Sarah & Jordan's Wedding, Friday, May 6, 2011

The wedding ceremony was planned in late morning at 11:40. With a later time, Sarah could sleep in, and spend lots of time getting ready. The morning seemed like a scene from the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." We had two stylists (friends) working on hair, make-up and giving wardrobe advice. It was a relaxed, fun atmosphere. Perfect, scenario right before a wedding.

The temple sealing ceremony was performed in the Salt Lake Temple. There is nothing as rewarding as watching your daughter be sealed to a wonderful man in the temple. A sealing that is for time and all eternity. We were fortunate to have a VERY SPECIAL family friend perform their sealing. What a great blessing it was. It was such a beautiful, and sacred experience for us. My feelings can't be written here, but we will always remember this special sealing ceremony. We could feel Steve's presence and knew how proud he was of his daughter.

The sealing ceremony was PERFECT in every way! We all felt so blessed to be in attendance, and to feel that sacred spirit.

Ben asked one of his siblings if Sarah would give him a hug......priceless! Grandparents

Family and friends.

Family

Sarah and Jordan. The bracelet is "something old". It is Sarah's Grandma Brown's that she lets each grandaughter wear at their wedding.

The Wedding Dinner

The wedding dinner was held the night before the wedding ceremony and reception. Jordan's parents' hosted the dinner in the Empire Room at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Everything was fabulous! The dinner entree was tasty cranberry chicken with rice. The ambiance was spectacular in the stunning room, with the beautiful temple glaring through the windows. Ben's eyes widened, his mouth dropped when he entered the room, and he said, "Is this the royal wedding" I told him, it was much better than the royal wedding. We are so grateful to friends and family that helped us celebrate.

Steve's Family

My Family

Loyalty Confusion

Ben created quite a ruckus with his hat and uniform choice. I warned him not to do it, but he had other plans. His Rookie, Red Socks rec team is moving on to the semi-finals tomorrow night!

Bridals & Groomals

It was a little stressful finding a beautiful day to photograph the Bridals. This spring has been particularly unseasonal with the amount of moisture we have received. We have had a lot of rain and even snow, during the month of April.

The Bridals were rescheduled several times due to inclement weather. Finally, one week prior to the wedding that was to be held on May 6th, the Bridals were finally complete. We were happy our photographer Chad, with Faces Photography could work so quickly.

Needless to say…..they are beautiful pictures!

The Gas Leak

Last Monday night I had prepared a palatable dinner of rotisserie chicken, boiled red potatoes, and a vegetable. We left some dishes in the sink, as we hurried off to a baseball game.

When I returned, I expected to smell the aroma of freshly baked chicken. Instead, I thought I smelled GAS! Yikes! A sense of panic swept over me as I checked to make sure the gas burners on the stove were off, the fireplace wasn’t on, and that the furnace hadn't malfunctioned.

I opened all the windows, and doors, and had fans blowing to dismiss the odor. I had a friend and her husband come over to access the situation. By the time they arrived the repugnant stench had dissipated a bit. Only a vague trace of the odor was lingering.

Still, not convinced that I didn’t have a gas leak, we called our nice neighborly plumber to check things out. On his way to my house, the dog happened to run inside. I grabbed her, picked her up, and quickly determined that she was the source of the “gas leak”.

I’m still not sure exactly what happened while I was away. Did a skunk and my dog run through my house? Or, did the dog come in after she was sprayed by the skunk and run through my house? Whatever the case, we did have a "gas leak", but it seemed to be a nature not natural one.

The 1993 Babies

In 1993 four babies were born on my side of the family. These babes would be graduating from high school in 2011. They are: Jordan, Katelyn, Laura, and Jackie. Two sisters and two sister-in-laws gave birth to these adorable children.

The Saturday after high school graduation, my sister Heidi, hosted a party in their honor. What a delight to watch these 4 babies grow up into amazing young adults. Good Luck to the graduates of 2011!

Jordan, Kate, Laura, and Jackie

Let The Summer Begin!

Summer has arrived, and the fun has just begun. The first week of summer, Mike assisted with the Bountiful High School basketball camp, and Ben participated. The high school baseball team played in a tournament last week winning in the semi-finals against Alta in extra innings on Saturday. Between the tournament, Ben’s rec league, and accelerated league, we had games every day and some days 3 games or more. Lots of baseball!

The girl’s have been helping me clean out drawers. I have heard some harsh words. Today out of the mouths of babes came these words, “I think you are the Supervisor of the Summer Servants,” they whined. “Well, at least I’m doing my part to lower the unemployment statistics.” I answered.

When the Summer Servant Supervisor isn’t employing the girls', Lizzy is busily babysitting, dancing, tumbling, and taking music lessons. Kate is preparing for college, and Africa. She leaves for Africa in one week...Wooza! There has been lots of time for fun: late night movies, swimming, dining, shopping, playing with friends, and partying. Don't let my children fool you into thinking it's all work around here. We have a nice mix going.

Yes, summer has begun!

Katelyn's High School Graduation

Kate graduated from Bountiful High School on Friday, June 3, 2011, at the Regional Center in Woods Cross. Sixth grade graduation was in the morning, and high school graduation in the evening. Lots of tender moments.

Kate graduated with high honors. She is very smart, and will definitely make a difference in the world. She has big plans for the future. She hopes to pursue a medical career. Whatever she chooses to do, she will be great at it!

The "Tag Team"

Friday afternoon Meg, Sarah, Lizzy and I went to lunch and shopping. We wanted it to be a girl’s afternoon out, but Kate had another engagement. Mike and Kate were left home to tend Ben. I specifically told Kate before I left that when she left Mike needed to be home and vice versa.

