Partae

 The story goes kinda like this..... Del planned a party for me and had the girls & hubbies and the baby pistachio (Mike and Ashley's inner preggie child) over.  Matt, Bethany and Andy are in Washington, and Elder Hillary is kinda busy elsewhere.  So the girls are stuck with me - and their respective spouses.  Here they all all cute and lovely.  I love them....Lee Lee, Pistachio, Mikhole, Beep and Ryan mmmmm.... not to be confused with Ryan hhhhhhhh.

 

Mandy made one of her amazing creations - it was seriously this cute and hard to make - and much appreciated.  I'm not kidding folks - you need to hire her - she's a freak of nature when it comes to decorating cakes!  Later on, we learned that fondant can be burned in the candles located on the table - which we cannot have anymore on the table because my children are pyros.....

 

We set the table up all nicety nice and civilized and then we played with fire some more.

 There are a lot of candles to deal with at a 50th Birthday Party eh?!

 
Del is a seriously serious Steak griller, like he's on grilling crack I swear.  (I'm lovin' the hair baby...) He's an excellent Harley man, Rocket Scientist, and Grillin' Freak - a perfect combination....  He was out in the snowstorm grilling just for me - I'm feelin' the love baby.  Now this next picture might scare you - but we don't have any steak knives - somehow they get broken or thrown away - so we just pulled out all of my butcher knives, and bread cutting knives and meat cleavers - all with 12 inch blades - I put them out just for fun and then I looked over and my sweet son in law Ryan is hacking up his steak with the bread loaf knife and not complaining or saying anything - I know we scare him so he probably wouldn't have said anything - we are a strange family, indeed.
 
Ashley and Mike brought flowers and balloons and yummy salads and rolls and then we pulled out the matches again and burn baby burned those candles.  I received a great CD from Mandy and Ryan that makes me cry, and 4 extra special messages on my phone where she sings Happy Birthday to me in Spanish, Korean, Jumbalia, and British, all complete with bleeps where she has to swear on a couple.  This is unique because Mandy doesn't speak any of those languages, even British!  Those are treasures, seriously folks, you might pee if your heard them...she took up 4 slots on the message machine.... Ashley and Mike gave me a book called "My Grandma Drives a Harley" that they picked up in Vegas on their last trip there - it's SO funny and I can't wait to read it to not only Andrew, but his little sister and his cousin Tommy Hawker Pistachio Doxstader!  Del was a total sweetheart and planned the party and pulled it off complete with doing the dishes afterward.  Later on I received a call from Washington with the funniest attempt to get Andy to say Happy Birthday Nanna - but he kept inserting the word "Cars" then NANNA really loud - I laughed and cried!  It was followed by a wonderful card from My Missionary Man - something about actually listening to my nagging - that kid better count his blessings that he's far away  on my birthday or I'd put him on dish patrol or wipe-o for a month - right Matt? (:  Thanks for all of the wonderful face book well wishes!  My favorite was:  "Can you hear the death march yet?"  Obviously from an 'older' friend of mine.....  I noticed that I didn't get one from
Mikenzie Reeder Wade - WHF?

Happy day - we had a blast - and I am totally blessed with amazing family and fun friends.
Thanks for making it special!

Here's yer sign...

...and there you go...
comments to come...later

Hillary Family - Put it on the Calendar!

Shocking but true - Your dad helped trim the tree.  Yep - I know - 26 years of marriage = 26 trees.  He put them up one by one.  I believe this event occured due to a melt down after my 300 hour graveyard shift last week.... oh, and also due to the fact that I commented on how I didn't even want to put up the 'Holly Jolly' this year and suggested a place he 'put the ornaments'.  He chose option #2 - actually putting the ornaments on the tree instead.  He chose wisely.  I didn't even mind that he had several Mechanical Engineering Structural Analysis comments on the simple ornament hook and suggested that we do a power point presentation on geographically placing the ornaments on the tree.  I love yer dad... there might not be anything under our tree this year but by darn - there's a lot of love around it.... ew.... naughty....

Get Your BYU Key Chains Here!

Here is where Utah can purchase their BYU Keys to the Rivalry Game.  Must 'drive you all nuts' heading home tonight right?  From what I noticed there isn't enough red to cover that scoreboard!  I personally am an Aggie - but for my BYU kids I'll celebrate with a big WWWAAAHHHOOOOO!! just for you.

Matt - Masters 
Bethany - Masters
Ashley - Masters
Mandy - Bachelors in Spring
Ryan M - Bachelors in Spring
Ryan H - BYU Student

In the movie 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' my favorite line is in the room with all of the cups to choose from - the final Knight says, "You Chose Wisely' and kids - so did you.  Wear your blue proudly!

