Happy Halloween

I went to my in laws today to check on Papa (post surgery) I captures this sweet moment between sisters. I love their fingers intertwined. So sweet!

Evan loved to watch his sisters throw leaves at each other. He has this look on his face quite often when he watches them. Pure amusement!

We had a Pooh bear, a Sleeping Beauty, a Princess Jasmine, an Eighties Valley Girl, a Zombie Butler ( or Dead Deacon), and that sassy Caribou Barbie Sarah Palin reminding all to vote!!

It's me....but not

You know how there are certain things that are the core of who you are. Take me for instance; I will always enjoy playing over work, I will always enjoy listening over talking, solving a problem will always include a lot of meditation, and Disney World will always be my favorite vacation spot (had to throw that one in). There are several things that I don't do well; confrontation, sharing my opinion, organizing anything, getting up early. Today I was put in a situation where I had to do a few of those things that I don't do well. I had to reach my boiling point (not that I was really boiling...I just could not, NOT say anything). I found it so difficult to do and I was tripping over my tongue the whole time but,...I did it. I was silently so proud of myself and had to laugh because no one in the room knew how painful that process was for me. I am grateful to the Lord for blessing me to be ...ME... I like that I am a good listener, and that I have my dad's calm nature, and that I am a peacemaker. I am also glad that He sees fit to put me in situations that are a bit, uncomfortable for me to prove to myself that I can be more than just ME.

Way to go Pop!

Well Papa went in for emergency open heart surgery today and came out like a champ. They thought it was a quadruple but turned out to be triple. They thought it could be a four hour surgery and turned out to be barely two. He was doing things by 4 p.m. that most patients don't do until the second day. Last night he came over unannounced to drop off some things and it just so happened that the Bishop came by at the same time. Bishop asked if he and Shane could give him a priesthood blessing and he agreed. I know that his recovery has gone so well because of this blessing.
When Pop came over last night he explained what was being done to my kids. It took a bit of explaining...but they started to understand. When they asked why it happened he explained that it could be from a variety of causes...heredity, diet, etc...Halley thought for a second and then said "It's probably from drinking all that coffee!!!" From the mouth of babes. This is the first story that is told to all nurses and relatives that come for a visit. She's a corker!

Sweet Yesteryear

One advantage of going to Disneyland without kids was to go to the places that don't necessarily need a fast pass...if you know what I'm saying. As you enter Main Street on the right is the Opera House. It was the first thing built and then until 1960 was the saw mill where all the intricate woodwork throughout the park was produced. You might remember the Opera House because it is where you could see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Right now it is housing a historical display which I loved...and if I must confess, visited it twice. There is a funny movie playing where Steve Martin hosts with Donald Duck where great moments of Disneyland history are revealed. I guess my point of this post...if there must be one, is to reminisce with my sibs about my favorite ride gone by. I am speaking of none other than America Sings. It was located in Tomorrowland in the round theater that turns in a complete circle 1 mile an hour. If you never saw it or need to take a walk down memory lane go here. Sam the eagle was the narrator of this Bicentennial tribute and he took you through song across the years of our great country.

As I walked through the Opera House display room I was reminded of such characters as the Dapper Dan's who sang such favorites as "The Bowery", and "Where is my wandering boy tonight?"...if you heard them you'd remember (even you Jennie)

How about the 'gator's singin' Polly Wolly Doodle. Remember the random weasel that popped up saying "Pop goes the weasel tee hee"? Even though this favorite is gone it is fun to ride Splash Mountain and see these great old friends still thriving. We used to have the record where I would lay and turn the colorful pages listening to "Who shot that hole in my sombrero..who put that bullet through my hat..I can't figure, who pulled that trigger..You don't reckon my ol' wife could be back in town?"

One other favorite was Country Bear Jamboree which was removed to make room for Winnie the Pooh (cute ride for kids...and me!) I will never forget the nights my dad used to Lull me to sleep singing the song that made Big Al a favorite "There was blood on the saddle...blood all around...and a great, big, puddle of blood on the ground". If you have a trip planned take a minute or two...or thirty, and cool off while enjoying a tribute to the place that has earned the title of Happiest Place on Earth.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Wishing our Mother a Happy Birthday! The blog is a day late due to technical difficulties so here we are...better late than never...60 reasons why we love our Mom!

