Families Are Forever

 After announcing about 2 years ago that they were going to build a temple in Gilbert they finally have machines on the land.  I heard that they are going to break ground sometime in November!  Our new Stake Presidency challenged all of the families in the stake to take our families to the site and have our picture taken, before the temple is built.  Well, we have been meaning to - and finally got around to it for part of FHE last week.  We got everything all set up and took 3 pictures and then . . . my battery died.  I wish I would have been better prepared.  However, even though we didn't get to take as many as I would have liked, I think this one turned out pretty good.  I just haven't adjusted to the fact that I have two children gone.  It's hard to think of it as a "family picture" when two family members are missing.  They are gone doing good things though!  Emily is working in the Welfare Department of the church office building in SLC, and Taylor just finished his 1st year of  his mission in the DR.  So . . . I guess we'll excuse them. :)  It will be really fun to take another picture after the temple is finished.

After my camera died, we took a few of the boys with our phones!  Alex, Danny, & Ryan :)

Hump Day - One Down & One to Go!

 This is the last time I saw my boy exactly a year ago today.  I can't believe it has been a year.  It is so weird, because in many ways, time as crept so slowly.  It seems like FOREVER since I have seen him.  But then, sometimes I'm thinking - wow, I can't believe it's been a year!  I miss him soooo much, but am so thankful that he is on a mission.  The people of the Dominican Republic are so lucky to have him!  He has been an awesome missionary.  He has been very obedient and focused on what the Lord would have him do.  Brad and I couldn't be any more proud of him than we are!  Taylor is currently serving in the Bávaro/Punta Cana area.  His new companion is Elder Jordan Sunderhaus and Taylor is so excited about that.  He is from Mesa/Red Mountain High School and they have a bunch of friends in common!  Taylor has had a GREAT year and I know that he will have an even better 2nd year.  Our family has been so blessed by his service.  We love and miss you Elder McBride :)

Happy 20th Elder McBride!

Me and Taylor at Fred's Lake in Pinetop

Elder Timmreck & Elder McBride

Taylor's Home/Church in Bávaro/Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Well, this was our first official birthday without our boy :(  Taylor is 20 now!  How weird that I have 2 children in their 20's now.  I sent Taylor a great package and was so glad to hear that he got it!  It was mostly things that are hard for him to get in the DR like a cake mix and frosting, candles, plates - all the birthday fixin's.  I also send candy and a little kit to make animal balloons.  He loved that and said that he is going to make animal balloons for the little kids!  He said that he had a great day.  He has a new companion that is from Mesa.  His name is Jordan Sunderhaus and he went to Red Mountain High School and knows a bunch of Taylor's friends from volleyball.  They are excited to be together and Taylor thinks that they will work well together.

Happy Birthday son!  I still remember so clearly the night you were born.  You weighed almost 10 pounds!  Me and Dad and Emily were so excited to add a little boy to our family. :)  You have been a joy all of your life and I appreciate what a good boy you are.  We love you!

Ward Camp-Out #3

We had our 3rd Annual Gilbert 3rd Ward Camp-out this weekend.  It is such a fun little tradition that was started 3 years ago.  Everyones loves it and we get a huge turn-out.  We were disappointed though this year because Ryan missed the whole wee of school with the croup.  He still wasn't feeling well and had a really nasty cough - so we headed up with the boys for just the evening.  The weather was beautiful and our dinner was delicious!  Brad made green chili burros in the dutch oven.  We had a nice program and then we packed up our stuff and left minus Danny!  He wanted to stay really bad, so we left him a tent and some of the scouts slept in it with him.  Hopefully we will be able to stay the whole time next year . . . but who knows - that will be around the time Taylor will be done with his mission :)

Ryan taking it easy

Nice... Alex!

David, Danny, Ryan & Jake

Birthday for Brad

Dear Bradley,

You are 49 years old today.  I can hardly believe it!  Only one more to go til the big "50" :/  Yikes!!!!!  I am the luckiest girl alive that you decided you wanted to marry me.  It has been quite a ride over the last 24 years and I'm expecting the next 30 to be just as great.  Thank you for being the best husband and friend EVER.  You have truly made my life better than I ever dreamed it could be :)

I love you more than anything and everything.

