Pray For Easton

Colton's childhood friend Easton was a passenger in the car accident in Provo Canyon this morning. His injuries are very, very serious. Please remember Easton and his family in your prayers.

Christmas Tag

Thanks for the fun Christmas Tag, Marci:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper and ribbon!! I tie GREAT bows
2. Real tree or fake tree? I have one real tree and one fake. But I prefer real trees.
3. When do you put up your tree? I try to put it up the day before Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take it down? New Year's Day
5. Do you like eggnog? I hardly ever drink it, but, yes, I like it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? When I was about 6 or 7 I got a Baby Chrissy Doll. She had red hair that could be made longer or shorter by turning a knob on her back. She was pretty tight.
7. Easiest person to buy for? Brian. He may not seem easy to buy for, but he has lots and lots and lots of hobbies. Like motorcycles, peddle bikes, guns, guitars, hunting, cooking, tennis, golf, singing, 4 wheeling, boating, skiing, hiking. His interest in his hobbies don't always last that long, but he usually times it so I can buy him all the accessories for his current obsession and then by the next holiday he has moved onto something new.
8. Do you have a nativity scene? I have the Lladro "Joyful Event" with a gres finish that I love and Brian gave me a Jim Shore nativity set last year. My kids favorite is our "ghetto" nativity that only has 2 wisemen.
9. Mail or Email Christmas cards? Mail!!! If you can not hold it in your hand it is not a Christmas card.
10. Worst gift you have ever received? One year Brian decided I needed a Victoria's Secret Christmas and I had about 8 VS Boxes under the tree, another year he bought me a pistol and he is still mad that I have never let him shoot it.
11. Favorite Christmas movie? My favorite is "Heidi", Brian's favorite is "It's a Wonderful Life", and my children love "Elf."
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? You know, it doesn't really matter when I start, because I am NEVER finished until Christmas eve.
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas gift? Yes. I am not a regiver, but one Christmas Brian got this hiking thing from IHC that we would never use. We had some friends that we thought would really like it, so we gave it to them. It still causes me stress to think about it.
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Hershey's Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate Bells, Fudge and Reese's Peanut Butter Trees
15. Lights on tree? Is it an option to not have lights?
16. Can you name Santa's reindeer? No, but I can make up the ones I don't know.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Winter Wonderland by Annie Lennox
18. Travel or stay home? Stay home.
19. Angel or star tree topper? I'm really not a tree topper kind of person, we have neither
20. Open presents Christmas eve or Christmas day? Christmas Eve we open jammie pants, everything else Christmas morning.
21. Favorite Christmas tradition? My family does chinese food on Christmas Eve
22. Favorite ornament, theme or color? We have one tree that is all white. The tree is flocked, the ornaments, ribbons, lights and trim are clear or white. Even the presents are wrapped in white paper with white ribbon. I like to think of this as our "celestial" tree. We collect ornaments from places we go and my mom gives the kids a "special" ornament each year, so I have a lot of favorites. But I think the best is the 1/2 Doctor 1/2 Mermaid that Lance gave Brian. It is legendary.
23. Favorite Christmas dinner? Turkey, Rolls, Potato Salad at my mom's house
24. What do you want for Christmas? I'm hoping for a diamond bracelet like the one Boozer was wearing at the jazz game tonight.
25. Best Christmas present you have ever given? One year we surprised Brian with spinners on the Yukon.

I tag Cassidy, Megan, Jamielyn and Amber. Have Fun

Celebration of Life

For the past several years Brian and the Central Utah Cancer Center sponsor the "Celebration of Life - Kurt Bestor Christmas Concert." Each year they buy tickets for Cancer Survivors and their families to attend the concert.

We attended this year with Colin, Kim, Colton, Grandpa, Morgan and Grandma. This year, before the concert ,they showed a video where several cancer survivors shared their cancer experience. It was very touching. Central Utah Clinic gives out flashlights to the cancer survivors and during the performance they are all asked to turn them on. Again, very touching and quite inspirational.

The highlight of the show was Brian performing "The Night Before Christmas" with Kurt and the orchestra. Kurt was making jokes about how boring Dr.'s are and telling Brian to try and have a little personality. So, of course; Brian, using his hidden thespian talent, stole the show. He was great.

