The Moses Lake reception!

The final event in Kristy’s wedding activities was the Moses Lake reception. We decided to have the reception at our home. When Kacey got married it was just too overwhelming to have the reception in our home. I was worried about the weather and if it turned back would we fit inside, etc. etc. There were just too many things to stress about if it were at our house and with that being my first one, we decided to do it elsewhere. Since then, we have had quite a few receptions in our home so I was getting a little better at handling the details. So we decided to go for it.

And what better to do when you are planning a reception than to do a little redecorating! Our entry way had needed some sprucing up for years but it was a huge project and I just didn’t know where to start because one change led to another. I had a few ideas but I wasn’t quite sure if they would work. I had consulted with a couple of professionals and they had their own ideas about changes and they were all very expensive. I didn’t really want to spend $30,000 on my entry way!

So my niece, Nena, is very creative and talented and when I told her a few of my ideas and described my vision she said, “I could totally do that!” So we let her!! She got right to work and the plan was to have it done by Thanksgiving (which I pretty much knew was wishful thinking but it was worth a try, right!) The wedding was in Utah on Dec. 30th, the reception was scheduled in ML for January 2nd and we were leaving for Utah on Dec. 26th. I was hoping to have all of the improvements finished and the decorations up the beginning of December so that we could all enjoy the holidays and not have to stress about the wedding. It was a good plan people! It just didn’t turn out quite that way.

This was how the house looked just before Thanksgiving:

The redecorating wasn't actually finished until the day before Christmas and we spent Christmas Eve putting up decorations. The kids thought I was kidding when I announced we needed to start decorating after we opened our pajamas. It was, in the kids’ opinion, officially the worst Christmas ever! There really weren’t any presents to speak of. (Weddings are expensive! And our kids have just about everything they need – maybe not everything they want, but everything they need.) Jon, Kacey, Scarlet and Rhode weren’t there because they were coming after Christmas for the reception so we didn’t even have little kids to enjoy the holiday with. I do have to agree, it pretty much sucked to spend Christmas Eve putting up decorations that would have to be taken down a week later. The kids were pretty good sports, though, and while it may be our worst Christmas to date - it certainly was a memorable one. And my memories are of great kids who chipped in and got the job done. We all complained but we laughed a lot too!

The house turned out great! Nena is a genius!! It was definitely worth the wait. I wish I had better pictures to show how the whole thing looked but I was too busy to take any and hadn’t arranged for a photographer since we already had the wedding pictures done in Utah. Luckily, my good friend and neighbor and professional photographer, Julie Waites, came over and took some pictures on very short notice so we were able to capture some of it. Thank you Julie! You are a true friend!! The house looked just beautiful inside and out (thanks to lots of people helping - Thank you Lori B. and Janet and Heather and Gail and Lori E!) and we had a wonderful time. It was cold and snowy and, as usual for that time of year, there were lots of people out of town that we missed but it was a wonderful evening.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

David finally got these trees to light up on both sides of our walk the day of the reception. They kept tripping the breakers but he finally got it figured out - which is a huge feat for David. He is not electrically or mechanically inclined (to say the least) but he did it!

Nena did this gorgeous array above my doorway. She definitely has a gift!






Kristy and her sisters and Scarlet:



A proud mom:



Kristy makes everything fun!





The Lacey's:
(I know she's actually my daughter but did Trevor marry his mother or what!)


The Earls (minus Jon, Scarlet and Rhode):


The Earls and the Laceys:

Cutting the cake:

Adorable Scarlet:
Scarlet and Rhode:



The wedding waltz:



We rocked the reception... again! We kinda forgot to practice between the two receptions and since our first performance was sketchy at best, we could have used some serious rehearsal time - but it was fun!! Thanks to Angie who (unlike many of our other relatives) had all her moves down and even handled some new ones that were thrown at her with style and funk. And thanks to the groom and all of the groomsmen who were such good sports to do this!



