I've got an ATTITUDE... of GRATITUDE!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

An Attitude Of Gratitude
An attitude of gratitude
Should be striven for each day.
This feeling of thanksgiving
Is God’s chosen way.

For everything you are grateful for
Will increase one hundred fold.
And within a humble heart
God turns wishes into gold.

For everyday I seem to understand
My gratitude increases,
So do joy and happiness
While despair and pain decreases.

God loves a merry heart,
And He loves the humble, too.
He continues to send His blessings.
Now my troubles seem so few.

An attitude of gratitude
Has filled my heart with joy.
I feel such love and happiness,
My life I now enjoy.
~ Author Unknown ~

I have had so much emotion and gratitude in my heart lately that I felt I should put my thoughts in writing.

So here it goes!
This has been a tough year on me mentally. I have allowed myself to worry more than usual, especially the last few months. I have worried about Brit beginning her new “college girl life” and struggling to find the right fit at ASU and wondering if she made the right choices there. I have also been so concerned about the status of our wonderful country, and the economy and how it has affected our cabinet business. I have had more sleepless nights than normal, and yet I have felt this OVERWHELMING sense of GRATITUDE. I have found myself thanking Heavenly Father for so soo many blessings in my life. There are so many things, small things that I am grateful for on a daily basis such as SMiLES from people, CHiLDREN and their innocence, EXAMPLES of goodness can be found in so many places, and there are people that love and accept me everyday. I am so blessed with AWESOME FAMILY and FRIENDS, a comfortable HOME, and everday convieninces that make life more enjoyable. I could make a list of more than 100 simple things I am grateful for but I want to focus today on the BIG ones, the OBVIOUS ones, the ones that really get me through this life. I am going to limit it to my “TOP 3”

THE GOSPEL
KIRT
BRIT

First I am GRATEFUL for the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ. I am so blessed to have been given the knowledge I have and for the opportunities and blessing I am given through being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. I am GRATEFUL for the plan of Salvation, for my SAVIOR and his example that has been given to me to follow. I feel his LOVE in my life on a daily basis. I am GRATEFUL for the opportunities I have to love and serve others. I am GRATEFUL for great leaders who teach and direct my paths for good. I am GRATEFUL for the scriptures that I can gain knowledge and strength and direction from. I KNOW I have a HEAVENLY FATHER who loves me, protects me, and blesses me daily. This has actually been the biggest source of comfort in my life. I actually FEEL his love, and it is amazing to me that at times when things are hardest in my life is when I feel His love so overwhelmingly! WOW!

I am Blessed.

I am GRATEFUL for my SMALL but HUGE family! KJBpete. (our e-mail) KJBproperties (one of our businesses) KIRT JILL BRIT. That is US! Although we are a family of just 3, we share a bond that is beyond comprehension. Heavenly Father gave us the challenge of Britney being an only child because we have been able to take it and make the very best of it and I know that it has blessed and strengthened each one of our lives. I love that we don’t need to reserve just Monday nights for Family Night, but we can, and often do have “Family Night” several times a week. I am GRATEFUL that this year Brit actually has an easier schedule than in High School. While she enjoys dating and her friends on the weekends, she actually spends many weeknights at home with her parents and we share so many GOOD times. We have some great times around the dinner table or watching movies! I am GRATEFUL for all of the LAUGHS that we have, the SECRETS that we share, and our abilities to WORK TOGETHER and help one another fulfill our needs. I am GRATEFUL that we can be BEST FRIENDS. Britney has told me that her parents are her BEST FRIENDS.

WOW.

For that I am GRATEFUL!

