Abplanalp News

Miami: Spring Break 2009

2009-04-20T18:44:00.001-07:00

"I am the King! No pictures unless I tell you. Get me a hamburger."

Hanging around at the Miami zoo.

Camel rides.

Crocodile Queen!

Karlie found a boyfriend.

A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan on Vimeo

2009-01-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

How Kiva Works.

A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan on Vimeo

Have you donated?

Ian's 4th Birthday!!

2009-01-12T19:23:00.001-08:00

Deacon, Ian and Dominic

My big boy!!

Yes, I made the Sponge Bob cake!

Ian had a great birthday! He was so excited, he kept asking us all day if he was still 4. He got to go to Sunbeams at church for the first time. On Thursday, we had a party for him with his friends, Deacon and Dominic. We went to Jump'n Jacks, were they have lots of blow up slides and toys. The boys had a great time and we had pizza and Sponge Bob cup cakes. Even today, he will still ask if he is still 4.

michel chickwanene

2008-10-25T08:41:00.001-07:00

This is Michel (mi shel). He was a child solder from Sierra Leone. When he as five years old, solders decended on him and his friends in a soccer field. They blind folded him, shoved a gun into his hands and told him to shoot! Shoot!! And when he took the blind fold off, he saw he had killed one of his best friends! Five years old! You can hear his story on the Me to We website that I have previously posted.

toronto dinner

2008-10-25T08:30:00.001-07:00

found in toronto!!

2008-10-25T08:28:00.001-07:00

Whew!!

getting on toronto subway

2008-10-25T08:26:00.001-07:00

lost in toronto

2008-10-25T08:24:00.001-07:00

Darrin and I didn't make it off the subway before the doors closed!

Me to WE Day!

2008-10-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

Darrin and Greg at an Italian Restaurant where we ate yummy Gnocchi and delectable desserts!

This weekend, Lynn and I took Karlie and went to Toronto to Canada's National Me to We Day. The best way to describe it, is basically it's a pep rally for world peace and education for teenagers. They had many Canadian super stars and some American, speak and give inspirational speeches. You can watch the whole thing at: www.ctv.ca/metowe. We had a GREAT time and were truly inspired. Spencer West, who we went to Africa with, was one of the special speakers! We are so proud of him, you can see his speech at the end of clip 8 at that website. Awesome!

Lynn went to Canada on Tuesday so he could work a few days before we got there on Thursday. This is the sign he met us with at the airport. The first side says, "LPGA Rookie of the Year, Karlie Abplanalp." The other side said "Hair Club for men experiment gone terribly wrong, white guys shouldn't have afro's, Austin Eldrege."

On Saturday, drove down to Niagara Falls. The tree and leaves were stunning, as was the Falls.

David is HOT!

2008-10-04T13:05:00.001-07:00

O.K. this blog wasn't posted by Karlie, and I'm not a Cougar, but David is Smoken' in this video! Looks like he has grown up a little bit. . . Just kidding.

Clean Water in Kibera!

2008-09-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! This morning I was pleasantly surprised by an e-mail I received from a jewelry store I used to frequent. They have been raising money for a campaign to drill a well by one hospital in Kibera. They raised enough money to drill 20! Not only will the hospital benefit, but there is enough water for the community around the hospital as well. Please go to the website to witness this spectacular event! www.charitywater.org/brighton

In one of the video presentations they visited Kazuri, which is a bead factory, that we visited while in Kenya. This factory gives single mothers jobs, so they can support their families. These women are amazing. So please, go to the website, and donate in any way if you can.

Powder Puff Football!

2008-09-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

This week is Homecoming week for the Spanish Fork Dons. Karlie is having a blast in high school and has made lots of new friends. Last night she played powder puff football with her team the "Flaming Pandas." They spray painted white t-shirts and wore zebra stripped headbands around their foreheads. They looked really cute. Karlie played running back. They kept calling her play because she was the only one who could get the ball anywhere, but she kept dropping it. The "Flaming Pandas" lost, but they had a great time. Karlie only suffered minor injuries, her knee got hammered by someones cleats and she can't move, but with the care of mother, she should recover nicely.