1.Sharing - After one bite of her sandwich, "Oh I'm full, could you
finish mine". Who didn't love to cop a taste of Pepsi whenever she
wasn't looking ... she gave and she gave and she gave!
2.for fresh whole wheat bread when you came home from school
3.for always making double when she had to make a treat for something
4.for understanding that balanced, nutritional meals that are a lot of work are more important than prepared, preserved, boxed food
5.for neck rubs and back scratches
6.for reading to us from The hatchet in front of the fireplace
7.for making Jenny do a load of wood for saying half a bad word (can't think of the word at the moment) oh yeah..LARD ...leaving out the BUTT.
8.for still loving us even though we sent her to her bathroom in tears
9.for almost peeing her pants when we'd tickle her
10.for teaching us how to work and enjoy a job well done
11.for caring that her house was clean before our friends came over (because I care, that's why) so we could learn to take pride in our homes
12.for a million rides to and from flute practice, piano, soccer, plays, band practices, etc..
13.for listening to us all start our various instruments and having patience enough to still allow the next kid to start one too
14.for being mature enough to not meddle where things are best left alone (i.e. our marriages)
15.for staying at home w/us so she could offer us the blessing of her time, quality meals, and involvement/support
16.for a great testimony that set such a good example for us
17.for encouraging us to get a good education
18.for her love of reading
19.Loving - In addition to raising 8 children she helped raise the children
of at least a dozen other working parents. It also is noteworthy that
all her girls put there priority on their own children.
20.Softy - Broom hokey, roof trampoline base jumping, indoor soccer,
volleyball and wrestling were all ok because "mom, we don't do full
nelsons"
21.Frugal - Talk about "Waste not". Her purse was so loaded with coupons
in certain instances she received merchandise and more money - no joke.
Oh and Martha Mitchell called, she is finally throwing away the frozen
peas.
22.a Trooper - I heard she once hiked the Chilkoot trail without a lick of
previous fitness training -Great Vocabulary - Shakespeare and Relda
would occasionally raise an eyebrow.
23. a great driver she had NASCAR like acceleration skills - "Kids get your
seat belts on" ... 'mom, ya think' and has Formula One like cornering
skills - I am pretty sure a few of my soccer buddies fudged their pants
on the way to practice.
24.Industrious - do you guys remember the fruit leather, corn canning, and
other preserve assembly lines? And she was never caught wanting of a
big can of "elbow grease".
25.Easily entertained - I entered every grade with the notion that I was
funny only to be sorely disappointed when the funny bar was raised.
26.a Tailor made lecturer (get it Taylor made) - DC84:85: "Neither take ye
thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds
continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very
hour that portion that shall be meted unto every {child}."
27.Parsimonious - Have you ever in your life seen anyone since your
childhood cut the foulness off of a piece of produce to preserve 17% of
the remaining mass which is "OK" meaning only partially rotten.
28.a Listener - I still can't remember what I did at school but even 25
years later she would be willing to hear about if I do ever think of it.
29. drove a blue ribbon pillow to the state fair in Salem because you missed the 10 a.m. bus
30. made a small loaf of white bread for a Jr. high friend who loved Mrs. Bringhurst's bread...on several occasions
31. was able to ignore the tattling and whining of eight children
32. snuggling in her electric blanket bed listening to "The cay"
33. secret trips to Dell's Hamburger" for a root beer and fries out of a paper bag...always best that way!!
34. homemade cinnamon rolls in a wreath or candy cane shape at Christmas
35. patience enough to teach daughters how to sew
36. homemade jam always found in the fridge. I didn't even know the stores had jam.
37. a closet full of some of the funnest dress-up shoes...especially the silver ones with a rosette and glass heels. I was Cinderella in that full length mirror.
38. A dresser full of the prettiest jewelry..not to ever borrow...just fun to look at
39. When her daughter thought she was the next May-Lou Retton she drove clear to White City for gymnastic class twice a week back when the "new" Fred Meyer was built in the outskirts of town.
40. Still pushed her eight children to do piano despite many, many years of grumblings and countless dollars wasted when practicing was not done.
41. As I can fruit and feel satisfied I still think how my mom did 4 times as many peaches, pears, and applesauce and not to mention the many jars of cherries, beans, and grape juice; frozen corn, peaches, blackberries, huckleberries, raspberries, and the endless trays of dried fruit she would do. Yes, Jennie and Naoki you owe her big time for all the stolen fruit roll-ups.
42. I appreciated the fact that mom never put mustard on my sandwiches--who can remember the individual preferences of 8 different kids?
43. I thrilled at opening my lunch to see that she had chopped up pickles and put them on my tuna fish sandwich.
44. I felt loved by being able to choose my birthday dinner.
45. I looked forward to getting books at Christmas.
46. I enjoyed being read There's an Enemy Sub in Potter's Pond even when I was big enough that I could have read it myself.
47. I looked forward to the pretty Easter dresses she made us when we were little.
48. I chuckle now to think that she pretended not to notice when we were spying on her from under the table or in the large pine tree in the front yard.
49. I'm grateful that she forced me to take piano lessons until I could play the hymns.
50. I try to emulate her attention to detail in helping us with our projects at school.
51. I admire her service and dedication to the gospel and all those she has served over the years.
52. I marvel at how she got all of us to got to college and the hefty financial sacrifice that must have been.
53. I envy her lovely singing voice.
54. I honor her gift with words as I struggle to choose a different verb for each of my tributes to her!
55. I loved getting to go to the Dorothy Chandler Hall in L.A. to hear her sing the Messiah. I felt so hoity toity walking in where famous people have been, and going potty in those fancy bathrooms...even if I didn't have to go.
56. I felt special when she took me to see Annie when it was supposed to be just her Young Women.
57. I loved that her Young Women loved her. I knew my Mom was special but to have older, pretty girls love her too, made me feel good.
58. I loved our homemade gifts at Christmas time...towels with our names sewn on w/cute fabric, our pink, blue, and green block quilts, our jean quilts I know I could go on.
59. 4-H lambs in our van...need I say more!!!
60. Her love and sacrifice for her family was apparent, and her example of service to others is what we try to follow all our days.
We love you Mom and we honor you this day!

