Oh the tangled webs we weave...

water boarding at silverhawk

2008-11-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

The following two entries for our family blog is brought to you by Grams. She is one techno wizard and now can keep us up on the things she does, and from her point of view! You rock Grams!!!!!!!

Grams wanted to go on the boat, so Chandler and Jared could show her how to have fun in the water. WOW it scared me at first, but they love it. next year i will try it!!!!!!!

yellowstone

2008-11-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

While Liz and Rob were visiting us in Idaho Falls,we took a drive to Yellowstone Park.

We saw some great animals and also old faithful. Here are a couple of the animals.

Green Man

2008-10-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing near as many things as I've wanted to. Sometimes you feel the magic and sometimes you don't. But I knew that with everything going on I needed to finish my Green Man. His face has been ready for the last few months, but I didn't know quite what to do about the leaves. Well today I just decided to dive into and he turned out fantastic!!! So I thought I would share my new little friend with you all :)

Tyia

Ashley's Wedding Part I

2008-10-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm a bit of a thief, but if any of you are like me then you were dying to see these pictures too! So I took the liberty of stealing these off Ashley's Myspace page and I'm going to post them on here. I'm pretty certain she's busy this week hehe so I don't think she'll mind. We'll still have to wait to get all the great details of her special day, but in the meantime I'm sure everyone will love seeing these! Congrats again cuz!!!! I wish so badly I could have been there. Thought about you the entire day!!!

Tyia

Busy weekend

2008-10-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

Ashley got married.... we are waiting for details and pictures... Devon, I am counting on you!

Jersey and Treyson were blessed by Uncle Varcel. In the circle he was joined by our son in law (my favorite one) Jeff Ritter and our Bishop Edward Maznio.

I participated in our neighborhood garage sale. I sold almost all of my junk! Truly, most of it should have gone in the garbage. I only ended up with a pickup load, bed high, to take to the DI. Vicki brought some things to sale and she did very well, too. And Vicki and I swapped some of our things. You know the saying, "One mans junk is another mans treasure", it is true! We had fun sitting out in the cooler weather and playing with Treyson and Jersey. Treyson sold "Ice cold water, for 1 buck". He sold 4 or 5 bottles!

Our girls were able to check out more sales in our neighborhood. Brittney and Tiff got some darling things to decorate their homes. And Tyia kept us all hydrated from Starbucks.

Enjoy some of the sights from the weekend in Arizona!

Heather's update

2008-08-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Webb clan! I love reading this blog. It's great to hear from so many of you and see what you're up to. I wanted to thank Brittney for the previous post. It was so thoughtful and sweet to share that experience with all of us. I also wanted to thank you for sharing the blog adailyscoop with us. I have learned a lot from the author and found a new appreciation for my precious girls.

And now for the Sharp update.... Jared and I live in Rigby, Idaho. (It's about 20 minutes away from both my parents house in Sugar City and Grandpa and Grandma's house in Idaho Falls). Jared started his own construction business recently. He has been working for Blaser Construction but decided to go out on his own. He mostly does framing and finish work. He is amazing at what he does. I love to walk through the homes he's worked on and see his work. I can't wait for the day when we get to build our own home because Jared has some great ideas. He loves what he does. He is also the best daddy (and husband) in the world. He loves his girls like crazy! They get SO excited when he gets home from work. Savannah really likes to call him throughout the day to inform him of what's going on at home and to ask him questions like "what do lady bugs eat?" Sheridyn can't wait to go hunting with him. Last fall she would cry when he left to go hunting and she had to stay home. She honestly loves to sit and watch the hunting channel with him or read his hunting magazines. One of her favorite songs is "If you're happy and you know it....clap your hands" but she changed the words to "If you're happy and you know it...shoot a buck!" It's crazy. And Katelyn has this super special thing for her daddy. He can hold her and put her to sleep or calm her down like nobody else. I can try for an hour to get her to go to sleep then I'll hand her to daddy and she cuddles right up to him and falls asleep. He is so good with our kids.