Organized Love!

2008-09-04T14:24:00.001-07:00

We recently ripped out everything in our closet and put in shelves and organizers. I can't tell you what a difference it makes. We now have about twice the room to hang our clothes than we did before! The first couple of days after it was installed, I could have just sat there and stared at the beauty of it. I LOVE IT!

Ian's School

2008-09-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

Ian loves school. He is very proud of all his papers and art projects that he brings home. His teacher's name "merica" Erica. We are proud of you Ian!

A Misquito Bit ME!

2008-08-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

Lynn built Ian a sandbox this weekend and on Monday night we finially got sand in it. Ian had so much fun playing and rolling around in it that we stayed out past dark. When we came in, Ian and I had multiple misquito bites, including two on his eye that made it swell up and look like he got punched! Poor kid!

First Day Of School!! August 20th

2008-08-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

The summer is over and the kids are back to school. (Already?) Karlie and Sydney started on the 20th of August and Ian started today. It is traditional in our family to take their picture on the first day of school in their new clothes. So here they are!

Weekend Fun!

2008-07-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with Jesson and Storme this weekend! Storme went out with a friend on Friday night and Karlie took the privilege of "schooling" us in Laser tag. She's wicked with a laser gun. On Saturday we went to the Thanksgiving point dinosaur museum. Ian loved the dinosaurs! On Saturday night we went to the Orem Owls baseball game. We sat in the front row while the Owls got spanked. Hoo Hoo! (hoe, haha) Thanks Jesson and Storme for a great time!

Which one's the mother? Which one's the daughter? Ha ha!

Such a Cute couple!

Jesson has on his fun pants.

Six Lakes 2008

2008-06-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

Hunting for Craw Dad's. My favorite thing.

Brace Face!

Here are pictures from another fun time at the cabin at Six Lakes. For those of you who live outside of Utah, it's by Roosevelt.

Miami 2008

2008-05-12T07:30:00.001-07:00

Here is video done of our trip by Greg! Thanks Greg! Your awesome!!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-12T07:10:00.001-07:00

I hope all the special mother's in my life had a great and special day! I love and admire you all!
Here are some funny quotes about mother's that they handed out in Relief Society yesterday. I thought I would share some of them with you.

"Mothers of teenagers know why animals eat their young." Author unknown

"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them." Phyllis Diller

"There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it." Chinese Proverb

"A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car for ever after." Peter De Vries

"Working mothers are guinea pigs in a scientific experiment to show that sleep is not necessary to human life." Author Unknown

"My mothers menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it." Buddy Hackett

On another note, a warning was issued by Boyd K. Packer last Sunday in a LDS ward. LeAnn Andrews, my very good friend, received this e-mail from her mother last week which was from her Aunt Diane.

Dear Marie,
Hope you are all doing well. I just wanted to share an experience I had the other day with you. I was at a friend's home canning flour (since you almost can't get it at the cannery). She got a call from a friend who was in Utah for church last Sunday. She told Marilyn that during sacrament meeting Boyd K. Packer walked up to the stand, told the people something to the effect "you have been warned and warned. Get your years supply now." And then left the meeting. I was glad I was canning at the time she got the call. Give our love to all your kids.

Love, Diane

Well, if that doesn't scare you a little bit! I think hard times may be ahead. This isn't the first time I have heard gloom and doom in the last few weeks, many of my friends have been talking about it. I hope and pray we can all be ready, spiritually and economically. May God Bless you all!

Spring Break!

2008-04-30T21:13:00.001-07:00

Here are my beautiful beach bums! We spent spring break this year in Miami. We had tons of fun. We spent a few days on the beach, were we all got sunburns, except for Ian. Greg took us to the Miami Sea Aquarium, where we got to see a BIG killer whale and dolphins. We sat on the front row and got a little wet. (I hope Greg's camera has recovered). Greg also took us to Gator World, where we went on a boat ride in the everglades and saw crocodiles. Each of us even got to hold one. (More pictures coming soon). Those of you in Wyoming and in Utah, let the sun shine on you from these pictures! As I write this it is starting to rain, and snow is expected tonight. So close your eyes and imagine the warmth and light of the computer screen as the warm tropical sun in Miami!