I think the best part was hearing so many people thank Brian for "saving my daughter," "giving me one more Christmas," "making the cancer experience more bearable." It is nice to be reminded what an important role he plays in so many lives and how many people depend on him.

Our Christmas Tree Has A TuTu!!

Saturday morning I asked Colton to set up our Christmas Tree. OK, I told Colton that he was going to put up the Christmas Tree. After several hours of, "Moooooomm, this is to hard., Moooooomm, look at all the scratches on my arms., Moooooomm, I can't get all the lights to work." we finally had the tree up and running (ok, we still had 3 small branches without lights working. But, in the words Brian Regan: That area represents the dark time in our life.) So, as we were fluffing up the branches, I noticed the tree looked a little off. After closer examination, I realized Colton had switched the #9 row with the #6 row! So now instead of a nice cone shaped tree, our tree has the largest row of branches right in the middle, giving the appearance of a tree with a tutu. Now a "good" mother probably would have made their son change it, but Christmas trees drive me crazy. I have often considered converting to Judaism just to avoid the Christmas tree tradition. (Menorahs are very pretty!) Rationalization allows me to believe that I was actually building my childs self esteem, by encouraging his creativity. And it was time to add another story to our: "Remember the year the Christmas tree..."

Colin's 7 Things

Colin thinks I have taken over the blog and it is suppose to be "ours" not "mine." So, I tagged Colin.
COLIN'S 7 RANDOM THINGS:

• Colin can do CRAZY toe tricks:


• Colin laughs in his sleep. Sometimes I hear him laughing and I go into his bedroom thinking he is still awake watching TV. But he will be sound asleep giggling.
• Colin loves stuffed animals. His favorite, right now, is a webkins dog named Fop. He sleeps with a minimum of six "furry friends."
• Colin has been swimming with dolphins!

• Colin has 2 1/2 siblings. 2 half brothers + 3 half sisters = 2 1/2 siblings
• When Colin gets angry, frustrated, bugged, etc., he "gobbles. " The noise he makes to express his emotion sounds like a gobbling turkey.
• Colin is allergic to homework. When it is time to do homework, he immediately becomes itchy. He can no longer focus on anything but itching.

Colin tags Lance and Cameron; because, like him, they are secondary bloggers.

Random 7

My cute little Cassidy tagged me. I am suppose to share 7 random things about myself.

1. My favorite food is SALT. You may think I am just trying to be funny, but it is really true. I like foods that need a lot of salt. I never taste anything before I salt it because, of course, it will need salt. I hate restuarants that think one salt shaker can be shared by 6 people, at home everyone has their own salt shaker.


2. I hate tape. Yes, I use tape, but I use it properly. I hate when there are little hairs and dirt and scuzzy things stuck on the tape and you can see them. I hate when the edges curl up and the tape only partially sticks. I hate when something is taped up and then moved to a different spot using the same piece of tape. Tape should never be reused!


3. I listen to alternative, punk or hard rock. My radio presets are 94.9 and 96.3. My taste in music is most similar to Colton's (but his gets a little to screamy sometimes.) When I was young I listened to April Wine, ACDC, Van Halen. My current favorites are Avenged Sevenfold, Shinedown, Three Days Grace, The Offspring.


4. Having braces was the worst experience in my life. About 2 years ago I had braces for nine months. It was horrible!! Before you get braces no one tells you that: Braces will change the shape of your mouth, your smile will no longer look the same. Your lips will not properly fit over your teeth, this will cause pain and embarrassment when your lip catches on a bracket and stays there. Your teeth hurt; not your gums, not your jaw, your actual teeth. Your front teeth become totally useless; you will no longer be able to bite anything. If you can't cut it into small pieces, DO NOT plan on eating it. You must learn to swallow thing whole, because chewing is nearly impossible when your teeth no longer touch. You have never felt less attractive in your life. You will begin speaking with a lisp, your mouth can no longer determine how much spit you need; you will always have too much or not enough, but never the right amount. If you choose to have braces as an adult, make sure you do it with a friend. You will need someone to cry and complain and eat chocolate with. (Thank You Laurie)


5. I have a green eyed child, a blue eyed child, and a brown eyed child.


6. I can keep score in baseball. Now I don't mean keep score like: Braves 3 Rockies 0. I mean keeping score like how many hits, errors, past balls, stolen bases, earned runs, unearned runs. I figure batting averages, on base percentages, rbi's, etc. Keeping score in baseball is an art form.


