Christmas Wish List

Dad-

flowbee

warm gloves

purple leotard

Mom-

Long Sleeve T-shirts (memorable places: Dewar's, Motsumotos....etc.)

Waffle Iron

Alicia-

Toy Room

curling iron

jump rope

Scott- peace on earth, goodwill towards males

Teresa-

bedazzler

new baby boy

Laura-

Boogie Baord

Wouigi Board

Jessica-

Hammock

laundry basket w/ wheels

hamster ball thing (hamster optional)

Landon-

Fire starter kit

Spool of pink lace

diamond studed clip on earrings

Aiden-silicone butt cheek implants

Bryce-

Egg coddler

Evan-

brain

rocky series

pinky ring

Tawna-

lap band

snuggly (preferably with man included)

scriptures

Krista-

itouch apps

cell phone ear implants

if there are any issues or any peopl that would like to post their own lists above and beyond what has been suggested you are invited to add whatever you would like in the comments.

Random Pictures

This is what happens when I leave my camera out and Laura comes to visit.


This is a post-smore marshmallow face.


If you like slobber, you will love this picture. Be sure to double click on it for the full effect.


Proof that Krista still lives here.


This is Evan with his "No shave November" look. I can not wait until December.

Smores in the family room? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Skinners came over for Sunday dinner. Laura decided that smores would be fun for dessert. I had started a fire, so they wanted to cook marshmallows over the fire. I thought, "Food on the carpet? Are you crazy?"
BUT, your mom said, "We are replacing this carpet, let's do it." The rest is history.



Notice the table full of crackers, chocolate bars and sticky marshmallows. Another one of your mom's ideas. Thank heaven for Piko the Wonderdog and her assistant, Lila, to keep the floor clean!


The kids are having a great time.



Now I know why.



Please notice that there is no adult supervision. Where is the mother who had this great idea?

November 2009

This is a photo blog of what we have been doing lately.



Your mom and I went to an Eagle Court of Honor for Connor Smith and Scott Cooper. I was on the program to make a presentation and your mom is the District Chairperson. It is interesting that President Thompson sat in the "Presiding Chair" and the District Chairperson was not even recognized. Such is Scouting in the church.
I hope the Allred Eagle Scouts remember their commitment and did not get the award simply because their parents pushed them.



Shamim Azad was our visitor from Bangladesh. He was with the Rotary Group Study Exchange that sends non-Rotarians to visit other countries (Jessica - read this). They stay with Rotarians and spend their days being hosted. He spoke English very well. He is a banker and he said that they do all business in English. He is married and lives with his parents. Don't get any ideas.
He gave your mom the necklace she is wearing. It was made by a woman who is the recipient of a micro-credit loan. This is a fascinating program where banks make very small loans ($20-$100) to entrepeneurs in developing countries. The creator of the program is from Bangladesh. Shamim also said that they ONLY make loans to women, since, unlike men, they pay them back!
Bryce had to sleep in the game room.



We went to the Celtic Music Festival at Cal State Bakersfield. This is my hot date.
Actually, she was kind of cold, so she wrapped up in anything she could find.



This is the Wicked Tinkers band. They were great. There was a piper, drummer, snare drummer and horn (and didgeridoo) player. There were people all over the stage dancing. The band members were miked, so they came out into the audience.
The funniest part was when the band leader asked, "Are there any belly dancers out there?" Sure enough, some apparently random gal came up on stage and pulled up her T-shirt and did an impressive belly dance. That is not a question I have ever heard being asked before.

Bryce = Batman

Bryce was asked to be Batman for his work at CBCC (Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center). Bryce tells me that since they treat cancer patients, they try to make Halloween a fun event for those that are treated that day.
I will let Bryce post any corrections/clarifications that need to be made.

Bryce made this costume from scratch. The body suit is for biking and the Speedo is a Speedo. He made the Batman emblem also. The amazing thing to me is that the hat and arm guards are made from cereal boxes and duct tape. Don't tell me that a Bachelor's Degree in Physics is a waste of time!



