Finally....Graduation...

It was finally near May 18th and off we went to New Mexico to help Alexa celebrate 18 years of primary schooling and off to college this fall. It had been a while since we had driven there and thought it was going to be along trip but only about 6 hours; so we were there lickety split!

We decided that it would be fun to bring along the Wii as no one else there had played one before and it was a hit!! Even Mom & Dad got into it; it was great fun to watch them have some laughs! Cindy & family had enjoyed it so much they asked Kurt to hold the next one that comes out for sale aside for them and sure enough shortly after we came home a Wii came out for sale! We gave them a great deal cause we normally sell them for about $200 and they bought it for $140 with one remote but two nunchucks. They have since received it and has been playing it; which I'm sure they're playing it right now as we speak!! It's addictive!

We also met Steve's Mom Janette Christensen and his sister Sheri Miller. These ladies were just the nicest people ever! It was great they were able to make the trip. Janette came all the way from Florida and Sheri, like Mom & Dad, from Utah. Very sweet people!

Before leaving for the trip, Amy and I had discussed ideas of what to get Alexa for graduation. I guess I misunderstood her on the phone but I thought I had told her to go ahead and get what she had planned but that we were still shopping around ideas. She thought I said something to the effect of we'll buy her something once we all get to New Mexico!! So I already had my basket all made up and she ended up having to go to the store and put something together!! Sorry Amy!! Alexa said she could use some dishes up at the dorm so that's what I purchased for her; some cute plastic plates, bowls and drinking cups (low maintenance) and some eating utensils from where else but my fav store - TARGET!! Love that store!!

The ceremony was a bit hectic as we had the guys leave early to save seats. Well, little did we know that it would be a mob scene there and that people didn't care much that you were holding seats for family and friends. You were only allowed so many tickets per senior so I would assume that if you had a ticket, you have a seat??!! The people there didn't care and by the time the rest of us left for the ceremony, Amy's husband Lee was texting her every 2 seconds I swear and saying things like "The natives are restless" and "We're about to lose them" it was hilarious but unbelievable at the same time. They were not kidding because when we got there and sat down, any empty seats were asked about and when you said they were taken; ooooo, if looks could kill and I believe some people did get killed for their seats!! LOL!!! I could not believe it! There were over 800 students to get through and luckily Alexa's class was second so when she received her diploma, a majority of us left to avoid the traffic jam and waited for them at the house.

The graduation party was set up as an open house between 6-9pm and it was a great success! It was very nice meeting all of their acquaintances most from their church. Very funny and nice people; we had a great time.


Shortly after, dark clouds came brewing in and next thing you know we had a huge downpour and moved every thing inside. Luckily it happened near the end of the open house and there were only a few stragglers left.

I asked Cindy how she felt about Alexa going away to college. She got a bit choked up and said that it was going to be strange not having her around every day. I can only imagine what that would be like...you nuture, love and support this little being for years and now it's time for her to spread her wings and see what the rest of the world has in store for her!!

We're truly excited for her next adventure and somehow wish we could all go back to that time...of course, only knowing what we know now!!

How time flies...

Here we are nearing the graduation of the first "Wong" grandchild, Alexa! She will be leaving high school this May and entering BYU of Idaho this fall with the ambition of being a doctor. Where did the time go as we all ask ourselves whenever we reach these milestones. Wasn't it just yesterday when my little sister Cindy, Alexa's Mom, was herself graduating from Murray High? I swear it was and we're all definitely not 17 years older since Alexa came into this world!!

Mom & Dad received her invitation to the graduation and was so moved by it that they are actually going to fly out to New Mexico to attend...yes, I said FLY! How special is that? Either way, we're all making and/or rearranging plans to make it out there this May to help her celebrate this great achievement and might I add, with honors.

Through the years as I talked with Cindy on occasion she always mentioned all her kids excellent school grades and work. Especially with Alexa with all her advanced classes she took not only because she is intelligent but for the challenge of wanting to learn more and not be complacent with regular classes. That has passed on to Zane and no doubt will be passed onto Julia. It is always with amazement at how Cindy and Steve have managed to raise such sweet, courteous and smart kids. Kudos to you both!

