WE'VE HIT THE BIG 5!

Yes, that's right. Brian and I have officially been married 5 years as of Wednesday the 21st of March. Does that sound crazy or what?!?! Let's take a look at our "Anniversary Week."

This picture is probably not what you expected, huh? I'll explain in a minute, but first I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear sweet mother. Momma celebrated her birthday on Monday, March 19th. If you want to know how old she is, ask her yourself! Since I couldn't be there, I called her and wished her the best. I am hoping to see her very soon though.

I decided Monday would be a great day to do some more gardening. So my wonderful neighbor took me in her truck to get a load of compost. They took this tractor and got a huge scoop of compost and dumped it into the back of the truck. It's cheap, about $18.00 for an entire truck-load. And it's so worth it! It turns the terrible sandy Utah soil into rich fertile "almost-as-good-as-Iowa-dirt" soil.



So I shoveled all this compost out into the newly-added areas of the garden, to try to get it up to par with the rest of the garden. While I was doing this, little Vaughn was a very good little boy. He sat on the other side of the truck, where I could see him, and dumped buckets of dirt on top of his head and down his shirt.








After getting all the compost spread over the new areas, I used me neighbor's tiller to till it all in and really get in mixed in well.

Here's Vaughn helping me to get the tiller running.










After several hours of shoveling compost and tilling, both Vaughn and I were ready for some fun. So after Vaughn's bath, and after Brian got home, we all took turns riding on Brian's little Honda, which he affectionately calls Weezer. Don't ask.

Vaughn was so funny riding this little motorcycle with Brian. He just sat there, expressionless, enjoying the ride. If Brian stopped for a moment, Vaughn would sit up and point, which meant, "Let's do it again!" In this picture, Brian put Vaughn's hands on the bars. Otherwise, Vaughn would have been sitting up against Brian's chest, staring like he had been for the last fifteen minutes!








Yes, even I took a spin on Weezer. Vaughn got so excited when I rode by him that he started running beside me. He had such a good time!











We have all had Spring Fever lately. This last week many of the trees and bushes and flowers started to show signs of blossoms. One of the bushes in our front yard began to show these pretty yellow blossoms. Even the wasps were out to enjoy the beautiful weather and bright colors.





On Tuesday, Amy and her son Samuel (we call him Sammy) came over. She wanted to see my garden spot and my 1-year supply of food. Amy is such a good friend, and is so supportive of all my projects. She helped me to decide what to plant in my garden and where to plant it.

Sammy is really scared of our cat for some reason, but Amy works with him to overcome his fear. On this visit, Sammy did so well! He got close to Ivan and even tried to touch him, and he didn't scream. We were so proud of him.


Tuesday evening was our Relief Society Birthday Dinner. The Relief Society is an organization within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for women. It was founded on March 17 in 1842. There is no other women's organization like it on the planet. I am proud to be a member of it. Our motto is "Charity Never Faileth." The Relief Society is based on good works, charity and love.

Our Relief Society Presidency put on a wonderful dinner with a very beautiful garden theme to celebrate the birthday. They decorated the church with gorgeous garden settings like the one to the right.








For dinner we had a very tasty chicken and pasta salad topped with Craisins and cashews. It was served with a slice of cantaloupe and a homemade crescent roll. It was to die for! Then of course there was a beautiful vegetable platter. And for dessert we had a homemade blackberry shortcake with a rich sauce made from handpicked Oregon blackberries. It was amazing!







Here is a closer view of the vegetable platter.









During the meal they had a cute lady read the Peter Rabbit story. She also played the piano as she read along, adding sound effects to the story line. Also as she read, another lady showed slides of each of the illustrations in the book to go along with the story. Before beginning the story though, the first lady gave us a short biography of Beatrix Potter, the author of the Peter Rabbit book. It was one of the more entertaining events I've been to in a long time. It was all a wonderful experience.

This is a picture of me and my wonderful neighbor Dawn Houston. She is the neighbor I'm always talking about. She is amazing. This woman can do anything. She is a self-taught seamstress who makes everything from children's clothing to cargo nets. She sells her stuff on E-bay and does quite well. She is also the most giving and kind person you will meet. She constantly goes out of her way to help me with things around the house and yard. She is very encouraging and does all she can to be a positive influence in my life. I greatly respect and love Dawn, and I hope to someday be like her. She is also a pretty tough woman. She is a nurse that goes out with firefighters during bad fire seasons. She has been training to do a test where you have to wear a 50-pound pack and do a hike in a certain amount of time. I think the hike is like 3 to 5 miles or so, and it has to be pretty fast. She is just amazing.

After the dinner and program a bunch of us volunteered to help get things cleaned up. This is a picture of me and my very good friend Deon Pate scraping dishes. This is another woman whom I greatly admire. Not only is she extremely intelligent (she is always learning something new) but she is also so wacky and fun. We are constantly giggling about something. One time Brian and I were up on the stand in church, waiting to give talks during a meeting, and Deon was out in the audience. She kept looking at us and trying to get us to laugh by making funny faces and pointing at us. She is the best!


And now for our Anniversary. Wednesday was overall one of the best days ever for me. I spent the morning cleaning the house spotless. Brian got off work around noon, and then we raced to get ready to leave for Manti, Utah. It's about an-hour-and-a-half south of us. While we were eating lunch, Vaughn got so tired that he fell asleep in his high chair. I held him while we finished eating. He was just so dang cute! One of my favorite things to do is put my ear very close to his mouth and listen to him breathe when he's sleeping.