I am very blessed to be a stay at home mom with them. Sheridyn is three (she turns four in December). She is so fun. She is very bright and has amazed everyone with her talking and thinking skills since she was very young. She loves animals and often pretends to be one. Savannah is two and is hilarious. She pulls the funniest faces all day and makes me laugh constantly. She loves to sing and play with her sisters. She is currently in the process of potty training and doing quite well. I'm looking forward to the day when I only have one child in diapers. Baby Katelyn is 5 months old. She is such a sweet baby. She's full of smiles and giggles. She loves to watch her hands move and eat her feet.

I love being a mom! My girls (and my husband) are my life. I love hearing the funny things they think about and watching them learn new things. The older two love having a baby sister. They want to hold, hug, and kiss her all day. It's so cute. We have a lot of fun together.

We are in the best ward. Jared teaches a Sunday School class for the kids and both Jared and I are in the scout program. Jared works with the 13-14 year olds and I have the 8-9 year olds. Jared loves it and the scouts adore him. It took me a little while to figure out the boys (I'm used to dealing with girls) but it's fun. There are a lot of young couples with young kids in our ward and we have a lot of fun with them. Sheridyn loves her Primary class. She's a little shy and sensitive so sometimes it scares her, but she usually does quite well. Savannah has loved the nursery since the first time she went. She starts asking to go long before Sacrament meeting is over. We also love the new temple in Rexburg- especially since mom and dad got called to serve there. I love being in that sacred place and seeing my parents working there. I find a great deal of peace and direction from the church. I don't know what I would do without it in my life. Having kids has increased my testimony immensely. I know my girls are gifts from my Father in Heaven. I don't think anything gives you such a glimpse into Heaven as holding a newborn in your arms.

Well, that's basically what I'm doing in my life right now. I am very happy and I love my life. I would love any of you to check out my blog for more information about our daily adventures and to see tons of pictures of my family. The address is jandhsharp.blogspot.com

I hope everyone is well and happy! We should all figure out a time for a family reunion. It's been far too long since I've seen some of you. Keep in touch! Love ya, Heather (Webb) Sharp

The Greatest Gift.

2008-08-05T14:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday and I received the greatest gift. I will touch on that later. The day started like a normal day in the Ortega household. Breakfast for the kids, changing clothes, naps, and so on. We bbq's ribs for dinner and had strawberry shortcake for our dessert ( a great weight watchers friendly idea!) We are in the middle of trying to find a new home and I told my folks and Joe I needed nothing for my birthday, just to know they were thinking of me was gift enough. Although Joe did treat me to a pedicure and getting my nails back on this weekend! As the night went on, Joe headed to bed and I spent my time with the kids before settling them in their beds as well. This is now when my "me" time begins. My friend Tiffany had blogged about another blog spot called A Daily Scoop, I have been looking at it for the past few day but tonight I started at the beginning and read the whole thing. I laughed and cried, and at some points sobbed while reading this blog. I recommend checking it out for sure. I drew so much inspirations from Stephanie's words. I only know her through her blog and she has already taught me so much. She suffered the ultimate loss, the loss of a child. I can not even imagine the feelings the has experienced in the past two months. I know her faith and close relationship with The Lord has gotten her through this. I have not been active in the church since I was 16, so 12 years now. I do have a relationship with my Heavenly Father and I pray every night, with my kids and alone. Recently my home teachers have begun to come over as well as my lovely missionaries who I adore! I feel I am getting closer to where I need to be but I still have a long way to go for sure. I do have a testimony and I hope it keeps growing with everyday. After reading Stephanie's words and realizing how strong she is, I have been inspired. Inspired to be a better Mom, sister, daughter, wife and friend. I cherish my life and everyday I have here, but she has reminded me to enjoy the small things even the annoying things in my hardest of days. Days when It is hard to smile and I have crying kids who wont obey. She has opened my eyes to things I thought I already knew. When I was done reading I went into Jersey's room and picked her up out of her crib and held her tightly in my arms as I rocked her. The nonstop flow of tears wet the top of her precious head and I had no control. A mothers love is like no other. I held her for an hour taking in each moment, each soft breath she took, each squeeze of her hand on my chest, each time she snuggled her head into my neck. I inhaled the sweet smell of my baby girl while having a broken heart for all those mothers who have lost their babies. I know it is all part of a master plan which we have no control over but I still wept for them. After I could finally pull myself together and lay her back to sleep in her bed, I moved on to Treyson's room. I watched him for a moment sleeping in his big boy bed the wrong direction and surrounded by pillows. I ran my fingers through his curly hair and told him how much I love him and how he has changed my life. How it makes me feel so good when he tells me he loves me, and how his humor brings me such joy in my life. I felt as though I couldn't leave the room again. I wanted to craw into bed with him and just snuggle him. I want my babies to always know how much I love them and how special they are to me. I then had to go to my room to my sleeping husband. He is my rock, my best friend, he is without a doubt my everything. I watched him sleep and the tears began to roll again. I am so blessed in my life. I am so in love and so happy. This my my great gift, a gift of thought. Time to recognize all I have in my kids and husband. This night was by far the most emotional one I have had in years. My heart swells today as I think about last night. The thought will stay in my heart and head for ever. I have learned so much about others and mostly myself lately. I am a work in progress but the final outcome will be awesome.

