Thursday, December 31, 2009

Goodbye 2009

I just read a good friends blog documenting the past year and I decided that I need to write something about the wonderful things we have experienced these past 12 months. However, I need to point out that our life is not perfect...we certainly have trials and most likely always will. The beauty is that we have the gospel to anchor us and give us guidance to get through each of these obstacles that are thrown our way. THAT is the blessing :)

January: Great anticipation for the homecoming of our missionary, Christopher, who we have missed dearly in our home. His mission blessed each member of this family.

February: Arrival of our missionary! I have often thought of that wonderful day when we saw him come down the escalator in the airport. I remember thinking of my Heavenly Father and how is probably close to how He must feel when we come "home" to him. The scripture "Behold, My joy is full" kept running through my mind. There are just no other words to describe it. All of my children along with my wonderful husband together again...heaven.

March: Can't really think of much happening in this month, but I am sure we had something happen...

April: Greg and I celebrate our 23rd anniversary while Tara & Austin get engaged on that very day. At the time the thought of Tara, my sweet "little" girl getting married made my heart stop. However, 6 minths after the fact, I know that she choose wisely :) Austin is wonderful and they are VERY happy.

May: Preparations for the wedding...AND Tara graduates from high school. She actually finished her coursework early, but decided (with lots of encouragement from Greg & myself) to walk with her class.

June: Tara & Austin are married June 20th in the Draper Utah Temple. What a crazy day. The weather was awful...but everything else was perfect. I told Tara on the way to the temple that the elements could rage outside the temple walls, but that the ordinance was still the same.

July: Trip to Oregon! Greg & I took Josh and Emma and headed for the coast. It was wonderful! We traveled with Mark & Lel and their kiddos and we had a ball...Cannon Beach, Youngs River Falls, Fultano's Pizza, Mo's and the list goes on and on.

August: Back to school! Emma started 5th grade...wow. Where has my baby gone? She is beginning to become so grown up and Greg doesn't like to talk about it ;) Josh is now a junior---C.R.A.Z.Y! Where has the time gone? Christopher & Sam became engaged! Another wedding...

September: I can't remember much about this month...I wonder what we did?

October: Halloween! Emma and her best friend decided to have a party for 15 of their "closest" friends. It actually turned out great!

November: Christopher & Samanatha are married on November 20th...exactly 5 months after Tara & Austin. Another great day. I remember looking around the sealing room and seeing all the faces of people who I love. I especially remember seeing Christopher's best friends growing up in the room with us, along with the bishop they all had before their missions. What a wonderful site to know that ALL of them where there...temple worthy and home from serving honorable missions. Another testament to me about the importance of good friends. That site almost touched me more than the actual ceremony...almost.

December: Christmas! We spent a quiet Christmas with just our immediate family. We are becoming so large now that this will probably be a new tradition.

I think that about sums up the highlights from the past year. I wonder what 2010 has in store for us? Whatever it is, I know that Heavenly Father is watching over us :) Happy New Year!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Christmas, Birthday & Omelets





This year Christmas was really nice. We ended up staying home with just our immediate family for most of the day. I love how our family is growing. It is so nice to just relax with each other and enjoy everyone's company. Emma insisted on waking up at 7:00 am to open presents. We have since decided that in years to come we are going to change that somehow. We were thinking of opening gifts on Christmas Eve, but because that is Jenni's birthday, we may have to think of something else. I don't really want her to feel like we are giving her the shaft :) At least we have an entire year to think about it!

I was so relaxed that I did not take many pictures...sorry. I did remember to take my camera to Mark's late that evening for our "Omelet Night/Jenni's Birthday". We have been getting together with Mark and Lel on Fast Sunday evenings to have an "Omelet Night". Mark makes the BEST omelets! During the holidays we thought it would be nice to gather on Christmas evening and just visit in our pj's/sweats and have omelets. I love how laid back our Christmas' have become. It was truly a stress-free day.

