High School Wimsical?

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Goodbye to Holly's billboard!

This may be a weird post but it is time to take down our current billboards at work and out with the old and in with the new. Holly was one of our models and she has graced this billboard for the past 2 years and every time we drive by we say "hi Holly". (She is the one with the blue volleyball). With a new ad campaign it is time to replace the 6 different billboards we have. I felt like I wanted to take a picture so that someday when someone says "hey do you remember when Holly was on a billboard" I'll have something to remember it by!

Stephen Everett Vance

I've decided that I'm going to "spotlight" someone on my blog every month. Today's lucky candidate is my youngest grandchild, STEVE! Steve is 18 months old and because he is the youngest and his family lives so far away we have spent the least amount of time with him. He is smart, and very funny. I think about him a lot. When I went back to babysit the grandkids in June when Haleigh & Mike went on a cruise I was who he wanted to cling to. It was awesome. I don't think there is a better feeling in the world then when a grandchild wants YOU to hold them and snuggle! Steve is a wonderful happy baby and I long to be with him and his brother and sisters. If you want to see more of Steve, go to Haleigh's Blog

SHE DID IT! Heather runs the St. George Marathon

It's only the second time in it's 32 year history that the St. George Marathon had rain. Not only was it raining heavily, but they had a 20 mile an hour headwind. Heather held on to cross the finish line in 4:35 minutes. Not bad for a first timer. I don't think the rain bothered her as much as the other runners. As a swimmer, Heather has always been use to competing in the water! It was awesome to see her finish the race. The SG Marathon is in the top 10 marathons in the nation. There were 7,000 runners! WAY TO GO HEATHER!

Heather & Trevor at the Marathon

Fall In Southern Utah

So it's Autumn in Southern Utah. I remember Autumn in SLC. I especially remember as a child my Dad would want to drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon to see the leaves turn. He barely paid attention to keeping the car on the road because he was so involved in pointing out all of the waterfalls and the vivid fall colors. We usually drove up during LDS General Conference and had it playing on the radio. It was hard to focus on Conference for I was sure that we would veer off the road and plummet to our deaths from the cliffs and into the creek below. (I guess it's kinda like driving with someone who is texting while they are driving. Not a good combination) I still think about my Dad so much. Fall is just another reminder of the fun and wacky upbringing we had. My Autum in Southern Utah is quite different. We still have about 2 months of incredible summer-like weather. I'm still watering my flowers every day and the weather is perfect. This time of year is amazing here. This is a picture I took on Sunday from the yard looking toward Pine Valley Mountain.

Labor Day at Bryce Canyon

We finally had a day that everyone one was home! Trevor, Steve & Sandy didn't have to work, Heather & Emma were not too busy, Holly was home from New York and didn't have school and her really, really good friend Bryce was back from his summer trip to Germany. SOOOOO we decided to take a day trip to Bryce Canyon. We left in the morning and had lunch at Ruby's Inn and then went to Sunset Point to see the Hoodoo's. It was a beautiful drive and a great day. We came home and had a barbeque and got in the hot tub. It was a great break from the normal routine.

Isaac and Steve Take a Harley Ride

Cousins

Hannah, Emma & Laura Had so much fun together in July when the Vance's came to visit. They are such cute cousins! While Isaac and Grandpa went for a Harley ride the girls enjoyed "giggles" while the waited for the boys to return.

Vance Family July Visit

On the 24th of July Haleigh & Mike visited us for some summer fun. We took the kids to Tuachan to see the "Sound of Music". It was so fun to see their reaction to the live play. Isaac, Hannah and Laura watch the movie weekly and pretty much have it memorized. Laura kept saying, "Look at me, I'm smiling! Do you know why I'm smiling? It's because this is so cute!" We had a barbeque with the Olson's and here is a picture of Tawni and baby Stella, Haleigh, Hannah, Laura & Stephen.

Getting Ready to Ride!

The morning of June 23rd and the Coral Canyon Riders are ready for their annual ride. This year took them to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Kory, Dave, Steve V, Steve G, and Trevor line up for the "photo shoot" they had a great time and made some great memories.

Memorial Day Ride

Dave, Steve & Trevor as they prepare for the annual Memorial Day Ride. They think they are so tough. Dave looks like he wants to hit something. They really are a bunch of softies.... this was a mini ride to prepare for the big June ride to Jackson Hole. Steve is so excited to have Trevor go with them this year.

Spring Dance Recital

Holly And Steve after her final dance recital of the year. She is officially a Senior! Steve and Holly are both very excited about school being out for the year. We are so proud of Holly and her accomplishments this year. She is such a great student, dancer & daughter!

Air Force Memorial, Washington DC

During our trip to DC to see the Vance Family stopped by to see the Air Force Memorial. It is located on the edge of Arlington National Cemetary and across from the Pentagon. It is a beautiful tribute. Hannah, Laura and Isaac are shown here with some of the statues.

Steve's First Birthday

Steve and I flew to Maryland over Conference weekend to visit Haleigh and Mike and the kids. One of the special events of the weekend was Baby Steve's first Birthday. He is such a mellow, adorable kid! It was so neat to be able to spend his first birthday with him. We opened presents, watched him eat his birthday cake and we all went to see "Horton Hears a Who".

Spring Break Crusin'

This past week we enjoyed Spring Break with a Cruise to Mexico. Holly invited her friend Sam and they had a blast. We mostly slept, ate, worked out in the gym on the ship, ate, saw shows, ate, enjoyed the sun, ate, played ping pong, ate, went ashore, ate, and ate some more...did I mention the food was incredible? It was a first cruise and the 5 days was plently. I'm still feeling like the house is rocking back and forth!

New York Bound (again!)

Holly is going back to New York this summer. After a successful audition tour in California, Holly was accepted to study at the American Academy of Ballet in New York for 6 weeks. She is really excited because this is the dance program she really wanted to be accepted to. We will miss her but we are excited she will be able to study with some of the most incredible ballet instructors and dancers!

Merry Christmas

This year I got a little crazy and on Christmas Eve I bought Steve a new Harley-Davidson Motorcycle for Christmas. I guess that puts me on Santa's "nice" list forever! It was such a fun surprise that everyone but Steve was in on. Our friends the VanDerHeyden's hid it in their garage on Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning delivered it with a big bow! To see the look on Steve's face. CLASSIC! Later that day Steve, Steve Vanderheyden, and Trevor all went for a Christmas Day Harley ride. Then when they came back and we all got in the hot tub! Later that day the Olson's came over and we celebrated a little bit more! It was a perfect day other than the fact that we missed the Vance's terribly. We do look forward to spending Christmas with them in Maryland next year.