Visitors from Mexico

We have the privilege of having visitors from Mexico for the next 15 days at our house. Mari, the mother of Jorge Luis, works with Rod and is a liaison between Zija and the Mexican government. Jorge Luis, 17, is an accomplished tennis player, and is ranked among 30 best players in Mexico in his age group. Jorge Luis is planning on attending Timp View for his senior year, and then hopefully onto BYU to play tennis.

Jorge Luis and Alex in our park playing basketball this morning. Friends already.

Morning at the lake, afternoon at the river

We had a Young Men/Young Women activity at Yuba Lake (70 miles south from Orem) this last Saturday. The weather was perfect after raining and thundering the whole week. The Venture and Varsity Scouts had been there since Wednesday doing their High Venture camp, and the Scouts got there on Friday night. The Young Women arrived early on Saturday morning for boating and tubing. Families were also invited and we probably had around 50-60 people there. It was so much fun! We all decided that this is new a tradition for our ward: Young Men and Young Women and their families getting together for a day of fun before school starts.


Brother Carr brought his boat. He is one crazy boat captain.


Alex and Jace on the tubes...not for long. They got whipped around the lake going 30 miles/hour.


Some of my Young Women: Nona, Misty, Chloe and Hannah. Yes, Hannah, this is a good picture of you.

After spending the morning at the lake, we drove 5 miles to the Misty River Resort where the Scouts were camping, and floated down the Sevier River the rest of the afternoon. We had so much fun floating in the river with our tubes. Some of the boys jumped off the bankment into the shallow river while the rest of us got fried by the sun, or should I call it "the last tan of the summer". I'm convinced that the burned flesh will turn into a tan after a week or so...I'm counting on it.


Jace, Alex and Zane ready to go tubing down the river.

Hannah, Misty, Chloe, Graham, Jason and Nona are getting off the river.

I just love these people! They are such good friends with each other. It is a pure JOY to watch them interact with each other.

Christina, Jason (muscle man), Alex, Graham, Misty, Chloe, Nona and Hannah

Mouth wide open

"Mind-boggling", "unbelievable", "spectacular". Just a few words to describe the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics. I have NEVER seen anything like it. One act after another topped the previous one, just when I was thinking to myself: "how an earth do you top that one?" I'm still speechless. I'm glad I got to witness something so spectacular. Hope you didn't miss it.

Let the games begin...

I'm going to miss my two Young Women

Sad, sad times have come upon to our ward Young Women...Makayla (kneeling in the middle) and Nona (4th from the left) are leaving our group...for college of all places. How dare they grow up?? Actually, I'm really excited for them. They get to start their life as adults and move on to bigger things. I just love these two wonderful women, and we are SO going to miss them.

Senior Night on Tuesday celebrating these two awesome young women.

Back row from the left:

Me, Christina, Hannah, Nona, Chloe, Shauna (came from Logan), Misty.

Front row from the left:

Jeanne, Makayla, Camilla (left us last year to go to college..love her!)

Pop corn is ready, the remote in hand

When I was growing up, Olympics (summer or winter) was one of those events that was never missed at our house. Religiously we would gather up at any hours of the day or night, and watch ALL of the events. If if happened to be during the school hours, the teachers would let us watch TV in class, especially if a Finn was about to medal (only hopefulls were usually in the winter olympics).

So, now I'm again getting ready for the summer olympics in Beijing. I got the schedule all figured out, and now I only have to program my DVR to record the events I really want to watch. Life gets really exciting every two years for me, and definitely takes me back to my childhood. If you can't get a hold of me starting August 8th, you know where you can find me...in front of my TV with a bowl of pop corn and a remote in my hand.

Please try to keep the phone calls to less than 20 seconds, max.

Where were you

on Saturday, August 2nd at 12:01am when the book "Breaking Dawn" came out?

I was driving to Wal-Mart with Alex thinking that I will casually pick-up the book and go home, maybe read the back cover, and then go to sleep and read all day on Saturday. But NO, I walked into Wal-Mart and there was the biggest line of people I have EVER seen. The line went from the front door to the back of the store and then over and then back through the underwear department to the cashiers. We took a stroll through it all and drove back home 5 minutes later.

