Evan's First Triathlon

The main event for our Spring Break this year was supporting Evan in his first triathlon. The order of events was 1st: swimming 4 laps (200 meters), 2nd: biking 5 miles, and 3rd: jogging 1.5 miles. His hard work paid off as he placed 3rd in his division and felt great all day. It was an exciting event to watch; we are so proud of his great accomplishments!Here he is getting his "Competitive Face" on while showing off his muscles, frog legs, and matching tattoos!
Here's part of the Schimmy Fan Club cheering him on as he swims. Taylor, Whitney, and his mother, Linda aka "Grandma Schimmy".
Me on the phone telling everyone how great he did!

Third place metal! Feeling great; ready to go watch some softball tournaments!Photos by ABBY...She has a good eye for capturing the moments without missing them (unlike me!)

My Bliss List

There are so many simple pleasures that bring me happiness, and yet I often forget to notice or enjoy the brief, sometimes instantaneous, joy they can bring on a cloudy day. I once had my 5th grade students write as many "natural highs" as they could think of, but I like the idea of a bliss list! Thanks for the great idea, Janna. Though I'm not as poetic as my niece, these are a few things that make me smile, make me sigh, or make me laugh. They bring me bliss...sweet, magical bliss!
The scent of fresh cut grass.
Soft, puppy kisses.
Cool, crisp sheets off the clothesline.
Sleeping babies, puppies, kittens.
Clean laundry.
Crickets chirping outside the tent.
Lemon zest.
Tropical scented sunscreen.
Bookstores.
Music.
Movies about real life.
Fresh fruit or vegetables from garden.
The first bite of a crisp dill pickle.
Down comforters.
Airplanes flying overhead.
Chocolate milk.
Footrubs.
Someone brushing my hair.
Daffodils.
Giggling girls.
Well-worn in jeans.
Pleasant surprises.
Coke with ice.
Rainbows.
Sunshine.
Sand, water, waves.
Fabric stores.
Coloring.
Popcorn.
Stationary/Cards.
Unexpected personal mail.
Sunday naps.
Saturday morning snuggles/chats with daughters.
Painted toenails.
Bargains.
Bubble baths.
Baby Lotion.
Breakfast for dinner.

Cathedral Gorge and Caliente Depot

This past weekend my good friend, Jenny, and her three kids, Aubrey, Trey, and Corbin came for a visit. First the kids all went up to the depot and took some pictures around the museum and caboose. Next, we drove out to Cathedral Gorge, hiked up to Miller's Point, and climbed around the crevices and tunnels. It is an amazing geographical rock formation; a neat place to go see in Lincoln County! The sun was shining and it was a perfect day for an outdoor adventure.





It was so much fun to visit and catch up with Jenny! Being around her cute kids was quite entertaining! Jenny and I taught 1st grade together for five years in St. George. We team taught the same class for about 2 1/2 years after Abby was born. We had a lot of good times together. We don't get together nearly as often as I'd like to, but we sure have fun when we do!

A Real Date for Us

Yesterday Evan and I got up early to go to the St. George temple. With his days off being Sunday and Monday, and mine being the weekends, it can be tricky to get to the temple together. Luckily, he was able to take a Saturday in trade for working his days off earlier in the week. We left the girls home and went for the day...just us! Whew...that rarely happens. It was beautiful and peaceful and, as always, a nice break from the real world. The temple was very busy with weddings,families, missionaries, couples of all ages, and people from various nationalities. A glimpse of Heaven to me! I saw a Polynesian friend from my SkyWest days 20 years ago. It was so good to see him and visit briefly. When we came out the doors, the sun was shining and a calm breeze blew the fragrance of daffodils and pansies our way. I'm so excited for Spring days ahead!Next, we went to one of our favorite places to eat...Tom's Deli. Still just as good as when we were in college! After running all around completing our long list of errands, we met up with Whitney for dinner. We tried a new restaurant in the old downtown area that we'd never tried before called the Electric Cafe. It was Greek food. We really enjoyed the food, the atmosphere, and the quietness of it all. All the other restaurants were packed with people for the weekend and Spring Break, so this was like a hidden secret that hasn't been discovered by everyone yet. I recommend it! All was well when we arrived home; girls were sleeping and I felt so grateful to have the time to spend with a wonderful companion who completes me. Thanks honey, we need to do this more often!

