Off to Colorado for Thanksgiving

One thing we love to do, and have done twice, is to go to the Crockett's house in Colorado for Thanksgiving. We have so much fun hanging out, eating, baking, talking, going to the movie, watching sports, going on walks or runs and doing black Friday shopping. Kamiko really wanted to go for his last Thanksgiving before his mission.

Me in the back seat of the van

Elle and Melia on the horsies at the grocery store

Me and mom riding the horses

This is at the American Girl Doll Store. It's Sandy cutting my hair.

So, we left on Tuesday afternoon. It's an 8-hour drive to Highlands Ranch. The drive was uneventful and we got there around 10:00 pm. Mom and Dad and uncle Mike were already there because they left earlier in the day. Wednesday morning we all went to see the new Disney animated film, "Frozen." We all loved it. Then we baked and baked rolls and pies. Karen and I went on a walk, which we did everyday. I love being with Karen because she makes sure exercise happens, just like I do. Karen also took me, Elle and mom to an awesome yarn store. She's into knitting right now. We also went to a nearby herb and spice store and an olive oil and balsamic vinegar store. They were all lovely. I bought coconut balsamic vinegar for myself. I also bought some treats for others. We named ourselves after the Spice Girls singing group. Grandma was Ginger Spice since she has red hair. Elle was Sporty Spice for obvious reasons. Karen was Scary Spice because she's the "meanest" of all the Hunter girls. I was Posh Spice because that's all that was left besides Baby Spice. I wasn't about to be Baby Spice. We actually later gave that name to Jen since she'd been sick a bit of the trip.

The Knitting Peace

Savory Spice Shop 

We got to taste anything. Delicious.

EVOO Marketplace - the craziest and most delicious blends of olive oils and balsamic vinegars

The Sykes got in late Wednesday. We were already in bed. Thursday, the big feasting day, we got up, went walking and proceeded to get the food going. We had Turkey to do, more rolls to make, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, etc. Everyone pitched in and it all went really well. We ate around 2:00. Clean-up was done in about 30 minutes. Then we relaxed and enjoyed being together til it was time to go to Sports Authority to try to win some free stuff. They give away scratch off cards worth anywhere from $10 to $500. We're always convinced we're gonna be big winners, but we're not. We got $10. That's ok. I got some new running shoes that were on sale, so I only had to pay $30 for them.
Jen had woken up sick that morning. She really felt horribly and didn't look that great, either. She just took it easy. She was glad she was there instead of back home in Ogden, hosting a bunch of family. She looked like the disheveled actor, Gary Busey.

Sick Jenny

Gary Busey

Thursday night, the boys took off to see a movie. The girls went to the mall. Thank goodness for teenage drivers. Allie drove Melia and Emily to the mall. Kamiko drove Andrew, Christian, Sam and Chase to the movie, then to the outlet mall and regular mall. They were out all night. I heard some story about Chinese food and Subway at 3:00 am. I was in bed. I did get up early to go to Sports Authority again. Once again, $10. I got an awesome purple fleece for walking, though. It cost me $0, so I'm very grateful. Friday was relaxing. Not a ton of shopping, like in the past, and not low on sleep like in the past. Jen had felt well enough to join Scott and Keenan for a movie while Karen, Elle and I ran to the mall. We didn't get a darn thing, but ordered stuff online later.

Saturday mom and dad and Mike headed back to Utah. The rest of us went to Sam's basketball game and went to the Columbine Memorial. The girls left in a van together and we went back to the EVOO store and spice store to show Jenny. We then went shoe shopping for Karen. We had a great time. The boys came back with Keenan and went to the recreation center to play racquetball. Saturday night, we brought home pizza for the kids and the parents went out to dinner. That was a lot of fun. It was a great weekend. Really relaxing trip.

Elle and Mel: buddies at the shoe store

After sacrament meeting on Sunday morning, we headed home. An uneventful drive home. Monday was our last full day with Kamiko before taking him to the airport to fly to Chile.

One last picture of Kamiko and Allie sleeping in the van. Mel gets the back bench.

Finally Got My Michael Buble Christmas CD

Ok, so I love to hear Michael Buble sing. He's great. I wanted his Christmas CD last year, but was outvoted by the girls, who wanted the Justin Bieber CD. UGH...teenagers. This year, I played my cards right. I took the girls to the Michael Buble concert on November 19th. Mel already loved his stuff. Allie likes it. We had a great time, but had awful seats. Next time, I'll splurge a bit on better seats. After his awesome concert, it wasn't hard to convince them we needed him to sing to us at Christmas. By the way, I was sure he'd sing me a Christmas song in the concert, which he DIDN'T. I got over it...well, I'm getting over it. It was perfect weather and we had a blast. I love my girls.