In the pictures above you will notice that Jenni does not have a traditional birthday cake. She doesn't really like cake and requested that I make her a giant sugar cookie...so she is blowing out candles on her cookie :) She turned the great age of 21 this year..."old enough to know right from wrong, but still young enough to resist it" (I saw that saying and loved it!) Let's hope that is not the case :)

You will also see Greg chillin' in the recliner watching football, Emma cross-eyed posing for the camera (not sure what that was about)and "Markie Stewart" in the kitchen preparing our delicious meal.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Christmas Card 2009

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This year we are sending out an electronic Christmas card. It just seemed to be the easiest thing to do this year. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

(Make sure you click on each picture to enlarge it for a better look. Click it once more and it will reduce back to it's original size.)

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Christmas Spirit

I have been having a difficult time this holiday season feeling the Christmas spirit. I am not sure what the deal is. I have been listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, reading quotes and scriptures that pertain to Christmas and my all time favorite (usually) setting up my beloved nativity that my father made almost 45 years ago. I have just been struggling a bit. It just seems like Christmas was lacking something this year-it felt hallow.

These past few days I have been extremely grumpy and I don't like it. I can't really tell you why...I am just grumpy. All I could really think about is that I want this holiday to be over with so that Spring can be on it's way. Usually I love the winter months...but not this year. I usually love the snow and watching the kids sled on the hill across the street at the park. I usually love the hot chocolate and curling up with a blanket and a book. I usually love the dark days and the feeling of "nesting" at home. Not this year. I just want warmth and tulips. However, that changed this morning...

I went to church today and as I sat down I realized that it was the Christmas program. Our ward choir had obviously taken hours preparing for this day and as soon as the first song of the program was sung, my heart melted and I felt that lump in my throat that I had been lacking. The song was one of my favorites..."Away in A Manger" and it was not only sung beautifully, but the accompaniment of violins, organ, flute and piano pierced my soul. It finally brought the Christmas spirit I had been searching for. It was true beauty. I became teary eyed thinking of the humble circumstances of our Savior's birth and how much He had sacrificed because He loved each of us so much. The program ended with another of my favorite Christmas hymns..."Silent Night". As I listened to the words it seemed to put everything once again into perspective. "Silent night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright...sleep in heavenly peace". Isn't music wonderful? Sometimes it can speak to you like nothing else can. What a blessing to have this gift in our lives. It made me remember that feeling of warmth and love that should be what the season is all about.

If anyone in the choir happens to read this post, I just want to say a big "Thank you!" You made me feel that wonderful spirit. Merry Christmas!!!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Get-Together

Today our family traveled to Kaysville for my nephew, Eric's missionary farewell. He is leaving on Wednesday for Puerto Rico to serve a two year mission for our church. It is always fun to get together with everyone and visit. I actually forgot that I had a camera with me, so my pictures are taken from later in the afternoon after the main onslaught of people had come for lunch. Apologies for the randomness of the pictures...I just started snapping away. Believe it or not, I did not get a picture of Eric facing forward. He is in the picture below with his back to me...what kind of aunt am I??? I love the picture above of Josh and Taylor playing on his iTouch. Generally when we get together, Josh just isolates himself from the cousins. When I saw this I knew I had to capture it!
Bobby and his phone...never far away from him :)
Jenni and Cordell with all the gals. Cordell seems to be a chick magnet. These girls were surrounding him most of the afternoon.
Lindsay playing Christmas carols on the piano. Greg's dad is in the grey suit to the left. He had a rather bad day today. He had lots of dizzy spells and had a hard time walking. I am glad that he was able to make it at all.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Come What May And Love It

Last night Utah County was hit with the first snow storm of the season. Since then our family has had a crazy 12 hours. Cordell came down last night to join our family and Mark's in having our monthly "Sunday Omelet Night". He drove to downtown SLC and then took the TRAX to 90th south where Jenni picked him up and then came over to Mark's to join us. When it was time for Cordell to return to Salt Lake, Jenni drove him up to his vehicle. When they arrived Cordell realized that he had left his keys at Mark and Lezlie's home.

