Happy Thanksgiving!

We're so grateful for the most wonderful family and friends in the world. Wishing all a peaceful, safe and tasty day.

Our First Adventure in Europe

Beautiful Prague

By Night

Anatomical Clock

We thought this was Sleeping Beauty's Castle

St. Nicholas Church

Old Cemetery

View from the old cemetery/church/park

River Walk

Cathedral at the Prague Castle

Got our exercise on the cobblestone streets

Real, live drawbridge.....

Budapest: 2nd largest Parliament in Europe (can't fit into picture)

Hero's Square

Looking over from the "Buda" side to "Pest"

The Chain Bridge

The statuary is unbelievable

Fisherman's Bastille

Window on the world......

We took a spur of the moment trip to Prague and Budapest and it opened a whole new desire to see the sights of Europe. The scenery was fantastic! The company was a blast. Too many photos to post, but we'll try a few. We were only there for a week--I guess we'll have to go back. It was like a storybook....castles, spires, statues, bridges, rivers, parks, gardens and cathedrals everywhere you look. We walked ourselves to death on the cobblestone roads. The history was amazing. Overnight train was fun. I highly recommend it.

The Latest

He is so brave....give him a lolipop.....or a gun

Lots of great memories at this pad!

Diesel now has a sister named Susie and Gus lives in St. George

Cleaning house and surgery headline our summer activities. I spent several weeks in Utah getting my home of 25 years ready to put on the market. I had so much help from my dear family and good friends. You're all wonderful. The place looks great. It was emotional and the hardest part was finding new homes for my darling pugs. I miss them every day, but I'm so glad they are in loving, caring, wonderful homes. Terry ended the month having surgery to fix his right rotator cuff. He has been a trooper and we're getting through it. He will start on his knees next....smile......

Life Long Friends

Our first days in China with Roger and Jane

We became professors.....*smile*

Denver.... So excited for the game....didn't even know how good our seats were yet.

Pre-game snacks

Living the dream!

Probably the best thing that we brought home from China was our great friendships. We just returned from Cedar City visiting the Halladays who stayed for a second year. They were our neighbors upstairs and we had so much fun in Qingdao! We got to catch up and spend a little time at the Shakespearean Festival. After being home a few days we took a quick trip to Denver to see Steve and Debbie Sessions who were teachers in Beijing. We had a blast seeing the ski towns of Colorado, eating at fabulous restaurants and sitting in the front row, behind home plate at a Rockies baseball game. Most of all we enjoyed reminiscing about all our days in China.

Summertime Fun and Not so Fun......

"Let's just do dessert today--not real food" ... Tonya

No better place to kick back with a bad wing than pool side!

Mmmm..... Peach City ice cream!

My gorgeous girls. So great being together.

Uncle Boyd having a chat with Whit and Zadoc.

Nice group shot. Terry found a great place to rest his arm.

So nice to be loved.....

Happy 4th of July!

June is the birthday month around this family (11 of them) so life's been a party for sure. Mid-month we went to Salt Lake for a softball tournament and instead Terry ended up having rotator cuff surgery. We're working through the pain and trying to have patience with the long healing process. The poor guy is looking forward to having the other shoulder done once this one has reached a stable point in the healing process....smile.....

The Packer family had a wonderful reunion on July 3rd. It was a special day listening to Uncle Boyd and catching up with cousins. We enjoyed our traditional Maddox cuisine on the way home. Great memories of boating and then Maddox..... Shane ordering root beer "in a frosty mug!" Whitney loving the after dinner candy sticks, etc.

My good friend Jennifer was in town from California and we were able to catch up one afternoon with our other long lost pal from PBL days, Michelle. I miss these gals they are the best. It is funny, we can go for a long period of time not seeing each other and then when we're together it's like we've never been apart.

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday and it didn't disappoint this year. Party at the pool with loving family, yummy food and fireworks. Thanks for everything Mom and Dad! Doesn't get any better.

"Where's Waldo"

We hung a bird feeder and it has been fun to watch our colorful, feathered friends outside the bedroom door, but "Where's Waldo?" This sneaky, little intruder enjoys his share of the bird seed every day. Don't worry buddy.... your secret is safe with me.

Memorial Day

Always a thoughtful day for me.... Missing you Shaner bud. So thankful for the gospel and eternal families. So thankful for the wonderful country we live in and all who have sacrificed for this land and our freedom.

Vegas Baby!

Terry's softball tournament in May was in Vegas. We decided to drive rather than fly so we could take our bikes. Alas, that meant I could stuff the truck full of things I just knew I'd need ... smile.... We had a great time biking in St. George and, of course, I took no pictures. Softball tourney was fun, but not as great as walking the strip, eating too much and see the Lion King at Mandalay Bay. We also managed a visit to the temples in both St. George and Las Vegas. Beautiful. The trip home was topped off with a lovely overnight visit in Provo with the Trumans who were so gracious to put us up and feed us. We even stopped at the BYU Kennedy Center to visit with the China Teacher Program Facilitators, the Evans. Awesome. Missing China.....

Did this really happen??

Was it a figment of my imagination or just a dream I keep wanting to return to...... I have been so behind with my blog that it is embarrassing. Oh well. Just wanted to put some cruise photos on display before I move to the next event. I have not been a good picture taker as of late. Always room for improvement!