Larry & Pat McDonald

I look just like my mother. And I am proud of it. This year will be 50 years married for my parents. A love affair that even today shines bright each time they look at each other. I love you Dad & Mom and am very proud to say I am your daughter.

My all time favorite movie at Christmas time. Watch it every year with whomever will watch it with me. As kids, I remember sitting with my family and watching this during the holidays. Many, many good memories of growing up in a good home, in a good neighborhood, good friends, good parents, good brother and sister. I have been blessed in my life. I thank God for all the gifts that I have been given and to a family that is priceless. Thanks Dad, Mom, Pudd and Buck for the best childhood memories. Let's hope I have made some good ones for my kids as well.

2010 Ryder Cup

Come on Phil....show them how it's done Baby!!! Go USA!!!

One of my favorite memories about my kids was watching all the Disney movies with them. To this day I can still quote sayings from most of the movies. Watching Jungle Book and Robin Hood at our little apartment on Apple Honey lane brings back so many memories. I can still see their little faces when they would say "Mom, let's watch Robin Hood." Us three would tuck in close and watch it over and over and over. When Katie was little we watched Oliver and Company..."Get off my back woman, I'm driving" still cracks me up.
So many happy memories of my little ones. They were beautiful then and they are beautiful now. I love you Stevo, Dano and Boogie. Always.

UP Carl Meets Russell

Jeff and Stephen went to the ReAL game on Saturday and had a blast. First they went to Iggy's for beer's and dinner and then on to the game. Jeff came home and said that they had the best time. I am so happy that Jeff does a one on one night with all of his kids. Let's them know how important they are to him. Love you Papa and Stevo.

Katie and her new boyfriend Ethan. They look so cute together. I think this is the longest she has kept a boyfriend. They are going on a month now. Wow... He scored a touch down at the game last week and dedicated that one to Katie. Isn't love grand at that age, 14 going on all grown up.

Danielle & Katie

It is so nice to see my two beautiful girls having fun together. They look so different but in fact are very much alike. Very tender hearted and sweet. I love you Danielle and Katie.

Today will be Katie's first game to cheer at. She will be cheering for Lehi who are playing Westlake. Of course it has rained throughout the whole day. Let's just hope it don't rain for our Friday Night Lights game at Lehi.
She is so cute when she cheers and I keep telling her "Stand up straight, throw your boobs out there", of which I think she is a little overwhelmed at her growth spurt so therefore she kinda slouches to hide them. I say "If ya got em, show em!!!"
She is a beautiful girl and we are very proud of her...

Go Katie Girl...show em what you got!!!!

Isn't it funny how time slips away.
Most of us spend it wishing away.

I wish it were Sunday or Friday or Fall.
I wish I were Short or Pretty or Tall

I wish I was Old or Young or New.
Or Fat or Skinny or my eyes were Blue.

All of these wishes day after day.
Are a life gone by wishing away.

Enjoy what you have in everyday life.
The Struggles, the Joys and everyday Strife.

One day you will find as you are old and gray.
A life well lived with wishes tucked away.

With all of the wicked storms that we have been having in the last week it is just nice to be able to enjoy being outside again. Last night Katie M. brought Raegan Lily (almost a year old) over and Jeff and I watched her while Katie did the girls cuts, dyes and extentions. It is amazing how much energy babies have compared to folks our age. She climbs the stairs, does clap, clap, says DADADADA and is just the cutest thing ever. We took her outside on the grass and to watch her was hysterical. My kids when put on grass would grab handfuls and throw it. Raegan would pull one blade at a time, analyze it, change it from one hand to another, and then in the mouth it would go. Watching her made me realize how much I truly missed out on "being in the moment" when my kids were growing up. Too busy making sure they were clothed and fed to really take the time to enjoy them as little people. Now I know why my parents are much better at being grandparents than they were being parents. So much more time to sit back and enjoy the moment compared to worrying about food on the table, are they using their manners, did I raise them to be good Christian people, yada yada yada. But I digress. It is so fun to watch Jeff with the babies, he is so good with them and they love him. I am looking forward to having grand kids and taking the time to watch them grow while their parents run around with all the worries that we all have when raising kids.
It was a beautiful sunset last night and I look forward to many more of them with Jeff, my kids, grand kids and family.
If you are still raising babies, please stop for a minute and enjoy them as little people, trust me they grow up fast.