Understanding Me to We

2008-04-30T14:02:00.001-07:00

Here is another video made by Spencer.
Amazing!

Opening @ Montoni

2008-04-20T15:37:00.001-07:00

This is video from Spencer of the School opening and celebration. I love the color effects. Magical!

I Am Changed

2008-04-13T21:31:00.001-07:00

HA! I figured it out!

I Am Changed

2008-04-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

This video is also by Greg. He is sooooo talented! I am forever changed by this experience. All because of one little, beautiful, angel boy. And because of Greg, who was inspired, and has led and guided us all on this amazing journey. Thank you and we love you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUkZxsiotM0

Enjoy!

I Want To Shine!

2008-04-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRGdrEue0zU

Another amazing video from our trip. We loved this song.
We thought it could be another version of "I am a Child of God."
Nabala, our Masai warrior is singing. Love him!

No Words to Say

2008-04-13T21:15:00.001-07:00

This amazing video is by Greg from their trip into Kibera.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQCkSmyyq3M

I am still trying to figure out how to post youtube on to my blog.
Help anyone??

Figuring it Out??

2008-04-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Here is video from our Africa trip taken by Spencer (Hope you don't mind Spencer, I loved it) This is Spencer with the Masai warriors, Wilson and Nabala. They were awesome and went every where with us. I have a lot respect for these men. We wish we would have taken video from our trip, but we are glad there were a few video cameras there. The first part is of Spencer and Darrin being transported by U-haul to get on the airplane. Funny! Enjoy! I am still figuring all this blog stuff out, ie; how to download videos from U-tube and what not. So be patient. Thanks!

More Africa!!

2008-04-05T16:45:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7q-U5TRAfI

New Blog!

2008-04-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
I have just created a new blog for my real estate. For more information on what's happening in the lovely world of buying and selling houses, go to http://milliesrealestate.blogspot.com/. I hope you find this blog useful. I will update it every few days or so.
Last night, after I had stayed up surfing the Internet, I couldn't sleep. So I laid in bed and just let my thoughts wonder. I was thinking about service and love and how I could apply it to real estate. I suddenly had an idea. What if I got by office together and had Realtor service day? What if we went on a Realtor Service scavenger hunt, doing little things for people, like washing a window, or vacuuming or mopping their floor? I got so excited about this idea I really couldn't sleep! I have done this activity with achievement day girls and it was one of my favorite activities! I don't know, maybe people will think we are weird. Let me know what you think.

Africa!!

2008-04-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

What an amazing experience! I wish I could pack you all up and take you back there. These pictures are of when we first arrived at one of the schools. We were mobbed by children. You can see as we had barely gotten out of the truck they came running to greet and hug us. Jumbo! (Hello) Most of them could say "What is your name?" And understood simple phrases, like "how are you?" (Habari) and you would respond with "muzuri san," (very fine). We stayed at the school for a couple of hours, just playing and talking to the kids and looking at their classrooms and their work. They teach them English starting in primary school, plus they know their tribal language, like Masai or Kipsiki, and then they teach them Swahili, which is the universal Kenyan language. The sweater you see them wearing are school uniforms. For most of them, it's the only clothes they have. Most of them were barefoot. They don't have any shoes. I felt really bad because I kept stepping on their toes with my hiking boots. But they didn't seem to mind.

They like to touch our hair and skin and hold our hands and follow us around. When Lynn would go to take their picture, they would all jump in front of him and then run to see their picture behind the lens and giggle. We have many pictures and experiences we would like to share with you all, so I will post more when I have time. Lynn took over 1500 pictures, so if you have a couple of hours, come on over and we would be happy to re-live those experiences with you!

