Camping with friends

A few families went camping and had a great time. It was perfect weather. Some kids didn't sleep, but ours for the most part slept great! I am glad we went before it got too hot and humid!

Trip to Sea World!

Thanks to our friends for the invite and coupon for Sea World! We had a great time. Here are some shots of our fun day.

Camping Trip

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I can't figure out why there are two slideshows. If anyone has an idea on how to fix it then please let me know!

Cruise!!!

So, I only have a few minutes to post a couple of pictures, but I'll elaborate later. We had so much fun on this cruise! It was wonderful to be able to relax and enjoy each other's company. I think that I am more appreciative of God's creations now that I have gone from couped up in a house to floating on the sea. The blue water, the beautiful sun, sandy beaches, colorful fish, and neat coral! We feel so blessed to have had this opportunity to "take a break" from life and spend some time together. I've decided that I really like Marty! It is amazing what you forget about a person over the years. I love you sweetie!

I loved dressing up and dining. It was fun to get to know the other people at our table. Not to mention a six course meal! Marty got two entre's every night and I wasn't far behind him.




This is in Cozumel, Mexico. We went snorkeling for hours. It was so much fun. We came to the shore a few times while snorkeling so Marty could take a rest. I didn't want to come in at all. We got some underwater pictures. I'll post them if they turn out good. We saw other people swimming with the dolphins - ya we're not that rich. I took some pictures; I'll post those later too.



This first picture isn't our boat, but is a sister ship and it looks identical to the Ecstasy. We really liked the cruise!



When we stopped in Progresso, Mexico we traveled a couple of hours to see one the of the 7 wonders of the world; the Mayan ruines in Chichen Iza (not sure if I spelled that right). I have a lot of pictures, but this one is the main and largest pyramid. Amazing!!

Things I love about home

During the holidays I spent a whole month back at home where Marty and I grew up. I realized just how much I missed the little things at home that bring joy and amazement into the day. I really took for granted the mountains. They are beautiful. I could stand outside and stare at them for an hour and still have more to view. It gives the landscape more variety and beauty with glorious mountains lining the horizon. I also noticed that I missed being able to breath the clear air. No humidity or inversion (like it is now so I hear). It is like it is cleaner at home and being outside renews your senses. Of course Marty and I missed the opportunity to hike, explore, four-wheel, and other activities. We got a chance to ride around on the four-wheeler even though it was cold. I was a little freaked out at first when Marty said that we would be driving (more like sliding) on the ice! But I got over it after a minute or two and had a blast. I wasn’t going to get on “the disk of death”, but I was willing to do the super donut; where you spin round and around very fast, ya, it’s fun. I think I felt like a kid again. I needed that. Anyway, we missed everything about home and we’re sad to leave, but more than the mountains and the super donuts, we missed our family and loved every minute we got to spend with them. I hope they know that we think about each one of them and can’t wait to see them again.

Temple

Today I am babysitting for a friend so her and her spouse can attend the temple. It is about 1 hour and 45 minutes away so it is kind of a half a day thing. It is always nice to have friends over so Celie can learn more social skills (sharing !!!). They both have strollers to play with today so they pretend they are headed off somewhere – cute! Today of course they are headed to the temple. It seems like the theme of today’s play is “temple”. I think it is so important that kids know and see that their parents make a priority to attend the temple and it is a special thing for them and the family. They might not get the real meaning of the temple, but they know that their parents cherish their time there. Celie calls every big building we drive by “the temple” so I am constantly trying to correct her and teach her the difference between a temple and a building. It is kind of funny. What a special thing to show our children that the temple is a desired place to be and being worthy to enter is our utmost goal. Thanks to my friends for setting a good example to me.

Back Home

We made it safely home to Texas! Celie did wonderful on the drive again. We are really being watched over. Marty was the one that had to endure the pains of the trip. Although I did get swelling in my legs and they hurt a bit. Ok, that is nothing compared to what poor Marty had to deal with. Since the car he drove was without air conditioning he was in the humid heat the whole time. Dehydration! He would barely eat food because he felt sick from the heat. I’m not sure how hot it really was, but we heard that in Oklahoma the heat index (humidity included) was around 110. He was literally fried. Well half of him anyway. We forgot to prepare him with sun screen so his whole left side of his upper body was burnt. It’s pretty funny looking actually.

