The Keil Family

Hanging out with my boy!

2012-01-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Mike headed to New Mexico for a business trip, which left me and Eric home together. Eric had to work until 6. When he got home we had pizza and watched football together. Now anyone that knows me, knows I don't really love football until it gets to the end of the season. Yesterday I watched football all day. Eric was completely shocked that I would spend the day watching a sport I don't really enjoy. The last game of the day was the 49ers. I have liked the 49ers ever since Steve Young was on the team (I have a tiny crush on him) so I had to watch. Unfortunately the 49ers lost....bummer. It was a great night of just hanging out with Eric. This morning when Eric was leaving for school he said Mom that was really fun hanging out with you last night. Now that's what every Mom loves to hear. Such a simple thing just spending time doing something he enjoys. I love being a Mom!

I've got spirit, yes I do!

2011-11-12T20:28:00.001-08:00

This year Eric decided he was going to get involved more with school activities. He decided that it was his Senior year so he was going to make it his best. He's been to almost every girls soccer game, girls volleyball game and many of the football games. It's been fun to see him support his fellow Stallions in their events. He's painted his face, worn spray painted sombreros, made a hat out of a volleyball and many other outfits just to show his school spirit. I'm really glad he's making the most out of his last year of high school.

Weekend with Mom!

2011-10-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my Mom came to my house for a visit. Of course I didn't take any pictures sure wish I had. My Mom got remarried about 5 years ago, which has been such a blessing in all of our lives, but I have to admit at times I miss my time with my Mom. She was single for so many years that I got use to the time we spent with each other. This weekend we shopped, went to lunch and just had time to chat. Yesterday we went to church together to listen to some old friends give their missionary homecoming address as we sat there side by side at one point my Mom scratched my back. I thought back to all the times she's scratched my back. I almost started to cry. The comfort I have felt all these years just from the gentle touch of my Mother. My kids love to have their backs scratched whether it's by me or their Grandma's. I think there's something special about the nurturing touch of someone who is special in your life. I remember my Grandma scratching my back and loving it. I have been so blessed to have so many special people in my life. So I think the next time my kids ask for me to scratch their backs I am not going to resist just enjoy the time we have together and remember the special people in my life that have nurtured me along the way. Thanks Mom for spending time with me this weekend and reminding me to take time to make my kids feel special!

Freaking Out!

2011-08-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

Today I am having a slight panic attack. I am sure it is due to a lack of sleep. I started my new job working in Labor and Delivery and worked last night. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep today. It just hit me that in a year from now we could be empty nesters. Eric will be starting his senior year of high school in a couple of weeks and then who knows what he will decide to do. I can't even bare the thought of having a house without any of my kids here. I miss my Katy so much.

I start school again in 3 weeks. This will be one of my hardest semesters. I will be taking 3 classes rather than 2 and they are rough ones. Thus another reason for my anxiety. Part of me wants to give up on this school thing. I feel like I've been going FOREVER. I just don't know when I will be done. I know I can't quit Mike will kill me, but sometimes I really want to.

Like I said earlier I started a new job this week. I have wanted to work in OB for so many years. I am so excited to have the opportunity to learn and be challenged. I am a little nervous about all the things I need to learn, but it will be a nice new challenge.

Okay now that I've got it on paper now maybe I can stop freaking out and go with the flow of things and stop worrying. I know it will all work out but sometimes I get overwhelmed with all these thoughts going on inside my silly head.

I love these kids!

2011-07-22T17:46:00.001-07:00

Anyone that knows me knows I love being a Mom. All I ever wanted to be was a Mom. As my kids grow I am experiencing so many different feelings. I am so proud of the people they have become. I've watched them grow physically, mentally and spiritually. Every once in awhile I feel so sad that they are growing so fast. I know soon the time will come that it will just be Mike and me in this big house all by ourselves (I guess the dogs will be here with us too). Good thing Mike and I like each other! Katy and Eric crack me up. They are so funny to be around. Here's a picture of them dressing up in the hotel robes when we were in Vegas. It is such a joy being around them and I love being their Mother. They are great kids!

Grandma and Diego!

2011-07-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were in Cedar City visiting my family. I love time with family. My Grandma has always loved holding the babies. Every time my Mom had a baby Grandma headed to our house to stay and help for a week or so. Grandma has aged so much in the year that Grandpa has been gone. She's so frail and thin, but she always gets a smile on her face when this sweet little boy comes to visit. My nephew Diego is adorable. My Sister Kari waited a long time for this little boy. He has been such a blessing in all of our lives. It's so fun to see how all the nieces and nephews interact with him. Kari was pregnant with Diego when Grandpa passed away. I think Grandpa spent some time telling Diego all about the family he was coming to. I am sure he gave him some advice and even shared a joke or two. When I look at Diego I see Grandpa. I am so thankful for the old and young in my life that bless it everyday. I love seeing the joy this sweet little guy has brought to our family!

Las Vegas

2011-07-19T16:57:00.001-07:00

Last week we took a small vacation to Las Vegas. We had a great time visiting with Mike's cousin Cheryl and her husband Paul. They are such great people and we love spending time with them. I always refer to them as the long lost relatives. Long story, but we're so grateful Cheryl found us. Better late than never!
Cheryl's husband Paul works at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Vegas so he treated us to wonderful dinner and the tour of the hotel, it's beautiful! They treated us like royalty. It was a short visit, bit we loved our time there. Their son Jeff treated the kids to a zip line ride down Fremont street. Katy said she almost chickened out, but it was a thrill. Here's some pictures from our getaway.

It was just so nice to be all together. Now that Katy's on her own that doesn't happen much. We also had a great time visiting with my family in Cedar City. Being with family always makes me happy!

Oprah

2011-05-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Now this may be a silly post to some of you, but Wednesday was the last Oprah Winfrey show. Anyone that knows me well knows that I have watched the Oprah Winfrey show since I was in high school. I remember coming home and watching it with my Mom. All these years later I have continued to watch it. Since life has gotten busier I haven't been able to watch it everyday, but every chance that I got I was tuning in. I think about all the things I've learned from watching Oprah...struggles with weight, sex, relationships, education, loving yourself, giving service and the list could go on and on. I've laughed and cried watching her throughout the years. When my kids were little I would call my best friend and ask her if she had watched Oprah and we'd compare notes. There were many times when I would say "I learned on Oprah"...Watching her show has been so entertaining. I will miss my afternoon date with Oprah and will look back on all the years with fond memories.

What the heck am I doing?

2011-05-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

I have been so frustrated with my blog lately. I guess some how I created two blogs so when I've been posting recently it's in another blog. I've tried o get the two blogs to import and I guess I don't know what I'm doing. Hopefully this post will go to the right blog. I want this blog to be cute, but I must be lacking in the skill.

I just finished my 3rd consecutive semester of school. I made the decision to take the summer off. I hate to get behind, but I need a mental health break. I've finally completed all of my math requirements. I am so happy about that. I have three more classes to take before I can get into a nursing program. It is so hard to get into one right now so we'll see how it goes. I have so many projects I want to get done this summer. I hope I don't drive myself crazy with them.

My Katy decided to stay the summer in Cedar City. She made a lot of great friends this past year and has a job there so it made sense of her to stay there. I have to admit I miss her. It feels like she's all grown up and may never come back home. She's grown into such a wonderful young woman and I am proud of her.

Eric is just about to finish his Junior year and boy is happy about that. He's ready for the summer to begin. I am hoping he finds a job so he'll be busy this summer.

We are planning a trip to Oregon this summer. We're going to go visit Mike's cousins there. It will be so nice to get away.

I think Mike is relieved to be done tutoring in Math. He helped me for a straight year on Math. I never would have made it through without him. He's such a great support to me! I am so blessed to have him.

Time to Update!

2011-04-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

I was told today that I need to do a new post and yes it's true. I was just thinking that the other day, but life is crazy busy as usual. Just a quick update...we flew to Texas a few weeks ago to pack Mike's Mom up so she could move back to Utah. Then we flew home and waited for her to arrive. Now we've been busy helping her get unpacked and settled in her new house in Stansbury. We are so glad to have her close to us again.

Eric celebrated his 17th birthday. I cannot believe my baby boy is 17. I remember when the kids were little my Mom would tell me to enjoy my time with them because it will go by fast. Once again Mom was right. I know she loves when I say that. They have grown up so fast and at times I get a little sad wondering where all the time went.

Eric went to his Junior Prom last weekend. Pictures are coming as soon as I find my cable to download the pictures.

Katy is finishing her 2nd year at SUU. I still miss her. It's hard to have her so far away, but such a relief she's getting to spend time with my family in Cedar City. Katy got an internship for the summer working with the Obama campaign (yes she's a political science major). So she will be moving home for the summer. It will be nice to have her here.

I am still so busy with school. I am really needing a break right now. I am debating on taking the summer off, but we'll see.

Well there's a quick update. I will get on the ball soon and be better at blogging. I keep telling Katy she needs to make my blog cute so hopefully she'll take pitty on my lack of creativity.

Sacrifice!

2011-01-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

Today in Relief Society we had a great lesson on Sacrifice. It was a wonderful lesson that I really enjoyed and I wanted to jot down a few of my feelings. As Mothers we are constantly sacrificing whether it be our time, cooking, cleaning, listening or all other manner of things. Sometimes quite frankly I don't want to cook or clean, but I do it because we need to eat and I love my family. It was mentioned that we as women don't share our true feelings with each other for fear of judgement. I know I am guilty of this. I have felt lonely many times needing someone to talk to but not wanting to be judged so I keep it in. Why is it that we women are so hard on ourselves? I was talking to Mike yesterday about how tired I am for apologizing for myself whether it be I'm sorry I'm not as smart as others or my house isn't as clean as others or whatever it may be. I am fed up with apologizing for being me. I am different from other people and that's okay. We as women need to give ourselves a break. We sacrifice so much for our families and I am glad to do it, but I also need to be true to myself and accept my imperfections and be proud of being me. I know this is a lot of rambling, but I want to make an effort in 2011 to stop apologizing for not having a College degree yet or any thing else. I want to be more confident and look at my accomplishments instead of imperfections. Mike was saying yesterday that he thinks a lot of women are afraid to show confidence and that it's okay to say I think I'm pretty neat. I will continue to cook for my family and do the laundry because I love them, but I'm going to try harder to be happy with who I am today not what I hope to be. No more being afraid to open up to others about my feelings. If they want to judge then I guess we're not that great of friends. I am not perfect, but I try really hard to be the best I can be. Let's all pat ourselves on the back for all the good we do.

