Saturday, June 13, 2009

Friends :)











We had a wonderful visit with Dave and Julie O'Leary and all of their children last month. Thanks to the swine flu scare in Mexico at the time, they opted out of Cancun and came to Cayman--lucky for us.




We also loved having the McKells who visited the month before the O'Learys and brought along three of their children. We have been friends with Brad and Renae since BYU. Such fun history. Sorry we didn't take more pics with the McKells.




You know the friends that feel like family? The ones that no matter how long you've been apart you just pick right up with them? That's how it is with these friends. Such a treat to make some memories with friends here in this beautiful place. We love visitors :) Especially when they bring teenagers from Utah--makes Holly feel like she's a little closer to home.




Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Life is a Beach!


The past two days have been perfectly dreamy in my world. Not to rub it in but living on the beach really is unmatched in my book. I have never felt so at peace and at one with nature. I keep waiting for the novelty to wear off, to grow tired of the sand, the sun, the shells, the sea creatures in the crystal clear water with its many shades of blue. (It is so pure that I can see the fish and an occasional stingray swimming yards off shore while I'm walking.) The novelty has yet to wear off. The island is full of surprises--Like this morning when we walked out the door to find rain pouring from a blue sky. Within minutes the sky was dark and menacing and I was afraid my beach plans were ruined, but within the hour the weather went from torrential downpour back to blue sky with puffy white clouds. I had another surprise yesterday when I picked up my foam float that I left by my front door and found a giant crab beneath it.

There are so many ways to enjoy the beach. I jog, I sprint, I walk--ipod included. I weave in and out of the water when I get hot. I enjoy watching the cruise ships come in and the crowds of people fill the beach. Their laughter keeps me company. I am finally starting to snorkle and I love relaxing to the rhythmic sound of my breathing and the weightlessness of my body .

My favorite past time is my float. (See picture above which is of Carli and her friend Tyler on the floats.) I float on a foam mat and listen to the wind and the waves as I bob lazily along the shore drifiting wherever the current takes me. Yesterday the sun went behind a cloud and I looked up at the sky and could not believe its beauty. It was a great color of blue framed in an arc of puffy white clouds with the sunlight shooting out from behind them. It was one of those moments when you look at something and it's like you're seeing it for the first time. It's a great feeling to be fully present in the moment. I floated past a palm tree where a bird was singing a beautiful melody and thought to myself, "This is perfect." For the first time in my life, I am outside more than I am in and I feel so content!! I want for nothing.

Nirvana: An ideal condition of rest, harmony, stability or joy. I'm feeling it!!

When the sun goes down, after I soak in the visual feast of the sunset, I actually feel sad that my playground is closed for the day. Some people work their whole lives to end up in a place like this. I can't believe we get to be here before we retire! What a dream.

Friday, May 15, 2009

WAY TO GO ALLISON!!


Our beautiful Allison graduated from the University of Utah last week with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Honors to boot! We are so proud of her for a job well done and a HUGE lifetime achievement. We love you Allie and we're so happy we were there to share another special day with you.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Fun With Carli!!















































Here are a few pics from the past few days with Carli! She is staying another couple of weeks which makes us all very happy. What's a trip to Cayman without visiting Rum Point, Calypso Grill & Snorkeling, the blowhole & Stingray City? Stingray's have powerful suction. If you don't believe it ask Carli who got mistaken for a piece of squid and the stingray drew blood. What are the chances?? Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Go Holly & Summer!!!


Report cards came out yestserday and Holly & Summer came through with flying colors. Just wanted to say congrats to them for all of their hard work in this difficult school!! All of those hours of homework have paid off. WAY TO GO GIRLS!! You have taken on this challenge even though you would rather be in Utah with your friends and family. We are so proud of you for giving it your best. We love you--and baby eddie does too!!!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Back on Island













Back from Spring Break where we shared some milestones with our children and our beautiful grandson and had them almost all together in California--minus Bobby and Kyle :( We did see Bobby and Kyle in Utah and spent Easter with them which was wonderful. We had a nice Easter dinner together at Kelli and Kyle's in Farmington.

It was great to spend time with family and a few friends but now I miss you all even more. I think we should all live in the same cul de sac. Does that work?
Take a good look at the angel in the picture three up from the bottom. She is the one on the end holding her beautiful baby boy. That angel is Jodi and she lives in the house next to mine in Draper. She is AMAZING. She asked before we arrived if she could go in the house to "put a few things in there for us." When we arrived in Utah weary from traveling, she had air mattresses and blankets and pillows, chairs, towels, a garbage can, a television to watch dvd's on, an ihome for music, tulips in the kitchen and groceries for breakfast. Can you stand it?? She thought of everything. We love you Jodi and miss you sooooo much!

Here are some highlights of the trip--and it was a trip, not a vacation ha ha!!
As you can see from the above pics Little Eddie was the center of attention. He was passed around constantly as you can see from the pictures above and who is holding him. He is perfect. Such a good baby. I was happy to see that he had grown but still felt like a baby to me so he hadn't changed too much since Christmas. We love you little E!!!!
Eddie's Birthday:
It was fun to be with Eddie and his sweet family on his birthday. (Is it really possible I am the mother of a son who is 26?? ) Eddie and Mary and baby Eddie are thriving in the sunshine of California. They have a darling apartment in the heart of Burbank with its tree-lined streets and quaint bungalows. Eddie toured us around his office and surrounding buildings at Disney Animation Studios. What a blast. Go Eddie. We are so happy for you and Mary.
Carli Graduates:
Congrats to Carli on her graduation from AMDA. You are the bomb Carli. It was wonderful to see you light up the stage in your showcase. You are amazingly talented and you have worked so hard. It made me cry to hear your beautiful voice. We are proud of you for finishing the program with flying colors. WOW!!! You really blew us all away. Can't wait to see where your life takes you... (And this very moment you are on a plane to come visit us and we can't wait to pick you up tonight!!!)
As a side note, after visiting the States, here are a few things I am so over...
Snow and sleet in April...
Traffic jams on Freeways...
Bad movies... (Sorry Vin and Paul)
The crowds, the lines, the bad food--- @ Disneyland--don't visit the park during spring break :)

And a few things I will never get enough of...
Family
Sharing space with my children (no matter how crowded it is)
Lunch with friends
Lone Peak
Brick Oven Pizza :)

And now I am going to nap on the beach to recover from my vacation.....

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Bobby and Allie Visit Pics






















































































Here are some pics from our fun week with Bobbison. Don't know why the top Pic from Margaritaville is so small but here you go. The other Restaurant pics are from Calypso Grill --the best restaurant in Cayman where you can get to die for sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Gotta love the sticky!!! The airborne pic of Summer is a favorite of mine. She is actually jumping off a cliff into the water at Smith's cove. She may be the spitting image of me at her age but luckily she did not inherit my fear of heights or the water. At church we said goodbye to Debbie Barnes who recently returned from her mission to Georgia. She is a wonderful, fun girl and we really miss her--she is from Jamaica and was visiting her sister here for several weeks. We miss you Debbie!! The turtle farm was a blast. It was fun that Bobby and Allison were here for Summer's school program. We realized they haven't missed for the past two years--they attended all of her Draper programs and now they even came to Cayman for this one. Pretty lucky!! The pic of Holly is because we did all of the fun things listed above while she was at Jr. Prom in Utah. Sorry Holly! We'll take you to Calypso and the turtle farm when Car comes down in April.






Next week UTAH!!! No snow please. I am ordering tulips and daffodils. Could someone make sure they are blooming before I get there?