MARCH MADNESS MEANS A TRIP LAS VEGAS AND LOTS MORE BASKETBALL

A true Cougar fan

That's right....more basketball. It's March and that means college basketball tournaments as well as the NCAA and NIT tournaments but first it was off to Las Vegas. At the last minute, we decided to take a trip to Vegas for the WCC basketball tournament held at the Orleans' arena to watch BYU play. When World Mark condos came available as well as tournament tickets, it was a slam dunk (no pun intended) that we would go to Vegas. We left Friday after the temple and drove to Las Vegas, arriving about 9 at night. Saturday was filled with basketball games, BYU playing their first game and winning. 

A picture of our purchased seats.  Luckily we only
had to sit in them for one game.

Hiko with Mom's home off to the right

Sunday, after going to church, we drove out to Alamo and Hiko, about an hour and half from Vegas. That is where Paul's mother grew up and we wanted to see that area and find her old homestead. It was a delightful drive after the torrential rains stopped. We were amazed at how beautiful the dessert can be. We found the home in Hiko where Paul's mom had lived as well as the graveyard where many of Paul's relatives are buried. Getting to the graveyard was no easy trick as it was on top of a hill and totally fenced off. Paul was determined, after having come this far, to see the gravestones so he hopped the fence and walked up the hill to it. He was so glad he had done that as he was able to take pictures of all the graves of his relatives, including his grandmother's who died before he was born. A very worthwhile trip.  

Paul's Mom's old homestead in Hiko

We stopped in Alamo, hoping to get some lunch but the only place available to buy food was a convenience store.  Alamo is so small there isn't even a Subway. We ended up buying some crackers and cheese to get us by till we got back to Vegas. We checked into the World Mark on Tropicana and waited for Todd and Kailee to arrive. They decided to share our two bedroom condo for a quick get away. They were later getting into Vegas due to traffic so we met them at the Bahama Breeze restaurant where it was decided we would have dinner....a favorite restaurant of Todd and Kailee.   

Monday and Tuesday was more basketball. We watched the girl's team make it to the finals only to loose that game on Tuesday. After going out to pizza, Monday evening, I gave my ticket for the BYU/Gonzaga game to Todd so he could go with Paul. After sitting through three games that day, I was more than willing to stay in the condo with Kailee and play with Aria. Besides I didn't want the stress that game would bring. BYU lost but it was a close game. On Tuesday, the final games for both the boys and the girls were played. Of course, we watched them both. Todd and Kailee met us at TGI Fridays for an early dinner between the games. It was then home on Wednesday.

Aria's first basketball game

Of course, that didn't end basketball for the month as there still were the NCCA and NIT games, of which, Paul watched most of them.  I joined him when it was BYU or Gonzaga playing. BYU made it to the final four of the NIT but lost in New York at the Madison Square Garden arena. Gonzaga lost before the final 8, but they beat Utah badly which was fun to see. I was not sad when the final games were played the last week of March and first few days of April.  





Other happenings in the month included a High Priest activity - a pie night where the men were encouraged to bake a pie and bring it to share. Paul made a lemon sour cream pie which was a hit. He had never made a pie before so the Saturday, after our trip to Las Vegas, was spent with me talking him through the process, step by step.  He successfully made a pie crust that was one of the flakiest I've ever tasted. The other High Priests didn't believe Paul had made the pie by himself because it was so good.

Mid month, we went to Lehi to have dinner at Jon and Mindi's before going to a school musical in which Olivia had two parts. The musical was Shrek and Olivia played a court jester and a priest. The play was amazingly well done for a group of 5th and 6th graders and Olivia did a great job. We could tell she loved being on stage. Her priest costume was amazing. It looked real even though the hat was made out of a mailing envelope. Mindi had to be very creative on that one.

The third Monday of the month was interesting.  We agreed, several weeks earlier, to host the 'Friends' dinner at our home. Little did we know that I would be called to jury duty that same day. It took a little organization to pull it all off but we managed. After a quick shop at the store for the last minute ingredients, the morning was spent making chicken enchiladas. I had set the tables the night before so when I finally got home around 5, I only had to cook the enchiladas, make the salsa and guacamole, and put ice and water in the glasses. I was glad I wasn't selected for this jury as it was a child abuse case and that would have been hard to stay impartial. The dinner went well and made for a fun evening with16 friends in our home. The food was good and the conversation lively.

Tables all set on Sunday....yes with paper plates!

We spent some time with Todd and Kailee this month helping in their yard. They had rubber chips that needed to be spread in the play area so Paul helped do that. I played with Aria so Kailee could be outside, too.  Another day, Paul dug out some grapevines from under the deck so Todd can eventually bring in rock. I helped with a little weeding but mostly played with Aria. 

