Steffy Stuff

Eclipse!

2010-06-30T22:57:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, we went to eat at Kneaders (yum!) and they had a drawing for free tickets to the premiere of Eclipse. Well, I'm on Team Jacob for the Twilight series and couldn't resist the chance to win a few tickets. Lucky me, I won! So, I took off a few hours at work today and went with Critty to the movie. It was awesome! A lot of people like it as the best of the Twilight series, but as much as I liked it, it still wasn't my favorite. My favorite is Twilight. Probably because it was all new and the characters really surprised me...didn't look a think like I had them pictured from reading the books. Anyway, Kneaders really did it up. In addition to the free tickets, they gave each of us a thing of popcorn, a drink, and at the end, a huge sucker that says "Love 4 Ever". Too fun! Thanks, Kneaders!

Only 1 More Day!

2010-06-29T22:38:00.002-06:00

So, after four weeks of doing the pilot program of Game On!, we are down to the last hours of the game. I am so excited that I can't stand it! It has been so hard for me to blog or journal every night, to not text while driving, to get 7 hours of sleep, to drink 101 ounces of water a day and to eat great. I will continue to not text while driving (the iPhone4 is too hard to do that with one hand)because I shouldn't have been doing that in the first place, but the other things I will do as I please. I'll probably commit to some other crazy scheme, but for this next week, complete freedom! Can't wait!!! It's been a good experience...and a bad experience. I've felt like I've had absolutely no time to do what I want to do. It's work, exercise, blog, to bed. Only one more day...

Sundays with Family

2010-06-27T21:15:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite days of the week is Sunday, because every other Sunday we have our kids and their families (at least the ones that are close) over for dinner. We all get together and hang out, eat a good meal, play games and just chill. I love being all together and I really want the cousins to be close to each other, so it's fun to watch them all interact. I hate it when it's time for them all to go because it feels like a mass exodus, but at least it's heaven for a few hours! Love those kids...and grandkids!

Party with the Colovos Clan

2010-06-26T23:07:00.002-06:00

Well, hell has officially frozen over. 32 years of marriage and we finally won the toss to have Kathy, Gus, Kristen, Ryan and Reagan stay with us while they are visiting from New Mexico. For those of you who don't know, Kathy was my roommate at BYU that introduced me to her brother (in reality, cousin) that I fell in love with and married. She lives in Albuquerque now and when she does come to Utah, she usually stays with her sister, Linda. But, ha, ha, Linda is out of town, so she is staying with us! Party! James is flying in tonight and we'll have their whole family except Kristen's hubby, Chris. I love it! Here's to good times!

Techy Savvy...Not this girl!!

2010-06-23T20:36:00.002-06:00

At about 4 o'clock today, I got an email from our IT department at work telling me that they had a new iPhone 4 for me and that I needed to bring my Blackberry 8900 down and switch it over. I stared at the email for about 5 minutes as panic set in. I am so NOT techy that this email struck fear in me like no other. I had imagined that when it came in, I could learn it a little at a time while still using the Blackberry that I'd almost figured out (after a year!), but no, the words "switch it over" meant it was all or nothing, baby! An hour and a half later, I finally got the courage up to go down and pick up my new phone. They switched it over and kept telling me, "You're going to LOVE it!" Oh sure, easy for IT people to say. I can't even get my fat little fingers to type the right letters. BUT, I can make the type bigger so my old eyes can read what is being "said" on the internet, or emails, or whatever. That part I DO love. The rest will come, I'm sure, but I made the IT department promise me that we would always be friends--especially after I bug them 400 times a day asking questions about this little guy. Oh, how I wish I knew all the fancy little things that this phone does. Well, here's to a new adventure! Wish me luck!

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T22:30:00.002-06:00

Today was Father's Day, and since the First and Third Sundays of the month our kids go to their inlaws for dinner, Chris was feeling pretty down. Of course, the kids all called their dad, but he was still hoping to see them and spend some time with them, but didn't think it was going to happen...or if it did, that it would only be for a few minutes. He was pleasantly surprised when Bree, Andy and Gubby came up just after church and about a half hour later, Tierney, Laila and Sloan showed up! Jackson is in Florida with his other grandparents, but he called and wished his Grandpa a happy day and Skyleur and his boys called earlier and wished Chris a happy Father's day. Vinny showed up a little later and rounded the party right out! Needless to say, Chris' day was complete and he is a happy camper. Thanks for being such a great hubby, father and grandfather, honey! I love you!

No Lov'n from the Oven

2010-06-18T22:18:00.002-06:00

About a month ago, Chris and I and Tierney and her kids were down in St. George. We had noticed that they built a new Brick Oven Pizza Parlor right at the top of St. George boulevard, but we had never been to it. Tierney and I both have fond memories of the Brick Oven in Provo, so we decided to go. Long story short, we were there for over three hours. We had to wait over an hour to be seated and then the service was horriffic! When we finally did get our meals, they were no good. It was ridiculous. The manager came by and asked how our meals were, and we told her the truth. She gave us gift cards (4) of $5 each and said they were good in either location and to please give Brick Oven another chance. Well, tonight we decided to try the Provo location to get the bad taste out of our mouth from the St. George location. Didn't happen. We were seated quickly enough, but the table we were at was in the banquet room and it was really noisy. In addition, they had this rack thing hanging on the wall that Tierney hit her head on several times and about knocked herself out. As for the service, well, my meatballs didn't come on my spaghetti and Tierney and Vinny's pizza NEVER came out. The manager came by and asked how our meals were, and we told him. As it turns out, our server forgot to put the pizza order into the kitchen. Great. They put the order in and asked if they wanted it in a "to go" box. I guess they wanted to clear the table to seat another customer. Vinny told them that they reason they go to a restaurant is to enjoy eating out. The manager said he would compensate them with free dessert. When the waitress came back to take the dessert order, she got all flustered when they ordered two desserts. When Vinny reminded her that they both had to wait for their meals, she disappeared and didn't come back for awhile, but when she did, there were two desserts. She dropped off the bill and ran off. We put our gift cards and Visa in the folder and she came back and snatched them fast. Not a great night. To make it even worse, there was road construction going down and back on I-15. The drive home took us almost an hour. No more Lov'n from the Oven for us!

Sports Night!

