Olsen family together forever

2010-09-01T08:28:00.001-07:00

Customize an ecard

February 7-13 2010

2010-04-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Superbowl Sunday we went to church and since we are not big football fans we just watch it for fun. We had our own little family party and my kids had a blast!! Monday Noelle's orthodontist had a appreciation day and invited everyone to the Perry Egyptian Theather and he sponsered a free magic show and gave out glow sticks the kids thought it was really fun and Jonah kept asking how does he do that. Tuesday Aubrey's class had a 100 day party at school and I was so excited to help in her class for an hour. They made some fun projects and she had a great time. Friday the tax man came just hope he finds lots of money for us to get back from the government. It was free ride UTA day and so since Jonah LOVES TRAINS I took all of the kids on frontrunner from Clearfield to Slc and back Jonah was in heaven the whole time.My little kids spent the night at my sisters because the kids wanted to play and Noelle Mark and I watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics from Vancouver. We had hamburgers from Carls Jr it was a very enjoyable night. Saturday we spent trying to find things to do so we could stay out of the house so Mark could study. I am so glad he went back to school but it is really hard to entertain 5 kids every Saturday all alone!!

2010-04-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

February 14-20 2010

2010-04-06T08:39:00.001-07:00

Sunday was Valentines day and I was glad we were able to reflect how much we love our family on a Sunday so we could be all together. My mom and dad had family home evening at there house and we all came for dinner family home evening birthdays and a fun Valentines party for the kids. Monday the kids were out of school so Mark took the day off and we went on a roadtrip to Logan. We met with Todd our builder to get some ideas for our house and we also did some shopping for appliances and then we went to the Cheese factory in logan were we got sqeecky cheese and some different kids of cheese for mark. We also went to the Pepperidge Farm outlet as well. The kids ate goldfish crackers all the way home. We also went to Golden Corral in Logan for lunch. I am so glad I was able to spend the day with my kids and husband to talk and learn more about each one of them. Tuesday I went and got my car inspected and it passed!! Wednesday I had to take Jonah to the Dr.s to have some wart things burned off he screamed and screamed it took 3 nurses and 1 doctor and me to hold him still it was 45 minutes of pure enjoyment for him and me. Saturday Mark and I were able to go to the temple and afterwards went to dinner with our friends the Waycotts it was a great date night!!

February 21-28 2010

2010-04-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Lots of fun things have been happing at our house this week the Electrician came and spent all week wiring our house. Yea now we will have lights and lots of them. Our builder kind of wanted us to have a lot of light so there are 60 can lights in our home plus 28 light fixtures I still need to buy. It brings new meaning to let there be light. Tuesday was the Blue and Gold banquet for Matthew. They had spaghetti and salad and cake the boys had a great time. We had viola and I volunteered at Aubrey and Andrews class this week. We also met with our broker for our house trying to get all of the infromation we needed to get our loan going again. Saturday I took the kids to the library and we had Marks brother and his wife and kids come for dinner and a movie what a fun Saturday.

January 1-10 2010

2010-04-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

January 1 we went swimming at Comfort Inn with Marks cousin Kim and her kids the kids had a great time. We then went to lunch at Cafe Rio we had a great day of the new year together. We also went looking for carpet and tile for our new house. On Saturday the 2nd the kids spent the night at my sister Heathers and they played all day. What a fun weekend. On the 3rd my brother Spencer had his sweet new baby Tyler Burton blessed it was a great day to be with our family. The rest of the week was full of Young Womens, Scouts I also tried a spin class at the gym and it was really fun, Noelle also had viola lessons. On friday I also hosted my monthly scrapbook night and we had a big crowd it was such a fun night to get together with my friends in our home and scrap the memorable things in our lives.On Saturday I made a fun LOVE block set at my sisters. We let the kids play because mark was studying for his MicroEconomics class and he can not study with us there!!

January 10-16

2010-01-31T16:27:00.000-08:00

Sunday we went to church my mom came over to go through our house and spend the afternoon with us. We made peanut butter rice krispy treats and had sub sandwiches for lunch. I am grateful that my parents live close and we can get together often. Was a really quiet week, spent a lot of time cleaning out boxes and sorting out things that I do or do not want to go to the new house. Tuesday I had YW and the kids stayed with Marks dad and watched a movie called Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs the kids really liked it. Noelle had Viola lessons on Wednesday I went to my second spin class at the gym it was a lot of fun but I was might sore. Aubrey had a PJ day at school on Friday. On friday it was my friend Amy Woods birthday and we had lunch at my house and did cake. Friday night spent at my sisters having the kids play with her kids they had a great time. So fun to have cousins to play with. Saturday had to get new tires on my Suburban just grateful we had the money to pay for them. I feel so blessed to stay at home with my children this week. I am grateful I can read a book to them, paint, play trains, volunteer at there classes and fix them meals. Grateful for my life and for all of the joy my children bring me.

January Update

2010-01-31T16:14:00.000-08:00

January 17-25

Sunday we went to church and them my brother Mike and his wife Rachel came over to see our new house. Andrew had Priesthood preview tonight I can't believe he will be old enough to get the priesthood in July. Were has the time gone. Monday the kids were out of school. Andrew really needed some new clothes so off we went to Savers to see if we could get some good deals. He found a bunch of new stuff for only 24 dollars. I am grateful for places that we can dress our kids nicely for a cheap amount. We have really learned to be frugal this year because of our building of our new house and trying to save every dime. We then went to my sister Heathers house to help her with her new blog. The kids played and had a great time. Tuesday my brother Chad's wife came up and brought there kids to play with mine for the day. We made homemade pizzas and the kids played. I was preparing for young Womens because we were doing a murder mystery dinner. The kids loved it and it was a lot of fun. Noelle broke her glasses.Wednesday was slow because while I was excercising I pulled something in my leg so I was crawling up my stairs and not having a great day walking. Finally decided to go to the doctors. Decided to give me a tordal shot and sent me home with some nice drugs. Took Noelle to get new glasses and Aubrey had dance. Thursday Noelle did not feel well so she stayed home from school. I took Marks aunt Sandie shopping at the local Gluten free stores and to the new bakery in Kaysville. The bakery has awsome cupcakes and cookies.Friday spent the day preparing dinner for marks aunt and uncle. We had a great dinner and great conversation. Saturday spent the day with my friend Amy and my sister in law Brittany and Amy's friend becca and went to Desert Star playhouse to see a spoof on Twilight. We had a great time. Mark watched kids and helped Andrew do his science fair project.No progress on our house this week snowed every day and they could not get the crane here. Hopefully next week!