Now normally that would not be a big deal, but it had started to snow and the drive to Salt Lake was kind of scary according to Jenni. She called me and I then agreed to meet her at 7200 South with the keys. It was 11 pm when I received her call and Greg was already snoozing. I decided to grab Josh to go with me in case I had an accident and needed some moral support. He was more than happy to accompany me when I told him he could sleep in the next morning and go to school late. It took us 50 minutes to arrive there. I had to go between 35-45 mph the entire way. Much of the time I could not even see the lane markings. It was especially dicey around the point of the mountain. We finally connected with Jenni and Cordell and then drove back home arriving back around 12:45 am. Jenni had to still drive Cordell all the way to downtown SLC to retrieve his truck (TRAX was not operating by this time). So...when I got home I stayed up worried about Jenni until she arrived home safely around 1:30 am. That was part one of my crazy 12 hours...

Part two...We woke up to more snow on the ground-bummer. I was going about my normal morning when we received a phone call from Christopher saying that he had totaled his car on the way to work. Fortunately he was fine, but his car was not. He had slid on the icy roads and rear-ended another car. Poor guy...I felt really bad for him. However, he was taking it pretty good and seemed in okay spirits. Sam was on her way to get him and thankfully they have another car to use while they determine what to do.

Here comes part three...

Remember how I let Josh stay home and sleep in this morning? Well I finally dragged him out of bed and told him that if he went out and cleaned off the snow from the car, I would drive him to school. We have had Tara's Saturn here for the past few days. Tara and Austin never drive it and have graciously let us use it here for a third vehicle. Well...Josh went outside and started the car to warm it up while he cleaned it off and then out of habit, locked the door with the keys in the ignition and the motor running. Needless to say, we do not have a spare key at our house :( I called Tara and asked if they were planning to come down this way anytime soon. She told me they were at school and would come by as soon as they finished class in about an hour. She had a spare key in her purse. So...as of this moment, we are waiting for Tara and the spare key and the car is in the driveway running. I wonder when the gas tank will empty...before or after Tara arrives???

Yep...never a dull moment at the Williamson household. All morning I just keep smiling and remembering Elder Wirthlin's talk "Come What May And Love It"...Isn't it a blessing that Heavenly Father created us with the ability to smile?

Friday, December 4, 2009

Merry Christmas!

These past few weeks I have been noticing that people do not say "Merry Christmas" to each other anymore. What is with that? It has really been bothering me, so I have decided to step on top of my soapbox and voice my concern. So...if you don't want to hear it...stop reading this post :)

When I was little I remember going shopping with my mom during the holiday season and everyone that you would meet in the stores would say "Merry Christmas" or "enjoy your Christmas!" I am sad to report that so far this season, not one person has said this to me without me saying it first. What is happening to Christmas? I feel like people are forgetting the reason for the season. Are people so worried about being politically correct that they just are too scared to say anything at all? I guess what I am asking is that everyone take a minute to remember what we are really celebrating...the birth of our Savior. Next time you are in the grocery store line or out buying presents, please take a little bit of time and wish the person serving you a Merry Christmas. Each time I have done it this year I have been given a smile in return. Please help bring back this lost sentiment. And to everyone reading this post....."MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!"

Monday, November 30, 2009

Vanilla Joy Black Friday Giveaway

Once again, Kelsey has outdone herself with another great giveaway on her website, vanillajoy.com. You really need to check it out. Go to her site and check out her offers. You can then blog about it and post the following links for more entries. I am not sure how she does it, but Kelsey...you are amazing :) Good luck to everyone!!!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Thanksgiving 2009

This year for Thanksgiving we drove to Boise to spend the holiday with Dayna, Peter, Pete and my Mom. It probably ranks as one of the top 3 Thanksgivings I can remember having. It was so much fun visiting, eating and relaxing with my family. Mark, Lezlie and three of their children also drove up making even more enjoyable. Tara and Austin decided to join in the family fun and met us in Boise for the holiday. Christopher was on his honeymoon and Jenni chose to stay and spend Thanksgiving with Cordell and his family. It is kind of strange to have family strung from Idaho to Utah, but it was also nice. I love how our family is growing and the changes we are encountering because of it.

We had a feast on Thursday and on Friday morning, Dayna and I left the house to shop for Christmas. We spent the entire day together. I love spending time with my twin. It was great! Greg was very gracious and entertained Josh and Emma so that I could have some "twin time". We came home yesterday and ironically I leave again on Wednesday night to fly back to stay with Mom until early Sunday afternoon. Dayna has a work conference on Thursday and Friday and wanted me to come help Mom during her absence. We actually have had this scheduled for a couple months...long before our trip for Thanksgiving was planned. All in all, it was a great holiday!!!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

More Snapshots From The Temple Grounds

Here are a few more snapshots from the temple grounds. I am not sure how long it will take to get the photos back from the photographer, so I decided to add a few more to my blog. Enjoy!!!
Josh, Tara, Samantha, Christopher, Emma and Jenni. Too bad Austin was the photographer...this would have made a cute Christmas card.


