If lightening doesn't strike in the same place twice.... I'm asking for a piggy back ride!

I realize the most of you know about the Angel getting torched by lightening at the top of the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple - ouch. I actually watched this storm sweep across the valley - not an unfamiliar sight for the past 2 weeks. Mom use to tell me that thunder was the devil rolling apples down the stairs. I always wondered why he was in heaven with a bushel of apples... Then, I watched Snow White and I figured that it must have been the poison apples - - wait shiny buttons - another story for another day. I guess the first person that noticed it was a guy walking to choir practice with his binoculars. Ok - so that's a boner award in itself - who actually walks to choir practice with binoculars? (let alone actually wanting to go to choir practice?) (Get that guy in for an interview....) The point of this blog was to tell you another story about Moroni, not that story, the missionaries will have to tell you that one. Many years ago when they took the angel off of the Salt Lake Temple to give it more muscles (really) and a quick structural update, they found bullet holes in it. Hummm.... Maybe they should give him a semi automatic machine gun instead of a trumpet, especially around conference time when those idiots stand around and scream in our faces! Let's see - Draper Temple, baptism by fire, Qquirrh Temple, torched by lightening... I think I'll just head off to the Jordan River Temple this week, except it's in the lowest part of the valley and it might flood! What a blessing to have 4 to choose from! Well, from this picture no one can say the Mormons are not multicultural - I vote we leave it as it is - it's just a little reminder of who's actually in charge. Gotta go - working on my Relief Society Lesson....

Bethany, you are hands down my favorite daughter in law...

THANK YOU THANK YOU
THANK YOU THANK YOU
THANK YOU THANK YOU
THANK YOU THANK YOU
I AM IN HEAVEN,
NO WAIT, ACTUALLY I'M
practicing my fine motor skills by....
STANDING UP ON MY BUS AND CHEERING!
SURE NEEDED THAT ONE!
Love you!

Did you preview the preview on the sneak peak of the previews?

Ok - so the critics just didn't seem to like this movie - but the packed audience at Jordan Commons seemed to disagree - laughed 'till we were crazy peeing. Although I would suggest you not drink too much beverage at the movie because of the previous sentence - I think that the best part of this movie came before the movie even started. The Twilight - 'New Moon' preview came on and the girls in the room went wild. Ashley, Mike, Del and I went and Del and Mike looked at each other in sheer terror - they could not believe it! There were screaming boppers everywhere! Ok, so I actually "WHOOOOD" with a raspy voice a couple of times. Jacob is very nice to observe - but the minute he opens his mouth to talk - ya, he's gay. Needed a tougher Jacob, with a lower wolf type voice. I love the preview AFTER that one - quite an unknown movie where several of the male members started wahooing just to mock the previous preview - gotta love testosterone. Never the less, my date was hot, the popcorn was good, my coke was cold, and the movie - is dang funny. Go for it. Is is morning? Just when I was a little nervous about seeing more of Sandra Bullock than necessary, I commented on how many people from my ward were there enjoying the show also. There's pleanty of room in the warm place after death eh? See you there!

And Drew is smiling because....

...if you look at the counter on the left for my Uncle Elder Ryan (just for today mind you) he is at the magical date of 567 days left on his mission countdown! Ya - and also at 5 years old I'm going to be such a little rascal teaching my little brother or sister about the world, and at 6 years old I'm going to kindergarten and chase the little girls and pull their pigtails, and at 7 years old my dad will sit me down and show me how to mow the lawn, get the jetski, drive the motorcycle, and maybe even the car! I love 567, hope our Missionary Man does also! (We love Texas this transfer) Pass me another sticker for the charts! Comps so far: Elder Davidson, CA; Elder Fryhoff, MI; Elder Harper, MAS., and as always he always has the Lord. Keep up the great work Ryan - you are an amazing example to Drew! Can you say - authentic fire extinguisher enchaladas? Excellente'