Ryan and Tracie's Blog

2007-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

Ryan and Tracie's Blog

Halloween 2007

2007-12-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures of Halloween! O.K. I'm a little behind, with Christmas coming up, I thought I better update. This picture is of Sydney and her neighborhood friends. Ian was scared of spider man, who is his friend, Jase, so he is not in this picture. He was "shaking" on the couch. We had a hard time getting Ian into his cute lion costume that day, but once he saw his sister getting her costume on and we wiggled him into his costume and Lynn took him to a few doors to get candy, he didn't care so much. He loved trick or treat'n! All of the pumkins on the porch, we grew in our garden this summer! We grew a great big one, and lots of little ones. It was fun, but they took up the whole garden. The cornstalks also came from our garden. We didn't get as much corn as we did last year, but we were a little late in planting it.

Lynn's Deer Hunt

2007-10-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

Lynn's deer hunt was a success! On the last day and almost on the last possible moment he shot his big buck! On the second day of his hunt, he shot a big buck, the first shot knocked him down, but then the buck got up and ran over the hill. Lynn thought he would just wait 20 minutes or so and then go look for him. Well, 20 minutes later, Lynn walked over the hill and no deer. He looked a long time and then he went and got his dogs and looked some more. But they couldn't find him. So three days later, Lynn was still looking and hunting for his deer. Here are his proud pictures! He is having him mounted on a pedestal, I guess so he can move him around from room to room, (or from Larry's office's room to room).

We are all doing well, and keeping busy. Ian had a fever last week for a couple of days, but he is doing fine now. Here are the pictures of Lynn's deer. Enjoy! Love Ya ALL! Millie

Walk For The Cure!

2007-09-22T15:20:00.001-07:00

Well, here we are at the Walk! We arrived around 9 a.m. and Sydney and Taylor, (our neighbor) promptly got their hair colored! The morning was brilliant. They had fun games and blow-up toys for the kids and were serving breakfast. After some warm-ups, of head, shoulders, knees and toes and the chicken dance, we were ready to go. What I thought would be a 5 or 10 mile walk, ended up only being about 1 mile and a fun little jaunt around the neighborhood. (I spied with my little eyes some For Sale By Owners). When we returned to the park they had drinks, hot dogs and chips ready for us. It was only 10 a.m???. Oh well, after playing some more games the kids were hungry Ian especially loved the Doritos. He loves licking all the cheese and salt off! MMMMMmmm. The walk was a success, and Utah County alone raised $230,000!!! Thanks you all soooo much! If all your love and support could cure diabetes, it would have been cured a long, long time ago!!! Next year, we are planning a team of our own, so be thinking of a good team name, and we would love for you all to come and walk for us. It's usually the third Saturday in September, so mark your calendars now.

Now it is raining. Lynn and Cody took the trailer to somewhere up by Vernon so he can be ready to hunt on Wednesday. The kids are running around crazy, playing with their sticky hands and getting sticky all over the wall. (What was I thinking when I painted the walls with flat paint??)

Thanks again for all your donations. Love ya all!!!! Millie

Homesick

2007-09-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

I can't express enough gratitude and surprise in which you have all supported our goal of raising money for Walk for the Cure. When Sydney was diagnosed four years ago, naturally we were all heartbroken and devastated. I knew Sydney was sad, when we brought her home from the hospital, but I never really realized the extend of her grief until today. Sydney would say, "I want to go home," several times everyday. I would say, "You are home, silly." Home was no longer a place of comfort, she still had to get pricked by needles, and endure several blood checks everyday. I knew somehow that she wanted things to go back the way they were before the hospital, but I never really made the connection.
When Wesley died, I remember Virginia telling me that Greg and Darrin had feelings of homesickness. A huge hole was left in their souls. A hole that couldn't be repaired. Grief.
This morning, as I was getting ready for the day, Ian said, "I want to go home." I made the connection. His world had changed thanks to me. Since I have gone back to work, he has spent time at the babysitters. No more long days hanging with Mom and watching T.V., or playing, or reading. He is mourning the loss of that time. The way things used to be. Homesick.
Unfortunately, things change. Our comfort zones are challenged, or lost, or we find new comfort in other things. But we never really forget, what we yearn for the most, what we found comfort in, Home. And all things associated with home. Which is why I believe when we are homesick, we can still connect to our "Home in Heaven." Our souls are linked directly, and if we are quiet, we can hear our souls whispering, yearning for our Father, who will comfort us in our grief, help us overcome our challenges and disappointments and move forward.
May you all be blessed! I love you all! Millie

Donate To A GREAT Cause!