It's a wrap!



What a great couple they are! We adore our new son-in-law and his family is the best. We love having Kristy and Trevor only 2-1/2 hours from us and we get to see them fairly often.

A tale of two cakes!

I put Kristy in charge of searching online to see if she could find a style of cake that she liked. We have a friend here in Moses Lake (Becky O’Neill) who makes beautiful wedding cakes and they are delicious too! She is amazing!! And she is very reasonable!!! All you have to do is bring her a picture of what you want and she makes it. She is one of the few stress free wedding details you can count on! So we knew we were set for Moses Lake but Kristy kinda wanted to have a cake cutting in Utah as well. So we started to price cakes in Utah and everything we found was a lot more than we wanted to spend. The problem was that the cake was not high on our priority list. We weren’t looking for the most amazing wedding cake or the most delicious wedding cake to serve, we just wanted a decent looking cake we could cut. Even in Happy Valley, modest priced wedding cakes did not seem to be easy to come by.

So Kristy found this blog online of (what seemed to be) a nice Utah housewife who had a hobby of making cakes. The few cakes that she had made looked nice and her prices weren’t too bad so we contracted with her to make the cake. We gave her the same picture that we had given Becky. We figured it would be pretty interesting to see what two different cake makers would come up with, although we had 100% confidence in Becky’s ability to make us something wonderful even if it wasn’t exactly like the picture.

It was around the first of December that we struck a deal with the “Utah cake lady” and the wedding was Dec. 30th. Well, the agreed upon price immediately started creeping up because apparently there is an up charge for just about everything… any flavor other than vanilla was extra, any fillings were extra, salt, sugar, eggs… extra (just kidding!) Pretty soon we are up to the same price that I was paying Becky except that I know hers will be worth every penny because she has an outstanding portfolio and she has been doing it for years. The Blog lady only has 3 pictures to show and they are all birthday cakes! Oh well. I tell myself it will be fine and I feel good about supporting (what I still assume is) this nice little Utah homemaker as she pursues her dreams!

I was instructed to send her a $70 deposit which she said covers her ingredient fee. I was also told that after she receives the deposit, then she needs to know the final decision on cake flavors. Well, I stuck it in the mail on Dec. 8^th. I sent her and Cortney Boice a check at the same time and accidentally put the wrong check in the envelopes. Arghhh. (I hate it when I do something stupid.) So Ashley calls me on Dec. 14^th (6 days after I mailed it) and tells me that they had received the wrong check. I immediately contact the cake lady to warn her that she is getting the wrong check but she hadn’t gotten hers yet. We were in contact nearly every day waiting for the check to come so we can arrange a switch. Finally on Dec. 19^th she says that the check came (11 days after I mailed it? Hard to imagine but whatever!) Then we spend 3 days trying to arrange a switch. The cake lady was apparently in no position to help with the switch. Poor Ashley has 3 little kids including newborn Henry. Now I know it’s really not “cake lady’s” responsibility to get the checks switched. It was my mistake but about this time I am starting to suspect that I am not working with the sweet Molly Mormon housewife that I had pictured in my mind.

The switch was made on Dec. 21^st (thanks to Ashley) and “cake lady” confirmed it by email. On Dec. 22^nd she left me a voicemail while I was at Kelsey’s wedding asking me to verify the cake flavors because she wanted to shop for the ingredients the next day. I called her as soon as I got out of the temple and confirmed the flavors. Mind you, we had been in contact every day since Dec. 14^th and she hadn’t asked about the cake flavors! She emails me the next morning (Dec. 23^rd) and says that because of the delay in payment and getting her the cake flavors, this has now become a rush job and she has to charge me 50% more!!! (which amounted to about $100) Or my other option (how kind of her) was to cancel the order and forfeit the $70 ingredient fee (which she hasn’t even spent on ingredients yet)! Are you kidding me?