Christmas 2010 Part 2

2011-01-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pics from our Christmas festivities. Like I said earlier we had Mike's family staying with us so we had lots of fun playing games and eating of course. There was some serious rock band going on too. We hosted the Keil Christmas party at our house. We decided we would incorporate the ugly Christmas sweater into our party. Cheryl also decided we needed some flashy necklaces to go with our beautiful sweaters so we designed our own creations and boy were they festive. We had a lot of fun picking out our most fabulous sweaters. Eric did a fine job with his sweater, but the candy cane turtleneck underneath really sealed the deal. Cheryl picked out the same sweater as Eric, but added the sparkly sweater underneath. I made Mike purchase his sweater out of the womens section. It had ginger bread houses on it and said something about Happiness is Homemade. He thought it needed some manning up so he added a flannel shirt with it. We had a great time laughing at each other.
We played games on Christmas Eve and had a fun time just being together. Then Christmas morning I woke up at 6:00 and waited for the kids to come get us. They never came so finally at 7:00 I woke them up. I guess it is official our kids have grown up. Here's some pics of Christmas morning:

We were so grateful to get to spend time with our family and create more memories. Mike and I did say after it was over we wish we hadn't been so busy so we could have enjoyed it a little more. Next year I need to find a way to be a little more organized so we can truly enjoy the month of December and reflect more on the true meaning of the season.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas was a success. Of course our December was hectic and non stop, but we had an enjoyable time. Mike's Mom and Sister came and stayed with us for the month of December. We had a fun time spending the holidays with them. We attempted to take a family picture for our Christmas Cards, but that was not successful. You would think a family of four could pull off one decent picture, but it wasn't meant to be. Here's a look at one of our attempts:

We went to the Caldwell/Breinholt Christmas party. That's a yearly tradition for my side of the family. We added a white elephant exchange, which made for some good laughs. Here's some pictures of the family.

It's always so fun to get to see our family. I wish it could happen more ofter, but we are all so busy that it just doesn't happen as ofter as we would like. I'll add more later about our Christmas fun.

My Grandma's Hands!

2010-10-18T19:56:00.001-07:00

This is my Grandma. Isn't she adorable?

Recently I went to church with my Grandma and as we were sitting there I glanced down at her hands. I thought of how they've changed throughout the years. As I was reflecting on all the good memories with my Grandma the tears started to come of course. My Grandma has been the kind of Grandma I hope to be. Her hands are now wrinkled and old, but still so gentle and loving. I guess when you are 83 years old your hands get that way right? She's always been so encouraging, loving and sweet. I think all of her grandchildren would say that they feel so special when they are with her.

A few weeks ago my Grandma fell outside and has been in a lot of pain ever since. I don't know if she'll ever really recover. She's moved in with my Mom so she can help her. It's hard to see her growing old. My Mom has been a true example of a daughter taking care of her mother. So my Grandma has set the example for all of us to take care of our families. She's always been there for all of us. Now that my Grandpa is gone I am holding on to every treasured moment I get with her. I know she misses him dearly just as we all do. It's hard to picture the day that all of my grandparents will have returned home, but it's inevitable. So I will cherish every moment that I get to hold those sweet wrinkled hands of a woman I love so dearly!

What I learned from Ward splits!

2010-09-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

Since we've lived in Stansbury we have been involved in 5 or 6 different Ward splits. Everytime the big announcement comes I get anxious and feel some sadness. It's been frustrating at times to be the street that seems to be on the border of the changes. About 3 weeks ago our Ward split again and our street got put back in the Stansbury Lake Ward. We were in that Ward 5 1/2 years ago and when we were put in the Bayshore Ward I was so sad to be leaving all my great friends in the Stansbury Lake Ward. As the years went by I grew to love the people of the Bayshore Ward. I really didn't want to leave them. The first week back in my new Ward I had a bad attitude. I left and told Mike I didn't want to be in that Ward. I missed my friends in the Bayshore Ward. Mike doesn't understand why it's such a big deal. He always says you can still talk to each other and be friends. In reality everytime I've been through a split you just seem to lose contact with great people. Life is so busy that there's not time to see each other except for on Sundays. Back to my first week in the new Ward. I vented to Mike my frustration with the change and he reminded me about all the great people in the Stansbury Lake Ward that have been my friends for many years. He told me I just needed to concentrated on the good. Well once again he was right. After being in the Ward for 3 weeks now. I have thought about the good and come up with a list. This Ward has been so excepting of all the new people. They have gone out of their way to welcome us and make us feel like we are a part of them For two weeks in Relief Society they have had us introduce ourselves. They had a special "linger longer" (eat cake and ice cream) after church for us last week so we could mingle and get to know each other. Who does there that? Last week the Relief Society had an Enrichment Activity to get to know each other. The bishopric went around to all of the new houses added into the Ward and met everyone. This Ward has really made an effort to make us feel welcome. It has been so refreshing!

So back to what I've learned.

1. Have a good attitude!
2. There are always reasons for why we are in the Ward we're in.
3. Put forth an effort to get to know people.
4. Through every Ward split I have met wonderful people that have blessed my life.
5. Look for the positive in everyone you meet. We are all different, but we can learn something from almost everyone.
6. Enjoy the Journey!

So I am going to embrace my new (old) Ward and hope that I still run into my friends from previous Wards. I have just really been impressed by the love shown to all of us through this change. I hope to always be mindful of others when they go through the same changes. A Ward is really an extension of our family!

Three Year Anniversary!

2010-09-02T16:51:00.001-07:00

I've debated for awhile now if I should do a post on this and finally decided this is my journal and I can put it in there. On September 4th it will be my 3 year anniversary after having weight loss surgery. This picture was taken the day before I had surgery. I've been thinking what I learned from this whole process and thought I would share my thoughts. Having surgery was the hardest thing I have ever done. I thought about it for many years before I made the decision to do it. I was so afraid I was going to die. I had heard all the horror stories. I just knew I couldn't live like that anymore though. Once I made the decision I was afraid to tell anyone I didn't need to hear anymore stories. I told very few people before I did it. I remember the day of surgery I was scared to death. I thought I was going to jump off the table when I was waiting to go into the OR. After the surgery it was rough. If I hadn't had the support of my family and some good friends I don't if I would have made it.

What I have learned through this process is that you need to love yourself no matter what size you are. I am still the same person as I was 3 years ago. I am a little more confident and I can do more things that I couldn't with the extra weight, but I am still me. I got so caught up in the negative self talk that I couldn't live my best life. I now realize what I did to my daughter by all the negative comments I made about myself. I really wish I hadn't done that. I should have been teaching her that no matter what size I was that I was still a good person.

People ask me all the time if I am glad I did the surgery and I reply with a yes, but I sure wouldn't want to do it again. I get to enjoy so many more things with my family now, but more than that I feel healthy. Health is what it is all about. I want to live many more years with my family. I remember the first time I jumped on the trampoline with my kids. I started crying. I had looked at that trampoline for years and just wanted to jump with them. Then once I could jump with them I had to worry about wetting my pants. Oh the joys of being a woman.

I am so thankful that Mike loved me all those years whether I was 250lbs. or not. He always told me that I was beautiful no matter what size I was. I am so blessed to be married to a great man.

My Grandpa!

2010-07-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

Chris presenting my Grandma with the flag.

My brother Chris is a Major in the National Guard and performed the military service for my Grandpa. Here he's saluting my Grandma.

My sweet nephew Emilio was an honorary pall bearer. He wanted so badly to help carry the casket so he joined in. So cute!

Eric was one of the pall bearers.

This is my Grandpa and Grandma Dickinson

Last Tuesday my grandpa passed away and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to write down my feelings about him.

My Grandpa was no ordinary Grandpa. He was a hero to me. My Grandpa was gruff and at times scared me, but he was the first to wipe tears from his eyes when family was involved. I once told my cousin "Grandpa scares me and she said aw he's a big teddy bear"....she was right. He taught me to be proud of the family name and embrace the people that came before us. He grew up in Panguitch a little town in Southern Utah. He had a lots of property up at Pangutich Lake along with a cabin there. I learned to love Panguitch Lake merely because he loved it. So many good memories there for me. He would give anyone the shirt off his back. He taught all of us kids to work hard. Nothing in life comes without hard work. He taught us to stay out of debt. Save up for the things you need and then purchase them. He loved my Grandma and I never doubted that.

Now when I say he was my hero there are many reasons for that. When I was 18 my parents got divorced. My Mom was faced with needing an affordable place for her and her 6 children to live. There weren't many options available for our family so my Grandpa and Grandma moved out of their house in Cedar City and moved into a condo so we would have a place to live. Our van was totally falling apart and he made sure we had a reliable car to drive. There were many little extras that us kids needed so they always made sure we were provided for. He was a great man. He always gave advise (whether you wanted it or not). Some of his words of wisdom were "always check your oil" and "never pay full price for a car there's another dealership down the road if they won't give you the price yo want". He loved to cook for his family. The sourdough pancakes were my favorite. The stuffed mushrooms are a close second. He always sent us home with a loaf of sourdough bread.

Grandpa had been on oxygen for the past 16 years. I never thought we would get to have him for that long with being on the oxygen. He always took the opportunity to tell anyone that the biggest mistake he made was ever smoking. He had been sick for about 6 weeks and was diagnosed with pneumonia. When he didn't get better they did further tests and found that he had lung cancer. They gave him 3-6 months. When he went home on hospice last Monday I think he just couldn't do it anymore. Later that night he had a stroke and died later that Tuesday. When I got the phone call I hurried home and headed to Cedar City. I got there an hour before he died. I got to kiss that bald head one last time. He fought hard to take care of my Grandma and he was tired. I am glad now he's heaven telling his silly jokes and visiting with my cousin Kim.

He was a great man that I loved. There are many people in our lives that touch us in a way that we can't quite put into words and that's how I feel about him. I hope to live up to his example and remember that family is everything. I love you Grandpa and look forward to the day I get to hear those lame jokes again.

The 1970 China Cabinet Re-do!

2010-07-06T20:30:00.001-07:00

About 13 years ago Mike's Aunt gave us a china cabinet that she was getting rid of. I was so excited to get it so I could store my valuables in it. It wasn't the best looking thing, but when you're just starting out you'll take anything that's free and be thrilled about it. As the years went by the more this china cabinet bugged me. It was so out dated, but I knew Mike would never go for buying a new one. For years I thought maybe I could just paint it and it would look better, but the project just felt too big to me. Then awhile back my sister told me about this blog that had all these cute ideas to refinish "ugly" furniture. I loved looking at the blog and the more time I spent I kept thinking how I could maybe make that ugly china cabinet look better. So one day after Katy got back from College we tore it apart and the journey began. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture before I took it apart so you could see the brass criss cross metal in the sides of the glass on the top cabinet. They were very 1970's. The more we painted the better I felt about our adventure. It took a lot of time, but with Katy helping me it went faster than I thought. I only broke one piece of glass (cost 8.00 to replace) and almost needed stitches when I took off a chunk of skin cleaning the glass pieces. All in all I think the project cost me about 50.00 to complete. It took primer, paint and new hardware and walla I got myself I pretty hip china cabinet. The picture doesn't do it justice, but I am in love with my very old up to date hand me down. I took all of the cream china my Mom gave me and put it on display with one pop of green in the center. Every time I walk in my dining room I smile with glee because I saved us some money and feel great about it.

Goodbye to Polly!

2010-06-24T14:47:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had to put our cat Polly to sleep. She was 12 years old and had gotten sick. We tried a few different things to help her, but finally decided that putting her to sleep was probably the best thing to do.