Watermelon and Memories

2008-07-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here eating nice big chunks of warm watermelon. Everything here is warm these days... but that's for another post. Anyway, you know how certain smells or flavors can bring things to your remembrance? Watermelon does that for me. I was telling my kids that you just can't beat a nice cold watermelon (but who can fit one in their fridge? LOL). So I told them about how Grandpa Webb would keep watermelon cool for us on hot summer days by leaving it out in the irrigation ditch on the side of their house. I used to love to wade in that cool water on hot Sunday evenings. I remember trying to walk over to Grandma Webb's house bare foot and about dying from all the stickers that were under the big pine trees between the two houses (I have heard that those trees were once so small the brothers and sisters could jump over them but I think that's just a rumor LOL). When I would finally make it over to grandma and grandpa Webb's house (with Oliver and Kattie in tow) we would be rewarded for our efforts with squirts of rose scented lotion from grandma and Oliver would get the top of his hair all messed up with grandpa's big hand as he explained "Oliver Twist" then, if we were really lucky we could suck on a piece of hard candy while watching Lawrence Welk with them. All that from a slice of watermelon. :-)

What are some of your memories of the old Ucon place? Here are some of my random favorites:

Lilacs, rhubarb, and the raspberry bushes
The blue room
The "Blasting Area, wear gas masks" sign in the bathroom in the basement
"Grandma Salads"
Country music playing on the radio in the kitchen while I dusted for grams on a Saturday
Watching Fraggle Rock downstairs
Catching night crawlers with flashlights after Papa put bleach in the sprinkler system
Laying out getting a tan with grams and the aunts
The carpet in the kitchen
The gold tree on the wall in grams and papa's bedroom
Jeff or Kelly throwing me up into the air when I was little
All the adults playing hours and hours of cards after Sunday dinners
Listening to the Chipmunk Christmas album on that big old stereo

What do you remember? Thanks grams and papa for the wonderful childhood memories I have of coming to your house. :-) I love you!

~Nikki

4th of July in Rexburg, Idaho

2008-07-09T23:40:00.000-07:00

I have spent the past couple of hours updating my personal blog. So if you want to see some darling photos, and get a feel of a small town parade and a big time family having fun..... then go to my blog.... on the http://www.tawnhunt.blogspot.com and enjoy! I love you all very much!

PS. Tyia is working on a novel to be posted soon about our trip to Alaska... hope the web doesn't crash, as it looks rather lengthy, but fun!! Look forward to seeing that!
Love, Tawn

Huntsman go "North To Alaska"!

2008-07-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

So as most of you know I had the opportunity to cruise the Interior of Alaska with Dad (Varce), Mom (Tawny), and Nikki. I'm pretty sure I don't even have to mention how much fun we had. Seeing that country was unbelievable. Seeing it with my family was absolutely priceless. It's the first trip that just the 4 of us have ever taken and it was everything we hoped it could be (minus one incident when Nikki tried to push me off a cliff so I karate chopped her knee hahahahaha). Nikki and I took a cheaper flight and landed in Anchorage 13 hours before Mom and Dad so we got to know the airport really well. Eventually we camped out in the airport Chile's restaurant and got quite familiar with the waitress, Terri (proudly Nikki's first Eskimo hehehe). She was the best thing about Anchorage.