So I politely explained to her that if I had known there was a rush order deadline which imposed a steep fine, I could have overnighted her a new check for much less than 50% of the cost of the cake. I was totally ready to cancel that cake order and just do without because I was so ticked off at her but I was not about to let her keep that $70. She was blackmailing me! Holding the cake hostage!! I kindly offered her another $50 to proceed with the order. She agreed. Grrrrr! (That’s me growling in case you couldn’t tell.)

We had not yet settled on whether the cake would be delivered or picked up. She had said early on that she delivered within a 2 mile radius for free (2 miles? Seriously? Are there any churches or reception halls within 2 miles of your home?) but outside of that there would be a little extra charge. Well, a few days before the wedding she tells me (in a perky tone that makes it sound like she is doing me a favor) that her husband would be happy to deliver the cake to us for $150. A hundred and fifty dollars??? Okay, now I just don’t like anything about this woman and I am already hating the cake that I haven’t even seen.

She also informs me the day before we are scheduled to pick up the cake that she wants to be paid in cash. (Well, you should have told me that before I left home three days ago!) I told her I would see what I could do and then purposely sent the boys with a check even though I had cash. Brad and Bryan picked up the cake. Not knowing the trouble that I had had with this woman, when Brad returned he said that the cake lady was odd. When I asked him what he meant, he said, “I don’t know. She was just a strange little cake lady.”

Here is the picture of the cake that Kristy found online that she liked:

Well, here is the "Utah cake lady’s" version of that cake:

Notice how the icing is yellow (not gold) and the cake is falling? I do have to say, though, (in her defense) it didn’t taste too bad. It wasn’t even in the same league as Becky’s cakes (even though it cost more!), but at least it was edible. I hate to waste so much blog time on the cake lady but I had to share it so that I can purge some of the leftover anger!!! There… I think I’m fine now. I can let it go.

Here is Becky's version:



The picture doesn't do it justice. The gold swirlies are actually shiny gold just like in the original picture! And her cakes taste even better than they look!!



Thank you, Becky, for making our wedding cake experience in Moses Lake such a treat! I look forward to doing it all over again... and again (5 more times to be exact!!)

The Ideal Patient

I have just finished my first week on the Ideal Protein weight loss plan. Touted as the last diet you will ever be on. I lost 8 lbs! Yipee!!! This program was recommended to David by a good friend of ours (Bill Waites for those who know him) who has lost about 60 pounds on this program. He is a P.A. and so his personal endorsement along with his medical expertise piqued our interest. He suggested that David consider running the program out of this office for those who were interested. David checked it out and decided to do it.

I suggested to David if he is going to recommend it to his patients, that we ought to try it ourselves so that he would be that much better informed. We are both doing okay in the weight department but we are both about 25 lbs. heavier than when we got married. My body has not been the same since I had my intestinal blockage and surgery 2 years ago. I lost 18 lbs. because I couldn't eat for two weeks but it seemed that all of the 18 lbs. I lost was my lean muscle and when I gained it back it was fat (or at least that's how it felt.) My body has never quite been the same and I just about decided that I was old enough not to care anymore, but dangit I do care.

Curse that Demi Moore who is my age and looking so good! She ruins the curve for the rest of us. Aaargh! I know I shouldn't compare myself to a celebrity with all the air brushing and cosmetic work and air brushing, yada, yada but she and I have a lot in common...

• We are both married to devastatingly handsome younger men (David is 2 1/2 months younger than I am)
• We both have 3 daughters (I just happen to have 2 spares)
• We both love the movie "Ghost" (It was more profitable for her than it was for me)
  
• We both love Rob Lowe (one of us loved him more intimately)
  
• We are both willing to shave our heads for money (I've just never been asked)

So you can see why I naturally compare myself to her!

So I am committed to following this plan with the promise of high proteins that will take the weight from my fat storage and not from my muscles. So far it honestly feels like that is what it is doing. (I realize it could be the power of suggestion - I'm not an idiot.) But so far so good. It involves eating the pre-packaged foods they provide and one of your own meals. I've never done any program like this before but it seems to be working.