2010-06-17T23:21:00.002-06:00

Tonight was Game #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Boston Celtics. Those of you who know us well, know that Chris is an avid Lakers fan--having grown up in L.A., his heart is there instead of with the Jazz. He says he's a Jazz fan as long as they are NOT playing the Lakers. Anyway, watching intense games like these can cause great tension in our home. Luckily, we had an alternative tonight. Bree's friend from high school, Juba, was singing the national anthem at the Salt Lake Bees game and our good friend, Craig Terry, gave us free tickets to the game, so Bree, Andy, Branson, Critty and I went to the Bees game to support Juba. Gubby got a little bored after the first inning, so I went an bought him a soft bat and ball (it was a Yankees bat and ball!) to help keep him engaged while we watched the game. Truth be told, I'd rather watch Gubby than the Bees any day. So, we had a good time--watched Juba sing and then stayed until the seventh inning. The Bees were killing the Las Vegas 51, and Gubby hit his wall, so we headed home. We had checked the score in the Fanzz shop at the game and the Lakers were down 10 points in the 3rd quarter. Critty was NOT a happy camper. When we got home, there were four minutes left in the game. The Lakers were up by 6, but the Celtics would hit a three pointer and then the Lakers were only up by two. By the time the game was over, I'd aged 20 years. It is the most exhausting thing to watch a game with Chris. He is way too intense. He rants, he raves, he paces, he commentates, he whines, he cheers, you name it, he does it! Lucky for me, the Lakers pulled it out! It would have been a longgggggg night if not. In fact, I think I would have had to sign him up for therapy....Yay, Lakers!

Critty's Birthday

2010-06-16T22:29:00.004-06:00

Well, I'm not saying how old he turned today, but 54 years ago, Del Chris made his appearance into this world, and 54 years later, he's still looking like a million bucks! I may be a little prejudice, but hey, what are spouses for if not to build your self esteem? I know, Critty doesn't need any help in the self esteem department, but I am his #1 fan! I had to work today, but we did get to go to lunch together at Gecko's and then Shtovey took him golfing and they had the games of their lives (it was windy to their advantage) where Critty got at 77 on 18 holes. Get this--he missed a hole in one on a four par by four inches! Shtovey is his witness! After that, the whole family and the Andys went to dinner at Famous Dave's BBQ and then came back to the house for cake and ice cream and the opening of presents. It was good times! Happy Birthday, Delbert! Here's to 54 more!

The Cash Cube

2010-06-13T21:46:00.004-06:00

Well, I told you about Andy's 30th birthday on Thursday...what I didn't tell you was that Bree had a surprise birthday party planned for him on Saturday. She invited tons of his friends and family and had the meal catered by Joe Morley's (YUM!) and even with a inclement weather location change, pulled it off. Andy's neighbor stole him away to a movie so Bree could get it all set up, and he was surprised! He came in the door and everyone yelled "SURPRISE!" He looked stunned for a minute and then said, "Uh, I've got to go to the restroom...be right back!" I don't know who was more surprised...him when he walked in, or all of us wondering what to do while we waited for him to come back. Too funny. Anyway, he has always wanted to stand in a "Cash Cube" and see how much money he could grab while it was blowing around. It was on his "bucket list". So, Bree rented a cash cube and then arranged to have 6 Minute to Win It games that everyone played. If you conquered the game in 60 seconds or less, you earned a ticket worth 5 seconds in the booth. It was great...and Andy loved it! There was money flying everywhere! Everyone got a chance in the booth and people left the party with more money than when they came! When was the last time you ever heard of that? I was too busy working the cube to get any pictures at the party, but we couldn't take the booth back until tomorrow, so today we put some fake money in the booth and let the grandkids play. There were a few dollar bills, but it was fun just to watch them scramble! It was good times!

Andy turns the Big 3-0 !!

2010-06-11T00:33:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday, Andy man! Today was Bree's hubby, Andy McFarland's 30th birthday! He wasn't too thrilled about turning 30, but by the time we had his little family birthday party, he seemed to be okay. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and I wish we would have had a picture of him "saddled up" while they sang a round of Happy Birthday to him. He's always a good sport to make a fun time even more fun...always clowning around! We came home after dinner and had delicious Costco Chocolate Decadence (I could only have a thumbful ) and gave him his gifts. He's a good man--we're glad Breezy chose him! We love you, Andy!

TV Addictions

2010-06-07T23:48:00.002-06:00

When the fall and winter set in, we always find ourselves reconnecting with the good old television and then when spring hits, we start weening ourselves away so that we can play all summer long. Well, this year's been a little different. Our favorite TV series, 24 and Lost both ended and we felt a little panic attack of withdrawal going on--so we opted to replace our Monday night "date night" with Parkos with The Bachelorette. It's not a bad show, but we have so much fun getting together with the pals that we end up chatting all night and I can't get my seven hours of sleep in. Oh well, which is more important? Friends or points in a competitive Game On! game? Friends will win every time in my book! Until next Monday (and Ali better get rid of the stinkin' weatherman) when we tune in again...

Sloan Tia Rowe's Blessing Day

2010-06-06T23:09:00.004-06:00

Today was our 6th grandchild's blessing day. Sloan Tia Rowe was born on Feb. 8, 2010 and was blessed by her daddy, grandpa, uncles and friends in the Rowe's Draper ward. She was such a good baby. The guys said that she just looked up at them all when they put her in the circle. She never made a peep and Vinny gave her a good blessing. Tierney fixed a great luncheon after the blessing and we all had a great time! Sloan looked beautiful in her little ivory white satin dress that was ruffle after ruffle with a big bow in the back and a cute little headband. She could have been a bridesmaid in someone's wedding she looked so cute! She's a keeper!

Sunny Saturdays are Back!

2010-06-06T00:49:00.002-06:00

Ah, summer has finally hit (at least it better be summer!) and the pool parties have started! We had all these plans to work in the yard today, and ride our motorcycles, and go shopping and with one little phone call, all that went right out the door! Bree called about 11:00 AM and asked what we were doing and if we were going swimming today. Well, given the opportunity to hang out with our kids and grandkids put everything else on hold and we all went swimming. First, Bree and Branson came over, then Andy and Jared, then Jackson, Laila and Sloan. We swam until we were fully pruned and sunburnt, and then came in the house for awhile. I'm worried aobut Jack and Laila...they came after the sunscreen rub down and we forgot to slather them up. I hope they are sleeping well and don't look like lobsters at their little sister's blessing tomorrow! Here's to more fun pool days!