KIRT is the most wonderful, AMAZING man I know. I am GRATEFUL for the love and respect he shows me. He would do ANYTHING for me, and does so everyday. He is always by my side and helps and supports me with EVERYTHING! I am GRATEFUL that Kirt has accepted the fact that one thing about me will never change… and that is that “I LIKE THINGS A CERTAIN WAY” (ya-I am picky). He doesn’t always try to understand it; he just does his best to help me with whatever he can and wants me to be happy! I am GRATEFUL for his tenderness and sensitivity toward others. I never hear him speak ill of anyone. I am GRATEFUL for the added opportunities that have come into our lives since Brit has grown up such as our “old folk” trips to our cottage in Lakeside and more times together in an “empty house” (less teenagers around). I actually look forward to growing old with this man!

THANKS KIRT!

I LOVE YOU!

This is why I am GRATEFUL for my child…
BRITNEY jean Petersen absolutely AMAZES me everyday! I couldn’t have asked for a more OBEDIENT child. She is so close to her heavenly Father, she doesn’t care what people think of her, and she just tries to be the best she can be. I appreciate that for an only child she is soo NOT spoiled! She never asks for or expects anything; in fact she is always looking out for those less fortunate than her…THEREFORE… I am GRATEFUL that I “GET” to spoil her when I WANT TO! ha-ha One thing that I appreciate about her right now is that she has learned how to tell me when I am wrong in a way I can accept it and use it to my benefit. (maybe it’s called growing up but she used to make me soo mad when she tried to correct me!) I am GRATEFUL for our late night talks and advice sessions. I am GRATEFUL for our shopping trips, salon visits, and a few “secret” guilty pleasures that we enjoy! : )

THANKS BRIT!

I LOVE YOU!

WOW! I am so blessed. I love this time of year. I love to feel GRATITUDE in my heart.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Tagged....

So I guess how this works is I'm supposed to write 2-7 random facts about me. So I chose some things that many people probably don’t know about me. Then I tag a few more lucky victims....

1) I worked for “Fashion Gal” (lala….get into fashion… get into fashion gal…lala) from 1981-1991. I was managing 2 of their stores and about 60 employees when I left and had trained most of the other managers in the 8 other valley stores. I loved merchandising. I would move 800 lb. jean racks all over the sales floor, and set up lots of displays. I learned a lot in those 10 years. It was a great life experience for me. Do I miss it? Absolutely NOT! Retail is not always fun and having to go down to the store at 3AM because the alarm was set off is something I could never miss. But the experiences there made me a better person.

2) Staying on the fashion line, I was always known as “miss accessory” in my younger days in high school. I always had the purse, watch, etc. that matched my outfits. Come to think of it, Brit’s friends always compliment me on my accessories to this day. I guess that wore off a little on Britney too as she gets into the accessory a bit also. We now can share some accessories.

3) I grew up in Parker, AZ., a small town on the Colorado River near Lake Havasu. I loved it! Many Arizonans don’t know much about Parker, but we would get tons of people on the weekends from California beach cities to go boating and floating on the Colorado as it was a little resort area. In the summer I lived in my swimsuit and we loved floating the river. My first kiss happened there…haha . I moved to Mesa when I was 15.

4) I married my high school sweetheart. An interesting fact about us is that he was able to serve an honorable full time mission and still be married 3 months before his 21st birthday. How is that possible? Well he left the day after turned 19 and he served during the short 3 year period that missions were only 18 months! We got married 3 months after he got home. I am sorry to his parents for all the worry we put them through as we were pretty serious in High School. But we were destined to be together and it all worked out! YAY!

5) OK this one is a little weird and Kirt and Brit are the only ones who know this and they make fun of me but I am confessing… I have this extra sensory perception thing that causes me to feel pain in my body when I see others get hurt physically. Seriously! That is why I don’t like watching violent movies (but I love scary ones) or fighting scenes. And growing up, fights at school absolutely terrified me! I could never stand in the circle to watch. Some movie previews can be the absolute worst. It is a REAL thing for me. It’s like someone has a voodoo doll of me and is poking it. I DON”T LIKE TO SEE PAIN HAPPEN! Even if it is in a fictional scene of a movie. Remember the movie Home Alone? Well ya, that one was hard on me when he gets back at the robbers! AM I weird or does anyone else experience this?