I do have to say, though, that I am the ideal patient. I have not strayed from the plan one iota. David and I are headed to Paris on Sept. 10th and my goal is to stay on this until we leave and then eat my way through Paris. Even if I gain it all back, it's totally going to be worth it!

My other goal is to fit into a pair of Miss Me jeans. I think it's just plain wrong to spend over $75 for a pair of jeans - but who can resist those sparkly pockets? They are so darn cute!... on everyone but me!! I'm not sure I have the build for them and I don't do well with anything low-rise (because I'm old... I'm the crypt keeper!) But we'll see if losing 15 lbs. gets me into a pair. I'm not sure they will still be in style this year but, hec, that's never stopped me before. If they go out of style that just means the price will go down! Yay!! I've never been a cutting edge fashionista so wearing last year's or even last decade's styles are okay with me as long as the price is right!

If you want to know more about Ideal Protein, you can check out their website at idealprotein.com. It originated in France and has only been in the United States for a short time. I think it costs $200 initially for consultation and food and $90/week for the food. It actually pays for itself when you consider how much you save not eating all of the food you normally eat, depending on how you normally eat. The program is not based on exercise, though it is always recommended. The food is powdered and you mix it with water. The first two days were the hardest and then I started to get the hang of it and found which foods I liked and which I didn't. The weight comes off so fast which makes it easier to stick with it. At least that was my experience and it sounds like that is typical from everyone else I know who has done it.

Now, don't get the idea that these foods are nearly as delicious as what you are currently eating because they're not! But I was ready for a change and willing to give it a try and this program is so simple and black and white that I have found it fairly easy to be all in. Obviously everyone's situation is different. And it's easier to stay on track some days more than others depending on what you have going on. Being out socially is tough because the foods you can eat are pretty restrictive. But I can still go out to eat and usually find something that falls within the guidelines. I'm a rookie, though, so I only have a week's worth of knowledge and experience. Emily West is my "coach." She has been on the program for about a month and I think she's lost 20 lbs. She's looking great! She's my inspiration. (Well, her and Demi!)

Wish me luck...

Need a repair woman?

Oh blog... how I've missed you! I miss keeping a record of my life and I miss keeping up with everyone else's lives!!

I don't have any good explanation other than it has just been a busy busy summer. I have so many great pictures to post and I hope to get around to them soon. Some of my children may be very disappointed in my tardiness (cough - Kacey) and I don't blame them! All is well but there just hasn't been time to document the summer. I hope to, though. I was very concerned that my followers (all 3 of them!) were missing me but Jared Bates set me straight on that one. Ouch!

I don't have time to start my summer recap yet, but I will share my interesting happening of the day. I got up this morning and discovered that my refrigerator wasn't working - ugh! It was all dark but still pretty cold so it couldn't have been off for long. We have a built-in, side by side refrigerator/freezer that is 12 years old. Our house is at that magical age when everything is starting to break down and I have been worried about the day that fridge would start giving us trouble because it is so massive and built-in. But... guess who fixed it? That's right, me!

I checked the fuse box - nothing blown. Darn! Then I fiddled with a panel on the top that I thought I remembered came off and it did. I found a switch up there that was on and I turned it to off. Then I got out the manual (yes - I read manuals and I'm proud of it) and followed instructions for vacuuming out the coils. Then I turned back on the switch and voila! I was so, so happy and proud of myself.

Where was the "man" of the house you ask? Well, when I told him the fridge wasn't working he gave me a puzzled look and walked over to the refrigerator side (of the side by side) and opened it up and saw that it was all dark and closed it. Then he turned to me and asked (I kid you not), is the freezer not working either? (It's a side by side people - one unit!) My husband is many wonderful things, but handy around the house is not one of them. I told him that if he didn't have 7 kids, he might be asked to surrender his "man" card. Luckily, we compliment each other.