2007-09-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Greetings!
This year our family has decided to join with another family in a very special cause on September 22nd. I'm posting this on my blog to ask everyone for support in helping us reach our personal goal of raising $300 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk to Cure Diabetes.
Along with a half-million other walkers across the country, Our goal: To raise $90 million to help fund research for a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications.
Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes, is a devastating, often deadly disease that affects millions of people--a large and growing percentage of them children.
Many people think type 1 diabetes can be controlled by insulin. While insulin does keep people with type 1 diabetes alive, it is NOT a cure. Aside from the daily challenges of living with type 1 diabetes, there are many severe, often fatal, complications caused by the disease.
That's the bad news... and yes, it's pretty bad.
The good news, though, is that a cure for type 1 diabetes is within reach. In fact, JDRF funding and leadership is associated with most major scientific breakthroughs in type 1 diabetes research to date. And JDRF funds a major portion of all type 1 diabetes research worldwide, more than any other charity.
I'm writing to ask for your support because now more than ever, EACH of us can be a part of bringing about a cure. Each of us can make a real difference
Won't you please give to JDRF as generously as you're able?
Together, we can make the cure a reality.
Thank you,
Millie Abplanalp
P.S. Anyone can join us on Sept. 22nd for the Walk!
Please visit my Walk Web page if you would like to donate online or see how close I am to reaching my personal goal:
http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=86765918

Camping

2007-09-04T08:40:00.001-07:00

Hi ALL!

Finally after two years, we decided to brave camping again. Lynn wanted to go down by Vernon to scout out deer for his deer hunt at the end of the month. So he loaded up the 4-wheeler and trailer Friday night, after he had already made a trip down to take the camping trailer, stopped at Walmart for food and etc. . . and arrived at our destination at 11 p.m. The next morning, Ian woke up and looked around at the sage brush covered mountains and said, "Where did our house go?" He had fallen asleep on the way down, and he was very confused when he woke up in the trailer, but it was in a different place. It was a relaxing weekend, and Lynn saw some big deer, (but on private land). I finally got Eclipse read, a little disappointed, now I will have to wait almost a whole year for the next book to come out! Ughhhh. We went fishing at the Vernon reservoir, where Sydney caught the most fish, and everything else that was in the lake, (crawdads) and Ian screamed like a girl when the fish touch him. The band aid on his eye is a result of a run in with the babysitters couch. He won't take it off. Sydney also saved his life, after he fell in the mud and they both came back to the trailer bawling their eyes out and covered head to toe with mud. Then Ian started throwing up because he had mud in his mouth and I couldn't get it out fast enough. It was a great weekend!

Lynn is heading down to Miami this week for business, so look out Greg and Darrin. We wish we could all fit in his suitcase. I almost have all my training classes done in SLC and now I am spending more time running my business out of my home, I have some real live clients! I will be showing them some condos this weekend. Whoo hooo!! That will be fun. Real Estate is more difficult than I thought. My perspective of it keeps changing daily. I hate prospecting, but I try to see it as a game: how many people can I get to know and help. It is totally out of my comfort zone to be outgoing and putting my self out there. But I realized this weekend, that I really do like people, (It was a very quiet weekend) weird I know, but I've always considered myself a loner of sorts. So a new perspective has formed and I am going to be more relaxed and open when I am faced with new people and new situations.