Belated Birthday Party

2010-06-04T23:43:00.010-06:00

Well, my favorite day of the year rolls around, my birthday, and I wake up at 4:00AM with food poisoning. Needless to say, my birthday on June 2nd was not a great day! We had to postpone my party until tonight. We went to Lonestar restaurant and then home for cake and ice cream.

Guess this will be my "free" meal on this new diet! It was great to all be together. Thanks everyone for the great gifts! If I wasn't so tired, I'd elaborate more. I'm telling you, this "forced blogging" could be a lot less than interesting...but at least I'm doing it!

Game On!

2010-06-03T23:29:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been way too long since I've done any blogging and we are doing a pilot program for a new diet at work called Game On! and in this program, you compete against other teams, getting points for everything from losing weight to changing bad habits and starting new good habits. So, you have to declare your habits to your team and then DO IT every day for four weeks. So, for my good habit, I decided that I will either journal or blog every night. This is going to be harder for me than I think...especially since it is 11:30 at night and I'm blogging. Another aspect of the Game On! is that you HAVE to get 7 hours or more of sleep--or you lose points. So, I may be going in to work later than usual lately...at least until I get this whole thing balanced. I think it will be a great program once I get used to everything, but for right now, I'm struggling! But hey, I got my first day of blogging in...here's to another 30 days! Wish me luck!

She's Finally Here--Little Sloan Rowe!

2010-02-08T21:52:00.004-07:00

I know, I am the worst at blogging lately, but hey, at least I'm at it again tonight! That's because we have cause to celebrate! Today at 3:27 PM, Tierney gave birth to a 7 lb. 7 oz., 18 1/2 inch long (we think they measured wrong) little baby girl. Her name is Sloan (middle name to be determined later) Rowe. She's definitely a keeper! She's just about two hours old in these pictures. Gotta love those grandbabies! Tierney and Sloan are both doing great and will be coming home on Wednesday! Congratulations Vinny and Tierney...and Jackson and Laila! We love you all!

He's FINALLY here!

2009-05-31T23:49:00.004-06:00

After 40 plus weeks of waiting, Branson Andrew McFarland finally made his appearance on this earth this morning. He was born May 31st, 2009 at 1:15 AM in the morning. He weighs 7 lbs.15 oz. and was 20 and 1/2 inches long. He has tons of dark brown hair and is beautiful! Congratulations Bree and Andy!

Fun Weekend!

2009-04-19T18:46:00.004-06:00

So, we had a great weekend again! Sky and family were in town for a family baby shower we had for Bree and a birthday party we had for Andrea. It was a real laid back weekend, but lots of fun. Here's some pictures...

Bree--who looks more like she swallowed a volleyball than that she's prenant! Laila and Cole taking the "car" for a spin, and Cole and Carson trying out the four wheelers. Good times!

Gotta Love the Easter Bunny!

2009-04-17T08:34:00.004-06:00

We love this season! Spring and the budding of the trees and flowers. The celebration of the resurrection of our Savior, and from the grandkids point of view, the Easter Bunny! We love the annual Easter Egg Hunt at my mom's retirement center, Legacy Retirement. Those guys really do a great job...there must be literally thousands of eggs "hidden". The grandkids love it! Jackson even tried to work it out that he could spend the night at Grandma's house so he would be sure to be there on time and not miss out on any of the festivities. He had baseball practice so that didn't work out, but Mom and Dad got he and Laila there in plenty of time, and though it was a little brisk outside, they still had a great time. Here's Jack with the Easter Bunny. Laila wasn't nearly as "brave" to sit on his lap! So this other picture is of her after the hunt at our house on Sunday!

Arghhhh...Knee Surgery!

2009-03-27T08:22:00.005-06:00

Well, I found out the hard way that just believing something would get better over time is not always right. Several months again, we were playing wallyball and I slid across the floor on my knees trying to save a hit. With kneepads, you can get a little extra speed and get to the ball faster. However, in my haste to save a point, I neglected to factor in the reality that I've gained some weight and that compressing all that weight onto my poor knees was just a little more than they could handle...and my right knee took the brunt of it. Well, even though it hurt, I tried to tell myself it would go away soon. Fallacy #1 when it comes to knees. Then, in January, we went to eat at Market Street Grill. I stepped out of the driver's seat and my left foot hit a patch of ice, sending me sailing. Unfortunately, my right leg was still in the car and got tangled between the seat and the running boards in a weird twist. Strike two on the knee. Well, I didn't need a strike three to get me into the doctor's office....the pain was convincing enough. I checked our insurance and found a knee specialist, but he had moved his office to Park City, Utah. Since that's only a half hour or so from Salt Lake City (and they have a pletheura of Factory Stores up there always worthy of perusing!) I made the trek. I really liked the doctor, Thomas Rosenberg, and after a ton of xrays and even an MRI, it was determined that I had indeed torn my meniscus. And, because I had waited so long since the initial injury, I had developed something called lateral compression with chondrosis. This meant my lateral muscle had tried to compensate for the meniscus and was pulling my knee cap over to the right. Even with the MRI it wasn't conclusive that I would have to have this surgery, so yesterday when I went in for surgery we still didn't know if I was going to have just the meniscus surgery (a two week rehab) or meniscus and lateral release (a four month rehab). Chris says the first thing I said when I was coming out of the anesthesia was, "How many things did they do to my knee?" I tried to see for myself, but my leg is so wrapped up it looks like a tree trunk! When Chris said they only had to do the meniscus, I was elated! I had had visions of my whole summer of waterskiing, wakeboarding, air chairing and kneeboarding being shot, but now I'll be able to do all that...and train for the Little Red Riding Hood bike ride in June. Yahoo! P.S. I found out later what good hands I was in...Dr. Rosenberg is the top knee surgeon in the NATION! He did Tiger Woods knees!!! Thanks, Dr. R! And thanks to all my friends and family for your prayers and well wishes. I love you all--and that's not the Percocet speaking!! P.S.S. For those of you that understand medical pictures, here's some of the inside of my knee!

Wow! What an Experience! 31 years later....

