Fun Week in Arizona...No Laughing!!

I just got back from a very fun trip to Arizona spending the week with 4 out of 5 of my sisters. Way, way too fun. My sister Sally has a great pool in her back yard and we were in and out of it tons of times. I am such a wimp when it comes to water being too cold...well, in Arizona when it's 106 outside, the water is perfect for me! We spent hours in the pool. Also did lots of beading, sewing, and several various projects around Sally's home.
Also, NO cooking is allowed (except for breakfast!). We hit all of our favorite places, taking turns with the bill. This was at the Landmark Inn...what a bargain!
This is my niece, Jill. We've been told for years how much we look and sound alike!
OK, so one of our favorite stores is Chicos. We especially like it when there are lots of sales...and there were LOTS of sales this time. You know you're sisters when you end up in the dressing room and at the cash register with the same shirt. Don't worry...this was when we got back home. Silly, silly.
Almost all of my sisters have become doggie lovers after having grown up with cats. Sally's little poodle, Sugar, was SO sweet. I want one just like her. She was such a cuddler. She is modeling some little shoes that Sally bought for my first grand-daughter. Sorry baby Claire, but Sugar got to wear them first.
NO laughing at this one! My nephew Mark has built (mostly by himself!) this incredible pool in his back yard. Wow, it will be THE place as his 4 kids continue to grow. We spent a wonderful afternoon there with lots of Sally's family. I got this crazy idea to jump off the "cliff" and talked my 70-year-old (yes 70!) sister into jumping with me. I couldn't believe she did it! Sharon has had a knee AND hip replacement. What a trooper and what a fun memory!

So Inspirational!

I've been following the story of Randy Pausch for the last year or so. I read his last lecture that he gave and I've read his book. Randy passed away last Friday a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. His outlook on life was amazing. Oh, that we could all have such perspective regarding what is really important in life!

Always on the Lookout for Fun Signs!

Forgot to add these pictures from our road trip a couple of weeks ago. I think it's always fun to see interesting signs along the way. This one was kind of fun because "Huber" is my maiden name. This was somewhere in Ohio I think.
This was fun because, well, Marshall is a great person (in our family at least!) and Paris is a great place!! Pretty sure this was in Illinois.

Camp Sunnen Girls Camp 2008

Here are just a couple of pictures that I (Sarah) took this past week at Girl's Camp. We went to a camp in Missouri called Camp Sunnen, and it was a beautiful place!!!!

This is our ward, Caiti, Charity, Erica, me, Kimmee, Courtney F., Courtney R. Sis. Sever, Leah, Amanda, Sis. Reed, Sis. Ryan, and Sis. Russell. We were all sitting here waiting for the testimony meeting to begin...


These were my roommates...me, Elizabeth, Melanie, and Holly. We ended up moving from tents to cabins after the first night, because we got rained out... and the cabins ended up being way nicer than we thought. We had tons of fun, well at least after the rain ended, and we were to moved to dry cabins...But there's no place like home...

It's a Jungle Out There!

OK, so our garden plot is definitely not one for the record books because it is relatively small. However, Rich added a layer of Miracle Grow soil this year before planting the tomato plants, etc. Well, maybe it's the rain, maybe it's the Miracle Grow, maybe it's a combination of lots of things, but our garden (Rich's mostly this year) is doing great. Can't wait till we're actually getting some tomatoes. Not that I particularly care for tomatoes. So far the peppers, according to Rich, have been pretty good. I love gardens and remember working by my dad's side often in the garden. He and his neighbor, George, were always in competition with their gardens. Such great satisfaction comes from growing something yourself!

Errrrrrr...They're Back!

