Memorial Weekend

We had a lovely Memorial Day Weekend in St. George, Utah. I would first like to report that Eli is going strong with potty training. We were gone all weekend and he did great. I think he only had a couple little accidents.

We stayed with Lyf and his family in Hurricane. The kids had loads of fun playing with their cousins. I am so grateful that they get to play with lots of different cousins. I never got to know any of my cousins growing up because we lived so far away. It always made me sad. Now, they are strangers, in essence. I don't want that for my kids. It is a wonderful thing to be able to live closer to family. My kids definitely know all of their cousins well and they are some of their best friends. Here is Bryn and Mary Jane greeting us on our arrival. They were statues!


Julia got to experience a wonderful new creation...watermelon! She loving caressed the watermelon, admired the watermelon and ate the watermelon. Julia was on happy little girl.


We worked hard on Saturday and Monday cleaning up the condo and moving stuff in. I did a big yard sale expedition with Angie and I found some great treasures, including a $5 kitchen table. It was a little broken, but Rinar fixed it up. We also purchased new beds and I have tested them out. They work great.

On Sunday we went to church with Rinar's parents. It was awesome because Rinar's Grandmother C. was there! She has lived in Hawaii for a long time, but has recently moved here so that she can go to a long-term care facility. I gave here a hug and introduced her to some of my kids. She was very nice, but she didn't have a clue who we were. I didn't think she would. I missed out on getting a picture of her, but I will get one soon.

Since it was Memorial Day, I decided it would be a good idea to go visit Grandpa N. at the St. George Cemetery. I called Grandma N. and she came along. I am embarrassed to report that I have never seen Grandpa's headstone. That's right people. I have not gone back to visit his grave since the funeral. I always mean to go and I think about him all the time. I just never went and I never took my kids. At least now, I have proof that we have been. I just never worried about it because I know that he is busy up there doing important stuff, so he wouldn't be offended if I didn't visit his grave.

Then I realized I had never told my boys about Grandpa and how he died and everything. That was an interesting conversation as we were driving to the cemetery. You see, he was killed in a car accident about 5 blocks down the road and we drove right past it on the way to his grave. It was quite a show and tell moment.

Grandma is doing really well, see?


Before we left, Rinar and I went to the grocery store to get some flowers for Grandpa's grave. We took Eli with us. It was the cutest thing. He walked into the store and immediately grabbed a bag of Frito's corn chips. He hugged them like a teddy bear and carried them around. He was doing some serious shopping. It wouldn't have been my pick for chips but he seemed confident in his decision. He just looked up at us with that cute grin of his and we were hooked. Now I remember why I don't take my kids grocery shopping.

Saint George Townhouse

Several months ago, Rinar and I decided to do a little bit of investing in the real estate market, because everything is on clearance these days. The problem is, I don't want to be a landlord and I don't want to have to pack my stuff and move. It is just too much work. Therefore, we decided to find a place in St. George, Utah.

Why St. George?

Well, it is less than two hours from here. It is completely different from here, and both of us have lots of family that live there. Hence, we are there practically once a month anyways, so it is a place we will use.

We looked at several properties in the downtown area and settled on this one.

It was a short-sale property. We put an offer on the place in February and hoped for the best.

Finally, yesterday it became official! It is a fantastic property right next to the park and the temple. We couldn't be more excited.

Yep, the temple is behind us and we are close to the main city park.

This is Vernon Worthen Park and it is where they have the finish line for the St. George Marathon. There are also festivals, tournaments, and other cool things that happen here. They have a neat playground, a rodeo, and a rec center across the street. Of course, the temple is the most beautiful building in town and the townhouse is in its shadow.

Now it is going to be so much easier to make a weekend trip to St. George. As it stands right now, it is quite an ordeal to pack up stuff for 5 kids and 2 adults in order to stay over for even one day. A lot of times we would just drive up and back in a day because of that very reason.

St. George is where our roots are, so no matter where we go or if we were to ever move somewhere because of work, we will always come back to St. George often. This was another good reason to get a property.

I am also excited to have a decorating project. This place has so many possibilities. I am giddy. I really want to try to decorate and furnish the whole thing with yard sale and thrift store finds and still make it fabulous. But we are not skimping on the beds. Those are going to be new. This girl needs her beauty sleep.

So, for all of my friends and family out there, mi casa es su casa. Once Rinar and I get this place livable, we would love to have you come stay here. I don't want it to lay fallow, that is for sure. The more the merrier. It is like that darn swimming pool. I hate having a pool that does not get used. If it doesn't get used, then what am I spending my money on anyways?

Payment for townhouse usage will be a few honey-dos. We have got to whip this place into shape. What? Did you think you would get to stay here for free?