A life well spent...

What a goofy bunch that I came from. I took this photo when I was 17 years old. We went to St. George where my Grandparents lived at the time and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The oldest is Aunt Karen in the red, followed by my Dad on the far right (can't you tell,... he is the most handsome. Next is Uncle Todd (Brownsville bears), Uncle Ron in the striped shirt, followed by Aunt KayLynn, and last is Uncle Mark. I loved being around all of my uncles and aunts. They each have such unique and different personalities and so fun to pal around with.

Here is my very amateur photo of their celebration...*note the flash in the window...but they are the only pictures of the event. We all ate at the Hilton hotel banquet room...Thanksgiving style, as it was almost Thanksgiving. My favorite quote of that weekend was that the waiter came around and said "Soup or Salad"? My brother Justin who was 15 at the time said "Sure!"...thinking he was getting a SuperSalad!!! ...still makes me laugh...

And finally the reason for my post. John Frank Bringhurst, my grandpa, passed away yesterday at the age of 92. Every kid loves their Grandpa and I am no different. He was the only grandpa I knew since my maternal grandpa died when my mother was only 2 years old. This smile you see on his face was the expression he always had. I never heard a stern word ever leave his lips. I knew that he loved me. If I had a story to tell him he always acted as if it was the best thing he heard all day! I am grateful for his example of service. He served in the church up until he was no longer physically able and that includes being called as 2nd counselor in a bishopric when he was 86 years old. My grandpa loved his family and in his final sentence of his personal history he requested of them "May their lives be a good example for others to follow". I love you Grandpa!

I feel the Magic

If you have not had the opportunity to visit Disneyland than you may not be able to relate. It is a feeling that hits you upon your arrival that says "Welcome Home". It can come from a sound (train pulling into depot), a smell (confections abound), hearing (Famous voice saying "Welcome to Disneyland"), touch (green painted fences around every well manicured horticulture masterpiece) or sight (Fireman band on Main Street). I was glad to come home!

Each well placed Imagineering creation beacons you further into the park.

Sight of the Matterhorn and hearing the screams of excitement with each encounter of the Abominable Snowman. Can't get enough!!

Famous Castle of the beloved Sleeping Beauty has shrunk over the years to me...but no less endearing. I was glad to be home to feel the magic once again!

Displays

I loved walking around and looking at their displays. They were all amazing and they had 11,ooo of them. I could not help myself from capturing there charm.

This was at Woody's Halloween Roundup where they had Autumn displays everywhere. I was lovin' it.

Just havin' a good ol' game of Go fish!

I tried so hard to capture how adorable these cases were but my limited photography knowledge and lack of a fab camera were the culprits. Not to mention I left my sweet tripod at home so a lot of night shots were a little crummy. C'est la vie..I'll have to go back some day :)

Off the beatin' path

One of my very favorite pass times is to notice the unnoticeable. Disney is a master at that. It is so fun to look for what most perceive as atmosphere and gets lost in the blur. This picture is one you would find near the hub (place where all lands meet). Several pumpkins were around all with fun Disney cutouts.