Father's Day came and went this year...and NO cicadas! This is our 4th summer in Illinois. I clearly remember calling my neighbor during our 1st summer and asking her what that obnoxious noise was outside and she couldn't even hear it! And then she finally realized what I was talking about and she told me I would definitely get used to them. Well, they were a little late in their arrival this year, but they're definitely back and I haven't gotten used to them at all! I did a little research on them. There are two basic kinds of cicadas. The ones in our area must be the "Periodic" ones with a 2 to 8 year life cycle. These insects "seem" to appear every year in some areas because their life cycle is staggered. Actually a different brood is hatching each year to make it seem like they are annual. One place I was reading said that, in reference to the male cicada, "Voted least likely to need a megaphone... The male cicada makes the loudest sound in the insect world. By vibrating the ribbed plates in a pair of amplifying cavities at the base of the abdomen, the mating sound of the cicada can be heard as far as 440 yards! These insect noisemakers rarely ever stop calling for a mate. The noise from large groups of cicadas can often drown out even the noisiest lawnmower." OK, so we must have "large" groups in our backyard! This noise just grates on my nerves. Enough complaining, I got an almost 3 week reprieve this year. They're usually gone by September.

Didn't want to include a picture of my "favorite" insect because they are really quite ugly. Fortunately they stay in the trees and not too many come very close to the house. Instead, I've included a picture of my favorite little "toy". My kids bought me this for Christmas last year and I must say I was a little nervous at first. Not being the least bit technologically minded, I'm still not quite sure how all of it works, but I'm learning. And I LOVE to use it while out jogging. It makes the time go by so much nicer! Thanks kids.

Oh, the Places We Went!

Today we ventured once again to Washington, DC to find everything that we missed on Monday. We learned a few things along the way that we'd like to share. #1...don't miss the Holocaust Museum. It is incredible and truly gives a unique perspective of what went on in those terrible places. We're always amazed at those that have triumphed over evil.
I remembered this quote from when we were in DC 12 years ago. It is from Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Sarah and Lisa after our several hour visit to the museum. We decided after this stop that we wanted to get a quick overview of the city since we didn't have too much more time, but wanted to see a lot. A few words to the wise...don't get on an open air/top bus in DC when it's well over 90 degrees outside in the middle of the afternoon AND especially don't start your tour after 3:00. It will go much longer than it was originally meant to go. (Think traffic!) Thank goodness for air conditioning down below. Katie and her feet were having a difficult time after the first 3 hours. Ah, but it was worth it. We saw everything and were impressed with so much. We know exactly where we want to go on our next visit. Let's see...the Air and Space Museum, the National Cathedral, more time at Arlington Cemetery, more time around all of the war memorials, and definitely more time to shop. Georgetown looks like the place to be! We've almost got the Metro system down...only two wrong turns today. It works great.
Thank goodness it was just a bit windy up on top of the bus. Oh yeah, some day I'd like to go to the top of the Washington Monument.
OK, so Sarah took this picture and it was pretty hot and humid and windy outside. We love the Nation's Capitol. There is so much history to be learned and understood. We live in such freedom. We loved driving down Embassy Row...170 nations are represented, more than in any other country. All the buildings were just a little bit different. Looking forward to the 4th of July tomorrow.

Gramma's Girl!!

Isn't technology wonderful!! Today Katie had her ultrasound and Sarah and I got to be there for it. It was amazing. Things have changed a lot in 20 years! Katie and Joseph are expecting a little girl. She was very cooperative and everything looked perfect...such an amazing experience. Right now they're thinking about the name of Claire, arriving some time around October 29th. Gramma couldn't be happier!

Williamsburg was Wonderful!

We ventured down to Virginia yesterday. We picked up my sister and then headed to Williamsburg...beautiful drive. Here's Sarah looking pretty cool in some colonial glasses. She was thrilled to pick up a fife and has been trying to figure out all the fingerings.
Lisa and her oldest sister, Sharon. We couldn't talk Sarah into this kind of torture. These guys were rather serious about their punishments back then. We've been watching the DVD history of John Adams over the last couple of weeks. It made Williamsburg so much more fascinating. What an amazing portion of our history took place in this part of the country.
Sarah AND her Aunt Sharon have always loved horses!
The last building we went in was the Governor's Palace. This is just a small sampling of the stash of weapons that were kept there. We had a great time re-living what life would have been like during the founding of our country.
Back at Sharon's house we had a great dinner. My niece Pam and her new beau came down for dinner. It was fun to see her...she's a hoot and a half. Actually this picture is kind of fun...it would be of my mom and dad's oldest grandchild and their youngest grandchild...a 36 year difference between the two!