6) In 3rd grade my best friend (who happened to be a boy…David Shephardson) and I got sent to the principles office and got a good paddle on the bottom with one of those big wooden paddles. WHY? You ask? For showing each other our underwear! Haha Each day we would show a very small piece of our underwear from the top of our pants to each other. Then we would bat our eyes at each other and giggle. OK it really was pretty innocent! But we got caught and therefore to the principles office. I would take a paddle (which really did hurt!) for that underwear experience any day. David and I remained best friends until after I moved to Mesa . In fact I may have to look him up again in Utah and reminisce about those days!

OK THAT’S IT! I NOW TAG Hmmmmm Amelia, Gail, Lori, Kenzie, and Tracy!

I still LOVE Halloween, after all!

It's all OK! I have discovered that....

I still love Halloween, after all!

This year I was beginning to worry that I no longer enjoy Halloween.

I didn't put up decorations.
I bought pumpkins but we didn't carve them.
I didn't buy candy.
I didn't make any plans for fun.
I didn't buy my fun dinner items.

Hmmm...

What was wrong with me?

So October 31st came.

...and...

That is when it hit me!

YAY! It's HALLOWEEN!

i like halloween :)

...SO...

I Bought candy on my way to work.

I bought cute pumkin bread bowls after work.

I put my pumkins and scary witch on my porch.

I got invited to a party and yes! I will go!

Britney invited friends over to get ready for their parties.

I got to help with hair, make-up , and costumes.

I still felt like a "MOM".

My baby isnt too old to dress up.

In fact this was one of her favorite years

with lots of fun parties to go to.

We had so much fun!

.

The cat, Tinkerbelle, and the Witch!

I made my chili and served it in fun pumkin bread bowls.

Ahem...

[Mine looked much better than this mock picture haha]

It was YUMMY!

We passed out candy during all this.

I just love seeing the cute kiddies in costumes, and I especially like the very polite ones who thank us for candy.

(Good job parents! There was quite a few)

After we got the girls off, Kirt and I scrambled for costumes. Kirt found a very cool "afro wig" and I put my favorite scorpion tattoos on my chest and arm along with some wild hair and Amy Winehouse type make-up, and we headed out. We went and saw our fun nieces and nephews cute kids and went to Adam & Kelsies party at their new home. It was fun to get out with Kirt and have a SPOOKTACULAR time. (haha ya corny)

So I guess I still pulled HALLOWEEN off somewhat...

I didn't get enough good pics though...

.

.

...and my Christmas decorations are

going up within the next two weeks.

This year I will be READY!

Can't wait til CHRISTMAS!

Thinking...

Today’s Thoughts…
ABC style…

ANGER does no good

BLESSINGS are ABUNDANT

CHOOSE to be HAPPY

DEPEND on YOURSELF and the LORD

EVERYTHING [happens] for a reason

FINISH what you started

GLAD the election is over

HOLDING on to HOPE

IBUPROPHIN will help a headache

JOY is a wonderful thing

KINDNESS is never WASTED

LIVE*LOVE*LAUGH

MUCH can be done!

NOBODY is perfect

OPPORTUNITY is everywhere

PEACE.POSITIVE.PURE.PRECIOUS.(good things)

QUALITY time is QUITE good :)

RESPECT Others

SEEK INSPIRATION and SMiLE :)

TAKE TEN when you need it

UNDERSTANDING helps

VOLUNTEER yourself

WISH WISELY upon a star

X-TRA effort usually pays off

YELLOW is a happy color

ZEBRA prints ROCK!!!

the end.

R E D ...S O F A

P A R T Y!

Last November we purchased my dream sofa. It was RED. It was COMFORTABLE. It just fit in my cozy little family room. I love it. That is when the RED SOFA PARTIES began.

What is a red sofa party?

It's pretty simple.