This precious little guy is found also near the hub sitting on a little post. I loved the detail of the statue with the yellow in the background. I know, my photography skills (or lack of) are limited, but my goal is to keep improving. I refuse to be an adult that stops learning.

Anyone know where to find this??? I found this darling lamp on a table while in the queue for Tower of Terror. Most do not notice the existence. I loved the detail.

This one you probably recognize from the queue of Splash Mountain. I loved what it says. I think if Elder Worthlin saw it he would have included it in his conference talk.

Silly Pics

Here are a few silly pics from the trip. I know....I am in every one. How can you stand in a net of mackerel and just smile?

Yep I waited in line to pose with the Goof! His costume was sweet!

Just cozying up to the Beasts' fireplace. Up above was the jar with a rose. Every few seconds a petal would fall...I won't give away what happens.

Growing up I used to relate to the white rabbit.."I'm late, I'm late!" But since marrying Mr. Annoyingly On Time Man, I have been cured.

Disneyland in the Fall

Wow pictures of Shane and I without kids...rare in our home! We were able to fine a few people to take our pic

Cute to the 4th power. I loved looking at all of the display cases and the cute things they had in them

They had an area called Woody's Halloween Roundup. It was a quiet corner with a ton of Fall decor and a cute Woody show where the kids could color or decorate a halloween cookie. Since we were kidless we just kicked back and enjoyed the freedom!!!

As you enter the park they have huge pumpkin characters to greet you. At night they have twinkly lights on....such the sucker for twinkly lights. Even though I am exhausted I hate going back to my hotel at night...who am I kidding it is hard anytime to leave.

Zip a dee doo dah...

For our 15th anniversary Shane and I escaped to Disneyland. We had so much fun playing around for four and a half days. This picture was taken in the Blue Bayou restaurant. It is the restaurant attached to Pirates of the Caribbean. We wanted to eat there for our honeymoon but discovered that it does not exist in Disney World. So 15 years later we got to go. It did not disappoint. The food was yummy and the atmosphere was fab!! What a great way to start off our trip.

I took a pic a this sign in the queue of Splash Mountain. I loved what it said..so true with my life! Shane and I grabbed fast passes for this ride and every time we did our wait was 12 minutes max. We watched other people wait 40-50 minutes in the regular line. WHY!!!! I don't get it. My next few posts will be of our trip so if you are not a fan, feel free to tune out.

My First Post

So, I finnally found a picture with which I can post on the family blog site. Having no digital camera I had to scan this one in. I thought a post without a picture would be boring and might as well be an e-mail. This pic is a memento of the New York/D.C. trip Dad, Mom, Jenny, Amy and I took and the end of the summer. When touring the NBC studios we had the chance to digitally put our faces on a movie poster. Jeff and Jenny replaced Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale respectively in Van Helsing, and I replaced Henry Thomas in E.T. Prolly shoulda shaved...

The trip was fun, y'all missed out. Jenny's blue brained travel itinerary left nary an idle moment and Jeff and Justin's B and B services came off like a family sleepover, rather than cramped as we had feared. Dad's travelogue covered most of the highpoints. Just to fill in the gaps, he forgot Alice drawing pictures for me in church, smores in Justin backyard, Mcdonalds inside the Pentagon, The bus driver hitting a lamppost just before embarking, and practically running through the Museum of Natural History to see it all before they closed.

In New York there was the 8 ppl: 1 bathroom ratio, more wads of gum than I'll ever again see on the floor of just one subway station, searching the stands at the US Open to find Justin's bright yellow shirt, crazy ladies getting thrown out of the Red Sox/Yankees game, picking up other ppls empty alcohol receptacles for souvaneers, the coolest musical in the cozyest theatre I've ever seen, Mom forgetting her purse at Jeffs and having to take a later bus with Dad, a political discussion with New Yorkers on Barack Obama in the subway, a tennis discussion with Texas female sycophants also in the subway, running across the Brooklynn Bridge, and Ice cream on a pier along the river with a huge artificial waterfall in the background.

All in all, great trip. Just what I'd always wanted, without ever knowing it. Thank-you to everyone involved for letting me tag along last minute like.

Since it took me so long to post I also had my Birthday. It was cool, even though I had been dreading it. My friends bailed me out of an evening alone with my dark thoughts and the next day J.J. made me dinner, and the sweetest cake you've ever seen. Three snickers mini's each with a candle jammed in them, side by side in a cupcake foil. Truly an oiginal. I got a pic but it's on my phone and I can't upload it. Sorry this was so long, being my first post I had a lot to say.

lata - Jordan