January 2010 update

2010-01-31T15:43:00.000-08:00

Week of January 24-31

Another busy week at our house Sunday we went to church and I had a 3 hour Young Womens meeting. We went and visited Mark's Aunt Suzette at a care center in Ogden she is still recovering from hip surgery. We also visited my parents and got a sleeping bag for Andrew to take on the Klondike derby next week. Love teaching Young Womens and will miss it when we move. Monday spent the day Visiting teaching and working out a problem I had with our insurance for our new house, had a nice quiet family home evening and then the kids decided they wanted to watch a movie called Skyridders for our activity. Tuesday is always crazy these days we had pack meeting for Matthew. Noelle had to stay late for a basketball game at the Junior High. Andrew had a merit badge class for scouts. I had to go to Young womens and we talked about New Years resolutions and had a planning meeting. Mark had his economics class. I am grateful to have good friends that are willing to serve and watch my kids when Marks dad cannot come and babysit. Wednesday was quiet and Noelle only had private viola lessons. I also worked on Andrew's Science fair board. Thursday Andrew woke up sick and really wanted to go to school to present his Science Fair project. I sent him for 1 hour he looked really nice and he wore a white shirt and a tie. Must have impressed the judges because he took 2nd place. I was so pround of him. He tested which cleaners would clean pennies the best. They set our trusses on our house today and I think we went down to the house 4 or 5 times. The kids thought the crane was really cool. Friday Mark and I were finally able to make it to the temple for the month and have a date afterwards. We went to Chilli's were my friend Paige works and it was a lot of fun. We also went tile searching at Home Depot. I am so glad Noelle is old enough and responsible enough to baby sit for more that 2 hours.
Satyrday I took Andrew to get his school pictures at Target because the school ones are so expensive. We went to the library had a pizza and an ice cream cone. Saturdays are a day that Mark needs to study for class so I take all of the kids out to do something for a couple of hours. Mark and I took Noelle to the New American Symphony concert at Weber state. Mark's sister Eileen is in it and her viola teacher. My mom watched the kids it was was a nice weekend. Mark stayed at home from church on Sunday he did not feel well. Aubrey gave a talk in primary I was so proud of her. This month has had its up and downs and we one month closer to having our new house done!

2010-01-01T15:48:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-10-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-09-01T13:42:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-08-28T20:50:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-08-28T20:32:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-08-28T20:17:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-08-28T20:00:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-08-28T19:35:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Cruise to Alaska

2009-08-28T19:05:00.001-07:00

I am trying to update my blog from the summer so please forgive me. These are pictures from our cruise to Alaska with Marks parents for there 50th wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fun of a trip it was. We did miss our children who did not go with us but there were in good hands with some of our neighbors and family. I want to thank all that helped us I really do appreciate it. My mom and dad took Aubrey and Jonah for 6 day Kelly Stokes for a day Paige Loveland for a day and Amy Wood for 2 thanks. Noelle stayed with her friend Hailey for 4 day and then went to girls camp at Heber Valley camp for the rest of the week. Our good neighbors the Lee's took Andrew and Matthew for the 10 day we were gone. All of the kids had a blast with there friends. On June 11 we got up early and picked Mark's parents up at there house and his sister Eileen and then we were off to the airport. We parked and got in the airport and met up with his brother and his wife and his sister Jeannie and her husband. They were tired because they had just finished putting on a all night graduation party for West High. We had a enjoyable flight and then landed in Seattle. We had a van come pick us up and take us to our Hotel were marks sister Tedann was going to meet us. She had flown in from Amsterdam the day before. We were all excited to be together for this great event. We walked to the Space neddle but on the way we stopped at a Glassblowing shop that was amazing. I enjoyed it a lot. We then went to lunch at the Sky City restaurant at the top of the Seattle space needle. The restaurant moves the whole time you are up there so you can get a 360 degree view of Seattle in about 1 hour. The food was amazing and we had an awsome dessert that was put on dry ice and smoked when they served it. I had salmon that was to die for. We then rode on a monrail and went to Pikes Market near the water it was a lot of fun. We then returned to the hotel and took a rest. Later that evening we went to Cheesecake factory for dinner it was great. The next day we slept in something we do not get to do with kids and got ready to go on the boat. We arrived at the boat about 12 and got checked in and was able to eat lunch on the boat. We had a muster drill which prepares you for any emergency that may arise during your trip and then we went to dinner. Mark's dad's only request for this trip was that we all eat dinner together. This was one of my most favorite memories of the trip. We all were able to sit and enjoy a good meal but also be together.

2009-08-28T19:04:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-08-21T13:42:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Kids learn to ride bikes

2009-08-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

In May both Aubrey and Matthew learned to ride a 2 wheel bike. We were so excited because now all of us could go on a bike ride except for Jonah who can go in the bike trailer and not have to have anyone on bikes with training wheels. It has been fun to see the kids learn how to ride and now they think the have a new found freedom that they can ride around the neighborhood on there bikes. I am grateful that we all have learning experiences that help us grow and develop. Good Job Matthew and Aubrey. The cute pictures of Jonah are him on his scooter that his cousin Braxton gave him. He is a crazy man on it and he can get anywhere pretty fast on it.

2009-08-21T13:22:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

AUBREY'S DANCE RECITAL MAY 2009

2009-08-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Aubrey takes dance at Julie Rabe school of dance in Clinton. She has a studio in her basement she is very reasonable and she tries not to make it a financial burden on anyone. She tries to make the dance outfits modest and I really appreciate that. Aubrey loves dancing and loves being able to wear make up and get her hair all done up on recital day. Aubrey's cousins Bailey and Aspyn take at the same place so some of the pictures have them in it to. Aubrey did a tap dance with her class and then she did a production number with everyone in the school.We are so excited that she is our daughter and for all the great thing she does.

2009-08-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-07-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-07-16T06:28:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-07-15T22:03:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-07-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-06-04T19:16:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-06-04T19:04:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-06-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-06-04T14:17:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2009-06-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Mother Day 2009

2009-05-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful to be a mother to my 5 beautiful children unfortunatly I am not feeling well I have not passed my Kidney Stone and I am very drugged!!!I had not planned to go to church but Aubrey came up to me and said," Mom I am singing today in church and you don't even care" I was heart broken. I care so much for each one of my children and I wanted to show Aubrey I did care so I got ready and went to church!I am so glad I went but I did not feel well. As Aubrey sang her song she kept looking at me and she was crying I was very touched! After sacrament meeting I went home and took a nap. I want to thank my mom for feeding us dinner because I don't know what we would have had other wise. I just want to personally thank my mom for all she has done for me and for all the help she gives me! I can always count on her to listen and to support me in anything my family is doing! Thanks mom for listening and teaching me by example how to be a great mother. I also want to thank my Mother in law for all she has taught me and for her love and support to me and my family I hope all mother's have a great mother's day!!!