Andrew, Nikki, Danielle, Katie and Samantha 2010

Macbeth

Haunted by the witches’ prophecies and spurred by his wife’s ambitions and his own taste for power, Macbeth is daring to twist and tempt fate. But in this, one of the world’s first psychological thrillers, he slowly finds that his murderous machinations are doomed to bitter and tragic failure.

Our next conference in Cedar City, UT. Risk Management Conference August 17-19, 2010. This year we will be seeing Macbeth at the Shakespeare festival. Always a fun and learning experience.

I am so very lucky to have two daughters that are as anal as I am about being clean. Danielle is between jobs and has cleaned my whole house, baseboards and all. Under beds, in closets, bathrooms etc. Katie is also constantly cleaning and her friends tell her that we have the cleanest house they have ever seen. But you can't really mess it up too bad when there is only three of us living there now can you. Now we have five of us and it amazes me that it is still as clean if not cleaner than before. Thank you Danielle and Katie for being so good to help me, I don't know what I would do without you. My girls are awesome!!!

Last week Jeff and I went down to St. George for UCIP's annual Personnel Workshop. We had about 70 people from all counties in Utah. I worked and Jeff played, now how is that fair. Oh well we had a good time and it was nice for the two of us to get away. Stephen stayed with Katie and drove my Cadillac to his baseball game and moved the big screen TV upstairs to play Call of Duty. Nothing was broke and both kids survived so I would call that a good Conference all around. I love my job, thanks UCIP.

Jeff's 49 B-Day/Mother's Day 2010

Life is Good

Jeff and I will be playing this course next Tuesday. Dad says it is a beautiful course in Hurricane, UT. Love playing golf with my honey. We have so much fun together.

Sunday's

Best part of Sunday's. Doing absolutely nothing if you don't want to.

This is one of my favorite times of year. Can't imagine living in a state that did not have the four seasons. Gives you nothing to look forward to. I love Utah and all it's natural beauty.

My first presentation for UCIP on TULIP. Very nervous but it went well.

Our next three conferences. The next couple of month's at UCIP are very busy. Part of my job is to create the announcement's for our upcoming workshops/conferences. A lot of work goes into making these workshops informative and worthwhile for our Counties to attend. I very much love my job. I work at a great place with great people. Thanks UCIP!!!

GO RED SOX!!!

Phil Mickelsen is THE MAN!!!

We are so very proud of our son for serving in Iraq, In a month he will be home safe and sound and then will be coming to Utah. We pray for his safe return everyday. Andrew we love and miss you.

The Proposal

Danielle is officially going to be a Franco. We're looking forward to planning a wedding.

Alright, Alright
Yeah it's alright, alright

Don't need no five star reservations
I've got spaghetti and a cheap bottle of wine
Don't need no concert in the city
I've got a stereo and the best of Patsy Cline
Ain't got no caviar no Dom Perignon
But as far as I can see, I've got everything I want

Cause I've got a roof over my head,
the woman I love laying in my bed
And it's alright, alright
I've got shoes under my feet
Forever in her eyes staring back at me
And it's alright, alright
And I've got all I need
And it's alright by me

Maybe later on we'll walk down to the river
Lay on a blanket and stare up at the moon
It may not be no French Riviera
But it's all the same to me as long as im with you

It may be a simple life, but that's okay
If you ask me baby, I think I've got it made

Cause I've got a roof over my head,
the woman I love laying in my bed
And it's alright, alright
I've got shoes under my feet
Forever in her eyes staring back at me
And it's alright, alright
And I've got all I need
And it's alright by me

It's alright by me, yeah yeah
When I lay down at night I thank the Lord above
For giving me everything I ever could dream of

Cause I've got a roof over my head,
the woman I love laying in my bed
And it's alright, alright, alright, alright
I've got shoes under my feet
Forever in her eyes staring back at me
And it's alright, alright, alright
And I've got all I need, yeah
I've got all I need
And it's alright by me
Oh yeah, it's alright by me

Love My Babies

Life

The biggest mistake I made as a parent is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of my three children sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."

2001 Family Photo