The Petersen's home. Good company. Converstion. TV (always on DVR), GAME, or MOVIE. (If we feel like it, we will watch and laugh (LOL) at goofy commercials. Now that is an experience to have with Brit!) Maybe a snack. ...and THE RED SOFA. If you havn't experienced it yet I hope you will JOIN us sometime!

YAY!

Tonight is the night!
S U N S
Season begins.

NASH
AMARE
SHAQ
BELL
HILL
BARBOSA

Mmhmmm

Let the RED SOFA PARTIES begin!

This is one thing that Kirt and I enjoy so much together. We share season tickets with my sister so we get to go to half the home games each season. We have done this for about 10 years now. But… my LOVE for the Suns began long before that. When I was a young girl, I didn’t have much interest in sports. Period. Then I met this awesome boy who played and loved many sports so I began to take an interest. When I married Kirt, I got some advice that has stuck with me and in fact I usually pass this on to newlyweds because I strongly believe in it.

What is it???

LEARN TO DEVELOP AND SHARE THE SAME INTERESTS!

So that meant that I better learn to love sports! I remember watching NFL football with Kirt after we were first married. I learned a lot about the game and began to like it. At the time I didn’t quite get the SUNS thing yet, but it didn’t take long. Kirt had been a SUNS fan his whole life! By the 90’s, it kicked in for me. BIG. I mean REALLY BIG! The days of Cotton Fitzsimmons, KJ, Tom Chambers. WOW. Not too many people knew this about me but I followed it daily. I would surprise people by whipping out every stat available. I knew my stuff. I taped the games and didn’t miss them for anything! OK so now, currently, I’m not to that extreme. I just love to watch the games. We go to about every other home game and the others we Record and have RED SOFA PARTIES! I love that we can watch the games in about an hour by forwarding commercials and time outs, or we can rewind, rewind again, and watch just one more time those awesome plays that only you get in basketball! Tomorrow is the home opener. We took last years Jan will go this year. But you know where Kirt and I will be sometime Thursday night. YUP! the red sofa. Britney gets to go to the game curtesy of a date. YAY for her.

Looking forward to another fun filled season!!

OK a few fun tidbits...

Favorite ALL time players (20 years)

Majerle

Nash

KJ

Tom Chambers

Currently still enjoying Nash play and now Majerle coach. Love the moves of Amare. Bell rings my Bell haha (and especially Brit's!) Always loved Marion. I could miss him if I allowed it. Not a Barkley fan NOW although yes I was especially in 92-96. My biggest pleasure as a suns fan is to see Lakers or Spurs LOSE! When Shaq first came to Phx. I loved watching him on the bench being coached Suns style. He would intently take it all in, and showed respect for the team. Now he fits. Hope he has a good year. I love to see players get excited for their teamates accomplishments. I love to see them all jump up off the bench when an exciting play happens! I love their "warm up circle" and team unity.

I love the suns. : )

Happy Happy Birthday

J A M E S !!!

I want to wish James a

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

and let him know how GRATEFUL I am

to know him and that he is such a

BIG part of our Lives!!!.

Here are some reasons why...

When I first met James he was coming to Arizona on the weekends (from Utah where he lived) and we would do fun weekend stuff (the improv with James is truly a Joyous experience!) We would also spend Sundays together having dinner and just CHILLIN. He had just become the LOVE of April's life and we soon saw why! From the first moments I spent with James I immediately felt comfortable! (which for me isn't always easy) He would always help me in the kitchen, and having a meal with James is always a WONDERFUL experience because of his ADMIRATION for food! (hee hee) After dinner we would literally spend hours just talking and chilling. He is so fun and easy to talk to. He gets so excited about LIFE. His enthusiasm for family and church is something I admire about him the most! I love that he loves April...SOOO MUCH!!

Together they are soo fun to be around.

Here is a sequence one Sunday when we broke a glass...April stepped on glass...April got a cut...James takes care of April with a band aid...

...AND LOTS OF LOVE!!!

OH! how i miss those days!

We now reserve these times for holidays and an occational vacation or get away.