Saturday May 9 at home not feeling well

2009-05-13T21:12:00.001-07:00

I did not feel well today at all but the realtor called today and wants to show our house so I had to get up and get the house all clean. Thanks to Noelle and Andrew and Mark for there help I could not have done it by myself. The people came about 11 and we took off and went to Mark's brothers house and let the kids play for a couple of hours. We then went home and worked in our yard and started getting things ready for our trip. Our realtor called and said that there was an offer on the table for our house. I can't believe it!!! It was a terrible offer and so we countered back and I have no Idea what is going to happen I will let you know! Thanks Lisa Decker and family for the great meal tonight it was very much appreciated!!

Friday May 8 Hospital Again

2009-05-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Ok I had an ok night last night and was feeling better this morning. I decided that I needed to work on the two teacher appreciation bulletin boards I had to work on. Noelle helped me and I thought ok I am doing better I just am going to have to be patient to pass the stone.Today we got new carpet in our living room downstairs and on the stairs it look awesome. I was helping Mark rearrange the furniture when my back started hurting again and by 4:00 I was in a terrible amount of pain again. By the way Marks scouts were at my house and I screamed outside to Mark he had to take me to the ER again and the look on those boys faces I felt so bad. Well my mom and dad were on there way to my house the help us move furniture so we just left the kids and then my mom and dad came and watched them. Our neighbors the Stokes brought over pizza for the kids for dinner because the knew I would not be home to make something! Thanks stokes! Well we made it to the Er we had to wait for about 30 minutes before I was taken back and I was screaming the whole time I felt terrible. Then it took them a while to get an IV in because I have terrible veins and the poor young man tried 3 times to get it and no luck then a more experienced nurse came and got it in one shot. Then the medicine finally started helping. Just as I was getting comfortable we saw our neighbor being wheeled into the Er and we were next door to each other in the Er. She hopefully will be ok get better Alicia. They gave me more medicine and sent me home. I am really tired of going to the Er I hope this Kidney stone will pass quickly we are leaving for Disneyland on Wednesday!!

Angela's 36 th birthday

2009-05-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ok I turned 36 on May 7. I was really excited to spend the day with my family because Mark took the day off of work and all of my children were out of school so we decided that we would go on a day trip the the Golden Spike National Monument in Promitory Utah. So we left about 11 o'clock and we got there about 12:00. We walked around the visitor center for a little bit and by the way Jonah our 2 year old loves trains and he was going crazy with all of the train stuff they had. At about 12:30 we went outside to watch them move the trains and have them explain what happened at Promitory it is where the Union pacific and Central Pacific railroads met. Jonah loved watching the trains so it was a lot of fun just watching him. After that I told Mark I was not feeling well so we went to the car so I could get something to eat and to sit down for a little bit. As we left Promitory we were planning on finding a remote free campground that Mark had found to do a cookout for my Birthday and to make smores with the kids. Well on our way to the campground I started to get really sick and in a lot of pain in my back. I called my friend Amy to get my a number for the doctors office's number by my house but they said they had no appointments. I finally was in so much pain that mark decided to stop and take me to the ER in Bear River Utah about 1 hour from our house because he was afraid I would never make it home. As we got there the kids stayed in the car with Noelle and Mark took me in I was in a terrible amount of pain the nurses and the doctor could tell I did not feel well and it seemed like no one else was there so I had there undivided attention. After giving me an IV they were able to give me some pain medication the help the pain and it really took them a little while to give me enough of something to make me comfortable. The nice doctor let us bring the kids in and gave the oreo's and playdough and coloring things to keep them preoccupied while I was there! I was so grateful that they were so nice to us and my family. The nice lady doctor realized I was wearing garments and asked if I would like a blessing. Mark said I have no one to help me and no oil. The doctor said give me a minute and I will work on it. The doctor found the radiologist and he called someone and they brought some oil. I am very grateful that my husband could give me a blessing and grateful for the radiologist that he was worthy to help as well. After the blessing I started to feel better they took a cat scan and found out that I had a Kidney stone about 2.7 mm big. So they sent me home with pain medication hoping I would pass it in the next few days. So we left and I slept the whole way home. I was very drugged but at least I was no longer in pain. So instead of having cake and Ice cream for my birthday I got a Kidney Stone instead. Thanks mark for my new luggage and my new GPS running watch!

Matthew in his Baptism clothes

2009-04-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

Matthew's Baptism

2009-04-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today April 11,2009 Our son Matthew was baptized by his dad at 12:00 noon at our church on 1800 N in Clinton. The program was very simple. We sang I am a Child of God, a talk by Joseph VanQuakebeke and then Mike Reed talked about the Hold Ghost. Matthew's good friend Kade was also baptized as well. Kade went first and then Matthew. Matthew was baptized by his father Mark and was a great scene to see that he had made such a good decision. I was a very excited mom to see him so clean and pure. Noelle asked Matthew in the car if he felt any different and he said "Yea I guess I feel really clean now" After the baptism he was also confirmed by Mark. We then had lunch at our place. We had Ham and cheese potatoes, salad, chips, rolls and lots of desert. It was a great day for Matthew we are so proud of you

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T19:23:00.000-08:00

What am I grateful for:
1.To have my sweet husband by my side.
2.To have the greatest kids in the world( yes can you tell I am biast)
3.To have a house to clean everyday
4.To have laundry to do which means that we have clothes to wear
5.To make meals for my family which means we have food to eat.
6.To have errands to do which means we have a car to get us where we need to go.
7.To be able to whorship they way I want!
8 To be able to have good friends and neighbors.
9.To have a savior that died for me!
I just want everyone to know how grateful I am to have you all as friends and that I have such a good life. I am thankful for my children and my sweet husband and I am grateful that all of them are heathly and alive HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Bethany's wedding

2008-09-14T19:17:00.001-07:00

July 26,2008 Bethany and Jay's Wedding

2008-09-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

The day was finally here for my youngest sister Bethany to get married to her highschool sweetheart Jay Love. It was a gorgeous day and it was really warm. They got married in the Salt Lake Temple at 8:20 in the morning. The ceremony was very beautiful and it was really exciting to be in the temple with all of my brothers and sisters and there husbands or wives and my parents. Bethany always felt left out when all of us got married but my dad always said don't worry Bethany when you get married hopefully all of them will be there. Unlike my wedding none of my brothers and sister were old enough to attend. We are so excited for Jay and Bethany and wish them the best. They had there wedding luncheon at the Joseph Smith building were we had chicken and rice and a very rich chocolate mouse. We then went home and got our children ready for the reception. We went to my sister's house and we did the girls hair and got all of the kids ready for the reception. The reception was beautiful and the food was great. They had chicken salad sandwiches on croissant rolls with a chocolate fountain and they had green slush and there was pastries and ice cream roll. They also had a table with Bethany and Jay's favorite candy. They had a great turn out. They left after the reception and were on there way to a cruise to the Mexican Riveria. Love ya Bethany and Jay!