I am not really a huge cat fan, but she really was a good cat. The thing that made her even more special was the fact she was one of Mike's parents kittens. When their cat had kittens there were 4 of them. The kids were little when they were born so they loved to look at the baby kittens. One day Katy came home from her visit with Grandma and Grandpa and told me all the names that her and Grandpa had come up with for the kittens. They were some pretty silly names (Grandpa Frank was always good for a laugh). Then Katy told me that her Dad told her she could have one of the orange cats since it had the same color of hair as her. Thus we ended up with Polly. Mike actually named her Pollyester from a character on some show. We lovingly referred to her as Polly.

We have never lost a pet before and it was a very difficult decision. I took these pictures of the kids with her the day before she died. Eric's picture kind-of tells how he felt about it. It was a very sad day for our whole family. Pets really are a big part of your family. We are grateful that Polly was a part of our family for so many years!

Our Anniversary trip!

2010-05-31T08:25:00.001-07:00

Mike and I headed to Logan on Thursday night for a few days to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We had originally thought we would try to get to Hawaii for our anniversary, but with me being in school and other financial obligations we decided this wasn't the year for that. I told Mike as long as we are together that's all that mattered. My friend Miriam is from Logan and refers to it as "Gods Country" so what better place to spend your anniversary then in "Gods Country". Mike went to a year at Utah State and he has always loved it there. I have to agree with Miriam it is so beautiful! Just driving into Cache Valley is so breath taking. So green and lush. On Friday morning we headed to Bear Lake before the rain started and rented this cute little bike made for two and hit the bike trail. When I saw the bike I knew that was the one for me. I knew riding side by side and getting to chat with Mike would be a great way to go. The whole time we were riding we laughed at how ridiculous we probably looked and knew our kids would be humiliated, but we loved it. We made it all the way around the bike trail it took us 1 1/2 hours and our legs were a little tired, but what a thrill. We have always loved Bear Lake. We've spent a few summer vacations there with Mike's family so lots of good memories for us. Of course after our ride we celebrated our accomplishment with a raspberry shake, hamburger and fries....yum!

On Saturday we headed to the Pepperidge Farms thrift store, Gossner cheese factory, Ross (I love that store), and off to Idaho for Mike's lottery ticket. Every time we are close to the Idaho border we stop at LaTinda for one. Now I was pleasantly surprised that LaTinda has remodeled. The last time we stopped there I was so horrified by the hanging fly paper in the store I couldn't even purchase a bottled drink. So when Mike said he wanted to go I thought oh boy where's the hand sanitizer. When we pulled up the outside looked fresh and new so I went in with him and was very happy to see that the inside was much better. I am sorry to say that Mike only won 4.00 minus the 20.00 he spent on the tickets, but the adventure made for a good picture.

We mostly just relaxed and ate way too much food (back on Weight Watchers we go)but it was so nice to be together just the two of us. It is so important to make time to be alone. Ours kids are great, but before we had them it was just the two of us and someday it will that way again. I am so blessed to have such a great husband and friend!

Women's Conference 2010!

2010-05-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Women's Conference this year was wonderful as usual. I love the time I get to spend with my family and friends. This year we had my Mom, my sister Kari, my step sister Neisha, and my best friend Colleen. The picture I am in is of me and Colleen. I always feel so spiritually fed when I attend the conference and leave wanting to be a better Mother and Wife. For the past couple of years we've started attending the concert they have in the evening. It is so much fun and we get to act like silly teenage girls again. Who wouldn't act silly when cute Alex Boye comes out on the stage?

I really enjoyed Sister Julie Beck's talk on prioritizing our lives. I really need to work harder on doing the essential things in my life. I have become way too casual about the way I strengthen my testimony. There were so many good messages and I wish I had more time to write them down, but for now this will have to be good enough.

I can't wait for next year and the time that I get to spend with some of the people I adore the most!

Eric's Ordination!

2010-04-18T15:45:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday Eric was ordained a Priest. I of course have no pictures from the occasion. I seem to be a bad Mom when it comes to capturing memorable moments on camera. So the picture up above is of Eric and the Hughes boys at Disneyland a few years back. The Hughes have been our friends for many years. The Hughes have three boys. Alex is their oldest (5 months younger then Katy). Curtis is 1 week younger then Eric and Parker is 12. So our kids have grown up together.

When it came time for Eric to be ordained I asked him who he wanted to do it and he said he'd like Alex to do it. I was so impressed that Eric thought so much of Alex to ask him. He's always looked up to Alex. In the circle that day was Alex, Curtis (he had just been ordained right before our meeting), Terry, Don, Bishop Rueckert, Bro. Newhouse, and Pedro Fajardo. There have been many great men in Eric's life to step in and perform priesthood duties on his behalf. I have always been so grateful to all of those men. I am thankful to Alex to be such a great example to my son. He was worthy to be able to perform this special ordinance. His example of preparing to serve a mission in the near future is a blessing to his family and ours. Once again great friends and family blessing our life!

Friends!

2010-04-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

This past week I went out to dinner with most of the ladies that served in my first Young Womens Presidency. Of course I forgot my camera so no picture. It was so nice to get see so many of them. Since my ward split a while back I don't even get to see them at church. As we sat there talking for hours I realized how much I have missed spending time just being with good friends. That is not to say that I don't ever get together with friends, but recently I have felt such a void in my life. In the ward I am currently in I don't really spend a lot of time hanging out with the women there. I think a lot of it is due to the stage of life I am in right now. I don't have small children anymore and I work full time along with going to school. It's not anyone's fault it's just the way things are. It was so nice to just be with ladies and catch up on each of our lives. It made me think about how much I need interaction with good friends. I need to be able to share my feelings, go over the struggles and triumphs in my life. We as women need to take time for ourselves and nourish our friendships. In a couple of weeks I will head off to my annual 2 days at BYU Womens Conference. It is such a great time to spend with family and friends. Another chance to spend time with great friends. Just as our kids need good friends in their life, we as women need the same. I am so grateful for wonderful friends in my life that make me laugh, cry with me, and inspire me to be a little better.

I have an Eagle Scout!

2010-03-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a wonderful day. Eric had his Eagle Court of Honor. I was such a proud Mom. I have two brothers that are Eagle Scouts and i don't think I ever realized what exactly they had to do to achieve this great accomplishment. I can now truly appreciate their perseverance.

I think of the people that have influenced Eric in achieving this great accomplishment and the first person I think of is my sweet husband Mike. He has supported our kids in everything they are involved in. Now Mike was not much of a scout himself, but as soon as Eric got involved, there Mike was too. I remember him spending hours with Eric helping him make his first pine wood derby car (which took first I might say). Anyone that knows Mike knows that he really doesn't enjoy camping, but that didn't stop him from going to scout campouts with Eric. Yesterday the Scout Master said that if he asked who Eric's best friends are he would bet that his Dad would be on the top of the list and I have to agree.

I also think of Keith Stewart. Keith has been in Scouts with Eric more years than I can count. Keith himself is an Eagle Scout and he had it in his head he was going to help these boys achieve the same goal he had. Keith is one of those men that never stops giving. Always devoting hours, money, and encouragement to help young boys grow into men. If it weren't for Keith I am not sure Eric would have been able to achieve this goal. Keith is one of those guys that remembers all the Scout leaders in his life that gave their time to him and is giving back to show his appreciation. What a great man!

I also think of Eric's friends that have already gotten their Eagle and have encouraged him to do the same. They also helped him with his project and that made his project that much easier.

It was a great day. Eric so appreciated all the friends and family that came to support him. I think the program went well and he enjoyed his day. I hope Eric will give back to other young men and help them accomplish the same goal of Eagle Scout.

A lesson in faith!

2010-02-22T06:33:00.001-08:00

So this past week I got a little lesson in faith. I am a little nervous to share because my emotions are pretty raw right now, but since this blog is intended to be a journal here we go.
I found out this past week that I did not get into a nursing program I had my heart set on. I had made all the plans. Had my summer all planned out around it you get the picture. When I got the news I was devastated to say the least. I spent about two days crying my eyes out and all of those negative self defeating thought came into my head. Thank heavens for a wonderful husband and a Mom that I could cry to. I spent hours putting myself down and wondering if this is really what I am meant to do. I feel in my heart I am meant to be a nurse, but them when I have to take a Math test I freeze. When I originally applied to this school I wasn't sure if it was the right program for me so I took the attitude that if it was meant to be everything would work out. I literally turned it over to the Lord to direct me. I still believe the Heavenly Father has a hand in this and there is a reason. I am not sure what the reason is, but I am okay with that. My confidence is a little shaken and it will take me some time to gear up again, but I will continue on. As I was balling my eyes out last week all I could think of was what others would think of me. When does it ever end? I am 40 years old and still worry what others will think of my perceived failures. All I could focus in on was the "failures" maybe it's not the failures we should focus on but the journey and lessons learned along the way. I don't know what exactly is in store for me, but I will continue on with faith. I hope to always learn from the journey. As I sat in my house feeling sorry for myself I thought if only I had someone to talk to you. Just a good neighbor friend to go cry to. It was a lonely feeling and maybe I need to learn that there are others around me that need that friend. Is it possible that I need to tune into the spirit to be there for someone else? So many lessons to learn.

Not to ramble anymore, but some of you know I adore Hillary Weeks. My sister Kari told me about her blog and so I have become somewhat of a creeper and look at it once in awhile. In one of her posts she talks about recording everyday "how she saw the hand of the Lord in her life each day" I love that. Maybe I should take her advice and concentrate on the many blessings I have in my life. Time to let the negative thinking go and find joy in the journey!

Nothing is Impossible if we trust in the Lord!

2010-01-31T15:35:00.000-08:00

I hope this post makes any sense and is not just a bunch of rambling. This morning I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and got myself ready to head in to my CNA class. Mind you this is the 3rd straight weekend of this and I am a little tired and overwhelmed. Now I don't know about you, but when I put those two things together tears seem to flow pretty easily. I have not been to church for 3 weeks now and next week will be traveling back from Idaho following my nieces baptism so that will make 4 straight weeks. I have often wondered if I will have the strength when my kids are grown and gone to go to church alone, but after these past weeks I don't know how I will have any strength if I don't go. I decided the first Sunday I drove into my class I would take some of my church CD's in the car with me to be uplifted and that would be my form of church. That was a good idea. A few Sundays ago I listened to Alex Boye sing "Nothings Impossible" (love him). Just what I needed to hear. Then this morning as I was leaving the house I went in to kiss Katy goodbye since she was headed back to Cedar today (which I didn't get to spend nearly enough time with her due to my classes)
and as I was hugging her the tears started to flow. Not a strong Mom! Katy said Mom "I know you are overwhelmed, but you can do it and I am so proud of you." I know I keep saying it, but I love that girl. So I got in my car this morning and started "my church" for today as I drove and another song came on about a mother feeling like she could never get enough done, always feeling inadequate and basically wondering if she was going to make it. In the song it talks about how our Savior fed many people with just a couple fish and some bread. You get the picture. It went on to remind me that if we rely on him we can do anything. I don't think that means it's going to be easy, but easier with his help.

