my sister-in-law went to Hawaii and all she brought me was:

....Awesome t-shirts, sarongs (sp?), coconut bras, grass skirts, and Hi-Chews! (Is she the best or what?)

pinata? why notta? cinco de mayo 2009

our family has something wonderful.
our family has something unique.
our family has an Aunt Heidi.
an Aunt Heidi does stuff like buying a
Dora pinata for her niece and nephews to bust
open on the 5th of May.
just 'cuz.
just 'cuz she knew they'd have fun.

just 'cuz she knows they love candy.
just 'cuz she's cool.
super cool.

it was wicked good.

For Christmas, John & Dixie generously gave their children tickets to the National Tour of "Wicked". Unlike most people (women) I was actually unfamiliar with the majority of songs and storyline (I had seen Kristin Chenowith perform "Popular" on the Today Show, but that was the extent of my "Wicked" exposure). Now that I've seen the play and heard the incredible music by Stephen Schwartz, I can certainly understand why so many were hooked (some even obsessed). It's hard to choose, but I think my favorite song was, "I'm Not That Girl" (see YOUTUBE video below). It was fun to share this "evening of culture" with my best friend and sweetheart, Bretty Boy. In addition to our fabulous tickets, we, along with Brett's siblings and their spouses, were also treated beforehand to a yummy steak dinner by my in-laws. It really was a fun night--what a great gift to receive. Thanks, Mom & Dad!

I had a passerby take a group shot of
all 7 of us, but it turned out fuzzy.
Hopefully somebody else's
camera got a good photo???
* * * * * We decided the base of the chandelier looked like a golf ball.
Can you imagine that deduction coming from this family?
Shocker. :)
Here's our view from our CENTER seats.
We saw several people from our ward and as luck
would have it, next to my seat was none
other than Lisa Glassey from Foxboro...couldn't have
asked for a better "Wicked" neighbor!

TURN OFF MY PLAYLIST @ THE TOP RIGHT OF THE PAGE
AND ENJOY A LI'L LISTEN TO MY FAVORITE WICKED SONG:

hippity-hoppity! easter's on it's way...

New Sunday outfits are an essential Easter tradition!
Halle's dress looked more "grown-up" this year.
Less like a little girl.
The boys loved having ties "just like Dad"!

Very "G.Q.", Carson!

---------------------

Cousins & Buddies
-----------------------

"There's money in here!"

-----------------------

S'mish & Hope

---------------

gettin' some help from sister

---------------------

OK...now what do I do with it?

-------------------------

"The bunny must have hopped wayyyy
high to hide my basket up here!"

"CANDY!!!!!"

Mmmm...my favorite Easter indulgence: PEEPS!
-----------------------------

"FRUIT SNACKS!"

love these kids.

a proposal I could not refuse...

Last Friday we met Brett's family at The Roof restaurant to celebrate his "baby" sister's high school graduation. We were there a few minutes early (pick yourself off the floor...that little fact was a bit of a shock, I know), so we decided to walk around Temple Square.

~

There's a special little spot near the Reflecting Pool that is near & dear to our hearts...I affectionately call it "Proposition Corner". The night Brett proposed, nearly a decade ago, we had gone to Temple Square. At the time, the main street area (now where the Pool is, etc.) was under construction, so there were chainlink fences up between the Joseph Smith Building and the Temple. The closest we could get to the granite structure (it is made of granite, right?) was sitting in a dimly lit doorway on the northwest corner of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The light was a definite plus because Brett was trying to have me read the inside of my new CTR ring, which said, "Will You Marry Me?" The doorway looks very different now, as there was not landscaping near it at the time. Now there is a large tree (see photo) which would have then blocked our view of the temple. Thankfully, in 2000 our view of "eternity" was never clearer as we began our forever commitment to one another.

~

We thought of acting out the proposal again, complete with a chaste make-out session, but we feared that the past would come back to haunt us. You see, after he proposed, we were, as you can imagine, feeling more in love than ever, so we were kissing more than ever. When all of a sudden, a man dressed in a suit exited the Joseph Smith Building out of the exact door we were kissing by. Boy, were our faces red! And I don't just mean from the love-pecks!

Oh, yeah...this corner brings back memories.

Mr. "RICO SUAVE"!

~

Heidi, the happy graduate

Congrats, S'Mish!

Isn't she gorgeous???

~

Sharing a few laughs between trips

to the decadent dessert tables

(That's right...I said tables, as in plural indulgences!)

"The Wiz"

Here are some pictures from Halle's latest play at Rodgers Memorial Theatre, "THE WIZ". It's a version of "The Wizard of Oz" (or as I told my parents, "The Wizard of Oz" on crack). No, seriously, it's really cute. My "crack"-crack (ha ha) was a result more from the munchkins in munchkinland...they're all hippies. Anyway, Halle's part was playing "Bitty Crow" and she was so cute! Bitty Crow is the smallest little crow in a band of birds that taunt and tease the scarecrow. Halle played her with a lot of sass and spunk. Her costume was so cute. When she came out on stage and delivered her first line, you could hear the audience go, "Ahhhhhh", as in "HOW CUTE IS THAT LITTLE GIRL?!"

My parents drove out to see her Saturday performance and Brett's folks went last night. We're so blessed to have grandparents that support their granddaughter in such a big way. It may seem small to them, but it means the world to her! Brett's younger sister has a lead in the play, but she was in a different cast, so Brett went to cheer for Aunt Heidi on Tuesday night. He said Heidi did a great job and he thought she was definitely one of the best singers in the group! Halle gave a great performance last weekend and last night and has learned a lot in her theatre class. We may take a break from it next year and then go back another time, but whether we do or not, I'm sure she's got more "Rodgers" in her future! Way to go, sweetie!