Saturday, February 27th--This morning got off to a crappy start. Chile is in ruins after a huge earthquake and a dangerous tsunami is apparently headed to Hawaii--where my sister and her family lives. They got a phone call at 3:00 am to pack up and evacuate to a church on higher ground--they live 3 blocks from the beach.
They did just that and waited. The day was spent worried, praying that all would be okay for them. I feel bad I wasn't thinking much about the people of Chile but all I could think about was my family's safety. I kept CNN on, watching and waiting for any new developments. While this is going on I'm also hosting a murder
mystery party for the goddesses and our husbands tonight so I was cleaning and getting things ready. I was suppose to go to a Relief Society thing but I couldn't focus enough to even get ready in time--not that I would have made for good company anyway. The approximate time came for the tsunami to hit Hawaii....nothing. A hour later....nothing. Two hours later....nothing. You get the point.
Oceanographers are saying Hawaii "dodged the bullet this time". Of course, I'm very happy nothing horrific happened to, yet, another land. Hilo got some waves but nothing too drastic. I could breathe again. Time to focus and snap out of the fog I had been in all day. I don't think I ever quite snapped out of it completely. It exhausted me. Nates thoughts were with those he served for 2 years while in Chile from 1994-96.
Anyhoo, the house got cleaned, decorations up, and food prepared. All went well. Since I was the murderer last time I decided to take a non-involved role, Burdie Putts. I dressed as a golfer and even had a red golf visor, as a joke, er, "tribute" to Tiger. Nate was
Chief, uh, something Wiki Wiki. I managed to get him to put his Speedo on (the one he got for Christmas) but he refused to remove the lava lava he had on over it. Shucks! He wore his Mickey Mouse Hawaiian shirt and I got some Hawaiian beads for him too. Kerri was without Grant this time but came as a sexy swimsuit model. Heather was the town whore (she won't admit it though! he he). Her hubs, Clark was Bo-Jo, the brain-fried surfer. Dawn was a rich lady with one too many rich, dead husbands. Her hubs, Eric, was a suspicous tourist with explosives in his luggage. Eek! A few weeks before I sent my sister, Amanda, some money to buy some Hawaiian goodies to ship for our Lethal Luau. She didn't disappoint! She also got several shell necklaces for
each of us to have. We had macadamia nuts galore, dipped in chocolate, caramel, etc. So yummy! The murderer ended up being the surfer dude, Bo-Jo (played by Clark SO WELL!). We used Kerri's moms
raclette again and grilled up chicken, shrimp, pineapple, ham and SPAM (Hawaiians LOVE their Spam. Me, not so much!). We also had some yummy bread and cheese to go along with it. Heather made scrumptious frog-eye salad and Dawn brought fruit and veggies, both with delish dips. It was a great night! Wish I could of been in better spirits but I hope it didn't show too much. I still had fun and that's what matters!
My sister and her family made it back to their house, all safe and sound, right before dinner time. What a blessing! Many prayers were answered! Sadly, not for everyone. I
will continue to pray for those that have been affected by the Chilean earthquake.
Monday, March 1st--Noelle Pikus-Pace lives in our little community. She just competed in Skeleton races during the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. She placed 4th, 
missing the bronze by only a 1/10th of a second (that's a blink of an eye!). We, here in Eagle Mountain, are very proud of her and the city decided to welcome her home in style. At the entrance of our community, The Ranches, several flags were placed. She pulled into the the Maverick, by the front entrance to fire trucks, city vehicles, ambulances and news crews. Apparently, she had no idea! Most of the 
residents had got word this was taking place so many of us lined the streets to watch her come down the road. I made a sign "You Are Worth GOLD to Eagle Mountain!" and Elise made a cute American flag and then, flipped over, it says "You ROCK!" with a gold medal next to it. The long series of vehicles drove past us pretty quickly so we didn't get to do much but wave to her. The 
vehicles ended the parade at Hidden Hollow Elementary School where Noelle was given a key to the city. I saw the presentation on the news, it was pretty touching. Such an awesome example of endurance and determination! Congrats to Noelle! 
And, finally, our sweet, beautiful Elise. About to turn 8 years old and be baptized. She's so angelic in her white dress. These photos just make me so proud to be a mom--the ones with both kids do too!
deliver him a special Valentine. He had brought Kerri a HUGE soft stuffed caterpillar a few days before. Brady was pretty excited about his Valentine from her! 
Monday, January 28
