Snow Shack Baby!

Every teenager needs a summer job and this year Corbin's manning the Snow Shack at Lowe's in Layton. He's one heck of a snow cone maker. They are icy and delish!


It can get lonely when there are no customers.
It's been slow lately so stop by and see him Wed and Fri nights...

....bring a large tip. :) He needs the money.

We sure enjoyed our visit recently. Cooled us right off, and it's been hot, hot, hot!

Never fear, I didn't break my diet....they have sugarfree.....that's right.....sugarfree....run don't walk!

Channy, Kort and Cole highly recommend it.


Cheers! Come get yours before summer's over.

Family Pool Party (at Tom's)

Our last day with Donna was at a Pool Party that Tom and Brooke put together. We had quite a turn out, and a ton of fun.

Tom and Brooke have a community pool and rec facility that we were able to use. It was the perfect place to get together have some fun in the sun and eat. We started off at the pool. Here are some pics of Tom torturing, I mean playing with his children.


Matt and Misty getting out of the pool so we can go and eat.

Channy giving her dad a hug while he visits.

Rick and Uncle Jay. Uncle Jay always has an entertaining story or a joke....must have been a good one.

Then we were off to eat. The best part of any party.

Brooke made a great salad, and Alisha enjoyed some also.

I think Donna and Wendy were glad to see everyone. They seemed to enjoy themselves.

Aunt Tora helps out with the pizza. We were lucky to see Nate and Annette and their family who just happened to be in town. Misty helps Hailee get some dinner.

Aiden, Caden, and Kara filling up on chips.

Amber.....how does she stay skinny and eat pizza? Lucky girl.

Cute little Em found a great place to eat.

I wish you could have heard the conversation the little boys were having. They were making me laugh. I think they had the best time of all.

After dinner some visited and some played a game of volley ball. The kids had a great time learning to serve the ball and the men that played were very patient.

Others enjoyed the playground.

In the end we were all tired and there were a few tears when it was time to leave.

We all got in our cars to go (Mylee in her's), and were so grateful to have spent time together.

Thanks for a great time guys....all our love to you until next time.

Syracuse Days

That's right, we put on a parade and fireworks when we have visitors. Syracuse Heritage Days was going on while Donna the kids and Wendy came to visit, so we went. The kids loved the parade, well mostly the candy, and the adults enjoyed the fresh air and entertainment.

We all enjoyed the doughnuts, but no one enjoyed them more then Rylie. That girl enjoys food I tell ya.

Ry, shoving it in her mouth. NUM, NUM.

She also loves a big kiss from her grandmother.

Tiff's mom and Steve came.

Kathy Brothers, Cole, and Corbin were there too.

Along with Stacy Brothers, and Seth.

Spencer was there for the candy.


Donna, Kara, Aiden, and Jason waiting in the shade for the parade to start.

Rick and his mom.

Rick and Donna

Then the Parade started. You can see the thrill of a parade on Aiden's face as he watches the fire trucks go by.

Then the scramble for candy began....That's really what a parade is all about. Aiden, Kara, and Spencer making the mad dash to beat other kids to the loot.

Jason isn't sure what you do with more than 2 pieces of candy when he's handed a third.

But he figured it out...put one in your mouth.


Kara watching the parade go by.

I think she ended up with her fair share of candy.


Aiden had his fair share too.


But, he left in unattended and Jason tried to haul it off. It was so cute.

The parade wasn't all about the candy though. We came to watch the people we knew in the parade also. Channy and Kylee were on a float, and Rylie got swept away by her grandma Retta down the parade route.



Cute little Kort was in it also. She was all sweetness and smiles until Corbin started bellowing out, "Titan's RULE!" (Kort is a cheerleader for Clearfield, the Titan's rivals) She gave him a dirty look....Good for her.


It was a great parade. The fireworks however left much to be desired. We had to watch them from the car because there were so many mosquitoes outside. When will they ever get them under control!?

Another Day...Another Adventure.

Layton Park

Day two we planed to go to the Dinosaur Park, but the forecast was...RAIN! And then, it didn't rain. so we went to the Layton Park at the last minute. We grabbed Tiffany's niece (Rylie) and went to play.

We love Layton Park with its pathways along a little river where you can feed the ducks and climb a tree or two. They also have a great playground.

You can see in Kara's eyes she really had a great time even though she wanted to go to the dinosaur park more than anyone. She's just a sweet little thing.

She's getting a little sand out of her shoes here, but never a complaint.

Tiff's niece Rylie was just as sweet. She enjoyed every second of the park.

You can see by Rylie's smile she always loves the outdoors.

