Holly's Charmed Life

Cute Holly took a whirlwind trip to Utah to attend Jr. Prom @ Alta High School. She left on friday before last and returned on the red eye Sunday night. What a trip. She looked absolutely stunning and had a blast with her friends back "home" including BFF Casey pictured above right. Her handsome date was Braedon. What a fun life!! Holly complained that my last post was more like a novel so I tried to keep this one short and sweet. Love you Holly Dolly!

Summers Haircut!

Hi everyone! Its me summer. :D hows my peeps back in UT? I hope its good cuz its good down here. Despite the fact that my dad told me I waste my life away on the computer knowing how sensitive I am!! D: I'm sorry that's off subject. Anyways, today I went to a salon and got my bangs cut! I love them. You can look at the picture right up here (I would make an arrow, but idk how to make an up one.) well I hope you like my hair cuz i do :) C ya l8r.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

Ten things I loved about my birthday:

#10) I celebrated it in the Caribbean sunshine instead of the snow this year.

#9) "Happy Birthday" was the first thing I heard as Ed whispered into my ear. P.S. This is the way everyone should start their birthday--but not with Ed :)

#8) I talked to my sister Karen first thing. We share the same birthday and she is always offering to switch ages which makes me feel young no matter how old I get. Imagine a pesky little sister who always reads your love letters, snoops in your diary and tags along to high school basketball games because you are forced to babysit her. That little sister would be me. Then, to really ruin your life she was born on your birthday so you're sharing that with her too. What are the chances? I always wanted to be just like her. Get married in the Manti Temple and have a little boy and some girls. Guess some dreams do come true! My sister is the best.

#7) My mother remembered and called me early (Don't laugh. She forgot one year and given the above post that means she forgot 2 birthdays. It was painful.) I listened to her tell me what I should be worried about which made me feel like a kid again. I lovingly told her to get a life. Not a chance. Thank you mom for my life!! I love it!!

I also talked to my other mother "Grampp." She is worried about hurricanes already. I guess it's a mom thing.

#6) Carli called me early because she had a nightmare and needed Mommy :) She remembered my birthday too, but first things first!!! I love it that she is still my baby girl even though she has lived all alone in NYC and now LA. I am so proud of her for graduating from AMDA and can't wait to see her perform when I visit next month. Carli--just so you know, this list is not in ascending order of importance so don't be upset that you're not listed next to #1!!! I miss my car-car. She loves telling everyone that she is the self appointed favorite child, sister, aunt, etc.

#5) Picture this: Summer sitting on the edge of my bed in her jammies, eyes slightly open, hair pulled back into a tossled pony tail from slumber. Barely awake she still manages to pull some wit. "Let's see,' she begins, "I think there is something I need to tell you...." "Hoppy?... no, no Hippy?... No it's HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" She breaks into a grin that she doesn't like to share often because she wants braces and we haven't found a trustworthy orthodontist on island. I love her smile. I laugh and tickle her for teasing me. She makes me feel young (and a little "hip"py too)!

#4) Holly's voice calling down the hallway "Happy Birthday Mom!" I love the sound of Holly's voice and can't bear the thought of not hearing it in my house when she leaves us alone in paradise next fall. Wait, this is supposed to be a happy post :( Holly's stories of her charmed life entertain me. She is always jetting off to a prom here or a party there and then sharing the pics and details with me. I just watched home movies of her at age 6. Can we turn back time please??? Can I have that little girl with the raspy voice back for just a day so that I can pick her up and wrap her arms around my neck and hold her all to myself? Who knew my little blondie would grow into such a dark haired beauty???

#3) Cute Kelli called to say, "Hi! I'm teaching but I wanted to call and say Happy Birthday!" I always feel like a failure when it comes to homework with my kids. I love telling people that my daughter is a high school english teacher who is almost finished with her master's in education. It garners respect somehow, as if I could take credit for her hard work--wink, wink. I am so proud of her for teaching right through her chemo. What a fighter!! I love it that she is healthy and that I was with her for the worst of it. It was great to take care of my little girl and know that even if she's married to the perfect husband--adorable Kyle-- she still needs mom when she's sick :( Can't wait to see you in two weeks sweetie!!!

#2) My wonderful son called from sunny Burbank where he is living his dream working for Disney. I am so proud of the man he is. He is a great husband to sweet Mary and a good daddy to the cutest baby on the planet! Seeing how much he loves his baby makes me think that maybe now he understands how much I love him. I am so happy that I have the opportunity to mother a son and trust that he will take care of me and be nice to me in my old age... Eddie is so good. He took in his little sis Carli who is also a great help to him. Can't wait to visit next month and have the Disney experience from his inside perspective. What a blast!!