2008-08-08T21:06:00.001-07:00

I did it a 10k July 4,2008

2008-08-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

I did it!!! Yes I ran a 10k which is 6.12 miles. I have never been a runner and would actually rather walk but some of the girls in my ward talked me into running. So since Febuary I have been training to run a 5k. My goal for the summer. When I started running I don't think I could have run 1 mile without stopping. It was a really slow start but I finally learned somethings about running and then I started learning things about myself that I am much stronger than I ever thought. The first time I went running I ran about 1.5 miles then I worked up to running 3 miles without stopping. It took about a month then when I was running 3 miles 3 times a week I decided that a 10 k was my next hurdle. So then I trained for a 10 k then the week before this race I ran 10 miles with the girls in my ward. I could not believe it but I did it! So now I was training for a half marathon which is 13 miles.I decided that I needed to run a race before I ran the half so while we were at Marks family reunion Hunington City was doing a 10k so I decided to run it just for the experice. They took you up Hunington Canyon and dropped you off 6.12 miles from the finish line.I had no one to run with me so it was just me and my Ipod. I ran the race in 1 hour and 7 minutes which is about a 10.8 minute mile. This is incredible considering in high school I could not run the mile under 12 minutes to get a good grade. I was so proud of myself. My kids and mark met me at the finish line and were cheering me on ! I took third place in my age division and even got a medal!!!!!
After I stopped running though I could not walk very well it hurt really bad. So I limped around until Saturday and went to the doctors and I pulled by syatic nerve in my back. I am getting better and I hope I can get back to running in the future.

2008-08-08T20:47:00.001-07:00

June 30 - July 5 2008 Alger family reunion

2008-08-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

Marks mom side of the family does a family reunion every other year. This year we went to Price Utah. We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Price. On Monday we left about noon and we drove to Price which is about 3 hours from our home. When we arrived we got settled into our hotel and at 5:00 we went to a Price park and had dinner which was Cafe Rio salads. It was wonderful. We got to see all of Marks family that we had not seen for a while. Just a funny note Matthew decided he had to take his Ipod. At one point in the evening Matthew told mark that he had lost the Ipod somewhere. So Mark's uncle Norm decided to have everyone hand in hand lined up across the field so we could cover all of the field to look for the Ipod. After about 5 minutes Mark had a feeling to check his pockets. Guess what he found it in one of his many pockets in his shorts. After dinner we went on a tractor hay ride to a lady's home in Price and she has an amazing backyard with a fire pit, a play house and a huge play area. We did smores and the kids played for a couple of hours it was Great! On tuesday we went to the Helper Railroad and Mining Museum. Marks grandpa worked in the coal mines and his Uncle Phil and Uncle Norm worked there as well. It was fun to here the stories they had to tell about grandpa and we very infromative for the grandkids. In the museum there is a picture of Mark's grandpa with the men he worked with in the mines. That evening we had sandwiches and salads in Elmo where Marks mom is from and where the family grew up. Each of the children told stories about there time in Elmo and there memories of Grandpa and Grandma. It was a very spiritual experience and we all felt that we had inherited something great! After dinner we went to the Elmo cemetary for the grandkids to see where grandma and grandpa were buried and Kent. Marks moms brother that has died. It was very intresting Marks mom had taken flowers and spray bottles and rags for the kids to wash the gravestones and put flowers on them it was very touching. After that we went out to Great Grandpa Algers farm. We were able to get on the property and have Marks mom tell us about it and what she rememberd from her childhood. Wednesday we went to the Clevland LLoyd Dinosaur Quarry. You can actually go looking for dinosaur bones or fragments on the property and there are quite a few hiking trails you can go on. That afternoon I took the kids swimming at the hotel while mark studied. Then for dinner we went to a little drive in diner that you ate out side that we had hamburgers and shakes. The kids and mark also went and saw wall-e the new disney movie. Thursday all of Marks immediate family went to do a picnic at Old folks flat up Hunington canyon. While we were cooking Marks dad insisted that he wanted to go hike Pole canyon. He promised Marks mom that he would hike up for an hour and then turn around and come back. Mark took all the kids except for Jonah and I stayed with his mom to help cook. We cooked and played with a few of the kids that did not end up going with grandpa and we waited and waited and waited and none of them came back. Finally Brian marks brother went looking for them and come to find out Marks dad had fallen off the mountain and his nephew John and his wife had to help Ted down the Mountain. We ended up having to take him to the hospital but they said he hopefully will recover in time. That evening we went to a cousins dinner where the Grandma 's and Grandpa 's watch all of the grandkids and the adults get to go to dinner. It is always fun to go and talk like adults. Friday I ran a 10 k down Hunington canyon. We also had a family dinner and family pictures and games. Thanks Norm and Lauri and gang for the very fun reunion.

June 2008 Father day

2008-08-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

I am kind of behind in my blogging but I guess it is better to do it now then never. We celebrated Father's day with Mark by going to church and then spending the afternoon with Mark' s parents. I think I have the very best husband in the world. He loves are children with all of his heart. He loves to play with them. He has shared his love of reading with all of the children and his love for nature. Mark likes to camp and to fish and go to any amusement park he can go to. Mark likes to vacation with us and he loves the gospel and wants to share his love of it with us all. Thanks Mark for all you do and we love you!

Father's Day 2008

2008-07-30T19:02:00.001-07:00

Bethany's Bridal Shower July 12

2008-07-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

My little sister Bethany is marrying her High School sweet heart in a couple of weeks. I just can't believe she is old enough to get married. We gave her a bridal shower at my moms house. It was a lot of fun. Bethany got a lot of fun things for her new apartment. We gave her a time of day shower so she ended up with a few new games (Which Bethany and Jay love to play in there spare time). She got a a crock pot and food and she got a rice cooker and lots of Vinyl letter signs for her new place. The food was great we had chicken salad sandwiches on rolls made by Heather my sister. We had fruit and dip and we had a Yummy chicken pasta salad that my sister in law Lisa made. We also had cheesecake bites and cream puffs. My sister in law Rachael also made Cupcakes with Bethany and Jay initials on them! We hope you will be happy Bethany!

Mark's 39 th birthday party July 16!

2008-07-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Marks 39 th birthday ! He wanted a smoker to smoke meat and he got smoking chips and a couple of shirts. We had Marks parents come for dinner and also his brother. We let the kids swim outside and we watched them as we ate. I fixed Outback' s Alice spring chicken with corn on the cob and rice. Mark really enjoyed it! Instead of making Mark a cake since he cannot eat it I made him a Brownie Truffle instead( of course the brownies were Gluten Free).We are so lucky he is the head of our house and we love him lots Happy Birthday Mark!

Andrew goes to Weblos Scout Camp Fife

2008-07-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

Andrew went to Weblos scout camp at camp Fife in Tremonton. Andrew was excited to be able to go with Mark because Mark was just called to be the assistant Weblos leader. The boys were able to lots of fun things such as going on a Zip line, shooting bee bee guns and learning archery. Andrew really likes scout and is really trying to uphold the scout oath Always do your best! We love you andrew!