Melia and Allie in Energy Solutions Arena

Trying to win upgraded seats. It didn't happen

Our Tickets!!!!!!

Veteran's Day 2013...I talked with and thanked a real veteran!

There are a lot of grateful posts on Facebook on Veteran's Day. It's nice to see people express thanks to those who have served. I decided to have a family night lesson about Veteran's Day. November 11 was originally chosen as Armistice Day to recognize those who served in WW I. It was later changed to Veteran's Day to recognize all veterans and Richard Nixon declared that it would be a federal holiday on the 2nd Monday in November each year. At 11:00 am Americans traditionally have a moment of silence to remember those who have given their lives. That is a fact about Veteran's Day that I didn't know.

So, we did a multiple choice quiz about Veteran's Day then talked about veterans we know in our neighborhood and in our family. I was thinking mostly of Keenan's dad and brother Kauhi. Allie reminded us that Mike is a vet. So is my uncle Dave. I called mom to ask her if Mike enlisted or was drafted. She didn't know. So, I called Mike to ask him, We had a really nice talk about his service at the end of the Vietnam War. Below is what he shared with me.

He had a high number in the lottery near the end of the war. He knew he'd eventually be called up, so he decided to enlist. I asked if there was an advantage to enlisting. The advantage was that you could select the branch and what assignment you wanted, so both Mike and Dave had enlisted for those reasons. Mike was 20! That's Kamiko's age!

Mike enlisted as a medic in the Army. He went to Fort Ord in Monterey, California, for basic training. Then he went on to special medic training. Right after completing that training, they sent him to Germany. He was supposed to be assigned to a military hospital in the states. His work in Germany wasn't what he'd been trained for and I get the impression it wasn't really meaningful work. When he brought the mistake to the Army's attention, they told him he could remain in Germany and not be re-assigned or he could be released and return home. He chose to return home. He was able to use the GI Bill to help pay for college and has full military benefits.

He then told me of a recent experience he had. He travelled with a tour group to Europe to see WWII sites, including Normandy, Omaha Beach, etc. He said that was very emotional. What they didn't know was that the locals had planned a ceremony to recognize veterans who were that day. So, they invited vets to come stand on a stage and the French locals sang the National Anthem to honor them. They also gave each of them a long-stemmed red rose. They then walked to the ocean and threw their roses in the ocean. Mike said it was a very moving experience, which I can only imagine. He walked to the beach with a fellow vet who had thanked Mike for serving and told Mike that his father had died in WWII. Mike accompanied him to the ocean as the man cried a bit.

Mike told me that, coincidentally, a friend who took a picture of that ceremony had emailed the picture to Mike yesterday. He forwarded it to me. I'm including it below. I then thanked Mike for his service and told him it was great to talk to a real veteran on Veteran's Day. I'm grateful to all who have and currently serve. We finished the evening by taking a loaf of lemon zucchini bread to Brother Staples, a veteran in our ward, who served in Germany and France at the end of the Korean War.

Uncle James Michael Sears is 2nd from left

Memorial on Omaha Beach, made by French artist to memorialize the 1,200 lives lost between 6:00 and 8:00 am on June 6, 1944

Introducing...Charlie Kay Hunter!

Beautiful Charlie in the hospital

Charlie was born on mine and Keenan's anniversary...October 12, 2013. He is the son of my baby brother, Derek, and his wife, Rachel. Derek and Rachel had known there was a high chance of him being born with Down Syndrome. Rachel had tests and indicated such. So, they were prepared. He's a cute little guy. Well, he's not so little. He was 9 lbs and 4 oz. Charlie was in the NICU for 10 days because his lungs were a bit underdeveloped. I guess it's not uncommon for babies with Down syndrome to stay in the hospital a bit longer. He was probably the biggest baby in the NICU. He got stronger each day and got to go home. Rosie was ready for him to come home. They asked her if she wanted her brother to come home and her reply was "yeah, he's born now." When she met him, she said "he's a cool guy." Now that he's home, her thing is to tell Derek and Rachel "Hey guys, he's waking up." Of course, he's not and they need to remind her to leave him alone. I fly out on December 8th to visit them. I stay until the 12th. I got a round trip plane ticket for $85.50, flying out of Provo to Los Angeles on Allegiant Air. I can't wait. Derek and I are gonna take Rosie to Disneyland. I will also cuddle that chubby little guy.

One month old...just waiting to meet Grandma Dana!