We swap the conventional male/female stereotypes quite often. He likes to stop and ask directions before he's even lost, and I would prefer to drive around for an hour rather than ask someone. He likes to shop at the grocery store and I hate it. He loooves Bath and Body Works and I rarely go in there. (I certainly don't go in there with him - it's embarrassing. If you don't believe me, ask the kids. I'm sure when the salesclerks see him they are looking around for the other half of "My Two Dads!") He loves to travel and is willing to do all of the planning and would leave at the drop of a hat, and I fret about being gone from work. (Which one is the doctor again?) Not to fear, though, he is all male when it comes to golf and how much time should be spent pursuing that activity. So his masculinity is indeed intact! You gotta love him!!!

I miss you all! I hope to have more time soon. Suffice it to say that all is well and life is good and I hope it is the same for all of you!

Thank you!

Who knew getting hijacked would be so much fun? Someone got in and wiped out our dance email inbox and that wasn't too fun but, luckily, this was way better than that!

THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to my birthday blog in any way. I loved it! I just had a huge smile all day long. What a wonderful surprise! I loved all those comments from my friends and my family and the friends of my friends and family and the strangers who don't even know my friends and family (Just kidding! I think everyone was eventually identified.) It was so sweet of everyone to take the time to send me a note. Thank you sooooo much! I had a great birthday!!!

I hope that Angie and Connie have great birthdays today as well. I would happily party with you guys anytime!!

You Have Been Hijacked

This blog has been taken over. It is no longer in control of one, Peggy Earl.

The above mentioned individual is celebrating 49 years since her birth. As she has become well known for her birthday blog posts, she has been deemed worthy of having her own.

That's where we come in.

Mom, this is for you from some of the people who have known you the longest and like you the best. We hope you have a fantastic day and realize how much you are loved.

Get ready for a post filled with stories, laughs, touching memories, and flattering pictures.

oops! How'd that one get in here?

Let the memories begin!

First of all, I just have to say that this is one of my favorite pictures of you: it shows your true celebrity side.

My memory is from my wedding. Most importantly, I want to say "Thank You" for making my wedding happen. Who knows what kind of wedding I'd have if left to my own devices...not a good one that's for sure. You were there every step of the way, and you even took the time to tie down the endless amount of buttons on my dress. I owe it all to you, so thank you. There were so many memories I had with you while finding a dress, creating a dance and going to the temple--all good ones--but I'm going to remind you of taking bridal pictures. You had the idea to take a few bridal pictures before the wedding just in case we ran out of time on the actual wedding day. Everyone except the weather cooperated with the idea. It was a nice 15 degree day in Provo, and snow covered the ground. You made me look fantastic and then sent me out in white, open-toed heels. We soon learned that my talent of being photogenic does not work when I'm getting early stages of frostbite. I remember you were there coaching me and telling me that I looked great despite my murderous glare that was captured in many pictures. Even though it was not a comfortable experience I remember us all laughing at how ridiculous the situation was. Yes I was freezing, but you helped me to see the humor in it all. After the torturous pictures, we went to TGI Fridays and we ordered hot chocolate and continued to laugh about our day. Thank you for being a good example of optimism and seeing the humor in every situation. Happy Birthday Mom, you're the greatest mom in the world and I love you so much!

Gutwrenching terror is probably pretty common among guys when meeting the parents of the fiancee for the first time--especially when the parents don't yet know about the engagement. That first day we met when you got to wonder, "Who the heck is this guy Kristy brought home?" and "Let's just hope he's not some creep," I got to think, "They don't even realize they're already stuck with me. I hope they're not crazy." I remember meeting you the first time and seeing how fun you make your home and realizing that I definitely picked the right family to be stuck with--even if it meant having to dance *shudder* ever now and then. Happy birthday! Love, Trevor

Dear Sis...

