20th Anniversary

We hit the big two-oh!
And I just realized that I have been married for more than half my life!

During the summer we day dreamed about going on a cruise for our 20th anniversary but reality kept us ashore and we settled for Las Vegas. LeRoy was kaboozled into a 90 minute time share presentation that got us a free 3 day hotel stay and $150 cash and he couldn't think of a better place to blow $150 so Las Vegas it was.

Because of an early morning flight we went down to Utah one night early and got a hotel room in Salt Lake. After hearing that we were celebrating our 20th the clerk upgraded our room to a jacuzzi room (also for free) and that proved to be a great start to our 3 day trip. Hey, get your mind out of the gutter! The jacuzzi soak was just what LeRoy's back needed after a 4 hour drive.

Time in Vegas was . . . interesting. To be honest, I don't like Vegas. LeRoy loves it. He likes the excitement of the casinos, the glitter, the hype, the wow factor, the magicians and hypnotists. I like quiet places. I could have gone to the Redwood Forest, not seen one other human and been just as content with calling that a celebration. With that said, I found something in Vegas that I love, love, love. And now that I know the trick to getting around the strip with as little exposure to casinos as possible (always enter the valet entrance) I would go back this weekend just to see it again and again.



We went to see Mystere by Cirque du Soleil. Amazing talent! Breath taking live music! Gorgeous costumes! Unbelievable ab strength! Dynamic tumbling and acrobatics! Wow, wow, wow!! A camera cannot catch it all and after watching a PBS special about it I can honestly say it's worth the price of the ticket to see it live. I'm already saving for the next show. Anyone want to go with me?



LeRoy's favorite part of the whole trip was the David Copperfield Illusionist show. He was invited on stage for one of the tricks and he was blown away. Still is actually. If you ask him for the story he'll tell it with the same enthusiasm as the day he was there. It was a great show with stunts that left us wondering and imagining. Oh, and LeRoy walked up to Regis Philbin and introduced himself like Regis should have known him which he did because LeRoy had made such a Texan impression on the stage. LeRoy was in celebrity heaven. Regis and Copperfield in one day, what more could the guy hope for? Well, pictures maybe. They gave an announcement several times before the show started that there was to be absolutely NO pictures or recordings of anything. As soon as LeRoy was chosen to go on stage I had my phone ready to snap a quick shot assuming that the announcement had some "hey, my husband is up there with Copperfield" clause that would exclude me from corporal camera punishment but suddenly there was this security woman standing right next to my chair (and within my body bubble) making sure that I didn't snap so much as a blur for his on-stage experience. So, you all just have to believe LeRoy's version of the "Goose in the Bucket" story without any visual proof. You can believe him, it was really, really cool.




The place that we both compromised on and enjoyed like little kids was the M&M factory. Four stories of nothing but M&M contraband and you just have to feel young (which we really needed after walking the entire 4 mile strip). The short movie showing how M&M's are made is fun, all that chocolately color just forces you to feel happy and who doesn't want their picture taken with a life size M&M? I wanted to bring Red home with me. Of course, LeRoy would have brought Green home and you can tell from the looks of her and LeRoy's dimpled smile while standing next to her that I would have had jealousy issues. Our goal is to make it another 20 years so we left Red and Green in Vegas.

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Thank you, thank you to my momma who took care of all my responsibilities while I was traipsing around Sin City!

Thanksgiving

My favorite memory of Thanksgiving this year is having my boys baking in the kitchen with me. We laughed and snitched in the food and laughed some more and by the time we were finished we had nearly everything made for Thanksgiving day because they just kept asking what more they could do to help. I'm not sure if they wanted to keep going because we were having so much fun or because I was ignoring all the finger dipping going on. Even Hyrum was occupied and content the entire time we were working. He was busy making marshmallow pies (his very own creation) and cutting out leaves for the top of the apple pie.



We had Levi and Caytlyn and 4 missionaries over for Thanksgiving dinner and games. Derek has been teaching himself how to play the guitar so he was our background music during our evening activities. The sister missionaries creamed Elders Hill and Pitt, LeRoy, Justin and Hyrum in a game of Apples to Apples while Caytlyn chugged away with the high score during a very close Train Game with Levi, Nathan and I.




Elder Hill, Sister Hulka, Sister Faucete, Kimberly, LeRoy, Elder Pitt

Lead Me, Guide Me, Walk Beside Me, Help Me Find the Way

As Nathan hugged me goodbye, walked out the front door, climbed in the neighbors car and left for preschool I noticed his footprints in the fresh snow. Only his footprints were there, mine were not. As I turned to go back inside I was a little teary eyed. Wasn't it just a short time ago that he refused to go anywhere without me? He left my arms and went out into the big bad world - okay, so it was within a mile and he was safe at a neighbors house - but I can't see him, guide him, protect him, teach him. He is out there making decisions on his own. My time with each child to lead and guide and walk beside seems so short and suddenly they are off finding the way on their own.

This image displays the full purpose that we put him in preschool. It wasn't for an educational boost because he already exceeds kindergarten expectations but it was strictly for social purposes. It is working. Still, it is hard for me to let go. And so the detachment process begins with another one of my children. Thank goodness it takes years of weaning!

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I went in to check on the boys one night and found this:




Nathan was sitting by his nightlight looking at the pictures in the Book of Mormon. I asked him what he was doing and he responded, "I just wanted to learn more about Jesus". How can I send him to bed after a statement like that? As I sat next to him he asked a couple of questions about the pictures and I reminded him of their stories. Then I quietly stepped out, leaving him sitting by the nightlight because he didn't want the overhead light on, and after about 15 minutes he climbed in bed and went to sleep.

Experiences like this leave me humbly and respectfully thanking my children for their example. At times they "lead me, guide me, walk beside me, [and] help me find the way".