We dropped Vaughn off at Brian's parents' house to be watched by his brother Jared, and then later on Julie came by to help as well. Then is was time to head down to Manti. Why Manti you ask? Well, it was there 5 years ago, in the Manti, Utah Temple that Brian and I were married.





Here's me and Brian in front of the Temple.









And here is another shot of the Manti Temple on the same day, with a better view.


The reason why this place is so special to us is that of course we were married here. But the type of marriage we had is of particular importance. We chose to be married in a temple because the man who married us had the authority to marry us not only for this lifetime, but for eternity. After Brian and I pass on, we will be able to be together again in heaven, and continue the same relationship that we took a lifetime to build. We must live righteously and in accordance with the laws that Heavenly Father has set. And if we do so, we will be able to be together forever, as well as be with our children and other family members and friends who chose to live right as well. In no other place on earth can a couple be married for eternity than in a temple of God. It is something that we both view as very sacred and very special. I am truly grateful that Brian respected me enough and that I respected him enough to be married in this way, and in this place.

We got back around 8:30 that night. Vaughn was so tired that he fell asleep on the ride home. We hadn't eaten dinner yet, so we picked up a pizza. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. We ate pizza and watched old Disney cartoons while Vaughn was sound asleep. It was his anniversary present to us, and it was a very nice one.

Thursday evening Brian's parents returned home from their seminars. They go on seminars each Spring and Fall to sell his father's Chord System for the piano. They had to come home early because Brian's mother was experiencing some health problems. So we were very grateful that they made it home okay.

Friday evening we went to a local thrift store to try to find some wrist-guards for me. We wanted to go roller-blading and jogging again, but I didn't dare do it without some wrist-guards because I fell last time and it hurt!

Well, not only did we find some wrist-guards for only 50 cents, but I found a water-bath-canner! This is the type of canner you use for bottling things like tomatoes and fruit juice. I was going to get a new one (at about $25) because I didn't think thrift stores carried things like that. But I was very happy to find this one, and it was only $5.oo! And it was in great shape too! Now my collection is complete as far as the types of canners I need to do bottling. Now I can do everything from fruits and vegetables to meats. I am so excited about this I could just explode!




Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed over to the Provo River Trails. I roller-bladed (is that a word?) while Brian jogged and Vaughn rode in the stroller. It was so nice outside! And it smelled so fresh and clean, especially in the early morning.





While we were exercising, we noticed this fox coming towards us. Then we realized it was a dog. But then we thought, no wait, it's a fox. The owners were parked in nearby van, and the fox-dog ran right over and jumped in. So we went over and asked them about their pet. They said it was part fox and part dog. I was disappointed this picture didn't turn out better, but this animal really looked like a tame fox. It was so cool! The owners were very nice, and let us pet him and take a picture. They also thought Vaughn was very cute!




Along the path we also noticed several trees that had been gnawed on by beavers. It just amazes me that they have teeth sharp enough to chew through wood. Here's something interesting though. Beavers have to chew on wood to keep their teeth from growing too long. Otherwise their teeth will grow out of control and grow right up into their skull! Isn't that crazy? Brian and I saw a picture of a beaver skull where the teeth had grow right up into the brain area and through the skull. That's nuts!



This is probably my favorite picture of all time. I am going to print this up and give it to Brian to have at work. Vaughn really wanted to see some ducks by the water, so Brian went with him to make sure he didn't go too close to the edge. Brian is such a great father. He loves to spend time with Vaughn, and he makes it quality time too. He takes every opportunity to teach Vaughn new things. Brian likes to say "I'm showing him the ropes." I'm so grateful for Brian's tenderness towards our son.



After getting home from the trail, we had lunch and Brian hung out with Vaughn for a little bit while I started on the garden. About an hour or two later we put Vaughn down for a nap. Brian left to do some research at a local bookstore for his job, and I continued gardening. I turned up soil, mixed in fertilizer, sectioned off areas and began to plant. I planted beets, Swiss Chard, peas, potatoes and onions. Then I made some rows for the future beans I would plant. It must have taken me about five or six hours all together to finish everything because our garden plot is way bigger than last year! I think I have at least doubled the size of the plot. (Not all of it is shown in this picture!)

In about a month or so, I will plant the beans, tomatoes, zucchini, squash varieties, cantaloupe, watermelon and peppers, and anything else I can think of! I am hoping to have a very beautiful garden this year! And I also hope those darn Cut Worms won't get into everything. If they even think about it I'll spray them before they can take a second bite!

After exercising all morning and then gardening and researching until the evening, Brian and I were both exhausted. We both had thought about using a gift card for a restaurant Brian had received from his work after pulling a 16-hour day. So when I finally mentioned it, it was nice that we both wanted to do it!

We got cleaned up and then went to the Outback Steakhouse. It was so nice not to have to cook dinner or clean up! Our waitress was so nice, and Vaughn really enjoyed himself as you can see! He was really showing out for some reason. I think he liked the upbeat atmosphere, and all the people.

Brian got the Alice Springs Chicken which was SO GOOD! And I got an 8 oz sirloin. We both were very happy with our meals. We came home and relaxed with some old Disney Cartoons from the World War II era.

I think I will end this by saying how grateful I am for a wonderful husband and a beautiful son. I feel very blessed to have them both in my life.

And here's one for the road....