2009-03-22T21:36:00.004-06:00

So, most of you know that there is a new LDS temple in corner canyon in Draper. It is absolutely beautiful and literally glows at night sitting up on the mountain. Well, there is an open house that is held for everyone before they dedicate the temple and it ran from the middle of January until the 14th of March. Over 680,000 people went through the open house in that time. It was the third largest attended open house out of 129 temples throughout the world. Chris and I were lucky enough to be able to volunteer to "work" the open house. It was a great experience and though my feet were killing me after standing on them for eight hours in high heels, I wouldn't have traded that experience for anything. It absolutely amazed me that so many people came through to see this wonderful landmark. After the open house, they closed the temple for a week, removed all the carpet runners and cleaned it spotlessly in preparation for the Dedication ceremonies. Well, lucky for me, one of the women in our ward that had volunteered to work the Dedication had something come up that prevented her from volunteering, so I was able to work the Dedication on Friday--for the Cornerstone ceremony and the 2nd Dedication session. I was stationed upstairs in one of the ordinance rooms next to the celestial room where the First Presidency presided. It was a very humbling experience to spend six hours in the presence of our latter day Prophet Thomas S. Monson and his apostles. I felt honored to work with the people that were invited to attend that day, as well as with those with whom I served. At one point I looked down the hall and saw T, Vinny and Jackson seated in one of the sealing rooms. Jackson was so sweet and reverent. It is so hard to sit that long, but they were some of the few that were lucky enough to see President Monson in person. Needless to say, I loved every minute of it! The temple glows inside as beautifully as it grows outside! This morning, it was our ward's turn to be at the 9th (out of 12) Dedication ceremony. We had to be on the busses at 7:00 AM and then be in the temple ready for our session at 9:00 AM. That left a lot of time to sit and ponder. It hit me during that time that 31 years ago today I was in the Oakland temple with my Mom and Dad--on their wedding anniversary--preparing myself for my temple wedding on the 31st of March! Wow! How great is that? The Oakland temple on March 22, 1978 for my first time and the Draper Temple on March 22, 2009--and this time with the Prophet! I felt very blessed and humbled today. I wish I had this feeling every day!

Danger! Do Not Succomb!

2009-03-03T14:45:00.001-07:00

Well, as a result of a dare by my son at Christmas, and a strong push by an old friend that we ran into when we were working at the Draper Temple Open House, I finally buckled and joined Facebook! Here's how it happened: Last weekend, I went down to St. George with some friends and just had them drop me off at our house, so I had no vehicle. I rode my bike anywhere I needed to go, but soon found that was getting old. (Why didn't I remember our neighborhood having so many hills?). Anyway, I suddenly remembered that Skyleur had tried to talk me into joining Facebook when he was here and I used the excuse I never had time. Well, here I was with time on my hands, so I succombed. BIG MISTAKE! I love it just a little too much. I think I could put it in the addiction column. I'm seriously hoping that it's just a passing phase and I won't be checking it every couple of hours to see who my new friends are. The interfacing on that program is incredible! People from my childhood, school days, etceteras are finding me and we are reconnecting. It's so fun. But, I need to start restricting myself. Today Chris left for work and I was at the computer...hours later he came home and I was still at the computer. Really, I had done several other things in between, but to him it appeared that I was still in the same place for all that time. I think he may try to ground me from Facebook. Yikes! Until then, I'm loving every minute of it! Give it a try!

Dang! I've Been "8" Tagged! Here goes....

2009-03-03T14:22:00.003-07:00

Thanks, Bob a Lou--see if I log onto your blog again! Just kidding. So, here's my series of 8's...

8 Shows I Watch...

24
The Bachelor
Lost
Prison Break
The Biggest Loser
The Office
Everybody Loves Raymond
The Price is Right

8 Things I Did Yesterday...

Rode my bike on it's trainer in the house
Declined a Job Offer
Played on Facebook
Had lunch w/Critty at Sweet Tomatoes
Visited my Mom
Picked up a prescription
Had friends over for a Pizza Parth
Watched 24/The Bachelor w/friends & Family

8 Things I Look Forward To...

Spring/Summer and it's outdoor activities
Bree's Baby coming
Starting a new job/making new friends
Going to our house in St. George
Going to eat Crab in Mesquite
Draper Temple Dedication
Bi-Annual Vacation with my sister
Next Episode of my favorite shows

8 Things on my Wish List...

Going to Greece, England, Scotland, Ireland
Losing Weight
Drywall Industry to Pick Up again
Bree to have healthy baby
T/Vinny to find jobs they love
Me to find a job that I love
Find my temple recommend
My Mom's memory to get better

8 Places I Like To Eat...

Zupas
Eureka Buffet
Sam's Town
Red Lobster
Melting Pot
Cheesecake Factory
Market Street Broiler
Magelby's

8 Things I'm Grateful For...

The Plan of Salvation
My Family
My Friends
My Home
My Health
Food/Water
Clothing
Happiness

8 People I Tag...

Tierney
Breezy
Jenn B.
Heather
Jen M
Jessica
Jaci
Anyone and everyone who reads this!!!

Australia 2009

2009-02-25T13:39:00.001-07:00

We finally made it to Australia!!

2009-02-25T13:15:00.003-07:00

I can't believe it finally happened, but we actually made it to Australia! Chris drywalled a guy's cabin up in the Uintas in exchange for airline tickets and hotel accommodations in Sydney, Australia and we actually got to go! For awhile there, it looked as if the fellow wasn't going to make good on the trade, but we finally got it all arranged and it all worked out! Our buds, Geno and Meli Anderson went with us (Geno traded the heating on the cabin) and we had a blast! We left here on the 1st of February, but didn't get to Sydney until the 3rd of February because you cross the International Date Line. (Chris crossed this line once the day before his birthday and didn't arrive in Japan until the day after his birthday, so he is still trying to convince us that he is a year younger than he really is since he never had that birthday!). Then we had two fabulous weeks there in Sydney. It was incredible! The first week the weather was scorching hot--over 110 degrees--in some places over 120 and we slathered on the sunscreen. Then the next week we had a 40 degree swing and we found ourselves in rain--warm rain, but still rain. Crazy! That didn't stop us from having fun. Nor did the fires south of us in Victoria, the floods north of us in Queensland, or the shark maulings right where we were! We felt horrible for all the people involved in these tragedies, and fortunate that we weren't involved. The Aussies thought that we were a good luck charm bringing all the rain to an area that has had a drought for 12 years. Somehow, we didn't feel lucky. But we had tons and tons for fun, and that's all that counts! Here are just a few of the 550+ pictures we have of the trip! Hope you enjoy! Australia is beautiful and the people are fantastic!