All dressed up and ready to go Trick-or-Treating.
In case you are as ignorant as I am, this is the original Batman - gray and black, and not just all black.



Yes, he made the cape from a $9 piece of fabric.


The Bryce Batmobile (Bratmobile for short)

Blake's Birthday Bash

As promised, I took my camera to a family event. It happened to be Blake's Birthday Bash at the park. Everyone who is anyone was there.



This is Bryce, Lila, Tawna, Brian and Blake. We call these candid shots. That is why Brian is looking away and Tawna is trying to flip me off.


It is always good to be the prettiest girl at the party, even if your mouth is full of grapes. No offense to any of the other ladies. I just have my biases.


Like I stated, "everyone who is anyone."



Blake got his cupcake, so nothing else matters.

September & October

I haven't taken any pictures in a long time. I am committed to doing better in the future, but for now I will just have to write about the last two months. It might be boring but at least you will have a parents journal about what it is like to be old.
8/27 Krista got her patriarchal blessing. Sue and I were able to accompany her, as we have for almost all of our children. It was a special evening for us all and the blessing that Pres. Zimmerman gave her was wonderful and full of hope and promise for the future.
8/31-9/8 Tawna enrolled in LDS Business College. Three went to Utah and only two came home. The school is great and Tawna is anxiously engaged in her new path. We are thrilled to see her move on with her life. We had a great time while we were in Utah with the Buchanans, The Landon Allreds and Gma. It was quite a whirlwind because we had to get Tawna registered, buy books and a computer and find a place for her to live. I don't remember much else because I was so focused on having Tawna taken care of before we left. We did get to see Landon & Sarah's new house - very nice, we had dinner with Gma and Tracy's family (we played Rage and the best man won), Scott took me to a UofU/Utah State football game (loved it), celebrated Ava's birthday with Mac 'n Cheese. That is all I remember. OH WAIT! I saw BYU beat Oklahoma. It was great to have two weeks in the sun before going back to the doghouse.
9/15 Sue and I went to a Rotary Dinner at Woolgrowers. It cost $70 but it was worth it. I enjoy being with good, charitable, non-LDS people. Sue is helping me to be a little more social. At the dinner, I talked to the Foster's, who joined the church, were married in the temple and then went inactive. I am their Home Teacher but they don't allow me to visit. They are very nice people and very cordial but they do not want any church contact. It was nice to see my HT family in person. I mail them the 1st Presidency Message every month.
9/17-18 Sue and I went to South Lake Tahoe for my Independent Energy Producers meeting. I go to meetings and Sue shops and hikes. We do have some quality time in the evenings and on the 5+ hour drive. We thought of you all and the wonderful time we had at Tahoe with you.
9/25/09 Sue and I visited my cardiologist. He says that I am doing very well, or as he says, "I couldn't be more pleased." I could, but I want to have a 25 year old body again. He also said, "You might live your whole natural life and not need a heart transplant. We'll see." We also went to downtown LA to have lunch with my attorney - a business trip, you know. Then we went to the temple and had an enjoyable evening.
9/29/09 Zachary Scott Buchanan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations to Alicia & Scott.
10/3/09 We enjoyed General Conference. After Priesthood Meeting we had the Aaronic Priesthood and their dads over for dinner, as we always do. Sue cooked ribs and everyone loved them.
10/4/09 Enjoyed the rest of conference. I will remember Elder Holland's talk forever. It was thrilling.
10/5/09 Sue left me on some boondoggle.
10/10/09 YOUR MOM CAME HOME FROM UTAH - something about a baby, Charlie, Pat, Zachary. I am little fuzzy about that.
10/10/09 The BYU Alumni Association of Kern County sponsored the BYU Ballroom Dance Company. The performance was fantastic and we raised over $4,000 for our Replenishment Grants. We had two great guys stay with us, a dancer and a tech. The tech, Ian I think, stayed up and watched the taped BYU football game with us. They came to our ward the next day, gave a fireside, and left for LA on Monday. Thanks to Sue, the house was ready for them. Right, Sue????
10/13/09 Krista's Choir Concert and dinner. It was very nice and I worked in the serving line. Sue was the BOSS.
10/15/09 Cogen Classic Golf Tournament - Since I don't play, I drove the drink cart and played Bobby Boucher.
10/17/09 Laura arranged for us all to go to the BYU / San Diego State game. Everyone went except Evan because he was working. We also visited the Jorgensens and they fed us lunch. It was good to spend time with them. We had a great day and BYU won!
10/22/09 We went to a United States Marine Band concert with the Hays. We had a great evening. Tawna came home for a visit. She is doing well and is happy.

