Summer 2012

     Summer finally came and we took off immediately for North Dakota to take dad back to see his sister.  San decided to go with us.  It was a quick, but nice trip and we got to see family and visit dad's old hometown of East Grand Forks, MN.  The rising of Devil's Lake is a sight to behold in itself.  There was 24 hour construction going on around Helen's house to try and manage all the water and save the roads and town.  Helen is 88 and wants us to return for her 90th birthday.  She is doing great and I could see her celebrating 100.

I made Helen this coin purse as a thank you (I've done many of them).  Came home to my rose bush in bloom.

Quinn putting by the "lone Cyprus" .  It was foggy that morning, but the ocean is over the edge.

Sand Hollow

     Came home and immediately turned around and took a trip to CA.  It was Q's fantasy golf trip.  The purpose was to golf Pebble Beach, but he made it to three other courses besides:  Silverado in Napa Valley, Oasis in Mesquite, and Sand Hollow in St. George.  I rode along at Pebble and Sand Hollow--both beautiful courses.  Now we're back at home and time to get to all the projects on my list!!

End of school year

     I've finished teaching my 18th year--and what a year it was.  It wasn't just the teaching part that was unique this year--but my personal life too.  We put mother into The Gables, an assisted living center where she lasted for two months before she passed away.  I have to admit--I really thought she was going to rally once again.  It appeared she had a stroke and by the time I got to the hospital, she was unresponsive other than she could move her hand.  She passed less than two hours after I got there with dad.  So much needs to be done to prepare for a funeral and burial, but I think we did a nice job with everything and I hope she is pleased with our send-off.
If you would like to read her life sketch given at her funeral, go to this link:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZxqfTPh4WuKEfKLBJ6WeVl__-97xeP9sDacCZhsvSNk/edit

Dresses for Africa

     Then it was back to ISATs, Quinn's state golf, and all of the end of the year activities, negotiations, changes and clean-up, and police report (ANOTHER story for another time).  I made a denim quilt as a prize for our awards assembly at the end of the year and it was chosen by one of my former students (boy-JP).  I am also including with this post the table runner I made for T&L for having us during the Houston Marathon, and the dresses for Africa I made for the ward project--I finished six of them and I've seen them referred to on Pinterest as pillowcase dresses.  I got the girls' princess dresses done.  Did the pink one first and learned from it to forget the netting and make it longer-which I did on the white one.  I also learned 3 year-olds could care less about boas.  I also ran in the Ogden half-marathon ALONE.  Quinn wimped out because of his calves which cramp whenever he runs lately.  I did it in memory of mother-which was my only motivation since I wanted to wimp out too because I DID NOT adequately train!  But I finished.

This gets us to 2012

So here we are 1/4 into 2012. I have felt guilty that I haven't been making more quilts, so this year I got busy. Dad had given me some boxes of fabric that were mom's and since she can no longer do anything with them, I made 3 quilts so far out of her fabric. I love plaid because you don't have to mark the fabric for ties. I also ran across a finished quilt that just needed to be hemmed, so did that one too (the cars). The red and black one that I crazy pieced, I gave to mom on her 57th wedding anniversary and she recognized the fabrics immediately. I have been working on making princess dresses too, but only have one done. Will post those as they get finished.

In January, Quinn and I ran the Houston Half Marathon. We flew to Texas and stayed with T&L and had a nice visit. Sandra went with us and stayed behind. I had forgotten to renew my driver's license so that was a hassle that Quinn will never let me forget (he's done it before too).

Busy with work, family, parents, sewing, and should be busy with training for our upcoming half marathon in Ogden--but alas, not so much. I have also been sick for over a week with cough and congestion. My spring break ended today (I had Thursday and Monday off), so now it is the long push to the end of the year--here is where I earn my big paycheck. Did I mention my taxes aren't done yet--yikes!

Winter again

Winter this year meant a wedding and open house. The wedding took place in Twin Falls on a COLD and BLUSTERY day. The reception was very nice with a good turn out. Two weeks later the open house was at my house. Lots of preparation, but a really good night. We love Amber, but now that Jacob is married, we hardly ever see them. I guess Jacob doesn't need our company so much now. I made them a trip-around-the-world quilt with fabric I had picked out years ago. I also made cookbook covers (this is J&A Y's too). Christmas was fun with a growing family. T&L and girls came from Texas. I did the 12 days of Christmas for the girls. Don't know if I can keep that up every year! December meant Katie finished her college career--another shout out!

Fall

Fall means the end of summer--bummer!

The best part of fall was the girls had a birthday and turned three-years-old. How time flies! They got a Barbie car and it was hilarious watching them play with it. They really didn't like the driving part, they liked the getting in and out and making up places to go part. I made them birthday dresses. Back to work and back to routine. Both my parents ended up in the hospital in the fall--Dad had to have a pacemaker put in and mom had a collapsed lung. Many trips to IF to visit and many trips to their house to take care of their needs. During harvest break, after attending a stupid mandatory math class the whole first week, I flew to Denver to spend time with Kris and family. It was a very short trip, but a good change from work and hospitals. I made everyone a Kleenex holder as a memento. Jacob also got engaged--woo-hoo!!

Summer

Summertime (my favorite time of the year)...

Besides the fact I don't work, I love summer for July 4th at the cabin with the kids (Jacob brought a GIRL) and we watched the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes, I spend hours at the cabin pushing the swing on the porch for the girls and blowing bubbles, I learned to line dance with ladies at our church on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I hosted a Red Hat party at my house, gave a talk in church on my birthday about my ancestors, went to Shakespeare with my good friend Deon and we watched four plays and sewed on quilts with her sister who taught us how to make a disappearing 9-patch which I had to make as soon as I got home so I wouldn't forget, attended my 35th class reunion, spent Wednesdays tending the girls, made the twins ABC church books (got the idea off Pinterest), plus did a little golfing too.

Spring

Spring...

Continued to work our new four-day week (which I love by the way). Tended the girls occasionally on Fridays. When the school year ended, Sandra, Quinn, and I took a short golf trip to Boise. Sometime in the spring I made a denim quilt since I hadn't done one in over a year. It ended up being donated to our faculty Christmas party and was a door prize that was chosen by my principal (who is now charged with having sex with a minor and may end up in prison--but THAT is a whole other story). Chad was able to get employment at the Co-Op and his temporary job lasted all summer and fall. :) Quinn and I also drove to California to run the Big Sir Marathon. It just so happened a month before the marathon, a land slide took out part of the road and the race had to be re-routed and didn't cross the Bixby Bridge which was the whole reason we signed up to run this race in the first place. It then became an out and back race and I signed up for 21 miles of **ll without the view from the Bixby. I will NEVER do another race over 13.1 miles. Spring was also the time when our girls invented "noculars". Sprinkler heads that double as binoculars--though they don't provide much of a view.

2011--Year in review

So much for my blogging abilities. It's been almost a year and a half since I've been on here. I will give an overview of 2011 and hopefully be more diligent in 2012. Let's start with...

Winter...

In February, Quinn and I flew to Arizona to run the Lost Dutchman 1/2 Marathon in Apache Junction. I was not well prepared, but did finish. The trip to AZ was fun and we got to visit with S&C. In March, we were blessed with a new granddaughter, Regan San. She has been a delight and has such a pleasant personality. I sewed her blessing dress since I had already started a tradition with sewing her twin sisters' dresses also.