The Lees

2012-02-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

Wow! It is February already and I haven't posted all the cool things that have happened in our lives! OOPS! Well, here's an update. We had a lovely Christmas Season with our family. We had all of our children together for Christmas Eve this year! The first time in several years. That's what happens when they all grow up and have families of their own. We had a few of them on Christmas Day which was awesome and we enjoyed a family game with Uncle Kent and Aunt Jeanne with Grace and Jennan. It was rather nice that I had the following two weeks off from work to relax and enjoy being with my hubby! We sure loved spending that time together. He was a little busy for a few days with work but we managed to spend a good portion of our free time together.

On to the new year! I think we are getting over the hill a bit. We didn't do anything this year for New Years. We kind of just hung out at home and had a little sparkling cider to ring in the new year before crashing for the night. Our church schedule changed with the new year, so Carl had early Bishopric Meetings! Hence the reason for not celebrating too late. Well then the New Year was afoot!

We had a visit from our Stake President early in the first week of the year extending a new calling to Carl. He has been called to be the Bishop of our Stake's Singles Ward! Whoa Nelly! We were in shock and awe for the next few weeks until that was officially announced! Carl has hardly slept since the call. I wake up in the night with the IPad light shining as he is reading and studying scriptures, handbooks, scriptures and handbooks, over and over again! He has been overwhelmed and a little sad to leave his Bishopric Counselor post. He has been over the Young Men and Young Women for 4 years and has loved every single minute of it! On the week that he knew that he was being officially released, he wrote individual letters to each of the young men and women expressing his love, appreciation for them and his testimony. Is my man awesome or what?!!! That was the saddest part for him! He truly loved them and enjoyed every second he spent with them.

We are now on the ride of our lives! I'm kind of lonely already! The first week, he had meetings literally every night but Friday! I hope that Friday nights will be reserved for our Date Nights still but I know that from time to time there will be events with the Singles. I've been privileged to be over the Singles Ward in my capacity as the Counselor in the Stake Relief Society so I already know a lot of them. It will be an awesome journey and growing experience for us. This week has settled down a little for Carl but I am busy as heck with our Stake Relief Society Meeting. This week I have something everyday! I guess we will survive! Carl is so supportive of me and has been able to be a big help this week since I was under the weather early in the week. I guess we will be support for each other through these next years!

On January 7th, I pulled it OFF! A SURPRISE PARTY FOR CARL'S 60TH BIRTHDAY!!!!! He really was surprised! Woo Hoo for me! I sent out 50 invitations and even sent out an email through our ward Relief Society to make sure no one felt left out. We had a great turn out! About 50 people showed up! All of our children were there with their families helping me. We had everyone write notes with their favorite memory of Carl. The idea was to have 60 letters for him to read. We are pretty close. They were awesome to read. Erin made a great slide show of him and also put together a slide show of scanned pictures of him over the years. All in all it was a great event. Several people commented on how great it was to just visit and enjoy each others company.

I will find pictures to post of some of these events and try to keep up a little better. In the meantime, I am on Facebook now so you can check up on us that way too. I am hooked on Words with Friends too so look for me there too. My IPhone is my new friend these days! LOL

My Classroom Door Decorations are a Winner!

2011-12-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

Our High School always does a holiday door decorating contest. I always decorate my door but this year I wanted to win! So I went all out. I started with the wall outside the door and made a giant bed with all the kids faces (paper plate drawings by the kids) then Santa's sleigh with pictures of toys that the kids colored and the finale! - the door with my giant Santa Claus. The reindeer in the windows were made by some of the children. Aren't you impressed? We won 2nd place and a donut party for our class! Yes all I needed right now with my preschoolers was more SUGAR!!! It's amazing what you can do with construction paper!

Our Ward Christmas Party!

2011-12-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

We got to take Liam to the ward Christmas Party this year! He had a great time and enjoyed just running around everywhere! He wasn't afraid of Santa Claus and was excited to sit on his lap! Fun times:)

Pictures of Nikki and Jared!

2011-11-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

Nikki's Wedding

2011-11-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

Carl and I drove up to Utah for my niece, Nikki's, wedding. It was a fun trip. You know how Carl and I are loving road trips these days:)
We look for any excuse to go on a road trip! Well, it was colddddd there! We were prepared, sort of, for Arizonans. The day of the wedding, it was so windy as you can see from the pictures. You can almost see the goose bumps on Nikki! But you can also see just how very, very happy and excited she was to be married to Jared. He seems like a great guy and we wish them all the happiness in the world! The first picture is of Uncle Gary with grandson, Caius, trying to keep him warm. Carl and I took a few moments in front of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple for our own picture. The last one is of Nikki and Jared as they came out of the Temple. (They are prepared for cold weather there and had capes for the brides to wear - I thought that was nice). I will post a few more pictures of our trip here.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Carl came up with this costume idea this year. Usually he wants me to think of something and do it all. Well, this year he came home one day and said "I have the perfect costumes for us this year!" Well he was a flyfisherman and I was his catch! I searched and came up with this. What do you think? I'm a Rainbow Trout - thus the pink stripe down the side. It was pretty fun and we got lots of compliments and laughs! Hope your Halloween was fun:)

Celebrating October Birthdays!

2011-10-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

We have two family birthdays in October so we had a family dinner to celebrate Doug and Hannah's Birthdays. My baby is 22! Yikes! How did that happen? We had a great time together. The grandkids enjoyed being with everyone and we loved the happy spirit we all felt. Love our family so much!

Date Night with Liam!