As soon as Mom and Dad got there we got our RV and hit the road. We took back roads and saw things many people don't see. We camped somewhere whenever we got tired. We laughed as much as humanly possible. We looked until our eyes plopped out of heads...ok, a little graphic, but you get the point.

A couple days into the trip we got to Delta Junction where Dallen's (Holly's husband) family lives. They were awesome to us!!!!! In fact they completely spoiled us rotten. I had no idea how incredible they were. We showed up and they had chicken frying in the front yard ready for us to eat. As we were hanging out around the kitchen table Dallen's grandmother, Shirlene, asked Dad about the Huntsman line and if we had an Elmer somewhere. Dad said that he was his grandfather. Turns out Elmer was Shirlene's great-uncle! I now refer to Shirlene, respectfully, as Aunt-Grandma. So in case this hasn't jumped out at anyone, let me spell it out for you. Dallen is my cousin. Holly is my cousin. Dallen and Holly are married. hahahahahahaha. Sorry. That still gets me :) No worries though - Dallen's related to me on Dad's side, Holly is from Mom's side. Still though....hahahahahahahahaha. Oh the webs we weave indeed!

So back to the royal treatment we got from the Wrigleys. Bryce and Jan (Dallen's folks) have a friend, Carl, who has a boat so we all went fishing! Well, Carl and Bryce took out us four Huntsmans and Mallory (Dallen's sister and one of my most favourite people in the world). We all reeled in a tasty rainbow trout that we cooked up on the fire on the beach and immediately devoured.

Once we had our fishing picnic all cleaned up here comes a moose!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We got ridiculously excited and took about a million pictures of her. It was awesome!! (The only sad part was the fact that along with the fish we also had foil fries......mine was moose meat.....:( )

The next day Bryce, Jan, Dad, Mom, Mallory, and me all went 4-wheeling up a mountain in the bush and had a delicious breakfast that Bryce and Jan cooked for us camp style. It was peaceful, beautiful, perfect. I was terrified, but thankful that Mallory made me drive the 4-wheeler back down the mountain. It was a blast!!!!!!

Eventually we had to leave our new friends and family, but we will never forget what a incredible time we had with them. Hopefully it won't be the last (in fact I'm secretly trying to figure out a way to get back up there and help with the harvest...)

On our way to Fairbanks we had to stop at the North Pole. I couldn't help myself.....

We got to see some of Santa's reindeer!!!!

The next day we finally made it to Fairbanks. We spent the day at Pioneer Park where we got a little taste of everything. We took a train ride around the park to see the "towne", "native village", and "mining camp". I think we could have spent 3 days there to see everything we wanted to see. Mostly it was just little shops to buy different arts and crafts and trinkets, historical displays, or little stages with performers. Toward the end of the day two elderly women stopped us. "Would you like pictures of real Eskimos? We're real Eskimos. I'm Janey and this is Sarah." They were so cute!!!! I ended up buying a yo-yo from them made out beaver skin and bowhead whale baleen.

Our next "big stop" was Denali. I can't even tell you how awesome that place is. You can only drive your private vehicle in about 15 miles. If you want to go farther than that then you book a spot on one of the buses. I think this is a great way to handle a national park. That way no one has to worry about driving so everyone gets a chance to just sit back and enjoy it. Also it stops the parks from being too over crowded and affecting the ecology. LOVE that idea. We drove the RV as far as we could the night before our tour. Once we got to end Dad and I hiked up a pretty cool rock. In that short hike we saw a marmot, ptarmigan (state bird), and a killer view!

The next day on our tour I was in paradise. After the first 20 minutes we could have turned around and gone home and I would have been completely satisfied. We first came across a Great-Horned Owl's nest. There is one adult on the left and 2 fledglings on the right. Turns out last year this nest belonged to some ravens, but the owls hi-jacked it.

At our first "pit stop" people spotted some caribou down the river bed. We all craned our necks and tried to see the little specs. Lucky for us we were headed that way anyway so as we later crossed the bridge we got a great look at them. There's something very mystical about the way run. It's not wonder that we believe they can fly.