Our lives have been roller coasters at times and tremors at others. Has it ever been smooth sailing? I'm not sure it has. But we've always had each other. If you think about it, having each other hasn't always or ever meant side by side. Even when we'd move to another new city, and to a new school, we knew each other was there, SOMEWHERE, and THAT right there is WHO we are! Just because we haven't always been visible doesn't mean we haven't been there, and I hope you know that!

I was going to try and pretend I have a head full of memories...well, I have a few but they'd probably bring tears and darn it, it's your Birthday!!! I want NO tears!!!

So...I wish my Sister of less than 12 months a part an amazing Birthday!!

I have always been Proud and Honored to be the Pink to your Blue ;) !!!

I Love You.....Lori

This one isn't from very long ago but it is one of my favorite memories with mom. This last year at DanceSport my mom came down to visit me and watch me compete. She was staying at Justin's house and didn't want to be alone so I stayed with her there all weekend. We had so much fun because I really had nothing to do all weekend besides dance and watch the competition. All we did that thursday through saturday was eat, sleep, and watch dance. Which is pretty much what we both do all the time anyways. Sunday we went to church and afterward we ate all of our favorite snacks that we had rounded up the day before and watched movies. It was so much fun because one thing I have found out over time is that me and my mom are a lot alike. We like the same desserts, and we usually like the same movies and activities. The reason this memory is so special to me is because it is probably one of the biggest times that I realized that my mom really is my best friend. All growing up she always had to be watching out for me and lecturing me so that I would make good decisions but now that I am mostly on my own I can really see how much fun it is to hang out with someone who is like me and cares about me. I know that no matter where I go I wont find any friend who will love me and support me more than my mom does. Who else would come all the way down to utah just to watch me dance? I don't think mom knows just how much I appreciated having her there in the audience cheering me on. She has always been there for me and I know that she always will be. Thank you for everything mom.

Back when we all lived in Utah, I believe Peggy was a senior in high school or possibly just graduated, Peggy and I flew to California to see our Dad. Back then I was a very nervous flyer. Peggy tried many things to try to keep me calm and have me not be so nervous. Unfortunately, none of them worked very well. Then she came up with the grand-daddy of all plans. She decided that by having me file and paint her finger nails I would be able to keep my mind off the plane slamming into the side of the mountain at any given point. Amazinigly enough it worked!!!! Love ya Peggy. Have a wonderful birthday!!

Eric

My mom does not like it when we tell each other to shut up. She really does not like it. Now that we’re older we know not to say it around her, but for a while there when we were all still at home it was a big problem for our family; a problem that my mom was set on fixing.

One day, I don’t remember how old I was, ten to twelve maybe, my family was helping my mom at a youth activity she was in charge of. Kendall, Courtney, and I were using markers to draw blood on some bandages (I believe it was for a “Leader of the Pack” lip sync, but I could be wrong). We had just finished and Kendall was collecting the markers, only one of the markers lids didn’t get shut all the way. I remember she was annoying me that day, she wouldn’t do anything I told her to, and so I said, not so kindly, “Shut the lid!” and here is the conversation that followed:

Mom: Kylie we don’t say shut up.

Kylie (confused): I know. (to Kendall) Shut the lid!

Mom: Kylie! We don’t say shut up.

Kylie (annoyed): I know! (to Kendall. Again.) Shut the lid!!

Mom (getting seriously T.O.ed): Kylie! What did I just say?!

Kylie (in the kind of tome mothers despise): WE DON’T SAY SHUT UP! I get it! Kendall, SHUT THE LID!!!

Mom (SERIOUSLY T.O.ed): DO YOU THINK I’M STUPID?! Shut the lid is no different than shut up and we do not say shut up blah blah blah…. (ranting and lecturing ensued)

Kylie: Mom, I was talking about the lid to the pen.

Mom: Oh. Well we still don’t say shut up.