Am I Jonah or a Smurf?

2008-07-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

I had gone downstairs to change some laundry and Jonah and Aubrey were upstairs in my bedroom watching a show for a few minutes. When I returned upstairs I saw Jonah out of the corner of my eye and he had found a blue marker and had colored all over himself . At first I was furious at him but then asked him what he had done and he showed me his cute little hands and covered in blue marker and he said "Color mamma Blue". Then all I could do was grab my camera and take pictures of this sweet little boy that I love with all of my heart. Jonah is 22 months and the love of our house no matter how naughty he is.

It's July 21 is it really the first day of school?

2008-07-29T12:51:00.001-07:00

We live in a neighborhood that goes to year round school. So yes today was our first day of school. We have C track which means we will go for the next 3 weeks to school and then have a three week break. Noelle is in the 6th grade and has Mrs. Oram. Andrew is in the 5th Grade and has Miss Cox. Matthew is in the 2nd Grade and has Mrs Olson. We are so proud of our kids and the decisions they have made to try to do well in school Good luck this year at West Clinton.

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2008-07-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

June 11 Northtopp Grumman Surf n Swim Party

2008-07-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

Marks company does a summer party barbeque and then rents out surf n Swim in layton for an evening. It is a very fun family evening. This year they had hamburger and hotdogs and chicken. They also had someone doing cotton candy and the employee's are asked to bring theme desserts and they judge them and then give out prizes. They also had a company bring a bunch of blow ups for the kids to play on in the park before we went swimming. The thing my kids likes the most was the Schwann truck came and they bought out the truck of his ice cream bars and popsicles 400 or so. They were asking people to just keep eating popsicles and ice cream so they would not melt. The kids thought that was fabulous. We then went to surf and swim and they kids had a blast. Thanks Northropp Grumman for a fun family evening.

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2008-07-10T17:33:00.001-07:00

Summer fun swimming June 2008

2008-07-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to get a season pass to the Clearfield Aquatic Center. They have a swimming pool and slides and they also have a workout room with weights and machines. I have been going there since Feburary with a couple of the girls in my ward. It has been a fun place for the kids to swim inside and out. They have taken some of their friends and the kids just love to play in the water . I love summer because you can be lazy and swim and relax and still have a fun time together as a family. Hope your families are have a fun lazy summer and relaxing and taking in some rays!

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2008-07-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

July 9 Happy 10 th Birthday Andrew

2008-07-09T11:11:00.001-07:00

Andrew is 10 years old today. Where did the time go! Andrew is going into the 5 th grade he loves Harry Potter in fact I have gotten all 7 books of Harry Potter on tape from the library he loves listening to the tapes on an old walkman that Mark found for him. I think he listened to book 3 about 13 times. I can find him in the bathroom in his bed and in the middle of the night with his headphones on listening to a tape. He also likes playing spies and he just finished up another baseball season. Andrew is going into Weblos scouts. Mark is the assistant Weblos leader so that should be lots of fun for him to spend time with andrew and they are also going to Weblos camp next week. Andrew likes vanila ice cream and white cake. He loves Nestle crunch bars and he loves pasta with parmesian cheese on it. Andrew loves playing with Jonah and is always willing to help play with his little brother. Andrew loves to ride his bike and read.We are so proud of you Andrew for the choices you have made and hope you have a great 10 th birthday!

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2008-07-06T19:55:00.001-07:00

DAVID ARCHULETA PARTY AT THE DELTA CENTER

2008-07-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

In may we were able to have an American Idol final contestant from Utah. So they had a great big David Archuleta party at the Delta Center. Noelle and her friend Hailey wanted to go so I took them and my other kids to the party. The girls made signs and were very excited to watch American Idol live 1 hour earlier than everyone else in the country. We did lots of screaming and were on tv on channel 13 news the kids were really excited. Even though david did not win we think he did a great job and represented Utah wonderfully! Noelle and Hailey cried when they found out that he had not won. Sorry Noelle!

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2008-07-06T18:28:00.001-07:00

May 31 Aubrey's dance recital

2008-07-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

Aubrey loves dance! Aubrey goes to Julee Raybee dance in Clinton Utah. Today was her recital at Roy High School. The thing that amazes me is that Mrs Julee is the only teacher of 20 different classes. She makes up the dances for all of the classes and does an amazing job with the girls and she is very family oriented that at the end of her recital her whole family her 3 daughters and her 3 sons and husband put on a performance as well. Aubrey loves to do tap and ballet and she learned how to do a headstand and some fun dance moves this year. We are proud of Aubrey and her accomplishements this year in dance. Aubrey danced to a song from the Little Mermaid and had a blue and purple tutu and had beautiful purple flowers in her hair. Aubrey was so excited for the recital because she was able to wear dance makeup and have her hair all done up cute!

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2008-07-06T18:03:00.001-07:00

May 13 Aubrey's Preschool Graduation

2008-07-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today Aubrey graduated from Preschool. Her teacher is Sara Wright and she runs a preschool out of her home in Hooper about 8 miles away from our home. Aubrey loved going to preschool this year because she was able to go with her friends in our neighborhood and also meet some new friends. We carpooled with 2 other kids in our ward and there was also 3 other people in our ward that also went. Aubrey learned her alphabet and her numbers and learned lots of fun songs that she shared with us at her graduation we are so proud of Aubrey and her accomplishments this year! We love you Aubrey

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2008-07-06T17:32:00.001-07:00

May 10 Kansas City baseball game

2008-07-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

We left Kirksville about 10 and drove to Kansas City. We decided to take the kids to a professional baseball game. Andrew was very excited because he is playing on a baseball team at home. Also while we were Kansas City mark wanted to visit one of the best places to have barbeque in Kansas City.Lunch at the barbeque place was great and the kids had a great time. The baseball game was great until after the 1st inning it started to pour. So they called the game off for an hour and we sat in the rain. After an hour we decided to leave because the kids were wet and cold. Unfortunatly right as we were leaving the stadium they started the game again and if they only play 6 innings or less they refund your money so we were hoping that the rain would start again and they would not be able to play any more but they played 6 innings and then it started raining and they called the game. The kids had fun at the game anyway that is our luck we drive 22 hours to get there and it rains oh well.

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2008-07-06T16:55:00.001-07:00

May 9 Columbia trip to Bonkers!

2008-07-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

Today we drove about 90 minutes to Columbia and went to a place called BONKERS! It is an inside playground that was made with seatbelt material and they have made a obstical course inside a building! Andrew said can we come back here for my birthday! I said it sure is a long drive to get here! Adults and children are allowed to play we had a great time with spencer my brother and his kids! Spencer said he would love to build a place like this in Utah because he would make a killing. After spending a couple of hours playing we went to dinner at Applebees and then drove back to Kirksville. Thanks Spencer and Mindy for a fun vacation. Tommorrow we are leaving and driving to Kansas City.