The hunt is on....

We also had Todd and Kailee and Kailee's family up to dinner after the Provo City Temple dedication, Sunday, March 20th. Then the following Sunday, which was Easter Sunday, Todd and Kailee, Jake and Nicole and their two girls came up for an Easter ham dinner and an Easter egg hunt outside in the backyard. It seems like most ever year someone has an Easter egg hunt in our yard and we love it. Bean and Sadie were so excited to find so many plastic eggs filled with treats and surprises.  

......So excited to find all these eggs

Braydon with braces, the
first of  6

Twice this month I went to Jon and Mindi's to babysit their children as they both needed to travel out of town for work. The first time was when they took Clark and Braydon on a trip to New York as part of 'take your child to work' program.  I went to Lehi early so I could see Clark and Braydon play a basketball game. I then stayed the night with the two girls and got them off to school the next morning. The next time all three children were there. I was at their home when they got home from school, fixed dinner, got them to bed, and then off to school again. It was pretty easy babysitting except when we thought we had lost Clark. He said he was going to a friend's home after dinner and would be home no later than 8.  At 8:15, I got a little concerned so I got Carly to go with me to the friend's home to discover Clark wasn't there and never had been. Really nervous now, we returned home only to find that Clark had been home all the time. His friend couldn't play so he had slipped up to his room while I was doing dishes and didn't hear him come in the house. A little scary. Jon said that has happened to him and Mindi before so I don't feel quite so incompetent. Mindi is working on the weekends to help pay for braces for their children. At least, six of their eight will need braces soon.  Braydon had his put on this month. Oh the joy of teen age years with children and braces. 

We did our patriot duty this month when we attended our precinct's caucus. We went because one of our ward members, Brother Lund, begged us to go. It was an interesting procedure but the only thing we did was vote for next year's officers and the delegates to represent us at the state convention. The last vote we took was for president of the United States. Of course, we voted for Ted Kruse as did over 80% of those in attendance. Ted Kruse won Utah by quite a big margin. No surprise here in conservative Utah. We were hoping to hear some talks by representatives of the candidates but that was not the case. During this whole procedure, we kept checking the basketball scores.  BYU was playing one of their games toward the NIT final four. They won so we went home and watched the game we had recorded. It was much easier to watch, knowing the outcome.

The last things that happened this month were three chances to meet with mission friends. The first was with Lyndsi Tolbert, a former sister missionary who served in our district and whom we came to love dearly. Through Facebook, we connected and decided it would be fun to meet for dinner. After our temple session one Friday, we met her at Red Robin where we enjoyed our teriyaki chicken sandwich and great conversation. It was so fun to talk with her again and to catch up on what is happening in her life.

Erica in her hat and pearls.  That was the theme
of the shower - an afternoon tea with hats and pearls.

The following Saturday, I attended a bridal shower for another of our wonderful sister missionaries, Erica Hawkins. She was in the first sister companionship of our mission and a great missionary trainer. We came to love her and were so excited when we learned of her engagement to friend from her hometown. Her aunt gave her a bridal shower to which I was invited.  It took me over an hour to get there as it was in Herriman but I was so glad to have been able to go. It was great to hug Erica and feel of her excitement for her upcoming wedding. Sister Sorenson, a former Moscow mission president's wife, was there. It was good to finally meet her. We had heard so much about the Sorensons as they served just before President and Sister Borders under whom we served.  




The third event was meeting with some dear friends whom we came to love in Russia, Luydmilla and Nick. They were in our YSA program in Moscow, until they married each other. Luydmilla attended our institute and Pathway programs so we spent every Thursday evening with her for 12 months of the 18 months we were there. We were so thrilled when they alerted us that they would be coming to Utah and wanted to see us. We picked them up at the Provo airport, Thursday the 31st, and took them to lunch. We wanted to give them an all American experience so it was back to Red Robin. Again, we had our chicken teriyaki sandwich and enjoyed it as well as our visit with Nick and Luydmilla. We got caught up on all our dear friends in Russia as well as what was new in their lives. They speak good enough English that conversation was easy. After lunch, we drove them around Provo, especially to see the MTC and the two temples. Our visit ended when we dropped them off at a former senior couple's home with whom Luydmilla served on her mission. We were so excited that she was going to be able to attend her mission reunion in Salt Lake City the following day. What a once in a lifetime experience for her.

Such a great couple and so dedicated to gospel living.

Our month came to a close on that day but there would still be a few more days of basketball to come in April, much to Paul's delight.