I love the expression on Christopher's face!
This is a couple from Christopher's mission in California that drove all the way up here for his wedding. They were not able to go inside, but waited on the grounds during the ceremony and then spent the entire evening with us at the reception. Greg and I were amazed and instantly fell in love with them. How touching that they loved Christopher that much.
Tara and Eliza Blue
Abigail and Emma holding up Samantha's dress

Snapshots from Christopher & Sam's Wedding


Yesterday Christopher and Samantha were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple! Here are a few snapshots from the day. I am sure I will be posting more, but here is a little something to get it started :)

Pictured above: Josh, Tara, Samantha, Christopher, Emma and Jenni
Top Photo: Abigail and Emma waiting outside the temple

Christopher and Sam coming out of the temple.
Skyler and Nancy...family friends who traveled here from Denver. Christopher and Skyler have been friends since they were in Kindergarten.
Some of the grandchildren on the Williamson side of the family.
Christopher, Sam and Skyler

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Mr Bezzant

Last year Emma had the most amazing teacher. His name is Mr. Bezzant and she absolutely LOVED him. He was wonderful!!! We recently found out that about a week ago he was working on his roof and fell off and broke his neck. My good friend, Marja, discovered that his family is keeping a blog about his progress and recovery. If you are interested, his blog address is:

brucebezzant.blogspot.com

When Emma came home from school and told me the news my heart stopped. I hope his family knows what a great man he is and that he is in our thoughts and prayers. Emma includes him in her prayers every night :) We love you Mr. Bezzant!!!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

First Formal Dance

Josh just left on his first formal dance! It was so fun to see him all decked out in his tux and I think he looks pretty handsome if I do say so myself:) His cute little date, Jandie, was absolutely GORGEOUS!!! This dance was girl's choice and Josh was pretty excited to be asked by such a cute girl. I can't wait to hear the details of the evening when he gets home. They are with a large group of kids so I am sure they will have a great time! Of all my children, I would never have guessed that Josh would be the one going to all the dances. That kid never ceases to amaze me.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Quick Update

I have had a very busy week but still feel like I need to post something to my 'journal". So here goes...

Last night we had a rather large dinner with our extended family as well as Samantha's. Sam's mom thought it would be nice for all of us to get together prior to the wedding and get to know each other. At first this sounded like a reasonable idea, but after last night, I swear I will never host such an evening again. I was exhausted. Sam's mom asked Greg and I to take care of the meal, which does not seem like that big of a deal until I found out that her side alone had 56 people coming-yikes! I had initially thought that we would just have immediate family, but I was mistaken :( In the end around 85 people were invited. My entire day was consumed with this dinner. It was nice to come home and put my pj's on and just relax for the remainder of the evening. The good news is that we only have a few more days of insanity until the wedding. I will be happy to have this day come and go!

Jenni has moved back home. She is trying to save money and Greg and I both feel like this is the right move right now in her life. If anyone can make you smile and entertain you, it is Jenni. She is certainly a free spirit.

Tara and Austin just purchased their first car. They bought a really nice Honda Accord. It will be good for them to have a dependable car that also gets great gas mileage. They are both still working and attending school.

Josh just transferred into an AP History class. He is now taking two college courses in his junior year. It is nice to see him challenged. He also was asked by a cute girl to his first formal dance. They go next weekend and I am excited to see him in a tux! He is also busy volunteering on "youth court" at the police station once a week and in the Latin club-whew! I think that covers him for now.

Emma is in between soccer seasons and wanting to sign up for basketball. I might just give in to that request just to get rid of all her extra energy :) She is also busy creating numerous Christmas lists. Today Greg and I were napping and she slid one under the door-ha! That girl was sent to our family to keep Greg and I young. I just hope we survive.