I love my mom and I love that she raised to use the type of language that would reflect well on ourselves and on her. Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom, one of my absolute FAVORITE memories with you is when you took me to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle in the Fourth grade. We went to see all the cool exhibits and it was SO much fun. I also remember going out to one of the exhibits where we got to block virtual soccer balls and you called out to me “ BE CAREFUL SWEETIE DON’T HURT YOURSELF” and I remember how much I didn’t want you there mom. But then, I did somehow end up hurting myself on the exhibit and I remember how glad I was to have my mom there to comfort me. Mom I love you and you’re the greatest mother I could ever ask for. Have a great birthday!!!!

Peggy Earl as my role model...encouraging, inspiring, I strive to be

Peggy Earl as my friend...the best and always there for me

Peggy Earl as my big sister...PRICELESS!

You are one of the people that I can have just a gut bursting tears running down my cheeks kind of laugh with!!!! I love you Peggy! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

I was so excited to turn 16 just so I could drive. I wouldn’t have to ask anyone for a ride ever again! It would be like a dream come true. I wanted to take my tests right away so that I could get my license right when I turned 16. Apparently the universe didn’t like that plan…

I went to take the written test on a Friday after my Pointe class. My class ended at 4:30 and after only like ten minutes of waiting (you can understand why I wanted my license) my parents came to pick me up. They were on their way to the movies so they were going to drop me off there and Kylie was supposed to come to pick me up. I remember reading through the driver’s ed. book all day long and even on the short car ride to the licensing department I had it open. I was NOT going to fail this test. When we finally get there, there was only one worker in there. I go try to open the door and find that it is locked. They were closed for the night and would not open again until Tuesday. My birthday was on Wednesday. My plan for getting my license before my birthday was already ruined.

The next time I went to take my test was Tuesday during lunch. My mom picked me up and took me to the department. After waiting in a long line we finally started to sign me up to take the written. Then the man asked for my driver’s ed. certificate. I had forgotten it but I did know where it was. So the worker told us we could run home and get it and he would help us as soon as we got back. So we run home, I run all the way up my stairs to the desk under my bed where my driver’s ed. work book is sitting. I see the paper stuck inside the front cover of my book, just where I knew it would be, and run back down the stairs. When I show it to my mom I notice something odd. My certificate isn’t my certificate at all; it’s just an old test from my class. I still to this day have no idea why I put that test there or where I actually put my certificate.

To get another certificate we had to driver down to my driver’s ed. school (which luckily was not too far away) and pay 20 to get another one. My mom was not very happy about that and yet through this whole ordeal, I had gotten nothing more than a couple of stern looks and a few frustrated sighs. I think my mom realized this was just as hard on me as it was on her. Once we got the replacement we went back to take the test and the man did help us right away. I sat down and took my test while my mom waited. It took maybe all of 10 minutes to take that test that had taken HOURS to prepare for. To pass the test you can’t miss 5 questions; I missed 4.

After passing the test we signed me up to take the driving test on Saturday, the morning of my birthday party. Sadly I was not going to have a license on my actual birthday. So Saturday morning came and I’m all set to take the test the car that is going to be mine. My dad had checked it all out and declared it good a couple days before. Good thing too because all our other cars had something that didn’t work in them. I go take my test and I have to sit out there FOREVER waiting for the tester to come out. My mom is waiting inside. The tester was a nice pretty lady who started by just asking me to do things like use my signal lights and turn on my brights, while she walked around making sure it worked. The problem came when she asked me to pump my brakes. I was watching her this whole time and as she looked at the back of my car as I pumped she got a very surprised look on her face. She then comes over and informs me that both of my brake lights are out. Great…

So we both leave my car to walk back in and I’m close to tears and the tester tells my mom about my lights. My mom hugs me and we schedule me to take my test later that afternoon. As we head back home, I believe I did start crying. My mom started to talk to me about what car I could use for my test but as I said before, all of our cars had a problem. So while I went off shopping with my friend for my party, my mom got new lights into my car. And then I went back with my fixed car and took the test, passing with an 87.