I have spent so much time wondering why I am putting myself and my family through this. Mike makes a good living and we are not suffering, but I have had this dream for many years now to be a nurse and I want to accomplish it before it's too late. Now I know it would have been smart to do when I was a young woman just out of high school, but at that time in my life I really just wanted to be a wife and mother. I seriously could not think of anything else I wanted to be so that is what I did. I love being both a wife and mother, but then about 10 years ago through a few different experiences it came to me what my 2nd hearts desire was to be a nurse. Now I have never been a stellar student. I have to work very hard for the grades I get and sometimes a C+ is my best. But I can do this if I trust in the Lord and ask for his help. I may need some of you to remind me of this when I doubt myself again. My Mom went to nursing school after her divorce. She had 6 kids me being the oldest (18) and the youngest (8). She told me that how she got through was reading her scriptures and praying for the Lord to help her. What a great example to me. If my Mom can do it in her circumstance then I can do it. So to any of you that have those self doubts like I do way too often let's rely on the Lord a little more so we can feel peace and accomplish what seems impossible!

I'm in a blog rut!

2010-01-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

So I keep thinking I need to post something, but feel like I don't have much to say. I keep wondering if it's worth continuing to blog. It just seems like one more thing I don't seem to find time to do. Then this morning I found a binder of past posts that I printed and put in a binder (my form of journaling/scrapbooking) and thought maybe I shouldn't give it up. I use to be so good at keeping up my journal and life got busier and I gave it up so I guess if I even take just a few minutes every now and then atleast we will have something written about our lives.

So here is just a brief summary of silly things going on in the life of the Keils.

Mike is the best husband, father, and friend I could ever ask for. I don't mean to brag, but I am pretty happy to have him. He hit 44 and the dreaded eye site went so now he is sporting some new glasses. I keep telling him they look sexy, which of course Eric cringes over. He is so busy with work, but still finds the time to go to the gym with Eric and hit the Xbox for some NCAA playing time. Eric has been struggling with friends so Mike has stepped right in.

I am a little stressed at the moment. I am enrolled in a CNA course which is all day Saturday and Sunday for 3 weeks plus 4 clinical days on top of that. I am applying to a nursing program and am nervous I won't get in and yet am very nervous that I may get in. Does that make sense? I know that if I get in, our lives will change drastically for 2 years. I have just left it in the Lord's hands. If it's meant to be it will all work out.

Katy has started her 2nd semester at SUU and is enjoying it. I think she loves the freedom that College life brings. She's been on a few dates and of course I am constantly trying to get all the details. I keep giving her tips on flirting (I don't know why since I was not good at it myself) but I think she just thinks I am pretty much a creeper! I am so proud she is going to College and making good decisions for her life. I have really missed her I keep telling her if she wasn't my daughter I would pick her for a friend because she's just a great young woman and so fun to be with.

Eric is plugging along with his Sophomore year. It's been an adjustment not having Katy at school with him. He really enjoyed having his older sister with him last year. I am so happy when I see how much my kids love each other. Now don't get me wrong they have had their moments of being annoyed with each other and even having arguments. But for the most part they have been pretty good to each other. I hear people talk all the time about how much their kids fight and I feel so blessed that is rare at our house. Eric just passed his board of review and will be getting his Eagle Scout award in the near future. Aw relief! Great Scout leaders make such a difference! He will be trying out for the high school soccer team pretty soon too.

So we continue to stay busy, but life is good. I feel so blessed that we have good health and steady jobs. I have a dear friend who is so positive and always looks for the good things in every situation and I am making it my goal this year to become more like her. Life is hard at times, but when we concentrate on the good happiness shines through!

We Are Family

2009-12-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted in such a long time and this post is mostly me just needing a place to put my feelings down. So I apologize now to all of you that may not want to hear my ranting so with that in mind you may want to just ignore this post now.
I love the song "We Are Family" (I think by Sister Sledge). What does it mean to be a family?
Due to a recent incident, I have spent some time pondering our relationships as family members. How is that sometimes we hurt the people we are suppose to love the most? I grew up in a large family and I can tell you many great qualities each of my siblings have. I could probably tell you some that aren't so great just as they can do the same with me. When we were little my brothers and sisters got on my nerves, but I can tell you that I adored each one of them. To this day they are some of most favorite people. I know at times I say and do the wrong things. I hope that they will forgive me and look beyond my imperfections. I wonder if sometimes we let silly things that get said destroy our relationships. Do we look for reasons to be offened when no offense was meant? I have done that at times. I honestly think that most of us never intend on offending each other. We are just human and say the wrong thing or don't think before we say it. I feel so strongly that when we are a family we need to overlook the small things that we choose to turn into much more than was ever intended. This life is meant to be a place that we build relationships as families not destroy them.

I guess what I am really trying to say is that I am sorry if I have offended the people I love the most. I understand now what my Mom has always said "that someday it will just be you and your brothers and sisters will you be friends?" I hope to always be close to my siblings and teach my children that there is no greater joy in life then being close as a family. I know this makes no sense to many of you, but it's a reminder to me to overlook the silly things in life and if something really bothers me to discuss it with that person. I think when we really sit down and discuss things we find out that people really never meant to hurt us. I love all of my family members and hope that our realtionships will only grow to be stronger throughout the years. Life is way to short to spend time being mad and not enjoying life together. Some of the best advice my Mom gave me on my wedding day was not to sweat the small stuff.

My 40th Birthday!

2009-11-30T05:21:00.000-08:00

I am a little slow getting this posted with everything going on it has taken me awhile. On November 14th I turned the big 40. I really wasn't dreading it like I thought I would. Age is in the attitude or something like that. It's funny to hear these young girls at work talk about how old they feel because they are turning 30. I just kind of laugh. I remember saying that too and now 30 seems like a baby to me.
The day before my birthday Mike and the kids took me to Park City for the night. We had a wonderful steak dinner and just hung out together. On my birthday we went shopping (one of my favorite activities) at the outlets and then headed home. Katy had planned a special birthday party for me. Katy, Eric, and Marissa (Katy's best friend) spent a lot of time making and decorating my birthday cake. It was beautiful, but I was a little concerned when they warned me that I may not want to eat it. They were afraid the black frosting would stay on my teeth for an extended period of time. Mike bought us dinner from Cafe Rio and we ate on china. Katy went to a lot of trouble to make everything so nice. She decorated the house, set the table with china and we ate by candle light. It was just our little family plus Marissa (she's one my kids too). After dinner we played cards. The birthday cards that everyone gave me were the best part. It was just a really great day. Everyone should feel special on their birthday and I definitely did. If any of you are dreading an upcoming birthday just embrace it and look forward to what the next year will bring!

We're Going To Miss Grandpa Frank!

2009-11-12T18:20:00.000-08:00

This past Tuesday Mike's Dad Frank passed away peacefully at home. We went to Texas only two weeks ago to see him due to his declining health. What a blessing that was for us to see him one last time. We will forever be grateful we followed our hearts and went to visit. Although we are saddened we are relieved that he is out of pain and reunited with loved ones that passed before him.

Grandpa Frank was an incredible Grandpa. He loved holding babies and always jumped at the opportunity to hold our kids or any other sweet baby near by. He always made Katy and Eric feel like they were the neatest kids in the world. He was very good at drawing and spent lots of time drawing pictures with the kids. When we played Pictionary everyone wanted to be on his team. When he played games with us we knew there would be lots of laughs in store. Grandpa loved vacationing in Mexico and was kind enough to take us with them. Now we love Mexico just as much. We will cherish the many memories of vacationing in the water and the beach with him.

Anyone that knew him knew he was intelligent and very well informed on politics. He was a master musician. I was always so amazed that he taught himself to play the piano and boy could he play. Mike's cousin recently posted a video of Frank playing the piano and Katy has spent many times this week watching it. Anyone that knew him knew that he had a deep love for Grandma Lynn. He adored her! He was so proud of his two children Mike and Cheryl. He accepted me into his family nearly 20 years ago. Always respecting my beliefs and making me feel like I was a valued part of the family. He always supported Katy and Eric in everything they did. Whether it was dance performances, soccer games, baptisms, primary programs and the list could go on. He was a generous man. Always eager to help another person. Whether it be playing the piano at special functions, letting people live with them when they needed a helping hand, and even taking in stray cats looking for a home. Frank took the time to get to know my family. My brothers and sisters always felt like he was truly interested in them. He accepted my family just like they were his family.

I am a better person for knowing Frank Keil and feel so blessed that he helped raise a son that respects me, treats me with compassion and love. I am so thankful my children felt like when they were with their Grandpa they were truly special. It will be a great reunion one day when we meet again. We love you Grandpa Frank!

The Boo!

2009-10-24T07:37:00.001-07:00

A childhood memory that our kids have is "The Boo". Mike grew up in Taylorsville and just down from his parents house is a neighbor that every October puts up a Halloween display. We lived with Mike's parents for a year when Katy was 1 so almost every night in October we would take a walk down the street to see what we named "the boo". Our kids have grown up loving this Halloween display. Once when Katy was about 2 or 3 a family friend took her down to see it and they were talking about each of the different characters and when they got to the witch and her brew Katy informed her that she was stirring a cauldron. Our friend couldn't stop laughing. She was so shocked that Katy would know it was a cauldron. When Eric was little he loved the Count Dracula. On Sesame Street Eric's favorite character was the Count so it was a natural favorite for him.

Mike's parents have since moved from that home, but we still made the journey out to see the boo this past weekend. We reminisced about the joy this Halloween display has brought to our family for many years. What a great memory!

Girl Getaway!

2009-10-11T19:51:00.001-07:00

This past Friday I met up with my Sisters and Mom for some girl time. My Sister Robyne had the great idea of us getting together to celebrate our birthdays together. My baby Sister Kari just turned 30, Robyne the middle Sister just turned 35, and me the older Sister will be turning 40 in a month or so. We figured they were milestone birthdays worth celebrating. It has been such a long time since we've gotten together and just had time to talk and play of course. We started our day by going to Ikea (Robyne had never been there) and Kari and I don't get there very often. After that we had lunch and got pedicures. Aw I love pedicures. We spent lots of time chatting and just enjoying each others company. We went to the Olive Garden for dinner and went back to our hotel to watch Bride Wars. Saturday morning we got up and went to the Draper Temple together. Beautiful temple and a great experience to be there together. I was on vacation when Kari went through the temple for the first time so this was my first time being in the temple all of us together. We finished up our time together by going to Costa Vida for lunch and then everyone headed home. It was so fun to be together. Thanks Mom for treating us to a great weekend and Robyne thanks for the idea. I am so blessed to have a fabulous Mother that always taught us the importance of family. I am also blessed to have great Sisters that I love and adore. They have grown into great Moms, Women, and are some of my dearest friends.

Family!