Hopefully next time I will have something more exciting to post. But for now, this is all I have!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

Emma has a wipe board in her room that she uses to help get herself organized and to write random things on. This morning Jenni discovered this latest entry and told me to come take a look. That girl cracks me up! Lately she has been "driving me crazy" and on my case about every little thing. She has the kind of personality that once she gets an idea in her head, she will nag you to death until it is complete. Last night as I was tucking her into bed I told her that she is "making me insane and that she needs to learn patience." She must have got up and wrote this on the board after I left her room. I guess she took it to heart and I have a little repenting to do.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Happy Halloween!

We had a very relaxed, enjoyable Halloween this year. It is rather nice only have one "legal" trick or treater. Emma was a cute little cheer leader this year and I loved it...cheap costume without any stress :) She went trick-or-treating with her best friend, Kaycee and they had a ball. They brought home quite the haul of candy and seemed very satisfied.
Josh decided to dress up for school at the last minute. He went through Emma' old costumes and came up with this. Jenni was appauled. She told him he was going to get shoved into a locker showing up to school like that. I guess you just have to know Josh. He honestly does not care what people think about him. An admirable trait if you ask me. He just thought it was funny and went with it. And no...he did not see the inside of any lockers while at school.
Jenni and Cordell were invited to a Halloween party and decided to dress up as cows. Cordell was set on having utters for the evening. Not sure what that is all about, but they looked pretty funny. I stayed home and passed out Halloween candy. Greg was in Kaysville working on Jenni's car that broke down, so his Halloween was uneventful. What a good dude to help out his daughter :)

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Another Jenni Story

This past week Jenni and her best friend, Val decided to take off for a trip to Disneyland. If you knew these two girls, this would not be strange at all. They decided to go on Friday and left on Saturday. My head was kind of spinning. I have to admit that I was really concerned about sending these two out into the big, scary world all by themselves. Let's be honest... "concerned" does not even begin to describe the terror I felt. On the inside I was having massive panic attacks, but knew that I could not hold them back. My first reaction was "absolutely not!", but then I realized that they are almost 21 years old and I ccouldn't tell them no. They are technically adults...technically. What were we to do???

I am grateful to say that they had a wonderful trip and arrived back home all safe and sound earlier today. However,yesterday I had a funny (alarming) little call from Jenni that I have to relay. It went something like this:

Jenni: Hi Mom! We are at the beach and it is awesome!!!

Me: That is great! What time are you leaving today to make it to St George? (They spent the night in St George both ways)

Jenni: I think in a little while. Hey...could you do us a favor? Would you please google how long it takes to get to St George?

Me: Didn't you just drive there from St George three days ago? Don't you know from that?

Jenni: Oh yeah!!! I forgot!!! Will you do one more thing please?

Me: Sure, what do you need?

Jenni: Can you look on the computer and tell us what road we need to be on to get to St George?

Me: What road did you drive on to get to Disneyland?

Jenni: Oh yeah! I forgot!

HELP!!! Can you see my concern? After a few more minutes of discussion I discovered that they did not even take a map with them. ARE.YOU.KIDDING.ME???? 1200 plus miles and no map. Just get in the car and start driving. It is a miracle that they even made it to the California boarder, let alone a complete round trip. That girl is going to be the death of me. I have to believe that a lot of angels were out there watching over those two. Thank goodness :)

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Kaycee & Emma's Halloween Party

Tonight Emma and her best friend, Kaycee had their Halloween party with 15 of their "closest" friends. They have been planning this for weeks and pretty much driving me crazy. I am still not sure how we all got roped into having this little shin-dig, but oh-well.

Emma and Kaycee planned EVERYTHING for this party. They got their hands on a "Family Fun" magazine and discovered lots of party games. I have to say they did a really good job. They ran the show and planned the entire thing. The only thing that went wrong was when Kaycee cut her hand really bad on an ice skate right before the party and had to go to the ER to get stitches. Other than that, it ran really smooth.