Breezy's having a BOY!

2009-01-18T17:50:00.003-07:00

On January 9th, Bree and Andy went in for an ultrasound on their unborn baby and found out it's a BOY! That'll make four boys and one girl for us as grandparents! Little Laila remains the only "cincess". There are lots of Princes' to watch out for her! Maybe her Mommy and Daddy will decided to add another baby to their family and it will be another girl, or maybe Aunt Andrea and Uncle Sky will have another baby that'll be a girl! We don't care one way or the other--we just love having more grandkids to spoil!

We LOVE Sledding !!

2009-01-18T17:28:00.007-07:00

This was our year to have all the kids home for Christmas--yahoo! It is so fun to have all the grandkids together, as well as the kids--our kids! Santa brought us a new sled and so a few days after Christmas, we went sledding. The kids loved it! But the adults loved it just as much! Tierney and Andrea jumped on one of the sleds and took off and they could have set a new recreational sledding speed record! They were flying! It was so funny to hear them scream like little kids. The little ones couldn't get enough of it, but after an hour or so, they were almost icicles, so we called it a day. Carson was more interested in eating the snow off his gloves than sledding, but he still had a great time. I hope we are still sledding down the hills with our grandkids when we're 70! This was too much fun!

Santa Came to OUR House?

2009-01-18T17:16:00.003-07:00

"Twas the night before the night before Christmas and we were all just hanging out around the house. Suddenly, there arose such a clatter--bells ringing and some "Ho, Ho, Ho's" that Jackson and Cole bolted to the door. Somehow in all the excitement, Cole got tangled up with an iron candle holder and really hurt his cheek (we were surprised it didn't split it open!) and what was supposed to be sheer delight started with tears. Poor Santa didn't know what to do! Though I'm sure he's experienced some tears with children on his lap who are afraid of him, this was a totally unexpected welcome. Hurt as he was, Cole toughed it out and soon the surprise visit was joyful! Jackson had his usual round of questions for the Jolly Old Man, but Santa knew all the answers and once again this year, WE BELIEVE ! Santa had us sing some songs with him and he told us stories about how all the reindeer are doing--and what kind of jokes they like to play on Santa. Carson wasn't so sure about the whole thing, but Laila overcame her fear of Santa and she, Jackson and Cole cuddled right up to him for this picture. Thanks, Santa! Oh, and tell our friend, Ping, that he's the best!

Blogger Illiterate!

2008-12-22T09:46:00.002-07:00

Wow! I've been trying for months now how to get this slideshow on my blog. It took forever to get all the pictures together and labeled and then I couldn't get it to the blog. Thanks to my friend, Heather, I think I got it, however, any time I try to type anything in the Panama Canal Cruise post, it deletes the slideshow. So, I finally gave up! I am blogger illiterate! I just decided to do this separate post and leave the slideshow alone. Here are some of the pictures of our cruise to the Panama Canal. It was a FABULOUS vacation! We left Sunday, October 26th out of Los Angeles on Royal Caribbean's Splendor of the Seas and went to Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, and Huatulco, Mexico, then to Costa Rica, Panama, through the locks and over to Aruba, then to Puerto Rico where we got off the boat on November 8th and stayed in Puerto Rico for two more days. We went with our good friends, Steve and Bobbie Ostler and Jerry and Sandy Moon. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun we had...it was non stop. We haven't laughed that much or played that hard for months. We've decided two weeks is the only way to go for cruising. It was the first cruise we didn't feel rushed on! We did not want to come home. We've been on lots of vacations at all different times of the year, but this one was really hard to come home from because when we left the weather was nice, the trees still had leaves on them and the sun stayed up until seven or seven thirty. We came home to cold weather, naked trees and because of daylight savings time, early nights. No good. Oh well, we'll just have to live on the memories! It was GOOD times!

Panama Canal Cruise

2008-12-22T09:45:00.001-07:00

Breezy's Having A Baby!!!

2008-11-20T17:53:00.006-07:00

Our youngest daughter, Bree, and her husband, Andy have been married for three years. During that time, we have occasionally asked if they were going to have children...only to just about get our heads bitten off. So, needless to say, we gave up asking. We had just returned from a 16 day cruise to the Panama Canal (the pictures are coming--this was more important!) and it was a Sunday. We were all watching football and suddenly Bree drops these two photos in my lap. I assumed she had a friend who was pregnant and had some questions about the ultrasound, so I asked, "Who's are these?" To which she replied, "Mine." Then I figured she must have gotten out her baby book and pulled her ultrasound pictures out. I turned to look at her and just then it hit me. She had tears in her eyes and I started screaming, "You're pregnant?" We were all (Chris and Andy were there, too!) jumping up and down and crying tears of joy. Suddenly it hit me that they were moving to Georgia in January and my tears of joy turned to tears of sobbing sorrow. I said, "Oh no, but you're moving to Georgia." Bree said, "Well, that's Part 2: We're not going to Georgia any more! Now that I'm pregnant, we feel it would be best to stay here with family." And Part 3 is: Can we live with you a little longer until we find a place to live? I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Christmas came early for us! So, she followed the advice of a baby book which told her that you shouldn't announce that you're pregnant until your second trimester. Stupid book...that author never had a daughter. Anyway, she's due May 27th! Yahoo! I can't wait. I hope none of their houses that they own can be vacated for at least another 6 or 7 months! We love having them live with us!

This one shows it's little heartbeat...

...and this one is the little guy--or gal!

More About New York...

