Charli Visits The San Diego Zoo for the First Time!

Grandchildren Watch!

Jacob surfs it up in Hawaii.

Meagan's son Nico is looking for four leaf clovers.

Tanner and Marissa are great baby sitters for Amy's Charli...

Another Cotillion Dance for Kelsi...I wonder what this teaches them or is it just fun???

Meagan's children get to skate indoors!

And Eden decides to stay in her skates as long as she can get away with it...

Matt Has a Birthday! Mitch's Workplace!

I get to share Matt's birthday in La Jolla.

The House of Blues is where Mitch works while he is finishing college...two more semesters to go!

Lea Turns 18!

Lea has been doing some modeling and this was a recent picture.

She has also been accepted to BYU Hawaii and this is exciting.  I enjoy watching the different outfits she creates every day from her interesting and full wardrobe.  She was voted "best dressed" at high school and is interested in fasihion and style and creating her own clothes but who has the time with her busy schedule?

It is a Woman's World I think...who knows what is next for this lovely granddaughter?  It is all so different than the world I knew when I graduated from high school in 1951 I feel that I cannot relate anymore...but I keep learning.

Wonderful Yard!

Sadie loves her morning run and I so enjoy the lovely flowers in this yard.  The owners have planted so many kinds of plants and the soil must be wonderful.  There is a really big problem with the snails though.

Kelsi, Football, Cotillion...Missing! and Dates...

Kelsi is right in the middle in the back.  She has been playing flag football on Saturdays!!!  She is so busy all the time.

Tonight we went to her Cotillion and I did not get a picture but all the boys were in suits and all the girls in pretty dresses with white gloves.  My girls did not do this but James did and Richard and I had fun going to it and chaperoning.  Lea, Camber and I just enjoyed watching although Lea was catching up on her cell phone messages, too, what a lot she has!!!

Anyway there was one huge group leaving just as we arrived and another large group starting.  Lea said it was all sixth graders.  And they were all various heights, very interesting.  I was impressed that they all appeared to be very eager and willing to follow all the directions and did the swing, the waltz, the cha cha--parts of them all anyway and some other fun things.  They really seemed to enjoy it and it was surely fun to watch.

Wow, I am really impressed with myself that I actually got myself dressed up in heels and went out again at night!!!  Which reminds me Kelsi took this picture of herself and put it in my phone because of what happened the other night.  Saturday night Camber and James went to the Temple and Jimmy and Lea were both out.  Kelsi was watching TV in the alcove and I was watching TV in my room.  At 8:30 I went to check on her and she was not there!  The TV was on, lights were on, I went through the whole house...no Kelsi, I panicked, where could she be???  I called Camber and James who were driving home.  I had none of the children's phone numbers in my phone!!!!  Soon enough they found here.  Lea had come home and was going to the Burnett's beach house and Kelsi wanted to go, too, (have children all their ages) and they probably thought I was asleep but no one told me she was leaving and Kelsi said they were hurrying but she did apologize most profusely for scaring me for a bit!!!  And I now have her phone number and picture in my cell.

Oh, and Camber had a baby shower today and there was a beautiful carrot cake half eaten and I must admit I actually had quite a few bites.  It was most delicious!!!

Oh, and I found a new place to buy my dates.  Although the Whole Foods dates are marvelous, I found that Ralphs has them in bulk for $2 a pound cheaper and they are not quite as fat and fleshy but still very good...yea, I love dates, especially with almonds.

Mitch was Performing

Mitch was performing somewhere the other night...you are getting very good on the guitar, Mitch!!!

And here is a picture from last week when the boys were at Maria's having a poker night!!!!

Sarah on her Mission in Chile

Linda forwards an email from Sarah each week and I captured these pictures.  Not sure of all the details but I know one thing, Sarah is having a very happy time on her mission.

Baptism Day!

She even rescued a cat!

Her companion had a toothache and Sarah got her to the dentist.

Happy Birthday to Joe!!!

I love the hats!!!  And speaking of hats, here is a picture Linda took of Charli in a hat, does she not like her hat???  Soooo cute.

Kelsi and New Beginnings

Tonight I actually got dressed up and went with Camber to the New Beginnings for Kelsi.

The girls and young women leaders did an excellent  job of presenting the program and it really is very impressive for them to have in their life.

One of the girls had actually planned the whole event and carried it off as part of her personal progress.  She did very well.

Long straight hair is certainly the style, isn't it.

An Evening With Maria

Maria invited me to go to a Book Review with Robert Dallek at Warwicks in La Jolla.  I told her I had a gift card to Urban Kitchen and we could eat first.  I had no idea where Urban Kitchen was, I first thought it was in the Del Mar Heights Mall and then in the mall near Gelsons on Via de la Valle but Maria took a closer look at the card and said it was where we used to go to Chevys across the street and it was called Cucina Enoteca (you had to look at the small print on the card to find this name!)!!

Anyway we used to like to go to Chevy's during the Happy Hour and have their Flautas...so sorry to see them go.  But this was completely refurbished with large windows and looked very classy.  Maria ordered a pizza with dates and I ordered the salmon with interesting things like small tomatoes, beans, greens etc.  I thought it would be too much to eat in one sitting...I was wrong, I ate it all and it was delicious.  Maria had plenty to take home.