Chrissie

80th Birthday Bash

Mom/Nana/Grandma turned 80 years old on September 1st!  Some of the kids got together and threw her a huge party.  Many thanks go to all that helped - especially to Don and Leslie for kindly letting us hold it at their home.  I sent 70+ invitations out to all kinds of family and friends a couple of months ago.  They turned out really cute!

  LOTS of people showed up from near and far!   All her living children were there except for Terri (who has been really ill and lives in California).  But we were so happy that two of her children, Jeff and Brandon and their families came.  One of her nephews, Jim Heap even came from as far as Ohio!  It was a great time for everyone!

Mom, thanks for being such a great mother!  We all love you and appreciate the example you set through the years and for your love and faith in all of us.  Happy 80th birthday!!!

 Aunt Vera and Virginia Hamblin (who came all the way from Salt Lake)

Ginna, Larry & Jennifer

I didn't take as many pics as I wanted to because I had to visit with too many people and help with the food.  It was all kind of crazy.  Other people took pics and hopefully I can get some of them to post because we took family pictures too:)  Also, Jenna did an awesome video.  Thanks Jenna for all your hard work!

Labor Day 2010

We got lucky and got to go to San Diego for Labor Day weekend!  Sadly, Alex didn't join us, but Brad and I and Danny and Ryan had a great time.  We spent some time at the beach on Saturday afternoon.  It was kind of cloudy but plenty warm.  However, the water was colder than Brad had ever remembered it so they didn't really get in the water.  We had a great time eating and being lazy and just plain enjoying the weather.

We had to celebrate the fact that it has been 10 years since I had my freak accident in the ocean!  We drove up to Orange County to eat at the Crab Cooker and take some pictures.  We also stopped at the park that we love in Dana Point.  We had a great time and didn't want to come back to the hot weather.

This is Capistrano Beach where I destroyed my leg

Here is the hospital that I spent 5 days at - only it was called San Clemente Hospital, or something like that.  So glad that is all over with (even though I'll live with the effects of it forever)

Family "Staycation"

School starts soooo early in Gilbert that we were desperate to do something before our Summer fun was over.  We couldn't really go anywhere so we decided to do a "Staycation"!  On Friday, we sent the boys and a couple of their friends to Sun Splash.  Then that night, all of us but Alex went to Joe's Crab Shack.  Alex wanted to play with his friendsies. :)  

 Then next day, we slept in and went bowling in the afternoon.  All in all it was a great, lazy time and Ryan proclaimed our "Staycation" a success!  He thinks we should do it more often!

St. Johns High 1980

This is the most awesome old St. Johns High School!  I started high school here in 1976 as a Freshman.  Sadly, by the time I was a Senior, they had built a brand new school and we were the first Senior class to go there.  I have sooo many great memories of this old building.  I love St. Johns so much!

The class of 1980 just had our 30 year reunion :/  I can hardly believe it's been that long.  It is soooo crazy.  Anyway, I was really excited about it when I heard about it, but then as the time approached, I really had misgivings about going.  I didn't really want to and then Brad talked me into it.  I am soooo glad that he did.  It was so wonderful to see old friends - kids that I had grown up with since I was a tiny girl.  We met and ate Mexican food the first night.  The next morning was the 24th of July parade and so we rode on a float.  I felt pretty silly doing that!  That night was the big dinner and program.  We stayed as long as we could, but then had to leave to get back for church the next morning (since Brad is the Bishop).  I was really sad when I found out that they took a picture after I left.  All of us that were there throughout the weekend weren't in the picture, but I am so glad that they took one of the ones that were there.  Love you guys :)

Janet Shreeve Wengert (my best friend growing up), me and Lurlynn Burnett

24th of July parade float

Greg & Leni live at our old house and all the family that was there gathered and had lunch.  Sometimes I sure miss that old house.  It really made me miss my Dad too

24 and Counting!

On Sunday, July 18th, our family had a birthday!  We are 24 years old!  24 years ago I married Brad and it will always be the best day of my life.  I love him more now than I could ever have imagined then.  It's funny how your perception of love changes - it changes as you add more to your family and it deepens to a level that I would not have thought possible then.  I wonder what it will be like in another 24 years - or in eternity.  I look forward to forever with Brad and with our wonderful children.  I am so thankful that we were given the blessing of finding each other and creating our own family.  Happy Anniversary!

