Happy Birthday Erin

Erin

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!! We hope you have a very fun day.

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!

Shake, rattle & roll in Southern California. We experienced a 5.8 magnitude at 11:42am today. EARTHQUAKE WAS REVISED DOWN TO A 5.4. Preliminary information from the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the quake at magnitude 5.8, centered 29 miles east-southeast of downtown Los Angeles near Chino Hills in San Bernardino County. Ten aftershocks occurred in the next dozen minutes, including three estimated at 3.8.

Brandon & I are working in Moreno Valley which is about 29 miles east of Chino Hills where the earthquake was centered. We felt it quite strong here. There were 2 distinct shakes which lasted about 15 seconds. My computer monitor shook for about 30 seconds after the quake was over. It was one of the strongest quakes I have experienced. But no damage & nothing fell off the wall.

Andrea called me from work in San Diego & said they felt it. Brandon spoke to Grandpa (Dad) in El Cajon & he felt it too. I haven't talked to anyone else in the family to see if they felt it.

As scary as it was, I would much rather live with earthquakes than with tornados or hurricanes. As least with earthquakes, you don't know it's coming & they are usually over fairly quickly so you don't have a lot of time to panic until it is over. But then again, I didn't experience the Northridge earthquake. I bet that Emily has different thoughts on earthquakes after experiencing that one.

Well I hope that the rest of the day is less shakey than the first part of the day.

Kim

Our friends the Dyer's

On Saturday evening we had our friends the Dyer's over for a pool party, BBQ & movie. We have known the Dyer's for quite awhile. Brandon, Mike & I all work for Cherisse's dad Norven Storrs at The Insurance Store. Cherisse's parents are in the same ward as my parents too.

I also worked with Austin, when he was in our Moreno Valley office. He is now working from our Murrieta office. I miss working with him as he has quite the sense of humor.

Cherisse & Austin have been married about 7 years. They have 3 children. Kenzie who is 4 (almost 5), Ethan who is 2 (almost 3) & Tessa who is about 9 or 10 months.

They come over quite a bit every summer to enjoy our pool. This time when they came over they brought hamburgers & hot dogs & all the fixins for a BBQ. They even brought the movie to watch.

After swimming & eating, Mike set up our outdoor movie theater. We have a stretchy screen that sets up across our pool & attaches to 2 bamboo poles that Mike has made to attach into the ground. So you can watch the movie from the pool, jacuzzi or at either end of the pool. He has a projector that he sets up at one end & is attached to Jesse's X Box 360 which plays the DVD. All this attaches to an amp and speakers he has around the yard. It is quite the set up.

We watched a Star Wars video that is a cartoon. I think it was called Clone Wars. It was a movie for kids, but since we had little kids, that is what we watched. The kids loved it. Kenzie, Ethan, Jesse & I sat in the jacuzzi to watch. Everyone else sat at the edge of the jacuzzi & Mike even floated in the pool to watch the movie.

This was only the 2nd time we have set up to watch a movie outdoors. Don't know why we don't do it more often. It is quite fun. You will all have to come over some summer night & we will watch a "Swim in" movie together.

Make a Smilebox postcard

Weekend Wanderings

A couple of weekends ago we had nothing to do. Jesse said lets go to Old Town Temecula. One of our favorite places to eat Mexican food is located there. We usually go at night when all the stores in Old Town are closed. Jesse wanted to go during the day so he could check out the stores.














So we headed down to Temecula & ate lunch at Rosa's Cantina. Afterwards we looked at most of the stores in Old Town. Jesse was specifically looking for hot sauce. He didn't find the kind he was looking for.

While we were in Old Town we sampled olive oil, expensive beef jerky, looked at antiques, walked alot & took our photo outside of the Old Temecula Jail.

It was a fun day doing two of my favorite things, eating & shopping. Unfortunately I didn't have any money, so the only shopping I did was window shopping. But lunch was good!!!

Busy Summer...

