Go West!

Ever since Randy found out Ian was running track, he has wanted to go up and watch him.  We headed north to West to meet up with Ian, Brandi and the boys.  Ian's coach wanted the team all dressed in matching uniforms so he had to wear this nice black one instead of his "retro" orange and black he wore the last time I was there.  He's still handsome no matter what color he's in :-)  Randy was very proud of him and said that not many people understand what it takes to run track...he says "it's a lot of physical effort and there are no substitutes to spell you off...you're on your own!" and he is 100% right.  Way to go Ian and thanks for letting us come and watch.

Ian running the 4 x 400 relay

Even though he wasn't in the mood to smile, he put on a

happy face for his granny.

Brandi and the boys entertaining themselves between races.



                      

Bowling

Tonight was a Laurels and Priests combined activity and the boys let the girls decide if they wanted to have a BBQ or go bowling.  With the way the weather has been lately it was a "NO Brainer" on what they chose to do.  We had quite a group there trying to win the top spot.  I took my ball with me but after my last experience at a bowling alley (I ended up at the St. Marks emergency room after tweeking my back) I decided to leave it in the trunk and just watch. I usually bowl between a 110-130 so I was glad I left the ball outside.  I think the top score was 68 and most of them were around 30-40. But the kids had a good time and they want to do it again.  Maybe I will take a chance and give bowling another shot :-)

Hide and Seek

Easter Sunday dinner is always preceeded by our annual easter egg hunt.  Sometimes we luck out and the weather is great so we can hide the eggs all over the yard...but when the weather is yucky like it has been this weekend, we always have a back-up plan...the BIG red barn!  The kids gathered for a quick picture before they headed to the barn to hunt eggs.  With hay, trailers and lots of farm equipment in the barn, there are plenty of places to hide those bright colored plastic eggs.

FYI - Haylee is pointing at her basket...not flipping the bird!!

A Soggy Baseball Saturday

We finally got a chance to travel to Spanish Fork this weekend and watch Wyatt play on the accelerated baseball team called the Hot Shots.  He plays on second base and is an awesome batter!  Today ended up being a real soggy saturday.  It drizzled during the first game and then it poured on the second game.  I couldn't believe they would make those boys play in the cold, wet weather...but I've been told there is NO crying in baseball!!  Randy, Haylee and I finally got in the car and pulled it around to the back of the field so we could get warm.  Needless to say, Wyatt was SOAKED by the time the games were over.

Wyatt covering second base

He looks pretty aggressive leading off first!

Meet Ray

Meet Jason and Krysten's new baby Ray.  It doesn't take those two long to make up their minds. Bob was gone as of Saturday and Ray arrives on Monday...now that's some fast work!!  And he matches their new trailer...obviously a match made in heaven!!  I can't wait to go for a ride!



Home Sweet Trailer and the Little Sahara

There is one thing that the Lusty family likes to do and that is going camping...in STYLE!!  Jason and Krysten decided it was time to buy a toy hauler that they could call their home away from home...and what a beauty it is!!  They couldn't wait to try it out so they packed up and headed to the sand dunes this weekend.  Randy and I have never been to the dunes so we decided to drive out and check out what the fuss is all about.  I can't believe they charge you $18 to drive in, have dinner and drive back out!  But is was fun just spending time with Jason and Krysten, Don and Wendy, and TaNeal and her kids.  I never realized there was such a place here in Utah.  While we enjoyed the company and the hotdogs, Randy said he's not sure he would get much sleep with all the vehicles going up and down sand mountain all night long!

These two were meant for each other!!! 

Nothing like a campfire and toasted marshmellows! That's part of sand

mountain in the background.

The sand eating crew! That's Kenzie in the pink

Darth Vader helmet

A Sad Goodbye To "Bob"

It's always a sad day when you have to say goodbye to a family member, but saying farewell to two Bob's in two weeks was something totally unexpected!  Today Jason bid a sad farewell to his Harley I lovingly called "Bob" (since he was my first grandson from Jason's family). He will soon be replaced by another vehicle which will have four wheels and will be driven off road.  While he was sad about the loss, TaNeal made him feel a little better when she reminded him that he can still buy another "Bob" in the future if he still misses him.  We will have to update you when the new one arrives and let you know what his name will be :-)

 Harley "Bob" Davidson Lusty

Who's On First

Today we went over to Mt. Pleasant to watch the North Sanpete Lady Hawks play Richfield in softball and there was our Lou playing on first base...proudly displaying her #28!  They did a great job and the final score was 9 to 3 for our Lady Hawks!  Congratulation to the whole team, especially our Kenzie Lou!!

Look at that perfect form!!

Rounding 2nd and on her way to 3rd!

Our Family Artist

Holly is our family artist and she is very talented!  I had the opportunity to stop by Snow college today and see her displays in the student art show.  She had warned me that her art was pretty graphic so I wasn't sure what to expect.  It was interesting to see the backside of Gavin's head blown out and when I asked her to explain she asked me "What do you think it says?"  I wasn't sure what to say at the time, but after some time to look at the picture and think about it, here is what I have come up with...if we allow ourselves to become absorbed in the things that are around us, whether it be books, art, music or just the beauty of nature, we can be "blown away" by what we learn.  The birds in flight represents our freedom to choose and explore these possibilities.  So Holly...how did I do??