Not long after the caribou we spotted some Dall's Sheep way up in the hills. I am so grateful for a good zoom on my camera. It definitely earned its keep on this trip!

Found this little Arctic Ground Squirrel at one of our "pit stops". I love him. He loved me.

I can't even tell you about the Grizzlies we saw. I think our final count of the trip was 11. Mostly mamas with a couple cubs, but still....11 grizzlies! It was incredible! This, by far, is the best pic I got.

On our way back we stopped at the Toklat Visitors Center so I could buy some books on the natural history of the area. (What can I say, I'm a total junky and a full blown nerd hehe). But as we stepped off the bus a very familiar scene was before me. Some of you may have seen similar pictures of Devon doing this exact same thing. It was a thrill knowing he had been there too! Thanks cuz' for the photographic inspiration!

After we left Denali National Park and were driving down the road we were discussing how even though we didn't get to actually see the Denali (or Mount McKinley...which I hate refering to it as so I won't :D ) we still weren't disappointed. We had seen so many other things that we didn't expect to see. We had felt things we didn't expect to feel. We were just so grateful for it all. Then Nikki spotted it. Far off in the distance the cloud broke for just a second. While we didn't get to see the actual top of the highest peak, the South Summitt (20,320 ft high) we're pretty sure we got to still see her. If you look at this picture you'll notice that it's not the big hill in the foreground. But it's not the mountain range beyond either. Look further. Above that range you'll see a horizontal stripe that's darker in color than the sky. That's her. I still can't comprehend the size and magnifigance of that mountain. It truly is "The Great One".

So there you have it folks. And those are only the highest of the highlights. I could go on and on. I can't explain how incredible that week was. There are just not words. Thank you Mom and Dad for such an incredible opportunity. You guys really are the best. Thank you thank you.

Now, just for kicks, I want to show you the other highlights....the story behind the story. And so, without further ado, I give you TRUE ALASKA.......*drum roll please*

THE END.........finally! :D

I'm an Entrepreneur!

2008-07-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally done it. I've been working on some pieces for the past couple of months and then I put everything on hold while I was in Alaska, but now I've officially put some jewelry online to sell to I've created. I put a link on the left side of this page. I'm calling it Tassels and Trinkets. I figure that's a cute name and then I can pretty much make whatever I want and I'm not stuck doing just jewelry. I'm hoping to get some of my clay sculptures up there and some of my other mixed media projects up there. So go check it out! Don't worry, this is not me trying to push anyone to buy anything. I totally don't expect that. I just want to show you all what I've been working on so far.

Now, I won't ask you to buy anything, HOWEVER...*muahahaha* I will ask that if you are clearing away things from your house I would love to inherit any small odds and ends that seem useless, yet interesting. This can include old jewelry, metal pieces of junk, anything broken, but old and with character. (And for all you garage sellers.....now you have another excuse to support your habit!! yay!!!! See how thoughtful I am hehehe)

Anyway, I'm super excited and pumped about this and just wanted to share it with you all :)

Tyia

PS Boo - do you ever think about selling some of your quilts???? The webpage I use, Etsy, is an awesome place to sell anything handmade. You should think about it. They are awesome quilts and you should be proud of them!!!

Busy Busy Me~

2008-06-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so My fingers are very sore, I have been on a quiltin spree. I have made 3 quilts in 2 weeks. 2 of them were crib size quilts and I made both of htem the same day. We have friends who have twins and I made them each blanket....I think crib quilts are my favorite to do! So here they are.......

Our quilting tradition.

2008-06-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

I love all the many traditions our family has, and the one I have really taken on is making jean quilts. I love it. Now with two kids it is hard to make the time, but I really try. I love knowing I made something with my own hands all by myself and it is made with love and the blisters that come with it! This is my latest that I finished today. I am so grateful for my Mom, Aunt Tawny and Grams for teaching me how to do this. I would love for Jersey to follow in our steps!