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2008-07-06T16:03:00.001-07:00

May 8 Nauvoo ILL NAUVOO TEMPLE

2008-07-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Today Mark and I were able to attend a session at the Nauvoo temple. What an exciting place to be and be serving the lord. The temple is absolutly gorgeous inside and the outside is very beautiful as well. I am so blessed to be here and serve the lord. I have been thinking how the pioneers must have felt to leave this beautiful place and how they had to leave there temple that they had worked so hard to build and they had to leave it behind because of the mobs driving them out of Nauvoo. I am grateful for my ancestors and for all they went through so I can have what I have in this life. We as a family stayed at the Nauvoo family inn and it was a lot of fun. After atteding the temple we picked up the kids at the hotel and then went and took pictures in front of the temple. We also went to the land office where you can research your ancestors and where there plot of land was in the town of Nauvoo. Mark had many relatives that lived in Nauvoo and Mark and Noelle and Andrew spent a few hours in the land office researching his relatives and they also made a disk with all of the infromation on it so that we can put it in the church path system to make sure all of the work for them has been done! After spending the afternoon in Nauvoo we drove back to Kirksville to spend another night with my brother!

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2008-07-06T15:36:00.001-07:00

Nauvoo ILL MAY 7 2008

2008-07-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

Today is my 35 th birthday I am so lucky to be spending it with my family in Nauvoo. We were able to go on a wagon ride around Nauvoo. We then went to the brickyard, the tin shop the school, the blacksmith and the childrens center. This center has dressups that the kids can dress up like the people in Nauvoo and they also have games and activities that children in Nauvoo would play. Aubrey was so excited to dress up and the pictures I took of her and Jonah are priceless to me. After spending the day in Nauvoo we went to dinner at a buffet and the kids were kind of bummed because they did not have a cake for me but it was ok because I was with all of the people in my family that I love. What a Great Birthday!

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2008-06-26T14:56:00.001-07:00

MAY 6 Carthage Illinois

2008-06-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today we drove to Carthage Illinois. We were able to tour Carthage Jail and see the visitor center. It was a semi warm day with a little sprinkle of rain. Carthage was amazing. To think I was able to take my children to see where Joseph Smith was killed and where he was able to stay his last days of his life was amazing. The spirit there was so strong I hope my children felt the spirit as strong as I did. So amazing that the church is able to preserve such sights as this so church members can experience such a beautiful place. After visiting Carthage we went to eat at Hardee's. Next we drove to Nauvoo about 20 miles. We stayed at the Nauvoo family inn it was very nice and we had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and a kitchen. We settleted in and then went to the Nauvoo visitor center and went on a tour. Next we had tickets to see a play put on called Rendezvous. My kids thought it was really good. I think they will remember that the whole audience sang Happy Birthday to me because my birthday was the next day. We are excited to whow our kids this place and hopefully feel the spirit that is here.

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2008-06-22T18:21:00.001-07:00

May 4-5 Kirksville Mo

2008-06-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

We had breakfast at the hotel and then left for Kirksville Mo about 10 in the morning. We drove until about 7 pm and we finally made it to my brother's house in Kirksville. We had dinner with my brother spencer and his wife mindy and there 3 beautiful girls. They live in a really nice duplex and they had set up there basement for us to sleep in for the next few nights. My kids were really excited to see there cousins and to play with them for a couple of days. Monday we kind of hung out at spencer and mindys and the kids played the wii and the kids really liked to play guitar hero with spencer and Noelle liked doing dance mat with mindy. We went to lunch at Wendy's and then took the great tour of Kirksville. My brother spencer is going to medical school in Kirksville, they have a walmart and a few groceries stores and a few restaurants and that is about it. My sister in law says that if you really need something you have to go to Columbia which is about 90 minutes away. We let the kids just play and mindy made a spectacular chicken dinner for us. Thanks spencer and mindy for your hospitality!!!

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2008-06-22T17:30:00.001-07:00

NAUVOO ILLINOIS TRIP MAY 2-9

2008-06-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

We started our trip leaving Utah at 3:30 in the morning. We got all of the kids in the car hoping they would all go back to sleep. Unfortunatly our kids were all excited to be able to watch a video in the car so they all stayed awake. Andrew is our reading fanatic so on our way I saw a red light in the back of the car and Andrew was reading his book by a glow stick. We drove and made it to Rawlins Wyoming and got out and gas up. It was really intresting because the truck stop was a very busy place because they had closed the road ahead the night before because of snow so all of the trucker had to spend the night somewhere else and they all were driving through that morning. After Rawlins there were about 10 to 15 semi that had jack knifed off of the freeway and we had to watch for ice and snow on the road. It is MAY and there is a big snow storm!!!!
We finally made it to North Platte Nebraska where we spent the night in a Holiday Inn. The kids really liked the pool and we ate at an Applebee's in town. The kids were pretty good on this leg of the trip we are about 8 hrs from my brothers house in Kirksville Missouri.

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2008-04-28T11:30:00.001-07:00

April27,2008 Symphony

2008-04-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

Today we slept in probably the latest ever! It was 12:30 in the afternoon before all of us were up for the day. I had gotten up about 8:30 and was reading a book but after a while I fell back asleep because it was a dark day her in Boston and it did not feel that late. I am reading the Twilight series I have finished book 1 & 2 and am starting the 3rd book tomorrow on the plane. So we all got up and had breakfast(leftover dinner from the night before) We showered and then we were off to ride the subway to the symphony. We arrived about 10 minutes before it started. I was glad we had made it because the blue line was closed because of a gas leak on sat and they were trying to fix it. We saw the Orchestre National De France with special guest David Fray as a piano soloist. The conductor was was Kurt Masur.David Fray was a 20 year old piano artist, he was great. He had the whole piece that he played with the orchestra memorized. They play Beethoven Piano concerto no 2 in b-flat Major Opus 19 all three movements. Then there was an intermission. Then they played Tchaikovsky's Symphony no 5 in e minor opus 64 with all 4 movements. The conductor has no music for the whole piece it was amazing. Mark liked the last movement the best and I liked it all. We then made it to Houstons in Quincy Market for dinner. I had Prime rib with a baked potato and mark had a steak with a potato. They could not serve mark fries because the restaurant had lost it gas line the day before. After dinner we went back to Tedann's and watched Extreme Makeover and played cards. We also had to die for Chocolate cheesecake.