A picture of our hot tub that was installed this month too.

A red letter day....Paul retired his Alaskan t-shirt much to my delight.

CARIBBEAN CRUISE AND LOTS OF COMPANY IN FEBRUARY

Our month began with my brother, Dave, getting married. He and Susette finally tied the knot on a Saturday morning in Pleasant Grove.  The simple wedding was held in the club house of their condominium unit.  She looked beautiful and Dave was ecstatic with this amazing woman now his wife. The wedding was performed by Susette's brother who is a stake president in Arizona. Only Dave's two boys, Andrew and Taylor, could be in attendance but thanks to modern technology, they were able to Skype in the other children of both Dave and Susette so all could witness the event. We were glad we could be in attendance. Kathy and Kurt Morgan were also able to come so we had a nice visit with them after the ceremony. We are so happy for Dave. 

The very next day, we flew to Texas for a 5 day cruise out of Galveston. It was a 'free' cruise until we upgraded our room, booked airline tickets, and paid for two shore excursions. It was nice to get away but the cruise itself was a bust. We flew out on Sunday morning, landed in Houston, rented a car, and drove to Galveston. Our hotel was down by the dock and, when we arrived in that area, we realized there was a Mardi Gras parade going on. It was impossible to get to our hotel so we just parked the car and walked to where we could see the parade.  Every float and group that went by threw out lots of beads into the crowds.  We even caught our fair share of them. As the parade ended we walked to our hotel where we checked in. The hotel was housed in a lovely historical building and was very nice. We loved the old fashioned decor in our room, especially the high ceilings and crown moldings. The excitement of the night was watching the super bowl on the TV in our room and walking to Fuddrucker's for a quick hamburger during half time. 

Even the Chick Filet cow was in the parade

Only a few of the beads we caught.
Paul would only wear the ones that matched his shirt
.

One of many floats - simple but people only cared about
the beads being thrown out.

Our hotel down by the docks

Our lovely room

The next morning we checked out of our hotel, parked our car in the cruise parking lot, and walked to the Carnival cruise line terminal building. Check in went pretty quickly once the ship was ready to be boarded. We did have to wait a couple of hours for our room to be ready so we ate lunch at the ship's buffet. We had high hopes for this cruise but were quickly disappointd when we were greeted by a letter telling us that our shore excursion to Tulum was canceled.  That was one of the reasons we had booked this particular cruise. Luckily, they didn't cancel our tour of the Mayan ruin at Chitzenitza. 




Our next disappointment came at dinner. One of the reasons people go on cruises is for the wonderful food, especially at dinner in the formal dining room. Our first experience at dinner was a tough steak and a béarnaise sauce that was not a béarnaise sauce. We also noticed that the better cuts of steak and the lobster were an additional charge. This has never been the case on any of the other 5 cruises we have taken. The menu was also abbreviated offering only appetizers, entrees, and desserts. The very few salads and soups were listed with the appetizers. Other dinners were equally as disappointing. The prime rib was tasteless and covered with what they called an au jus but was more of a gravy or bitter wine sauce.  There was not one dinner from which we left saying that was an incredible meal. There also was no flaming baked Alaskans on formal night like there had been on every other cruise. What was done instead was the waiters dancing on tables and that was done on two nights. The lunch and breakfast buffets were not too much better. We tried their Mexican chicken tacos and the first time they were ok. The second time I tried a pork taco and bit into a big lump of gristle. Not good. On the last day at sea it was advertised that there would be a chocolate extravaganza in the buffet area between 12:30 and 2. Thinking this would be something we should see and maybe even find a good dessert, we decided to check it out. Another disappointment. The display of desserts was no different than had been there all week and the desserts were no better. On other cruises the displays have included ice and fruit sculptures, flower arrangements, linen clothes and table runners with the desserts placed on fancy platters and on different levels throughout the display. Not on this cruise. The one good thing was their ice cream machine that served soft ice cream as well as frozen yogurt. At least we could satisfy our sweet tooth there.

The pool area.

To be fair, neither Paul nor I were feeling very well as I had a cough and the congestion of a cold while Paul had the congestion. Nevertheless, the cruise was far inferior than any other cruise on which we have been.  

Our first selfie!!!

We did enjoy the two shore excursions we took even though the one we wanted in Cozemel was canceled.....in fact, our second choice was canceled the morning of due to weather. I had always wanted to see the ruins at Chitzinitza and was thrilled when we were able to walk the grounds and listen to the guide tell about all the things I used to teach my sixth graders when we studied Mexican history. The Mayan ruins we went to at our second port were not as impressive but we did learn more about the Mayan culture. 