2011-10-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Friday evening Erin had a GNO (Girls Night Out) Party so Papa and Grandma Lee had a special date night with Liam. We went to Freddy's Burger Shop and then walked around the Car Show. Liam loves cars so he was really into it. His favorite was the BIG MONSTER TRUCK! We had fun with Liam. He is such a busy guy and a very happy fellow. We love him so!

Carl's Dental Ordeal!

2011-10-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Carl had some oral surgery. He needed a tooth extracted and the prep work for an implant. He really does not like to go to the dentist therefore, this drastic measure! Well the surgery was supposed to be a couple of hours. It turned into 4 hours in the torture chair! He was not asleep either. He opted to just have the local stuff and also opted not to have the prop for his mouth. He is a stud, you know! Well, I was prepared for a real baby to deal with but he has been amazingly tough! That's my superman for you!

He has, however, not recovered as quickly as he would like. He tried to go hiking yesterday. Got up and ready to go. Fortunately his truck was in the shop so my car was the only vehicle around. I hid the keys because he is supposed to rest at least through the weekend. Well after much consternation and whining he finally relented and went back to the bedroom to change. In a short time, he was out staggering down the hallway asking why the house was spinning! I knew I was smart for not giving in to him! Well, he has been more tired than anything and takes several naps a day. He did go to church today and lasted longer than I expected. We came home after Sacrament Meeting and he took a long nap. He is not even swollen up either. I would have expected for all that long work in his mouth and the fact that they had to cut the tooth apart in several pieces to remove it that he would really be puffy. Not so! He looks pretty normal to me and everyone else.

Well, on to recovery. Hope it goes as well as he hopes for the rest of the week until he gets his stitiches out on Thursday. Love you, my Superman!

Fall Decorations!

2011-10-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

I love to decorate for the seasons and holidays! Since we moved I have had trouble figuring out where everything is stored. I finally found my fall stash on Saturday so I could complete my decorating. This is just the table decor. There are a lot of things throughout the house and outside. I love the way this turned out though. Happy Fall and Happy Halloween!

Granddaughters in Greer with Us!

2011-10-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

Columbus Day Weekend

2011-10-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

For Columbus Day, I had Monday off from school so we when up to the White Mountains to see the fall leaves and enjoy some cooler weather. It actually snowed on us on Friday evening as we were driving up! There was snow on the ground for the next morning for a bit but it all soon melted. The weather was definitely nippy! We stopped in Show Low for some bread (which I forgot to bring) and I picked up a nice warm coat. Good thing I did! It was beautiful there. Ben and Shanae joined us for the weekend as well. We enjoyed playing with the girls and eating out. I've noticed that the last few times we have been to the mountains, that it takes a day to adjust to the altitude. Carl and I both spent a good part of Saturday taking naps. We did not see as many colorful trees though. There was a terrible fire, the Wallow Fire, that destroyed thousands of acres of trees so the middle picture shows what we mostly saw on our drive through the mountain roads. It got very close to Greer, where we stayed. Several mountain homes were destroyed. It will take a long time to recover. Even the streams were badly damaged. The fish dyed from the ash that got in the streams so the fishing is gone for some time now. Carl is especially sad about that:(

Pickin in the Pines

2011-09-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of the weekend and went to Flagtaff for the Bluegrass Festival called "Pickin in the Pines". Erin and Liam tagged along. Erin's favorite guy was playing and she was so excited to see him. (Sam Bush) It was a lovely day in Flag. Nice and cool! A real relief from the heat of Phoenix. I wore my purple cowboy hat to get into the swing of things. Although I think tie dye is the real thing to wear for these events! There was an overload of tie dye there. Liam loved dancing. There was a section set up for dancing on either side of the stage so it was fun for him to be included with the other kids and people. Nice getaway!

The fruits of my Labor!

2011-09-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

I decided that I really wanted to learn to make jam. I acquired all of the supplies last year but was too scared to try it on my own. Well, this year I bit the bullet and went for it! This is my second batch of raspberry jam and it is so cool! I was so surprised that it wasn't as hard as I thought and I didn't even burn myself or break anything. I'm excited that I can do it! I am anxious to do peaches next! Woohoo! for me!

Labor Day Weekend!

2011-09-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a nice Labor Day weekend with some of our Ward families in the cool pines of Pivot Rock Canyon camping. There were about 10 families who came and we all enjoyed playing and visiting in the coolness of northern Arizona. It did get a little warm in the afternoons but at least it was not 110! We took two tents. Why you ask? Well it was just by chance that Carl threw the backpack tent in the truck at the last minute. Good Thing! We started to set up the full size tent that sleeps 3 or 4 people when we discovered that the ring for staking the poles was missing. That's what happens when you loan out your camping stuff to your kids! Carl was aware that it was loose the last time he used it but I guess when Doug took it last it came completely off and he forgot to tell us. I'm glad that Carl had the thought to throw in the smaller tent. We had a nice air mattress that filled the whole inside but it was the most comfortable night's sleep that I've had in a tent! Yes I did take a nap in my nice recliner camp chair. How can you resist grabbing a snooze with the nice cool breeze and the sound of birds. It was so fun to share the area with our Ward friends. We shared movies, treats and even had our own Testimony Meeting on Sunday morning. It was wonderful! We really hate to get back to the heat and back to work. At least it is a short work week!

New style!