I dedicate this blog today at a small glimpse of yesteryear and a look back at how our little Alexa went from a little girl to a lovely young lady...!

What a good sister to Zane and Julia!!

Remember when Alexa was going to marry Chewy!












Me and Little Alexa - What a cutie!

Let's Check Out the Latest

The Denver Auto Show was in town again and surprisingly a lot of people were there despite the economy. We had been talking about getting a new car since my Sienna is all paid off and I'm so over a minivan!! As you all recall, I purchased the van mainly for Chewy because it was the only vehicle with a backseat window that actually goes down and I wanted a walkway from back to front so Chewy can get to me. Unfortunately he died shortly after that purchase and here I am with a minivan to transport what? the kids! Just kidding!!

Kurt had secretly checked out a new four door sedan VW came out with called the "CC" - it was a more luxurious version of a Passat. However, the body was sleeker and more like a coupe, he drove it and really liked it. The price was hard to beat too - fully loaded at around $42,000.00. Then he thought he would check out the new Audi Q5, a smaller version of the Q7 which was my initial choice a couple of years ago. Like the VW, Audi has all the bells, whistles and gadgets that has become their trademarks and also competitively priced. As I found out later, he almost came home with one of these but wasn't sure which color or if I would even like it without ever driving it. Which I'm glad he didn't...!!!

So we checked them all out at the auto show and in addition, looked into the BMWs, Infinitis and revisted the VW Touareg. It was great to be able to see all the cars in one place. This is the best time to be buying a car because of the dealers willingness to "deal" but it's also the worst time because of the unstable economy!! It's a no win situation. Well, I suppose I could just rack up all my credit cards, overbuy a home that I couldn't afford and then use Obama's plan and have everyone else bail me out! There's a solid plan to save the economy and our country!

We saw a lot of concept cars and of course the "dream cars" - like Lambourghini's, Astin Martins. Jared loved them and Evan loved the Monster Trucks!

Just a Quick Visit with Some Huge Returns

We just returned from a visit to Mom & Dad's out in Utah for a weekend. It was strange seeing how much Utah has changed and continues to change. However, the best part was how easy it was to get around in Utah. You're downtown in 15 minutes flat!! I sure miss that!!

We booked a room at the La Quinta in Midvale; it looked nice in the picture but as they always say; looks are deceiving! We figured it was mainly a place to sleep because we would be out or over at Mom & Dad's and for the price guess you can't beat it!

Amy was fortunate enough to meet us out there so it was a real treat to see her as well!! She suggested while we were out there that we check out the Cabela's out in Lehi, I'm thinking that sounds far and I thought how long of a drive is that?!! We were there in lickety split which I totally loved!! We have one out here similar but its called The Bass Pro Shop and it's huge too with all the taxidermy you can handle and great big aquariums as well.

A great thing happened while we were in Cabela's. Kurt had been shopping for buyers on a huge collection of antique guns that had come out for sale at our stores. I believe it was a total of 65 guns and have met with several people about purchasing them but no one with the funds or willing to part with their funds!! As we strolled through Cabela's and of course checked out their "Gun Library" we saw a sign that said, "We buy guns!" So I told him why don't you call them and see if they would be interested since they carried a lot of antique and collectible guns in their showcases at the stores. Being Kurt, he didn't hesitate and when he returned to work he called their corporate in Nebraska and their gun buyer was extremely interested and drove out to Colorado to meet with Kurt and see the guns and promptly purchased the bulk of them with the remaining sold to a private individual!! All in all, they all got sold and it's one of those things where you really felt it was meant to be that we were at Cabela's that day!!

So, this was also Evan's first airplane ride and we thought we would just keep it a short trip to see how he does. Well, he did beautifully and loved every minute of it. As we arrived at the airport, everything went as planned and scheduled. We proceeded to the security checkpoints and put our luggage on the long counter and like cattle scooted everything along the line for x-raying. Everyone's bag went through and then my carry on shoulder bag went through and was flagged.

The TSA agent asked if this was my bag and I said yes and he said we have to do a search and if I would mind. Of course, no problem I said and at this time I'm racking my brain as to what could possibly be in there.

