The giving of thanks

This is out of order, but I just found these pictures. I had a lovely Thanksgiving with Hans, Holly, Kelsie, Holly's sister Breann, her friend Kevin, and our cousin, Doug. I haven't seen him for years!! He's doing really well. Living in Too-son. He's applying for jobs as a guidance counselor for the deaf. Awesome! Our Cornish Game Hens were raw at dinner time, but besides that dinner was rockin! Breann made her and Holly's grandmother's homemade chicken noodle soup. Yummee!!! I made Hog-nose aka hog-nog aka egg-nog. Double yummee!!! Hold the rum.

I am MOST thankful for my family, friends, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a blessed life!

My Precious

So here's a funny story... Hans, Holly and I started watching The Lord of the Rings the other night, the first time for Hans if you can believe it! When Gollum came on Kelsie started into a chorus of scarry, scarry, scarry, so Holly started telling her that he was kinda like a puppy. Kelsie heard him saying "My precious". The next day we were looking online for something and Kelsie started saying "Precious, precious?", so I looked up Gollum. When she saw the picture of him she squeeled "Precious" with delight! I think we should get her a little gollum and she can pet it's head with all 5 hairs!

Congrats Kathy and James!!!

My cousin Kathy married James Gardner on the 29th of November in the Mesa temple. It was so beautiful! I got to help with their reception which was at a friend's house. They had a bridge over their pool with white Christmas lights there and on the trees. Very classy, such a great ambiance. Really relaxed. People just lingered and chatted. I helped with the food, which had an Italian theme due to Kathy serving her mission in It-ly...Itly, what's my wife doing in Itly?! (Movie anyone?!)

Hans, Holly, Kathy and James. I'm holding the Precious.

Zion's/The Narrow's

On my way back to Arizona from Utah I stopped in Zion's National Park and hiked about a mile and a half up the Narrows. You hike up this paved path, at the end is the start of the narrows, which is a canyon that has a shallow river you have to hike through. The weather was fresh. I was in my old running shoes and the water was 42 degrees so I didn't get too far before I couldn't feel my feet and legs. It was sooo beautiful and sooo fun! I'm going to go back and do the hike when the temperatures are a bit nicer.

The red and the blue

Sara and Tyson let us stay at their house. While there, BYU played the University of Utah Sara did her undergrad at the U, Tyson at BYU. Both went to BYU for law school. They have extreme loyalties to their undergrad schools. All week Sara wore red to work, Tyson wore blue. It was so funny to watch them during the game, until BYU started to lose so badly, then Sara started to cheer silently so as not to rub it in. Fortunately their marriage is not included in the rivalry. Thanks so much for letting us stay!!!

Utah/Merl Visit

Anna, Gwendy, Heidi and I met up in SLC just before Thanksgiving. Anna and Gwendy came from Vernal to pick up Heidi to take her back there for the giving of thanks.  Here we are at Snowbird, we're such snow bunnies. Boing, boing.

This is me posing on the slopes. I like to call this Magnum.

Jennilynn (the nanny that came to Switzerland just after me), Patrick and Koko Merl, Millie on Snowbird. 


Patrick, Koko, Nicholas and Phineas Merl, the family I nannied for in Switzerland and Germany) came to Utah to visit Koko's parents so I took a little drive up to Murray. Jennilynn (who is sitting next to me, holding Phineas) was the nanny right after I was there, then Melissa (wearing brown) came just after Jennilynn. It was so fun to see them!! The boys remembered me which was Awesome!!! They all kept asking me when I'm coming back to Europe, so I might have to think about that one...(yeah, some people like to call me a gypsy tramp...)