This guy is FUN, CHARMING, CONSIDERATE, HELPFUL, GENUINE, SMART, (and sooo much more GOOD stuff)
and I love him to pieces!!!


He Loves Life.
his wife.
family.
the gospel.
(and sooo much more good stuff)


I grow to ADORE James more and more as time goes by. Recently, at our Webster reunion I kept thinking what an AMAZING guy he is, and I can ALWAYS find more GOOD in him!

Sometimes James sends silly pictue texts!!!

After wanting a tough Boxer dog so badly, he fell in love with our dog Pete and now he and April Have Pete's counterpart... Lucy [Loo Loo Loo]!

They both love James too!!!

"PETE POPCORN PETERSEN"

"LUCY LOO LOO LOO ATTANASIO"

JAMES! come to Arizona soon!

I miss you!

Actually, this got me thinking that I might come to Utah SOON!!

Hope you enjoyed your Birthday! and remember your family in Arizona thinks of you often and LOVE you!!!

My mom just turned 80!

In honor of her and all she has accomplished in her life I want to share something I wrote about her. Those who know her will enjoy reading this. If you don't know her, well, it may be LONG but...

This tells what a truly WONDERFUL lady she is!!

She really has made a difference in many lives... and what an example she is...

and here is why!

..........................

STORY:

“WHO I AM MAKES A DIFFERENCE”
I’d like to share a personal example of someone who makes a difference in my life. As I often do this time of year around Thanksgiving time, I ponder on the many blessings I am grateful for, and I think of this person. This person makes me want to be a better person. She reminds me of my Savior Jesus Christ, because I know nobody who is a better citizen or more Christ like than her. Her example has been a great influence on me. I have said “When I grow up I want to be just like my mom.” I feel like I am still waiting to grow up because I know I have so far to go, but I am thankful for her example. I know that she has influenced numerous people and her community for good.

.................

**She taught school for many years. I observed her go well beyond the expectations of a teacher. Although she has been given many honors and awards, her greatest honor is in seeing the influence she had on people. She supervised student council for many years. Today, after decades of service, the Gilbert public schools has a “Student council seminar day” named after her. She has a particular group of 4 student council officers that she worked with more than 20 years ago. She has had the opportunity of going through the Temple with them, and writing to them on missions. They still visit her in her home, and now bring their children. These past students are ones who now, also make a difference in their communities. I know my mother had an influence on them.

....................

**She served the youth of the church for 40+ years straight. She took in her home many troubled teens in past years. In fact I can hardly remember a time growing up that we didn't have someone living in our home, wether it be an abused spouse, a troubled teen, or someone just needing a helping hand in life. Our door was always open and we always had a bed to spare. She was nearly 70 the last year she went to girls camp. At the age of 73 she directed the roadshow. She’s kind of like the energizer bunny… she just keeps going...and going...and goooingg!!!

.........................


**One of my mother’s neighbors was an elderly woman named Pearl. While Pearl was in her 90's, my mother would see that meals were taken in to Pearl daily, otherwise Pearl wouldn’t eat. She saw that Christmas lights got put on Pearls home each year, this made Pearl happy. She saw that the 2 cars that sat in Pearls driveway for over 20 years without being driven got washed occasionally. She was a listening ear for Pearl. She checked in on her often. Our family would invite Pearl to family gatherings and a highlight of Pearls was a visit from our family on Christmas eve. Pearl saw her 100th Birthday before passing away.

Mom, of course threw the

P A R T Y!

.........................

.
.

**My mother is known for her picture taking. But she doesn’t necessarily do it for her own benefit, she does this for others. She spends much time at her “scrap booking” station in her home. Of course Gilbert schools have many books she’s done. For years, her 6 children received a set of pages each month with pictures of family gatherings or special events we’ve attended. She not only does this for her children but she will usually send a page to someone whose party, reception or other honor she has attended.

.........................

.

.