A female agent took us aside and opened up my bag. She knew exactly where to look & pulled out my purse and a little knick knack bag I had inside (hand sanitizer, coupons, etc... Mom stuff!) and pulled out a little fold up 5 tools in one Eddie Bauer tool set that Kurt gave me a few years ago - I loved that thing but apparently that was the "threat"! She told us we could go and mail it back to our house as an option. Kurt being Kurt, asked if she could just hold it for us and we'll pick it back up from her when we come back through. Of course, she said she couldn't do it and Kurt told her, "Sure you can just put it in your pocket!" She said she couldn't again and that there are cameras everywhere so Kurt turned around to find the camera and proceeded to put his arms up in the air as to obstruct the view and told her "Ok, go ahead put it in your pocket!" It's a good thing she had a sense of humor otherwise we probably would not have been allowed to board the plane! So all I have left is my little pouch with the flashlight that came with it!! Boo Hoo Hoo!!

We were fortunate enough to meet up with some long lost friends. First one being Darin Gardner; as you all know or may not know he set Kurt and I up on our blind date 25 years ago and we've been on this roller coaster ride ever since! He was able to bring along with him his wife Mendy, who was really nice and very personable. Darin is doing well and has been quite prosperous in doing what we consider his natural calling, taxidermy. It surprisingly had taken him quite some time to find this out and actually turn it into a successful business. I'll put a link on my blog page so you can see his work. It's amazing!! We all met, including Mom & Dad, at a mexican restaurant on State Street near Fashion Place Mall and had a great time chatting a bit; Mom & Dad then took the kids back home with them so the rest of us could go and catch up some more. Darin hadn't changed much and still lives, breathes and sleeps hunting and fishing; which was about all we talked about with him!! Glad to see he's doing what he loves!

The next day I met up with my best friend from years ago, Dianne! Finally we were able to see each other and catch up after 15 years had gone by! We met through work and became instant friends and inseparable for the next few years. Unfortunately after I moved we seemed to have lost touch... Dianne appeared to be the same as I remembered her, beautiful as always and dressed so stylish and cutting edge and the undefeated Queen of Estee Lauder; which was one of our weaknesses growing up, who can say no to those free gifts with purchases!! She is now manager at Macy's in Orem overseeing several departments one of which is the cosmetics, right up her alley! After lunch she mentioned that she had to catch the Account Exec. of Estee Lauder at the new Nordstroms as they had promised her tons of free goodies during their grand opening. I scored a whole bunch of creams, lotions, anti-age this and anti-age that, perfume, handbags and umbrellas (which I left with Mom!)

After our stint at Nordy's we headed over to Applebee's and got a drink to chat some more. As I sat and listened to 15 years of what's happened I couldn't help but think how different she was and how we seem to have very little in common anymore. Next thing you know, 4 hours had gone by and I knew I had to get going and so did she. She drove me home and we said our goodbyes and gave promises of keeping in touch. After she left, I sat and smiled and thought about all that we had discussed and realized that Dianne wasn't the one that had changed; I was... Things that were important or of interest to us back then still were for her but not for me. I hope we can find a common ground somewhere and really keep in touch as I would love to hear about all her joys and sorrows for years to come.

Of course no visit would be complete without a trip to some authentic Dim Sum at Ho Ho Gourmet!! It was so incredibly delicious!! I thought the dim sum we had out here were good but the flavor was nowhere even close!! As always, we end up eating a lot every time we visit Mom & Dad; it's one of those sinful things that's just so hard to give up!!

It was very nice to see the folks but kind of sad to see how some things never change while others are changing too fast.

How far do you have to go to find some snow?

It's been an incredibly dry winter so far and we're nearing the end of this season; so time is crucial. So we set off in search of a sledding hill last weekend. We decided to drive up to Guanella Pass off Hwy 285 & I -70, about a two hour drive and a spot we've been to and we knew would have snow. All the way there; not a bit of snow but just a few little teeny tiny remnant patches of snow until we hit the Pass. Everyone was excited at this point as we had traveled far just to go sledding!