2011-08-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to get in style a bit. I really like the ruffly look and high heels. I have not usually been so interested in style much before but I really like the ruffles. I don't like high heels either because they seem to make me feel off balance. Haven't worn them in a while. Well I found these cute, cute shoes and I needed some Sunday shoes. They have about a 3 1/2 inch heel that's sort of a wedge look. I especially love the ruffle on the toe and the peep toe style. I'm still looking for just the right pair of peep toe red shoes! What do you think? I actually have been very comfortable wearing these.

Colorado Vacation!

2011-08-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

Carl and I were able to get away for a ten day vacation to our favorite spot. The wild flowers were still spectacular even though it was well past their optimal blooming times. The weather was perfect. Showers in the afternoon daily and cool breezy days! I even had to wear my jacket a few times because it was chilly! We drove up to Pitkin and Tin Cup and of course stopped at our spot - Cumberand Pass - to take our yearly picture. We sure missed having our family though. Almost everywhere we went we remembered something that we did with the kids when they were growing up! It was great to be together almost continually for that time but we did spend a little time apart. I had an 80 minute massage one day and then I went white water rafting on the Upper Taylor River one day. Pretty much the rest of the time we were together. It is great to be with my best friend, my husband! We look forward to retirement in a few years yet. Sure hope we can get our family to go next year. It will be our 20th year of going to Colorado.

Colorado!

2011-08-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

We finally got to come to Colorado this year! Weren't sure it was going to happen this summer before school started but all things worked out so we have at least 10 days to enjoy the cooler weather and beautiful scenery and for Carl to fish! The Columbines are spectacular this year. I love to see the lovely flowers on the mountainsides and in the wonderful planters all around town. It has been overcast and rainy since we arrived. Today there is supposed to be a real storm this afternoon so we have planned to go to Crested Butte to the movies at the Majestic Theater and have hot chocolate! We certainly wouldn't be thinking of that in Arizona! Carl described his feelings yesterday as we arrived at Spring Creek for some fishing - Euphoria! Hope you all are feeling some euphoria in your lives!

The Craft Room!

2011-07-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

Ben and Shanae have moved into their new house and we are now able to fix our craft room. Woohoo! It's a nice long room and there is plenty of space for Carl and I both to have some room to work on our individual projects. I'm sure there are still a few other things to put in there but we have a start. I'm excited to get going on some sewing and other projects. I would love to have it all matchy-matchy with shades of purple, lavender and grays but that will come. At least I have a nice work table to spread out whatever project I want to work on - Genealogy, sewing, scrapbooking, stamping or whatever! I'm loving the prospects!

July Birthdays

2011-07-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Erin's 25th Birthday and Grandma Lee's 77th Birthday last night. Erin received a cool new digital camera and Grandma received a new night gown. It's so hard to get everyone together these days so only Hannah and Sarah; Ben and the little girls; and Uncle Kent, Aunt Jeanne, Grace & a friend were able to come over. We enjoyed being together though and had a nice time.

Movies?

2011-07-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh! We have been going to the movies a lot lately. We usually go when the rates are low so it doesn't cost an arm and a leg:) Today we actually went to the 2:30 show. It is nice to go when the weather is so dang hot! Well, today we felt a little out of place. We arrived a little later than usual and there were hardly any seats left. They were all taken up with white haired folk! We ended up sitting in the very top seats. What's up with that?

Fourth of July Celebration!

2011-07-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July! We celebrated the day by going to our Ward's Annual Fourth of July breakfast. There were lots of people there. It seems to bring out all the people that we don't usually see on Sundays! We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage and lots of fresh fruit. Yummy! What a wonderful way to start our celebration!
In the evening we were invited to a lovely celebration at Kent and Jeanne's. It was terrific! We enjoyed swimming with the kids. It was overcast in the afternoon which cooled it down a little bit. Carl enjoyed playing pool with some of the other guests there. He was sure happy about that! There was a boat race in the pool with the inflatable boats. I, Debra, helped bring the B Team to the finish first! Sorry, we forgot to get pictures! It was my buff arm strength that brought us the win! After the barbeque there was a pie baking contest. Yours truly won the prize for the most patriotic pie! It was a red, white and blue Jello pie - pictured above. A gift card to Cold Stone Creamery was my prize! Yummy! I also made some Red, White and Blue dipped strawberries to share. They were a big hit. We arrived home just in time to catch the fireworks in our new neighborhood. There's a perfect spot to watch just down the street! Hope your celebration was awesome too!

Bluegrass Festival in Prescott

2011-07-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Carl and I went up to Prescott for the Bluegrass Festival and to enjoy the coolness. Erin and Liam rode up with us. Hannah and Sarah met us there. Tracy and the girls actually came and enjoyed a short visit with us as well. It bought back memories of those days when Gary and Linda lived there and we would go to Courthouse Square and enjoy fesitvals there. We came to see one of Carl's favorite Bluegrass Bands, Blue Highway. We actually saw them there 14 years ago with Gary and Linda. Ahh those were the days! Jeremy is working in Prescott Valley and we were able to stop by for a short visit with him before heading back home. A lovely day!