**She has made Family heirloom books for both sides of her family with old treasured pictures, stories etc... She has held an annual "Backyard Bash" every february in the last 15 years to honor my dad on his birthday since he passed away. This brings together my daddy's family and many old and dear friends. She always has well over 100 in attendance. She is the "highlight" of the annual Clegg reunion each summer. So many grand nieces and nephews are EXCITED to spend time with Aunt Jean!

[Mom with a great nephew and his son at the Clegg reunion]

YUP! She dresses up in her "piggy" gear and plays her accordian for the traditional parade. She plays piano and accordian BY EAR. That means NO READING MUSIC. You hum her a tune and she will play it with accompaniment! AMAZING...

....................

.

**OK lets talk about CARDS…

she sends at least 1-2 Birthday, or other occation cards each day. That is hundred’s of cards a year!

REALLY! NO EXAGERATION!
This is one thing she does that comes with many happy returns. She has received some wonderful letters back saying… I got that on just the day I needed to hear your message, or telling her what a great influence she is. And you better have a little extra time to read her annual Holiday letter cuz it isn't short. hahah! I think that list is also well into the hundreds! ;)

......................

*** May I add that several of her grandchildren that went to Mesa High could be found at her house with their friends at lunch time. They know that her door is “always open”. Many of her grandchildren just want their friends to meet her cuz she is just so “COOL” . She has got a fun sense of humor and they arn't afraid to say anything to her. She understands and accepts teenagers! WOW!

AWwwww... My MOMMY and my BABY

............................
This is why I proudly honor my mother…

I could go on and on even more but we all get the point.
She makes a difference for the good and touches lives whether it be in her community, at church, with a neighbor, family or friends. She has given so much and I am grateful for her example.

We had a Birthday party for her last week. Over 300 people came. (This was even during presidential debate #2 -haha)

She LOVED it!

Momma always loves a

P A R T Y

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

I LOVE YOU!!!

"Brit's HoMeCoMiNg

return to Mt. View"

one last chance to cheer...

Britney got to go back to Mt. View on friday and cheer the 3rd quarter of the Homecoming game. She had sooo much fun. Earlier that day she freaked out a little thinking she forgot some the cheers and dirt routines but she was right on with it at the game. I didn't even see any mess ups. Nice to know she still has it :) One of the poms on the sideline took some pics and video at the game... check it out!

Her senior year produced great memories and the opportunity to win State and National titles. Here is a picture of Brit returning to cheer her last game as now an alumni. She captured this memory with a picture in the gym with the banners above showing the great accomplishments!

check out the BANNERS!

...and BRiT!

It was fun for Kirt & I to go back to a game!

Oh how I miss that.

PETE

{POPCORN}

PETERSEN!

PETE wants a TREAT!

Random! I Know! But Pete wanted to make the blog today. This was take one and he can do much better but he still ROCKS for a dog who thinks he is human! Pete is sooo disciplined that he would hold that biscuit on his nose for ten minutes! He is just waiting for the "magic" words. WHAT ARE THE MAGIC WORDS?!!!

[good boy!]

UGH! I hate my voice in this. Silly me.

NOW playing

or

coming SOON

"PERFECTify"

Kari's wedding

Cameron's homecoming

General Conference

"THE cottage"

MoM turns "80"

Richard has a Birthday

PETE gets groomed

"AT the OFFICE"

April and James play house...NEW HOUSE!!!

I {heart} SUNDAYS

BRiT :sHaKeS: things UP!!

VISION boards

Closets and cupboards

SUNS time!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

OH! and i love my FAMiLY!

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

stay tuned...

Today I am GRATEFUL for
TEXT - ing

At the age of forty something, I have finally gotten pretty good at this thing called texting. I also kinda “get it” I used to think that texting was ridiculous. I mean, why would someone want to fiddle with their fingers and stare into a little screen as a form of communication? A waste of time. How NOT to communicate really. Do teenagers really know how to hold a proper conversation on the phone? And how annoying is it to try to get someone’s attention when they are distracted by the TEXT? While most of those things can be true at times, I myself have found JOY in texting!