I always loved Warwick's bookstore when I lived in La Jolla, which I loved, living in La Jolla, for almost 20 years.  Warwick's is even larger now and even more interesting, I must get over there in the daylight someday.  I was amazed how many people were there for the Review.  The first section of chairs was for the people who had ordered to buy the book.

I would very much like to audio it and will look for it at my "Library to Go".

It was most interesting.  Roosevelt became president in 1932 and was elected for a fourth term.  I was born in 1933 and most remember my hearing  from my childhood friend Shirley (my neighbor) as we walked home from school about how wonderful Roosevelt was.  Her parents must have discussed this a lot and she was very bright.  I was in 3rd grade on December 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor happened and I do remember listening to Roosevelt on the radio.  He had Fireside Chats and had a very impressive voice that mesmerized you to listen, even as a child.  Since we had no television then it was not very important that he was in a wheelchair because of the polio he had in his 30s.

Dallek was asked to write this book to alert the young people of today what a good president is all about (because of Trump).  Roosevelt is remembered in Glendive where I grew up for the WPA and all the work it brought to the area in the depression...for Social Security...and many other successes.  He also had his failures like the incarceration of the American Japanese in WWII.

Dallek believes firmly an American President needs political experience and much more which Trump does not have.  I hope to listen to his whole book!

I can't believe I am actually going out at night and doing things!!!!  Wow, good for me for feeling so energetic!!!

Shopping at Macys

So why do I love shopping at Macys, mostly because of the great deals.  You put your charge card in the slot and there is always a deal...25% off or $15 off or something.   I can't believe the wonderful deals.  Monday I discovered a whole section of dresses I did not know about.  I don't think I have had a dress since I do not remember when so someday I am just going to go and try on some dresses.  With all my weight loss I might actually be able to fit into one!!

Fire, Fire, Fire!!

That was a close one!!

When I came home from Linda's James was home alone and said they were having people over for ice cream for an open house for a girl going on a mission.  I told him I had seen all the ice cream from Handels in the fridge and had seen so many people in line  outside the doors of Handels as I passed it coming home.  Is is really that good?  James said it was.

I was throwing away some things that were on the counter and he got up and just before I went upstairs I noticed he was pushing the toaster back under the counter with the bread on top of the toaster and pulling the door down.

I was doing whatever in my room when I smelled something burning, since no one else was home but James I wondered what he was doing that was burning so much.  When I came out of my room and entered the hallway I could see smoke pouring out of the kitchen.  I was calling for James but he was no where in sight and the kitchen was full of smoke but I could not see where the fire was...not on the stove!!!

Then I had a vision of James pushing the toaster under the counter and pulling down the door.  I glanced over there and could see that is where the smoke was coming from.  Without thinking more I pulled up the door, pulled out the plug and carried the toaster outside on to the table.  There was black muck pouring from the bottom and the bread and plastic covering was stuck to the toaster.  I pulled it all out.

Just then Camber came in from the garage and carried the toaster out into the yard further away and began opening windows.  I checked under the counter and the fire was no where else but the wood was all black!!!  Yes, that was a close one and I am glad I did not get electrocuted as I pulled the burning toaster out......

Eating at Linda's

So the last two Sundays I have eaten at Linda's house.  Last week Amy and Joe were there with Charli as well as Tanner and Marissa.  Amy comes to San Diego to work as a nurse and so Joe sometimes comes to visit, too.  Tanner and Marissa are living here and working until they go to Iowa where Tanner will be in the Air Force and getting a Medical degree!!!


Linda and Gary are the best cooks so it is always fun to eat there and I especially wanted to see Charli.  Here she is with Tanner and Marissa who love tending her so I hear.


Last week we had yummy steak and this week we had roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and mushrooms.  For the first time in months I actually ate the mashed potatoes and gravy and loved every minute of it.


I started out on the freeway to Linda's house because I came from Church but the freeway was so slow I got off and took the 101.  There was plenty of traffic on it, too but I still got there just in time to eat the appetizer of guacamole and chips before it was all gone!!!


This is a picture of Marissa being happy that she passed her Nursing Test...here in California!

Camber at the Temple

There is a "Persian" Branch that meets in our ward building in Del Mar.  These are two of the members who are good friends with Camber.  Beautiful picture.

Mariia and Matt at Torrey Pines Hiking

Saturday at UTC Mall

I continue to be amazed at the transition of the UTC Mall in the years I have been away.  There was a sign that said there will be 90 more shops there as well!

Linda, Maria and I went to the "5:17 to Paris" movie and then had lunch at a marvelous restaurant.  Linda and Maria had huge beef and chicken salads and I had the country chicken soup that tasted just like Mom's except no noodles.  Very good.  

I thought this modern art was quite beautiful.  It seems the whole world is about "things" and  buying"things"...

  

We stopped in Nordstrom's on the way out to see if I could spend a gift card I had.  I wanted a pair of black flats---they cost $99...I thought that was a ridiculous price.