2008-10-07T15:30:00.008-06:00

I spent 10 days in New York City and I could have spent another month! The first 5 days were with Chris, and then I took him to the airport and picked up my sister, Jeanie ! Between the two of them, I got to see 6 Broadway plays! Chris and I saw The Lion King and Young Frankenstein. Then Jeanie and I saw Title of Show, The Jersey Boys (my favorite!), Gypsy Rose and South Pacific. They were awesome! Title of Show wasn't great, but it was interesting! Here are some pictures of other things we did. The first is a sneak preview of the new Yankee Stadium. Then one of me after the Yankee game on the street in Times Square. Next is the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It is so amazing to me that on out of four Americans can trace their ancestry back to an immigrant that came through Ellis Island. The stories were heard while there were incredible. I can't even imagine the things our ancestors went through to be able to come to America! One day Lou (another name for my sis, Jeanie), and I went up to the Bronx to take pictures of the new Yankee Stadium, then took the subway through four of the five burroughs and ended up in Coney Island. We had always heard of this place, but had never been there, so we checked it out. It was mostly deserted because it's Fall, but we still went to the famous Nathan's for a Coney Island hot dog. We found out a Coney Island dog is just a hot dog with sauerkraut and onions. Truth is, Lou had a regular hot dog and I had a steak sandwich. But hey, we can say we've been to Coney Island!

New York, New York! We love New York!

2008-10-07T14:58:00.004-06:00

So, Chris' birthday and Father's Day are always within a day or two of each other, which makes gift finding really hard. Well, this year, for Father's Day, I gave him a trip to New York. He'd been there for a few hours on the way home from his mission, but hadn't REALLY seen New York! I had gone with my sister, Jeanie, a few years ago, and absolutely fell in LOVE with the city...everything about it...the subways (yeah!), the people, the Broadway plays, the food, the landmarks, EVERYTHING! Chris has been an avid Yankee fan since the Mickey Mantle days, but has never been to a game in Yankee stadium. As most of you know, they are tearing it down even as I write. I was able to get some fantastic tickets to the second to the last game (or the last Saturday night game) before they tore the stadium down. Chris was excited when he opened them and I told him we were going, but NOTHING compared to what I witnessed when we got there. We arrived at the stadium a few hours prior to the game because we had special passes to get into the Stadium Club. This was supposed to give us an advantage and guarantee that we would be able to see Monument Park--where all the retired players numbers and plaques are--but when we got there, we found out that since it was the next to the last game, they were going to allow the first 200 people in line only to visit Monument Park. I was sick. We were about 600 people back. We talked to one of the police officers guarding the stadium and explained our situation and he saved us! He allowed us a five minute head start through the Stadium Club (which is on the opposite side of the stadium from Monument Park) and we literally ran through the stadium. We were almost to the entrance to Monument Park when they let the rest of the public into the stadium. What chaos! Luckily, another guy that worked at the stadium blocked the raging crowd off and let us in to Monument Park. I was so relieved! I knew that was one of Chris' "bucket list" items, so I am eternally grateful to Officer Manuela and the guy inside the stadium for letting a couple of Utah punks into the Park. When we got there, it was boiling hot outside, but I looked at Chris and he had goose bumps on his arms. He was SO excited to be there! His dream had come true! We took tons of pictures! The grin never left his face for the next 5 hours. He loved every minute of it. In 30 years of marriage, he has never thanked me so much for something. I think I did good on this one!

Jackson's Baptism

2008-09-07T22:23:00.005-06:00

On Saturday, the 6th of September, our first grandson--Tierney's oldest child, Jackson, was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. His biological father, John Beck--Tierney's first husband-- baptized him, and then his dad, Vinny Rowe, confirmed him. It was a great day! Jackson had so many friends and family there. He was the only one from his ward baptized that day and the whole room was full! He had three sets of grandparents there (one good thing about divorce!), one set of great grandparents, lots of aunts and uncles and cousins and tons of friends. His mom played the piano for all the songs, two of his grandpas gave talks, one of his friends, Julia (aka Huba to those of us who love her best) sang "One Clear Voice" and Tierney bore her testimony. It was fantastic! Thanks to everyone who came and helped us celebrate this great occasion...and helped with the luncheon afterward. Jackson looked so handsome and we are so proud of him! I can't believe we have a grandchild that old! Yikes, the years are slipping up on us!

The Eck Women Reunited!

2008-09-04T23:07:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday night, my cute nephew (okay, so they are all cute!), Justin and his new bride, Christiana had a reception in Provo. They actually got married in the Sacramento temple on August 22nd, but they have lots of friends and family here in Utah, so they had a reception here, too! My sister, Lou (she goes by Jeanie to most people, but her given name is Lou Jean, so those of us that love her most call her Lou) did a great job of pulling it all together from 700 miles away. It was a great night...lots of family I hadn't seen for awhile, and what's better than getting together with the fam? Here's a pic of me, my sisters, Joette and Jeanie, and my mom. That's the female side of the Joe Eck family!

Jackson Tage turns 8 years old!

2008-09-04T22:39:00.009-06:00

September 3rd was Jackson's eighth birthday. We can't believe we could possibly have a grandchild that old! He is such a sweet boy and so smart! For his birthday, he told Tierney he just wanted a big, fat, juicy steak for dinner and then to go to Boondocks. So, that's exactly what we did. Vinny barbequed some HUGE steaks and Tierney made all the fixin's to go with them. Then we had cupcakes (another request of Jack's), opened presents, and went to Boondocks and played miniature golf. It was a great night! Happy Birthday, Jackson! Oh, and congratulations on getting the first hole-in-one of the night! Good work! I'm not quite sure if Jack's playing his golf club like a flute, or pondering his next shot! He looks pretty serious!

Home Away From Home...

2008-09-04T22:29:00.003-06:00

Okay, lots of you have asked about our house in St. George. I tell you, it is just small and simple, but we LOVE it! It is our home away from home. We have some great friends right next door that feel like family and when we leave the Salt Lake Valley to go south, this is where we go! I was down here last week getting the lawns mowed and decorating some more. I don't usually like to be alone, but when I'm down here, it doesn't bother me at all...though I did take my guard dog, Tucker, all nine pounds of him, with me!

Laila Belle is 3 years old!

2008-08-26T12:25:00.012-06:00

Laila's birthday was the same day we had the Fantasy Football draft and golf tournament, so we went from one party to the other. Good times! Lucky for us the second party was at our house--a swim/pizza party! Laila loves to swim and as it turns out, we have a pool, so she chooses to come here a lot! Yea!

