Happy Halloween

Today I spent the day with Zach. He was so excited for Halloween and couldn't wait to dress up in his costume (he was the Wolverine) and go trick-or-treating. I picked Zach up about 11:30 and we went trick-or-treating at the mall and then at Lee's (the grocery store). While we were at the mall, Zach got to sit in the fire truck. He thought that was so cool! At Lee's, Zach got a balloon and he had more fun with the balloon then he did trying to collect all of the candy. Later in the evening I took Zach trick-or-treating around his neighborhood. He got a boatload of candy!!! We had a lot of FUN!!!

Gorgeous Sunset

Tonight as I was driving home to Smithfield for the Halloween weekend, I was able to witness this gorgeous sunset. I knew it was going to be spectacular because of all of the clouds. As the sun dropped beneath the mountains, the red color just seemed to spread across the underneath side of the clouds.

Clever 'No Parking' sign

Ryan's Impromptu visit

Tonight my nephew, Ryan, was scheduled to fly back to BYU-Idaho after being home for Ron's return from Chile. His plane was scheduled to go from Seattle to Salt Lake and then from Salt Lake to Idaho Falls. Unfortunately (or fortunately for me), Ryan's plane was 2 hours late leaving Seattle which meant that he missed his plane from Salt Lake to Idaho Falls. Therefore, Ryan got to spend the night at my house! :) After picking him up at the airport, I took him to Five Guys Burgers and Fries for dinner, then we got a hot chocolate at Maverick on the way back to my house. When we got to my house, Ryan relaxed by watching a movie on his laptop while I did some homework for an online class.

Ron comes home from his mission in Chile

My nephew, Ron, came home from his mission today. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to meet him in Seattle at the airport, but thanks to technology I was able to call him via "Skype" on the computer and see him through the webcam. It was soooo cool....almost like being there!!! :) Ron looked GREAT and we were able to have a wonderful visit. These pictures are a collection of several of the pictures I have received from Ron over the years!

Cool Clouds

Tonight it is supposed to snow. The first snowfall of the season. These clouds are the beginning clouds of the storm that is on the horizon.

Some of my favorite authors

I love reading mysteries and I think I always have. When I was young, I read all of the Nancy Drew mysteries. Today, some of my favorite authors are John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, and Sue Grafton. I have read all of their books and can hardly wait until the new books are released.

My Deer Friends

The past few days as I have walked along the path by my house, I have seen this herd of deer. Today they just quietly watched me from the trees rather than running away.

Lots of Color

Another look at fall..... I love all of the different colors that fall brings!!!

Farmington Crossing On Spring Creek Pond

I live in the community of Farmington Crossing on Spring Creek Pond. This is a picture of Spring Creek Pond. Up until a few weeks ago, this pond has been fenced off and pretty much inaccessible. Now there is a nice new walking path that goes around the pond and then on down into the wetland areas. I love this path. I also love the reflection that you can often see in the pond.

Relaxation Paraphernalia

Over the past few years I have received this collection of relaxation gifts. I think I need to make use of them more often!!!

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths. ~Etty Hillesum

Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow. ~Douglas Pagels, These Are the Gifts I'd Like to Give to You

Computer Training

Yesterday, today and again tomorrow, I am attending a technology training in Salt Lake at a place called New Horizons. It is CTT+ training, which stands for Certified Technical Trainer. This training is supposed to help my co-workers and I learn some techniques and strategies for teaching the School Technology Specialists that work in the schools in Davis District how to teach adult learners. Today I had to teach a 5-8 minute lesson (on something other than technology) to the others in the class and then have them critique my performance. I learned that when I am nervous I say "um" a lot :)

Storm

Tonight it is supposed to get really windy, rainy and cold. As I drove home from a training in Salt Lake, I noticed the storm approaching in the western sky. This picture was taken from the Farmington bench.

Fall Leaves

After being cooped up in the house all week being sick, I decided to get out and take a drive today to get some fresh air and to see the fall leaves. I headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon where I found a lot of color at the bottom of the canyon and snow in the higher elevations at Brighton Ski resort. I took a lunch with me, found a nice quiet spot by the river and ate my sandwich and chips. I then took a few pictures. It was good to get out of the house, but I was sure tired when I got home.