The Hulk

2008-06-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

Treyson is obsessed with The Hulk, he wanes to watch the movie morning, noon and night. He walks around the house trying to rip his clothes off and when he gets in trouble he gets his Hulk face and tells us he IS the Hulk! JOe brought him a surprise yesterday and Trace could barely contain himself. He was practically shaking with excitement.

Hello

2008-06-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

I keep checking to see if anyone is alive out there. Doesn't anyone have any news, and event, a wish, a complaint.... Why isn't anyone adding to this blog for our family? I have been on two trips and I hate to always be the one showing my life, so if you don't hurry and add something, you are going to see our latest adventure in ALASKA. The bears, the fish, caribou and The North Pole complete with Santa and the Reindeer.

Now get busy and add something to this page! All of you!!!!

Love, Tawnya

Memorial Day in Arizona

2008-05-30T19:44:00.001-07:00

On Thursday night Tyia was going to sleep in here. We got it ready for her, because the weather said possible skifffff of snow. We went to bed, and during the night, well, it was Christmas! We had 3 days of non stop snow. We ate hot homemade chicken and veggie soup, read, crocheted, beaded jewlery, carved, played games. And then the sun came out on Sunday afternoon, and by Monday the forest was dry, and we enjoyed two warm days.

By the 3rd day of snow the tent was flat on the ground. Oliver came up to see us, and he drug our tent out of the way, and put his up where there wasn't snow, and his tarp worked better. He was dry and warm, and it was right up his alley to do winter camping.

Kattie was in the valley with Nikki and her family until the sun came out and then she braved it and came to stay with us. By then it was sunny and dry. We enjoyed the best of both worlds!

While Kattie was there we had two Sasquatch sightings.

We also saw other wildlife.... eat your hearts out Idaho people. The horns were small but were covered with velvet. My heart missed a beat or two! We also saw deer, they were small, but they had four legs.

We love the rim country and will miss it terribly when we leave Arizona. I love the cool nights, the monsoons, clapping thunder and blinding lightening, the bright stars, and clean air. I have many memories over the years. As we drive on the 300 road we see many camp sites we have been in and left our footprints in the dirt. The forts the children built. The baths in the tub filled with heated rain water. The quiet, picking the wild berries and scratching our arms so bad. We made pies, muffins, pancakes, and jam with those berries. Many days we picked just to get enough for a few batches of jam. One of the best gifts I can give the kids is one of those jars with the jam. They appreciate it more, when it is their blood in it!

I don't know when or if all of our children will spend another weekend with us on the rim. But I am grateful that this one was a memorable one. These memories will last a long time.

So as you in Idaho are tired of the snow, thank you for sharing some with us in Arizona!

Kadin's Baptism

2008-05-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an amazing day we were blessed with. Kadin has been getting the missionary lessons for the last couple of months and he was baptized and confirmed last Saturday, May 17th at the Moore Stake Center.

The opening song was "I Am a Child of God" followed by the opening prayer given by Chandler Webb.

Elder Ramos (from Brazil) gave a talk on Baptism. Kadin was then baptized by Grandpa Webb, they had the water rather low in the baptismal font so Grandpa had to get him pretty low, Kadin forgot to plug his nose so he came up coughing and spurting. But Grandpa was great and got it done.

A talk on the Holy Ghost was given by Elder Ward (from Mesa, AZ) followed by a musical number "When I Am Baptized" by the Gammetts. The confirmation was also really special from Uncle Jeff. After the confirmation Grandma Colleen had some words of wisdom that made us all cry, again. She told Kadin how proud she was of him and how to make the right decisions every time before you ever leave home. She told him that Heavenly Father has held back these special spirits for this generation to fight and battle off all the evil for all of us. After Grandma's talk the Mackay Bishopric welcomed Kadin to the Ward. The closing song was "Teach me to Walk in the Light". And last, but not least was a beautiful closing prayer by Kelly who made us all cry again. What a spririt was in the room for this event.

Kadin had so much support from Grandma & Grandpa Wall, Grandma & Grandpa Webb, Melissa and Kevin, Ashley and Hagen. Stetson and Andra worked and didn't make it until the dinner at our house. Also at the baptism were Jeff, Lois, Chandler, Heather and Jared's Family, Chris and Hydee's Family, the missionaries, Keith McBride who is our home teacher, and other members of the Ward and Stake.