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2008-04-28T10:54:00.001-07:00

April 26,2008 Six Flags New England

2008-04-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Today we got up and drove to Springfield Mass which is about 90 miles away from Boston to go to Six Flags New England. We arrived about 12:00 and it was a beautiful day. It was about 65-70 degrees and the sun was out and very little wind. We rode rides all day we thought it was really funny that the first 4 rides we went on broke down as we were in line. We think that the part was not ready for today because there was a cheerleading competiion going on at the park and there were LOTS of teenagers, so we think they did not have enough staff to run the park as well as it should have been ran. Anyone that knows Mark knows he loves roller coasters. We rode roller coasters all day!! The one that we all liked the best was called Superman it went 77 miles an hour and had a huge first drop!!! It was a 2 1/2 minute ride pretty long for a roller coaster. We had lunch at the park. We stayed until they closed which was 8:oo. We then had to brave the 2 hour drive home. We all were hungry so we stopped at a Cheesecake factory for a very late dinner. I had chicken, Mark had tacos and we ordered a Godiva Chocolate Cheese cake to go. We arrived home about 12:3o and we all went right to bed!

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2008-04-28T08:15:00.001-07:00

April 25,2008 Sandwich Glass museum

2008-04-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

Today we got up and had breakfast and got ready to leave Provincetown.On our way back to Boston we stopped in Sandwich. We stopped to look at the Sandwich Glass Museum. It was very fun museum. We were able to watch an actual glass blowing demonstration. The young lady that gave the demonstration was making a wavy glass bowl.Sandwich had one of the first glass making factories in the new world. Then we made our way back to Boston. We did laundry and made dinner and watched a movie.

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2008-04-28T07:48:00.001-07:00

Our 15 anniversary April 24,2008

2008-04-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it Mark and I have been married for 15 years today. We were married in the Salt Lake temple 15 year ago today. There have been many many happy times and a few sad. We are so proud to have 6 wonderful children that we love dearly. We are grateful for great parents that have helped us out and have loved us and our children. We are grateful for good friends and great neighbors and a great place to live in Utah. We are grateful for Marks job that helps us sustain our lives her on this earth and we are blessed I am able to stay at home with our beautiful children. We are so blessed that we can be together and for the love that we share between each other.Today we had breakfast at our bed and breakfast. Then we went walking and went for an adventure in Provinceton. We walked all around the town and then we went to the beach. At the beach there was a stone walkway over to a lighthouse about 1 1/2 miles out in the ocean. We walked the walkway out it was a beautiful walk because the tide was coming in and it was a great way to spend time with each other and have to rely on one another because the rocks were very uneven and I was so scared because we were so high in the air above the ocean. We went to dinner at Betty's by the seashore. I had fish and chips and mark had an hamburger. Then we went back to the hotel and watched a movie. I am grateful for all I have and grateful that I can spend some time with Mark here in Boston.

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2008-04-28T07:16:00.001-07:00

Plynouth Apeil 23,2008

2008-04-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

Today we got up and got an early start out of Boston for our trip to Plymouth and then to Cape Cod for our Anniversary. We first stopped at Plymouth rock which we were not able to see because they are renovating the building around it. Next we went and saw the replica of the Mayflower did not want to pay to get on so we just took pictures and left it at that. Next we wanted to see the Plymouth plantation I was a little uneasy because it was 24 dollars a person and was not really sure I wanted to pay it. But decided in the end we probably would not be back so sucked it up and went. They showed you a movie about the the plantation there is 4 major exhibits they include a Wampanoag Homesite,a 1627 English Village and a Crafts center and a state pier.The plantation is where men and women portray residents of the early settlement. They have actors really role playing how the english settlement really was in 1627. They had women in the houses cooking what the people would have eaten, they had men telling stories of how it was back then. They also had homes and garden sites you could walk through to see how they lived. In the Wampanoag homeside these people are not actors they are really indians. They were dressed in there heritage clothing and you were able to ask them questions and they would give you there opinion from a today's stand point.After the plantation we made our way to Provincetown which is on the very tip of Cape Cod. We checked into our Bed & Breakfast called the Crowne Pointe. It was very nice. We went to dinner and I had a chicken sandwich and mark had a hamburger. After we made it back to the B&B we watched a movie and enjoyed our time together.

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2008-04-28T05:56:00.001-07:00

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2008-04-23T04:54:00.001-07:00

April 22,2008 The Boston Temple trip

2008-04-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

Today we kind of just enjoyed each others company until 11:45 because Tedann was going to come pick us up on her lunch break to take us to the temple in Belmont. When we arrived at the temple it was gorgeous. The temple only has sessions once an hour so we made it for the 1:oo session. They were so glad mark and I had come so we could be the witness couple there was only 11 people in the session. Mark and I enjoyed being together and feeling of the spirit on our trip. After the session we waited for Tedannn to pick us up. Then on our way back to Boston to park the car and to have dinner. We ended up at a restaurant named Houstons in Quincy Market. Mark and I had prime rib it was great. Then we went to Tedann's played cards and watched Cash Cab . I made homemade fudge so we could have Ice cream sundae's for dessert it was a fun day.

April 21 2008 The Red Sox Game

2008-04-23T04:05:00.000-07:00

Today we got up had breakfast and left Tedann's house about 9:30. We walked to the Subway station so we could get to the Red Sox game. Today just for your info is Patriots day in Massachusetts. They are also running the Boston Marathon today. So on the subway there were lots of people going to cheer on there family members on the route. Also just to let you know to run the marathon and to get a number you must have ran a marathon before and have a good enough time to even get a number. Now just to let you know there was15,000 or so numbers given out.People from all over the world come and run. The mens runner that won was from Ethopia and he ran the whole 26 miles in 2 hours and 7 or so minutes! Amazing the women runner was from Kenya and she ran it in 2 hours and 25 or so minutes. Lance Armstrong also ran the marathon his number was 100 and he ran it in 2 hours and 52 minutes. He said the marathon was harder than the Tour de France!! On the subway we met people from Quebec and a doctor from Hungary that had run the race it was a lot of fun. I have taken up running this year with my friends in my ward and it has been really fun. The Saturday before we left for Boston I ran 5 1/2 miles in 1 hour and 10 minutes. Amazing considering that is the farthest I have ever ran without stopping !!!! Now on to the baseball game we made it there on the subway about 10:15 and we entered Fenway Park. We had great seats.About 15 rows up from first base. It was very intresting to me to watch the people. The food was kind of expensive so we did not get anything there a drink was 4.75 and a bag of peanuts and popcorn was that as well. Beer was the most popular I think we would watch people go up and downthe stairs with 2 cups in their hands and then after they were done with those 2 off they were again for more. The game was really good we saw the missionaries on the jumbotron and we saw many balls hit people. In front of us a few row a ball was thrown by the bat boy into the stands intended for a young boy and a man stood up and the ball hit him in the head bad. He had to have medical attention and it was not pretty.The Red Sox won the game against the Texas Rangers 8 to 3. Thanks Tedann for the tickets it was a very fun day. After the game getting back to Tedanns was very slow we ended up being on the subway for 40 or so minutes because of the influx of people using the subway because the game had just let out and a lot of the marathoners were ending there run as well. For dinner I made chicken and homemade onion rings for tedann and mark. Tedann had not had real onionrings since she found out she had celiac like mark.