We started into the Pass and saw tons of snow and little tracks made by others who had ventured in earlier in the day or months. As we approached further we came upon a little red car that was pulled over on the side of the road. The sides of the road mind you were at least a few feet high with snow so we stopped and asked if they were ok. They just got stuck. If you venture off the tracks you're pretty much going to be stuck. So we pulled out the tow rope and pulled them out. After many thanks, we proceeded to our sledding hill.

Not long thereafter we came to where we would call our sledding hill that day and also another vehicle and again they were stuck so we pulled them out. All this time I'm thinking, we really should start charging $50 a tow; we could make some good money here!! Unfortunately or fortunately, I'm married to a good samaritan. We were probably about another 5-10 minutes away from our sledding hill but decided we better not chance it since no one else has been able to make it through and the tracks were no longer in existence from this point on. If we got stuck who would pull us out, right? So we made this our sledding hill; short as it may be it was as good as it got that day.

Shortly thereafter; a little Toyota truck pulled up and Kurt approached them and proceeded to let them know that it was pretty treacherous up ahead. As with a lot of men; this guy had something to prove and answered with a hearty "Yes, I'd like to try!" after Kurt asked him if he was still thinking of going - so I'm thinking - ok, someone in an F250 is telling you I wouldn't go in there myself and I still drive through it!! I told Kurt to NOT pull this guy out and so we watched as he got about 5 feet and got stuck. He did the reverse, forward, reverse, forward thing.... get out of the car and use his little portable shovel to dig....get back in. All the while, we sat and watched and drank our hot chocolate and mocha thinking this entertainment shouldn't be missed! He finally backed himself into a ditch, about flipped on its side and as cold hearted as I am, I continually told Kurt to NOT pull this guy out. I knew however, that he would eventually help him out but we did let him do some digging for a while longer!! I actually didn't want to be on the news as the people that let someone else freeze to death up in the mountains as deserving as it may have been. So we pulled him out.

I can't help but say "Thin the herd!"...

It was a matter of time...

Well, it took almost 3 weeks for them to be made but we finally got them. Evan is officially one of us - visually challenged! His teacher Ms. Donna noticed he was squinting and rubbing his eyes a lot and more obvious - holding his books too close to his eyes.

We took him to an Opthamologist and after two hours and several tests he was diagnosed with a Amblyopia - a form of "lazy eye" in his right eye.

Kurt wanted to take him to an eye surgeon instead of just an optician because he knew more likely than not, Evan had inherited his own vision issues.

We will be returning at the end of next month for a follow up to see whether or not they need to do some other form of therapy or make any corrections to the glasses. For now, he is very excited to have his new "attachment" to his face and trying to remember to use both hands to take the glasses off and to not touch the lenses with his fingers. The latter being harder to remember being five years old and all!!

A Night for Proud Parents

We were recently entertained by the 5th Grade Band & Orchestra - their first concert ever! Let me just say how proud we are of Jared and all the kids in his Band class. He was so excited all week long in preparation for this night. He only started learning the trumpet about 5 months ago (my next Chris Botti!) I was thoroughly impressed at how much he had learned and how well he played!! We were beside ourselves at the concert as you will see and hear in these videos. There were no solos performed by him but as a whole, the group did very well.

The required attire was black pants, white shirt and tie. Jared got dressed the night before to make sure everything was in order and when he came out I could hardly believe my eyes! It was as if he just grew up overnight; no longer my little baby...that's when I realized how old I'm actually getting! Just kidding! He looked so good I had to have him do some poses and I thought it would be fun to have him pose as "Bond, James Bond"(Another one of my favorites; those who know me!) with his airsoft gun. By the way, I tied his tie!! Yes, Me!!! I was so shocked that I remembered how! Kurt taught me years and years ago and by trial and error I figured it out again! I was quite proud of that!

Jared unfortunately was seated in the back row - where all the trumpet players were so we couldn't get his face in the videos but we did get some pictures before and after the concert. This is one of their favorite songs played called Hard Rock Blues!

This is one of those programs that will be first in line to be cut as we face millions of dollars in budget cuts this year and subsequent years. I can personally think of a few other subjects that our kids can do without and music has been proven to be an asset in a child's growth and conducive to their learning! Why are the arts always seen as "unnecessary" in a school curriculum?