Phun in Phoenix

Tom and I went with Mick and her friend Aundria to Phoenix to play in the sun for a few days. Lots of time at the gorgeous pool, an Arizona Cardinals football game (in a freezing stadium), shopping at a fantastic mall with stores I can't even afford to LOOK at, and tons and tons and tons of food.

These are Tom's kids Jeff, David and Chalese. It was fun hanging with them for a while over the weekend.

Life of luxury at the Gainey Ranch resort in Scottsdale. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Mick and Aundria spent HOURS in the pool and ordering Mai Tais.

Grandpa Tom and Byron.

All I need are some slaves fanning me and feeding me grapes. Ahhhhhhh. That's the life.

The Haraldsen clan at a delicious Mexican restaurant. I ate so much my stomach blew a gasket. Although it was a LOOOOOOOOOOONG drive home, it was still a lot of fun to be in Arizona.

Happy Birthday, McKenzie

Mick turned 15 today. Ashley, Tyson and Aundria spent the day with her. They hung out at a local coffee shop and terrorized the customers.

Mick's birthday presents included Harry Potter movies. . .

And tickets to see Lady Gaga!

Some of the things I love about Mick:

1. Her sense of humor.

2. Her gorgeous smile.

3. Watching her with her nieces and nephews.

4. Her homemade pizza.

5. The way she makes me laugh.

6. The fact I can get her a deer hunting cake for her b-day and she finds it hilarious.

7. Her kind heart.

8. She never takes my earrings without asking. Ever. Never.

9. The way she loves Ringo.

10. She's decided she doesn't want a driver's license until she turns 25.

Love you, Mick.

Older and older

Because I just won't die, I celebrated another birthday. It's another even number--42. The girls and the grandkids came out to celebrate the fact that I haven't died yet. We had pizza and apple pie ala mode.

Assuming I survive the next year, I'll be back on July 5.

Ringo, You're a Star!

Happy First Birthday, Ringo!

Look how tiny Ringo used to be!! But now he's a year old and has eaten his weight in stuffed animal innards.

We had a party for him including presents, a hamburger dinner and a special birthday cake which he really enjoyed. Octavio even had a piece after Mick tricked him into it.

Hundreds of dollars in vet bills, doggie day camp fees and stuffed animals.

He's eaten dozens of pairs of shoes--his favorites are flip-flops or any pair of shoe that is expensive and well-loved.

He loves long walks, chasing birds, burying remote controls, digging holes in the backyard, sitting on our laps (even though he weighs 100 pounds) and playing with Mick.

Never thought I'd say it: I love this dog. There's just something about being loved unconditionally that gets addictive. Happy Birthday, Crazy Ringo!

Grad!!

My baby graduated from 9th grade yesterday. I'm thinking that's all the formal education she needs. Cassi used her hairy skills to make Mick's tresses look adorable.

She went with Tyson to the promotion dance at Bennion Junior High and had a lot of fun.

I'm not sure what Cassi's doing in this picture. I'm a little uncomfortable.

Mick and Tyson have been friends for the last three years and will miss each other once they go to high school in the fall. Mick will go to Kearns. . .I'm not sure where Tyson will land.

Congrats, Mick!!!! I'm proud of you.

Hot Tamales

For my Mother's Day gift, Cassi taught me how to make authentic Mexican tamales. And even though neither one of us are authentic Mexicans--they tasted pretty damn good.

We made chicken and chili verde tamales. After a freak blender accident, the chili verde had to be remade. And we both thought the sauce would be VERY hot--but it turned out fantastic.

Thanks, Cassi! Now I can have tamales whenever I'd like. That would be all the time!

Greek Honeymoon

I can't even begin to describe how fantastic Greece was. We took tours of the Acropolis and museum, three of the Greek isles (there are 1,000s of islands), a mountain tour through vineyards and orchards, and a trip to the edge of the southern coast. We were busy but we tried to cram as much as we could into our honeymoon.

