I want to be like Nicole!!

Let me start off by saying that I have been able to visit Nicole (she's married to my nephew Clint) in three of her homes. Without exception she has a talent for decorating. Not only that, but her level of tidiness is monumental. Are you getting the picture? July found me once again taking a "tour" of their latest, newly built, home and loving her sense of style while at the same time being awe struck by the showcase cleanliness I found. I mean there are six people living in this house. What's going on?

Okay, so Nicole might be considered a "clean freak", or maybe just a gal with so much energy that she has to pick stuff up. . .A place for everything and everything in it's place. A drill I'm sure her children know by heart, based on the way their rooms were kept. I love her and wish I had some of her drive.

She and Clint have a beautiful little family, and they are certainly growing up quickly. At least my yearly visits allow for great growth spurts in the children. Nicole shared a scare she had for her youngest daughter a year ago. "We were all sitting around downstairs. This was when we lived in the farm house. Aspen went upstairs, I thought maybe to get a drink, and did not return when I expected her to. Our neighborhood was like one giant construction site at this time with sub division homes literally going up all around our little property; I had a fear that Aspen had gone outside." I knew that this story had a happy ending because, after all, Aspen had helped give me the tour this day. Nicole continued her story, "So I ran upstairs and sure enough the door was unlatched and still open, and when I got outside, there on the driveway was her little doll." When I heard this and felt the panic in Nicole's voice I sort of cocked my head to one side, felt that something was not quite right, and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "And she knew perfectly well it belonged in the toy box!"
Nicole, stopped short and laughed and agreed, yes, she certainly knew better than to leave her doll on the driveway!!

Nicole, if you read this, know that I love you and thanks for your great example.

New Arizonans!!

Question #1. Which of the 5 cars parked at a drive-in Blanding, UT, did not make the trip from Provo to Lakeside with us on July 27?
Answer: The second white one from the left!! You see, Austin and Kim moved in with us for, and I quote, "Anywhere from two months to a year". They had three vehicles and we only had one but that meant a car each on the drive home. The two of them (Kim and Austin) are recent graduates of BYU who hope to go on to graduate school at some point. In the meantime, Kimberly is getting in-house Physical Therapy experience at the hospital here in Show Low (Working for Eric's Physical Therapy Practice, and Austin is busy studying for the LSAT ?????) (I think) and applying any place he can for interim work. We have been blessed to have Austin here because we are using his skills and help on a few projects around the house this summer. To be fair, we should state how fun Kim is to have home and how her "straightening up" energy is very much appreciated; it motivates me to get busy. She is also turning into quite the little purse designer and seamstress.

Question #2: (In the second photo)Who looks like they are about 1/2 an hour from getting pulled over for running a stop sign at the intersection just before Mexican Waters?

Answer: It obviously wasn't me, because I'm not in the picture. I was told the dialog between this driver and the officer went something like this.
Officer: So where are you headed?
Driver: Arizona.
Officer: This is Arizona
Driver: Really, I didn't see any sign.
Officer: (Pointing to Arizona Department of Public Safety Patch on the shoulder of his uniform) Right here is the sign.

Okay, it was Austin. Check out the photo again and it sort of makes sense, don't you think? I guess when the officer saw that there was no way Austin was going to be able to access his "documents" (because the front passenger side of the truck was packed up to the window level with stuff and the jocky box could not be opened) so the officer just handed Austin his license and told him to drive more carefully. He's a lucky fellow, that son-in-law of ours.

Back from Idaho/Utah trip

Our children were often told of the Sunday drives Grandma and Grandpa Cox would take with their children up to Wolverine Canyon after Sunday School; they would eat lunch before returning to attend church in the evening. There were stories of the horse that fell over the cliff found on the way up to the canyon. . . stories about the boys (all 8 of them) chasing through the area while their parents rested on a blanket following the simple lunch. One of their adventures took them up to "40 horse cave". Leigh isn't sure why it is named that, just that the boys used to make the climb up to it occasionally. While coming down one time they happened upon a den of snakes, rattlers. Happened upon, as in stepping among them before they realized what was happening. It scared them to death and luckily no one was bitten. To this day those often thought of "snake" jokes you can play on your parents hold no humor for my husband.

While in Idaho Falls we made the drive back up through that canyon and enjoyed the beauty up there. Leigh couldn't resist the urge to make the hike up to the cave. . .my poor choice of shoes and a portion of fear about possible rattler encounters kept me down with the car and camera.

It was a lovely day and we enjoyed it very much