Picking up Papaw

Stella sometimes wants to an airline pilot. Certainly all the ggrrls like to fly and go to airports. In fact, Macy has told me we can't ever move from Texas for 2 reasons: She wants a pool to swim in and she wants to fly on an airplane to visit us.

Cutest goobers in the world 

Lasagna dinner

Scott had a girl/woman/date coming over on Thurs evening and I was given notice to vacate the premises by 5pm. OK. He was fixing a lasagna dinner using Pioneer Woman's recipe, also the recipe Paige uses. He made a pan and 1/2 - enough for Paige and Fam, which I took over with me.

It was delish. And I enjoyed spending the extra time with my ggrrls.

Paige had made some Peanut Butter Energy Balls, which were delish also, plus healthy. Yay.

Birthday party and celebratiom

Feb 21 was my mom's birthday. It has been just a little over a year since she passed. I decided to have a birthday celebration of memories for her. I invited everyone that lives around here: Larry and Cindy, Squirt, Braden and Anika, Jacob and fam, Rashelle and DJ, and, of course Paige and Scott. Everyone attended except Larry and Cindy and Jacob and fam.

I had Vienna sausages because mom loved them, saltines because dad loved them, red and black licorice because mom loved it, cheese, apple slices, cuties, and snickers because that was her fav candy bar.

We are sat around and talked, sharing memories and stories of a beloved mother and gmother, the kids played and it was just an enjoyable evening. My mom really was an exceptional mom, and taking into consideration her own childhood and background, she was amazing.

Random pics are always my fav

The ggkids were the photogs

Us taking a pic of the pic takers

Homemade paddle ball

The HOA community center shares our gym with one of the grade schools, so during school hours the kiddos use the gym. I use the walking track on the second floor and can see down into the gym. Last week I walked later than I usually do and some teachers were having a gym day or something and the kids were rotating from station to station. One of the stations the teacher had taken paint stirrer sticks, taped them to a paper plate and were using a balloon as a ball. The kids were having a blast in small groups of 3 hitting the "ball" back and forth to each other.

I thought, Ah ha, I will make that game for my ggrrls. And so Scott and I bought/gathered up all the materials, made the paddles, blew up the balloons. When the ggrrls came over on Fri/Sat, on Saturday morning we played. Quite fun. Even little Hattie could hit the balloon with the paddle.

Stella made up rules; then she had an idea to add more balloons. Finally she wanted to add all the balloons. Several times static electricity stuck them on the fan and ceiling and Scott had to jump and get them down.

Ducks

As I was driving home from the gym this morning a bunch of Mallard ducks from the lake were waddling across the road. Hundreds of ducks on the lake and 20s waddling toward, across, and to the other side of the road. The cars stopped to let the ducks cross.

I remember Kenny being amazed at all the ducks on the ponds and lakes in America. He said they would all be gone, eaten, in Cuba.

Here, we feed them bread. I'm surprised they aren't all diabetic from the quantities of bread they are fed (maybe they are, how would we know). A few Saturdays ago the ggrrls and I took bread to feed them. Usually the ducks flock to the feeders; this time they would come close, then a cowardly? scared? one would turn back and they all followed. Not sure what that was about. But I don't think the ggrrls wanted to be mobbed by them anyway.

Today, they were such a sight that I had to stop and snap a pic of them. My pic doesn't show the mass of them, I was stopped to the side and one of them started quacking and waddling like it seemed quickly toward me. I didn't want to get caught up in a frenzied, out of control mob of ducks looking for a free meal, so I pictured and left.

New Day, New Week

I go walking on the indoor track most every morning. It feels good to get the exercise. It helps to clear my brain and body.

That's all, just happy that I can walk.

Rick to California and then Utah

The company that bought Hospira/Pfizer is ICU Medical. Rick really likes this new company, it's small and the CEO is a great guy. On Tues he left Austin for California to see and talk with people there, then yesterday up to Utah, where that have a plant in SLC.

I picked him up from the site yesterday at 4pm. So happy to see him. We came back to the townhouse, where Scott had fixed hamburger sliders (quite delish)  then at 6 went down to Paige's to see the ggrrls. Left there at 8:30.

Scott let us have the king bed so we could stretch out and not be crowded in the double. Quite nice.

Rick is tired from changing time zones, even tho it was only 3, Central in Texas, Pacific in Ca, then Mountain in Ut.

It will be nice when he retires and we can enjoy these next years without of the stress of work for Rick.

Bronco puzzle

Either Rick or Scott got a 1000 piece puzzle of a Broncos game that they actually attended and began Rick began putting together. They got it about 1/3 to 1/2 put together. When Scott got back to Utah he began working on it. It's hard. It's about 3/4 or more put together now. He wants to put some type of decoupage on it when finished and save it. It is cool looking.

Utah

Scott and I left on Tues Jan 31 to return to Utah. Got here, no mishaps with the planes, yay.

In Texas on Sunday night our Home Teachers and the missionaries came over. Turned out, one of the missionaries was a Dunford from South Jordan. Delish donuts, breads, muffins, brownies, and cookies. We had just discovered them from Kincade and Paige. Elder Dunford wanted me to bring a box of donuts back for him; I said I wasn't going straight back to Texas, instead was leaving Utah to go to Indy. He said bring a box so I can smell them.

We didn't know Dunfords actually had a retail store since they are mostly commercial, so finally on Wed afternoon Scott and I made it to the store. Lots of selection and deliciousness.

The ggrrls stayed overnight at the townhouse last night; this morning we got up and instead of going to Dunkin Donuts, we went to Dunfords. I got one dozen, not sure why. Really don't know who is supposed to eat this one dozen donuts; I have every expectation that I will be tossing most of them. Oh well.

There was lots of snow but with them temp warming a little, it's going fast. At least down here in the valley.

I have been walking everyday at the Daybreak community center, circle track upstairs with the cardio and weight machines. Feels really good to walk, it clears out my brain.