I had an opportunity to practice my new perspective when we got home from our camping trip. I was cleaning out the trailer when a car pulled up next to the gargoyle house with two couples. They got out and started looking through the windows. Lynn said, "You should go show them the house, but you are all sweaty and gross." I quickly related a story to him I had heard in training. A real estate agent was in the grocery store, she didn't have any make up on and was totally in her grubbys, when she was on her way out she saw some people standing next to the stand with the real estate books and she heard them say, We need to buy a house today. Well, the agent just walked on by, after all, she wasn't working and she looked horrible. I guess after she had told this story to someone, she was "helped out of real estate." So, with this story in the back of my mind, I went over and introduced myself and asked them if they wanted to see the house. They did, and I apologized that I hadn't showered for 4 days! Ha ha. Anyway, it was good realtor practice. I think I was too embarrassed to ask for another appointment. But I did give them my card.

The kids are back in school and life is returning to some sort of schedule, thank goodness. Sydney loves school, and Karlie loves the social aspect of it. It's more of a fashion show for her. Ian cried this morning when we dropped the kids off at school, he wanted to go too. I can't believe it will only be a few more years and I will be driving him to school. So I am hanging on to every moment I have with him. Not that I don't value the time I have with my girls, Ian is just the last one. I feel very blessed for the beautiful family that I have and try every day to count my blessings, which include all of you! Love ya!! Millie

Real World!

2007-07-12T18:08:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This week I have been extremely busy. On Monday I started the Fast Start program with Coldwell Banker. This is one week of intensive real estate training. Talk about out of my comfort zone! On the first day I was 20 minutes late because of traffic in Provo being reduced down to one lane, so when I walked into class the instructor said nothing to me, or even acknowledged I was late, but one person leaned over and whispered, "Turn off your cell phone or it's 5$ if it rings." Good to know. Anyway the class was in the middle of playing Jeopardy, with the class divided up into tables for groups. In the classroom, I am the type of person who sits in the back, and never raises my hand, I don't like to answer questions or blurt out answers, so I was a little uncomfortable when it was my turn to go against two other players. But it was O.K. I soon began to relax and began to really enjoy the instructor, Jim Curtis, who apparently spent some time in Roosevelt as a Realtor and knew the three people who passed away in the Neola fire.

I should tell you about the people in my class. On the second day we all got to talk with another person in the class and have them introduce us. We learned we are quite the group. There is a limo driver from Las Vegas, (Joe) who moved to Tooele, (Ya, I know) an ex pro-golfer, A pastor, a life coach, Coni, whom told me never to be down on myself, when I made a joke about being the best realtor EVER! (Oh ya, I said, your the life coach) a third year law student, (who thinks he knows everything!) two Spanish-Americans, who are both really outstanding and high class men, and a man who looks just like my Dad. The resemblance is uncanny! Dan has the same bushy salt and pepper eyebrows with the right one curving up in the middle. The same lips, same tan, same smile, same balding hair, the way he holds his glasses to his mouth when he is in thought, the way he holds his index finger on his cheek with the rest of his fingers resting on his upper lip when he's thinking or perplexed about something, it's amazing! He sat at my table today and I often wondered how I could sneak a picture of him with my camera phone with out him noticing. I haven't gotten up enough nerve to say hey, you know what? You look just like my Dad, I don't think he would take that as a compliment, unless I explained that my Dad is a handsome man, (you are dad!) and then he might think I'm flirting or something, so I just sit there and stare. I even wondered to myself if I could find out if we were related. His last name is Taylor, so how about it Mom and Dad, are we related to Taylor's? So Dad, I have really thought a lot about you this last week. I love you!

Anyway, the rest of the class is made up of women who are either young or old, starting a second career or just getting started like me. We have to do a lot of role playing and scripting so I've gotten to know everyone very well. Which is way out of my comfort zone, but it's becoming O.K. not really comfortable, because I still break out in a cold sweat when I'm faced with presenting, but I'm becoming more bold and assertive because of it. Tomorrow is the last day, and I am glad. I don't think I could work a 8 to 5 job and then come home and try to get everything done! So Kudos to you, my family and friends, who ARE doing it! You are awesome.

