Utah Republican Party!

Yep, It was a party. DH and I took three of our dd's uptown to the campaign headquarters to mingle with the excitement. We arrived there with the momentum headed Gov. Romney's way and then walked out with a Pres. Obama guaranteed win.  We enjoyed seeing neighbors there and visiting with some in the political circles. (The cookies and nachos were a hit too.) One nice guy, we assume was a lobbiest, took time to explain campaign strategies and battleground state thinking with the girls. Excitement was there as each state was projected Romney territory but soon the party went somber as Ohio was announced for Obama.  Sad night!!!

Grateful Days-Music

     My Musing on Music
   
     This time of the year comes daylight savings time, yard work and music recitals. All teachers want to showcase their groups before the big Christmas concerts start.  This year we only had two concerts to attend. #3dd's was two weeks ago and #5dd's was last week. I continue to be so impressed by the talents of the choral teachers.  Of course, I am grateful in knowing my girls are in good hands and really enjoying singing like I did when I was their age.  I am grateful that my parents never discouraged me to sing. I am so grateful mom allowed me to take voice lessons. My choir teachers were so wonderful. It is so true that those we interact with become apart of who we are and what we become.  I remember having many inspiring experiences with choir groups.


Concert Choir- with #5



     Something should be said right here about piano lessons. Yep, I did that too....just yesterday I was the accompanist for primary. I have been substituting  for awhile until they find someone permanently. While I was playing "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission," I thought about the blessings I have been given, using my talents in this way.  I love the way I can be thinking about the words, feel the spirit and listen to the kids sing while my hands move over the piano as if I had the music memorized.

      Next, just want you to know that I turned my radio on the other day and  Christmas songs are now playing 24/7 on a local station.  It's funny how certain songs bring back so many memories. One in particular, I remember playing Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" record album on Grandma's big white record player. I remember Gene Autry's "Rudolph" album and Christmas with the Chipmunks. When on my mission, mom and dad sent me a tape of our family favorites. Our most favorite was Charley Pride's "Christmas in my Hometown" album.  That album brings back memories of decorating the tree and wrapping presents....enough musings for now...........
      Today, I am thankful for music!

Halloween 2012

Happy Halloween Everyone!
 

In our area, we heard that Halloween night would be the hottest ever on record...weird! It was. With it being so warm, I went out and purchased more bags of candy for the trick-or-treaters. The amounts of kids at our door didn't change. If anything, there were less. One small bag of candy would have handled the crowd. Monday night, we had a birthday bash for my dear #3's 18th birthday. We all dressed up and ate a wonderful dinner. DH took any of the kids that wanted to go, to a local haunted house. Meanwhile the faint of heart stayed home and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  After returning, we all carved our pumpkins to scary music wafting in the background.

Here are pictures of my girls! Cute!!!


Ketchup, Teresa Caputo, Cowgirl and Princess



Fall Vacation!

Our fall getaway this year was to Las Vegas! We haven't been there in quite awhile so we decided to drive down with dh's brother and sister-in-law.  They were so kind to let our whole family tag along while he took care of some work related meetings. We checked into the Westin Resort, just outside of Las Vegas in Henderson, and we felt like royalty. There were kyacks, paddle boats, a beach, pools and so much more.

It felt like we were at an exotic location because of the palm trees, blue skies and warm weather. (Of course, we just had to discover the local quilt stores for the local slant on some creativity.)  We took time to go to the strip one of the evenings to see the water show at the Bellagio. We also took pictures at the popular "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign where we spotted Elvis getting ready to serenade a couple that just got married right there under the sign.

We assumed that there may be some issues with being on the strip but it wasn't as bad as we thought.



The Bellagio fountains



 My favorite part of the trip was walking around the Las Vegas temple. It was so beautiful! I think I was expecting a southwest/desert feeling but it was so white against the sand colored homes around it. One could certainly feel the spirit there as we walked around the perimeter of the grounds. What a stark contrast to what lay a few miles away on the strip.

Las Vegas Temple

Homecoming Dance

One evening, a few weeks ago #4 dd answered the door after the doorbell had rang. There it was; an invitation to Homecoming. Screaming and jumping up and down could be seen and heard inside the house after the door was shut......There was honey dripping on a paper plate and a card that asked her to the dance. She, of course, said "Yes!" right back in a cute way. This was her first date after turning Sweet 16! She had a great time!  My kids are growing up way too fast!