As many of you already know a few weeks ago my family, friends & I spent the weekend in Orange County at the OC Fair. It was fun & exhausting all at the same time. But what you don't know is I went straight to the Orange County Fair from girls camp. Luckily for me this year we had cabins & weren't too far from home (only about an hour and half). Although it was pretty hot & between that, staying up WAY too late & getting up early to go walking with the leaders I didn't get much sleep so I started my weekend already tired.
Camp was fun & I love being in the Stake YW Presidency. We really didn't have to do too much as our camp leader was super organized & had most everything already taken care of. The other ladies in the presidency are great & we had a fun time getting to know each other a little better. The girls were fantastic & I am happy to say we didn't have any cat fights or drama at camp (unbelievable!). Since I have all sons it is strange to hang out with girls for a whole week - but it is fun to get to know each one of them!


I didn't take any pictures at camp but I do have a few more from the Maloof Money Cup at the Orange County Fair... enjoy! Here are a few of Noah & Simon riding the vert ramp that one of the contests were on..



Here is one of my girl friends with Sean White (you know the olympic gold medalist, for snowboarding - well he skateboards too)

San Diego Temple

I wrote a post back in June about a temple experience that I had - unfortunately I can't figure out how to change my entry from a draft to a post so I will have to re-tell my experience...
I had the opportunity to be the escort for my friend to the temple - it was her first time there & she had no idea what to expect. She is a new convert & had many questions about the temple. It was great, I was able to be with her while she met with the Temple Matron (Sister Sorenson) who is awesome. She went over all the different things that we usually have questions about during & after our temple experience. The week after that I was able to be her escort again when she was sealed to her husband. It was fun to re-live the "bride" experience since it has been such a long time since Jamey & I were sealed. It is so comforting to know that through the temple sealing we can live forever with our families.
This is a picture I took of the temple that day & also a picture of Nic & Toraye the day they were sealed.

Pioneer Day

In the lore, Brigham Young's entry into the Salt Lake Valley, and the words he spoke, mark the origins of the Mormon empire that would arise from the valley floor.

Well, there's more to it. The first pioneer to enter the valley was Apostle Orson Pratt and a band of front-runners who rode through tall grass on July 21 and set up camp at what is now 1700 South 500 East. The next day, after a terribly difficult passage down Emigration Canyon, another band made camp in a cottonwood grove in the heart of what would become Salt Lake City. On July 23, the pioneers started plowing. And finally, 161 years ago today, Young arose from his wagon and proclaimed as the story goes "This is the right place. Drive on."






Pioneer Day is a state holiday in Utah in the United States. It is celebrated on July 24 each year to commemorate the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into Utah’s Salt Lake Valley in 1847. This day celebrates the bravery of the original settlers and their strength of character and physical endurance.

Background

This day commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into Utah’s Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. The Mormon pioneers viewed their arrival as the founding of a Mormon homeland, hence Pioneer Day. The Mormons, as they were commonly known, left their settlement in Nauvoo, Illinois, and journeyed west seeking refuge from religious persecution. The final impetus for their trek was the murder of founder and prophet Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844.

Determined to settle in an isolated region, the pioneers made their way across the plains and over the Rocky Mountains to Utah. They lost many of their party to disease during the winter months. By the time that they reached Utah, the desolate valley was a welcome sight. Potatoes and turnips were soon planted, and a dam was built. With solemn ceremonies, the settlers consecrated the two-square-mile city, and sent back word that the “promised land” was found. By the end of 1847, nearly 2000 Mormons settled in the Salt Lake Valley. The first Pioneer Day was celebrated in 1849 with a parade, band music and speeches. In modern times July 24 is celebrated annually as Pioneer Day, a state holiday, in Utah.

Thinking of Todd

I got a laugh when I saw this photo & I couldn't help but think of Todd. Hopefully this has never happened to him while striping. I'm pretty sure Todd knows how to spell "STOP".

Happy belated birthday to Daniella & Julianna

Just wanted to wish a Happy Belated Birthday to 2 of Todd's daughters. Daniella had a birthday on July 1 & Julianna had a birthday on July 9. Sorry that I am late in posting Happy Birthday to the both of you. But your Dad just got back to me with your birth dates. Next year I will try & wish you Happy Birthday on your actual birthdays.

