SISTERHOOOD

      A while back I started telling people about having another boy...with a possibly notable downcast inflection in my voice when pronouncing 'boy'.  People may think that I am weird or biased or something....as the ultrasound technician may well have thought also....but if anyone else had lived through my life and had a tiny taste of the sisterhood that I have, they would understand my slice of sadness at not having any more girls.

Bev, Sue, Viki, Emily, Nancy, Liz, Jane
Marilyn, Gayle, Mom, Jennie

      I just got back from a weekend in St. George spent with ALL of my sisters (including my sweet S.I.L.) Some may read that line and think, "what's the big deal?" Well...the big deal is that there were ELEVEN people there and we were all able to make it on the same weekend and that in and of itself is a big deal....seeing as we have between us 44 kids!

  There was never a boring moment..all of us would just sit and talk and talk and talk the whole time. This tradition started 2 years ago with our first bi-annual "Sisters Weekend" when my oldest sister Nancy turned 50. For that trip in 2008, we went to Nauvoo. It was so lovely. This year it was my next sister, Liz's 50th and we all went to Nancy's condo in St. George, UT.  The tradition will hopefully continue every two years, which means in only 15 more years we will be celebrating MY 50th birthday. Aaaaah....that was a bit more painful to write than I thought.

   There is so much to be said for sisterhood, so much to be shared and offered and enjoyed together.  We discussed everything under the sun, from everyday happenings, to struggles inevitably found in marriage and parenthood, to the deeper depths of philosophy and religion. It was a pure joy to be with those 10 women I love and to feel a part of something so great. There was also the beauty of the surroundings, with some of us hiking to Zions and some to the Red Cliffs and all of us to the local State Park of (Can't recall the name).

       It was breathtakingly beautiful, the scenery and the wonders of God's natural monuments around us

St. George temple where we went to do a session together.

Mom, Sue, Bev, and Em on our pretty hike.

Doesn't even look a day over 75 does she?

The beautiful sites of Red Rock Cliffs.

I loved this pic so much that I made it my screen saver!

...but even more beautiful to me was the pure love and concern that was felt for each other. My husband always tells me that it is crazy that I can sit and talk so much with my girlfriends here in town...like we never run out of things to talk about. He says the same thing about my family when we are at a reunion or any family gathering for that fact.

     While we were there at the condo in St. George, there was a nice flat screen TV on the wall which even had cable. (And I don't even have it at home!)  Guess how much it was used? NONE! That's right...it wasn't watched AT ALL...it sat there on the wall oblivious to the voices, the tears, the laughter, the prayers, the hearts of those eleven women sitting in it's presence, completely ignoring it. It was something very simple, yet it stood symbolic to me of the desire of each of us as children of God, struggling with our mortal trials and desires, yet striving to live a NON-WORDLY life, one full of strength, meaning, vision, and hope for the future. It was literally a chance for each of us to join together and refill our tanks, ready to go home and be that much better of a person to those we work and live with every day.

Sue and Emily traipsing up the creek on the hike!

Liz holding the B-day cake that Emily and I made for her (and all of the October girl's b-days)..yup, it's a ghost of their youth with RIP in front! Haha. 

   It is really hard for me to describe in words the openness and love that I feel around my sisters...and I am in no way saying that I don't love my 2 brothers, because I really truly do...it's just a sisterly thing that is hard to explain.
   Thanks to all of you for making the effort to come and for opening your hearts and sharing your souls.

And now...here are a few of the last few months that I need to catch up on!

Pretty fountain at one of the hotels in Vegas

Yup..we are older, a bit fluffier, balder, more wrinkles, but still happy together after 14 years of marriage!

The happy couple in Vegas! (we were there for  Greg's cont. ed. conference/anniversary)

The famous fountains at the Bellagio in Vegas.

Here are a few other random pictures in an attempt to get more "caught up" on the past few months....

I just LOVE Sadie's freckles, and one of the other kids took this pic of her and I just found it on the camera when downloading...she is so beautiful. I can't believe that she is turning 8 already. Waaaah....my baby girl! =(

Seth fishing with dad at the Victor Pond...they love this place to fish..always catching something!

This pic should have been posted at the top of blog as a warning to people about seeing Greg's new  MMA fighter look!  I think he looks great!

Sweet Miles, nearly 14 months already...getting close to walking..any day now! For those who have seen him more recently...this pic shows that we also cut off his mohawk!

Landen with his 'catch' at Victor Pond.

One more pic from Vegas...this was at the Bellagio also...pretty Fall display with fancy trees, gardens, and HUGE pumpkins..this one was nearly 1000 pounds...awesome!