End of a Chapter

A week or so ago I got on a plane with my mother to retrieve the remainder of her belongings still in Oregon. So many things could have slowed us down, gone wrong or made the trip miserable and yet everything and I mean everything went right. It was a trip full of blessings in more ways than one.

I had mixed feelings about making the trip but I am grateful that I went. It was hard to watch my mom say good-bye and turn that page in her book. I haven't lived in Baker for years but I always had a home there I could go visit. Now that is gone and it is a bit weird.

I snapped a few shots on the trip but I made certain they were things that brought only good memories of the West. They are things that are close to my heart and remind me of why I love it and the memories I hold dear.

I hope you enjoy this small glimpse into my soul.

M&S formals

What a beautiful couple... and what a beautiful day. We had some great light at this place and got some great pics. Thanks Mike and Shayla for letting me share in your day.

Just Like Grandpa

This is my grandpa Oaks...



He played football for BYU and was quite good I am told. He was quite athletic and played lots of different of sports during his younger years. I only remember Grandpa playing with us grandchildren and he never disappointed. He was always up for a good game of whatever we wanted to play.


About 6 years ago I was blessed with this 10lb baby boy who is nothing but muscle and is built just like Grandpa...



I suspect he will put his all into whatever sports he chooses to play and someday I hope he plays with his grandchildren with as much vigor as Grandpa Oaks played with his. I am often amazed at how much he runs, jumps, walks and holds himself like Grandpa did. He is strong and yet kind, hard-working and playful and never misses the chance to play a good prank on someone. Yep he is definitely a descendant of Grandpa Charlie.

Sports a blessing and a curse

I don't know what it is but there is something about soccer. I am sure all sports are probably this way but so far our family has only entered the world of soccer. It seems that during the season your Saturday consists mostly of soccer...

Getting up, eating breakfast, finding the soccer gear, racing out of the house, driving to the field, finding a seat, screaming and cheering like a maniac, passing out snack, issuing congratulations, driving home, washing the soccer gear, putting everything away, sitting on the sofa and wondering what have a I gotten myself into...


Sometimes this is how I feel about soccer...



Everything goes by in a blur, nothing in focus, until the season is over.


But most of the time...


What leave me alone... I'm watching the game.



A few practice warm ups. He didn't think it was funny when I pointed out that he wasn't the goalie and he shouldn't be touching the ball... "Mom"



Occasionally it becomes a whole family event when Dad fills in for the coach and makes one of our daughters run a practice play to show them how it's done... "Really Dad you want me run down the field and kick the ball? Do I have to?"



Kason won't ever pass up a chance to make a goal.


You would think that the other members of the family would watch their brother play but no that's too boring so we must provide sideline entertainment, snacks and beverages.

My oldest prefers to read a book... which is usually fine until a wayward ball enters her territory.


Sometimes the sideline entertainment becomes distracting to the players and we have to intervene.


Most of the time the games have nice weather... not to hot, not to cold... but the final game of the season was a roaster.

The kids were so hot and sweaty... Kason came to the sideline and asked if I would pour a bit of water on his head. I gladly obliged and drenched the kid... I don't think he was very happy with me because this was what ensued.




Then he politely walked away and took a seat on the sidelines.


For now soccer is over but I am sure the fall season will be here before we know it. We must love this sport thing... next up




BASEBALL!!! Look for us in the spring cause here we come.

This boy makes me SMILE!!!

I have this little boy who somehow got these beautiful blue/green eyes and this really infectious smile.

He also has great hair that I am pretty sure he inherited from his Dad.

He is already gaining attention from the ladies at school which leads me to believe that he will be able to woo the girls like his dad as well.

His sense of humor is fabulous and when he is around there is never a dull moment.



But my favorite thing about him is that he is still my little boy...

-when he gets tired he still wants me to snuggle with him.

-when he gets hurt he still wants me to kiss and make it better.

