If not for this blog, I'd have no photos at all

OK, so the laptop is back and reconfigured - how can a motherboard go kaput in less than two years. I'd loaded all of my photos onto it since July of 2007, which broke my heart completely. If I hadn't uploaded a paltry few special ones here, I'd have nothing to remember our trip to Seattle, family jetskiing, etc. Lauren has a few of my photos on her computer as well, but my one photo here of Adam as the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz is all I have to remember that. Nothing remains of White Christmas. So a Public Service Announcement: backup your photos somewhere else, people, I beg you!

Meanwhile, life is otherwise going great here. Andrew and the boys finished the ceiling, and it looks fabulous. I'm starting to pull out the dead stuff in the garden and watch the new green shoots come up to herald spring! Wedding caterer meeting is today, and invitations will be ordered this week. Life goes on. I hope things are beautiful for all of you too! Just please forgive me for being way behind on your blogs!

Baby, You Can Drive My Car

That's right, this week we had the opportunity to spend 2+ hours at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Not only did Braden get his license, which we've put off forever, but we also got Adam signed up for a Permit. Pray for us all. (Just kidding, they're doing fine.)

In other news, wedding plans are going great. We've got the cake, chair/linen/table rentals, engagement photos are back and look fantastic, and I finally found a guy who can handle the kitchen if not do all the food preparation as well. I finished up a couple of artsy wedding-related projects this week too. My room has been a sea of delicious hot pink & spring green, and I have not broken into the candy buffet box for a while....

Finally, our DIL posted the most adorable photo on her blog, and I had to share it here because many of my five readers do not know her. Here's Mya with a big darling grin! Her uncles and I agree that she is highly edible.

In Which I Put Off Christmas Tasks and Blog Something Fabulous

Every year I think it's the best Christmas we've had as a family. This year is no exception. This year we are celebrating with two new family members, Andrew (Lauren's fiance) and sweet baby Mya Jane. She'll be just two weeks old today, and she is the most kissable looking baby I know... not prejudiced in any way, huh? Her mom and dad are doing a fabulous job and keeping her so happy and content. We all got to visit last night and just watched her sleep on Dave's chest while the BYU bowl game was on. They like to hang out together...


It rocks to be a grandparent! We can't wait to see her on Christmas Day.

The past year has been full of stuff, and since I didn't write a letter with our Christmas cards, I thought I'd record some of it here. Since last Christmas...

January - Mark and Sharon visited Grandpa & Grandma Price to help with some of their move. They sold their house in February and were glad that another family can make memories there.

February - Dave and Kaitlin bought their first home! We helped them move, and Braden got his driver's permit.

March - Adam starred as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz at Kennedy Jr. High, and was a big hit. He won Best Actor at the year-end school awards ceremony. He also participated in the Kennedy Chorale singers and the track team. Lauren and Sharon sang solos in a reprise of the Ten Virgins musical program for the stake.

April - Braden was ordained a Priest at church. For his 16th birthday, we held a house party with a live band, The Sweater Friends. Lauren was accepted to nursing school in April, and a few days later, her friend Andrew returned from a mission to Finland. They reached an understanding within days and it's been a whirlwind courtship! Dave and Kait brought home two sweet little yorkie puppies, and a week later they announced they were expecting!

May - Braden ran distance events for the Hunter High track team, and got very buff working out. He wrote some new songs with his band, Midnite 30, and Adam joined the band as bass player. They did some recording and performed a few house shows and at a fair in Tooele. We took the kids to Park City for a long weekend and enjoyed a great condo and the Alpine Slide & zip line. Adam performed in the talent show with his bass guitar.

June - Sharon had major surgery and took the month off! Recovery went very well.

July - Adam turned 15 - he's very social! The whole family took a day trip to Deer Creek to do some jet skiing. We celebrated the 4th of July with Mark's family. The boys went to youth conference.

