Cindy. May 9 2002- June 17 2011

Kerriann's sweet little kitty Cindy....of the Cindy and Mindy fame....died early this afternoon. A tragedy to us all. A rattlesnake bit her and the prognosis was not good. The vet was amazes at how well she was taking it ( pain wise.) That was Cindy though, a tough little cookie to the end. Even on pain meds she was wobbling on her legs to get some petting in. She was even purring as I rubbed her. Kevin and I were both holding on to her and telling her we loved her as the lethal drug entered her body. Cindy- so full of life- was gone in a heartbeat and purr. Wow, that is tough,tough thing to do.

My heart breaks for Kerriann..she loved that cat. we will all miss her so. I like to think that she is with Jon Ton, Comet, Fluffy..the list goes on. No, I Know they are all together ...and that makes me feel better. But I will always miss her.

Boys will be boys

Here are my sweet little lambs Denver and Harrison,"cuddling" ( could they get any further apart?) Kevin, Kerriann and I are in New York, and whenever even one of us is gone they like to sleep in our bed. How darling, they are reading books and winding down from the day..when in walks Dallin to stir up the situation.

Denver makes a run for it, but Harr obliges when Dallin yells cannonball.

Oh, that Harrison can really get creative when called upon.

NO, Denver didn't run..he just wanted to take the pictures. Does anyone - besides my mattress- think that perhaps Dallin is too large for this activity?

Things just keep getting better.

Boys will be boys.

Parents remain clueless in New York.

This was a Very fun find in the JFK library....Jackie visiting the Taj Mahal.

Then I keep adding them on these iron rods.

My latest gift from Dallin on his trip to Oregon. Nice one.

Many are cards that I simply cannot pass on.

Several years ago, Chelsie and I starting sending each other postcards from our latest travel spot. The odder the better. Oh, and odd ones Are out there!!

Animals are Always a strong draw for me.

And quirky cards are tons of fun!

I have always Loved paper stores. My collection of cards goes way, way back. Nothing like a good Papyrus or something to get me salivating. There are places in my life..Berkeley, Portland, Trolley Square of yesteryear that Really knew what they were doing. If I were to open a store it would include paper ( to write on, decorate with or merely to caress) whimsical books, and japanese or nautical fabric ( depending on the mood of the day.)

I was taking one of my collections down to pack and thought I might show a few off.

DISCLAIMER

Geez...I am Not addicted to cough medicine. Kerriann did not find Any humor in me looking forward to taking this stuff. Hello sweetpea..I was giddy about getting some sleep/rest from all the hacking. She even showed me a news blip on kids becoming addicted to cough medicine. Some people Do take medicine for the right reason you know!! For the record, i am over my illness and Off the stuff.

Last Sunday it was my opportunity to "introduce" Kerriann into Relief Society. It was a pre-recorded message that all 9 of us mothers did for our graduating seniors. Most appropriately, the other moms ticked off their daughters accomplishments and talents. For a variety of reasons ,I did not get the detailed memo on what, and how to say this on the video. They also had written their spiel beforehand and then read it - the teary voices were a nice touch. Mine was off the cuff. I was the last speaker.

So, what I said - and this truly pertains to the cough medicine debate - that Kerriann and I pulled a "freaky friday". That she is the responsible one, the mature one, the grasshopper in the relationship. Was I always this way? Did I bring Devin and Kelly up this way? Was I Ever a disciplinarian with Kerriann? Or did she merely wear me down at an early age? It started as a joke, when I would say," Is school REALLY more important than ______ (fill in the blank: sleeping in, going out to lunch, seeing a movie etc.") I just wanted her to understand "balance in one's life." But she is just SO dang good. Always makes the best decisions, realizes where she is going and what she needs to do to get there. An amazing person!! She turned 18 this past week. I simply love her to death. Despite ingesting copious amounts of fortune cookies, we can not seem to reverse our "freaky friday" status. It is ok, she Is a better mom than me!

She made this darling sailboat and button sea picture for my birthday yesterday. Yes, she is talented and beautiful..that graduating senior of mine..sniff, sniff.

"I don't want to fade away.."

For the past five or six years ( ok, more like six weeks ) I have been dealing with a virus, lingering cough that is horrendous. Coughing is too nice a word..more like HACKING up bits of my lung is more like it. And when I get on a plane and one of these attacks hit and people- rightfully- shoot me crusty looks..I feel like the flight scene out of "The Hot Zone" ( a MUST read for any germaphobe!!)

A delightful introduction to my latest adventure,but an appropriate one. I ventured out to North Carolina with Devin and her sweet babies. We needed to meet Cohen Knudsen and see where Olivia and Ben are calling home these days. And who wouldn't want to see this lovely state?!!

Was it what I was expecting..? Yes, and a lot more so. Trees that just never end. Green beyond belief. I like the way the east feels older. The historic vibe - yes - but also its buildings. Carolina just has Presence. The grounds at Duke and UNC at Chapel Hill..outstanding.

But this trip was more about the people we came to see. When people heard I was going out there they thought Cherie was going to be there as well. Unfortunately she was not. As Kelly so frankly put it, "what are you going to DO with Devin and her friends?" Clearly I was along to help Devin with the little kids, although Jane is in a "mommy ONLY" phase so I don't know how much I truly helped out there. I was the financial backer for the expedition and that was all good. Perhaps I forget my age too often,but I enjoyed being with the girls and thought it was real fun. Oh, and Abby Lyman drove down from Virginia to be with "us" as well ( see how quickly I can lump myself in with some group!!) Abby is the quickest wit i know and I adore being with her.