2009-09-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is just merely a journal time for me. I have been thinking lately how blessed I am to have the family I do. Now don't get me wrong we all have our quirkiness at times, but I wouldn't trade one of them. I am talking about the family I grew up in...better known as the Caldwells. Where I am going with all of this is...I have really been missing my Katy, but it has helped me so much to know that she's going to school where a lot of my family is living. All of which are looking after her for me. My 83 year old Grandma is sweet with her as she is always. One day she gave Katy a box of granola bars to keep with her while she's on campus in case she needed a snack. My Mom checks on her regularly. Inviting her to attend the Grand kids games, pack meeting etc. just to keep her busy so she doesn't get too homesick. Of course she takes her to dinner after just making sure she's eating. Kari my baby sister is always checking on her. She reassured me that she would look out after her for me. In fact just today she was at Kari's hanging out. My brother Tom (the handyman of the family) fixing her car when needed. Putting on her new license plates. Anything she needs that requires a man. His wife Chantyl texting Katy and reminding her to let them know if she needs anything. My brother Chris and his wife Heidi taking Katy to lunch. Chris inviting Katy to use the ROTC computer lab that's on campus (he's the boss of the ROTC). All the sweet little nieces and nephews that are always excited to see her. That makes her feel special and I know she adores all those sweet little kids. My sister Robyne who doesn't live there but sends encouraging messages to Katy. One last sibling...Jon he's in Portugal and I know he's wishing her much success too. All these great people helped me become the person I am today and now they are influencing my daughter too. They are great people all unique and wonderful in their own ways. I am so blessed they are my family. Thanks to all you Caldwells that are looking after my Katy. I love you all!!!

College Time for Katy!

2009-08-23T18:24:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday we had our last home cooked meal together as a family before Katy headed down to Cedar City. She picked for dinner to have BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, cookie salad, and rolls. Then we played croquet together, we built a fire and roasted marshmallows. After that we had our family meeting where we tell each other something we love about them. It was a tear jerker. Katy gave each of us a letter that she had written to us. I am telling you when you are raising kids you wonder if you will ever make it and then they grow up and make you really proud.

Then on Monday Katy and I headed to Cedar City for her orientation and other class sessions. Mike and Eric joined us there Thursday night and we spent the weekend together. We had a great time. I am so proud of Katy. Today was a little teary, but we made it through. I think I did most of my crying earlier in the week. I posted a picture of our last Sunday fun and Katy in her apartment. I am really excited for the new journey Katy is about to embark on. What an exciting time of life.

I love being an Aunt!

2009-07-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Panguitch Lake for the annual Dickinson family reunion. We had a good time visiting with family and eating of course. My Mom and her husband Don having been working very hard on building their cabin up there and it looks great! I really enjoyed getting to visit with my sister Robyne. She lives in Idaho and we don't get to see each other very ofter so it was really fun being with her. The two pictures above are two of my sweet little nieces. Hailey is the blond and Mercedes is the brunette. I love being an Aunt! My brothers ans sisters have blessed with lots of little nieces and nephews. I love each one of them. It's so fun to hear their stories and the funny things they say. Mercedes use to never talk now you can't get her to stop talking. I love it! Hailey has the most beautiful smile. She's always smiling! What cuties! I have lots of other nieces and nephews I'll have to write about later. Too many to mention in one post. I am just so blessed to have a great family!

Birthday Time for Katy!

2009-07-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

On July 17th 1991 a beautiful red headed little girl entered our family. She weighed in at 6lbs. 2oz. and 19 inches long. It was such an exciting day for our families. Katy was the first grandchild born on both sides of the family. So many family members came to the hospital to welcome her into the world. Mike and I were so excited to see her and we had chosen to not find out what we were having. I remember right after she was born my Mom saying it's a girl. I wanted a little girl so bad. It was just like a dream come true to be a Mother. Any of you that know me know that I am a baby freak. I love to hold them, smell them and just cuddle with them. I finally had one of my own. From the minute they put her on my chest I was in love. I was scared to death that I wouldn't know how to take care of her or that something would happen that I wouldn't know how to deal with, but we managed. The day my Mom left us to go back to Cedar City I cried I was just sure I would not know how to be a Mom. It all worked out and Mike and I were a pretty good team. He helped me with her so much and was a darling Dad to her.

I just can't believe that she's now 18 and headed off to College. Katy has grown into a mature, compassionate, beautiful young woman that I am proud to call my daughter and friend. All of you young Mothers that are wishing away the 2 year old stages or other things enjoy it because it goes by way too fast. I love you Katy! You are an amazing person that I adore.

Cancun!

2009-07-02T16:33:00.001-07:00

In June after Katy's big graduation we headed off to Cancun for an even bigger celebration. After a little rough start at the airport we had a great trip. Mike's parents were suppose to go with us, but due to a passport issue it didn't work out. We sure missed them, but hopefully next time we will get to go with them. We did lots of swimming in the fabulous pools and the beach. There's nothing like the beach to me. I love the warmth of the sun, sand between my toes, and playing in the waves. Oh how I wish we could afford to go every year. The kids got to swim with dolphins, which was so fun. Eric was not keen on having to kiss the dolphin, but he was a sport. We went to see Mayan ruins and just had a great time. There were many other things we wanted to see, but we will be back and we'll explore other things next time. The guacamole was so delicious! I love family vacations. So many great memories involve vacations we have taken. It was hard to say goodbye to the beautiful water and head home, but life has to go on. I am just grateful for the fun times together as a family!

She Did It!

2009-06-04T16:29:00.001-07:00

Tuesday June 2nd was a great day for our family. Our cute "little" Katy graduated from High School. Can you believe I didn't even shed a tear? It was so exciting to see her walk in her cap and gown. I just can't believe she's already done with High School. It seems like yesterday when I dropped her off in her Kindergarten class. I was so worried about leaving her there would the other kids treat her kindly? Would Mrs. Smith be sweet with her? Would she miss me? So many emotions going on inside of this Mom on that day and some many on this past Tuesday. Will I be able to make it without her living close to us? Have I taught her all a Mom should teach a daughter (we need to work on ironing and sewing a button before she leaves). Have I prepared her for the big world? I feel so proud of the fabulous young woman that she has grown into. This past year I have watched her mature and grow. So many lessons she has learned and with each she's grown leaps and bounds. I couldn't be prouder to call her my daughter. I love you my sweet little Katy!

Happy 19th Anniversary To Us!

2009-06-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow June 2nd will be our 19th wedding anniversary. Since Katy is graduating tomorrow I will do this post a day early. Mike and I met when both our best friends were getting married to each other and we were asked to be in their line. My best friend had told me for awhile that I had to meet Terry's friend Mike because he was really funny and she also added that he sweat a lot. I don't know why she thought I needed to know that part. My first impression of Mike was that he was really funny just like Colleen had told me. He totally cracked me up and at that time I need someone to make me laugh. I was instantly attracted to him and loved being around him. I don't think I have ever flirted so hard in my life. It's kind of embarrassing now to think I must have looked absolutely ridiculous.

We started dating shortly after our friends wedding and continued to date for about a year before we got married. Mike asked me to marry him in April and we got married in June. A very fast engagement due to the fact that my brother was headed to boot camp and I wanted him at my wedding. We got married in Mike's parents back yard. It was so beautiful and they spent a lot of time getting the yard just perfect for us. I felt like a princess that day all dressed up. It was a fabulous day with all our family and friends.

I have been so blessed to be married to Mike all these years. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to him for all the support he has given me. He constantly encourages me to do my best at whatever I am involved in. He is an incredible Dad to our children. Everyday I am so amazed at the love he gives to them in so many ways. He devotes a ton of time to the local soccer league and to the team Eric plays on. He goes on drives with Katy so they can talk. He helps them with their homework because I have no clue on how to help them. I could go on, but the point is I am so blessed to have him.

Date nights are my favorite. Time alone to chat and eat of course. He always listens to my complaints and worries. I am so grateful to be married to my best friend! So here's to us and I hope the next 19 years are just as fantastic as the first. I love you Hun!

A Wonderful Mothers Day!

2009-05-11T14:53:00.001-07:00

Mothers Day was a great day. Saturday night Mike took me shopping for perfume and we went to dinner. I love going on dates with him. Then on Sunday morning I woke up to a note on the floor of my bedroom that said that I had to wait to come out. Katy was making breakfast and Eric had cleaned the kitchen. Katy made pancakes, muffins, and juice with umbrellas in the glasses. I told the kids that I wanted homemade gifts this year. So they bought wood frames and painted them. Then they added a flower and soccer ball to them. Katy put a picture of us in hers with a sweet note on the back. Eric wrote me a note and put it in the frame. They also bought me some pretty flowers. It was really special! I was really touched at all the work they put into it.

Later in the day we played basketball together. The only rule we have is that the girls get to make up their own rules. So basically we foul a lot. I had a great day just being with my little family. All I ever wanted to be was a Mother. I feel so blessed to have great kids and a super husband!

Happy Mothers Day to my Mom!

2009-05-10T15:54:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture of my Mom with one of the many Grandkids (cute Aubrey) at our annual Labor Day Campout. I am so blessed to have the Mother that I do. Today is the day we honor our Mothers and reflect on all the good things they have done in our lives. When I was growing up my Mom stayed home with us until the baby of the family was in school. I loved coming home from school and having her there. She always asked how are day was and listened to the days events. I loved it. When I grew up I couldn't think of a more wonderful job than being a Mother. When all the other kids in High School were planning their careers I didn't have an idea I just wanted to be a Mother just like my Mom.

My Mom had six children (I don't know how she did it)giving birth to six and raising all of us. She was always busy cooking, keeping us organized, and running us to many activities. She did so many things for our family. She sewed many of our clothes to save money. We hardly ever ate out, everynight she came up with some new creation for us to partake of. She spent many hours serving and was a great example to me of lifting the burdens of others. She stretched our pennies far to make the family budget work. She always had time to listen to me no matter how tired or busy she was. She still does this for me today.

When my Mom was 39 my parents got divorced and she did not have a College degree. Faced with lots of uncertainties she headed back to College to earn a degree to help provide for our family. I know it was very hard for her to do this she still had all six kids at home and my youngest sister was just 8 years old. She spent many hours studying and tried to fit all of her Mother duties in to. I was so proud the day she graduated from nursing school. I was so proud to tell everyone that my Mom was a nurse. Just like that day I am proud today to tell everyone that she is my Mother. She's always there for me and listens to my heartaches and joy. She has been one of my best friends and I am so blessed that I am her daughter. I love you Mom!

My Trip to Texas

2009-04-23T17:48:00.001-07:00

Last Friday I was able to travel with my Mom to Dallas to see my brother Jon graduate. Jon graduated from Chiropractic school and is now Dr. Jon Caldwell. I am the oldest of 6 kids and I am a very proud sister. All of my brothers and sisters make me proud. I know that this has been a long and hard journey for Jon and his family. He has a very supportive wife and 3 boys. He had to spend many hours away from them to get through school. Now they are headed to live in Portugal for the next 5 or so years. He served his mission there and they feel like this where they need to be right now. So we will miss them while they are away, but maybe we'll be able to get over there to visit. I am very proud of you Jon and thanks Amy for all the support you give him!

Happy Birthday Eric!

2009-03-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

I can't believe 15 years ago today my sweet little boy was born. He was 3 days late and i was very eager to see if once again our new little baby would have red hair. He came quickly only a 6 hour labor. I started in labor at 10:00 p.m. by 11:00 I figured it was the real thing so we called Mike's Mom over to stay with Katy. He was born at 3:54 a.m. weighing 7lbs. 10oz. and 21 in. and yes a little red head to match his big sister. There's just nothing like the first time you meet your sweet little baby. That is a treasured memory having a sweet spirit placed in your arms.