In thinkin for dinner tomorrow - anyone from the U can come over for some humble pie - we'll be serving it on blue plates with a little Wahoo on the side. Now - let me check the scoreboard for the Aggies.... oh well....


RETRACTION:  DEl IS A CAL POLY MAN... BUT RECIEVED HIS MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN ENGINEERIN FROM THE U OF U - HE'LL BE EATING ON THE BLUE PLATE TOMORROW.... BUT WE STILL LOVE HIM.  ASHLEY IS CURRENTLY WEARING RED SO SHE'S KINDA A BYUER!  (BUT WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS RIGHT LEE LEE?)

Ashley? What's in there?

I

heart

Lee Lee's

preggie

Pee Stick!

(Is is legal to post a preggie

post and a missionary post

on the same day?)

YESSSS!

"MOM"umental Day

400

DAYS

LEFT,

TO THE

RIGHT

YOU'LL

SEE.
(Love you Elder H)

Count your many blessings - but please do it before 5 AM on Friday...

Yep - it's my yearly personalized ranting post on Black Friday

If you are a fan of Black Friday - please forgive...

I personally - am not - I work retail,

Actually graveyard week proceeds Black Friday.

I sign my life away on secret ads,

I give my holiday away working Thanksgiving Eve,

Thanksgiving day, and Thanksgiving night

for Black Friday Freaks.
(See later post for Christmas Eve, Day and day after)

Friends I haven't seen for years

come out of the woodwork to try to get out

of me where to run to first in the store,
or if I can 'hold something for them'.
(PLEEAASSSEEE).

Which look like great things to buy,

until the Visa bill comes....

I make sure that I am walking out of the store

15 minutes before the mayhem begins.

You know how cold it is outside by the amount
of Starbucks cups littering our parking lot...
I pray for a blizzard that morning...

As I drive away from the store - I watch the doors open

and I remind myself that there's only $22.50 in my checking
account for the rest of the year probably....

I look at our beautifully decorated, filled to the brim

musically saturated store, that has been wrapped and

ready since the 4th of July, and listen to the

calm before the storm.
Please be kind to the employees in the stores,
they've given up more than you know to make
sure that your adventure in insanity and brutality
is a happy snowglobe dream come true.
Thank them, be patient with them,
they are working on about 2 hours of sleep,
and have been advised to smile...
Use your nice voices, remember that
strollers can be weapons of war, and that
if you have to knock someone to the floor
for the animated fuzzy toy - there is therapy
available for you through Obama's
new health care plan...or not....

Last year - the store did 225,000 in 6 hours...

I didn't get an increase this year,

my benefits were cut,

and I'm watching them bring in new

holiday employees...

Forgive me for my attitude.

I'm grateful for the Holiday 24 hours before Black Friday

Thanksgiving - although I won't get to enjoy any of it...
Get off work at 7:30 am... drive 1 1/2 hours - see family
drive 1 1/2 hours back to be at work by 8:00 PM for the
ever so exciting nightmare before Christmas
Don't get me wrong - I love the celebration of the Holidays.

I'm thankful that our family enjoys the lights, the sounds,

the food and the spirit of Christmas, that we

draw for a name - buy one gift - receive one gift and

remember that it's all about the Christ Child and
serving those around us who never ever ever get to
shop Black Friday - because there isn't even any
food in their home, let alone a tree or 2 or 3...
It's about a phone call from my Missionary,

and a visit from sweet loved family,

and another year that I get to love my parents on this earth.
And above all - being with my children and the most
beautiful 1 1/2 grandchildren in the world.

It's about the tears that well up when "I'll be home for Christmas"

comes on the loud speaker (on Halloween night) and I know

that it's the first Thanksgiving and Christmas that
I've been apart from my Missionary Man
and I'm praying that there's room around

a table for him where ever he is.  And how grateful I am

that there's some mother out there that will take him under

her wing and love him for me.

This year on Thanksgiving - all of my children are
celebrating with their amazing in laws or
they are far away with a new roof!

I will miss them - and yet I am proud of the

amazing human beings they are - and that

they always remember....

"What happens in Vegas - Stays in Vegas"

Never the less, our hearts will be celebrating our love
for each other,and singing
"There's a Big Fat Turkey Down at Grandpa's Farm"

even though - Grandpa never had a farm - but
he did have turkeys and I thought they were
awful, smelly, noisy animals..... random thought...

So - Kids - Bob loves you - dad and I are on our own this year,

so.... knock first.

See.... if I distract you with shiny keys you forget all about

the rush at 5:00 on Black Friday.

....please pass the pumpkin pie...

PS - We put out Valentine Socks this week....