we're such the risk takers. The waves don't look that big in the photos but it was impressive. The ocean has such power!

Since we couldn't swim, we decided to hike part of the Kalalau Trail. We did the first half mile which Darin had heard was the easiest part of the 11 mile hike. Bull crap! It was a 1/2 mile straight up the mountain, climbing over wet lava rock and roots of trees. If that is the easy part, then I am in awe of those that hike all 11 miles!

We did have some amazing views once we got to the half mile point. We could see Ke'e Beach and down the Na Pali coast.

We spent the rest of the day touring various beaches along the north side of the island seeing Princeville.

Kauai Day 3/ Kipu Falls

2009-12-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

Kipu Falls... We took turns jumping off the waterfall, swimming to the side, climbing the slippery, moss covered ladder, and then swinging on the rope swing into the pool of water. This place is amazing! Darian on the swing...

Darin jumping off the falls...

The trail thru the sugar cane to find Kipu Falls...

Kauai Day 3...

2009-12-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

We hiked along the Lithified cliffs. Darin scared me doing this on a ledge hanging out over the ocean.

Darin and Dalton snorkeling at Poipu Beach.

Kauai Day 4

2009-12-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

We kayaked two miles up the Wailua River. The scenery was beautiful! We then hiked one mile through the jungle where we learned about the plants and Hawaiian culture from our tour guide.

We then arrived at the "Secret Falls". It was a beautiful 120 foot waterfall. We took some pictures and swam in the pool of water. It was very cold and there was a strong wind from the force of the waterfall. We managed to swim up behind the falls, but didn't stay very long.

We ate a picnic lunch after swimming and then hiked back to our kayaks. We paddled the two miles back down the river and got a good workout from the wind coming off the ocean.

Kauai Day 5 continued...

2009-12-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

That afternoon we drove to the Waimea Canyon and enjoyed the views. This is the view from the Kalalau overlook of the Na Pali coast.

We then headed to Polihale Beach. It is the closest beach to the Na Pali coast on the west side of the island.

Kauai Day 5

2009-12-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

We woke up very early and drove to the airport at Port Allen. It was Dalton's birthday and we were getting ready to fly powered hang gliders! There was a pilot in the front seat and then the passenger in back. Dalton & Darin went first for an hour ride followed by me & Darian. Both Darin & I did a lot of the flying/steering ourselves so that our pilot could take pictures from the air. The views from the air were amazing!

This is Dalton just after take off... Dalton getting ready to fly...

Kauai Day 6

2009-12-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

The day began with surf lessons for the kids. They both caught on really fast and it was fun to watch them catch the waves.

In the afternoon we went on a helicopter tour of the island. It was amazing!!! We saw the whole island and even went up inside the crater of Mount Wai'ale'ale. It is the rainiest spot on earth receiving an average of 428 inches per year. We happened to be there on one of the few sunny days per year. Dalton and I got to sit in the front and had the best views. They weighed everyone and then assigned you a seat based on your weight.

Darin and Darian got stuck in back but still enjoyed the ride.

A view of the Na Pali coast from the helicopter.

Kauai Day 7

2009-12-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

We spent our last morning hanging out at our beach.

Dalton climbed the tree in front of our bungalow that he had been admiring all week.

We did some shopping in Old Koloa Town and got a shaved ice.

We drove to Kalapaki Beach and ate at Duke's and then relaxed on the beach one last time and watched the sunset.

There was a couple getting married on the beach. Darian enjoyed watching the wedding.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-27T08:39:00.001-08:00

Darin was on call this year for Thanskgiving so we had to stay home. I offered our families to come down and eat with us, but we had no takers. It was a quiet holiday with just the four of us

I still made the big traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all of our favorites.I found a recipe online that got really good reviews for roasting a turkey. The trick was to roast it breast side down, that way all the juices drip into the breast meat keeping it tender and juicy. It worked and was delicious!The best part of the whole day...everyone but me doing the dishes :)Our traditional pumpkin cream cheese roll. We went over to our friend's, the Hurdsmans, for dessert later that day. They're like our family here in Price.

Volleyball

2009-11-07T14:12:00.001-08:00

The Carbon High School volleyball season is over. As always, we really enjoyed watching Darian play. She played on Sophomore, JV and Varsity this year. She is able to go in and play any position, which really helps the team out, but enjoys playing outside hitter the most. Carbon took 1st place in our region but then lost in the 3A state playoffs. These are the two photos of her that were published in our local paper.

Cabin Fun...Aug 2009

2009-11-07T12:19:00.001-08:00

More cabin fun...