Century Sanctuary - Next year I wanna be a Pirate - argh

The Annual "Bob complaining for 100 miles" adventure began on Saturday at about 7:30 AM and ended about 7 hours later including lunch, quick shot block breaks and 'gotta pee' stops. Ashley and I started doing this Little Red Riding Hood Century, well I say 4 years ago - she said 3, but age always wins over beauty so it's been 4 years of interesting adventures. I have to train and train and train, Ashley gets on the bike and trashes everyone, waving at skilled riders as she passes them going uphill. All things in moderation. I was passed by someone older than me, going down hill. Ouch. Needless to say it was a 100 miles of great music, what, ipods? Yep, all the better to drown you out from talking to me saying, "Passing on the left" NO KIDDING? I THINK I CAN ACTUALLY SEE YOU PASSING ME BUT I MIGHT JUST DART OUT AND HIT YOU SINCE WE'RE THE ONLY PEOPLE ON THE ROAD AND THERE'S TEN MILES BETWEEN US AND THE NEXT PACK! (That was for you Heidi) I love rules. Especially when seasoned riders who know better ride 6 wide on a freeway. Can you say 'close up shot on those bib numbers'? Anyway - it always humbles me to do this ride - it's for a great cause and the time spent riding a 100 miles with my daughter who is 1/2 my age minus a year is priceless. We eat great food the night before, we yell out 'Shebalba' at the cows for Mandy, (by the way we didn't hit any Jaffars or Asians Mandy), and we quote movie lines, and then we turn the Dave Matthews Band's new CD up loud in our ears to avoid reality, and pain. We saw enough road kill to feed an army - I have discoverd a way to feed the hungry! Needless to say, nothing feels better than reaching a goal you thought you'd never make. I made a promise to my son Ryan about a certain hill that destroys me every year. I said I would not stop or touch down, that I would sing the 'Dream Big' song even if I cried because it hurt so much. I did it! And yes I did cry - but only because he never gives up either - it was a victory for both of us. Some pleasant thoughts came at about 80 miles when I couldn't get my lower lip to close with the top one. Freaky. I also loved all of the people that came out to the side of the road to cheer us on - that was a serious shot in the arm of sweetness. During the ride I actually forgot I was in the Little Red Riding Hood Ride, I thought I was in the Wizard of Oz - I kept clicking my biking shoes together and saying, "There's no place like home, There's no place like home." My camera was tucked away safely in the car - so you'll need to see the sagging parts of me on Ashley's blog at the right - There's the before picture, the after picture, and then the after the massage picture with the Wolfe - aaaahhh. After burning about 6200 calories on these rides, all I could say was please pass the Pepsi, and hand over another cremecicle. No muscle aches the day after (we're not even going to discuss sitting down the rest of that day), but both knees had to be amputated. Don't worry - they'll grow back in time for the ULCER in August - bring on the testosterone - Del joins us for that one! 2600 riders, one broken arm (I believe it was one of the 6 across bunch - or at least it should have been) and we witnessed only about 3 tubes blown (smart girls use armadillos), a million volunteers, great food, awesome road support, and a wonderful feeling all through the ride, just needed to kill the wind, but never the less....See you next year suckas! (Wait, that's us, duh!) Thanks Lee Lee it was sweeeet!

Mirror, Mirror on the wall - I am my Mother after all... and other words of absolute nonsense - shut up Eric....

I know - I really don't have 80 reasons, I have a million and one. On June 2nd my mom turned 80 years young. You can see that she still has her Primary smile in this picture. This is my dad - we're not sure where he is - but most of the time in the rest home - he likes to eat peas. I was able to spend the last couple of days with mom - and because I've already said in a previous blog how much I really love her and all - I thought for the grandchildren's sake - all 9 of them - that I would list a few items that they can look forward to for when I turn 80. Or, jump in front of a fast moving semi before that day whichever comes first. Many of you that do not know our family - will wonder how these things are actually things - but I guarantee you that my kids, and Eric's kids are fully understanding of this entire blog.