If you have read this far, you must have a lot of time on your hands.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas...

Hollah!!!!!

Alicia------------Jessica
Scott-------------Sarah
Teresa------------Bryce
Steve-------------Laura
Laura-------------Teresa
Brian-------------Landon
Jessica-----------Krista
Landon------------Tawna
Sarah-------------Steve
Bryce-------------Alicia
Evan--------------Scott
Tawna-------------Brian
Krista------------Evan

Between $25- 30. Hollah.

Triumphal Return

This is a rather fuzzy picture of Piko's Triumphal Return from a walk this morning. It was taken on the Blackberry and I am afraid the lens has too much lint from being in my pocket.
Nevertheless, it is important that those who have a bad attitude are educated on the merits of Piko. This would apply to anyone who calls pretty Piko a "RatDog."
These were reactions of unbiased people we met in Laurelglen today.
1. A man walking on the sidewalk called Piko a "good dog." (I think he was grateful that she didn't bark at or bite him.)
2. Our neighbor wanted to arrange a play date for Piko and her little dog.
3. A lady with two standard poodles said, and I quote, "You have the cutest little dog."

SO THERE!

August 2009

We are only half-way through, but August has been a busy month. We got to see everyone except the Hughes and Buchanans.


You might notice that Jessica visited. She also brought her previous roommate, Cristi - apparently there wasn't enough room for both of them in the photo. We had a great time, especially since Cristi insisted that she see everything Bakersfield. I took them on a tour, with Piko, of Laurelglen one morning to show them all the houses of all the people I hometeach and our Stake President. We also went to the Crystal Palace. She told us that Bakersfield was not as bad as Jessica's trash talk. What??!!


Evan came home from BYUI so he could make some money while he is vacationing. He is working in a packing shed. WHOOHOO! We celebrated his birthday in this photo. After looking at the picture (and most pictures of him), you will probably ask, "Is he special?" We think so.


This is a picture of the birthday bash, but not everyone is on the correct side of the camera. Landon & Sarah and kids visited for a week. You will notice Aiden on the big table and Sarah consigned to the little table. Scott Starkey and the Skinners also showed up to celebrate.

I have no pictures of Krista, Tawna or Bryce. For pictures of Krista, just visit Facebook. BHS starts soon. Tawna was working at Camp Kern for a month. She is home now, getting ready to go to school at LDS Business College.
We don't see much of Bryce. He is working at a cancer clinic and spends a lot of time climbing, biking and hanging out. We are still waiting to formally celebrate his birthday. He did get his present though.

July 2009

After doing a lot of traveling in May and June, we decided to just stay home and enjoy the Bakersfield summer. We were lucky enough to have some visitors. Mark & Jenny Peterson & girls stopped on their way to see Don and Terri in San Diego. It was nice to see them again. They said on their blog that it was 110 degrees, but it was only 108.




Two beautiful mothers, Granddaughters of George & Colleen - Laura Skinner and Jennifer Peterson. (And one fat little Lila)




Sue made sure that the families were all fed and that they had an air conditioned house where they could escape the heat. I think it only gets to 50 degrees in Canada, where they live.



The pool did get used.

June Babies

These are pictures of our June babies.

Tawna turned 20 on June 12th.


Krista turned 17, today, June 29th. She had her cake yesterday. She is celebrating by staying inside to avoid the 106 degree day.

Wrap Up

Proof that I did attend the convention.


Our route home was through Frankfurt, Germany. Steve Hughes was there but he never came to see us, so we flew home.
We flew on a Lufthansa Airlines Air Bus. It was so nice. There was room to walk, hot towels before meals, they fed us twice, we watched 4 movies each, and all at the same price charged by US Airways (Airworst).