2009-11-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed evenings in West Yellowstone shopping and eating out. This is one of our favorites...Canyon Street Grill. We finished off every night with ice cream :) An afternoon thunderstorm

We went to Island Park one day for some variety. Adie, Scott and Brett were freezing with the wind chill of the moving boat.

Hannah and Darian

Cabin Fun...Aug 2009

2009-11-07T11:56:00.001-08:00

August 3-9 was the annual cabin week for the Latimer family. We enjoyed days on Hebgen lake full of glassy water, sunny mornings, afternoon thunderstorms and great company. Adrienne and Nicole going for a swim in the chilly water.

Dalton surfing

Darian jumping on the wakeboard

Granger High School 20 year reunion!

2009-08-11T08:28:00.001-07:00

On August 1, 2009 it was my 20 year high school reunion. I was part of the reunion committee and have spent many hours over the last year and a half helping to plan this reunion. It was held at the Grand America Hotel in downtown SLC. We had a beautiful large ballroom reserved to meet in. There was a nice buffet dinner, 80's music, slideshow, prize giveaways, and great company. Everything went just as planned. It was such a fun night!!! The reunion committee minus Troy Muir.

Madrigals singing "Remember" during the program part of the evening.

Kamie and Darin. He was such a good sport to sit there for 6 hours while I ran around organizing things and visiting with my old classmates.I have a class officer sweater and cheerleading uniform just like these.

Naughty puppies...

2009-05-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

The puppies somehow tore the hose off of their watering bowl and water shot out all over creating a muddy mess for them to play in. I didn't discover the mess until I happened to look out the window and saw two muddy dogs sleeping on the deck. I was mad until I went outside and their cute little faces looked up at me all covered in mud. How could I stay mad at that?

First boating trip with the puppies...

2009-05-12T14:18:00.001-07:00

Darin had the day off on Monday and so we decided to go boating. I thought it would be fun to take the dogs and see how they do on the boat. (I had this happy picture in my mind of my dogs sitting calmly at my feet while I drove the boat and then swimming with me when we stopped to swim.) The puppies were very nervous about the boat at first and weren't sure about the lake either. It was cute to watch them put their paws in the water and splash around. Jasmine tried to walk on the water and fell in. She didn't stay in long, partly because she was so surprised and also because the water was freezing. We had to help her back into the boat and then she went wild shaking water all over us and running through the boat trying to dry off. Jake was much more shy about the water and never got completely in. His back half fell in once.Darin put on his wet suit and got in the cold water to try to encourage the dogs to get in with him. He ended up pulling Jasmine in with him. She swam for a few seconds and then wanted to get out. She swiped Darin's face with her paw trying to get back to the boat.

This is the result... stratches near Darin's eye and even a little blood. We only stayed about an hour. It wasn't relaxing at all to have the dogs there with us. At least they slept well on the drive home.

Update...

2009-04-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

I noticed I haven't posted for a long time and so here's an update on the Latimer family:
We continue to fall more in love with our Jake and Jasmine each day. They have brought us so much happiness and are truly a part of our family. When we first brought them home I said they would be outdoor dogs as soon as the weather allowed it, but I kind of like having them in the house with me now. They follow me around and sit on my feet while I'm doing dishes or am sitting at my desk. They have fun playing in the backyard, but love to be inside where the action is. They are getting big (Jake is 40+ lbs. and Jasmine is 30+ lbs.), but also better behaved. We had to purchase a 2nd crate because they no longer fit in the same one at night. Who knew I would become such an animal lover?

Dalton with Jake...
Darin and Jasmine... Jasmine...

Jake asleep in my flower pot, after he cleared some of the dirt out of it of course.

Dalton, Jake and Jasmine...

We have also been kept busy with sports. Darian is playing on the high school softball team and has a very busy schedule. She has pratice everyday after school until 6pm and has a couple games a week. When it's an away game, she might not get home until 11pm. She is also still playing club volleyball when she has a free weekend.

Dalton has started baseball and has a couple of games and practices a week. I'm anxious for the weather to warm up so that I can quit freezing at their games.
Darin and I had a fun week in Las Vegas last month. He attended a medical conference at The Flamingo and I slept in and hung out by the pool. My parents came to stay with the kids and dogs.

Life continues to be good for us!

Happy Tag

2009-03-01T15:33:00.000-08:00

Link to the person who has tagged you.
Write down six things that make you happy.
Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it.
Tell the person when your entry is complete.

