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Saturday, March 16, 2013

January 2013

We are already almost 1/4 of the way into the new year. CrAZy! I'm going back to start in January We started out with a bang! At least Jeff and I did with a Cruise to Mexico with all of Jeff's siblings and his parents to celebrate John and Barbara's 50th anniversary.
We had such a fun time! It was so nice to be together and try some new and fun activities and laugh and eat and eat and eat. It really seemed like we were eating all the time. We cruised on the Sapphire Princess for 7 days to Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada from Los Angeles. 
*At Puerto Vallarta we all went zip lining and repeling. That was a new experience for us all. We went by zodiac around the island, then were taken up the mountain in an old truck to where we were outfitted with our gear. THen it was up the mountain further by mule(the 4 legged kind not the motorized ones) It was a little intimidating but a whole lot of fun once you started. OUr guides were wonderful and there was nothing to fear. Diana and Ashley even made it down the repel with their fear of heights. THey did great. 
*At Cabo we went Whale watching, and saw all kinds of marine life. IT was a fun experience. Only Jo and Trish ended up getting sea sick but Shane and I were getting really close. We saw humpback whales, Sea turtles, Sea lions and dolphins. We had the best fish tacos on the dock at a fun restaurant there.
* At Ensenada we went to do some authentic shopping about 30 min away at Le Bufadoro or the Blow Hole. I can say officially that one shopping place is pretty much like the next. But it was a fun day with family.
* The ship was very fun with lots to do. I liked doing zumba while the rest of the family had a basketball game most mornings. We tried our hand at bingo. Some liked the casino. Lots were great at the game shows and fabulous with the karaoke ( how do you spell it? Thank goodness for spell check). Nikki took runner up in the princess pop star contest. (She really should have gotten 1st place) I think all in all the family won 3 bottles of champagne which were quickly given away to other passengers. Shane didn't even want to touch his. 
Trisha was the entertainment of week. I think she will be remembered by many on the boat for her getting in trouble with the photographers for always trying to take pictures of her pictures so she wouldn't have to buy them, and for her unique pictures. Loved the one of her hugging the donkey that was sitting on her lap! And most memorably for her rendition of "I will survive" in the princess pop star contest. You are my hero! We will have so many wonderful memories of this trip and are so thankful to mom and dad for taking us all.

gotta make sure the life jackets fit




Who would have thought we'd be wraped in blankets in Los Angeles.

Getting ready for departure which was supposed to happen at 4.00pm
but didnt' happen till 7:30 

Checking out the ship and found a comfy spot.
Shane, Jason, Me Joanna, Trisha, Diana and Dave.
Jeff was taking the picture


One night at dinner


Giving mom and dad their anniversary gift.
Jo and Trisha did an amazing job on a book with letters from all their family and friends

Our ship 

Whale watching in Cabo

The sea lion rock

The famous arch at cabo

HAhahA! The only time you'll see me in a bikink bottom
GI Joe




A beautiful sunrise from our balcony

Bus ride to La Bufadora
Zoom in on Jeff and Jason



our entertainment at the blowhole

Nikki and I at the blowhole


I was so happy my hubby was giving me a kiss 
I didn't even notice anything else



Nikki, Joanna, Tricia, Trisha, & Diana
Waiting to get on the zodiak to take us to zip lining
with Diana and Dave
Bill, Dan, Shane, Jeff and Joanna

Our transport up the mountain in Puerto Vallarta


on our way to Zip lining and Repeling

Waiting for the boat to take us back to the ship after our adventure.
The water was up to the dock when we were dropped off in the morning.




January was also Stirling School Ski and Snowboard day at West Castle. I have taken the kids up the past three years but this year I decided to get up on ski's again after over 25 year.
BIG ACCPOMPLISHMENT!
It is a lot like riding a bike and I'm just as bad as I was 25 years ago, But it was fun. We rode up with Jody and Slade and Piper, and we skied together all day. We all made it up and down in one piece on the huckleberry. Slade took me out getting off the chair lift and I didn't ever think I was going to get up again. (I should have just popped off my ski's it would have been a lot easier) and I'm glad I had Piper to ski down the hill with. Maddi and Kaitlin were pro's on their snowboards. 
It was a really fun day!





