I did not get any pictures until right at the end, so not many of the kids where still around, but you can get the idea. Also, I had the wrong camera with me so the photos are kind of fuzzy...sorry.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Gardening Complete :)





Yesterday was the last day for all the volunteers that work on the temple grounds at Mount Timpanogos Temple for 2009. We finished planting all the tulips and pansies in preparation for winter. It was actually rather bittersweet. I have loved these past six months working with these wonderful sisters and feeling of their spirits. When I was called to this position, I was really surprised. At first I was hesitant, but I quickly learned to look forward to each Thursday morning and visiting/working with these wonderful ladies. They have taught me so much, not only about gardening, but about life. I now look at the temple grounds with a totally different perspective. I always thought that we had to go inside the temple to learn about our Heavenly Father, but I now know that much knowledge can be found on the dedicated grounds as well. I am already looking forward to returning next spring!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Christopher's 22nd Birthday

Today we celebrated Christopher's 22nd birthday. I cannot believe that I have a 22 year old child. I keep telling Greg that I am too hot to have a kid this old-ha!

We had to speak in church today, so Christopher, Sam, Tara and Austin visited our ward and afterwards came to our home and we all had dinner and cake with Josh, Emma, Greg and myself. Jenni had an unforeseen detour in Kaysville and could not make it...bummer :( Maybe next year!!!

Christopher still requests my triple chocolate cake each year. I made up this recipe and it is indeed very rich and probably something that should only be eaten once a year...but oh...it is so yummy :\ Happy Birthday Christopher! Hope you had a great one-love ya!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Happenings

It has been a while since I have posted anything on my blog and decided that I need to say something. Even if it is not really that significant :) After all, this is my journal.

Let's see...what has been happening? This past weekend was General Conference. What a wonderful spiritual feast we had! Jenni and Christopher actually were able to get tickets to go to the Conference Center in SLC and see the Sunday morning session. What a great experience. Jenni told me how much she loved seeing President Monson and listening to his great talk. He centered his talk on giving service to others. He asked that each day we ponder the question "What did I do for someone today?" Wouldn't that world be a much better place if everyone had this mindset?

Saturday evening Jenni, Tara, Emma and myself all went out to eat at Zupas while Christopher, Josh and Greg went to the priesthood session. We really had a great time! Greg took the boys out after their meeting. It always makes me smile to drive around our little city after the priesthood session and peer into all the restaurants and see the men/boys in their white shirts and ties. If you live close to me, you have got to drive by JCW's and look into the lobby next time priesthood session gets out...WOW! I honestly think that Josh looks forward to the meal more than the meeting. Perhaps one day he will see the light :)

This Saturday is Emma's last soccer game for the season. They did really well this fall. They have only lost one game. Emma continues to love it and at times takes it a bit too seriously. Last week she was not pleased with a call that the ref (who is all of about 14 by the way) did not make. She came out of the game talking under her breath saying that he needed to go back to "Soccer School"-EKKKKKK! Talk about a teaching moment. That child is going to be the death of me! Hopefully next week she will learn to hold her tongue...

Emma is also trying to decide that all important issue of what to dress up as for Halloween. Can I just say that I am so happy to almost be done with this stage of my life? I have been worrying about Halloween costumes for 21 years now. She was debating between a lawyer and a princess. Talk about polar opposites! I think I have her finally convinced to be a cute little bunny...easy costume, warm and cheap! Not really sure I how pulled that one off.

Wedding plans are still plugging along. Before we know it November 20th will be here! We really do not see too much of Christopher anymore. He is busy working and going to school. When he does have free time, it is spent with Sam.

Jenni is still Jenni :) I don't want to go into much detail about what is happening in her life. Let's just say that she is here a lot and we seem to have LOTS of talk lately about boys ( I guess I should say boy) and looking forward to what lies ahead in her life.

Tara and Austin are doing wonderful and seem to be loving married life. They are both in school and working full time. Life is busy for them and we are grateful that they continue to stop by and say "hello" and eat. Eating seems to be a theme when they arrive. I kind of wonder if Tara is feeding that poor boy...just kidding, Tara!

Greg started his new job a few weeks ago. It has been such a blessing for our family. He is busy learning all the in's and out's and is a bit stressed, but doing fine. He is the new accountant for MetalMart. I am very grateful for all the hours he spends away from home so that I can stay home with our children.

Well...I think that pretty much sums everything up. Life is good...crazy, but good :)

Sunday, September 27, 2009

My Eternal Family




Today was our ward's annual Primary Program. I have had the opportunity to teach the 7 year old class this past year and I love it! They are so cute and I have learned to love each and every child for who they are. They have certainly taught me so very much.

