Hoop.Camp BYU!

This year, I actually got to enjoy hoop camp a little.  We assigned the prizes the night before and had the goodie bags all prepped so I wouldn't have to do it during the camp.  I actually got to see Cosmo this time and dance with all the campers.  

Boy Trip!

Willy, wanted to go on a trip with just his boys.  He picked Branson, Missouri, and they had a blast, of course. They rode go carts and Alpine slides, went to a theme park, saw a bunch of shows and ate like kings.  I told him that he should fill in the details.  Not sure he will.

T

Last Prom(s)for Reyn!

Chase was Reyn's first kiss, but just friends

She kinda really likes Will.

Her daddy finally got to see her
dressed up for prom.

Commercial Pilot!

Alyssa is killing it!  She recently earned her commercial pilot certification.  I'm so proud of her.  She has locked in and worked hard to get it done.  She's just 20, it's crazy!

A New Era of Volleyball

 I thought our volleyball era had come to an end.  Another era of volleyball may be upon us.  Q signed up for the feeder league at Westlake High School.  He loves it!

They won the championship in their division!

Spring Break

I had always promised Ben that we could move the day Reyn graduated from high school. So, this year we went on a quest during Spring Break. We were searching for the next place to put down roots. We drove up through Idaho to Kalispell, MT, over to Ceour d'alene, through Spokane and then to western Washington.  We spent a couple days in Centralia, and then headed home.  I took some time to go down to see Holly in Oregon.  It was so good to spend some time with her.  We walked dogs and fed cats, that's pretty much her life these days.  

For me, if we decide to move, the Ceour d'alene area felt the best.  We drove to the site of where the temple is being built and I felt the spirit very strong.  Ben said that he felt it too.  I want to go somewhere Ben will be happy and Qyntn will thrive.  There are 12 wards and release time seminary at the high schools in the area.  There are basketball and volleyball clubs.  The Spokane valley temple is only 30 minutes away, and there will eventually be a temple right there in Ceour d'alene.  The negative for me, is that it is not any warmer than here.  I was hoping to go somewhere south, but the boys seem to want to go north.  

tasty little diner in Kalispell

Indoor waterpark and snowboarding in Kellogg

The gorge at George

Snoqualmie Falls.  

The last time we were here,
Q was in my belly.

52

I often see lists on social media about things that most people never do in a lifetime. I did one of them in my 52nd year.  I started a business.  It took me way out of my comfort zone, but it's one of the highlights of my year.  We celebrated at Texas Road House and with yummy cheesecake.  I ate the whole thing by myself. 

Antelope Canyon...

 is widely considered the most beautiful slot canyon in the world.  It's definitely the most stunning one I've hiked through.  

Business and Pleasure

As we are growing our business, we are also planning to move in the next few months and wanted to check out some possible locations.  St. George and Sedona were on our list, so we headed south.  On the way, we stopped to see Alyssa, toured a couple apartment complexes in St. George and then drove on to Las Vegas.  We spent 2 nights there and met with some of our clients at Extra Space Storage who were there for a conference.  Then we headed to Laughlin, NV to meet our business partner, Matt and his wife Shantel.  We had never met them in person.  It was delightful to be able to sit down and enjoy a lunch together.  From there we drove to Sedona and checked out the surrounding areas, Cottonwood and Flagstaff.    While there, Q wanted to do some climbing.  We found the perfect hike, Bell Rock.  We didn't go all the way to the top but made it pretty high.  On the way home we stopped in Page, AZ, enjoyed a beautiful sunset at Horseshoe Bend, and took the opportunity to visit the most stunning slot canyon in the world, Antelope Canyon.  

Bell Rock

Horseshoe Bend

Superbowl Birthday Party

Sunday was a big day for us.  Reyn turned 18 and the Seattle Seahawks were in the Superbowl and won!  Obviously, we had to throw a party.

always delicious food

such a sweet, beautiful girl.

we now have 5 adult children

Introducing 365 Facility Maintenance

After getting screwed over by Ben's latest employer, we decided to start a new business...  

In December:

Created a business plan

Picked a name

Created a logo

Built a Website

Got new business emails and phone numbers

Filed for a business license

Got a business bank account/credit card

Got general liability and workers comp insurance

Found a financial institution to help with funding

In January:

Officially launched on January 5

Onboarded with our first client, January 12

Started reaching out to regional, district and store managers

Got our first order

Submitted our first invoice

Ordered business cards

Completed 7 orders 

It has been quite the learning experience.  Not something I ever imagined doing, but it's happening. 

my new office

Orlando with Holly!

Holly and I had the opportunity to spend some time together in Orlando.  The first day, we were both so tired, we just zonked.  The next day we checked out the newest Universal park, Epic Universe.  The day started out great.  The weather was amazing and the wait times weren't bad.  But then we got in line for the newest Harry Potter ride.  The wait time said 160 minutes, so we knew it was going to be long, but that was the shortest time that had been listed all day so we jumped in line.  Unfortunately, 160 minutes turned into 210 minutes.  We waited for 3 1/5 hours, insane!  Then, when we got on the ride, it shut down.  Ugh.  Luckily, we got to finish the ride and to make amends, they gave us each an express pass to any ride in the park, so our next wait was only 15 minutes.  Still, the wait drained us and left us void of any enthusiasm for the rest of the evening. The best ride there is the Stardust Racers for sure.  After the park we hit up Cici's for dinner.  It was a great day overall. 

Isle of Berk from How to Train Your Dragon
was amazing!

we got to see toothless fly!
He's adorable

Inside the Ministry of Magic

Mario World

Our next adventure was to Kennedy Space Center.  We had a great time.  Again, the weather was phenomenal!  The bus tour is a must do.  I absolutely loved seeing the Saturn V moon rocket and  reading about all of the Apollo missions.  The silly photo shoot we took was also a highlight!  

Space shuttle Atlantis

Us and Alan Shephard

astronaut garb

silly photoshoot