Was I really that desperate to get the book, after all? You be the judge.

2nd attempt at Costco when it opens in the morning.

I'm hungry-What's for dinner, Alex?

It seems that our family functions differently when one of the parent's gone for a while. For example, when I was at the Girls' Camp last week, I heard Rod tell Alex: "When I come home from work, we will have fun until 1am." They would go golfing, or to the late movie, or both during the same evening. There would be donuts for dinner, and they would live like Alex didn't have a mom, or Rod didn't have a wife. Just a couple of bachelors having a party all night long.

So, when Rod left for Mexico yesterday morning, I asked Alex what we should do while dad's gone. I found myself suggesting him the different dishes we could try and cook. Late at night I often watch the Food Network cooking shows and lately Alex has been watching them too. Just on Sunday he asked us if he could make us some strawberries and cream. A few minutes later he appears with a bowl of strawberries and tells us that he made a "blueberry ganache that is kind of tangy but sweet".

At least Alex is a man of action, unlike my father who loved to watch cooking shows, and knew in theory how to make different dishes. But when it came to the actual time to cook, all he could do is boil water, and once or twice left the water pot on the stove and the whole pot burned. Actually, I have to give him more credit than that. He was able to boil potatoes.

When I started cooking for my family when I was 13, my dad would hover behind me in the kitchen and tell me how to filé a salmon, or how to make this or that. I asked (I think I actually yelled) him once, quite frustrated, if he knows so well how to do all these things, how come I can't find him cooking, EVER. He quickly laughed and left the kitchen, never to return. He would tell me always that his mother was so well known for her cooking skills. Obviously that gene skipped a generation. According to my father, his sisters couldn't cook either.

Now I find Alex creating recipes every once in a while. Even when the Finns were here a month ago, Alex made them yummy breakfast and one of the boys said to his mom to get Alex's recipe, so she could make it in Finland when they return.

Last night, Alex decided that he would make biscuits and gravy for dinner.


Alex making the country gravy from scratch.


Alex pulling the fresh biscuits out of the oven, also made from scratch.


"Wait, mom. Take another picture".


And a nice sprig of chives on top to make this extremely yummy dinner complete.

What's for dinner tonight?

Rise and Shout the 7th ward's out-last days at camp

Friday afternoon Chloe and Hannah played the game "who do you love" with Misty and Rachel. This is where Rachel cracked up when the truth came out.


On Friday night our Stake President entertained us with his singing and guitar playing. And then we had chocolate.


This is our beloved cabin # 5.

Chloe, Katie and Hannah on their way to the Saturday morning flag ceremony. Can't believe how clean these women are after 5 days of non-showering.

Our theme for this year.

Can't wait to return for my 8th year of Girl's Camp next year.

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Yesterday when I was returning to the Girl's Camp, I saw a hillside full of these sheep. Before I was coming around the corner where these sheep were, I couldn't figure out what the black nuggety matter was on the road, until "just around the riverbend" was this HUGE herd of them. And of course, there was that one black sheep among the other sheep. I rolled down the window and sure enough, they were all singing the same "baa baa" song.

When I arrived to Girl's Camp, surprisingly all the girls were still alive and well-nourished. We had a fun night together with Thursday being our Value Night. Didn't get to bed until right before midnight, and I knew for sure that I was heading toward another night of no sleep.

I got up this morning at 5:20am, put my clothes on and drove home (1 1/2 hour drive), and then work. Tuesday night was the same thing except I got out of there at 4am because I couldn't lay in my sleeping bag another hour. Didn't sleep at all that night either. Guess if I'm exhausted? Yep, for sure. I'm heading back today after work for more fun and a sleepless night. Luckily the camp is over tomorrow morning so I can come home and crash. I think I'm going to take something for my sleeplessness tonight. Maybe I'll bring an Ensign and a flashlight, and I'm sure I will fall asleep under a minute, flat.

Dinner with Jarkki

Our friend Jarkki from Finland came to visit us last night. We drove him around town and BYU and ended up at dinner at Outback.

It was so good to see him again. Maybe we will catch him and Pia in Finland next summer.

Jarkki and Rod patiently waiting for their steaks.