My Dad

2011-06-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

This is my Dad. (sorry it's not a really great post but the best I could do with my limited computer skills) The first picture is a picture of him with me when I was a baby. The other picture is how I remember my Dad looking throughout most of my life. As we just honored our Dad's for Father's Day, I felt it was fitting to write a little about my Dad. When I was growing up, my Dad worked at the Cherry Point Naval Air Reworks facility. He worked the swing shift most of the time I was at home. I remember a few times that he forgot his keys and would knock on the door. Since my bedroom was closest to the doors, both front and back, I would hear him and get up to let him in. It was kind of cool to spend a few minutes with him when he got home. He would sleep during most of the day when I was in school. I remember one time, I decided to pack his lunch for him. He liked cheese and crackers with his lunch. I wrapped them together and put in his lunch. Do you know what happens to crackers when they are packed with something like cheese - they get mushy! He was very kind when he told me that he appreciated me packing his lunch but reminded me not to pack them together next time. Our family loved the beach since we lived so close. Dad always made sure that we had several opportunities to go together on the weekends. I remember one particular time that we went to the beach and I was allowed to bring a friend. Mom didn't really go into the water and usually sat in the shade while we were there but Dad was with us in the water. I loved jumping the waves and feeling the wonderful warm water. Well, I got out in the water a little too far and there was a rip tide that day. I jumped up with a wave and when I came down there was no bottom! I came up with the next wave and yelled for help! My Dad immediately came to my rescue. I remember that I nearly choked him when he got to me because I was so scared. He swam hard and we finally reached the shore. I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life! My Dad saved me! He saved me many more times throughout my life by being available when I needed him in many situations. He always has been there to help me make decisions and encourage me through my trials. My Dad is the best Dad. Love you Dad! I hope you feel the same about your Dad.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there! Here is the father of our children on his special day. Most of our children were out of town for Father's Day but he did hear from all of them on the cell phone. The boys were the only ones around for the day to visit with their Dad. New shearling slippers, a fishing shirt and a camping towel were the gifts he received. I planned to make steak for his super dinner but when the package was opened it was ground beef instead so we had meatloaf. I did make bread pudding though - one of his favorites that I don't make very often. He did have cinnamon rolls for breakfast with his eggs and fruit. I did my best to spoil him like he always does for me. I have a long way to go to catch up though. He is awesome and love him so!

37th Wedding Anniversary!

2011-06-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

Carl and I are celebrating 37 years of wedded bliss today! Well, mostly bliss:) We have had a lot of wonderful years together and some brief times of not so much bliss. We are still happily married though and especially enjoying this particular time of life! We are not retired but really enjoy the times we get to spend together which is not always a lot these days (we both have busy callings in church that take us away from each other many nights each week). We are still having fun together and almost know what each is thinking at any one time! We still don't always share the same interests but do appreciate the other's time spent doing what we like to do. Carl loves to hike the Grand Canyon and I'm not especially interested in doing that but we do enjoy hiking the smaller mountains around here together. He still loves to fish and I enjoy going with him though I sit and read or relax while he is fishing - at least we are together. We both enjoy Blue Grass Music and going to the movies. We especially love being with our kids and grandkids! That is the joy in our lives these days! WooHoo! We look forward to many more years together in wedded bliss!

Carl learned the cup game at camp!

2011-05-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

The girls in our ward enjoyed having Brother Lee at Camp. They taught him how to play the cup game and he spent plenty of time playing it with them the last couple of days. Very impressive don't you think?

Camp LoMia in Pine, Arizona

2011-05-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

Well we survived Girls Camp! We spent 5 lovely days at Camp LoMia. The weather was perfect - cool in the early morning and evenings but in the 60s 70s during the day. Carl was the Priesthood leader for the week and I was the 1st year certification leader. We sure had a great time with the girls. I felt much more comfortable this year. Last year I was brand new and only had a few weeks to prepare. This year I had some great ideas and our certification activities really went well. My co-leader, Tracy Moore, and I came up with some neat ideas to tie our activities to our theme "Straight and Narrow is the Way". We were working off of a theme of Broadway Plays for our activities. I made copies of several playbills and laminated them. We strung them up around our ramada with some stars. We made a red carpet runway for our YCLs to stand on while they taught their portion of certification. I made tickets in different colors that I laminated and gave to the girls for each area that we covered - First Aid, Fire Safety, Food Safety and Knot Tying. They attached them to their lanyards. My neice, Grace, sprained her toe while doing a back bend for her ward's lip sync activity and Carl went with her to the hospital the first night we were there. She was on crutches and a boot all of the rest of camp. She is good now. Carl also rescued a 2nd year girl on their hike. She fell down an enbankment about 10 feet and sprained her ankle. He ended up carrying her part of the way back from the hike. She did that the next to last day and ended up going home with a badly sprained ankle. At least this year we didn't have the stomach flu run rampant throughout camp. I think it was a very successful camp. Now I can start my summer vacation. WooHoo!

Texas Caviar Recipe

2011-05-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

3 large tomatoes
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onion, sliced
1 bunch cilanto, chopped
1 T. garlic
1 can yellow corn, drained
2 cans black eyed peas,(don't drain)
1 bottle Zesty Italian dressing, shaken well
Jalenpeno to taste

Mix all ingredients together except dressing. Add dressing a little at a time until desired wetness. Yummy!

My sister, Sandra, served this when we visited for Natalie's wedding. We all loved it and have made it many times. It makes a lot but sure goes fast! Enjoy!

Texas Caviar!

2011-05-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Our ward contributed to and made a ward cookbook and tonight we are having a tasting party to receive our cookbooks. This is my Texas Caviar recipe that I copied from my sister, Sandra. Everyone here loves it and it makes a ton of salsa. Aunt Linda doesn't it look tasty?

Preparing for Girl's Camp!

2011-05-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

Girls' Camp is approaching fast so Carl and I took an early day trip to check out the hike that I am supposed to lead my first year girls. It was a lovely day and we enjoyed the nature! I found the Tiny Cave along the way. It was cool to cross the creek to get the cave. Carl, of course, fished! He caught 19 fish! It was a good day.

Trent's Wedding Reception!

