Under the Weather.

I have been under the weather.  It has not been fun.  Not at all.  It always seems to come at the worst time, too... but I suppose there is never a great time to be sick in bed, now is there?  I know there are blessings weaved into my hard trials.  I know I need to be better at finding them, seeing them and learning from them.  I suppose what doesn't kill you, really does make you stronger.  Sometimes, I wish there was a less painful way to learn and build character and gain experience, other than going through difficult times (like laying in bed sick.sick.sick for 8 days)!

 

I am so thankful to be up and out of my sick bed today.  Thankful for my amazing Superman husband who took over all my jobs while I was down and out, and for his endless patience and who always takes such good care of me!  Thankful to my parents who called me everyday and cooked dinner for me and my family and delivered it twice, my healer brother and his beautiful blessing he gave to me, my bff for letting me cry it out to her and calling me everyday to check on me, my sisters who are always there to cheer me up (even though one said I looked really bad when we were on face-time on our iPhones - hee hee)... I am so incredibly blessed.  How do people get through it without such a support system?  I am a lucky girl, for sure.  Now bring on springtime and feeling good!!  Our health is truly our greatest wealth.  I hope I don't ever take it for granted. 

Hairnets.

Yesterday, I headed down to the cannery with 2 of my favorite girls, donned a sexy hairnet and packaged up some frozen strawberries.  Aren't we cute?  I love spending time with these two souls.  They never cease to influence me and inspire me to be a better person.  And, my freezer is FULL of frozen berries.  My morning smoothies and my tummy are so very happy. 

The Dog Days of Summer.

Oh Summer. 

Glorious Summer.
I love you so.
Why do you come and go so fast?

We had SO MUCH FUN this summer.

My top ten twelve summer 2010 memories are:

1.  Birthday parties! Some of which included:  a cool party at Chick-fil-a, a sweet kickball game at the park and a jam session in the backyard.  The Tanner kids are all a year older.

2.  A major house remodel.  WE ARE LOVING OUR NEW LOOK!

3.  Camping - Amazing Flaming Gorge, Gorgeous Idaho and the Beautiful Uintahs.

4.  Fireworks with Friends.  ITS THE BEST.

5.  Spending ALL DAY at Boondocks - just me, Chad and the kids.  And laughing.  A LOT.

6.  Picking raspberries.  And eating them.  YUM.

7.  SWIMMING!  And lots of it.

8.  A weekend get-away to Las Vegas for our 18th wedding anniversary!  WHAT? 

9.  More swimming.

10.  A new adventure... Young Women's President!  WHAT? 

11.  Watching Jordan live his dream of front row Jack Johnson on his 17th birthday.

12.  Boating and playing at the Lake.

And here some pics of my sweet summer memories:

(Jordan wake boarding at Flaming Gorge)

(Shaye was finally talked into driving her own car on the race track at Boondocks!)

(Non-stop laughing at Boondocks - oh ya - and Cade had a mullet for about a week.  It was sweet.)

(Miss Gabrielle perfecting her high dive jump.)

(Me and Superman on our 18th Wedding Anniversary in Las Vegas)

(Our awesome house remodel - credit goes to Superman - isn't he amazing?)

(Jordan a.k.a. Jacks #1 fan, and Minden, FRONT ROW at the Jack Johnson concert on Jordan's 17th Birthday.  And yes, Jack wished him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY from the stage.  Needless to say, it was a very happy birthday and according to him - the best one yet.)

(Me and my cutie sis Cindee - enjoying Jack Johnson a little farther back.  Love my sisters.  LOVE.)

(One proud mama, with her A.MAZING Boy at the Jack Johnson show.  Man I love this kid.)

(Swimming.  Swimming.  And more Swimming.)

(Shaye and Luke - cousins - enjoying a soda and swimming at the Lake.)

(Caden skiing at the Lake.  LOVE this kid too.  What a smile!)

(Savana and Gabi - cousins and BEST FRIENDS - holding on for dear life.)

(Hot summer nights, jam sessions and songs around the fire, and don't forget the perfect s'more.)

Farewell Dog Days of Summer.
I will miss you.

Favorite Time of the Year.

Oh how I love summertime!

It's my favorite time of the year. 

In fact, as we were laying on our blanket the other night,  cuddled up together,

watching the magic of the fireworks explode above our heads, 

I whispered to Chad that this has to be my favorite holiday.

(Shaye and Cade at their birthday party)

We've been busy the last few weeks!  (ha, what else is new??)

At the end of June, and first of July, these two darlings each had a birthday (6 days apart).

We had a fun celebration with our families at the park. 

We enjoyed dinner, conversation, music, laughter, babies, yummy chocolate cake,

and a sweet game of kickball.

Cade and Shaye have a very special bond - they adore each other - and I adore them.

Sometimes I stop to take in moments like these, and thank God for my blessed life.

(Cherry Days Parade)

To celebrate the 4th we headed down to the main road in our little town to enjoy the parade.

The girls loved it and ended up with way too much candy.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous.

I love my Freedom.  I love my America.

I love the men and women who have served

and those who are still serving to keep my family safe.

(My little pixie at the parade)

(darling Gabi at the parade)

(my teenager ((WHAT??  How did that happen?)) at the parade)

After the parade, we had a nice, yummy BBQ at Ryan and Eva's house in the valley

and finished off the day watching the fireworks at Weber High with some of our best friends.

Yes, it was a VERY. GOOD. DAY.
I was HAPPY.
And my heart was OVERFLOWING.

I love it when that happens.  :)

(The Tanner house is getting a Face-Lift)

Oh, and have I mentioned that we are under construction?