Here are some of the reasons why…

I really can communicate with someone and do something totally productive at the same time!

I can let loved ones know that I am thinking of them and “I LOVE THEM” right when the moment hits me! I can send Holiday greetings to ALL of my loved ones all at once. I can send good luck or birthday wishes. We can share pictures, videos, and JOKES! I have even invited 50 plus peeps to a party at my house!!

I can tell APRiL at any moment that “I wish I was in Utah with you right now” or we can swap pictures of our beloved dogs! Or send silly videos of wild shopping adventures, or give an opinion on which one to choose, or just to brag about the things we love that can only be found in UTAH Orrrrr ARIZONA!

And I can see them progress in putting together their new home, like pictures of James painting! and {inside jokes} can be the best!

From my nieces and nephews I can see silly videos of them doing the frog walk on the beach or at Disneyland. They send me cute pics of their kiddos or the best is when they send one with details of their "brand new" baby in the hospital! I also get funny holiday greetings through text or the Gooooo Suns on game days! and I like to RANDOMLY tell them how SPECIAL they are!

With my sister I share inside jokes, special moments when they happen or we even get away with making snide remarks followed by HA HAH! The best is when we ask the question “Are you OK?" ...Just thinking about you a lot today”!!

Britney isn’t the only one to call me mom either. Through text, Brits friends will let me know they are thinking of me. “I miss you MOM” from Tessa. “Will you officially adopt me” from Natalie and “happy moms day” or “can I come early to help you get ready for the party” from Kara! Sometimes they just tell me they love me or Brit is blessed to have me for a mom : ) (kinda my fav) And they all know I will find their mischievous adventures intriguing so they keep me in the loop on their happenings!

My dear friend Amy lives a little too far into Gilbert to see her often enough and we know talking on the phone can get into the hours which we don’t have enough time in the day for so we have resorted to texting. The only problem with this is she can text books (her keyboard experience has paid off) and I like to stick 1-2 pages at a time. We share family updates and “what day can you meet for breakfast” or the best… “How’s that diet going?” Lots of advice is also shared, and questions are answered and while on vacation, we can still keep in touch!

I’ve only gotten a Few texts from Kirt, but you better believe I have saved those, after all it isn’t often someone texts me “Jill you ROCK and I love you” ; ) He becomes envious of the conversations I have with our daughter and he is left out of the loop. So he’s catching on to this texting thing and is beginning to surprise us a little, So a text from Kirt is REAL SPECIAL!!!

And then there’s Brit… She always texts me funny stories, a sad story about something she saw, DETAILS about school or where she is, or, "umm guess who just called me or asked me out?". She even text me from on top of the Empire State building to tell me she just got kissed!! and from Philadelphia to show and tell me about eating her first REAL Philly cheese steak sandwich! And Vegas? I won’t go there ; ) hahah! And what mom doesn’t like the “thanx mommy” or “I’m sorry mom” or just “I love you mom". Smiley face. Shoot! I even like the “mom what’s for dinner?” Anyway, the mass majority of my texts are from Brit. And she knows she can't hide cuz her phone is always with her!

Ya I am liking this texting thing.

Who would of thunk it?

The BEST was this morning!

My alarm went off. Hit snooze. Brits alarm goes off. Hits snooze. 30 minutes later… Still SNOOZING! Me in my room. Brit in hers. Yet we both can hear the still quietness of the house, and are aware of our sorry attempts at getting out of bed.

8:30 AM still in bed, I text Brit…

....

{TEXT CoNVeRSaTioN}
ME (to Brit): What ya doing?
Brit: ummm... still in bed
Me: Me too! : )
Brit: ahahaha laziessss
Me: Who is getting up first?
(trickery on my part)
Brit: ME!
(yes! It worked)
Me: K come talk to me!