TOP REASONS WE LOVE MOM/GRANDMA

1. Huh? 80 times a day.
2. Who? 80 times a day.
3. Where? 80 times a day
4. When? 80 times a day
5. 80 stacks of papers in 80 parts of the house
6. 80 post-it notes on the fridge - 80 reminders to be reminded.
7. 80 Birthday cards because she is so fun - they had to give her her own bag at the post office - it was like Santa Claus!
8. I'll do it my way - 80 times
8.5 80 millions times she's supported everyone in our family in all of our ball games, track meets, dance/piano recitals, court hearings, wait... isn't that on your blog Eric? Oh, and prom dresses, laundry, cooking, cleaning, doctor appointments for stitches, stitches, and stitches, general drugs, illegal drugs, beatings, whippings, ringlets in my hair so people would laugh at me, ER visits, May Day adventures, Bear Lake drownings, Cold Water Picnics, Easter Sundays at the Gravel Pit, Sitting on top the house to watch the fireworks in Logan, kissing daddy so much, reminding me that love means that you're never alone - even when you are, telling me that kitties go to heaven after we backed up out of the driveway to go to Disneyland and slaughtered my cat and daddy wrapped it in newspaper and threw it in the hollow on the way out of town, understanding my tears as he handed me the bloody collar, (wait - bright shiny buttons - where was I) oh!...weddings, grandchildren's births, Temple trips, birthdays, birthday card$, car wrecks, boating accidents, surgeries, low checking accounts, egg sammies at 12:00 AM delivered at work, carpooling, and giving us worm pills right along with the dog because the Watkins Pill man at the door said we probably needed it, and for sorting the paper clips, and used bread ties so nicely.
9. Did I mention Huh?
10. 80 pieces of bacon in the freezer
11. 80 carcasses on the side of the road
11.5 80 vegetable platters with olives
12. 80 trips to Therm Locke
13. 80 calls to the LockeSmith
14. 80 social clubs
14.25 80 trips to Tiffanys
14.5 80 amazing Roasts, with 'unsettled Raspberry Jello'
15. 80 flowers to 80 graves
16. 80 amazing nieces and nephews
16.5 80 shades of pink lipstick, and orange, and red and... purple - YES people I said purple...
17. 80 years of trials and victories
17.5 80 bags of candy
18. An 80 year old twin that is gone but not forgotten
19. 80 times more of Eric being the favorite child.
20. 80 cinder blocks - crooked
20.5 80 bags of leaves
20.7 80 Marijuana burns - could have been more...
21. 80 years of love and devotion to church and state, and a little bit of Vegas.
22. 80 years of loving and being loved
22.5 79 years of living with 10 toes
23. 80 years of which 61 of them were spent being married to her sweetheart
24. 80 years of which 52 of them were spent being an amazing mom to Eric
25. 80 years of which 29 of them were spent being an amazing mom to me! (hey - it's my blog - get over it...), and being my very best friend in the world. (really - before Verizon - we could have furnished housing and food for a small foreign country.....)
26. 80 years of which most of them were spent in a flower garden, vegetable garden, tailoring shop, piano shop, and yet again, Vegas.
27. 80 years of fun with Elda, Ray, LeDean, Beth, and Jay and all of their spouses, and all of the crazy vacations.
27.5 80 years of the best hot rolls on earth, wait - the last few years she's had bad yeast....
28. 80 years of which only 15 were spent with her own mom
28.5 80 pair of Jacqueline Kennedy sunglasses
29. 80 years of which it would take the Energy Solutions Arena to have a funeral because she knows so many people (remember if you die - we do your hair and make up!)
30. Years upon years of support to many generations of families both Hill, and Bowen, Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren, Nieces and Nephews, Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Brothers and Sisters, and all of the 80 stories a piece that go with each one of these people. (Which she sometimes can even remember!) (Selective Listening, Selective Memory, and C.R.S. - Can't Remember Stuff)
30.5 Did I mention Huh?

Happy Birthday Mom! I say 80 more... Remember to lift those puppies up when you sunbathe, if not it will leave 2 long stripes over your stomach and into your armpits! XOXOXO Huh? LOVE YOU!!! (Can we still have the hot dog roast?)

wait.... I'll leave the comments open to any suggestions that YOU can think of! (now be nice kids..)

BETSY!

What? Me forget you? NEVER! How could I ever forget to shout out to you - I LOVE YOU! you are a WONDERFUL MOM - so wonderful that someone special in the universe is sending you another beautiful child because he trusts you so much with his little ones!! Bampa says, "IT'S A GIRL" and I vote girl too. You are an amazing first Grandchild, First Niece and have always brought joy and sunlight into our family. Well excpt for those occations when you wrecked the car and rolled several times and watched your hair fly through the air and then landed in the river... oh, and the keys, losing them the first 5 times or so was funny, but after that we started calling you Grandma, and, well, we'll talk later on rest ok? SOOOOO.... Here's YOUR shout out sweetheart - keep up the great work! We are so happy you have Mr D. and Mr C. in your life and can't wait to see the next cute little red head coming soon.! Helga Loves yer guts off!