2011-05-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

I only got a few pictures at the reception. It was quite a busy day for us and I forgot to take some pictures at the Temple. It was a lovely day for a wedding - well many weddings - there were quite a few brides at the Temple that day! Her colors were lavender and light green. Aunt Jeanne did a lovely job pulling it all together. It was very beautiful! I helped a little but Jeanne had the vision. It was wonderful to share in this eternal event with all the family. Here's a picture of Trent and Prisca's first dance! Everyone got into the dancing mode and the kids (me included) had a fun time dancing. Liam loved the cupcakes!

Prisca's Bridal Shower

2011-05-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

We gave Trent's new Bride to Be Prisca a Bridal Shower this week. She has never been to a bridal shower before so this was new and strange to her. She really didn't know what to think of all the fuss over her but she caught on very quickly and seemed to have a great time. She was showered with lots of sweet nothings for the honeymoon and Trent didn't want to hear anything about it:) We all had a great time!

Liam turns 2!

2011-05-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time celebrating Liam's 2nd Birthday at the Splash Park with the family. Liam loves Woody so Erin made this adorable Woody cake! She's so talented! Must take after her mom:) What a darling little guy!

Our Ward Talent Show!

2011-05-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

Carl is in the Bishopric in our Ward. We had a ward talent show last weekend. They put on a great show! What do you think?

Our family Easter Celebration!

2011-04-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well, this year we finally had everyone here for Easter! It was a perfect time to plan a big gathering. Hannah got to spend some time with everyone earlier in the day but had to work in the late afternoon when the gathering was so she is not pictured. I just realized that we didn't get any of her. The weather was awesome and we reserved the pavilion at the church for a barbeque and egg hunt with the grandkids. We hid over 100 eggs and Papa fixed a special Golden Egg for each grandchild to find. The kids came early in the day so Grandma had eggs ready to dye with the grandkids. That was a hit! It is so nice to be together and enjoy the time watching the grandkids all play together. They had a great time. It will be a cherished memory for some time to come. Love the family!

A few of my favorites!

2011-04-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

More Easter Pictures

2011-04-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

Easter with the Lees!

2011-04-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

What's up?

2011-04-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

What's up with the blog? I keep posting things and they don't show up! I have made several posts with pictures and can't seem to get it work correctly. I wonder if anyone else is having problems.

We saw Ricky Skaggs in Concert!

2011-03-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

Carl and I went to a concert that last weekend. Ricky Skaggs was in town and he is considered the King of Bluegrass. We saw him last summer in Colorado so it was fun to see him again. I waited around and got his autograph and got an autographed picture for Grandma. It made her day!

Ben and Shanae are back in Arizona!

2011-03-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

Ben and Shanae have moved back to Arizona! They will be living with us in our new house for a while until they find a place to live. Shanae starts her job on Monday back where she used to work as a trainer. Ben is still job hunting but should find something soon. We are happy to see the girls and get to know them better. Saige has settled in nicely. She loves the park near our house and enjoys getting acquainted with Grandma and Papa's toy box. Maysa is a doll and we are all enjoying getting to hold her a lot. Liam has made a new friend and they seem to get along well. Grandma and Papa are in heaven.

Maysa's Blessing

2011-02-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

What a lovely day! We are in Idaho for baby Maysa's blessing. What a beautiful family! We are so glad we were able to come and share in this special family event Congratulations Ben and Shanae!

Grandma & Papa Meet Maysa!

2011-02-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally were able to get to Idaho to meet the newest member of the Lee family tree - Maysa Linea Lee! Grandma still had the touch. I put her right to sleep. We are excited to be here and give those long awaited hugs and kisses!

Hi Neice Nikki!

2011-02-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

As we were traveling up to Idaho to visit Ben and Shanae, we stopped in Ogden and had lunch with Nikki. It was great to visit with her and new our family bonds.

Super Bowl Party in the new house!

2011-02-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

We had a Super Bowl Party in the new house. A family friend, Ellen, Erin, Tony, Liam, Sarah, Hannah, Doug and Carl and I were in attendance. We had a wonderful time enjoying our new space and sharing our new home with the family. Go Green Bay! There was a friendly wager between Carl and Hannah. Hannah owes us dinner at Carver's~ Woohoo!

More pictres from the Amazing Marathon!

2011-01-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

Top picture is Doug after the finish line of the Marathon. Liam found some friends at the race! We all enjoyed cheering Doug on!

Doug Ran the Marathon!

2011-01-16T16:53:00.000-08:00

Today we cheered loudly as Doug approached the finish line of the P. F. Chang Marathon! He completed the 26.2 miles in 4 hours and 16 minutes! Better than he actually expected. Erin, Tony and Liam joined Carl and I near the finish line to watch for him and cheer him on! What a great accomplishment! We are so proud of him! More pictures to come.

Did you have your new year's feast?

2011-01-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

It is a southern tradition to have collard greens and black eyed peas for the meal on New Year's Day. My Grandma White would always call on New Year's Day to be sure we had some or she would bring some over to us. Collard greens for green bax and black eyed peas for good health. I added potatoes and corny cornbread to round out the meal. Gavin enjoyed the dinner with Carl and I.
Hope you all had your greens and peas to insure a healthy, wealthy new year!