Eric was a good baby. He didn't love to nap and at times that was frustrating. It felt like I was feeding him every hour, but he was still a joy. Katy loved her baby brother and would try to share her toys with him. She especially liked holding him.

Eric is a very special part of our family. He makes us laugh. He's very thoughtful and helpful. He tries to do his very best. He adores his older sister. We are so blessed to have him in our family.
Happy birthday muffin!

My favorite time of year!

2009-03-13T16:04:00.001-07:00

Today I ran into my friend Timmerie at Maverik and she reminded me that I haven't updated my blog since Valentines so here we go...
We've had lots going on thus no update. I will post more later on what is keeping us busy, but I just wanted to mention the upcoming change in the seasons. I absolutely love Spring it is my favorite season of the year. This is why I love it...I really quite dislike the Winter. I don't like driving in the snow, I hate being cold, and I don't like that it is always so dark and did I mention the inversion? Now I like snow on Christmas morning and that's pretty much good for me. I get so depressed in the winter. I think the lack of sunlight just gets to me and it's so cold. So when I see daylight savings and Spring on the calendar I get so excited. I look forward to Spring cleaning, it's like a rebirth for me. Today I put a new bright bedspread on my bed and started dusting. I have a Spring tulip arrangement I always put on my table about this time of the year and it just makes me feel cheery. I also love to see all the new little calf's and lambs. It just makes my heart sing to see the sun! So sorry for my negative Winter attitude and hello Spring!!

Happy Valentine's to my Sweethearts!

2009-02-14T06:54:00.000-08:00

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I love Valentine's Day because we get to spend the whole day thinking about why we love someone so here's my top 5 reasons I love my sweeties. There's lots more reasons, but 5 is a good start.

Top 5 reasons I love Mike....
1. He love's me with all of my flaws and helps me to see when I am wrong and how I can improve.
2. He make's me laugh. He is one of the funniest people I know. Everyone needs a good laugh and he does it for me.
3. He supports me in everything I do. He never complains that I have a church meeting or need to study etc. he just encourages me to do my best.
4. Recently someone commented on my weight loss and said to him you must be so proud of her and Mike said I've always been proud of her. He's loved me no matter what size I am. I wanted to cry that day that meant so much to me!
5. He really listens to me and loves me. If I need to talk I'll say to him I need to talk and sometimes he thinks that's code for he's in trouble and I have to reassure him I just need to talk and he always makes time to listen. He's my best friend and I love him!!

1. I love Katy because she looks for the good in people. She gives everyone a fair chance before she judges.
2. She makes me laugh. She gets that from her Dad. If she weren't my daughter I would want her for a friend because she's o fun to be around.
3. She wants equal rights for everyone. She hates seeing people treated unfairly.
4. Katy is very thoughtful. She thinks about others feelings.
5. Katy is a loyal friend. She stands by her friends and is there for them.

1. Eric is very thoughtful. He's always thinking of my feelings.
2. He is always willing to apologize when he's wrong and always feels sorry for hurting others feelings.
3. Eric is funny. He cracks me up. Thank heavens their Dad passed that trait on to them.
4. He always tries to do his best. He works hard at school and sports so he can accomplish his goals.
5. He gives great hugs. He's always asking me if I want a hug. I love it!

This is why you want them to stay little!

2009-02-14T06:44:00.001-08:00

So Thursday night we received a call from Katy crying telling us she got in an accident. I think she was pretty scared to call us for fear we would freak out, but we were fairly calm once we knew everyone was okay. She had two friends in the car with her and got distracted and rear ended another car. As you can see the damage to her car was extensive. The other car looks much better. Just a little damage to the other car. Needless to say Katy's car is totaled since it isn't worth much it won't be worth it to repair. So she'll be riding the bus for awhile. We had already planned to get Mike a new car and send her to College with his old one, but we weren't planning on buying one this soon. If anything happens to his old car it will be a bike for her because we're out of old cars. I am just glad no one was hurt and the people she ran into were so nice about it. She was crying and the man said don't worry about it no one is hurt and that's what is important. What a nice guy!

My baby girl is growing up!

2009-02-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

We got some exciting news this week that Katy has been accepted to Southern Utah University. When she opened the letter on Friday I was so excited for her. I also attended SUU my first year out of High School. It is a great campus and I wish I had stayed to complete my education, but life took me in another direction. I think her Dad would have liked her to go to Utah State University, which he attended for one year and loved, but she decided she wanted to pursue SUU instead. The more I thought about her leaving and going to school away from home the more sad I got. I mean I am so happy for her. This is a great opportunity for her to be independent, accomplish her educational goals etc. but I will miss my wonderful daughter. She's such a good girl and I love her. She's thoughtful and makes me laugh. The comforting thing for me is that my Mom, Sister, Brothers, and Grandparents all live in Cedar City so she will not be there without any family. Any of young Mothers that feel like you are going crazy at times with your little ones realize it goes by so fast. I remember being one of those Mom's that couldn't wait for my kids to grow up so life would be easier. I miss those days at times. It goes by way too fast.

Proud to be their Mom!

2009-01-27T17:35:00.000-08:00

The purpose of this post it not to brag about how perfect my kids are. They are not perfect by any means. They make mistakes and struggle at times, but they truly are great kids. Recently a friend of Mike's told him how great our kids are. She told him that they are polite, friendly, and just great to be around. It made me so proud that others notice them trying to be good people.

Katy wants world peace. She has a favorite necklace of the peace sign. She's my little hippie! She wants equal rights for everyone and is always thinking of others feelings. She looks for the good in people and is a good example to me. I wish I could take credit for her generous heart, but I think she inherited that from her Dad. Katy has a great fondness for elderly people. She's always pointing out some cute elderly person to me.

Eric always wants to do his best whether it be in sports or school. He's always giving me hugs and asking if I am okay. He's always willing to apologize when he's made a mistake. Last week I took him to the bus stop and he had to hurry and get out to catch it. Later in the morning he sent me a text that said sorry I forgot to tell you goodbye and I love you. What a great text to get. It makes paying for the cell phone all worth it.

I am so blessed to have such great kids. They are the joy of my life and I wiil forever be thankful to be their Mom.

Our week!

2009-01-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

Okay so I don't have really any exciting things going on and since I use my blog for a journal this post is really just for me. Don't feel compelled to read all of our not so amusing weeks details.

I went to my second week of school on Monday night. Yikes I thought my Computer class was going to be easy I think I may have thought wrong. I know how to use a computer, but I don't know all the details on bits, bytes, speed, and by the way did you know there lots of different names for viruses like worm, trojan horse and others? I expected my Nutrition class to be a lot of work, but not Computers. Needless to say I was alittle overwhelmed Monday night and left feeling once again like can I do this. I hate when you doubt yourself. I guess I need to have more faith and know that I can do it especially if I rely on the Lord to help me.
I am also way excited to start clipping coupons and save my family some money. My friend Miriam is giving a lot of good advice on how to save more money and I am excited to get going. Now when I was a stay at home Mom I did a lot of coupon clipping and shopped for all the good deals, but since I've been working and going to school life has gotten more busy so I let it go, but I think I can find the time to do it again. A lot of this I already know, but all the coupons on the internet are new to me so that has been a good bit of info. I'll let you know how it goes.

Mike spent Wednesday night at the hospital. He's perfectly fine, but had some chest pain Tuesday night and more on Wednesday at work so he decided he should have it checked out. We were shocked when he went to the ER and they ran tests that came out normal, but wanted to keep him over night to observe him and run further tests. For any of you local people wondering if he stayed at our local hospital the answer is yes. They were great with him and he was as happy with the care as he would have been in the city. I realize I work there so I am a little bias, but we really appreciated the great care he received. All the tests came out normal and he's just fine. He was very happy to get home and sleep in his own bed.

Katy is working really hard to get everything in line for graduation. She got a lot done on her to do list this week for school and we were really happy about that. The new semester starts this next week and she's going to do an internship at one of the local Medical Clinics so she's looking forward to that. She helped a lot Wednesday night when her Dad was in the hospital. It was so nice that she could drive her brother to the places he needed to be. She's a great help!

Eric has a had a very busy week. He has been in a Social Dance class at school and they performed on Tuesday and Wednesday night. We attended on Tuesday night and he did a great job. He did a waltz, cha cha, and the 16 step. It wa so fun to see him dance again. He took ballroom dance for 2 years a few years back, but soccer became the preferred activity. Then on Thursday he had a swim meet. He's almost done with swimming and I think he's a little relieved. Anyone that knows Eric well knows that he's a home body. So this past week was a lot for him. Let's just say I think he won't be leaving the house much this weekend.

Well as you can see it's been a busy week and a little stressful. I am so thankful Mike is okay. I don't know what I would do without him. I am also so grateful to have great children that step up and help when it is needed.

To set goals or to not?

2009-01-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

Every year at this time I wonder if I should really set any goals or not. I get so tired of setting goals and not accomplishing them. For years I set the same goals of loosing weight, regular scripture study, and family prayer only to do well for about 6 weeks and then fall off the wagon. That's my pessimistic way of looking at it or I guess I could look at it, as atleast we worked at it for a time and were not any worse for trying. Then I think if I never set any goals do I ever really force myself to become any better. Do you ever feel like you're just not progressing? I feel that way often. I wonder if I have taught my children all that they need to know (the answer to that, is not) but I hope I have taught them enough. So I guess as I ponder the goal setting dilema I think I will try again another year to do somethings that will help me be a little better. Maybe the goals will be a little more attainable if I don't set the standard too high. Maybe having family prayer most days instead of everyday will be a good start or maybe losing just 10 lbs, instead of trying to weigh what I did before I had kids (like that will ever happen again). Or maybe just thinking more of others and sending a nice note will be enough this year. So I guess for me I will sit down tonight and think of some ways to better myself this next year. Isn't the important thing to just be trying to become a little better and having joy in the journey?

Back to school I go...

2009-01-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

So Monday I will head back to school to pursue hopefully a nursing degree. I took sometime off after my surgery and am now ready to get going again. It seems like I will never be done with school. With having to work and taking care of a family all I can seem to take is 2 classes at a time. I keep teasing that I will be lucky to be done by the time I am 45, but that's not so far away for me. I have to admit that school scares me a bit. I have never been a super smart student. I have to work really hard for the grades I've gotten and nursing is so competitve that there's no room for less than an A.

My sister Kari is also headed back to school this semester and is a little nervous about the possibility of failing and to that I say there is no failure. The only failure is in the not trying. So it make take us longer than we'd like to get the job done, but time is going to go by whether we're working at it or not. I keep telling Kari that we can do hard things. I've definetly done hard things before and I am sure there will be many more to come. I am sure lots of prayers along the way will get me where I want to be. In one of our Sunday meetings recently Eric said how proud he was of me for going back to school and he knew I could do it. I guess if nothing else I hope my exampls shows my kids that they can do anything if they put their mind to it and that it's never too late. Hopefully they will do College when they are much younger than me though.

Happy Birthday Michael!