Temple, Football and Halloween

Two things I love and one thing I don't. Guess which is which. Kamiko went to the temple before Daysa left for her mission. It was a really nice afternoon. We have since gone back for a session and last night, he and I went to do sealings with dad at the Provo Temple. He seems to have adjusted to life after the Temple quite well. He's busy getting ready to go. Immunizations, shopping, banking, working, etc. Daysa left and he watched the mail regularly to see if there were letters from her. She got her visa and is now in the MTC in Brazil. I'm real excited for her. Glad she got to go to Brazil. It can be tough to get a visa to go there. Kamiko is working at her mom's work until Thanksgiving.

Kamiko and Daysa Oswald

Keenan, Kamiko and Me

Dad, Kamiko and Mom

 I really don't care about sports. I don't watch or play them. So when I saw this, I had to share:

We'll end with another thing I love: Halloween. I decorated the house and we planned a group costume for work. We all wore tan pants and Little Caesar's t-shirts. Starlyn's son and Kamiko both worked there, so we had enough shirts for the Thursday staff. I couldn't believe my friend, Jenn Watkin's, costume. She teaches 4th grade. She was the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. She was awesome. It made my costume look weak. Oh well. It was sure fun. That night Keenan and Kamiko and I went to the temple. Halloween night is a great time to go to the temple. It's not crowded at all.

Pizza, anyone? Ali, Elizabeth, me and Annie. Notice our makeup (flour)

Whoa Jenn...looking good!

Not my costume, but a cool app on Melia's phone. Fun, huh?

Allie, the lumberjack, and Melia, the baseball player

Melia and Kobi, both baseball players. Thanks to Kobi's brother, Brock, for loaning the girls his uniforms.

Wrapping Up September

Before I get too far behind, I must mention some highlights from September. Starlyn Hjorth, my buddy at work, celebrated a birthday. We had a blast at work. We had a potluck with sloppy joes, chips, veggies and dip and dessert. Oh, and soda. We love her. She works so hard to make the lab fun and to get everything done.

Yummy cupcakes by Ali, the whole gang sitting at our "dinner table," Steve (Ali's fiancee) even joined us.

Another event in September was the Voorhees family party. Cathy is a dear friend, who just happens to live on our street. She and I go to Weight Watchers together, we go to yogurt monthly with Gloria Pratt and we are just all-around friends. Her daughter, Jenn, has been battling alcohol abuse and the family had a huge party to celebrate her success. I was honored to be invited. Keenan and I went. It was great. It was also fun to meet all of Cathy's family and friends that I've heard a lot about. It was fun to be there to support Jenn, too. She's a good girl. 

Kneader's sandwiches. Yum! Diet Dr. Pepper, too! Double yum!

Long Time No Blog...OCTOBER

What can I say? I took all of October off. I was too busy celebrating my birthday, anniversary, Kamiko's mission call and Halloween. It was a busy and great month. I absolutely LOVE October. I think I would still love it if I weren't born in October, but it does help to be an October baby. I love the cooling weather, the falling trees and the changing colors. I love the cute Halloween stuff. I don't love the gross stuff. I just LOVE fall.

We started off October with conference weekend and MY BIRTHDAY! The big day fell on a Saturday, but we celebrated big at work. Everyone surprised me with pizza, funny pictures, soda (including diet Dr. Pepper) and a cake (delivered by Jen). She even stayed around and helped us in lab. She said it was so fun that it makes her want to get a job. Ha, not all jobs are as great as mine. In fact, very few are. I'm convinced of that!

We enjoyed conference weekend. Great talks and a relaxing time at home with the family and Swedish fish, Starburst jelly beans, and peanut butter M&M's. Those are our go-to conference candies. The kids spoiled me. Allie gave me a really cute sweater. Kamiko and Daysa gave me soda and gum. Mel gave me a trip together to get Italian Ice. It really was great. Sandy and Sherie later took me to lunch at Noodles and Company. Wendy, Debbie and Kim Blight took me to Cravings for grilled cheese. My old neighbor, Jamie, also has a birthday in October. We get together every year for dinner and a movie. This year we splurged and went to a real movie, not the dollar movie. We saw "Gravity." It was a great night. Like I mentioned, I celebrated all month. That's something I'm very good at.

At work. Even Jenny came back to visit. We're glad she doesn't work on Fridays and can celebrate with us.
Back row: Starlyn, Jessica, Keenan, Jamie, Ali
Front row: Jenny, Melissa, Annie and Mat

Take your sister to work day!

I just had to frame the pictures they gave me. It hangs in my sewing corner. It's my happy place.

Jamie Wigington, my October birthday buddy

My gift from Jamie...green smoothie!