-when he wakes up in the night he still wants me to put him back to bed (I think I would be okay with him waking his dad up every once in a while for that).

-when he gets sick he wants me to sit in bed and hold him.

-when he has a nightmare only mom can make it better with her famous pillow trick.

-when he has had a bad day he still says a hug and kiss from mom makes it all better.


I know one day soon he won't need or really even want those things but for now I will enjoy them and when they end I will relish the memories.

Complete

Watching your children grow up is bittersweet. There is that feeling of loss as your babies grow and change becoming more independent and strong. Sometimes learning the lessons of life the hard way and sometimes listening to the advice given them.

There is also that feeling of success when you watch them turning into young adults and you see them make the right choices and step up to the plate and stand for something good.

These moments together remind me of the divine nature of the Lord's plan and make me grateful that he found me worthy enough to be the mother of these four very wonderful, beautiful, funny, kind, loving and strong souls.

Not to mention that they "complete me"

Little Girl

There is that moment as a mother when you realize that your baby girl isn't your baby girl anymore. Of course in your heart she will always be your baby but in reality she will be...

someone's friend

someone's wife

someone's mother

and in the moment you hope that you are doing a good job of raising her so that she will be good at all those things. That she will make friends who won't try to persuade her to try bad things. That she will marry a man who will love her they way you hope she will be loved. That she will be a be a better mother to her children than her own mother was to her. That she may remember always how beautiful, wonderful, cherished and valiant she really is at all times.




And finally you hope that you will always remember these moments

The ones that remind you that she is always your baby girl...




and that will never change no matter how big she gets.

Movie Star

What a sweet young woman to work with. She was fun, kind and wasn't demanding at all. Although there was the caramel incident... hopefully she won't curse me for introducing her to voulez-vous sea salt caramels. Thanks guys for coming up, it was great to visit. Good luck out west.

L's Senior Pics

Graduation is in the air and seniors are so ready for high school to be over. I love this time of year because I get to spend some time with these young kids. They are full of energy, gumption and excitement to be heading out into the world and they are just generally fun to be around.

Gold Cup

Saturday May 1 was not only a big day for Kentucky... Congrats to Calvin Borel and Super Saver by the way. But I'm not here to talk about the Kentucky Derby today even though it is my favorite horse race ever. No today I want to touch on Virginia Gold Cup world famous steeplechase race and the 50,000 other folks who thought it would be a good idea to attend.

Let me start with the buses... oh the buses. They line up and go on an on. There were probably 100 buses there. Bringing 50-60 people to the races. Not to mention all of those who drove their own cars.


We were stationed in a tent on the north end of the field. Here is a view from our left down our section of the rail. People, people and yet more people. All standing around enjoying food and drink. Some a little too much.


This is the view to our right looking out over the tailgating section and in the distance the VIP/members only section. Yet again people, people and more people.


Did I mention the Don's Johns there were LOTS of them there. Some of the tented areas had a John right inside their little fenced area with all the food and drink. Yeah I thought that was kind of gross myself but who am I to judge

But that's not what we really came for. We knew there would be lots of people there and since it was in a field in the middle of nowhere you pretty much had to assume there would lots of Don's Johns. We were right!

What we really came for was the racing.


Being right on the rail was nice once the racing started.


The horses flew by in a blur.


All was going well on the first time around. The horses were moving gracefully everyone was clearing the jumps and they were clipping right along.


On the second round however things went bad. There was an accident on the other side of the field from us, about all we could see was that he fell and didn't get up and they sent the ambulance out. The race of course kept going and as they approached the jump near us this occurred...


First one horse and then...



A second went down. Fortunately no one on our end of the field was hurt but it is still a bit of a heart stopping experience to see. I haven't heard how the jockey from the first accident is doing but hopefully it wasn't too bad.

All in all it was a grand experience that I probably wouldn't pay to attend myself. But I was grateful for the invite, the new people that we meet, the good food, the great company, the beautiful horses, the colorful jockeys and the Don's Johns.