7. I am a jammie person. Wow, it must run in the family. When I get up I will get already for the day and then put my jammies back on until I have to go somewhere. When I get home I immediately change back into jammie pants. And I hate when they are tight and hug your butt, Men's size large are the best

Colin, Larinda and Megan (start you blog!!) Tag, You're It!

Happy Halloween

Grandpa Brian and Sophie Bee

Jack Skellington

The itchy bald wig only lasted about an hour.

We had to switch to hair paint.

I'm not exactly sure what Colton is,

But he never passes up a chance to wear eyeliner.

Colton, Bryson and Kim

LIFE OFF, GAME ON

What kind of tag line is "Life Off, Game On?" I'm not sure who in the Jazz organization came up with this, but all it does for me is make me feel guilty for turning my life off to watch the Jazz. Oh, well... I'll just stick with the "Pure Adrenaline Rush," because I am excited for a new season of basketball and you can always deal with your guilt later. Unlike Brian, I'm not expecting them to win every game or win the championship, I just go hoping for a win and a free Big Mac!

Casey Loftus: April 7, 1966 - October 26, 1994

Fourteen years ago today Casey passed away, after a two year battle with cancer. We still miss him and love him and think of him often. So, I thought I would share a few fun Casey facts:

Celebrity Look A Like

Debbie's Choice -Charlie Sheen, Cassidy's Choice- Tom Cruise, Brian's Choice- Chris Noth

1. Favorite Baseball Team - Atlanta Braves; Casey loved the Atlanta Braves. He loved the Braves pre-1990. When he had his Bone Marrow Transplant the University Hospital did not have cable TV. I had to tape all the Braves games, so he could still watch them.
2. Favorite Football Team - Atlanta Falcons
3. Favorite Basketball Team - Utah Jazz
4. Favorite Baseball Player - David Justice
5. Favorite Football Player - Primetime Deion Sanders
6. Favorite Basketball Player - John Stockton; Isn't he every short white man's favorite?
7. Favorite Movie - The last one he saw; just about every movie he saw would be his new favorite, until he saw another movie. Yes, Cassidy, you get this from your Dad.
8. Favorite Holiday - Halloween
9. Favorite College Class - Bowling; Casey wanted to go on the Pro Bowlers Tour and really believed this would be an acceptable career choice.
10. Casey broke his leg twice, both times playing soccer. Casey hated soccer.
11. Casey loved hotdogs. I believe hotdogs cause cancer.
12. Casey had perfect "Flat Top" hair
13. Casey frequently dyed his hair blackish purple. Both his children have followed in his footsteps on this one.
14. The only foods Casey wouldn't eat were beets and pumpkin
15. Once Cassidy was attacked by a killer chicken. Casey was mad, he stormed over to the chicken coop, grabbed the chicken, and with a kick that would have impressed Louie Sakoda, punted the chicken about 60 yards.
16. All Casey needed was a quarter and he could stay entertained for hours at the Fun-Of-It.
17. Casey's Dream Job - ESPN Sportscaster
18. Casey was a fighter. Really, he used to fight; like beat people up fighting, like "Oh, those scars on my hands, they're from peoples teeth" fighting.
19. Once Casey and his good friend Adam went to see the movie Philadelphia (Tom Hanks has Aids, gets fired from his job.) Before the movie started, they were looking around at the crowd, their conversation went something like this: "Do you think those two guys are gay?" "I bet those two over there are gay." "Wait a second, do you think they think we're gay?" They proceeded to promptly scoot over, leaving an empty seat between them.
20. Casey and I had moved into a new home in Orem. Casey, being his friendly self, walked over to meet our new neighbors. He introduces his self and the lady responds, "I know who you are. When we were in sixth grade, you and your friends would throw eggs at me as I walked home from school." The only response he could come up with was, "I've changed a lot since sixth grade.

