catching up

You know its sad when your husband asks you what the last post was on your blog, that he doesn't read. and what better time to update then sitting in the car on our way to Arizona for the weekend.
A lot has happened in the past month. We were looking at the calendar last night and realized that we haven't really had a calm weekend all month long.
We started April out in Spokane visiting our family. It was a very nice trip. we spent a lot of time up visiting with my grandparents. My grandpa is doing so well! It made me so happy and calm to see him and talk with him. I got a lot of information out of him in a short period of time. Learned a lot about the cars my grandparents drove, and about my grandpa's army days.
One way cool story. My grandpa bought a motorcycle in 1952 from a Bobby Ocheltree. Ocheltree just happens to be my mother in laws maiden name. After some asking around we found out that my grandpa bought that motorcycle from derics grandpa's cousin. kinda random but totally cool that our family's crossed so long ago!

We also celebrated Derics 24th birthday!!! He is finally the same age as me and can't rub it in as much! I surprised him with golfing with his buddies! He loved it and then on his actual birthday we went to Disneyland and ate the blue bayou! The blue bayou is inside the pirates of the Caribbean ride and we got to sit right by the water! totally worth the money oh and the food was so good. But it might have been the fact that I hadn't had a steak in a year.

My best friend from growing up stayed a couple days with us. It was SOOO much fun to catch up and talk about the good ole days of forts, and her mom ripping my tooth out, or me getting sprayed by a skunk at her house!
My sister in law and 2 nieces came to stay for a couple days also. My niece Natalie turned 9 back in March and wanted to go to the American Girl store in LA for her birthday! It was so nice to have them at our house, and Diesel LOVED the attention from the girls!!

We are on our way to Arizona to spend the 2nd weekend in a row with Derics biological Grandpa. It was a lot of fun last weekend to spend time with them. It was my first time actually spending more than 5 minutes with them! Diesel is in heaven at their house! They also have 2 little dogs that he loves to play with and annoy! Grandpa Al  bought a new york style hot dog stand and sells them at big events and every weekday at a corner in the Maricopa area. We are going this weekend to help him sell them at the Salsa Festival in Maricopa,AZ. There will be upwards of 12,000 people. It will be pretty dang crazy but we are super excited to spend time with them and sell some dogs!!!!!

Jakob

This cute little man turned 1 a couple weeks ago! He is so dang cute and so super funny. He was totally into the camera. I can’t wait to do a family session soon!

 

Spjutes Family

This super cute family is in my ward! and their baby is ADORABLE! He wasn’t so in to the whole getting his picture taken. But he warmed up and it was a lot of fun! Thank you rain for staying away!!!

 

O’Malleys

I had an amazing photo session yesterday with the O’Malley family! It was such a fun photo session. Dustin and Kaitlyn were so comfortable in front of the camera and knew what they wanted! Little H was totally awesome! He could have cared less that he was getting his photo taken. He was more interested in taking in the sights! I don’t blame him Old Town Tustin is really beautiful!!!

 

My weekends are starting to fill up with photo sessions, and I couldn’t be more excited!!!!

Happy day!!!!

 

My prayers have been answered. All I have wanted to do this last week is go home to my family and see this awesome man! and thanks to amazing doctors and technology and family support my grandpa is doing SO much better! For the time being! I get to go home in April with my husband and dog and hang out with my Grandparents! I couldn’t be happier! I am so happy that he is feeling better! I am praying everyday that things keep getting better and I get to spend more time with an amazing man!!!!!

I have been thinking a lot this week about my grandpa and the awesome man he is! and every time I think of him, I always start thinking about funny things, or just memories of him that have made an impact on my life.

Picture this. My whole family on my moms side, my mom and her 4 siblings with their spouses and children camping. I loved these camping trips! They are some of my favorite home videos to watch! well one morning about 6 of us girl cousins were going to the bathroom to brush our teeth. My cousin Joni walked in and saw that there were some very large bats hanging out in the bathroom. Of course we couldn’t brush our teeth with them in there. So we ran and got our grandpa! He came to the recue with a broom and lots of courage! (to us) Us girls all stood outside the bathroom while Grandpa got rid of the nasty bats. Of course they came flying out of the bathroom, and almost hit my cousin Joni in the face. Grandpa was definitely our hero that day. What girl wants to be in the same room with a bat. Not us.

My grandpa is a PRO puzzler! If that made any sense! He can put together a puzzle in NO time! I think every christmas he got a new puzzle and had it put together a lot faster than I ever could! Im hoping he’s up to doing a puzzle when I get home!

I can’t wait to get up to Washington to hang out with my grandma and grandpa. Hopefully grandpa will feel up to it, but I am hoping to take a lot of family pictures while we are there.

I don’t exactly know how to start this post, but it needs to be written.