HELLO 2ND GRADE STUDENTS

Today I was demonstrating a circle map for my students by showing them how to write down ideas for writing later on. They already knew quite a bit about me (since we've been together for nearly 100 days of school)! I did tell them something they didn't already know. I like to blog. I agree that "blog" is a funny word, but I enjoy blogging about my family, my life, and happy events and celebrations. I showed them my blogspot and said I'd post something just for them. So here it is!

Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' birthday. Even though he has passed on, his books are still loved by teachers and students all over the world. I remember feeling so smart the first time I read one of his books all the way through all by myself! I was so amazed and my parents were so excited. That's when my addiction to books and reading began. . . back in the 1st/2nd grades at Ephraim Elementary School! I learned that I could entertain myself and my younger sister for quite awhile by reading a stack of books. Most of them were by Dr. Seuss because I could read them without any help at all! They are funny, full of rhyme, and teach wonderful little life lessons! It's hard to choose a favorite one, but I'd have to say that "Sneetches" is it! Go celebrate reading by sitting down with someone special and reading them your favorite Dr. Seuss book!

PICK A WINNER

We are happy to announce that Dixie State College has picked a winner for their Elementary Education program this Fall....and the winner is Whitney! We are so proud of her dedication to studies and keeping good grades, her ability to balance work and school, and her sweet disposition through living away from home! WAY TO GO!

New Beginnings

Last month, we had our annual New Beginnings night for Young Women. Theme: Personal Progress--Steps to Eternity. We had footsteps leading from the front doors into the multicultural hall with quotes and goals written on them. We displayed shoes from each girl and spoke of how our shoes serve different purposes.
We had white dresses displayed representing blessings, baptisms, and temple marriage as steps or milestones in our eternal progression. Everything turned out beautiful; I felt that we blended fun with inspiration and motivation in a spiritual setting.


I am thankful to have a challenging, yet rewarding place to serve. I am thankful for creative and talented women to serve with. I am also thankful to my husband and daughters who help me out in multiple ways, especially when I'm extra stressed. (The cupcakes turned out great!) Most of all I am thankful to a Father in Heaven who knows me, loves me, believes in me when I seriously doubt myself, and helps me through every little or big event in my life whether it be joyful or otherwise.

Meet Our New Baby: Bella

The girls and I actually pulled off a big surprise for Evan this weekend. Whitney and I took a road trip to Wells, NV to pick up our new lab puppy. We fell in love with her immediately. She is velvety soft with pretty green eyes, flappy skin, and large paws! Bella loves to snuggle and play. Pepper took a liking to her quicker than we expected and they have worn each other out running and playing all day. Now Evan understands why I was eager to stay home this Valentines weekend!

Update on Elder Tibbitts

Trent has been in the mission field for nearly five months now. He is in the Gardner area, but will likely be transferred soon. He wrecked on his bike the first week in North Carolina and broke his wrist (x-rays revealed a few weeks later). LOL! Other than that, he sounds like he's doing great with no problems with his diabetes. Whitney gets an email and/or a letter once a week. He sounds like he's had some amazing spiritual experiences already. His older brother Talen recently got engaged, so any speculations on Whitney marrying the brother are off.:) She's still very much in love with Trent...and he is in love with her...and that's a good thing!:D

Ice Skating at Dixie Igloo

This past Saturday began very early for our YW/YM group! Leaving the church at 6:00 am, we drove to St. George for EFY where we enjoyed listening to three Seminary teachers who were funny, inspirational, and motivating. Whitney met up with us after EFY. Eating at Golden Corral is always a hit; then we all went ice skating at the Dixie Igloo. It was a lot of fun! I went ice skating quite a bit growing up in Sanpete County, however, you would never know it by the way I shuffled along the side or held onto Whitney's hand for dear life! Abby rollerblades a lot, so she whizzed by us each time laughing at her clutsy mother and sisters. We definitely want to go back when it is less crowded so we can improve our skills!