I wish we got to see you more than we do. Don't forget that we are still family even though we don't know each other very well. I wish we all lived closer so we could know you better & you could get to know us better.

Try & get your Dad to bring you to California to visit all of us sometime.





I hope that each of you had a very special birthday. And remember that you are loved!!!!

Love,

Aunt Kim

More Picures from our Vacation

Here are a couple of more pictures from our vacation. The first is of a deer that was in the road yesterday as we were driving down to Sandy to go to breakfast.

The second picture I took on our walk up the mountain about 8:00pm last night.

The third picture is of Dad sitting on our balcony on the 9th floor.

The last picture is of Brandon at the lookout at the end of the trail that we hiked up to this morning.

Having lots of fun, wish you were all here, not.

Love
Jodi, Mom, Dad & Brandon

Happy Birthday Emily

Wishing Emily a very happy birthday today. You can thank Andrea for the birthday shout out. She reminded me that today was your birthday.

Hopefully you have a wonderful day.

Sunday

We got up early on Sunday because Todd was speaking at church. His church started at 9:00am, so we had to leave by 7:30am. Todd spoke on Emergency Prepardness. He did a really good job.

After we went to church, we came back up to Snowbird and watched some TV and everyone took a quick nap. Here are a couple of pictures that I took of Mom and Dad Napping. So far we are having a fun vacation.

Arrived at Snowbird, UT

Wanted to let you know that Jodi, Grandma, Grandpa and Brandon made it to Snowbird.

Here is the view from the condo the day we arrived...



And at night....



Look for more pictures coming soon!

2008 OC Fair

Yesterday we went to the OC (Orange County) Fair in Costa Mesa, CA. This was the first time my family had attended this particular fair. Besides the fair, this weekend there was also the Maloof Money Cup Skateboard Championship.

Andrea's husband Jamey was in charge of the VIP lounge at the event. The VIP lounge was sponsored by Skullcandy & Etnies. Jamey works for both companies. Andrea & 3 of her friends were the babes in charge of taking care of feeding the VIP's. Yesterday they had BBQ Pit (YUM YUM) for lunch & dinner. BBQ Pit has the best ribs, ham & beef and of course their BBQ sauce is to die for. They also had beans, chips, fruit & snacks. The drinks were provided by Monster & Vitamin water. Also Carl's Jr had a truck that served burgers, fries & sodas at the lounge as well.

We had such a blast at the event & at the fair. Thanks Jamey for inviting us to go. I've never been to the fair where I didn't spend one cent. We managed to get in free (thanks to Mike's smooth talking). Jamey was going to get us in the fair for free but we ended up at the wrong gate & Mike explained to a fair worker & they let us in. And then we had all the free food & drinks we wanted at Jamey's VIP lounge.

Jesse hung out with Andrea's boys all day helping with the various events going on (they were not in any of the comps). They all had fun riding on the rides. So the kids spent money, but not me. Jesse's cell phone broke on 1 of the rides. Luckily it is the only phone we have insurance on. So I'll let you know later how our experience with Sprint ends up being on getting a replacement phone.

Besides, hanging out at the skateboard comp & VIP lounge, Mike & I went around the fair checking everything out. Mike bought some kind of pully/hook system. And I bought "Zippo, nothing, nada". Hard to believe isn't it? Kim not buying a thing? Must be the end of the world.

This fair is smaller than the Del Mar (or what is now called the San Diego) Fair, and bigger than the So Cal Fair here in Perris which is about 10 miles from us. The OC Fair was just the right size.

In the evening Mike & I, Jesse, Zak, Nate, Simon, Noah, and some of Andrea's boys friends went to see the hypnotist show. Now we had seen this particular hypnotist quite a bit when we used to go to the Del Mar Fair in San Diego. So we told Andrea's boys & friends that they should go & try to get on stage.

We met some people while waiting for the show to start who knew the hypnotist, so they introduced Simon, Noah & Marcus (Zak's best friend who lives with Andrea's family right now) to Mark the hypnotist. So when the show started, he picked all 3 of them to come up on stage & try to be hypnotized. Only Marcus was successful in being hypnotized.

