Birthday Celebration Continued

So, here is the new, improved, much older Jacque. We love her new haircut....don't you agree?? It is adorable and very hip. We went to dinner and had a great time. Happy Birthday Jacque!!

Happy Birthday Jacque!!

Our beautiful young Adult! Jacque is 19 today. She is in the midst of finals, so we are celebrating by going to Charlestons tonight for dinner. She now has a new wardrobe of cute skirts and jewelry to match. She is also getting her hair dyed and cut today...so we will see a new, more "hip" young adult tonight.
Beautiful things about Jacque:
Stronger convinction of truths she holds dear
More organized as she juggles school, family and work
Still a best friend to all, always willing to forgive, always wanting to make others' feel better
A best friend to her sister
A daughter we are blessed to have in our home, in our lives and part of our eternal family.

Sunday Family Activity....

Hmmmmm....so....when our family gets together, sometimes, there are bragging rights. For as long as I can remember....Stephanie has been the Queen of the leg wrestle. She has beaten most boys, teenagers and adults for a very long time. She use to do this as a teenager to keep the boys' egos at a minimum. So, Jenny comes along and she is the "queen" of her family in the leg wrestle department. (NOT including Tyler, of course!). So, the two decided to have some fun and determine the real "QUEEN"..... see for yourselves!

New Temples

It's been a busy morning with all the buzz. As many of you know...two new temples were announced by Pres. Monson. Both in Arizona with one being in "Gilbert" and the other in the "Gila Valley". Of course, everyone is speculating on the exact location...should be fun and exciting to watch the progress of these two temples. I KNOW the families in Pima are excited and so are we....wow....wow!!

Kade's Mission Call

Tonight, Kade Kargas received his mission call. We are so excited for him. He is reporting to the England London South Mission on August 8th! WOW!! Darleen drove down just to be there for the opening of the letter and is staying with us for the night....which makes Jacque one happy cousin!!

Kade's Reaction!

Tagged...

OK...now I know what a "tag" is. Silly me!! Yvette tagged me and I get to tell you my favorite things in each room.
Brace yourself....we have quite a few rooms!
Walk in...living room....favorite thing...my grand piano. It is a beauty and makes the most beautiful music. Best thing about it?? It was a "splurge" from my wonderful husband!
Turn right....kitchen...need I say more??? What DON'T I like? I love the space, the large island and the gorgeous cabinets. I love, absolutely LOVE this room!
Keep walking...family room...favorite thing...my pictures of our kids on the wall. I get to look at their beautiful faces each day...amazing!
Keep walking....craft room...favorite thing...hmmm..it's a craft room and where I have therapy. My albums would be my favorite things.
Aly's room....her closet...it's the most organized closet I have ever seen...colors, styles, rotation mode, shoes...all at her fingertips.
Jacque's room....her Japanese lanterns that hang from her ceiling. It gives her room the most amazing lighting. She has a collage of pictures that she has taken that I adore on one wall also.
Brad's Den....I'm not in this room much...hmmmm.....maybe the computer system that keeps the rest of our house in tip-top technological shape!
Our master room...the bed...large, comfy...what more can I say?
Downstairs:
Family room....the walls...striped in red with 32 large posters of all of our favorite movies. This was a fun room to create. We asked each kid to name some of their favorite movies and then I did a lot of ordering. Aaron's favorite?? Ghostbusters Tyler's favorite?? X-Men Jacque's favorite?? Pride and Prejudice Aly's favorite?? Lion King Brad's favorite?? It's a Wonderful Life Dena's Favorite?? Field of Dreams
Guest room #1 (Aaron's) Picture of Eagle with scripture....given to him by his Grammy
Guest room #2 (Tyler's) Hawaiian motif....whimsy and fun....downstairs where no one can really see it!
There you have it! I tag Pam

FINALLY!!!!!!

Yes....the taxi service has done it's duty! On the other hand, watching your 'baby' drive off in the car can make a mom tear up! She did well. The MVD tester said that she didn't miss a thing....and then Aly hit the curb as she was parking. The nice lady said....ooppss....spoke too soon!! But she passed and promptly asked if she could drive to the Gilbert High School for the guys volleyball game. WOW!!

SAVANNAH....

It's your birthday and we love you! Here's a little song to keep you smiling for the whole day...made especially for you.





PS: It's also Adam Weech's birthday. That little tike is 3! Happy Birthday ADAM!!

Happy Birthday Elder Roberts!!

Here's a happy birthday to you from all the cousins! Of course, Grammy, Grampy and all of us Aunts and Uncles wish you a wonderful coming year too. We love you!!

Another Jacque post...

It's feast or famine when it comes to blogging my girls. Sometimes, there are just alot of activities to share. No, I don't love Jacque more....as some may think out there in blogger-ville. I've got some more great pictures of Aly and the cast of Back to the 80's. They are coming.



