Happy Birthday to one of the greatest brothers in the whole wide world!

Today is my brother Denny's birthday. Now a days he goes by Dennis but he will always be Denny to me. He has a very soft spot in my heart. In this picture he is with his wife Chris and their daughter Erin, her husband Scott and their cute children. This was taken almost two years ago at a family reunion.
Denny was the boy that all of the younger boys in the neighborhood wanted to hang out with. He was a great athlete and they idolized him. He loved playing baseball and basketball plus any other sport. (I have always wondered how, coming from a family with both of my brothers being super athletic, I didn't get a grain of that talent. I decided that it was because the two of them used it up before I was born.)
He has charisma and I must have been sucked into it because I would sit on the riverbank and clean his fish just to enjoy time with him. We found all kind of treasures inside of those Rainbow Trout.
My fondest memory with Denny was hiking up Weber Canyon above the "Meadows Campground". It was fun just to be alone, the two of us. (Coming from a family of six children and Denny being quite a few years older than I am it didn't happen very often.) We hiked to the top of the mountain and looked all over the Ogden Valley. It was beautiful. I felt so special to be with my big brother and enjoying one of his favorite things in the world, spending time in the mountains.
He was always there for our parents', as they aged. He'd stop by quite often and was always willing to help them out in anyway they needed.
Denny I hope that you have had a great birthday and that there are many more to come.
I love you so very much!

Walking Down Memory Lane with the Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday Lindsay!

Lindsay you were such a sweet sister to Hailey when she was born. You were very concerned when I was giving Hailey a bath and she was screaming her head off. You were not very happy with your grandma for making your little sister so unhappy.

Nothing could be more precious than the love of a sweet little baby straight from our Heavenly Father.

I't was hard for you and Ashley to believe that your Mother and I were encouraging you to bump your Aunt Allyson on her head with a birthday gift. I would really like to know where that tradition started but we use to do it at everyones birthday party when I was growing up.

What a cute birthday girl you are. Your Mother and I had fun making this cake for you, we didn't know that your father was a cake expert. This was a really fun day. We enjoyed having all of you live in Hanford.

We love you soooooooooooooooo much!

Uncle Mark sure enjoyed visits with you and your sisters.

It is always fun at Chuck E Cheese.

Are you practising to be a telephone operator?

The best days of the year are when our family come to visit.

Slip sliding away!

Isn't it great to have cousins?

On top of the world!

Lindsay I love all of the great treasures you and your sisters make for us. You're a very crafty girl.

My favorite thing is to see all of you cousins playing and having a great time. I'm glad we usually are able to get together at least once a year.

What a special day that was when you were baptized. I'm glad that we were able to share it with you.

I loved the cookies and the great message it they send. Your Mother and Aunt Heather were busy.

Rose enjoyed playing with you.

You are growing up into such a wonderful sweet little lady.

Byron we hope that you have a great birthday!!!

Byron I hope that you have a great relaxing birthday.
Byron made possible two amazing trips for Doug and I. Both trips will always be a treasure. His love of Family History, knowledge of Church History, research and itinerary made our trip to Wyoming such a great experience. I appreciate how he and his parents indulged Doug and I while we enjoyed reacquainting ourselves with Opal, Kemmerer, Lander, and Fort Washakie. Following the Mormon Trail up through Martin's Cove was a remarkable experience. What an awesome opportunity we had to really relate to our ancestors and all of the pioneers.
Byron had really research all of the great landmarks that we stopped at. We enjoyed his company and that of his parent's.
The trip to Wyoming was a truly spiritual and humbling experience.

The second great trip was to Hawaii. This time the itinerary was put together by Byron's Father. (Byron learned from the best) This trip feels like it was a dream. We were able to see so many wonderful historical places and feel the spirit of the islands and have fun. Sharing these days with them was wonderful.

Thanks Byron and Tricia, Sharon and John for putting up with this slow, unusual couple and for all of the fun family road trips. We do live in an amazing world.
Byron hopefully fun is on your birthday itinerary.

Hanging Out With 2 of Our Sons

It has been fun having time to spend with Mark and Adam. It has been nice to have time to sit and visit. They are both wonderful and I love them very much.

New Dress

New dress Mark picked out for me. He is trying to get me hip.

Last week we enjoyed some great time with Mark

This past week we were able to enjoy some great time with Mark. He is quite the fashion consultant. We went shopping and I got some great new tops and a dress. Between Mark and Doug I was constantly getting new clothes to try on brought into the dressing room by the sales clerk. I was amazed to find that I have gone down several sizes and the styles they chose and colors made it hard to decide what to keep and put back.
We had a lot of great talks and down time. I'm so grateful that he came. He gives me new insight and I hope that he takes new insight from us. I am very grateful for him.

General Conference the BEST weekendS of the year!

I love and look forward to General Conference every year. It is so uplifting. I always feel renewed and ready to move forward for the next six months with a reverence and renewed dedication. I love the Prophet, Aspostles and all who spoke. Each talk was AWESOME and I could feel the Spirit of the Holy Ghost so strongly. We are so blessed to have this opportunity every six months.
I am so grateful for my testimony and the roots of our ancestors. I love Church History and I am strengthen by their faith, courage and sacrifices for us. It makes me sad that often it is taken for granted. We are so blessed.
With tomorrow being Easter my thoughts the past couple of weeks have been on the Savior. I am so grateful for him and the life he gave for me. It is easy to serve knowing that I can give back a little of what he has given, his WHOLE life.
I am humbled blessed.
My family and extended family are such a blessing to me. I love each and every one of them with all my heart. They make me a better person and teach me much more than they realize.

Jessica we are so excited for you!!!

Last Friday Jessica Rodriguez (Leticia & Ernesto's daughter) found out that she won a Boswell Scholarship. She isn't sure if she will go to U C Davis or UCLA.
We are so excited for her!