April 20,2008 Salem Massachusetts

2008-04-23T03:14:00.000-07:00

We ate breakfast at Tedann's house and then we were off to Salem. It was beautiful day today and we did not need jackets . Once we arrived in Salem about 45 minutes away from Boston we made our way to the House of the seven gables and to Nathaniel Hawthorne house. The admission was 12 dollars to get in and they took you on a tour through the house. The house was made famous by fiction Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a book called the House of the Seven Gables and he also wrote the book The Scarlet Letter.Mr Hawthorne did not actually live in the seven gables home but a relative lived there and then he wrote about it. Hawthorne's home is also on the property and overlooks the breathtaking view of salem harbor, derby wharf and the Friendship boat. The home was built in1668 by a man names John Turner. Three generations of Turner's lived in the home until the last Turner lost the home and the family fortune. It was a beautiful home to show how they lived in the 1600's. Nest we went to the Peabody Essex Museum. First we stopped and had a drink then we went on an audio tour of a 200 year old Chineese home called Yin Yu Tang. The museum brought it over to the United States and rebuilt it piece by piece next to the Museum. It was incredible how these people lived even up until 1980. There was usually 15 to 30 people living in the home and they had no electricity, a very small kitchen to fix meals, very small beds that 2 or more people slept in and a beautiful courtyard outside.You could not take pictures inside the home sorry, but I did get a picture of what the outside looked like and it is amazing. After our video tour we went and looked at the exhibits about the Yin Yu Tang. The house stood in the rural village of Huang Cun in the mountainous region of southeastern China. The ancestral home of the Huang family. It was moved to the Peabody through a partnership between the museum and the government authorities of Huizhou,the home region of the Yin Yu Tang. We watched three different movies concerning the Chineese exhibit they were fascinating. One was on the marriage of a girl and young man of the region. The couple the man was educated the young woman was not but the young mans father still let them get married. In China when the couple gets married they live at the home of the groom. In the movie the mother and sisters of the bride were crying very hard because to them marriage and going to live at the in laws is like bride is dead. The family no longer has contact with the bride because she will be living with the inlaws. This young ladys mother felt bad because her daughter did not have an education so in her dowry or money she sent with the young lady on her marriage journey was 900 pieces instead of the normal 300 it was all the mother had and she wanted to let her daughter know she loved her very much. I found it very intresting that the young man gets to choose the furniture for the new couple the furniture he had made was pink. We also went into the museum and saw beautiful thing about shipping boats. Pictures replicas and other thing pertaining to sailing. There was also an exhibit about tatooing. After our adventure at the museum we headed back to Boston. We walked to a restaurant by Tedann's house calle Jose Mcintyres. Mark had ribs and I had fish and chips. It was very good Tedann says they make the best Margaritas!

2008-04-21T05:32:00.001-07:00

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2008-04-21T05:24:00.001-07:00

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2008-04-20T19:15:00.001-07:00

April 18 2008 lexington @ concord

2008-04-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

We stayed at Tedann's house this morning just hanging out and having fun together. As soon as she got home from work which was about 1:00 We headed to Lexington and Concord. on our way we stopped at the Cheesecake Factory for a belated lunch it was fabulous. We all have extra yummy chicken dishes,but we were so full we did not get any cheesecake,bummer. Next we went to Waldon pond State Reservation. Waldon pond was once home to the renowned author Henry David Thoreau. Now part of the Massachusetts Forests and Parks system, Waldon Pond state Reservation includes 462 acres if protected open space so that vusutirs from near and far may come to experience the pond that inspired Thoreau, as well as to hike, swim, fish, canoe and cross country ski. A replica of Thoreau's house is also close to Waldon pond and we visited it as well.Next we were on our drive to Lexington and to the Minute Man National Historical park is located. They were preparing for the reenactment of the battle of Lexington and Concord to start the Revolutionary War. It happened on April 19 1775 . We missed the reenactment by a day but there was plenty of men dressed in there early American atire preparing we asked them if I could take there picture and they said sure. After our trip we talked at Tedann's place and watched a movie.

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2008-04-20T04:48:00.001-07:00

april 17,2008 Paul Revere's house Boston Gardens

2008-04-20T03:28:00.000-07:00

Mark and I started the day eating breakfast at Tedann's house. Then we made our way to the Paul Revere house on the Freedom Trail.It was built in 1680's and was owned by Paul Revere from 1770-1800's.On April 18, 1775 Paul Revere left his North Square home, slipped out of the city in a rowboat,borrowed a horse in Charlestown, and began rudung. His mission :to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington that British troops were marching from Boston to arrest them and seize munitions hidden in Concord.Paul Revere died in 1818 aged 83, having contributed not only to the cause of American liberty, but also to the cultural and industrial independence of a new nation. We then headed again on the freedom trail to Faneuil Hall.It was built in 1742 it included an open market and also a meeting space for the town government. The lower level of the hall was divided into stalls which were leased for market purposes.The large meeting room on the second floor became Boston's official town hall. Here in public session Bostonians debated issues, elected town officials, voted local taxes, and spent town monies. IT was a structure that the first rumblings of the American Revolution were felt. Next we saw the New England Holocaust Memorial. It features six luminous glass towers, etched ith six million numbers in memory of the Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Its towers are set on a black granite path, each over a dark smoldering chamber bearing the name of one of the principal Nazi death camps.The six towers recall the death camp chimneys, the six million jews, or a menorah of memorial candles. We them went to an very old cementary in the middle of town. We them stopped for a treat at a downtown Wendy's for a a frosty and french fries. Next we made our way to the Boston public Gardens. There are guides dressed up like the early settlers of Boston to guide you through if you want but we deceided to just walk by our selves. We kept seeing signs for the Boston Marathon they will runit on Monday April 21. I did not know that you had to qualify and show them a specific time that you can run the marathon for them to let you get an official number to run, very intresting. There are also some swan boats that can take you on the pond in the middle of the gardens, they were gearing up for opening day which was going to be Saturday so we were not able to ride. Then we just sat and looked at Gods beautiful creations and talked for a while. We ere eating some peanuts and a squirrell must have smelled us and came right up to Mark. So mark continued to feed him for a while, I was kind of scared when we were out because the squirrell wanted more. Also in the gardens are bronze statues of the duckling from the book Watch out for ducklings which made the Boston Gardens so popular.Next we made our way to meet Tedann as she was getting off work so we all could go home together. We then made meatloaf and potatoes at her place for dinner. We then watched August Rush it was very good and right up our ally with lots of music in the score.