Happy New Year! 2011

2011-01-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

We rang in the new year by partying hardy! We were invited to 3 parties! Doug and his friend cooked a whole pig for a pig pickin! That was our first stop. They did an awesome job with it. They researched it online and found a place to buy the pig and rent the spit to cook it on. It was wonderful and reminded us of NC! We then went over to a friend's house for dinner. We had a great Mexican feast! We scooted out a little while to drop off Birthday Greetings to our Stake President who was turning 40! We returned to Doug's and feasted on the pig - it was delicious! Then back to our friend's to play a friendly game of "Scum" and to ring in the new year! We were stuffed and ready for a good night's sleep by 1 am!
Happy New Year to All!

Carl really enjoys the kids!

2010-12-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

Carl enjoyed holding Eva's baby, Elizabeth, and Becca had to be in the shot! Cute!

Christmas time!

2010-12-29T21:48:00.000-08:00

My beautiful tree!

2010-12-29T21:42:00.000-08:00

I have become a little crazy about decorating these last few years! I found several rolls of the same paper design and got a giant spool of ribbon from Costco and wrapped everything in the same way! I even found reindeer gift tags! If you didn't know, I love reindeer! My tree was mostly reindeer ornaments and my decorations are mostly reindeer as well. I'm always on the lookout for another reindeer! By the way, our tree is a real tree - no artificial one for us!

Our Kids at Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T21:38:00.000-08:00

Well we had 5 out of 6 home for Christmas this year! Pretty handsome looking bunch if I say so myself! Ben and Shanae had a very good reason for missing this Christmas with us. They were expecting baby number 2 on the 27th! No traveling for them this year.

Christmas Day at our House!

2010-12-29T21:28:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the pictures from Christmas at our house. We kind of had Christmas in shifts throughout the day. Hannah wanted to come over early to open gifts - they never outgrow that early morning thing! We picked she and Sarah up about 10 and Erin and Tony and Liam arrived shortly after. Doug arrived after he worked the morning shift at the Lake. We opened gifts with them. How fun! We have kept our tradition of having Christmas Brunch with Kent and Jeanne and family. It was great! I made my breakfast casseroles - a ham one, a sausage one and a meat free one. Jeanne brought her famous cinnamon rolls and they disappeared quickly! We enjoy visiting and eating together on this special day! Eva came over with some of her kids to share with us as well. Paul stayed home with a couple of sick ones. It was wonderful to have the little ones around.

Debra's Birthday

2010-12-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

I am one of those lucky people who has a birthday in December! We celebrated on Sunday after my actual birthday because I was sick on my birthday:( I just stayed home and piddled around since it was my first day out for the holiday break! Sarah made me this lovely lavender tiered cinnamon cake for my birthday! It was delicious! Liam helped me blow out the candles!

2010-12-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

Temple lights!

2010-12-21T16:34:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, we went to the Mesa Arizona Temple Lights with Erin & Tony to celebrate Tony's birthday. It was so beautiful. Here are a few pictures.

Mesa Temple Lights

2010-12-21T16:34:00.000-08:00

Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival!

2010-11-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

A week ago we went to the Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival for the afternoon. Erin and Liam joined us. We had a great time! This is the Blue Canyon Boys Band that I saw in Crested Butte this summer. We have enjoyed their music so we bought 2 more of their CDs. Liam had a great time running around and playing in the dirt! One of the band members got right down in the dirt with him. It's a wonderful atmosphere and very fun music to listen to. You can't help but be happy and bounce around to the music so it was a nice way to get away from the sadness of my week.

Life is too short!

2010-11-12T08:41:00.000-08:00

Life is way too short! I have been a visiting teacher for a dear friend for ten years. She passed away about 18 months ago. Her daughter had come to take care of her the last six months or so of her life. The daughter, Mary, decided to stay and bought a house next to her Dad to take care of him. She had been in breast cancer remission for 7 years but started having some knee pain. It was discovered that she had bone cancer. The doctors replaced her knee and she had chemo treatments. As she was doing physical therapy, something happened to her knee and she had to have a second replacement. During her rehabilitation after the second surgery, she fell and broke her hip. They discovered that the cancer had spread to the brain. She has been going through hours of radiation and chemo treatments for the past couple of months. Wednesday night she was taken into the hospital because she had developed pneumonia. I spent most of the day and evening with her in the ICU yesterday as she really struggled to take every breath. Her children were all gathering from afar. Her son did not arrive before she passed away last night about 10:30. I will miss her! She battled so hard for the last 8 months or so. She just wanted her children to be in a good place and happy and her Dad to be cared for. Her Dad has had several mini strokes over the last few months but I know he has been hanging on until she was gone. He was the strong arm and always there to take her to her appointments and just be with her. Life is so fragile and short. Praise every day you are alive and live it to the fullest. Cherish your family and forgive others. I am sad but I know she is with her mother and she is not suffering anymore.

2010-11-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Our Weekend in Tucson!

2010-11-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

Carl and I left on Friday afternoon to drive down to Tucson for the weekend. Ben arranged our hotel and we stayed in the Starr Pass Resort. What a beautiful place! We were in the foothills of a beautiful mountain area near a swanky golf course and development. We went to dinner at the Catalina Barbeque Restuarant. Yummy! The University of Utah basketball players were there for a game or something. They were all so tall! Saturday we went to the Arizona Bluegrass Festival. 111rd Tyme Out, one of Carl's particular favorite bands, was there. They performed twice that day.This is us with the band members. Two of them are from North Carolina so we had a wonderful visit after the show. It was a beautiful day - breezy and sunny and not too hot. We were at an outdoor amphitheatre at the Casino. It was a perfect place for a concert. We sat pretty close and enjoyed the performances. Carl attended a mandolin workshop while I attended an autoharp workshop. I may join a club in Phoenix. It was fun!