August - Mara had her tonsils out, and was not very happy. Lauren bought her first car! She had a birthday, and the next day she started nursing school at the University of Utah. Adam began high school at Hunter (10th grade), Braden became a Junior, and Mara started 6th grade.

September - Adam tried out for the musical White Christmas and began a rigorous rehearsal schedule. Braden ran Cross Country, and later injured his leg, but kept working out with the team. Mara turned 12 and entered the Young Women's program, which she loves. Kait started bedrest for early contractions.

October - Lauren got her engagement ring, and started officially planning for her wedding on May 22, 2010, including taking some bridal and engagement photos.

November - Adam performed as General Waverly in 5 showings of White Christmas, and he was fantastic!! We held our own Thanksgiving dinner at home - so perfect having all nine of us here.

December - Baby Mya Jane Hutchinson arrived to proud parents Dave and Kait! We're all in love.

All year, Mark served on Saturdays at the Jordan River Temple and as Elders Quorum president. He is still a Therapist for Heritage Schools and a Clinical Director for JSS. He works very hard and still keeps up the yard nicely. Sharon enjoyed staying home more than she can say. It allowed her to help at the schools and at church, attend all the performances and track meets and school programs, organize at home, work on wedding plans, can fruit, and do a little crafting. She loves book club and read a lot this year. Both of them are thrilled to be grandparents to little Mya.


Merry Christmas! Please keep in touch with us!

The Wonders of Facebook

Last night just before midnight, I clicked on facebook out of boredom. In my email box was a message from Barbara Martinez, not a familiar name - but the subject was familiar. It was an address just up the street from my childhood home. I opened the email, and I was surprised to see a photo I instantly recognized as my best friend from grades K-4, all grown up.

She wondered if I remembered her... how could I forget? We played endlessly with Barbies, troll dolls, Dawn dolls, paper dolls, we explored the wilds of the backyards and the wild area behind our houses, even coming up on a skunk once! I still remember our mothers introducing us to each other at the Kindergarten orientation at Ladera School. She moved away to a house in another part of town, but we kept in touch until we were about 12, I think.

Forty years have gone by since I first met Barbara Lotz. I've told my kids about the girl who used to pick out her Christmas presents from the Sears catalog, then weigh the gifts under the tree to see what she was getting... and now I can talk to her again. So cool.

She's gone and done it

Lauren officially became engaged last Saturday in the early morning, before conference. She and Andrew are still radiating a kind of neon glow. They drove up to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple before breakfast, and he brought out a scrapbook he'd created for her. The book contained pictures from the start of their friendship back in their sophomore year of high school up to now, and sweet words to go with them. The final pages asked the question --- with a photo of him holding out the ring at the end.


They picked out the ring together a while back, so it was so exciting to all of us to see it on her hand. I think happy thoughts every time I see it, cause it's really sweet on her finger.

Congratulations to my girl and her sweetheart! We're looking forward to May 22, 2010 at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple!

Remembering

Remembering those who were affected...

Happy July 4th!

Lots has been happening around our house as I slowly come back from the isolation of recovery and healing. It is so good to be back. Everything has gone well except for bronchitis that knocked me for a few additional days. Just getting out of the house is such a happy occasion! Still slow as an old lady though.

I love July 4th! When I was growing up our church always had a July 4th patriotic breakfast outdoors. I crave it every year. It doesn't seem right if I'm not enjoying melon and pastries and grilled ham on the patio, but I haven't made it happen yet. I think my mom and dad probably attended a similar event this morning.

Braden and Andrew have spent tons of hours this week removing the old living room ceiling popcorn and re-texturing it. They are awesome! Adam celebrated his birthday a little earlier with a bunch of friends at Transformers 2 (they loved it). And baby grandchild is going to be a girl! I love her already.

We are off to bbq and swimming at Missy's tonight, then back home to set off fireworks. It's awesome that we can still have our own fireworks show. I got the big box ;)