I grew up with the best possible grandparents ever! I have only ever known one set of my grandparents, and they were so amazing. My grandpa is the most handsome man ever! (sorry babe). He is tall dark and handsome. I mean tall! I always remember being amazing at how tall grandmpa Marsh was when I was little. and how strong he always seemed. My grandpa was a fire fighter for years in Spokane Washington, and I couldn’t have been more proud to tell me friends that. I think that must be why I have such a respect for those who serve others every day, those that run into the burning buildings while everyone else runs away and those who protect our freedom.

My grandpa had the best sense of humor, even though he might not have known it. We have a family tradition of playing catch phrase whenever we get together with my moms siblings. It was my grandpa’s turn and he was trying so hard for us to get his word. he kept explaning, its a whole row of trucks. and he just kept saying it. when time was up he told us it was a pick up line. we died laughing. We had to tell him that it was a way to flirt with a girl or guy. But to him a pick up line was a row of trucks picking up lumber. It was so cute.

My grandpa is a true gentleman and loves my grandmother so much. I can always see it every time I am around them. and he loves everyone of his children and grand children.

He can make the most amazing things with his own hands. He has built amazing bird houses, helped build many real houses, and made many amazing pop can airplanes and helicopters.

My grandpa is an amazing man. He raised 5 amazing children and instilled in us grand kids many amazing lessons. I hope to never forget any of these things.

Time is getting short with him on this earth and its one of the hardest things I have tried to grasp. It seems too soon. We don’t know when it will  happen but we are gearing up for the worst and our families are coming together. But through out this  I can’t help but think about the plan of salvation and the knowledge that I have that this life is not the end. That someday I will see my grandpa again and see him healthy and strong. Life continues even if it is hard without the ones we love, but this life is NOT the end. It will be hard for a long time when my grandpa passes. It will not be easy. But it will go on.

2011

I know I should take more time and update this more often. But by the time I get back from work all I want to do is relax with hubby and puppy and watch TV. Well of course I have to cook dinner, clean up dinner and kind of keep the house in order. and when Saturdays roll around we are always doing stuff. The past couple of Saturdays have been filled with FUN trips to Disneyland or the Doggy Park. Or doing mini photo sessions.

So finally I am not doing ANYTHING today so, I guess this is the perfect time to update what we have been up to the last 3 months.

Christmas was awesome. Besides the LONG drive home. Diesel was amazing in the car and LOVED being able to see his grandparents, who ALL spoiled him like crazy. (yes our dog is our child right now) We spend a lot of time with both sides of the family and had a blast. I love that Derics mom and my parents live so close by and they all like each other. So we get to have get togethers TOGETHER! if that made any sense. Its nice being able to have Paul and Kerry ( my in-laws) over at my parents house. Diesel loves it I think more than any of us. New years eve had to be the best day of all though. My brother, brother in law and Deric planned one of the funniest nights of my life! My whole family played minute to win it games. Oh my goodness so much fun. This is just one of the games we played that night. Deric must have been practicing or something, he was a little too good!

January- It was nice getting back to the warm weather of California and missing all the crazy insane weather they had here during Christmas. We didn’t do a whole lot, we did get our tax return, which was spent rather quickly. We got season passes to Disneyland, which has been SO nice. I can’t believe it took us this long. We also got a new NICE computer to help me with my photography business. Too bad it doesn’t have internet connection yet. Deric got the guitar hero expansion for the wii so he can rock out on the drums now as well as the guitar. and i got steam cleaner for the carpets. well its more like Diesel got a steam cleaner for the carpets because the darn dog pee’s all over them but I have to use it since his legs are too short. :)

February- I think almost every weekend we were at Disneyland or doing something crazy fun. We did get to check something off our bucket list. We drove the PCH from Corona del Mar to Dana Point, and then a couple days later we drove the PCH from Corona Del Mar to Santa Monica. So I think that works. and we also went to the Santa Monica Pier.  All in all the Santa Monica pier wasn’t that amazing, but I also wasn’t in the best mood. Right after we parked and I was getting stuff organized in my camera bag, my camera and my phone fell out of my camera bag and onto me heel. yeah my camera totally took a HUGE chunk of skin off my heel and it was bleeding EVERYWHERE. It was nasty and hurt like the dickens. We rode the Ferris wheel, which was beautiful and walked the pier a little. Took some fabulous pictures and walked to the most expensive mall I have ever been too. Not my cup of tea. I couldn’t afford anything in that mall. It was insane. So we made an early day of Santa Monica and headed to down town Disney to watch the fireworks show. When we were there on Thursday and Friday the weather was so nasty they had canceled the fireworks. Oh yeah my in-laws were in town for all of this. totally spaced to say that.

March- nothing super amazing so far. But I did just spend a lot to get the Jeep up and going like she should be. Not super happy about that, but you got to do what you got to do right? 1 oil change turned into like 4 other things needing to be fixed. can’t wait for the day when we can buy a brand new car with a nice little warranty on it! some day. A girl can dream right?

I don’t think any of these pictures will be in order, so sorry but enjoy, its my best way of catching up with this crazy fast year. August will be here before I know it and we will be back in Washington.