Eva's New Baby Girl!

2010-10-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

We finally took time to go and visit Eva's family to see the new baby girl, Elizabeth Ann. She is a cutie! We had a tour of their new home as well. It is closer to us and in a nicer neighborhood. They needed the five bedrooms with 7 kids now! We had a lovely visit.

How do you like me as a Blonde?

2010-10-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

I had lots of compliments on my blonde do. My kids in my class were very scared to come into class when they saw me. They were fine once they realized it was the same Mrs. Lee just new hair! It was spirit week at school for Homecoming and it was celebrity day. I dressed up as Hannah Montana, with the wig, a microphone headset and a cool sparkly shirt that I picked up. It was fun. I borrowed the wig from a friend who is going through cancer treatment so it's a real hair wig. Carl didn't care very much for it - he prefers me as a brunette! It was fun to see the reaction of people. What do you think? Comments please!

Doug's Birthday Picture!

2010-10-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we now have 3 children in their 30's! That's hard to say! Well, Doug turned 30 on the 2nd and we gathered for a birthday celebration. Erin made a lovely chocolate cake for him. Happy Birthday Dougie!

Four Corners Folk Festival in Pagosa Springs, CO

2010-09-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

Carl and I took a couple extra days and drove to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, for Labor Day. We went to the Four Corners Folk Festival. It
was wonderful. Weather was great! We saw Ricky Skaggs and Sam Bush, a couple of Carl's particular favorites. We sat out in the sun most of the day and listened and then headed inside the tent when our favorites were on. What a fun way to spend a weekend with my honey!

Bear Print by stream they were fishing!

2010-09-29T19:29:00.001-07:00

Carl's fish

2010-09-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Ben's Fish

2010-09-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

Doug's fish

2010-09-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

Dad and the boys

2010-09-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

Carl and the boys went for a hike/fishing trip to Yellowstone Park. This was just where they were getting ready to ascend the 8 mile trail into Grizzily Bear Country. I was a bit nervous while they were gone but they had a great time and caught some amazing fish as they said. I will post a few pictures so you can see the neat fish they caught. Carl had been so anxious and excited about getting to do this adventure with his boys. It was well worth my loneliness to see him have such a wonderful time with his boys.

Side view!

2010-08-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

I really stepped out of my comfort zone this time. If you can't tell they are kind of a copper color with marbled plastic arms. I got rectangular frames this time. I have almost always gotten the ovalish looking ones. I'm styling! Don't you think?

New Specs!

2010-08-31T16:41:00.000-07:00

I got new spectacles. I wanted to get blingy ones but found these that I really liked. Here's the front view. Check out the side view.
What do you think?

Blessings!

2010-08-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well, this first full week with my new class has been quite the week! I had one crier who settled in nicely after just two days. I have one who continually cries for mom or dad off and on all day but it is finally getting better. However, after I explain what Friday was like, next week may be different!

On Friday, we had a real emergency evacuation! I won't go into all the details but we had a bomb scare and were evacuated to our church across the street. I was glad to be a Mormon and have the church available so close. A member of our ward works for the district and had access to a church key. He came and let about 500 or so people into the building out of the 108 temps! I was glad that the members that were close came to bring needed water. I was glad that Carl was so close and available to come and be with me and help out others in the building during our long (10 am to 2 pm) stay at the building. I was able to get my preschoolers safely in the Nursery Room, with a small potty, toys and water available. I got into a cupboard and got cups and pitchers from the kitchen to have water for my class. Carl had library keys and I got a TV with video and a parent brought us a Disney Movie. A parent was able to get crackers to us and Carl was able to stop at McDonald's and bring Chicken Nuggets and hamburgers for my class. As I said it was a scare and no one was injured. There were a few that suffered heat issues because the other area of evacuation was outside longer than we were.

I am so grateful and feel truly blessed to be a Mormon and know that I have people who will help in a crisis. I am so grateful that Carl was able to help me and my class specifically. I am so grateful that no one was hurt seriously and that our school is safe. I definitely have many blessings in my life!

Carl's New Toy!

2010-08-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

Carl got a new toy! A Pontoon boat for fishing the lakes. He's had it for a while but it had to be put together and he's just not much for that sort of stuff. He finally decided to just get it done so Saturday he kept pushing until it was finished. Of course, he had to try it out! Our pool was the perfect wet spot! It's almost as big as our pool!

Stressed about Change!

2010-08-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

Change is good - Right? Well, I think I am in for a wild ride this year. I have been working in the COOP for 15 years and have had a wonderful experience for the majority of the time. I have been privileged to have great coworkers who really were easy to get along with and made my job so enjoyable. This year is full of changes. I have a new director and part time person to work with. They seem nice but there are a lot of challenging changes that are going along with this new year. I am feeling less excited about the new year and more anxious than I have ever felt about my job. I have always looked forward to the little ones starting school and feel privileged to be able teach them and watch them grow. I'm worried and nervous more than ever before. Please keep me in your prayers.

Carl and I have had a wonderful summer and I am feeling today like I would really like to take off again!

Dean Dillon Concert!

2010-07-31T20:33:00.000-07:00

For our date night, we went to a Barbeque dinner and concert. Dean Dillon was the feature. He is a famous songwriter who has written many songs for George Strait and Kenny Chesney. You will recognize some them - "She let herself Go" and "I would have done it different". He lives in Crested Butte several months of the year and we were lucky enough to get to see him in concert here in Lake City. It was an awesome date night except for the drizzling rain. We had to watch most of the concert from a covered patio area. Still fun!