Yep.  We must be seven kinds of crazy.

We are stucco-ing and rock-ing the entire outside of our home.

I am so excited/nervous to see the end result.

I will be sure to keep you updated.

That is, if I am still sane.

Happy Summertime Everyone!

Thinking.

I am back among the living today - finally!  After 12 or 13 days of being sick in bed - (no definitely NOT how I wanted or planned to spend my holidays with my fam) - I can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for everything in my life.  Being sick was bad, but there are always hidden blessings that come with the bad stuff.  I had a lot of time to think... (A LOT - I was up most nights too) - thinking... thinking... thinking... about life - my life - my Dad's life - the purpose of life...  I couldn't help but feel incredibly blessed.  All around there seems to be so much suffering - tragedy - (maybe you feel it more or see it more when you are going through a hard time yourself) - and sometimes it makes me wonder -  why?  But I know why.  I KNOW THERE IS A PURPOSE.  And, how grateful I am for that knowledge!  And I am grateful for the tender mercies I was blessed with this past week - my A.MAZING Chad who takes such excellent care of me and our little fam - and our families and friends - all the people who take time out of their busy lives to care about me.  I am so excited about the new year.  I love the renewal that January brings.  I love setting new goals and feeling excited about my future.  One of my very favorite sayings is:  "Fall in Love with the Possibilities Ahead".  The Future is Bright.  God is Good.  Life is Good.

Although I did finally get dressed today - I couldn't bear to take off the slippers...

       Happy New Year.

I hope it brings you health and happiness.

Our Christmas Ball

This Christmas Season, my cute sis Adelle had an idea.  "Let's have a party." she said.  "Not just any party, though.  A party where we can all get dressed up and go out dancing!"  "Let's throw a Christmas Ball!"  That is where this story begins.  A grand idea that blossomed into a fun and magical night.  With the help of my amazing family and some great friends, we were not only able to get together to eat, laugh, dance, sing and enjoy the holiday spirit together, but we were also able to raise a lot of money to benefit the children of the Angel Tree Charity.  

We had a lot of entertainment at the Ball.

This is my cutie teenager.

  He played the guitar for the crowd.  

  He was amazing.

Here are the proud parents of that cutie teenager.

We have a lot of fun together.

This little sweetie is a special joy to me!

There is just something about your little sister's baby.

Those of you who have a little sister with a baby, 

know what I am talking about.

She has my heart!

The music was amazing and we all had so much fun 

out on the dance floor!

And look at this handsome little man!

May I have this dance?  

Chad even got to squeeze in one little cat nap.

Those 16 hour days were hitting him hard!

My mom made all the grand-daughters a Ball Gown. 

Every little Princess needs a gown, right?

(I know.  I have an amazing Mom.)

And my little Darlings looked beautiful.  

Of course, the night would not have been complete 

without hearing a song from my sister Cindee.  

She treated us all to some beautiful performances.  

WOW that girl can sing!!

To see the rest of my photos from the Dennis Family Christmas Charity Ball click here.  And, to see more about how we helped the Angel Tree Children, check out our Ball Blog.  And if you still want more, check out these photos we took of our guests in the Cathedral at the Ball.  A huge THANK YOU to all who attended and gave generously.  We loved spending the evening with you.  If you missed it, we hope to see you next year!  IT WAS A BALL!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2 Sista Friends.

I know, I know.  

I'm caucasian.  

I can't pull off saying "Sista Friend."

But hey, you can't blame a sista for tryin'!!

Speakin' of Sista's:

I had to shout out a big THANKS 

to 2 of mine.

Meet Brooke.

She married my brother Matt.

She's a rockin' photographer.

She's quite awesome.

THANK YOU Brooke for sharing 

your awesomeness with me!!  

You Rock.

Meet Adelle.

She is not married to my brother Matt.

(because let's face it, that would just be wrong and weird.)

She's a SuperMom of 2 darling girls

 and is quite brilliant in everything she does.

THANK YOU Adelle for sharing your 

SuperMomness with my little Shaye!

You Rock.

Santa Maria Beach.

So you know what's so great about having good friends?  

They go on adventures with you...

Like Beautiful Santa Maria Beach in Mexico...

And they let you take their picture...

A LOT...

And they never complain about it...

Not one little bit.

Jen and Greg.

OK, so we were lucky enough to share our Cabo adventure 

with some of our very best friends Jen and Greg, 

who also happened to be celebrating their wedding anniversary too!

Happy Anniversary you guys!

Thanks for the memories!

Anyway, you know me, always snapping pictures...

I loved this one of them on the beach.  

I will be putting up more of Jen and Greg soon, 

and yes, maybe I will squeeze in some of me and Chad too... 

(I know you are just dying to see more of my trip right?)  

Thats what I thought!   

Happy Summer Everyone!

GOODBYE!

Can't. Believe. Your. Moving. To. Chicago... *sniff*

Traitors!  *sniff*  Thought we were better friends than that! *sniff*

How dare you go off to better your career and family... 

How selfish!  *wipe tears*

Don't you think about anyone besides yourselves?  *sniff*

It's just plain rude... *crying*

~Brandon and Jen~

Some of our very best friends for 16 plus years...

Grew up together...

Had our babies together...

Shared so much together!

We love you guys & are truly happy for you!

Good luck in Chicago!

We are planning our Chicago trip already...

Happy Happy Birthday!

Just the Best Friend Ever!

Expert at so many things!

Nice (except when playing cards).

Neat (can your house be messy just once?!)

Impressive - seriously so smart.

Fashionable - always lookin' so cute!

Excellent in every way.

Remarkable - you rock!

Have a Happy Happy Day!