The theme for our program was "My Eternal Family". What a great church we have that is centered of eternal families. As we were singing some of the songs and listening to the sweet, pure testimonies of different children, I could not help but feel the spirit and begin to get a big lump on my throat. When I hear the words to songs they really seem to touch my heart. One song that has really had an impact on me this year is "Love Is Spoken Here".

The words that really spoke to me are:

I see my mother kneeling with our family each day.
I hear the words she whispers as she bows her head to pray.
Her plea to the Father quiets all my fears,
And I am thankful, love is spoken here.


Mine is a home where every hour
Is blessed by the strength of priesthood power.
With father and mother leading the way,
teaching me how to trust and obey;
And the things they teach are crystal clear,
For love is spoken here.


What a beautiful image this made in my mind. How thankful I am that I can be part of the restored gospel and to also have my family sealed to me forever. I can think of no greater happiness than to have an eternal family. As I was pondering this, it came time for Emma to give her short talk. We had practiced it many times so that she would have it memorized and she was more than ready for her moment. She was the last speaker of the program and I said a silent prayer to myself that she would be able to do her best. When she started to speak she began to cry and I realized that she was feeling the spirit. What a sweet moment. She told her simple story and touched my heart so very deeply. What a priviledge to partake of her testimony. I will always remember that feeling I had watching her testify of eternal families with such humble power. How thankful I am for the opportunity I have had on this earth to be a mother and be part of an eternal family.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Harvest Time!




President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) said: “With the arrival of spring we hope all of you will put in your gardens and prepare to enjoy their produce this summer. We hope you are making this a family affair, with everyone, even the little ones, assigned to something. There is so much to learn and harvest from your garden, far more than just a crop itself”

I love my garden! This year we had a rather successful one and I am still busy canning and freezing much of the produce. We planted pumpkins, corn, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, radishes, carrots, tomatoes (LOTS of tomatoes...24 plants to be exact), green and red peppers, jalapenos, black eyed peas, crook necked squash, zucchinni, spagetti squash, green beans and both red and golden potatoes-whew! I decided this year to freeze a good portion of our crop because of the ease of the process...SO much easier than canning. I still have apples and grapes to deal with, but I will think of that another day :) How grateful we are for all the Lord has provided for our family.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Sun Valley Idaho





A couple of weeks ago my sister, Dayna and my Mom and myself were able to spend a couple of nights in Sun Valley Idaho. Dayna had a work conference there and invited me and Mom to come along and relax in the hotel and enjoy the pool while she attended to her classes. We had a great time! This is a quaint, quiet little place that is actually like a small college campus. It was really nice! Thanks again Dayna!!!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

First Date!!! Homecoming 2009




Ahhhhhhh! Josh had his first date last night. He turned the magic age of 16 in August and got up the nerve to ask a cute girl to Homecoming. They had a great time and had a lot of fun. Hard to believe that we have another child in the dating arena.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Christopher and Sam



I keep forgetting to post a picture of Christopher and his cute little fiance, Sam. Here they are!!! She just seems to fit right into the family. I really am still in shock that we will have two weddings exactly five months apart. CRAZY...

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Happy Birthday!!!




Friday will be Greg's 47th birthday and sadly, I will be out of town. What kind of wife am I anyway??? Dayna invited me to come with her to a work conference in Sun Valley Idaho, and Greg was very gracious and thought that I should go have some fun. What a great guy!!! Unfortunately I will be gone over his big day, so I thought that I would do this post early and surprise him. His birthday is on September 11th and I distinctly remember him calling me the day of the terrorist attacks on the east coast. He was devastated. Greg is probably the most patriotic person I know. He LOVES his country and was a little depressed to think that this tragic event occurred on his birthday. When President Bush proclaimed it to be remembered as "Patriot's Day" my first thought was "How appropriate that Greg have a birthday on Patriot's Day!" I love you!!! I will be thinking of you :)


Thursday, August 27, 2009

Happy Birthday Dayna!!!