Our next stop was a piece she calls "Nice Rack"...which is also what her current profile pix is on facebook.  I must admit that I kinda gasped when I saw her holding a cigarette in those talented fingers, but I calmed down after she gave me the explanation for the piece.  It was showing all the things that are unnecessary in life...like smoking, painted fingernails and lips, Madonna-type bra's and of course a rack of horns...hence the name "Nice Rack".

Then as we are exiting the exhibit, we walk by this nude picture.  For some reason I don't feel very comfortable viewing nude pictures.  I know that it is art, but sometimes I feel like I'm staring at some kind of porn!  I asked Holly if the students still have models pose for them and commented that the guy in the picture looked kinda like Aaron...not that I have ever seen Aaron in the nude...I was just sayin!  Anyway...she just smiles and points to the tag by the picture which says "Backside of 30 Something" by Holly Hooper.  SURPRISE!!!!!  It was not only the backside of my sweet son-in-law, but also the backside of my beautiful daughter.  There were three girls over by the window that were getting quite a chuckle from my response.  I was so "discomboobled" that I forgot to take a picture, so I had to borrow Holly's from her facebook so you could see it.

The good news is she won an award at the show for the piece!! 

Congratulations Holly!  Another fine piece of art!

And They're Off!

I was really glad that things worked out so I could see Ian run his three events.  He runs in the 200 and 400 meter races and in the 4 x 400 relay event.  He took 2nd in the 400 and 3rd in the 200.  Not only is he handsome, but he's also very talented!  And it was fun to watch him.  Keep up the good work Ian!

Check out his cool "retro" track uniform!

I can't remember if this is the 200 or 400, but

he runs like the wind!

Good Times

Today our adventures led us to Salt Lake. We have had Brandi's car for over a week to get the clutch and AC fixed and it was time to exchange cars.  Ian was competing in a track meet at West so today was the prefect day to take care of both things so Taite and I headed to Salt Lake to make a day of it.



Taite is always excited when he gets to come and visit his cousins!  Damon was showing him some of the cool games he has for his DS and Jonas was busy playing with his...which he will tell you is really Ians, but he lets him play with it.  Then it was off to the track meet.  The interesting thing about a track meet is that there are lots of events and no set times when they will occure so the boys found fun things to do to take up the time until we got to watch Ian...like doing their own racing, playing card and eating hotdogs.

Damon is teaching Taite how to play poker.  He and Jonas are pretty good at it!

The boys claimed these were the BEST hotdogs ever!!

Being on this crazy diet I couldn't partake of the devilish delights

so I will just have to take their word for it.

Farewell to Uncle Bob

Today I had the opportunity to attend my Uncle Bob's funeral. Uncle Bob was quite a character if my memory is still working.  I spent a lot of time visiting him and my Aunt Margaret in Tooele when I was growing up.  He talked often of some kind of a circus that would be coming to town...little did I realize he was probably talking about family. I also remember being excused from his dinner table several times because of "smacking" my lips while eating...a habit that I quickly got rid of so I could enjoy dinner with the family. He left quite a legecy and you could see that in the way his children and grandchildren spoke of him with love...not much reverence...but a lot of love. The tears of his great-granddaughter while singing with her mom, aunt and grandmother the song about "Grandpa, tell us about the good old days" tugged at my heart. The sad look on my cousin Jans face pretty much tells it all.  We are all sad when our loved ones leave us...even if it is for just a short time. 

I have come to realize that the only sure thing in this life is that the day we are born we are destined to die.  I can only hope that I have loved my children and grandchildren in a way that they will think back with fond memories when they say...remember when granny...to be completely honest...I'm a little scared of how they are going to finish that sentence :-)

Love you Dad!

A Time to Plant

It's hard to believe it's time to begin planting our garden. I just want to cry in the fall when Randy tills it all up.  We LOVE our garden!  Not only because of all the yummy things we are able to grow, but for the time we get to spend as a family preparing and planting it. TaNeal and Wayne and their family came over to help get things started. Randy has always loved having a garden. I think it is a fond memory of time spent with his mother while he was growing up. And he is very good at it!  Me on the other hand, I never learned how to plant and take care of a garden. My grandpa Vern would grow an awesome garden every summer and then share the produce with our family.  So I have a deal with Randy...if he will grow the garden, I will bottle it.  With a little help from TaNeal, it seems to be working out. 

Our head pea planters

Since every row has to be perfectly
straight, Wayne and Taite set the string
for the next row.

Good Friends

This is my dear friend Anni.  We met in November 2004 when my girls gave me a gift certificate for a massage for Mothers Day.  I waited until just before it expired and then call the Healing Touch clinic to make an appointment.  Needless to say, I was totally hooked after that.  Anni is my danish angel who fixes me up every other Thursday.  Not only does she give a wonderful and relaxing massage, but I consider her one of my dearest friends.  It was her birthday on March 31st so I invited her to lunch to celebrate her special day.  Good friends are a priceless gift...Love you Anni