Fourteeners!

2010-07-31T20:26:00.000-07:00

These are the FOURTEENERS! Mountains in the San Juan Mountain Range that are more than 14,000 feet! They are awesome! We have been seeing them everyday for the last week since we have been staying in Lake City. We have sure enjoyed our vacation here.

Moose!

2010-07-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

As we were rounding a curve up the mountain, what did we see on the side of the road - a moose! We were almost past it when we realized what it was. We backed up and got this great picture! There are supposed to be lots of them here so we hope to see more.

Our summer Vacation!

2010-07-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

We are making our final trip of the summer before I start back to school. We are in Colorado and just loving the cooler weather! Colorado is so green and beautiful. We are staying in Lake City. We've never stayed here before. We've always stayed in Almont but nothing was available this year. We are only about an hour away from there though so we plan on a couple of day trips there. I especially am looking forward to going to Crested Butte on Saturday for the Arts Festival. It's always one of my favorite things to do there. The vendors have the neatest treasures for sale. Of course, Carl is fishing and loving the scenery. (By the way, like my new shorter haircut?)

New Bedding?

2010-07-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

Carl and I got a new bedroom set last year but have been looking for the right bedding set. I wanted something in a pretty blue/green color. I have been so frustrated trying to find something that we both could agree on. Carl, of course, kept saying he thought Camo would be great. No way! Just doesn't go with this style of bedroom. You think! Well, I found this one that I thought would be a good compromise and I could accent with the blue color around the room. Well, he didn't like it at all! I was really frustrated then. So I passed it on to Carl's mom who was very happy with it. The bedset below is one that I found today that I just really loved. It was the same price as the other set! Carl finally liked something I picked out. Hopefully we can be happy with this one. What do you think?

This is the one!

2010-07-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is the one we finally agreed on!

Hannah's Ready for School!

2010-07-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hannah got a great deal on a scooter that she can ride to school. She is all set to start at GCC in just a couple of weeks - schedule, books, and new school clothes. She is set! She's really excited to get started. Way to go Hannah!

Eva's family less Emma.

2010-07-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Eva's family came over for Grandma's birthday. Emma was not with them, she was on a trip with her uncle. Grandma sure had a great time seeing them and visiting with the kids. Eva is due to have number 7 in a just a couple of weeks. Wow! What a great bunch.

Grandma turns 76!

2010-07-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today was Grandma's 76th Birthday. She requested Banana Pudding for her birthday so, of course, that's what I made for her. We invited our kids and Kent's kids over. Kent and Jeanne were out of town. Erin and Doug came as well as Eva and her family and Trent and Jennan. We had a lovely visit with all of them. Grandma was very happy to see everyone and visit.

Happy Birthday Erin!

2010-07-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

Erin turns 24 this year! Wow! Is she old! I can't believe our 5th baby girl is already 24. My - how time flies when you are having fun!

Trent's home from his mission!

2010-07-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

Trent has returned from his mission in Canada Montreal Haitian Creole Speaking Mission. There was an open house last Sunday at Kent and Jeanne's home. It was so great to visit together. He looks great and what a big testimony he has of the gospel. His talk in Sacrament Meeting was powerful for sure! Welcome Back Trent!

Rexburg Temple

2010-07-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Carl and I got up early on Wednesday to do a session at the Rexburg Temple. It was beautiful! It was a lovely experience for us to do together. We try to take our temple clothes and go to as many temples as we can when we travel. What a blessing!

Cave Falls

2010-07-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Cave Falls in Yellowstone Park

2010-07-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Closed due to Carcass/Bear Activity!

2010-07-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

The trailhead that the guys were taking to get to the Cave Falls to fish was posted with a sign that said "Closed - Carcass /Bear Activity"! We were nervous to go down this trail but made a lot of noise and only went a short way down so they could get to the river to fish. Shanae and I went back to the truck with Saige and worried about the guys. After about 3 hours, we hiked back down to where we left them and called out " Go away Bears" and made lots of noise (Remind anyone of the "Parent Trap"?). Fortunately they were ready to go and we got out of there quickly. It was a good day for the guys and we were all happy to get back to the truck without seeing a bear - except for Carl - he really wants to have a bear encounter.

Saige's Playpen - Papa's Truck!

2010-07-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

Wednesday we all took the afternoon to drive up to the corner of Yellowstone Park for the guys to fish. Shanae and I tried our best to keep Saige entertained and happy. It finally occurred to me to put the quilt in the back of the truck bed and put her toys there. She loved it and it kept her from putting the rocks and sticks in her mouth. Isn't she a cutie!

Feeding the Bears!

2010-07-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Bear Cubs at Bear World

2010-07-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Grizzly Bear at Bear World!

2010-07-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

2010-07-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is a moose we saw at Yellowstone Bear World. It was cool to get up so close! The next pictures are from our day there.

Idaho Falls Fireworks!

2010-07-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

In Idaho Falls every year there is a fabulous fireworks display. We walked the streets along the falls by the Idaho Falls Temple where there were street vendors with all kinds of food and trinkets. The Russells, Shanae's folks, had staked out a spot close to the river where we could sit and watch. Great show!

2010-07-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Ben's awesome Fish!

2010-07-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

Of course, there was a lake, Lake Alduous, at the end of our hike and the guys had to fish! Ben's first cast was the best of the day. He caught this beautiful cutthroat. Shanae's sister and other relatives were there also with their kids and everyone was fishing. There were only a few fish actually caught but we saw lots of them in the water. It was a lovely day for a hike and fishing!