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

More snow for us here in Lincoln County! Just when we thought we'd had enough, it dumped again for about 24 hours straight. This is what we woke up to on the first day. Everything looked so pretty, but I was sure wishing I didn't have to drive to work in it! However, I was pleasantly surprised to find Evan beat me outside to warm up the van, shovel the sidewalk, sweep off the foot of snow on top, scrape the windows. (A little bonus: He was in his work out clothes out in the blizzard...funny no one went off the road due to the distraction!)

Abby felt so sorry for the cats; she sat on the porch and lovingly consoled them telling them to go cuddle up in their "kitty condo".

Cabin Fever or Just Silly Girls?

Why do girls like sleepovers so much? Is it the junk food? Is it the late night? The togetherness? The games? The bonds of friendship or could it just be cabin fever? Last weekend the girls each had a friend sleep over. I came home from dance class to find nearly every light on in the house, slobbery candy hearts all over the kitchen, and giggles coming from outside the front door. Evan was in charge, of course, but he was in his "man cave" watching football. I knew they were having a lot of fun, but didn't know all that they were up to until I viewed the pictures on my new camera the next day. What more do girls need than a size 44DDD black bra and a camera for entertainment?





I had to laugh as I thought back to the days when mom would take us school shopping and we'd have to stop in JCPenny's so she could try on bras. . . a dreaded task for all. However, we soon learned what fun can be had in a dressing room when you locate THE largest cup sizes with padding on the store racks and take them for a little test drive! I think mom even got the giggles and I'm pretty sure Sue wet her pants at least once. Who would have ever thought we'd be buying some of those bras one day in the future! Curses! (P.S. NO, this wasn't my bra!)

Winter Storm Warning

There has been signs posted around town this past week about a weather watch for this week with the same conditions as in 2005 when we had our historic flood through town. Here are pictures of the first few storms. The neighborhood looks so pretty the morning after with everything fresh and white. The worst of the storms is coming down today, so I went to the store to stock up on ingredients for soup and other warm meals. I plan on hibernating inside for the weekend near the cozy fire.

FAMILY--Forever, For Always, No Matter What

It has been six years today that we received the dreaded words: Dad has been in a plane wreck. Time seemed to freeze that fateful night as the shocking news hit our family. Since Dad's passing, we each have had to learn how to move on. We have all endured many things in our individual lives and families. More deaths, floods, moves, new jobs, new locations, mom's near death experiences, injuries, and love life; a few divorces, weight losses/gains, etc. Inspite of it all, we've also been blessed in countless ways. However, THE most important thing is that we have all grown closer through it all. I love my family! I love them more now than I thought I ever could. Now that we don't get to see each other as often, our time spent together is that much more memorable and important to me. This was the last family photo taken October 2002 to celebrate Grandma Leona's 85th birthday. I can't imagine Heaven without any one of them! This photo was taken on Dad's last day flying with SkyWest prior to retirement. He absolutely loved his job! He loved talking about his adventures, meeting new people, sharing his jokes and stories to all that he knew. Dad always had a passion for teaching others about aviation. The last time I saw Dad was on a Thursday afternoon when he and Kent flew out to Panaca Airport to give an Aviation presentation to Whitney's middle school classes. I was so proud to introduce them, to watch them, to hear their wisdom as they spoke to the kids. Kent and Dad were like two kids talking about their experiences and flight training. (They told the kids they had known Orville & Wilbur Wright!) I stayed at the airport until they took off. Dad circled around the area as he had always done and tilted the wings to wave goodby. His last goodby to me. As I watched the plane fly off into the clouds, I felt so happy to have him for a Dad, and grateful that he would take the time to come out and talk about his passion. Four days later he was killed in a plane accident doing that which he loved so much. He has left a legacy for all who knew him to live life to its fullest and to always treasure family time. I love you Dad!