She's a curious little thing and wants you to go where she chooses to explore.

I think she ate more bread than the ducks....She does enjoy food. :)

Jason had a great time too. He really liked the ducks.

He's a little climber.

Guess Jason got his love for climbing from his brother Aidan. He was always up a tree.

Aidan waited patiently for his turn to dig in the sand, and I think it was wort the wait.

Wendy and Donna were just happy for the kids to get out some of their energy. Three kids really can wear you out.

All and all the day wasn't lost, just delayed. We all enjoyed the fresh air.

A little Visit

Last week Rick's mother, sister (Donna), and her kids (Aidan, Kara, and Jason) came for a little visit. It's a good thing Challis moved out so we could have 2 guest rooms. :) It was good to see them all. It's amazing how fast kids grow when you you only see them every couple of years.

Our first adventure was to Roy Water Park. It has rained almost every day here this summer, but we got a few hours reprieve and took advantage of it. It was cold when you were wet and the wind kicked up, but the kids toughed it out. Even Wendy (Rick's mom) got in. Ok, I was the only one that isn't that brave. :)

Wendy, Kara, and Channy (We got Channy out of school to go. Lucky girl.)

Aidan. He got cold, but he did go down the BIG slide.

Channy, Tiff, and Wendy.

Rick and Donna. Rick got off work early and surprised us. We were happy he came.

Kara. I think Kara liked the treats as much as the water. In my opinion, Kara may have enjoyed the whole trip better than anyone else. She was a good little thing.

Channy had a great time playing in the water with Kara.

Rick and Tiff.


In the end, another storm rolled in with full force winds and we cleared out of there at the speed of light. We had fun, even if it only lasted a few hours.

Waterfall Canyon

This spring all the members of our family have enjoyed hikes to Waterfall Canyon in the Ogden Wasatch Mountains. This year we have had a tremendous amount of rain, so the rivers are ready to spill over the banks. All this water makes for a spectacular waterfall.

If you've never made the hike, you really need to. You must do it soon though because as the summer goes on the waterfall pretty much dries up.

Corbin and Kortney hiked it for a fun day date, and got lost. They really had a good time though, and said it was worth all their efforts.





I took Channy and a couple of her friends one day. They complained the whole way up. They said, "They were going to throw up and die!" But once we reached the fall everything was forgotten. On the way down, they said, "This is the best day I ever had. Thanks so much for taking us."






Challis and Rick have also been up this spring. I think its definitely a family favorite. We suggest you head on over the the 29th st. Trail head and get hiking!!! But beware of the scenic route....you may get lost....We all did. :)

High School at 40.

Lunch with high school girlfriends.

My best friend from high school, Chris Teeslink, came in town this week. I hadn't seen her in 19 years. So, I invited some of our other friends from high school and put together a lunch. It was so good to see all of them. Some of them I hadn't seen in 23 years. They are all wonderful women. It was fun to see how we had, and hadn't changed.

Becoming mothers changed every one of us, and all of us are in different stages of motherhood. Chris is a new mother to a five month old son that is just darling, while Laura is the mother of a young man in his mid twenties that has a son of his own. She seemed to be over joyed with being a grandmother.

Some of my friends are seasoned career women Like Kim, and some have recently graduated and started careers like Jill and Laura who are now teachers. Some enjoy being self-employed like Heather, Crystal, Diane. Some of us are perfectly content to employ all of our energies in the title of Mother... for now, like Rebbecca, me, and Chris who has taken a hiatus from nursing to attend to her new son.

I think we are all somewhat the same. After all, we carry our past in our present, and we are all bound by our childhoods and those friendships. I could see the in their eyes, smiles, and laughter the beautiful young girls who were my childhood friends.....All of their faces just slightly weathered by life.

We all have had our challenges in life, some with heavier burdens than others, but I felt like all of us radiated love and happiness. We haven't been broken. And, at this stage of life, our 40's, we are all focused on our inner beauty. Our focus now is on love, health, and happiness, and not so much on our hair or clothes. I found each woman absolutely beautiful....more beautiful than ever. I soaked in the richness of the difference, likeness, and absolute uniqueness of each individual. What lovely women these girls have grown to be.

What a wonderful way to spend a few hours. I only wish I had the opportunity to see them more often, especially my friend Chris who now lives in Arizona. She was always such a giving, loving friend. There is still nothing like her hug. I missed her terribly, but I'm so grateful she is so happy now.

Thank you ladies for a wonderful lunch.


Me, and my best friend from high school, Chris Teeslink


Heather, Becca, and Diane


Crystal, and Kim


Jill, Chris, me, Laura