Today is my twin's birthday!!! Happy Birthday Dayna! This picture was taken in my grandmother's back yard in Cathlamet, Washington when we were about two. It has always been my favorite picture of us (Dayna is on the left and I am on the right). I love how it captures how special having a twin is. Dayna has always been so good to me and my family and I just want her to know how much I appreciate everything she has done for us! I love you, Dayna and hope you have a great day!!!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Things That Have Been Happening Lately...

I have not been the most faithful blogger lately. I apologize. This summer has been so busy and I must confess that blogging has not been my top priority. I will have to repent and get back to being a more dedicated. In the meantime, here are some quick updates on our family.

1. I guess the biggest and most exciting news is that Christopher is engaged! His cute fiance is Samantha. She is perfect for him. She is a tiny little thing that does not seem to have a problem putting that big boy in his place. He absolutely adores her and they seem very happy. They plan to be married on November 20th in the Salt Lake Temple. We are actually heading out to her home to meet her parents later this evening. I can't believe that I have another child getting married just five months after Tara. The love bug has definitely caught the Williamson children...and it seems to still be spreading :)

2. School has started once again. It is strange to have only two children in school (outside of college). I was thinking the other day that the last time that I had only two children attending school was 1993. As much as I miss our relaxed summer schedule, it is nice to get back to early morning routines.

3. My Dad is feeling much better. He has been struggling with prostate cancer and after a complete physical, it was discovered that his fatigue is from type 2 diabetes, not just the cancer treatments. His sugar levels were through the roof and now that he is getting everything under control, he is gradually feeling like his old self again. After our visit to see him earlier this summer, I was thinking he would not be around too much longer. How fortunate we are that this is not the case!

4. I have been back on the hunt for dead people. After taking the summer off to spend with the kids, I now have the time to resume my genealogy. I cannot believe the things I am coming across. There is no doubt in my mind that many people on the other side are anxiously awaiting their temple work. I am just about ready to submit more names and I hope to have another day at the temple with all the nieces and nephews to do begin the ordinances.

5. Soccer season has begun once again. Emma had her first game yesterday and did awesome! She scored all three of her teams goals. They ended up loosing the game in a nail biter 3-4, but they certainly gave it their all. They are playing in the 11-12 year old league this year and her team consists of all 11 year olds. The team the played yesterday had girls that were all 12. With that being said, they played GREAT!.

6. I have been continuing my service mission at the Mount Timpanogas temple. I serve once a week for three hours tending to the grounds with some amazing woman. I love this calling! Not only is it peaceful working in the Lord's garden, but I love the relationships I have built with these incredible ladies.

7. Our computer had some unforeseen difficulties and Greg did his magic once again and this time "created" me a new computer. He used a rather old computer that does not even have a port for my camera. Thus the reason for the absence of pictures on this post. He is working on getting me an adapter so that I can get back to using photos!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Hello!!!

I was sitting up in my room the other night when Jenni came in the back door. The first thing she did was to yell out "Hello???" This made me smile. Every time one of the kids comes home it has somehow become a tradition for them to holler out "Hello???". Now that I am a stay at home mom, I have noticed that each of my kids loves knowing that either Greg or myself is home. It is funny that it doesn't matter how old they get, they still want to know that we are close by. This greeting is always quickly followed by a chat that usually takes place on our bed. How lucky we are that all five of our children still love to come and share their day, dreams, concerns, disappointments and joys with us. I know that they are all growing up quickly, but I hope that the days of "Hello" never disappear.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Oregon Trip 2009-Part 3




Everytime we visit Astoria, there are always a few food places we have to hit. Our all time favorite is Fultano's Pizza. I forgot to take any pictures while we were there (I was more focused on the food), but this is hands down the best pizza you will ever eat. I have yet to find anything that comes close. The sauce and thin crust make this unique and worth the 14 hour drive. Myself and all three of my siblings worked there while in high school and it is just part of the Garrison history. If you ever get the chance, go to this pizza joint and order a Mona Lisa.....to die for!!!!

Mark and Lezlie also introduced us to "Mo's" in Cannon Beach. This place is now permanantly on our list. It is situated right on the beach overlooking the famous Haystack Rock. In the picture below you can see it in the background. If you love clam chowder, this is the place. The food coupled with the atmosphere makes it a fun place to take the family.