We loved sitting in the open-air eateries and tavernas, watching the people pass by. I loved the Greek foods. Tom tolerated the Greek foods. (We did eat one meal at McDonalds so he could have a fast-food fix.) Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, olive oil and breads were abundant and delicious. I especially loved the homemade pistachio ice cream served in a pistachio orchard on one of the islands.

Our tour guides were a lot of fun and we enjoyed learning more about the history of Greece and the ruins we visited. Except for one tour guide who just shouted at us. She scared me.

I was amazed at all the graffiti in the city--and everywhere in the country. Our hotel was in a questionable part of town (think drug dealers, pimps, hookers and sex shops) so it was an adventure every night walking back to our room. We got to be experts on using the metro train line and finding our way around downtown Greece.

We went down to the pier one night for dinner but couldn't find any restaurants. After walking for blocks, my sandal broke right in front of a taverna (thank Zeus) but I had to walk home half-barefoot from there. I scrubbed my feet for hours in the hotel.

We loved it all. Even the various mishaps (converter exploding, emergency landing coming home across the Atlantic, my feet swelling up to the size of pumpkins, shoes breaking, not speaking Greek---at all, Euro conversion, etc.) were funny.

Glad to be home and very grateful for the opportunity to see things I'll probably never see again.

Easter in the Snow

It was a great Easter--especially since mom was here from North Carolina. Everyone wanted her time and attention including all the grandkids--and great-grandkids.


She was able to see (and hold) Cameron for the first time and she was amazed at how hairy he is. That led to a discussion about how hairy we all were as babies (and some of us still are).


Because of the freakin' snowstorm, the kids went insane looking for Easter eggs in the basement--and we went insane listening to them. No one wanted the two eggs the Easter Bunny had dropped in the toilet. Sadistic Bunny.

Ladies' Night

Not to be confused with Kool & The Gang's hit song, last night was Ladies' Night at the fitness center. So I grabbed the "ladies" (and I use the term loosely) and we hit the gym for some late night. . .um. . .fun?

The night started with Zumba and if you've never seen Mick doing her interpretation of Latin/Hip-Hop/Urban Punk dance moves, you're life is not complete. Mick was fascinated with our instructor's butt which seemed to have absolutely no hip joints. Kelsee and Cassi also got into the latin beat but after 30 minutes of Zumba, we decided to bail and hit the hot tub.



The swimsuit cover for the next Sports Illustrated. Unfortunately, I had to take the picture and couldn't be IN the picture.

It was a fun night and the "ladies" are interesting to hang out with. A little odd. A lot strange. Entirely entertaining.

Spring Fever

It was a gorgeous spring day in Utah today so I decided to take Kelsee and Ringo for a walk at the park. They both behaved very well--except when Kelsee chased the ice cream man.

The flowers in our yard are blooming. Lots and lots of crocuses. Or is it crocii?

Happy Spring!!!!

Happy St. Joseph's Day

Diego and Laya came over today to eat waffles and play with Ringo. Laya refused to smile for the camera until AFTER I took the picture

And Ringo had to see what was going on.

Diego is practicing his sweet light saber/baseball skills (he thinks this picture makes him look like he has a moustache. It kinda does.)

Mick has been feeling rotten for the past couple of days. So her participation for the evening consisted of laying on the couch and smelling like Vicks.

St. Patrick's Day Plot

I woke up yesterday morning with the perfect plan to solve my financial woes. I would capture a leprechaun, steal his gold and live in luxury for the rest of my life. Made sense at the time (after two hours of sleep).

Took my trusted sidekick Ringo the Wondermutt out hunting for leprechaun prey at a nearby field. Since Ringo didn't understand the word "leprechaun" or "buried treasure" our efforts were futile. But he did dig some great holes in the field for unsuspecting people to twist their ankle in. So I guess it wasn't a total waste of time.

Not exactly Lucky the Leprechaun.