Remembering Casey always makes me smile. He loved his family and friends. He touched many lives during his short time on earth. But I know he is still close by.

Happy Birthday Melanie

Top 10 Reasons Melanie is my Friend:

1. Any friendship that starts at Girls Camp is a friendship for time and eternity.
2. Melanie understands that mockery is a form of LOVE.
3. How can you not be friends with someone who will go see an 80's band, 3 times, in 4 days, in 3 different states!?
4. Melanie is a loud talker. That's right Lance, some people like it.
5. Melanie is now closer to my age than to Cassidy's age.
6. Melanie always has the biggest, brightest smile. (This one's Brians)
7. Melanie is annoyed by the same "things" I am annoyed by.
8. Melanie loves Disneyland. Oh, wait, that's not one; I DO NOT love Disneyland. (We don't say hate.)
9. When Melanie wants to try something new, she actually does it instead of just talking about it.
10. Melanie understands that chatting until 3:00 am is perfectly acceptable.

Hope you have a great birthday, Mel!!

Colin's Snuba Experience

Last month I went to Hawaii. While I was there my Dad and I got to

snuba. Snuba is like snorkeling, but it is also like scuba diving.

We saw some cool fish, this is a sea urchin.

I didn't want to touch it because I thought it might be poisonous.



My favorite fish was the Spotted Puffer Fish. You should try
it if you get the
chance. But don't try to go down to deep,
the cord is only 20 feet long.

Tagged

Melanie, thanks for the tag!

Favorite TV Shows:

1. The Biggest Loser
2. 24
3. How I Met Your Mother
4. Burn Notice
5. Scarred

Least Favorite TV Shows:

1. Family Guy
2. The View
3. Live with Regis and Kathy Lee
4. Oprah
5. Pinks

Favorite Restaurants:

1. Blimpies
2. The Pizza Factory
3. Cafe Rio/Bajio/Costa Vida
4. Ottavio's
5. Carl's Jr. In Spanish Fork, but only in Spanish Fork (this one's for Laurie)

Least Favorite Restaurants:

1. Subway (it smells like throw up)
2. McGrath's
3. Wingers
4. Golden Corral

Things that happened yesterday:

1. Had a wonderful massage
2. Watched Colton play baseball
3. Looked at cars (Colton wants the Escalade)

Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Jazz Basketball
2. Visiting Cassidy
3. Thanksgiving Fun
4. Going to the Family History Library
5. Colton going on a mission

Things I am not looking forward to:

1. Winter
2. Christmas Decorations
3. Going to the Dermatologist to check out my melanoma
4. Colton going on a mission

Things I love about Fall:

1. You can wear long sleeves/jackets/sweatshirts, but still wear shorts
2. Turning on the fireplace
3. MLB Playoffs
4. Halloween Fun

Things I don't love about Fall:

1. Shoes - too cold for sandals, too warm for boots
2. It gets dark too early
3. I don't think I can leave my house after dark

Things on my wish list:

1. Cassidy to live closer to her mommy
2. A trip to Croatia
3. Going with Mel to get a baby
4. World Peace

Things not on my wish list:

1. People getting in my personal space
2. Actually having skin cancer, instead of just joking about it
3. Being on The Biggest Loser

People I am tagging:

1. Since Cassidy is my only blogging friend and Mel tagged her, let's see ... I guess NO ONE!
2. OK, and Jamielyn, though she will never know she has been tagged

Blogging

A few weeks ago Cassidy told me she had set up a blog for her and Cameron, but she didn't really get what you did with one. On Monday Cassidy was her from St. George, while she was here we were looking at some blogs, seeing how people used them. After checking out several blogs, she says, "Oh, I get it. Blogging is like MySpace for old people."

Help, I'm on Hawaii Time!!

Guess what I got from my trip to Hawaii? A Blog!!! You might think this is a great time to start a blog, with new pictures to post and memories to share, but the real reason is that at midnight your brain thinks it is 8:00. So for the next four hours you don't know what to do and somehow you end up with a blog. CRAZY! Colin (he is on Hawaii time too) thinks it's cool. Oh, and we did have a great time in Hawaii.