Moving Day to Sunrise!!

It has been a long time coming, but today was moving day

for Mom. We got started later than expected but Dustin

got off early and arrived straight from work and he and

Mike loaded the trailer with all Mom's stuff....

well that and two car loads!

She told me on the way up that she was a little nervous,

but looking forward to the move too.

When we arrived, there was a cute plant and

a card to Billie saying "Welcome to your new home!"

Very Sweet!

Dustin and Mike did all the heavy moving

and got Granny situated in her chair as quickly as

possible. She watched the procedure from there.

Everyone was welcoming her left and right.

She took a break from supervising to go down to the

dining room for dinner. Even the Chef came out and

said, "You must be Billie. Welcome to Sunrise!"

It really is a lovely place.

Kennan had her MIL watch Jude and Greta and she

came by to help organize....I failed to document

her assisting (sorry K-dig).

Brookie brought the girls to see Granny and helped with the

decorating. Truly Dustin is the hero because he stayed

through it all and made sure Granny was perfectly

situated with flat screen up and running.

Love that red-headed boy!!!

Here are some shots of the apartment.

The bed and new canvas picture ....

The entry area....

The shower....

The other side of the bathroom....

The kitchen area and desk/table with flat screen....

mind you they fix her three meals a day so this is just for

snacks, etc.

Her chair which looks out the large window at a great

view of the mountains and has a perfect view of the

new flat screen....

Cute Mom with the bureau full of albums and

blankets....

Looking from the window towards the entry...
bathroom is on right of hall.

Her closet with chest of drawers inside....

And cute Billie wearing her "life alert" and happy

to have her own space again. She is anxious to get

to know some new people and get involved in the

activities. I admire her so much. She is really very

brave and chooses to make the best of her situation.

I feel so relieved knowing that she is in a safe place

where she can interact with her peers and still have

some independence. After 15 weeks, it is going to be

weird not to have her around the house, but I know she

will be happier. Of course she would rather be at her home

in Phoenix, but she knows the time has passed for her to

live on her own and the option she has chosen is a great one!

I wouldn't mind living down the hall from her.

So here's to Billie and Nathan who are both embarking

on a new adventure. You are both wonderful!

Hope you enjoy the post, Sisters.

Love and Miss You!!!

XOXO

Aunt Chrissy Meets the Williams Girls

Believe it or not, my sister Chris has never met

Gabi and Bella, so when she came while I was tending

these two adorables, it was a very monumental meeting.

Of course she won their hearts....they were fascinated

by the fact that she was my sister (just like them) and

that she had this lovable fluff ball of a doggie named

Daisy. And I'm pretty sure Chris was just as taken

by them. So glad they finally met. And so glad

I finally got to see Chrissy....3 years is entirely too

long. Never again. Love you, Sister!!

XOXO

At the Farm

Last week Brad took Vanessa with him to Florida,

so between our families we all tended Gabi and Bella for

a spell and it was grand.

One afternoon we decided to get the cousins together

for $2 Tuesday at Thanksgiving Point....

not an original idea BTW.

We started off at Del Taco for lunch and I'm always

amazed at how the toddler crowd has mastered the

iPhone.

It was blazing hot but the littles didn't seem to mind....

however some of them were a bit intimidated by

the big plastic cow.

Others thought it was a great idea.

They all thought the 1 week old calf was amazing though.
I kind of wanted to bring it home!

Pregnancy exhaustion and heat exhaustion

had Kennan in less than a "happy" mood.

By the time for the wagon ride, we were all

feeling the heat a bit.

Notice the rosy red cheeks from the heat.

But Brooke came prepared with Capri-Suns.

Once the horseys started moving it was much more

enjoyable.

Cute Gretsie was loving the ride and the horses.

We saw a whole plethora of animals.

It was a really fun day for most of us...

I'd do it again in a heart beat.

The company makes any outing fun for me!

Thanks for playing along, sweeties.

XOXO

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROBYN!!!

Thirty two years ago today, I gave birth

to this gorgeous girl. I was SOOOO thrilled

to have a little girl after two boys. I had always

imagined myself raising little girls with pony tails

and dresses and black patent shoes and then I had

two boys. When Robyn came, she fulfilled my dreams.

AND she paved the way for her three younger sisters.

She was always maternal and loved babies from the

get-go. She was my assistant Mom and I never could

have raised 6 children without her help.

She is the best Mom I know and is SOOO much

better at it than I was. I admire her more than

I can say. Her life is so busy and so full right now

as she is working on building her family.

And she is amazing...I stand in AWE most

of the time.