2008-12-28T10:08:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband Mike. We have been married for 18 years and I am so blessed to have him to spend my life with. He is so understanding, patient, kind, and supportive. He's loved me whether I was fat or thin, cranky, stressed, and the list could go on. He's supported me in my church callings, which have been demanding at times. He's supported me through school and surgeries. I guess what I am trying to say is that he's always been there for me. He is an incredible Dad! Our kids are so blessed to have a Dad that supports them in all the things they are involved in. He is the calming voice in our family. I am so glad that our children can talk to him about anything. I love how he makes me laugh. He came into my life when I really needed to laugh and he's kept me laughing for many years since. I hope he always knows how much our family loves him!!

Christmas at the Keils!

2008-12-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

We had a fun filled Christmas at our house, which began with the kids opening their traditional Christmas Eve PJ's. The picture above shows a glimpse of the evening. We played guitar hero and Apples to Apples. Frank, Mike's Dad took a liking to the game and ended up winning. Mike's parents flew in from Texas on the 18th to spend Christmas with us and will be leaving tomorrow. It's been a lot of fun playing games and watching movies together.

Even though we have teenagers they still want to get up at the crack of dawn to open presents. Since Grandma and Grandpa were here we told them we wouldn't be getting up until 7:00 a.m. Eric tried to persuade me to let him get up at 5:00, but that was not in the cards. Eric didn't sleep much and resorted to looking for a snack at 1:00a.m. in his gym bag, but no luck. He kept saying that he didn't know why he was so hungry during the night and I told him it was because he was awake all night. Our kids always sleep in the same room together on Christmas Eve so Katy didn't do much sleeping thanks to her little brother. Anyways...when 7:00 a.m. finally hit we went in to get them and they had actually went back to sleep so for the first time in many years we had to wake the kids up to open presents. We had a great time and enjoyed our day together. Katy has been wanting a deep fryer for years and her wish came true. She hasn't put her ipod down since she got it either. Eric was happy to get his Xbox and war game (why did I buy a war game)? The electic shaver was a hit for Eric too (is my baby really old enough for a razor)? Much fun was had by all. Playing Rock Band was a highlight and the traditional Christmas nap was had by most. It was just a great day to spend together as a family and reflect on our Saviors birth.

Gift Idea!

2008-12-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

So many of you know that I am not a crafty person and I don't come up with many ideas on my own, so here's an idea I stole from the Oprah show (I love that show.) Last week she had a show on her favorite things and made all the gift ideas very inexpensive and this was an idea. She talked about getting boxes and decorating them and then putting notes in the box telling the person what you love about them. I loved the idea so that's what we did. Every Sunday we have a family meeting and at the end we go around and tell each person what we love about them so this was just an extension of our meeting. The great thing is that this time we wrote them down so everyone would have them forever.

So this what I did I went to Walmart and bought little square boxes that had lids (they cost .97 cents) and then we decorated them with things we had around here. Paper, flowers, ribbon, cotton balls, and stones. Katy, Grandma, and I had a good time decorating them. This may turn into a tradition for our family. Maybe we'll make a new box every year.

Keil Christmas Party

2008-12-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

Last night we had our Keil Christmas party at our house. The party consisted of Mike's parents, his Uncle and lots of cousins. I think a fun time was had by all. We had lots of food and fun. I counted 37 people here, which made for a great time. I especially loved having little kids at the house. They are so fun and I love having them around. I really appreciate all the help Mike and the kids gave me to get ready for the crowd. I couldn't have done it without them. The white elephant gift was a hoot too.

Missing my Family (The Caldwells)

2008-12-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

So tonight is my family Christmas party and I couldn't make it down to Cedar City to be with them, so today I have been reflecting on childhood memories. I grew up in a large family and at the time I thought it was annoying, but I am so glad to have each one of them. As I reflect on my childhood memories of Christmas at the Caldwells (realize my memory is going) so this could be a figment of my imagination. I remember that my Mom had made us these great stockings. I loved them and thought my Mom was the most crafty lady around. We had an advent calendar that I thought was truly wonderful. The only thing I didn't like was that with 6 kids it seemed like you had to wait so long for your turn to pull the next surprise out and hang on the tree. My Mom always decorated the house so warm and cozy. I still love going to her house at Christmas and feeling that same feeling. We acted out the Christmas story a few different years at FHE. With 6 kids there never seemed to be a shortage of a baby Jesus. Every year we helped my Mom make hard tack candy. It was so fun. It probably was a big hassle for her, but we loved being in the kitchen with her. Every Christmas Eve we got to open one present(I think it was usually PJ's). It seemed like every year my Mom was explaining that with a big family we wouldn't be getting as many presents as other kids in much smaller families. We usually got three presents, which I think was just enough. I wish I had stuck to that quota with my own children. More isn't always better. My Mom was always making gifts for my grandparents. Money was tight with a big family and she was always tried to do something meaningful for the grandparents and still save money. I remember her crosstiching, making quilts, and some kind of dough project that she baked after. I know that description doesn't do the project justice, but it was once again another crafty thing that only a very crafty lady can do (why did I not inherit this trait?) On Christmas Eve Mom made lots of snacks and we got to eat up and I think we even got to drink pop, which was a real treat. We played games and before we went to bed my Dad always read the Christmas story out of the bible. What a dear memory...the whole family together listening to the story of the birth of our Savior. After that we all "slept" together in the same room (I don't recall much sleeping.) We watched the clock every hour, knowing we could not wake Mom and Dad until 6:00 a.m. Then we were able to get up and each of us watched as each of us unwrapped their presents. Of course we always had our traditional quiche, bran muffin, and wassil breakfast. Mom spent so much time baking and cooking to make the holidays nice for us all. I guess that's why I feel like I need to do the same. Mike always tells me to do something easy for Christmas breakfast and I insist on following in my Mothers footsteps. Although I really don't like wassil so that is not a part of our tradition.

So I guess the point of this long post is to let my family know how much I love each one of them and how grateful I am for fond memories of Christmas' past. Thank you Mom for putting all that time into making everything so nice. You probably wondered at times if it was worth it and I think it was. Thank you Chris, Jon, Robyne, Tom, and Kari for the long chats on Christmas Eve wondering if we heard the reindeers on the roof and what our gifts may be. Thank you Dad for reading to us from the Bible. Reminding us what the real meaning of Christmas is. I love all of you and wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Traditions at the Keils!

2008-12-05T16:41:00.001-08:00

So my friend Miriam suggested jotting down our Christmas traditions so here we go...
(The kids were not amused about the picture in front of the tree. I think the hat pushed Katy over the edge.
Traditions...

1. Every year the kids get a new ornament for the tree. We write their name and the year on it. Then when they move out they will have some of their own ornaments. My tree will be bare, but that' okay. It's been fun to see how their interestes have changed and the different ornaments they pick the older they get. Katy picked out two of the same Winnie the Pooh two years in a row. I guess she really liked him.

2. The kids always open one present on Christmas Eve. Usually it's either PJ's or a game that we can play that evening.

3. We always have a big breakfast Christmas morning, which usually consists of quiche, cinnamon rolls, and crab dip. My Mom always did this growing up and I loved that tradition so we've continued it in our family.

4. We always stay home on Christmas morning. We let the kids play with their new toys and spend time together. This is a tradition Mike insisted on. He didn't want the kids to be ripped away from their toys to go visit family so we do that later in the day around dinner time.

5. On Christmas Eve we have lots of snacks and play games. There's always Christmas music playing and after we do games Mike reads the Christmas story out of the Bible and he also reads "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". When the kids were little he started reading the Grinch in this silly voice and they loved it so now they insist he still reads it that way.

6. The last few years this has become a tradition...Katy puts up and arranges the nativity scene abd Eric puts up the Christmas Village. I think they look forward to their specific decorating job.

7. Every year I buy each kid a special book that has a special message that can relate to their life. This has become so fun for me and I hope it is special to them. I spend lots of time at Deseret Book looking for just the right book and then I always write a special message inside the book for them and date it. Hopefully someday they will enjoy reading those books to their own children.

Well that's about it for us. I think this year I am going to copy Miriam and start wrapping the stocking gifts too. I liked that idea, because we all know kids love to unwrap things. Thanks for the idea. Anyone else reading this let's here your family traditions. It's fun to see what other families are doing.

Thankful for Special Times With Family!

2008-11-30T06:55:00.000-08:00

This is not a great picture of me because I can't seem to keep my eyes open when I get my picture taken, but it's a good one of Chris, Kari, and Tom. This past weekend we had a great Thanksgiving with my Mom, Don, and 3 of my siblings (we missed Robyne, Sharon, and Jon). It's always great when we can get together and spend some time eating and chatting. I am sure many of you know that I am the oldest in my family and I have been accused many times for being the second Mom, which for years I took offense too, but I love my Mom and am proud to know that my brothers and sisters considered me as a second one. I don't think they always loved my bossing them around or giving advice, but I hope they all know how much I love them. I would do anything for any one of them. They have grown into responsible adults that I am proud to call my family. When I was growing up I wasn't sure I loved having such a big family, but now I wouldn't have it any other way. I wish we could have all been together, but life takes us different places and that's not always possible. It just makes it that much more of a treat when we all do get together. I am grateful we got to spend time with my Mom and Stepdad. I always love sitting and talking to my Mom. She's one my best friends and I am so blessed she's mine. I also love being with all the neices and nephews. I love being an aunt and love when the kids call me Aunt Angie. I am so glad my brothers and sisters blessed me with the privledge of loving their little ones. There's nothing greater than being with family. I will miss not being with them at Christmas, but I am glad we got to spend Thanksgiving together.

Making Pies

2008-11-23T10:16:00.000-08:00

This morning Katy and I made pies for our Thanksgiving feast. Yes I know it should be a day of rest, but today was the only day we were going to get it in. We made two pumpkin, one cherry, one apple, and one peach. I really wanted to just buy them, but Katy really wanted to make them so we did. Yes, we made our own pie crust. I got a great recipe years ago at a Homemaking activity and have used it ever since. Hopefully they will taste yummy at our Thanksgiving feast.

Date with Katy!

2008-11-23T04:51:00.001-08:00

So this is not a picture of us on our date, but she wouldn't let me take one of her last night so this is a fairly recent one of us. Last night Katy and I went to the Gateway and did a little shopping and then went to see the Twilight movie. I haven't wanted to say a lot about the Twilight series fearing I would sound like a freak, but I loved the series. Now I am not a reader. If I read it is usually a self help book (because I need help in many areas) but Katy had read the series and begged me to give it a try. My Mom and Katy are good readers. My Mom constantly has a book in hand and Katy Loves to read if it's a book she's interested in. I am so glad she picked up the reading passion. So after Katy's pleading I gave the first book a try and fell in love. I continued to read the other 3 immediately after. I have 2 chapters left in the 4th book and hoping to finish this weekend. I can't believe how much I have enjoyed these books it is so unlike me, but it has been so fun for me and Katy to discuss them as I have read slowly along. So we have anxiously been waiting for the movie to come out and we bought our tickets the other day and went last night. We had a great time and really enjoyed the movie. It was such a fun date for us girls. After the movie we chatted the whole way home about what we liked about the movie and how we had pictured certain characters differently then they looked in the movie. It was a great Mother Daughter time. My sweet little girl is growing up way too fast for me and every minute that we spend togehter is a treasured one!!!