… a half hour later we were still laughing and talking on my bed! I guess the office can get by without us for another hour today! But it was worth it. PRICELESS moments! And it all started with a TEXT!

...and after writing this, I "get it" even more.

YAY! for the TEXT!

Webster Reunion 2008 Quinci, Cotter, Cruz, Noah, Jacob, Callie, Elsie, Gage

(Jeramiah is missing. He was golfing with his g-ma!)

Last weekend we had our 1st annual official Nelson & Jean Webster family reunion. Brandon, our oldest nephew took charge by calling all of his cousins a couple of months ago and started things rolling. They pretty much planned the whole thing without Mom or the parents getting too involved. Kember's family (the Flakes) own a bed and breakfast in Pine Top that they rent out (and it is currently on the market for sale) and we were able to use it. It was perfect for our family. Each family had their own room and bathroom. It was a beautiful place and the weather was perfect!

Our family is so chill and that made the weekend so nice.

Activities included: LOTS of game playing, BABY HOLDING, croquet, horseshoes, canoes, boating, fun and fishing at the lake, FOOD, family videos, talent show, visiting, church, family testimonies, group song and hug, and lots and lots of LOVE. On Sunday mom talked (a lot... as usual haha) about her and dad meeting and then she went through each of her pregnancies and said something special about each one of her children. It was really special and I actually learned a few facts that I didn't know. I thought I knew it all, but I didn't. It seems like every time these stories are told, there is something new to learn. She talked about how she lost her first and last babies just after their births. She also had numerous miscarriages so our family could be MUCH bigger! If Sammy and Joyce would of survived, I would of had 8 siblings to grow up with and a younger sister! Mom is such a strong women and endured many hardships in her child bearing years. It was good to be with Jenell, Bill, Janet, and Judy. Oh how I love them and their families!! We felt JoAnns spirit about us and she lives through Dave and April. We were so glad they were with us. I have such amazing Nieces and nephews!! I plan to blog on them soon because they are such a BiG part of my life!

Nelson, my dear daddy would really have LOVED all of the BABIES!! Every time my parents saw a baby, dad would always say to mom "Don't you think we ought to have one of those" or "I think we need one of them!". And this was long after mom and dad had raised us kids. He loved babies :)

IN FACT, WE ALL LOVED THE BABIES!!!

OK Kristen & Anthony have 3 boys. Cute boys of course! Jerimiah who is almost 3 and their sweet darling twin boys Jacob and Noah of nearly 4 months. Everyone got to hold a baby at one time or another. I was absolutely amazed at these twins. What a precious gift from our Heavenly Father. Jerimiah is such a smart boy. Very fun to talk to and he adores his younger brothers. There is just something special about twins! They are too cute! Kristen and Anthony are so blessed and what good parents they are!

Brandon & Kember have three. Gage-4, Elsie-2, and Callie-6mo. They are so so SO adorable and have the cutest personalities. Gage will talk up a storm with you and has quite the sense of humor, and he will beat ya in a game! Elsie is all girl, always content and checking everything out so she won't miss a thing. They play the superhero and princess roles very well!! Callie is such a good baby and shares the good looks of her siblings. She's a fun one to hold also.

Carli & Dane also have that magic # 3. Cotter is 4, Quinci 2, and Cruz 7 mo. Cotter and Quinci are the "adventuresome two". They can be quite creative at times so it is always fun to see where their imagination takes them. :) Cotter is into dinosaurs and drew me a picture of 5 kinds and told me all about them. He draws great! They also play the superhero and princess role really well. Once Quinci got that snowhite outfit for her birthday she didn't want to put anything else on. She wore those heels for at least 2 hours straight! I seriously don't know a better baby than Cruz. What a presh! He is so good and fun to hold, and I think he is ALWAYS sporting a smile!

So that is about it. The pictures I am posting are ones Kember e-mailed me but I know there are many more out there. I wish I would of taken more myself! UGH! I should know better. What a GREAT reunion though and the plan for now is annual. Good, quality WEBSTER family time.