The tag team didn’t work out as planned. While I was gone, Ben somehow got left home alone. He didn’t mind. Mitch (his backdoor neighbor friend), and Ben played baseball in the backyard, placing high wagers on their game. Whoever lost had to make a cup of noodle for the other.

Ben was defeated, and went to the kitchen to make the noodles. He carefully placed the Styrofoam cup in the microwave, turned it on for 3 minutes, and left to continue playing.

When they smelled smoked, they raced in the kitchen, opened the microwave, only to find the Styrofoam cup disintegrated. They carefully picked up the smoldering rubble with oven mitts and carried it to the outside trash can.

When I returned home from my lovely afternoon out, I panicked when I opened the door to my home. The stench, and fumes from the burning cup a noodle reeked! I began the question process, “What happened?” I snapped. “I cooked a cup of noodle in the microwave and forgot to add water,” Ben replied. “Who was tending?” I sneered. “No one,” Ben responded.

Obviously, the tag team didn’t work out so well.

La Caille

The sixth grade students at Valley View Elementary spent the entire month of May learning about etiquette. After their intense lessons, the school planned a fine dining experience for the students and their parents at the ultra-luxurious La Caille restaurant.

La Caille is located on 22 acres of pristine Little-Cottonwood Canyon property. The grounds offer break taking views, manicured gardens, exotic wildlife, Canyon River, lush vineyards, winding brick lanes, and authentic French décor.

La Caille has a French menu, and features four course meals. The students’ etiquette skills were challenged as they were served each course, and were expected to at least attempt to partake of each course.

Escargot was the featured appetizer. It consists of French Provencal snails broiled in herbal butter and Burgundy sauce. The escargot was the most highly anticipated course of the night. Dares and wagers were made as the students attempted to consume the escargot. A sorbet was quickly served thereafter to cleanse their palates.

The next course was a lettuce salad. It was a favorite among the young diners; something familiar. The main course consisted of lightly pounded chicken breast sauteed with Chateau La Caille, garlic, caper berry, and sun-dried tomatoes. This was definitely popular among the adults.

Banana Foster was served for dessert. It’s presentation was as delightful as the dessert itself. French vanilla ice cream flambed with bananas and bacardi silver rum. What a surprise the students got when some of the liquor was not completely dissipated. If you don’t know what flambé means this is the definition: Flambé ( /flɒmˈbeɪ/; also spelled flambe) is a cooking procedure in which alcohol is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames. The word means flamed in French (thus, in French, flambé is a past participle; the verb is flamber).

Despite a few discriminating palates, La Caille was a hit among the young diners.

Kate's Senior Pictures

Jodi has been a long time friend of our family. She nannied my children back in my working days. She blessed our lives in so many ways. She loved my kids, and they adored her. She wasn't a typical nanny, she would take them on fabulous adventures every day. Many days you would find her with my kids hiking, playing at the park, swimming, and many other fun activities.

We have stayed close over the years. She now has a doting husband, and two adorable little girls. Jodi has many talents, one being photography. She is a fabulous photographer, and can be found at: jodifulksphotography.com. Thanks for the great pics Jod!

Sixth Grade Graduation

It was a little emotional Friday watching my baby girl graduate from Valley View Elementary school. She made it known that she didn’t want me to “tear up” so I: Stayed away from the weepy moms; was chatty so I didn’t have much down time to think; and stayed busy taking pictures and taking in the moment.

This group of kids has not only grown physically, but have grown in maturity as well. They are a fun loving, great group of kids; ready to take on their new adventures. Look out Jr. High School......Here they come!

Graduation singing; Friends, Lizzy and Mrs. Ferrari.

Second Grade Friend Program

Mrs. Whiteside's second grade class presented a delightful program on Friends. It taught, as well as entertained.
After watching the program, I had a few observations:
(1) Ben seems really old for his age.
(2) His voice is very deep.
(3) Most kids his age are very animated…..him...not so much.. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
(5) He does not like the camera rolling for programs. (Note the eyes purposely shut)
I do hope that although he may not love preforming, that he has learned something from his Friend Program, and is a good friend to everyone.

World Fair

Liz Brown, and Liz Sterling
The students in 6th grade have spent a great deal of time on their World Fair Presentations. Each student's country report consists of: research, preparing a power point presentation; and providing visual aids; as well as other assigned project associated with their country.

After the hard work is complete they display their presentations at the World Fair for their parents. They also provide us with international song and dance.




I love this song; it makes me teary eyed.

The Dual/Duel

The year- end Bountiful Baseball banquet and the year- end Bountiful Basketball banquet were both tonight. Not only was it dual banquets, but it was a duel as to which one to attend. The baseball banquet was at Bountiful High and the basketball banquet in South Salt Lake.

Believing that we would not be able to attend both, we chose one to attend. The Baseball Banquet won! Parents, coaches, vendors, and the team, put a lot of effort into the banquet. A DVD of the season played as we dined on ribs and rolls from Texas Road House, and salads and desserts provided by the parents. A big shout out to Carol Zollinger for organizing and planning the banquet. She is officially referred to as "The Team Mom", and does a great job! Thanks Carol!

The team presented Coach Boog, and Coach Everett, with a home-plate signed by the team. The coaches presented each player with a letter award. This award is given when the team is eligible and participates in state play offs. All three teams were very successful this season.




Coaches receiving their gift; Mike receiving his award; and Joel (the best team manager ever)receiving his award.

Carol Zollinger (Team Mom), and Wendy Stringfellow (coach's wife).