Memories of 21012

I'm a little late, I know... "what's new?" but for my own sake I figured I better catch up on the better part of 2012 and maybe I can get to where we should be. All I can say is....LIFE! It just keeps happening.

So Brandon did Graduate. Yeah!!! and it was fabulous. Best part of the night was the class history given by Brandon, Dakota Hyggen, Tieler Maki, and Ryan Dovel. They did a great job of singing a song that represented each of their classmates. People kept coming up to me after telling me they never knew Brandon was so funny and talented.

 

We headed to California for the 4th of July to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa Tanner's upcoming 50th anniversary and Bill and Ashley's wedding. On the way we stopped at Tera and Wades to visit and see Dustin. It's always fun to go to Shoshone Falls and Jeff had never been. Bill and Ashley's wedding was beautiful. We added 3 new cousins to the family, Connor, Julia, and Braydon. For the 4th we all went to a family reunion at Sunsplash water park. IT was a great day full of fun. Riding the go karts, playing in the arcade, riding the waterslides, and great food and family, topped off with some fireworks.
We were also able to visit with Great Grandpa Ping which was very nice and see how he was doing.











Stirling days came next. It is always a highlight of the year. It is a celebration of a little town and we love it. Maddi entered the cake contest and won for cutest cupcakes. We didn't run the 5k this year but we still got up early and helped out. The parade was great as usual all 10 minutes of it... but we love it.
The highlight of the day was a dignitaries lucheon that is held every year. We were invited because Jeff is on town council. They invited Grandpa Don because he was the parade marshal this year but what he didn't know was that they were honoring him with a plaque and award celebrating the diamond jubliee of Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne. The award is given to people who have contributed much to their community and his name was unanamously submitted.The mayor was the one to present it to him and He was so surprised and excited.










Our next adventure of the summer was a weekend in Kalispell at a cabin filled with animals, and by filled I mean FILLED!!!. Oh and not real in the I'm alive sense but real as in REAL stuffed. It was a little overwhelming when we first arrived but the gentleman that lent us his cabin is a lover of big game hunting. Yes that is a giraffe on the wall.
We had fun exploring the antique shops and craft fair and hanging out at the lake. It was fun to spend time with family.








A weekend in Vegas is always fun. We stayed at the MGM grand. The highlight is always hanging out at the pool but the food is always good and the shows too.
We saw a BeeGee's group and my favorite was Cirque de Soleils Love. FAbuLoUS!!! 








Our next adventure of the summer was our Penguin getaway to Calgary with girls. It included a stay at a fun hotel with a waterslide. The girls each got a pair of penguin slippers and a waterbottle and we got tickets to the zoo to see the new penguin exhibit. We had dinner at whitespot and a great time exploring the zoo. And what trip to Calgary would be complete without shopping so we headed out to Iron Mills shopping center too. 







The rest of the year was full of visits with friends and family. A temple trip with our Young Women's group to the open house of the new Calgary Temple, and then being able to be part of the dedication of the temple through a satellite broadcast. What a wonderful opportunity to see and hear the prophet speak.
Jody and I had a busy season of craft sales with a trip north to Lloydminster. A city that is half in Alberta and half in Saskatchewan. We were a big success there. We also went in the Big Christmas craft sale at the Lethbridge exhibition and our very own Stirling Christmas Craft sale. 
Christmas is always fun with family getting together. It was nice to have all of our kids home and to have Mom and Dad spend christmas eve at our home. It was fun to spen Christmas eve at the Barn with all of the Daryl and Carol Nilsson family and see cousins we haven't seen in a while. 
Are't pictures a wonderful thing. 
They help us remember things that otherwise might have slipped through the cracks in our memories. And just by glancing at them feelings, thoughts, smells and everything that we experienced at that time can come flooding into us. 












Kaitlin

Kaitlin

Maddi

Maddi

Cassin

Cassin
Nashville, Tennessee

Dustin

Dustin
New York, New York North