Back to my post:



Saturday, Jacque ran in the Pat Tillman run. He was a huge football player who turned down a multi-million contract in the NFL to serve in our army. However, he was killed in "friendly fire". Quite tragic. So, they had a huge run in his honor. His number was 42....so....it was a 4.2 mile run, ending on the 42-yard line at ASU. Jacque and her friend, Chris, having been running to "get in shape". She did quite well considering this was her first long race. The race went up and over the Mill bridge, so there were a few climbs that Jacque was not prepared for. Her time for 4.2 miles? 35 min. 22 sec. She did quite well and is now preparing for another in two weeks...this time an 8-mile run. Wish her luck!!!

Answers....

....to all those questions..

Yes, it is Joe Nichols. Jacque went to Country Thunder with Chelsey Robson. They were in the Box seats, which gave them backstage passes and freebies and dinner and all that! That is where she met "Joe"

She had a blast!!

Yes, Jacque is taking a contemporary dance class and they do alot of moves on the floor. Since Jacque doesn't have much padding...her bones take a lickin'. She LOVES her class tho!!

New Clues....

OK....Jacque's newest passion is something she used to do a long time ago

Her cute "guy" had a #1 single.... Brokenheartsville
NO googling to find the answer!!!!!!

Isn't this fun??

Who is THAT??

NOPE...it's NOT a boyfriend!!
Clue #1: Why would Jacque have a cowboy hat on?
Clue #2: He's a recording artist



Any guesses??
Yes, I must be into playing games today.....have fun!

Jacque's Newest Hobby

OK...this is Jacque's new past-time.....getting bruises you say? No, that's the end result. You should see her wrist bone, her knee and her shins. So...what do you think she does to develop these bruises each week?

What do I do?

Sometimes, at the end of the day, I wonder just exactly what I do. I know I didn't stay in bed. I know I haven't eaten any bon bons OR even watched TV. But, in reality, I wonder if I'm leaving any memories of our family's events to cherish in coming years or to look back on with grandkids (oh, wait....that hasn't happened yet!!) or just to remember some very special times. So as many of you know...I scrap. But this year, to date, I have nothing to share. Why you ask? Well, after creating TWO wedding albums...neither one I kept, I started an album dedicated to Ashley, our sweet 8-yr old niece. That one was given away. The 2nd was a belated Christmas present to Eileen, a Disney Album that was very fun to create. That was given away. SOOOOO....I needed something that would stay on my new album table. I started with our 20th Anniversary Cruise. I thought I would share some of my favorite pages and now, have gone to a few "therapy" sessions and am doing MUCH, MUCH Better.

My Therapy!

General Conference

Just thought I would blog about how I felt about Conference this weekend. Participating with my family in the Solemn Assembly was quite touching. Listening to the testimonies of these good men as they bore solemn witness to the sacredness of the Prophet's calling was strengthening to me. So, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite quotes. Please comment and leave your favorite quote also...we all read them!

"Scientific methods do not support spiritual matters. We receive our knowledge thru the Holy Ghost" Dallin H. Oaks

"Enduring to the end is not a do-it-yourself-project. We need the Savior to cleanse us within." L. Tom Perry

"No role in life is more essential than that of motherhood." M. Russell Ballard

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ! My resolve has been strengthened to do better, to be kinder and to come closer to my Savior.
Love to all!

And the Show Begins.....

Aly is in the middle of performing in the play
"Back to the 80's"
It's a cute show and the characters are getting better with each performance. Only 3 more nights...Mon., Wed., and Closing night which is Friday. Here is one of the posters with Aly's cheerleader character and the other is a picture of her "prom night" attire.

April Fool's Day......NOT!!

So, this is the day for practical jokes. First, Aly texts me and says that a certain flirty boy at school kissed her and says: "April Fools!"
I text back: "on the lips????"
She responds: "Yes!!"
That did not make me very happy, so I text: "I do not like that boy!!"
I felt like calling his mom! She texts me back and says...."April Fool's! hahaha" Yeah, she got me.
Then... on the way to the temple (Tuesday is Temple day for me), I'm talking to my mom (aka: Grammy) and she is telling me how gullible she is and falls for another Stephanie joke. We are laughing at her gullibility. I get this hairbrain idea for a joke for Jacque, so while I'm in the temple parking lot, I text her my idea.
So, as you can see, jokes are on my mind as I walk to the temple.
I go in, and they scan the bar code on my recommend and he looks at me and says... "hmmm...your recommend in not good...it's expired."
I'm thinking... hey! I didn't think the temple was an appropriate place to play a joke. So, I ask a little incredulously: "Are you serious?"
He responds that my recommend expired on my birthday month (March) and since this was the first day of April...it's certainly expired. Talk about the foolish 5 of the 10 Virgins! They were able to call someone and let me "in" for today, but I need to get a new recommend. As I was waiting in the front lobby, the man behind the desk asked me if I thought he was pulling a joke and I admitted that I did. He laughed and said... we don't do that in the temple! DUH!! Goes to show you that your frame of mind does affect your attitude in the temple!
And with general conference around the corner, I'm without a temple recommend for 2 weeks. Please pray that nothing happens to me....I don't think I've ever been without one!! NOT a good feeling :(