It was quite a funny show. Marcus was told that every time the hypnotist rubbed his forehead, Marcus would think that a big rat was running across the stage in front of him. The video is Marcus being told about the rat & his response (he is the farthest person on the right who keeps getting out of his chair). After a few minutes of this Marcus got quite scared & ran off the stage & never came back (I didn't get this part on video). It was quite funny. The boys went looking for him & couldn't find him.




After the hypnotist show was over, we went back to VIP lounge & found Marcus. He kept insisting that he wasn't hypnotized & wasn't scared. He said he was faking & played along and got tired of it so he left. He said everyone was faking it. But if you watch the video, you can tell no one is faking. If they were, someone performing would be laughing & none of them were. All of us that attended the show were convinced that Marcus was indeed hypnotized & not faking. Sorry that the video is shaky in parts, but I was laughing so hard that I couldn't hold my hand still while filming. That is why I only filmed for a couple of minutes with my camera.

Nate brought Marcus back to the 2nd hypnotist show later in the evening & I think after watching the 2nd show for himself he could tell, no one is faking. The 2nd show wasn't as funny as the first show (probably because we didn't know anyone in the 2nd show). But both shows were quite fun to watch.

We didn't leave the fair until after 11pm & didn't get back home until almost 1am. The fair is only about 1 1/2 hours away but they closed the 91 freeway for bridge work so we got stuck in traffic. You'd think they would warn you about a freeway closure at least 10 miles in advance so you could take an alternate route, but no, they put up signs only a couple of exits prior to the closed freeway & by then it is too late, you are stuck in traffic.

All in all, we had a blast & would love to attend this fair again next year. Andrea's family is at the fair for about 3-5 days because of the skateboard event. I'm sure Andrea will post about their experiences & post photos as well.

Kim

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad

Happy Anniversary to Mom & Dad aka Dorothy & Carlos. Can't believe you have been married for 51 years. I hope that you will have many more anniversaries.

I remember back to last year when we celebrated your 50th anniversary. It was a fun time, especially getting to visit with family & friends.

Have a fun time on your trip to Utah. Be safe & we'll see you when you return.Just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you today.

Love,

Kim

Electric Bill

OUCH!!! Just received my electric bill from Southern California Edison. I almost fainted! It was $370.84. Keep in mind that this is for electricity only. Nothing else is included such as natural gas (a different company does our gas). Oh, and my bill includes a $50.00 discount because I signed up for their program where they can shut off my air conditioner at any time if there is a power emergency or shortage.

I know it's been hot here in southern California, but I only run my air conditioner on the weekends. I don't run it during the week. We don't even run our pool pump for as long as we are suppose to each day. I'd hate to see what my bill would be if I ran my air conditioning each day & if we ran the pool pump for 8 hours a day.

Maybe it's because we do run fans 24/7 in each room & most rooms have at least 2 fans going. But with the outside temps being between 95-108, we need some sort of relief. Plus we have a ton of electronic equipment that seem to be going all the time.

I know going "green" is the big “in” thing, but how do you get the family to comply? I keep telling them we need to cut back on our electrical & water usage. I'm thinking more about my pocket book than the environment when I say this, but whatever motivates us to change, is a good thing.

I wish I could afford solar panels or a wind turbine. I would love not to pay an electric bill & afford to run my air 24/7 during the summer. I'm so glad we at least have a pool. That is the only way I can afford to stay cool this summer. I get in the pool when I get home from work for about 1/2 hour, when I get out, I live in my swimming suit the rest of the evening so that I stay cooler.

I also wish I could afford gasoline so we could go somewhere for the weekend & let someone else pay for air conditioning, but alas, we are usually stuck at home because we can't afford the gas to go somewhere else.

Life is getting too expensive!! I hate to see what my electric bill will be like for August & September, as they are usually the hottest months here in southern California.

What is your electric bill like during the summer? What is your family doing to conserve energy? Write your responses in comments.

Kim

Happy Birthday Ryan !!!!

Happy Birthday Ryan!!!!

Don't you feel special that the whole country celebrates your birthday?

Just wanted you to know we are thinking about you today cuz. Have a good birthday & don't eat too much cake.