The day was our first really beautiful Spring day (in the 80's) so the dinner was full of fun, food and sun. Thanks to everyone for a really outstanding day.

Thanks

2008-05-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

To the Family of Loren and Colleen Webb:
I’ve asked Brittney to post this for me because I’m not sure I know how to do it correctly. Thanks Shortcake.
I wanted to take this opportunity to drop a note to my second most favorite family. Of course my favorite being the one Vicki and I have created. They are the world to me, each and everyone, and I’m grateful to Vicki for bringing them into my life
My recent stay in the hospital has given me a chance to reflect on many things. One being the relationship I have with you all. I must have done something right in my premortal existence to receive the blessing of having the Webb family in my life. From Loren and Colleen, down to the youngest and newest members of their extended family, I am grateful. The Love, care and compassion you have for each other is beyond compare. I am especially grateful for my association with Vicki. She has given me blessings beyond number.
I wanted to pass on a special thanks to you all for your thoughts and prayers during my last health problems. A special thanks go out to those of you who took time to call and drop an email to me. I do appreciate it. More over I want to thank those who took time in their busy lives to fast and pray for me. I can’t explain how it made me feel when I found out what was going on, on my behalf.
I pray that the Lord bestow his choicest of blessings upon you all, alone with his granting of all your hearts desires.
I close and leave you with this Old Irish Blessing, my love, and my thanks to you all
Rick

May love and laughter light your days,
And warm you heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
Wherever you may roam.
May Peace and Plenty bless your world,
With joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons,
Bring the best to you and yours.

Sisters, daughters, mother in Lakeview

2008-05-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Vicki and Tawnya flew to Reno and rented a car to drive 4 hours to Lakeview, Or. One fun sight we came upon was a tradition of the graduation seniors. They make "shoe trees" . Yes, they throw their old shoes up into trees along the side of the road. When we arrived we were greeted by our dear parents and Liz and Rob. It was the beginning of a world wind of activity to develop over the next 4 days (at least for the girls).

The second day the girls watched Rob and Dad fill the back of Liz's car with our luggage, and scrapbook supplies. We were given full instructions not to buy a thing, or we wouldn't get it home, as we were loaded. (Men don't understand that women can always put 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 lb. bag). We drove to Klamath and went shopping, shopping, shopping and then unpacked at the Shilo.

Saturday we scrap booked all day and had a blast. We had to stretch our legs occasionally and shopped a bit more. We ate wonderful food, and enjoyed each others company. At bedtime, we had a giggle feast on moms bed. It was a late night and we had the giggles, and you know how we are... bouncing, squeaking, and tears, and some wheezing.

We loaded up on Sunday morning, and yes, we made everything fit, and found we still had a few empty spots where something small could fit. So, we shopped a bit more, while Liz got her Fish Burger Fix @ McDonald's. (How I take for granted the little things I have close to my house. She has to drive 90 miles!)

We headed home, and only had a few stops. A yard sale where Liz found some nice shoes, Vicki found a darling hat, and Tawny went next door to the antique store and got an old suitcase. (That darn shopping was getting out of hand).

When we arrived home Rob and Dad had a smoked turkey, salad, and baked potatoes ready for a wonderful meal. We relaxed by sitting on the deck and watching deer go up the hill, and watching all the birds, including bluebirds of some kind, and listening to the quiet.

Vicki and Tawny got packed, (yep, Vicki had to borrow a bag to get her stuff home) and dad got their car loaded. It wasn't long until it was bedtime, so we said goodnight before the sun was set.

Monday morning at 6:30 mom and dad left for home, and Vicki and Tawny were on the road by 7:00 to go back to Reno and get on our flights.

We had a wonderful weekend! Thanks Wing's and dogs, it was a blast! Keep the deer and the geese well fed.

Allison's Babtism

2008-05-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday April 26th was a special day. Alli was baptised by our close family friend Barry Lagan. She looked so beautiful in her whites and then in her confirmation dress. It was such an emotional day for everyone, we were all touched by the spirit on that day. Alli is such a sweet spirit and we love her so much. We are all so proud that she made the choice to be baptised and receive all the blessing that come along with it. Here are some cute pictures from that day!