This is Greenland. It was settled by the Norwegians in 800 AD. Obviously, global warming has turned it white.

Warwick Castle

One afternoon, we took the train to Warwick to see the famous castle. It was built by William the Conqueror in 1068. It was used as a fortress and then as a house until the 1700's.



The inside.




The outside.



An archery demonstration.



This is a trebuchet, a really effective catapult. They had a demonstration that threw a fireball about 200 yards. It was cool.

Birmingham, England

The Convention was at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), so a couple of nights we took the train into Birmingham for dinner and sight-seeing. Buses took us from our hotel to and from the NEC.



This is Victoria Square, at the end of a food faire where we ate Indian food, ice cream, candies, cookies - you know - health food.



Roger, taking the Birmingham bull by the horns.




An outdoor Shakespeare production.

London, England

We rode a bus 2+ hours, each way, to see London. When we got there, we took a tour bus to see the tourist sites. We saw everything that people talk about, at a distance. Other than two stops, we spent the day on buses.




This is Sue looking at the Thames River. We listened to a recorded tour guide. Sue said that if she had the camera, she would have taken a picture of me looking at my watch because the bus was running off course and late, due to some demonstration downtown. We did make it back in time for the return bus, barely.




We enjoyed the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace with thousands of our best friends.




Apparently, they hired this band to play for the ceremony.



This is Sue posed at the Lord Baden-Powell statue, in front of the building dedicated to him. It is a conference center and hostel.

Coventry, England

My Rotary Club paid for Sue and I to attend the Rotary International Convention in Birmingham, England, since I am the in-coming president of our club. We stayed in Conventry, which is a suburb about 15 miles away. Our hotel was in a very rural area. It was a nice place but the bed was very uncomfortable until Sue put the duvet (a soft quilt) under us and the bottom sheet on top.



I wasn't going to pay $20 every time we wanted to go somewhere, so we took the bus all over. This is the stop closest to our hotel, about 3/4 of a mile away.





This is Sue and the Lady Godiva statue in Coventry, where she rode through the streets naked to protest taxation by her husband. I don't think the concept will be making a comeback.
We spent some time downtown to buy food and a white shirt for me. I forgot mine. We visited the Coventry Cathedral which was bombed in WWII. We also ate a "carvery" which is the typical English restaraunt. It was meats and vegetables. We also had Yorkshire Pudding, which is pancake dough baked in a muffin tin. Then you fill it with meat and peas and lots of gravy.





Don't be surprised if you see this hairdo on Sue. She had me take the photo for hair styling reference.

New York City

After the graduation, your mom and I headed to New York to see Jessica, including a 9 hour wait in the Richmond Airport because US Airways overbooked our flight and the next two after us. We finally made it about bedtime. Landon and Evan drove the next day to NYC on the way back to SLC. Yes, they were going the wrong way, but it all worked out in the end.
While we were in NYC, we rode the bus and the subway alot, went to a play, visited the financial district, ate at Chocolate by the Bald Man, went to the Brooklyn Bridge and just had a great time with 3 of our adult children.


While Landon and Evan were in Washington DC, your mom and I got to visit Jessica in her classroom. She is a very good teacher and her students respect her. We really enjoyed the visit and your mom brought pencils for everyone that had "California" written on them. Jessica will be graduating with her Masters in Education this summer. Since she teaches ESL, she probably could teach anywhere. She has chosen to stay at the same school for at least one more year. We are proud of her accomplishments, both in and out of school.


Apparently, the Wienermobile knew that your mom was leaving Savannah and headed to NYC because it followed her.


Landon, Evan, Jessica and the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park, just down the street from Ground Zero and Wall Street.

Law School Graduation

Landon's graduation was a wonderful event. It was outside and it was drizzling until the program started - then someone turned the drizzle off. We chose a spot in the back under a tent.


This is what it looked like from our location when Landon was presented with his diploma and "hooded."


The happy family, ready for a new commencement.


Evan, your mom and me with the new graduate.