What a difference a week makes...

Last Saturday I was sitting on a sunny beach with Benson and Sadie. Albeit, we were wearing our jackets but it was sunny and in the higher 50's.

One week later, I'm sitting in a horse-drawn sleigh in the falling snow with Korinne, Jenna, Britton, Adam, Hilary and Steve. We were observing a large herd of Elk at a wildlife management area called Hardware Ranch. Steve and I had never been there before so we really enjoyed the opportunity to experience this "up close and personal."

The kids pose with Mr. Elk in the visitors center.

We had a "hands on" experience touching lots of fur hides. It was really interesting to feel the different textures of various animals.

Our trip north actually began with an invitation for Steve to join Hilary and Adam at a comedy show on Friday night. I was the designated babysitter for the evening while they went to the show. I can't complain since I had gone to the theatre several times the week before. I am happy that they were able to go and experience some good, clean humor and have a lots of laughs.

Sunday turned into a rather busy day too. First we had our Sunday school lesson and then after church I had to attend PEC and ward council since the R.S. Pres was gone and I'm the lst counselor. After dinner, I went to Aunt Coral's assisted living center to visit with my Dad, Ann and Coral while my brother Steve played the hymns for an hour.

Coral is always so happy and appreciative of visitors and just loves it when Steve comes to play for her and all of her friends. There was quite a crowd gathered around to enjoy his excellent music.After the performance, I went to visit my dear friend Judy who is struggling through chemotherapy with cancer. I pray that her healthy cells will triumph.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It was a nice day around our house today. The sun was shining. The temperature was warmer, in the 50's and Steve and I mostly worked at home. I had to go out to get some papers signed, but he didn't even leave the house until we went for our walk. Just being home together was a treat for us.

Work had its challenges for both of us today. But we enjoyed chatting inbetween phone calls and snacking on a pomelo together. We're trying to eat healthy snacks but we saved up our calories for dinner since I brought home Tasty Cakes from my trip.
Here was our homemade romantic dinner topped off by Tasty Cakes. To my sweetheart of 40+ years I say, "I love you eternally." Thanks for the memories and the fun times yet to come.

One More Time for Me...

Last night Libbie and I went to see Benson's performance again before I left for home today. The house was packed and he really had the crowd cheering. He posed for a couple of pictures before the show.

And he allows me to give him a congratulatory hug after the show. He gave another amazing performance. He is tired and its good that there are no performances Sunday, Monday and Tuesday so maybe he can catch up on some sleep. Then they perform again, Wed., Thurs. Fri. and two shows on Saturday.

Yesterday we finally got some sunshine and the temperature hit 57 degrees F. so we made a quick trip to the beach. It was cold and rainy most of my visit so I was glad for some sunshine. Ironically, it was about the same temperature back home in the cold environment. When I got off the plane, it was 58 degrees F. and sunny. It felt like I didn't really go anywhere.

We went to see the big fish tank at the Bass Pro Shop and they were having special activities for the kids. Sadie and Benson got to paint wooden fishes. They liked that a lot. Jeff is wearing his new Case Made Tough hat that Steve sent him.

Jeff set up a movie for the kids to watch on the computer. Sadie has really missed having Benson around so she is happy to have her brother-playmate again.

It's not uncommon to hear Benson teaching Sadie a song or someone else's lines from the show. He never practices his own lines at home. When Sadie saw the dress rehearsal and watched Benson perform for the first time, she was so sad after it ended. She said, "Play my Benson's movie again."

The kids and I hurried to make some valentine cookies Saturday afternoon before we took Benson to his final performance of the week. Happy Valentine's Day everyone. Enjoy your loved ones this week.

Opening Night Sensation!

Benson's performance garnered cheers and raves during the opening night show on Thursday. The large crowd surprised him a bit but didn't throw him off. He sang out with confidence and didn't miss a word.

Here the family waits for the performance to begin. The older set from the community arrives early and vies for the best seats. Even though we were there first, we didn't realize that a line would form 30 minutes before the doors opened. We will figure out a new strategy for getting seats that allow for maximum view of Benson.

Jeff entertains Sadie on his phone while we wait.

Carolina is known for its beautiful sunsets. Here's an example.

Benson reads a book in the car while we travel to the performance.

Sadie received a mylar balloon at the library earlier that day. She was enamoured with seeing her reflection in it and she kept kissing it. I was lucky enough to get this pretty good shot. She has missed Benson so much during the rehearsal period that now she follows him around constantly. He is a pretty good sport but sometimes it gets to him. He would like a little personal space.

Guess Who Stole The Show?

You guessed it. Benson in the role of Winthrop Paroo in the Music Man!

Benson has been practicing diligently since the beginning of the year for his role in the local college production of the Music Man. Thursday night was the preview or dress rehearsal night. He does such an outstanding job that the cast members call him "The Professional". He follows direction exactly. He sings, dances and talks with a lisp. It is truly amazing to watch him perform. It was all I could do not to cry with joy.

Sadie was pretty much enthralled throughout the show. When it ended she wanted to see her "Benson movie" again.

I received a little hug after the performance. Lucky me!Sadie is a bit of a star in her own right. I wish I could remember all of the funny, cute things she has said in the past couple of days. When Jeff was downloading Benson's scenes from the video camera to the computer, he was assisted by Sadie. He told her that she gets to go to the performance 3 times since she is 3 years old. She said "No, I'm five." Benson and Sadie are enjoying a strawberry shortcake with whipped cream.

Sadie dressed up in her Sleeping Beauty dress for "princess" day at the pre-school story time at the local library.

Sadie and Benson have a little relaxing play time before the evening performance. Sadie has really missed her play time with Benson these past few weeks.
One of the few real mild sunny moments of the week found us out in the driveway while Sadie rode her bicycle. The majority of my time here, the weather has been cloudy, rainy and chilly--somewhere in the 40 degree range. I wasn't even tempted to go to the beach for a walk. Next week will warm up about 20 degrees.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Since Steve was out of town for my birthday, we decided to celebrate on Saturday and we decided to do something we've never done. Tay and Jen love to meet their friends as Ruth's Diner for breakfast. Neither of us had ever eaten in Ruth's diner which has been around since way before our time-1930 to be exact. So we we headed to Ruth's for an artichoke omelet and corned beef hash. I have to admit that the huge warm biscuits and raspberry jam were our favorite things. It was fun trying something new and it was definitely fun going out to breakfast. I had lots of calls, emails and cards on my birthday. Probably my favorites were the birthday songs sung by grandkids. Thanks, Grandkids! I loved those songs.
Steve was generous too. I enjoyed shopping for myself and getting a few new clothes at bargain prices, a new watch and some new jammies. Thanks, Steve.

Today I gave my first lesson as first counselor in the ward R.S. presidency. I spent a lot of time in preparation and I think it went well, but it was far from the perfectly coordinated experience I prefer. I'm still Steve's assistant in our Sunday school class, but he does most of the teaching now. All of this activity should keep us out of trouble this year.

Hanging out in the Kitchen

Yesterday afternoon I had a couple of appointments that got rescheduled. That left me with an hour of unscheduled time so what did I do? I cleaned the refrigerator. I want you to see it since it may not happen again for awhile. It's not quite as nice as Heather's-no labels, but I didn't want it to resemble June's either.

When Steve is around I try to make some nice meals. This is the yummy supper we had before Steve flew to Phoenix this week. Good color, texture, flavor, right? Do you think it would make the magazine?