Ladybugs

2008-04-29T16:17:00.001-07:00

Before it gets too hot outside we spend lots of time in the backyard. A few days ago as we were watering the lawn Treyson found a new treasure, a ladybug. He was super excited to see one in real life. He loved having it crawl all over us, although she would fall back in to the grass every once in a while. He would find her and hold her and tell her what a beautiful ladybug she was. He can test me to no end one minute and the next he melts my heart with his sweet ways!

Legacy

2008-04-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

I remember a sunny summer afternoon playing in Grandma Walters back yard while she, mom, and grams all shaved the kernels off corn cobs. I wanted to badly to help. So Grandma gave me a corn cob and a knife and I butchered the poor thing but I helped. That is my first memory of canning. I can also remember sitting on the back steps of our house in Riverside shelling peas from our garden for mom to can. That garden was HUGE and in retrospect I am in awe at the bottles and bottles of food we had stored down in our basement and the work that went into that labor of love. So now I am carrying on that legacy and canning too.

This week I did 21 quarts of chicken breast (that's about 50 pounds... good thing it was on sale LOL). I also did 24 pints of strawberry jam and 14 quarts of Idaho spuds. This is all added to the bottles of carrots, peaches, and pears from last year.

What you see here is three rows of chicken, two rows of potatoes, and two rows of strawberry jam.

I am loving it! As prices rise at the grocery store it is such a comfort to know I can watch for the sales and stock up when the price is good. Thanks Grandma, Grams, and mom for teaching me this valuable skill and for giving me a legacy I can be proud of.

~Nikki

Alli and her latest accomplishment!

2008-04-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

Report cards just came out for the 3rd quarter of school and my Alli got straight A's…. again!!! Do you know that since she started going to school in kindergarten she has always had A's and B's. In Jr. High she started taking accelerated courses and I got a lil nervous, but she is such a smart young lady and does soooo awesome in school. Next year is 8th grade and we received a letter from the school that Alli has been asked to join National Jr. Honor Society! On Tuesday, April 29th she will be inducted! I just had to brag about our Fred for a bit! Scott and I are such pround parents!!!!!
Hope everyone is doing great! I love you all!!!

Alli is getting baptised!!!

2008-04-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

HELLO ALL,
TIFF HERE. JUST WANTED TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT. ON SATURDAY, APRIL 26TH AT 10:00 A.M. ALLI WILL BE BAPTIZED. SHE MADE THIS DECISION ALL ON HER OWN, WE HAVE HAD THE MISSIONARIES AT OUR HOUSE BETWEEN 2 AND THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS. IT HAS BEEN SUCH A NEAT EXPERIENCE. THE 3 OF US READING THE SCRIPTURES AND HAVING THE DISCUSSIONS. WE JUST LOVE OUR MISSIONARIES TOO. WE ARE SO SAD THAT 1 MIGHT BE TRANSFERRED TODAY. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF HE COULD HAVE STAYED FOR HER BAPTISM, SINCE HE WAS WITH HER FROM THE BEGINNING. IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOL!! ANYWAY, JUST WANTED TO LET YOU ALL KNOW!

LOVE YOU!

Aloha from Hawaii

2008-04-13T23:50:00.001-07:00

We had a fun day 476.8lb blue marlin. It was a really fun fish it jumped so much and we got to see so much surface action that the fish tired out quickly and we got it to the boat in 45 minutes. I was really happy to because Amanda was with me on the trip, she is my good luck charm :)

I am living on the Island of Maui in Lahaina Town. I am Captain for a boat called the EXACT for Finestkind Sportfishing. It is a really fun job, were mechanics, plumbers, electricians and we get paid to go kill some fish I love it. My girlfriend Amanda and I own a hair salon called Salon Maikai, it's doing good we need more stylists and then we should be doing good. Amanda is really good and what she does everyone that leaves the place is smiling ear to ear. Well I have to work in the morning at 4am so maybe I will have more big fish pics tomarrow :) Take care hope everyone is doing good. My email is Mauimarlinslayer@yahoo.com