6 Things that make me Happy:
1. My family
2. Boating
3. Being greeted every morning by two adorable puppies
4. Reading a good book
5. A brownie and ice cream
6. A warm, sunny day in Winter

6 people I tag:
Lisa, Jenn, Delaina, Brandon, Nicole, Jeannene

Growing too fast

2009-01-30T16:56:00.000-08:00

Jake & Jasmine are growing so fast! This is a picture I took shortly after we brought them home. As you can see, they have room to spare in their bed.This was taken today( 2 weeks later). They are now crammed together in that little doggie bed and overflow the edges.Jasmine hanging out with Darin... Snuggling together...

I'm amazed that I already love these puppies so much. In just two weeks they have become part of our family. They are potty trained now and that makes them so much more enjoyable. They entertain each other and love to wrestle and explore the backyard together. They are sleeping longer periods at night too, which I am grateful for. I now get 5 hours of sleep in a row each night! I have started training them with commands. They know "come" and "sit". We're working on "stay", "leave it" & "take it". They are spending longer and longer periods outside during the day which gives me the opportunity to catch up on laundry, housecleaning, etc. I am slowly getting my life back.

5 Things Tag...

2009-01-20T15:18:00.001-08:00

Okay, I'm just doing this for you Lisa :)

5 Things I was doing five years ago:
1- working as a hairstylist out of my home
2-living in Colorado
3-waiting patiently for Darin's residency to end
4- missing my family in Utah
5- trying to run a household on $30,000 a year

5 Things on my to do list for today: (It's 4:51pm as I am writing this so let's see...)
1- Make dinner
2- Finish laundry
3-Vacuum up puppy hair from carpet
4-Clean bathroom on main floor
5- Watch American Idol

5 Things I would do with a million dollars:
1- Pay off student loans
2- Pay off home and other debts
3- Travel
4-Invest the rest of the $$$
5- I'm sure I'm out of money by now :)

5 Places I have lived:
1-Salt Lake City, Utah
2-Bountiful, Utah
3-Kirksville, Missouri
4-Phoenix, Arizona
5- Highlands Ranch, Colorado

5 Jobs I have had:
1- Roger's Bakery
2-Merle Norman Cosmetics
3- Jeremy Ranch...cleaning condos
4- Costcutters as a hairstylist
5- I ran a salon out of my home for 3 years in Colorado

5 Things I want to be doing in 5 years:
1-watching Darian play college volleyball
2-teaching Dalton to drive
3-traveling
4-building a cabin within 3 hours of where I live
5-living like I am now

Puppy Love

2009-01-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday we decided to drive up to SLC and bring home a puppy. We've been doing our research over the past several months and decided that we wanted a female Labrador. However, once we arrived at the breeder's home and saw how adorable the puppies were...we ended up taking TWO home with us. Darin thought it would be fun for each of the kids to have a puppy to love and hold. This picture is on the drive home... Darian and Dalton had no idea that we were bringing puppies home that day. They thought we were just doing some shopping up in the city. When we got home we told them that there was something heavy in the car that we needed help with. They opened up the back trunk and this is what they saw...They both thought they were dreaming and said "Are they for us?" in disbelief. You have to realize that Darian has been begging for a dog ever since she could talk. She is a true animal lover. Dalton has been wanting a dog for the last few years too. The timing was never right before because of various reasons. So when they saw the puppies they were so excited and couldn't believe it was really happening.

We had a family meeting and tried to decide on names for the dogs. After much debate we agreed on naming them Jasmine and Jake. This is our little Jasmine...

And this is Jake....

It's so fun to see their different personalities already showing. They have been a lot of work, but have also brought a lot of joy into our home. This is how Jake fell asleep yesterday...on his back with a chew bone in his mouth :) There's nothing cuter than a puppy!

Sunrise & Sunset

2009-01-06T14:16:00.000-08:00

I happened to catch the sun one morning as it was just beginning to light our orange cliffs. I thought it was such a pretty contrast with the snow.

A gorgeous winter sunset...

This was the view from our front yard.

Undefeated! Utah stuns Alabama in Sugar Bowl...

2009-01-03T14:17:00.000-08:00

Was that an amazing finish to the Utah football season or what? It was such a joy to watch our team go undefeated this season. The 31- 17 win over Alabama last night proves that Utah can play with the big boys. Congrats Utes!!!!!! We love watching you play!

Latimer Christmas dinner

2008-12-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Dec 21st, we had a gathering to celebrate Christmas with the Latimers. Gregg & Helen had already gone up to the cabin and so it was just us, Brett & Terri's family and Mom and Dad. Terri hosted the dinner at her home and we made a delicious meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cheesy cauliflower, orange jello, rolls, and sweet potatoes.

This is Brett's village that fills the entire entry of their home. It takes him over a week to set it up. It's really an amazing collection!