Today I had to go to lunch with the Axiom financial guy from the Provo/Orem office. Axiom is a partner with Coldwell Banker to help provide a sort of one stop shopping for our clients. Everyone in class had to go with their own Axiom person and we all went to Mama Mias' or something like that. I was so nervous, I was breaking out in a cold sweat. What was I going to say to this guy for an hour? Lynn reminded me the night before that he goes to lunch all the time with people he doesn't know and sometimes they don't even speak English! O.K. but I've been hiding away at home and have conversations with two-year-olds all day. So we were walking to the restaurant and my feet are all sweaty because I'm so nervous, they are slipping all around in my shoes, you know Tracie, those cute black ones with the bows that you bought me :)? And I almost fall on my butt! I am such a looser! The lunch went O.K. I know some people in his office, I actually talked to him last September when we were going to take out a line of credit, which I realized over lunch when I was thinking about his name, Garrett, which is not a very common name. O.K. Now I am rambling.

Well, my house looks like hurricane Katrina, I have mountains of laundry to catch up on, and my kids are ready to poke each others eyes out, but we are all well, (no pink eye lately) so I considered myself very blessed. Love you all. Millie

Double Bubble

2007-06-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

I am addicted to Double Bubble bubble gum! It all started with girls camp. It's tradition to have a Double Bubble bubble gum contest, to see how many pieces of gum one girl can fit in her mouth. Last year I fit 34 in my mouth. This year it was only 20, but we had extra big pieces this year and when I got home and weighed them they were twice the size, so I really don't know how many. The winner last year had 71 pieces!! I am not trying to be the winner, just striving for a personal best. Now I can't get enough chewing Double Bubble. Karlie and I snuck off to the grocery store the other night and I sent in her in for more gum. I thought she understood my addiction, but she came out with 5$ worth of Orbit gum. NOooooo! I went back in to the store and bought 5$ worth of Double Bubble.

Baseball is over for us for the year! Yeaa! Sydney had her last game on Thursday. She made some really good plays over the season, and I know she could be a awesome player if she was motivated enough. She is a fast runner. She takes after her Mom. He he.

Last night we took her on a date with me and Lynn. We had to go to a neighbors wedding reception and then we went to Panda Express, one of her favorite places to eat, and then we went ice skating at Seven Peaks Ice Arena. It was fun and Sydney really got the hang of it after a while. I decided I needed to practice going backwards and ended up on my butt and crashing into Sydney. Not as young as I used to be. Then Lynn decided we needed ice cream, because we weren't cold enough and we went to the BYU Creamery. We noticed a big display of Apple Beer in the store. (Isn't this suggesting?) Oh well.

Today, Lynn got up at 5:30 to go play golf, yes that is a.m. Crazy. So, Ian, Sydney and I are just hanging out this morning. Karlie had a sleep over last night with a friend and she had Young Womens this morning, they helping on an Eagle project. Lynn is still not back yet. I guess he decided to play 18. He and Karlie are playing in the couples league on Thursday nights where they are the youngest couple. One lady asked him if he knew Larry Abplanalp. She went to school with him and asked if he was still alive? That's how old they are. Just kidding, but ya, funny. (Sorry Larry)

Just keep'n ya updated! Love ya! Millie

First Blog!

2007-06-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

June 26, 2007

Well, since everyone is creating their own blog, I thought why not? Since I can't find time to journal or scrapbook, maybe this could serve as both and I can share it with family and friends and they will know what we are up too! Ha ha. Anyway, thanks Darrin and Greg for your inspiration in this and thanks for sharing your life with us on your blog. I love being kept "in the know."

This is what's new at our house. I just passed my realtor's exam last Thursday, and now I am officially on my way! I will be working for Coldwell Banker here in Spanish Fork. They just opened a new office by Wingers and it is very nice. I share an office with another person, but I have my own desk! And they gave me a KEY to the office. A shiny silver key. O.K. I haven't been out in the real world in a very long time and I am excited about this. Karlie made me a cake to celebrate passing my test. She got fondant, (icing for cakes) for her birthday and has been experimenting with it. She is very creative. Here are some pictures of her cakes.

O.K. this is a work in progress. It just took me two hours to figure out how to download pictures. Stupid computer. Anyway, Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad! I can't ever remember what day in June it is, by I know it's around the end! I love you both!