Tierney made some great cookies for her cake, which I thought was a fabulous idea, since kids don't usually eat cake a lot. We actually had to heat the pool since the cover was broken and it didn't keep the heat in at night. Can't wait to get our gas bill this month!? Laila thinks she is a princess (well, she is, isn't she?) so she got some "princess accessories", a laptop, and just to make sure she's grounded and doesn't let this "cincess" (and she says it) stuff get to her head, Mommy and Daddy got her a putter for golfing, complete, of course, with Barbie golf balls. Too cute! I wish all the grand kids lived close so that we could celebrate all their birthdays with them! Happy Birthday, Laila!

Fantasy Football Draft and Golf Tournament!

2008-08-26T12:06:00.005-06:00

Every year about this time, we have our annual Fantasy Football Draft and Golf Tournament. If any of you don't know what Fantasy Football is, you're really missing out! I ignored it for years until Sky went on his mission, then decided to draft a team so that he could manage it when he got home in December.

Well, I got hooked and by the time he got home, I was winning in our league and there was no way he was taking over. Now I LOVE the football season! Here's kind of a bad picture, but this is the gang after the tournament--minus Moonie who was holding down our reservation at the restaurant so we could have the draft. I'm not too sure about my team this year, but we'll see if Big Momma's House can dominate once again! I do hold the Back-to-Back wins award, but that was many moons ago!

Managers of the Golden Ass Corral

More Stuff Going on...

2008-08-26T10:54:00.016-06:00

The first weekend in August, Sky and Andy invited us up to a cabin that Andrea's dad built in Star Valley, Wyoming. We took our two four wheelers and had a fantastic time. The weather was CRAZY! Boiling hot one minute, then sheets of rain pouring down on us the next! We hit a hailstorm driving into town one day and it was so deafeningly (is that a word?) loud as it hit the car that I had to plug my ears. We were yelling to talk to each other inside the car. We had to pull to the side of the road because it was coming down so hard. It actually put dents in our car! The hail balls were the size of ping pong balls. I was sure the windshield or the sun roof was going to break at any moment. When the weather was cooperative, we golfed, swam and just hung out on the patio of the cabin. The first day, Chris and I, Sky, Andrea, Cole and Carson all went golfing. What a crack up! The little boys would see our balls lying on the golf course and run up to get them screaming, " I found it!" Too cute. Needless to say, we didn't keep score on that round! But it was one of my best memories of golfing. The cabin has a bridge over a dry creek bed that Andy's mom wasn't pleased to have had to put in because the creek never had any water in it. Well, if she would have

been with us, she would have been glad that the bridge was there. The "dry" bed turned into a muddy river rushing down from the mountains. Sky couldn't resist getting in...there's still a bit of little boy that likes to play in the mud inside that grown man!! Thanks, Sky and Andy...and Bev and Rand...for the good times!

Family from Albuquerque in Town!

2008-08-26T10:17:00.008-06:00

August has been a crazy month...we have been so busy that I haven't posted much, but here are some of the highlights of the month! Family in town is always great and we've been lucky to have lots of them this month! Yea! This is my sis-in-law, Kouthie, and her daughter, Kristen, with her husband, Chris and their "baby" Ryan. And of course, we are at a restaurant eating!!! Gotta love Olive Garden...mmmmm!!!

My Hog...

2008-08-12T21:46:00.003-06:00

So, I guess you could say that the rising gas cost really got the best of me! I just can't stand filling up the Tahoe or the Corvette and spending $100 or $75. I'm cheap through and through and I can admit it! Given that background, I decided to join the nerd world and buy a scooter. I searched for months--probably not a wise thing to do given the fact that I won't be able to ride it for many more months, but I finally found the one for me! I actually saw it on KSL.com but we had a crazy two weeks after that and I didn't get around to calling on it until it was too late. It was brand new, but the guy bought it for his wife who was only 5 feet tall and she couldn't reach the ground, so he had to sell it. I was in mourning for awhile when I realized it was sold, but got back to shopping and found the exact same scooter for sale again! This guy bought it for his wife and it was too big for her, too! Yahoo! Guess who got it? That's right-ME! With only 40 miles on it and several hundred dollars less than the original owner paid for it a month ago! It just cracks me up to ride it. What's really funny, is that there is this unwritten rule that two wheeled vehicles honk at each other whenever you pass. The first time it happened to me, I almost wrecked! Now I really laugh. I've got to get a different helmet, though. The one it came with is too big and I look like a human mushroom. Also, big time thanks go to my pal who took me up to look at it and escorted me home (since I didn't have a motorcycle license) and also my sis-in-law, Kouthie who held my hand at the DMV for an hour or more while I took my test. What would I do without great friends and family?

Family Night at Jordanelle

2008-08-06T10:26:00.009-06:00

Jackson kneeboarding

Vinny wakeboarding

Andy wakeboarding

It seems like this summer has been so busy that we just can't get together for a trip to Lake Powell with the whole family, so we had to settle for a family night with all but Sky's family. We went up to Jordanelle Dam on Monday night and played our little hearts out. Everyone either kneeboarded, skied, or wakeboarded...even little Laila and Jackson! It was another beautiful night and we played until the sun went down and we could barely see to load the boat. Jack was probably exhausted for school the next day, but I'm sure he thought it was worth it. When they first got to the lake, Jack said, "Grandma, I was so excited to go boating today that I couldn't even concentrate at school today!" Too cute! We all had a really great time--and we'll be doing it again soon. Can't let this summer slip away without a lot more play

in it!

Captain Critty at the helm Tenito getting ready to ski

Breezy helping Laila get ready to kneeboard

Oh What A Night!

2008-08-06T09:58:00.004-06:00

Last Wednesday night, Bree (gotta love that the kid loves to go to concerts with her Ma and Pa still), Critty and I went to the Joe Cocker/Steve Miller concert out at the Usana Amphitheater. It was incredible! The night was absolutely perfect and the bands really rocked! I can't believe that they still sound fantastic! Good grief, they are each 64 years old and they've still got it. And Norton Buffalo with the Steve Miller Band is a true geriatric rocker! I love that guy...been with them from the beginning. My favorite, though, was a new guy that they've recruited. His same is Sunny and the dude was dancing all night long! He's got some moves! Plus, he was hilarious! Can't wait until their new album comes out...it's got some blues songs on it that they played and they were really good.