The temple at Chitzinitza

The hoop at the ball field where players tried to
hit the ball through the hoop.  The losing team's
captain was sacrifice

The sacrificial pool where many Mayans
jumped to their death

The market place

On the two days at sea it was good to just sit at the pool or walk the small outdoor track on the top deck of the ship. We have never been anxious to get off a cruise ship before. In fact. we have always been sad when the cruise ended. Not the case with this cruise...we couldn't wait to be off the boat and on our way home.  Sure hope this won't affect our desire to cruise again.  


We returned home to a houseful of company.  Deon and Gary and five of their grandchildren had driven to Utah from Las Vegas for a little get away. They came up to see the Provo City Temple and took in the ice castles in Midway as well.  They needed a place to stay Saturday and Sunday. We didn't get back home until late Saturday so they were all settled into bed in our home by the time we arrived. It was good to see Deon and  Gary but I was a little overwhelmed when I ended up having to cook dinner for 18 on Sunday. Jon and Mindy brought their 7 children up so that accounted for the big number. Ordinarily it would be no problem but I still wasn't feeling well. I had a ham in the freezer which made for a little easier dinner.


Everyone left on Monday morning.  Monday night, Todd and Kailee and Aria came up to spend the night and have sourdough waffles the next morning.  It had been Valentine's weekend, so Todd wanted to take Kailee out to dinner and needed us to babysit for a couple of hours, which we delighted to do. It was then that we discovered that the heater on our hot tub had gone out. Todd and Kailee had wanted to get in the hot tub when they came back from dinner but there was a thin coat of ice on the water inside the tub.  To make a long story short, the hot tub was now ruined due to frozen water in the pipes. 

On Wednesday, we went to Provo to meet Todd and Kailee to find a blessing dress for Aria. It was an easy shopping trip as Kailee fell in love with one of the dresses in the first shop. With time to kill before going to lunch, we decided to go to a couple of hot tub stores to check out prices and styles. Todd and Kailee would love to put a hot tub in their backyard so they were interested in going with us. We got some ideas but decided we best check with the spa place in Park City, where we had purchased out last hot tub, to compare prices. We had lunch at a favorite Mexican place of Todd and Kailee's.

Aaron's children building a sledding
area out of our water feature area

On Tuesday, Deon called and asked if Aaron and his family could come crash at our home on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Angela's grandmother had passed away and the funeral was to be held Friday. They came in on Thursday afternoon just as we were returning from having purchased a hot tub in Park City. It was snowing and their children were having a blast in the snow by the time we got home. Again, we were glad they felt comfortable in coming in and getting settled without us here. With the viewing, and the funeral, and other activities planned with didn't see much of Aaron and his family until night time so their visit was easy on us. I only fixed them a big breakfast Saturday morning before they cleaned up downstairs and left for home.

A picture taken off of  Facebook.  Jake broke his foot
hence the wheelchair

The rest of the month was filled with basketball and a beautiful blessing. The BYU basketball season wound down this month with the big game between BYU and Gonzaga being the the last Saturday of the month.  Jon was able to secure tickets for his whole family as well as court side seats for 4. He invited Paul and I to take Olivia and Carli to the pre-dinner event and then sit in the court side seats for the game. We were delighted as they were wonderful seats. The game was an exciting one even though we lost. During half time, the girls and I went into a special area behind the court where tons a treats had been set out for all those in the court side seats. The girls were in heaven as they piled their arms full of soda pop, pop corn, candy bars, ice cream, and brownies. It was a fun night.

Olivia trying to get noticed on the lip sync cam

Cosmo was full of tricks

Beautiful Aria on
her blessing day

The next day, we drove to Lehi for Aria's blessing. Todd gave a beautiful blessing with Paul, Jon, Kailee's Dad, brother, and brother in law standing in the circle.  Aria looked celestial in her white dress and dark hair and was an angel all through church. After sacrament meeting, we met back at Todd and Kailee's for a lunch. They served barbecue chicken on rolls, fruit cups, chips, and vegetables. I brought brownies, rice krispy treats, and a cookie pizza for dessert. We had to leave right after lunch as we had a 1:00 meeting with a ward correlation committee to discuss the single adults in their ward. We also had to teach our primary class. We were glad when Todd called and asked if he and Kailee and Aria could come up for dinner that night. They really wanted some of the leftover desserts as Jon had taken all the ones we left in Lehi. We had teriyaki chicken sandwiches and sweet potato fries that came real close to tasting like Red Robin's teriyaki chicken sandwich and fries. We are glad Todd and Kailee like to spend time with us old people.

And thus ends another month.

A beautiful Heber sunset