Here's what's left of our family still living with us -  in Carlsbad, CA

This is the last time our family was all together the night before Taylor left for him mission (last September)

Father's Day 2010

Father's Day this year was down to only 3 kids plus 1 dog.  Brad - Happy Father's Day!  I am sooooo glad that our children get to have you as a father.  You are good and kind and teach the kids so well.  I love how you have taken time out of your busy life to play "Hop on Pop", coached endless soccer and basketball games and told even more incredible bedtime stories that I don't get to hear.  They are just for the kids when they are little.  You have given us all so much and we will be forever grateful.  We love you more than anything!

Ryan, Murphy, Alex, Danny and DAD!

Gilbert Golden Scholar!

This young man got his Golden Scholar award this morning and I couldn't be prouder!  He got straight A's his whole 7th grade year - even while being in Honor's classes.  He is such a good boy and a hard worker :)

Danny & his friend Jake Lunt

Danny and two cute girls in our ward!  Natalie Bloomfield and Katie Arnold.

I thought I would tag on a cute pic of Ryan and his 2nd grade teacher Kathy Bellman.  We love her and Ryan had a great year with her!

Maine (sweetheart time cont.)

After we left Boston, we drove up the coast of Maine.  I don't really know why, but I have always wanted to go there.  I don't know what I expected, but it was different than I had imagined.  I loved it!  It was such a great mixture of water and forest.  It had a "wilder" feel than I expected.  I loved how it was so much more its own place than a lot of areas in the United States.  It was more regionalized and didn't have as much of the national chain feel.

Our "home" base was Portland and then we drove all the other places and back.  We never drove farther than 2 or 3 hours away at a time.  Portland's downtown was so cute.  Old, worn-out cobblestones and brick buildings.  I don't know why I didn't take any pictures.  The only one I have is taken through the window of our hotel room - kind of towards the harbor.

We enjoyed ourselves by going to several different lighthouses.  This one was in Portland.  We saw it on Mother's Day and had our first lobster roll outside of it in a little shack.  The wind was so cold!

We climbed around a little bit down below but didn't get wet.  I took a picture of this because it was so interesting.  This rock was everywhere and it looked like wood.  It was really weird.  There was a sign where a boat crashed on these rocks on Christmas Eve in 1886.  It was a great day!  We wandered around the cute downtown of Portland and then went back to the hotel to wait for Taylor's Mother's Day call!  We got to talk to him for 1 1/2 hours - it was so awesome!  We called at the kids at home and did a conference call with all of them.  It was so good to talk to Taylor.  It was the best Mother's Day present ever and he sounded great!

Here are a couple of other lighthouses that we were able to see as we drove around the coast of Maine.

This is the same one as above, but I put another picture to show that it was out on a rock and they don't let you across because it's too dangerous.

One day as we drove up the coast to Camden, I took several pictures of cute old houses (so many turned into bed and breakfasts) and the quaint towns we passed along the way.

This is kind of an ugly picture, but note the old Rexall sign.  Just like we grew up with!

Camden was so cute, but oh so cold that day.  We drove up to a look-out and thought we were going to freeze to death!  I don't know that I've ever felt the wind so cold :)

My camera was zoomed as far as it would go for this picture from the lookout.

I had no idea that there were so many little islands and peninsulas in Maine.  If you look at a map close up it is amazing.  These all were taken at the top of the lookout.

We ate at so many amazing little places on the whole trip - we ate too well!  I think we had some type of seafood almost every meal!  It was awesome!  We had lobster rolls (which we had never had before and now I will crave forever), clam strips, clam chowder, lobster and more lobster rolls :) 

We loved Kennebunkport and Ogunquit.  Here are some pictures in Ogunquit

We were determined to find the little covered bridges that New England is famous for.  Sadly, there aren't that many left.  Yay for Brad who searched out and found this little bridge!  It was so beautiful there.

I loved this little platform with the rope swing!

We ended up the trip by stopping in Salem, Massachusetts on our way to the airport.  It was where they had they witch trials and then the Bewitched TV show was filmed there.  We were surprised to learn that all of the accused were killed within just a 2 or 3 month span.  

Wow!  What a wonderful trip we had!  I guess we are getting old, because we enjoyed the boring stuff...all the history, the driving, the lighthouses, etc.  It was such a relaxing get-away!  We love traveling so much and it was so great to see some new parts of the country that we hadn't ever seen.  I fell in love with both of them - but I think especially Maine.  I can't wait to go back someday and do the fall tour.  Until then, we will be dreaming of the lobster rolls :)