My Mom and Dementia

2008-07-13T21:45:00.005-06:00

A few of you that I sent my blog address to have asked about my mom. Well, she is doing great! She's outlived two husbands, and is married to a third man named Wendell Chapman. He is a great man and we are all quite fond of him. Mom had some physical difficulties earlier this year, but she has overcome those and now her only struggle is her dementia. Some days she is perfectly lucid and other days I just have to laugh with her or I cry. Some of the things she comes up with are great. A few months ago when I went to visit her, I noticed that her hair wasn't quite up to par. I asked her if she'd combed her hair that day and she replied, "Yes." I asked if she'd curled it, or what and she answered, rather indignantly, "I did it in the microwave." This one caught me a little off guard, so I questioned her a little further, "How did you do that?" She replied, acting a little disgusted at my stupidity, "I pushed the buttons!" So, there you have it. Microwave hair do's. Who'd have known? Obviously, she did NOT do her hair in the microwave, but for that brief moment, she thought she did. Bless her heart. She's a sweetheart and I'm just glad she's close by so I can go see her 4-5 times a week. Here's a picture of her and another of her and Wendell. Not bad for 84 and 91 years old! Don't you just love that hat on Wendell?

Journey/Heart/Cheap Trick

2008-07-13T21:34:00.004-06:00

On Friday night, we headed out to the Usana Amphitheather and saw three old groups in concert. Cheap Trick was first, followed by Heart, who was fabulous and then Journey. It was a gorgeous night--perfect weather. We had a great time. I couldn't believe that the Wilson sisters still had such great voices! Journey didn't have Steve Perry as their lead singer, but the guy that they did pick up was great. If you didn't look at him, the group SOUNDED just like the original Journey. But then to see this Philipino dude jumping all over the stage was a little different. He was great, don't get me wrong--and he had all the energy that Steve Perry used to have, but it was just different to see. But it was fabulous. The only bad thing was that some dudes behind us were smokin' some doobies and it was BAD! It made me sick! I'm sure I was second hand high and my body just can't handle that. That definitely brought back memories of growing up in California. Back then I used to think the state "flower" was marijuana! Those were the days. UGH!

"Steffy Luck" Temporarily Suspended

2008-07-11T09:48:00.006-06:00

Any of you who know us well, know that the Steffys live with a cloud of bad luck hovering over their heads. If something bad is going to happen, it's going to happen to us. Keeping us humble, I guess. Anyway, here is one of the few times that we got lucky!

Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to Lake Powell with our friends, the Andys and the Ossies (okay, more code names--Andys are the Andersons--Geno, Meli, Roonie, Brando and Camperoonie, and Ossies are the Ostlers--Shtovey, BobaLou, Rach-A-Roonie, and TySone. There are more Ossies, but these are the ones that came on this trip). The place where we bought our boat, Wasatch Marine, hosts a big shin dig every year at this time called Boats and Bogeys. Well, on Friday, they had a two man scramble at the Lake Powell National Golf Course. Critty and I paired up, though Meli and I rode in the same cart--you know, girls just have more fun together, but since she and I usually don't take our golf seriously, we opted to not be partners. Anyway, somehow, I actually golfed well that day. I got the women's longest drive and the closest to the hole. Shock! With these little strokes of luck, and Critty's naturally good golfing, we managed to take 3rd place in the tournament! We couldn't believe it! Anyway, they presented us with a Visa card for $250 that Critty let me buy new clubs with to leave at our St. George house, a gift certificate for $1000 off our next boat (now that's good marketing!), and told us we could choose from an electric cooler or a wakeboard. Well, in my mind, I was thinking, "An electric cooler? Isn't that the same thing as a refrigerator?" Anyway, since we have two wakeboards, we decided on the cooler. What a great decision! The cooler turned out to be a Cruzin'Cooler which is an ice chest mounted on a three wheeled scooter. It is hysterical! It goes 15 MPH! We love it! So does everyone else! Check out the pictures! And come try it out! Too funny. For this time, the "Steffy Luck" was negated! Thanks Wasatch Marine!

Secret Codes

2008-07-10T19:57:00.008-06:00

I just realized that some of you may get really confused reading our posts if I don't give you some "secret codes." Chris and I have a habit of nicknaming everyone that we really like. So, you'll probably run into a lot of names that don't make any sense to you. Here is a brief synopsis of some of the "code" names. Chris is also known as Critty, Christopher Robin, Philly, Cletus, and Clifford. Melanie is known as Mel, MelJano, Melbie, Meli, Cletus and Philly. As you've noticed, Philly and Cletus are shared names, and may also be used to refer to other friends as well! Our kids and grandkids are as follows: Tierney is T, Tier, Tenito, Teasler, or Princess. Skyleur is Sky, Scooby, SkyMan, Lubie (usually only referred to this by Bree) , or Handsome. Brianna is Bree, Breezy, Breebop, BreezyLou or Ghetto (usually only referred to this by Sky) and Princess. The grandkids: Jackson is Jack, Jacksoney, Zoney or Zoney Bamboney. Colton is Cole, Coley or Coley Oley. Laila is Laila Belle, Laila Bella, Yay-Ya, Baby or more commonly know as the "Cincess". Carson is Cars or Carsey. In laws: Tierney's husband, Brian, we know only as Vinny or Vin--though there is nothing in his given name hinting to this. It was a name he had long before we met him. Skyleur's wife is Andrea, who we call Andie. And Brianna's husband Andrew, we call Andy. Whew! That's the family. You'll just have to catch on the the friend's nicknames as we go on. Now I can "talk" normal....
P.S. Here's a few more...Jaci, one of my friends at work, is Jeter (cuz she's a Yankee fan, and she IS going to marry Derek Jeter), Jac-a-roonie, and as of just this week after a really crazy dream that Chris had about her and a Yankee game where she couldn't get a ticket so she just jumped on his back and they had to share a seat, she is now known as "spider monkey!" If you want a good laugh, you'll have to ask Critty about the dream!

Ready or Not, Here I Come!!!

2008-07-10T19:50:00.003-06:00

Wow! I'm really not sure what I'm doing in this Blog world, but I'm trying to figure it all out and see if I can make any sense of it. I have so much fun reading everyone's blogs that I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm sure I'll be asking Tierney a million questions and she'll wish her mom hadn't ever tried to overcome her technological handicaps, but, hey, I've got to at least TRY to keep up with the times! What's that saying about an teaching an old dog new tricks? So, here's to a new experience...hang in there with me. I just might get good at this someday!