Pumpkin Patch

Today I went with my sister, Lana, my niece, Tara, and my great nephew, Hunter, to a local pumpkin patch so Hunter could pick out his first pumpkin. There were lots of pumpkins and gourds of all shapes, sizes and colors to choose from. Hunter went for the bigger pumpkins, of course.

More Fall Color

Today I got out of the house for just a minute (after 4 days of being sick) and drove to my bank to make a deposit. I was surprised how much color has come out in the past week.

Smoothies

Another drink that tastes good when you're sick are smoothies. This smoothie mix is one of the best I have found and one of the easiest to make. I bought it at Costco and all you have to do to make a smoothie is empty one of the packets into a blender and mix it with a cup of milk. EASY enough that even I can do it!!!

Hot Chocolate

Another day being sick. My throat isn't as sore today, but I have still felt pretty miserable with body aches, etc. I haven't felt much like eating, but hot chocolate sure tasted good.

Cold and Flu remedies

Last night during the night I came down with a severe and sudden sore throat. It's been quite a miserable day but without the throat lozenges and the advil it would have been much worse. I haven't had much of a temperature, though, so I'm pretty sure I don't have the H1N1 virus that is going around right now.

Touch of Color

The fall colors are beginning to come into the valley. I love the contrast in this picture between the reds and greens.

Pumpkin Heads

Several of my neighbors are really getting into the Halloween spirit. These pumpkins were hanging above one of the doors. I thought they were kind of cute.

Halloween Decorations

Today I cleaned my house from top to bottom and put out a few decorations for fall/Halloween. This is a picture of my porch. It's not much, but at least it's something. Decorating for the holidays is not something I get into very much. My theory is if you put it up, you have to take it down later on and why make more work for yourself :)

Home Decor Store

Today I went to a State Technology meeting at the Jordan District Technology Center in South Jordan, which is located pretty close to one of my favorite home decorating stores...Tai Pan. After the meeting was over, I couldn't resist stopping by the store and looking around. I was initially looking for a glass jar to put all of my seashells in, which I found, but I also ended up with a few Christmas gifts as well. It's hard to pass up a great deal! :)

Bun Basket

When I want some good soup, the Bun Basket is usually the place I go. I always order a cup of cheesy potato soup with breadsticks. The breadsticks are usually seasoned and they are perfect for dipping in the soup! The Bun Basket is part of a set of buildings known as "The Rock Loft" and is located along the mountain road in Farmington.

Fall is in the Air

When I got back from Oregon my house was freezing...mid 60's...and I knew by morning it would be much colder so I broke down and turned on the heat. It has been on the past couple of days but I am hoping I will be able to turn it off again for a few more weeks at least. I'm not ready for the colder temperatures.

Signs of October

Pumpkins are beginning to come out in full force now that it is October. I'm sure this won't be the only pumpkin picture I post this month :)

Green Sand Dollars?

When I unpacked some of the shells I brought back from Oregon I discovered that the sand dollar I had found had changed from a brownish color to a greenish color. After doing a little research, I discovered that brown sand dollars indicate that the sand dollar is still alive...whoops!!! I'm not sure about the greenish color, but it said on the internet to soak the sand dollar in fresh water and then possibly bleach it to bring back the white color. So, the sand dollar is now soaking and we'll see if the green goes away. At least it doesn't stink.

Cheese and Ice Cream

Tillamook is a place of wonderful cheese and excellent ice cream! We went on a tour of the cheese factory, sampled several different types of cheese and bought an ice cream cone. The single scoop ice cream cones were huge and I definitely got my money's worth.

Beach Combing

Different things wash up on the beach every day. Yesterday there were lots of jelly fish and kelp. Today we found a few starfish. This starfish was about 8-9 inches in diameter and perfectly shaped.

Cannon Beach

Today we explored the beaches in northern Oregon. This picture was taken from Ecola State Park and it is a view of one of the most popular beaches....Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock. The weather was unexpectedly sunny, fairly warm and beautiful!

Oregon...Here I Come

It's Fall Recess (UEA) and mandatory time off work due to budget cuts this year. Therefore, what better thing to do than to head to the beach. Two of my friends, Anne Merrick and Jayna Rice, spent 4 days in a beach house on the Oregon coast. This picture was our first glimpse of the ocean and the beach where we would be staying.

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!!