Jeff hates the black background - so back to the drawing board...

A Blast From the Past

A few pictures to keep us laughing on these cold, rainy days. Jeff actually did this at a Stake Talent Show.
I don't know about this kids manners - didn't your mom teach you to eat with your mouth closed? HAHAHAHAH!
Another expressive look from my middle child!
Andrea - relaxing.

Message for Mom...

MOM - GET BUSY ON THAT BLOG OF YOURS!

Tay's Day

Just around the corner is Tay's birthday. She mentioned the other day that she's not too excited about her birthday this year. She can't decide what to do and she can't decide if she wants me to decide. One thing I'm sure of is that I have two tickets to Mamma Mia. She has been wanting to see that. But that's where it begins and ends. I can't even imagine what to get her - beside her neverending book requests. So I'm putting out a public plea ... HELP! Any ideas for an almost 17 year old who wants to spend her birthday with her 2 best friends?

Tuesdays

Alas, no pictures. It doesn't feel 'blog worthy' if I don't have a picture or two. But I'll try to keep you up-to-date (Sarah)! Tuesdays - Seminary is in the evening instead of the morning on Tuesdays so we have breakfast together in the morning before the kids head off to school. I usually have to hustle to get my lesson or activity prepared for that night. Do the wash - remember that is a never-ending chore over here. Exercise. Do the wash. Clean the kitchen. Do the wash and then get ready for my volunteer job at the primary school in town. Today, I wanted to get there a little early because I love walking around the area of the school. I was there a half hour early today so I stopped off at this little Italian shop that I've had my eye on for the last few weeks. I decided I would try some pasta right on the spot - for lunch. It's a little mom and pop place with GREAT pasta. Now I know where to stop off if I need a quick meal at night. There is also a fish and chip place down the street that is always packed. I'm not a huge fan of F & C but I might try those one day.

There is a little, old church down the road with a nice garden. There are shops that specialize in Middle Eastern goods and little odds and ends. There is a whole new world down there to explore. After school I need to race home and get things ready for dinner. Everyone just rushes in and out on Tuesdays. It's a busy night. We all finally find ourselves home about 9:00 pm - totally ready for a rest!

A "Posh" Weekend

About 3 times a year we all get to spend the weekend at the hotel when Jeff is MOD (Manager on Duty). It seems a little inconvenient to pack up for 2 days and move into a hotel that is less than a mile away, but we do it gladly. Last weekend was one of those weekends. We spent the weekend in the newly refurbished rooms at the hotel. We had a beautiful suite and the girls had a room right next to us.




They take pretty good care of us when we are there. There were cookies and milk and a big bowl of fruit in the girls room. Later on in the day they sent up this little spread of goodies. On Saturday we went to tea and Andrea realized that she was a big fan of cucumber sandwiches. I can add that to her 'I will eat' list! On Saturday we always let the kids order room service which they love to do and on Sunday evening we went to the restaurant and had a great meal and listened to the piano player. The girls knew all the words to his Phantom of the Opera songs!




On Sunday evening we witnessed the comings and goings of an Indian wedding party. They were dressed spectacularly in ornate saris and the men had orange turbans on their heads (I don't know if that was wedding colors or just tradition). We watched people come for hours. They started with a coctail hour, then there was the wedding and some other kind of ceremony. Then later on they were having a dinner for 650 people. They didn't even serve the entree until 10:30 at night!




They had big torches to welcome the guests as they came to the hotel and they had the big ballroom decorated - it looked incredible.

All in all it was a nice weekend and we got to spend it with Jeff - that made it even better.

