A Cool Thing To Do

While on Maui we went to church in Kihei. Someone there told us if you haven't been to the old restored Mormon church on the way to Haleakala you must go so we did. There was such a nice spirit there and we enjoyed seeing a piece of history. We were told the acoustics inside were incredible so we decided to try it out by singing hymns together. We all loved it.
My dad even decided to try out the pulpit.
The church is preserved for historic purposes but not used for church anymore. The missionaries live next door and stopped to talk to us on their way to an appointment. Church in Kihei was great that day too. They needed some help that day so Cheryl led the music and I played the piano. We had such an amazing family/church day and made a lasting memory.

Maui in February

My sisters and I had the chance to go to Maui with my parents the end of January/first part of February. It's whale season and was spectacular. The best part...getting away from winter. Our family that was there the previous week, made us all orchid leis.
We overlapped with Matt's family by one day. The first thing Adam did was to show us the two pearls he found in one oyster. He was pretty excited about that.
Ali with my dad.
The family.
On the beach in front of the condo, one of the locals drew this design in the sand. It was so interesting watching him do all this with a rake.
We spent time on the beach, did a lot of snorkeling, eating, laughing, whale watching, and bonding.
Cheryl, Kristen, and I walked the beach almost every day for exercise. Cheryl and I were nursing injuries so Kristen literally ran circles around us. But hey, she is 18 years younger than I am.
We went on three different kinds of whale watching boats. The whales were incredible. None of my pictures reflect that. I gave up and let my sisters take all the pictures and I don't have any of them. There were so many whales that you could stand on the beach and watch them. It truly was amazing.

Kristen and Cheryl on the catamaran. On this boat we got Maui Mugged. What's a Maui mugging? It's when you stop within legal distance to the whales and then they come to you. Two whales did this. It was so unreal.
Me on the catamaran. Bad I know but at least I'm not in a swim suit. I'm not showing any of those.
Our second trip was on a zodiac. Here is my sister posing for me. She is so entertaining and fun to be around.
Here is Kristen on the zodiac.

And me.

Stopping to watch the sunset. There was a beautiful sunset everyday. My sister is blowing me a kiss. I told you she was entertaining.
Here is the sunset we stopped for.
Here is the sunset from the hospitality room my last day. Oh, it was so hard to say goodbye and come back to snow.
Some whale pictures...whale tails, breaching, and diving.






In Lahaina, they have a famous banyan tree. It's huge.
Does this give you an idea of the size?

We are so lucky to have such great parents. I look forward to being with all my brothers and sisters and their spouses in June to celebrate my parent's 80th birthdays. I feel so blessed.

What Do You Think?

You probably think that I am crazy but my husband and I found these old windows at a salvage place in Salt Lake. We bought two to go in our family room addition over the TV (see first picture). They need a lot of cleaning up but in my mind they will look amazing. (Sometimes reality paints a different picture however.) Can you picture it? Will it be good?
They are big and heavy. The trick will be how to mount them on the wall. I'm waiting for warmer weather so I can clean them outside and not freeze my hands off. Stay tuned to see the final look. I have my fingers crossed that they won't get broken and that they will look great.

Hiking adventures with Kathee

Kathee and I are back to our Saturday hiking adventures. Yesterday we hiked from our house (See that white blob by my left shoulder. I think that is the Provo temple. So we started close to there.) to the top of the "Y" and back again. Two hours 40 minutes. It was a challenge but fun. We are both still up and moving today anyway.

I came home and cleaned out the gutter in front of our house and raked leaves. I was pretty tired after all that. The Saturday before we hiked up to the Squaw Peak overlook. We had to keep a close eye out for cougars that have been spotted recently. Luckily there were some snow mobilers and a hiker with a few dogs to act as deterrents. I wanted to try out my new snow shoes but it was easier to hike in the snow mobile tracks in snow boots.
Of course we have to call our husbands from the top and say hello. I now just carry my phone to take pictures instead of my camera. So much more convenient.
It's kind of a dreary day but we always love to be outside.
My husband bought me new exercise clothes for Christmas so I've stopped wearing my purple "Barney" fleece. That's probably a good thing although my friends say they miss it.

I joined Weight Watchers right after I got home from Hawaii and looked at pictures of me with my sisters. So depressing. It's bad enough that I have white hair and am 18 years older than my little sister but do I really have to be twice as big? No I don't...so I'm doing something about it. This is my 5th week.

I like the new program and it is starting to work for me. I feel empowered and that I have some control in my life. I like the changes to the program but wish they had an app for my android phone. That would make it easier. I'm determined to look and feel different when I meet my sisters again in June.

This is all part of my "it's all about me" year. I'm taking control of my life, trying to get rid of my insecurities, embracing technology, strengthening relationships, getting my house in order, finding joy in the journey, and doing what it takes to be healthy along the way too. I'd love to hear what you are doing.

I Have A New Table

I found this table at a local furniture store. It looks just like the one I am in love with from Restoration Hardware for less than half the price. It is 10 and 1/2 feet long with the leaves in. We broke it in Saturday night when we had dessert and games with about 5 other couples. We could all sit around one table. Now I need to find chairs that I can afford and that I love. Anyone have any ideas? I'm thinking an upholstered parson's chair. In the meantime, we will be using our old oak chairs. Very study and very comfortable but not very stylish.

Want to See More Easter Decorations?

Now you can see where my bread bowl is. Just in case you were wondering.
A close up of one of the table centerpieces.
Remember the theme is "woodland Easter."
Don't you just love this little vintage bunny?

Another vintage reproduction. I love this one.
Look what popped out of this egg. Yep, a Lori Mitchell rabbit.
The fireplace.
The Easter tree.

The main table. See, the table is still set for you.
Happy Easter in a month and a half. Good thing my children all already have their Easter packages. I am just so organized this year. (That's a joke. I'm so far behind in life but I am determined to catch up on blog posts. I thought I'd give you a few recent ones before I start back tracking.)