If it hadn’t been for my mom, I probably would have never gotten my license and I would still be asking anyone and everyone for rides home. Thanks so much for all you did those couple of days mom. Love, Kendall

One memory I will always have of mom is how good she is at everything. I have never seen my mom do anything that she was not amazing at. She is so talented and creative. Sometimes it seems like a curse to have such a talented mother because no one else is ever good enough in comparison! I find myself at various events thinking to myself wow this would be so much better if my mom was in charge of it and every girl I meet I expect them to excel in everything they do. Those may sound like unreal expectations but that is what you are used to when you are raised by wonder woman! I love you mom. Happy birthday. Brad

Part of me thinks my memory should be counted in all of the memories I CREATED with my birthday blog hijacking. But, mom always expects us to go above and beyond the minimum expected of us, so here I go.

I remember visiting my mom in the hospital after she would have a baby. I remember she always looked pretty tired but she was smiling and really excited to see us every time. I would look at that new baby sister or brother and then climb up onto bed with mom. She always got a carton of her favorite Baskin Robbins ice cream. The rule was that mom earned that ice cream and she didn’t have to share with us. But she always did.

Now, after having been in that hospital bed post-baby, I realize how much my mom loved all of us. To let us all come climb up on her bed, share us bites of ice cream and put up with all of the chaos I’m sure we caused in her exhausted state, that is a saint right there for ya.

You are a woman who deserves to be celebrated and honored.

Love, Kacey

Happy birthday Peggy.

You sure have ruined my fairy tale get married and hate the mother-in-law expectations. After several years without a real nemesis, I had hoped that marriage would bring me a mother-in-law to butt heads with. I looked forward to a justified reason to slyly work evil against my future mother-in-law's plans to control my new family. I imagined that my mother in law would slip my wife cash that I would get to rudely hand back to her. I imagined not allowing her to visit, because her sole purpose was to discover my failures and spread them around. It was supposed to be a lifetime of playful conflict.

I never expected your strategy. You actually liked me. You respected our family. You even helped paint our garage. What cheap shots.

I realized my war was really ruined over fish tacos at midnight when Kacey was in the hospital for Scarlet's birth. I was trapped in bizzaro world on a wierd date with my mother-in-law, but as always I found you engaging, intelligent, and caring company. The conversation should have been awkwardly standoffish and ebbed with accusation, but hanging out with you was neither. Rather I had a pleasant time talking with you. I think it was the first time I told you that Barak Obama would be President some day, and you didn't believe me. You thought Romney had a chance, and I told you then not to waste money donating to his election. Other than that misstep, you have proven yourself not only competent at everything you approach, but willing to let us make our own bad decisions too. That is a very difficult thing for people who are always right to do.

In the end, there are plenty of types of people that I don't like, but, dang it, I haven't found any reason to not like you. I could hang out, work, talk, vacation, get in a street fight, discuss the gospel, and even jog with you anytime.

Don't let my sentimentalism go to your head. I still disagree strongly in regards to the amount of toys my kid needs.

Congratulations on surviving another.

Jon Wayne Nielsen

One of my favorite memories is the very first time we saw each other after I got home from my mission. It was a Tuesday evening and I had been home from my mission for just over 48 hours. I had flown from Brazil to Seattle and spent exactly 24 hours in Moses Lake before driving to BYU to start Spring semester in 1982. Peggy had heard the news that I was coming home and was expecting me. This would be the first time we had seen each other in almost two years. I went to her apartment in Salt Lake City and she looked amazing. I remember she was just wearing a simple outfit with jeans and a sweatshirt but in that instant, I fell in love all over again. We had an amazing first nigh back together. We went to dinner and spent the rest of the evening sharing stories from our long absence. It took me four weeks to actually ask her to marry me but I knew the first time she walked into that doorway that I wanted this woman to be my wife. Happy birthday, Peggy.