Ok..here comes the philosophical part of this entry. I don't know if it was the cough medication, menopause, or worse things I don't want to even imagine..probably a combination. When Devin had Preston I was like - yeah this is great na na na na . Jane however sends me tripping back to 1985 ..SHE IS SO MUCH LIKE DEVIN. Then add Cohen, who is a male version of baby Olivia and my head really begins to whirl. Devin and Olivia are chatting non-stop babies, and memories of their growing up. I could cut the dejavu with a knife. Once I almost called Ben, Koki...that was TOO much. I faded back, took some deep breaths and remembering where I really was, enjoyed watching the girls be together.

(stay with me here..I am wrapping this up) The flight out to North Carolina is a long one. I was on the aisle seat and the man sitting kitty corner to me started "The Godfather" as the plane took off ( it is a really long movie.) I obviously didn't have sound but I found myself being drawn into the movie. I hadn't seen it in quite a while, and the whole cast struck me as so young. Especially Al Pacino. He aged as the Scarface, italian mob character he always portrayed. But in Godfather he is so young and beautiful. I don't mean that in what-a-hunk way. His close-ups in that movie are breathtaking. It was made in the 70's..the Cherie decade. And here we are today..with babies that looked like our babies. It has been quite the ride. A good one.. a great one. I like the way the cough medicine makes me float wavily between these two times. Devin and Olivia can grow up, Koki- Cherie- Kevin and I can all be in our 50's..Al can get all the wrinkles he needs to at his present age..it's just the way it rolls. It is our life and I love it. I just don't want to fade away..ha. WHO WANTS TO BORROW A CUP OF MY COUGH MEDICINE ?!!!!!

Definitions of Chelsie:part deux

This was an outstanding gift shop..dare I say better than the Met's.

I love tile..I want to do my pool in these blues.

From the top of 30 Rock

I thought I could see Stuart Little out on this pond in Central Park.

Inception?! Ready for it to fold up.

Oh yeah..this was my #1 favorite place..Purl SoHo.

The Clarkes went to New York the week before us and Chelsie wrote up darling entries on their adventures there. Kerriann and I were so excited to read them and jot down all of the things we wanted to do now. That is why I titled this entry part deux, because it is practically everything that Chelsie did. Why mess with perfection?! Chelsie KNOWS New York. Two items we didn't get to do..frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity and going to a Yankee game. But we couldn't really do that without Harrison. Another trip. Oh, and we will go back!!

We got wonderful seats to "Wicked" and " How to Succeed in Business without really Trying." Super fantastic to see our Harry Potter on Broadway. As Kerriann said, "I grew up with him." He was great in the part.

It was so hot on our day in SoHo that we had to duck into Old Navy and get t-shitrs for Kerriann and Kevin. Oooooh, we go to New York and end up shopping at Old Navy!! Then the very next day it decides to pour rain and since we had already had our double decker bus tickets purchased, we sat on the top ( well all the seats downstairs were taken ) in cheap little rain ponchos they gave us. We were absolutely soaked!! But dang it, we SAW New York City.

The food is Amazing there. It is like pineapple that I will only eat in Hawaii - now I can only eat bagels and chocolate almond croissants in New York ( which is probably a good thing!!) Kerriann found us the Very Best Thai food I have ever inhaled. you see this was Kerrriann's trip. She wrote up the "to do" list and called all the shots. It was a lot more shopping than Kevin had invisioned!! But he was a trooper. the Forever 21 store was 5

signs of spring

Someday I AM going to the Holi Festival in India. Until then , I practice in Spanish Fork. I went with my little goats. Kevin opted for a morning on the tread mill. We arrived early as thousands of people go. And for good reason..it is awesome. Of course ,there was snow on the ground here..that doesn't happen in India. The crowd soon trampled it down into mud. Luckily the colored chalk made it look happy and spring-like. These pictures are off google as ours did not turn out so well. I noticed pretty early on that the crowd was made up of very young people. Much to my children's credit, the did not shun me. Oh, wait..there was a 50-ish woman with her hair blowing in the wind, dancing with abandon to the strains of an indian sutar..I didn't join her ( although -yes- it looked like fun.) So, it was the hippie,me and 8,000 high school and college students.Reminiscent of last years float down the salt river with a mostly ASU crowd. Hmmmm..well,it is a fun and messy welcome to spring.

Such a cool picture !! Ok, my other rite-of-spring-passage is more age appropriate. I know spring is coming when I smell the bonfires of last years dead branches and leaves, and the smoke trickles into our house. I just Love that. So with burn permit in hand, I drag whatever lucky child is near to help me move the trampoline out of its pit. The ideal bonfire spot !! Then with much joy and frolicking I pick up around the yard and toss it into the fire. It is either a latent urge left over from some farming posterity, or pyromania. Probably the latter. But man, it feels Good !! You just can't start spring or a garden without a good burn first. My children can attest to how excited I get when the town hall issues me my permit for the year. This might be my last one if they read this blog. But can anyone out there relate to this?! Happy Spring to you ( it is suppose to snow the next 3 days..grrrr.)