Going Once, Going Twice - GONE

To me! Jeff and I went to the local auction house the other day and put in a bid on several items. We bid on some dining room chairs to go with our table that we bought a while back. We bid on something called a Monk's Bench which was really cool. We bid on a piano - which I'm so relieved that we DIDN'T get. And! we bid on this old Bible Box from 1709. Jeff didn't think it was as interesting as I did but he indulged me. The box is from 1709 - apparently, but the stand was made more recently. I'm going to use it as a side table in the spare bedroom. When I look at it I just can't help but think about who the original owners were, what were they wearing when they built this old box. What was going on in the world. How has it been passed down through the years. I wish I knew all its secrets. But alas, I'm going to have to use my own imagination. Sometimes that's even better. P.S. I'm REALLY glad I didn't get that piano - WHAT WAS I THINKING!

Bonding in the 8th Grade

Andrea is back after a week of Outward Bound with the other 8th graders at her school. This is a fairly common practice here to take the students out of the classroom for a week and let them get to know each other in a different environment. Our school is particularly fond of sending them to the Outward Bound program. The idea is as they do the various activities - i.e., rapelling, zip lining, water activities, night games - they get to know each other, build trust and bond together as a group. They also do something called Jacob's Ladder which has been explained to me but I'm not sure that I understand completely.
She had access to a phone while she was gone but I didn't hear from her which I took as a good sign. The first sign of life was when she called to say that she would be returning about 30 minutes earlier than expected. When asked if she had a good time her response was measured, as usual. She was glad to be home. She was a little tired. She was really hungry. She'd had enough of being around her friends. So we filled her up on her favorite dish - Tikka Masala. And before I knew it - she was on the computer chatting with the same people she had left just moments before. Well, I guess maybe it works!

Big Birthday Month

This is a big birthday month for our family. Not only are there many birthdays on both sides of our family this month but I have several good friends that have birthdays also.

Happy Birthday Steve, Matt, Marci, Ron, Tabitha, Mason, Sharon, Marla, and last but not least Taylore.

Taylore is deciding what she would like to do for her birthday. It seems to be a particularly difficult decision this year for some reason. But we'll update you when the time is right.

WILD WEEKEND IN BARCELONA

It wasn't that long ago that I was lamenting about the fact that no one gets married anymore. Especially here. Here you say 'partner' - I suppose that is the politically correct thing to say. And, I have to admit I've had to be corrected on a number of occasions when I used the term 'husband' or 'wife' assuming... well, you know what they say about assume. But the thing is I love using the term husband to refer to my 'partner' I don't know exactly why, but husband or wife sounds so much more intimate to me. So much more than a 'partner.' Don't get me wrong, I think of my husband as my partner in all things - but it is so much more intriguing than that. I love having a HUSBAND and I love being a WIFE.
Well, of course, right after I voiced my opinion on the scarcity of the marriage vows, the invitations to attend weddings have just been tumbling in - four in the last two months if I am counting correctly. If fact, Jeff and I just got back from a wedding in Barcelona (pictures included). Anna is from Barcelona and Will is from England. They had a very multicultural wedding which included 3 languages - Catalan, English and Spanish. The service was in this little, old church on the outskirts of Barcelona. Afterward, family and friends piled into a bus and trekked up the mountain to a wonderful little restaurant.
I learned later that this was the same place that Anna's parents had been married some 34 years previously. The view was magnificent, the conversation interesting (the groom and all his buddies had graduated from Oxford and had some great stories to tell) and the drinking - copious!!! A real celebration.
They danced and laughed the night away. Thank goodness there was a bus to take us all down the mountain when the time came. Congratulations to Anna and Will and have a great time in Cancun!
p.s. Jeff and I were so charmed by Barcelona that we will soon be making a return trip to explore more fully.

WHEW! I MADE IT!!

Update - Andrea did make the varsity soccer team this year. She was a little worried. The competition was a little stiffer this year than in previous years. She's smiling and so are we. Congratulations Andrea - well done.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BRO!

The baby of the Ferre family has a birthday today. He's not such a baby anymore - but to me he'll always be my 'little' brother. We all wish him the very best birthday ever! Jeff, Suz, Tay, Meg and Andrea!