We also ran into an accident that held us up for a while. With out the wind from the car moving, Marty got extra hot. We did, however, make good time. We left Sat. morning and made it to Oklahoma City that night. We then arrived at home a bit before 3:00 pm. Wow, I was surprised. A day and a half, I can do that. I probably could have made it to Lake Powell for the family vacation with out too much whining, but I have to admit that being with Marty for a nice relaxing week was nice.

Marty’s classes started up and he has taken on running in the evenings. What a motivated guy! I sure am proud of him. He has a good group to work with in one of his classes; which means that the class will be significantly less stressful. I am getting back to my playgroups and projects and I am enjoying it a lot. I missed my friends during the summer, but I guess it just makes me appreciate their friendship even more having been away from them. I am also more grateful for our furniture and the comforts of our fully furnished apartment! Being “without” for a while always helps humble a person. I am glad to be home and healthy. Good luck to Marty as he finishes his last semester! I am sure he will appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.

Nauvoo

We were lucky to have Marty’s sister and her family visit from Wisconsin this last weekend. We spent Saturday in Nauvoo. Aside from the tantrums Celie threw all day, we had a great time. It was so good to learn more about the history of the church as they settled and were driven out of Nauvoo. We went on horse wagon rides and tours of the marvelous rebuilt homes and learned about how they made things and supported each other. The temple is beautiful. It stands majestically at the top of the hill and reminds us all about the struggles the saints went through to build it the first time, years ago. People are friendly and giving and I was even able to see some people I knew from Utah. Marty tried a hand at the stick pull and Celie and I danced to the pioneer music. It was fun to be with baby Dallin and be with family at this wonderful historic site.

The pageant was incredible. I felt that the script was perfectly done. Completely informative of church beliefs, full of the spirit, and plenty of real stories to help us understand the saint’s struggles and joys. Even though we got home around 1:00 a.m., we appreciated the opportunity to be there. It was overwhelming to see that sacred place were our church leaders of old walked, talked and built up the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ohio

Marty, Celie and I went to Ohio to visit my Grandparents for the 4th of July weekend. We had a wonderful time. It was good for all of us to get to know each other better and I am so proud to have them as Grandparents. Celie was fairly obedient in their home, which I was thankful for. She did however spend most of her time telling Grandma Doe, as she called her, to come here and go there. Obsessively going over to pet the fake pigeon in their sun room and of course taking Grandma with her. They were patient with her and we all loved to see Celie love her Great Grandparents even as soon as we got there. Visits like these help me remember how important family relationships are. These relationships and our knowledge are the only things we can take with us after we die. I am so glad we had the chance to be fairly close to them so we can learn of their life and their joys. They do a beautiful job of putting new fabric on old furniture and wow are they good at it. Marty and my Grandpa were able to go golfing, which is one of their favorite things to do. We love them so much and are glad that Celie was able to meet them. Families are Forever!

Trip to Chicago

On the weekend of our anniversary, May 29th, Marty, Celie and I went to visit JR, Shanna, and Karlie Benson in the Chicago area. This was the first time for both Marty and I to visit Chicago and actually remember it. We had so much fun. Mostly because we were with my brother and his family, of whom we don't see very often.

Our first train ride was a lot of fun and Celie seemed to enjoy the protection of her Daddy through the whole ride. We took a trolley everywhere to see the sites. We saw the main shopping strips, went up to one of the tallest buildings to look over all of Chicago, and saw the Bean of course! This thing is crazy. I don't know why they chose the bean shape, but they did. I think they redid the surface so the metal would be seamless. Amazing! I don't have a picture of what it looks like at a distance, but here are the Bensons in the midst of the reflection of Chicago. This next picture is from underneath the Bean! Pretty cool.

We also went to Navy Pier and saw the lake, a lot of boats and of course a great view of the tall buildings in Chicago. We had a great trip!