#1) Precious Allison and Fun Bobby just spent 10 days with us! They were flying standby with Buddy passes and got delayed getting out which meant they spent my birthday morning with me--Allie cleaned the kitchen and made the sweetest card--. They went to the airport around noon which was a real bummer. I was out for a couple of hours and on the way home I thought it would be such a fun surprise if I came through the door and they were here. They were not. The condo was so empty I cried and decided this was the worst birthday ever. I called Ed and he was interrupted with a call from Allison. They had been stranded at the Airport all afternoon w ithout our cell phone numbers. They overheard someone talking about Ed's project and asked him if he worked for Dart. He did. He had Ed on speed dial. I flew to the airport, giggling all the way. Turned into the best birthday ever with that reunion and a fun evening together. Allie always makes me feel great. "You're so cute Mom, etc. etc." She is so thoughtful and fun. We had a lot of laughs. I miss her and Bobby but will see them in two weeks! Can't wait.

So blow out the candles and bring on the years if it means I have more time with these wonderful people. I love my family!! I love my life. I am truly blessed.

Cheers!

I LOVE MY LIFE!!!

Today I caught up on my laundry then took a nice long jog down West Bay Road and walked/jogged back along the beach beneath a brilliant blue sky. I took my time, enjoying the brightly colored sailboats and weaving in and out of the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean. When I got back to the condo I still hadn't enough of the beauty outdoors so I changed into my swimsuit and spent an hour reclined in the sun doing absolutely nothing except listening to the music from my ipod as it filled my head with my favorite tunes. After taking a break to take lunch to the girls, I made myself a salad and sat down on the balcony with a book and read until I fell asleep. It was a short nap but I needed it after all that sun :) Pretty much a perfect day. I'll be having more of them. I don't know when or if I have ever felt this content. The rhythm of the sea suits me. The video below is one I took a few weeks ago on a windy day but you can get a feel for the color of the water and the sand. Today the waves were calm--which is how it typically is moving into spring and summer.
Tonight we had the Crandalls over for dinner. They're a cute young couple from church living far away from family so we're happy to step in. After dinner, Ed & David played some tennis and Shalynna helped with the dishes then helped Summer out with some math homework--so thoughtful :) Ending the day with friends just topped it off for me.
I hope you're drinking in the beauty that surrounds you wherever you are, and enjoying family and friends. The world is a glorious place, no matter the climate or season! LIVE WITH PASSION!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ED!!

Today is Ed's Birthday! Just wanted to say that I love him and the life we have together. He is such a great husband and father and grandfather and works so hard to take care of all of us. He is our rock and we depend on him for everything and he never lets us down. He is the man we all turn to when we need help. You are a ROCK STAR Ed--HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!!!

Last week was another Grampp Birthday--Darling Carli turned 20 on March 3rd. I can't believe it. Last night I watched home videos of her when she was my little girl and I cried. She is still my baby girl and always will be :) Happy Birthday Car Car!! Carli is living with Eddie and Mary and Baby E now that they have moved to Cali to work for Disney!!! Eddie is loving his new job and we are all so happy for him and this new opportunity.

Life in Cayman continues to get better and better. We all absolutely love it and cannot believe that we really live here. Here is a little rundown on some recent events:

Summer enjoyed a camping trip to Kaibo with the entire 6th grade (how would you like to supervise that one?) that included exploring pirate caves, snorkeling, holding starfish @ starfish point and visiting blowholes as well as dining at rum point. How fun is that? The highlight of the trip however was her first kiss (on the cheek) and the night games and fun that included one of the teachers putting on a scary mask and getting quite a reaction from Summer who thought it was the legendary "Kaibo Creature" everyone had been talking about leading up to the trip. When the creature rattled something and emerged from the trees, she started crying, screaming and holding on to Coach Dave's leg (He is about 6'4". ) I guess they do it every year but being the new girl, no one let her in on the joke and they all had great fun watching her react. She laughed at herself and was a good sport when it was all over.

Holly continues to do several hours of homework every night and hang out with her friends on the weekends. She will be heading to Utah next weekend to attend Jr. Prom @ Alta. Look for pics. She is adjusting well and enjoys CIS but will return to Utah next year to graduate with her friends @ Alta. Her travel schedule is booked solid!! Utah in March, Utah & California in April for Spring Break, School trip to Costa Rica in May and then a possible trip to Ireland in the Summer. (Her friend Taylor travels home to Ireland every summer with her family and has invited Holly for a visit. We're hoping to work out the details so that she can go. Fun!!)

We all had great fun last week with our first visitors--the Becksteads. Bonnie & Mont spent five wonderful days with us and it was a BLAST showing them around and hanging out with them. I loved the company and miss them now that they are gone. We also met up with some of their friends who were also visiting and we all took a boat trip into the sound and caught our own lobster that we took home and ate for lunch. Yummy! We visited stingrays as well. Great day in the Caribbean :) Note: Visitors are welcome :) Speaking of visitors, Bobby & Allie are coming for a visit THIS WEEKEND!! They will stay about 10 days and we cannot wait! I miss my kids who are not here with me. Luckily I will see them all (including my little grandbaby Eddie) in April. Can't wait.