She is everything you would want your daughter

to be. She is a girly girl...loves wearing dresses,

and having her hair fancy, and wearing jewelry,

was a dancer and was a great example for her

little sisters.

The Lord knew who to send to my family
and when to send her.

She is still the "gatherer" of our family

and whenever she is there, everyone wants

to join in. As Dustin says, she is the Dalai

Lama and we all want to be there when Robyn

is in town.

She has a warm and tender heart and is

caring and loving to all those around her.

She has TONS of friends and people love to

share their problems, joys and sorrows with

Robyn because they know she will listen.

She speaks her mind and has lots of opinions

(she may have inherited that from me)

but it is always witht he best of intentions.
She is spiritual and irreverent at the same

time and it is charming.

She is probably my best friend....we share so

many wonderful memories and see eye to eye

on most everything in life. I'm so blessed

to have her in my life and celebrate this day with

her because it was a life changing day for me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEAUTIFUL GIRL!!

I wish I could be there to celebrate with you.

I hope your day is wonderful.

XOXOXOXO

37 years and counting...

Well, this was going to be a picture-less post, but I can't let the day

go by without giving a shout out to my dear lifetime companion.

Thirty seven years ago today, we were married for time and

all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple and I truly haven't regretted

it for more than a few minutes (let's be honest...we all have

a few moments!). This is a good man I chose and he and I

have made a pretty darn good team. Hopefully we can continue

to be that team forever... on the other side too! We have shared

some of the most incredible experiences and all that matters most

to me in life is connected to him in every way.

He continues to surprise me with his true colors that always

shine through when it counts most. Most recently, I have been

blown away with his tender care and concern for my Mom. He has

gone above and beyond the call of duty and I will be forever grateful.

We aren't really celebrating today because life is just a little too complicated,

but in the VERY near future, we plan to take a few moments and revisit

all the reasons we started down this path together. When he is really

present, there is still no one I'd rather spend my time with.

After all these years, we just sort of "get" each other.

We said we wanted to grow old together and looking in the

mirror, we realize that we ARE!!

Thanks, Honey, for a wonderful ride. I have NO doubt

that there are still some great things to come.

CAN'T WAIT!!!

XOXOXOXO

California Dreamin'....

You know how it feels when you can't visualize someone

you love? When you don't know where they are?

Or as Minie says, "When I don't know how to find you."

That's how I felt about Paige until this last week

when I made a trip out to see her in her new home and

to help her with a few home improvement projects.

Granny and I left on Sunday, arrived on Monday,

and Paige and I dug in on Tuesday.

She had some very ambitious ideas for her new home.

Her new home was completely white and she was ready to

give it some serious character.

Little Mr. Brig was a very big help as you can see!

Is he cute or what???

Granny Billie found a chair and an afghan and was

content to watch baseball and our project progress.

Did I mention that Brig LOVES Granny Billie?

He smiles from ear to ear whenever she speaks to him...

much to her complete delight!

As you can see from our "prep" work, there was a lot to do.

Paige had a vision!

The project took us all week and it wasn't even complete

when we left on Saturday, but it's going to be fabulous.

By about 3/4 of the way through, Paige was ready to abandon

her "vision" and start over. But when I left she was stepping back

a bit and liking it more. When she gets it all put together it will

be amazing!

Other events of the week included dinner with Bryce, Lisa,

Miranda and Asher two evenings in a row, a very LONG evening

in the emergency room with Granny (kidney infection), and

a lovely drive through Guernville to the beach.

Nothing soothes the soul like a little time by the

ocean. Granny was nervous the whole drive and

didn't want to get out by the sea, but she hung out

in the car while we enjoyed a little time together.

Did I mention that Miranda has grown into this

beautiful young woman? Breath taking.....really!

Brig loved the ocean....I have a feeling he and his

Mommy may be spending a lot of time there.

The best part was just being with some of my most

favorite people in the world! It doesn't matter what

we are doing....work or play....it's all fun to me.

Just seeing this guy was worth the 24 hours of driving!
Thanks for a great visit. I love your home and
most of all I love you!!

And Asher somehow became the "Karate Kid"

and has found his niche in the world.

His goal: black belt by age 12.

No doubt he will make it!

And it turns out, Bryce is Lance Armstrong!

Boy these Californians make you feel like a sloth.

With the exception of the ER visit and

Paige's temporary decorating melt-down,

it was a fantastic visit and I

hope to be able to return VERY soon.

I love you, my California kids!!

I miss you already....:(

XOXOXOXOXOXO