Just a side note while we were on our girl date the boys had a date to watch the Utes and Cougars play. Us girls knew it would be very loud downstairs (another reason for us to leave). Yippee the Utes won! Mike and Eric were very happy.

Our Family's Grateful!

2008-11-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

So I know it's not even Thanksgiving, but I am excited for Christmas so I had to change my blog to a Christmas theme. I've wanted to do it for days and finally when my sister Robyne gave in and did it so I decided I could too. I am going to put my decorations up this weekend. I went visiting teaching yesterday and the sister we went to visit is so decked out for Christmas. Her house is so darling with all of her Christmas things. Anyways...

Since Thanksgiving is around the corner I wanted to write down some of the things we are thankful for...

Eric says he's thankful for health, his family, and his soccer playing abilities. Katy is grateful for her family, freedom of speech, her friends,and the right to vote. It's interesting how things have changed from the days when Eric was grateful for horses and Santa. Katy was grateful for barbies and her Dad playing barbies with her.
I am thankful for so many things, but especially to be a Wife and Mother. One thing I know for sure is that true happiness does not come from the things we own, but the time we spend with our families. I love being with my family. They make me so happy abd I love them. I am so thankful that Mike has a job that provides for our family. I am grateful for my testimony and the comfort it brings to me. I am so grateful for good health. Last year at this time I had just had surgery and felt rotten so I am so grateful to feel good and to do the things I want to with my family. We are truly blessed and I am so grateful for all that Heavenly Father has blessed us with!

Happy Birthday To My Bestie!

2008-11-17T16:59:00.000-08:00

Today is my best friend Colleen's birthday. Colleen and I have been best friends since I was 12 years old. We met at Young Womens, I was so excited and scared to go in with all the girls, but Colleen instantly became my friend. I felt so cool because she's two years older than me and actually wanted to be my friend. We have been best friends ever since. What I love about Colleen is that I can tell her anything and know that she will never judge me. She makes me laugh everytime we're together. She's never too busy to listen. Colleen is one of the most optimistic people I know. She's always looking for the positive side of everything. She's not afraid to be honest with me and let me know when I've made a mistake. When I am with her I want to be a better person. She's a great Mom to 3 cute boys and a devoted wife to her very busy Husband Terry. Every year Colleen and I go to the BYU Womens Conf. together with my sisters and Mom. She's just a part of the family. I love going together because it's always a great time when we're together. I owe Colleen a lot, she's kept many of my secrets,helped me laugh when I wanted to cry and best of all she introduced me to my husband Mike. Colleen is the best and I am so blessed to have such a dear friend!!

One more year in my 30's!

2008-11-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

My 39th birthday was on Friday the 14th. Yikes only one more year in my 30's! On Friday Mike, Katy , Eric, and I went to dinner at Cafe Rio and then went to see the movie Forever Young. We went to see that movie because parts of it were filmed out at Grantsville's football field. Katy was there that day so she was sure she was in the movie. We looked hard for our own little movie star, but no luck. We did spot a few of her friends though. It was a really fun night and I really enjoyed the 4 of us being together. Time goes by so fast and I feel like our kids will be out of the house in no time so I love when we can all be together. Then on Saturday Mike took me away for the night (that was my present from him). He surprised me by taking me to the Zermat in Midway. We had been there once before and he know I loved it so he took me there again. We had a great night just the two of us. I am so blessed Mike is my husband! He's always so good to me and I appreciate how thoughtful he is.

Happy Birthday Baby Brother!!

2008-11-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

Today is my baby brother Tom's birthday. Tom is 7 seven years younger then me. When we were growing up we all called him Tommy. When we were growing up Tom was very adventurous. He was trying to fix things. He loved to go to Bishop Jeppson's house and help him tinker on his car. He loves hunting, fishing anything outdoors. He loves horses and even made his own fake mechanical bull. He always kept us laughing. Once when we were driving to Texas to visit our Grandma we stopped at a Dairy Queen he went in dressed in shorts and cowboy boots and said as loud as he could "they got a john in here?" We already had all eyes on our large family not to mention our out spoken brother. Tom has grown into a wonderful husband and father. He adores his 3 girls and his wife Chantyl. The thing that I love about Tom is that he is always the first one there to help anyone. He is such a hard worker and helps whenever he can. He helped us put our yard in, laid cement, helped us build our basement and I could go on and on with the things he's helped us with. He gave up his whole summer to help Mom and Don build their cabin. Tom is always calling me just to check in. He's a great brother and we are blessed to have him in our family. I love you Tom!!!

It's Great To Be An American!

2008-11-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

Well, it's finally here...election day. My purpose for this post is not to voice my political view points, but to say how excited I am that our country has come along way. Years ago we wouldn't have had the opportunity to vote for an African American for president or a woman for vice president. It has been fun to get our kids involved in discussion about our country. I am just so glad that we live in a country that we have so many opportunities. So if you haven't already voted get out and do it today!

I've been tagged!

2008-11-02T09:47:00.001-08:00

Seven weird/odd things about me!

1. I love purses. I am always wanting a new one. I just get bored with the same one. I get teased by my kids all the time about having a new one. Although Katy likes the one I have now and wants me to get tired of it so she can haveit, but I still like it so it will be a little while before she gets it.

2. I am terrified of heights. I hate being up high. You will never catch me on a roller coaster...hate them. So when we go to amusement parks I sit and watch while my family does all the roller coasters.

3. I am a basket freak. I like buying baskets and then figuring out what I can put in them around the house. Whenever I go to Michaels or Ross I stop to look at them. I have to stop myself from buying them we don't need any more.

4. I always wear earings. I feel naked without them.

5. I atill worry about what other people think of me. You would think at my age (38) I wouldn't care anymore, but I do. Maybe by the time I am 40 I won't care anymore.

6. I hate to put my head under the water. I love to be in the water I just don't like gettting my eyes in it. I hate this and want to conquer this annoying thing about me.

7. I really like sleeping in a tent. Now I'm not saying I love to camp, but I do like sleeping in a tent. I guess I feel like a kid when I do it. I like putting the tent up in the backyard and sleeping it it. It doesn't happen often though.

Now I tag...Kari, Robyne, and Miriam

End of the Soccer Season

2008-10-31T14:19:00.001-07:00

Well the end of another soccer season has come. This is a picture of Eric, Mike, Keith, and Andy. Keith is the assistant coach and Andy's Dad. I really appreciate all the help he has given Mike with the team. He's a great guy and puts a lot of time in to make things run smoother. As many of you know Mike has coached Eric's soccer team since he was 5 years old. We signed Eric up when he was 5 to play soccer and no one else would volunteer to coach. Mike didn't want to do it because he never played soccer he was a baseball player, but he wanted Eric to be able to play so he decided he'd learn the game. He's spent so much time certifying to be a coach, being on the soccer league board, preparing practices, tracking down uniforms, leaving work early to make it to practice, running many soccer errands and so much more just to make the game fun for Eric and the other boys. Mike tells me this will be the end of his coaching, but I can tell it is a hard decision for him. His job has gotten much more demanding and his time to do soccer is not there. Everytime he's gotten frustrated with coaching I've reminded him that he's doing it for Eric. I know that Eric will never forget all the time he spent with his Dad doing soccer together. I really appreciate that Mike has sacrificed his own time to spend it making memories with his son. He's such a great Dad! So we'll see if this is really the end of the coaching or if he can't stand it and ends up doing it again. No matter what happens I love him for being such a great Dad and Husband.

Fall Pictures: Take 2

2008-10-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

I'm still learning my way around this blog thing so with a little help from Katy here's a better look at the fall pictures we took...

Fall Pictures

2008-10-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

We went last weekend up South Willow Canyon and took some pictures. I have to admit it is a little easier getting the family together, but it's hard to get the kids to smile about doing it.

2008-10-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Husband Tag!

1. Where did you first meet? My friend Colleen and Mike's friend Terry were getting married. Mike was the best man and I was the maid of honor. We met while addressing their wedding invitations. I instantly thought he was so much fun to be around.

2. How long did you date? We dated for a little over a year before we got married.

3. How did he propose? One night we went for a drive and he took me up so we could see all the city lights and started playing a Luther Vandross CD "Here and Now" (Katy says this part is cheesy) then he asked me to get him a napkin out of the glove box so I did and there was my ring. I was so happy!!

4. How long have we been married? 18 years. That sounds like such a long time, but it has been a wonderful journey together. Mike is the best!

5. What does he do that surprises you? The way he is with our kids always surprises me. He is always there for them to listen and help them with homework. It shouldn't surprise me after all these years, but I am blown away with the kind of Father and Husband he is.

6. What is your favorite feature of his? I love his green eyes and his laugh. It makes me smile.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Just hun.

8. What is your favorite quality of his? I can't list just one...he has always provided for our family. He is a great listener. He's never too busy to listen to me or the kids.

9. What is his favorite color? I am assuming it is red since he loves UofU football.

10. What is his favorite food? I am pretty sure it's sushi (we both love it).

11. What is his favorite sport? When he was younger he loved to play baseball and tennis. I think now after coaching Eric's soccer team for the past 9 years it's soccer.

12. When and where was your first kiss? It was in Colleen and Terry's duplex (sorry Colleen)

13. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We love to go out on date's and get sushi and see a movie. I love just getting to talk to each other. It's always fun just to be together.

14. Do you have children? Yes...Katy is 17 and Eric 14.

15. How old is he? 42

16. Who said I love you first? It was him. I was way too chicken. I knew I loved him way before he loved me, but I was too afraid I would scare him off so I held it in.

17. What is his favorite type of music? 80's rock.

18. What do you admire the most about him? I love how accepting Mike is of people. He never judges a book by it's cover. I wish I could be more like him in this area.

Katy's Car Repairs

2008-10-17T19:03:00.001-07:00

As some of you may know Katy had a "mishap" with the garage and the drivers side door. This is a picture of her newly repaired door. Let's just say she'll be in debt to us for awhile. Notice the Obama sticker on her door, Grandma and Grandpa Keil will be proud!

Eric's First Swim Meet!!

2008-10-17T19:00:00.001-07:00

Thursday night Eric competed in his first swim meet agains Riverton High. He's been working really hard to improve his time. He had a lot of fun competing.

Homecoming

2008-10-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

Homecoming was on October 4th. Katy went with her friend TJ. They went to PF Chang's for dinner, then the dance. She also went to the Homecoming game the night before. The Cowboys played Bear River. Unfortunately it was a loss for the Cowboys... Again. The girls all cheered from the stands. This will be Katy's last Homecoming :(

Real Salt Lake in their new "Rio Tinto" stadium

2008-10-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night our whole family went to the Grand Opening of the Rio Tinto Stadium and watched the Real Salt Lake soccer team play. As you can tell by the picture of Katy, it was a little chilly. It was fun to see the team in their own stadium. It was a fun family night. We went to Olive Garden and then the game. It was just fun all of us being together. It doesn't happen very often anymore.

Eric's Swim-a-thon

2008-10-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

On Friday night Eric had his first Swim-a-thon. He was earning money for the swim team. He ended up swimming 48 laps in two hours! His first swim meet is this Thursday. He's becoming quite fit with all this swimming.

You go, you little swimmer!