A word from my sponsor..

That sponsor is me- Nicole! I have been driven to do it again folks! My Mom has neglected her blog. A blog shouldn't be abandoned during the holidays. It might get lonely and feel depressed. Which just isn't right. This year we are doing Christmas different than we have ever done it before. We are all gathering at my house here in Las Vegas. We have plans to spend Christmas with the Bowden's and I know that we are all looking forward to spending time together. Last year my Dad told us girls that we are getting to the age where holiday traditions are going to need to change. He told us it is ok to make our own traditions He told us to make it feel like Christmas where ever we are.

Traditionally, We have Christmas Eve with the Chapin side. We all cram into Grandma and Grand Dad's house. The house becomes noisy as we all arrive. (All my Dad's brother's laugh the same.) We have a huge spread of appetizers ranging from egg rolls to meatballs. When it is time to eat we gather in a circle and hold hands and someone is chosen to pray. It usually isn't a long prayer I don't know if we would last. Then we all grab our plates and load up. There are the same joke every year. As you head to your set with YOUR plate someone comes to take it from you saying "Oh, Thanks for dishing ME up." We draw names and exchange gifts. One of the younger cousins help pass out the gifts. As soon as we all have a gift we are allowed to open them. (flashlights are always a hit with my Dad and his brothers) Then comes the throwing of the paper. Wrapping paper flies through the air until someone emerges with a trash bag to clean up the mess. Then we sit and talk until it is time to head home.

Last year when I came home for Christmas it was snowing pretty good on Christmas Eve. We got a call from Grandma Chapin saying she canceled Christmas. The roads are to bad. No big deal my parents quickly pulled together an awesome spread and we had our own appetizer Christmas Eve dinner. We ate and lounged out in the family room to watch some of our favorite Christmas movies. It was fun. It was comfortable. It was happy. I enjoyed being curled up on the floor with a pile of blankets watching movies with my family.

Then traditionally Christmas Day we spend it with the Lee side of the family. We alternate between our house and the De Boer's. First thing in the morning Michelle is ready to open presents. We all torture her and prolong it as long as possible. We all have to be showered. Mom puts the cinnamon rolls into the oven. We set the breakfast table. We pick up anything that doesn't belong out in the living room. Dad thinks of anything to make Michelle wait. Then when we are finally done we open gifts. I am slow. I like to admire the paper, the bows, the size. Michelle is fast. She rips it open admires it and moves on the the next gift. I like to let my pile grow. I like watching everyone else. Then after the presents. We have brunch. Mom makes cinnamon rolls, egg dish, fresh fruit, hash browns. It is always so good. After brunch we clean up and start prep for dinner. (we love to eat) While Mom slaves in the kitchen we all play with our new stuff. Usually, we have to set up something and try it out. Then all the family shows up. We visit, we eat, we visit more. Then we play a game. I don't like to play but I like to keep score (until I am told I am doing it wrong). Finally, everyone heads home and we settle into a movie.

I love our traditional Christmas but this year will be different. I can't wait to spend time with my family. In less than a week we will all be under the same roof. Making a new tradition. (Hopefully, posting for my Mom won't be a traditon that sticks around.)

Honored Veterans

Today is a day to remember and honor our Veterans.
Last month we were on vacation to Arizona, and on this trip we took a road trip to see some of the sites, some were planned and others we just stumbled upon .
One of our stops was in a small northern Arizona town near the Utah border. We were told that there was a place we could stop and learn more about the Code Talkers. Little did we realize it was located at the Burger King. A display explaining the role of the Navajo Code Talker in the World War II.
I had heard about the Navajo Code Talkers and they were about to communicate strategies during the war, and there code was never broken. What I didn't know is that this was classified information and when the soldier were discharged and came home they felt compelled to honor the secrecy. It was finally revealed and it wasn't until 2001 that the US government awarded the Code Talkers the Congressional Gold Medal.
Many of the Code Talkers couldn't take advantage of getting jobs through government agency as a result they weren't at liberty to discuss what they did in the war. Most returned to their small towns and took local jobs.
Thank you to the Code Talker and all other veterans that have fought for the freedoms I enjoy each day.

The Streak Continues

In a past post I indicated that I have been on an airplane flying streak. I revealed that I have a love for flying and this past year I have had the occasion to fly each and every month. Now it wasn't planned - it just happened. When I flew in August to visit Nicole and looked toward September I realized that I didn't have any flight plans. When I was expressing my disappointment that my streak was coming to an end to a group of friends. One of our friends (Charles) has a pilots license and said that he could take me for a flight. I didn't give it much thought and then the next time we got together Rayme and Charles had scheduled my September ride.

Here are a few pictures of my flight on Saturday. It was a gorgeous sunny day! We flew towards Blaine (being careful not to cross the Canadian border - not a good thing), and then went over the San Juan Islands. The views were amazing! The whole experience was remarkable. I live in a beautiful part of the world.

Don't tell anyone, but I got to fly the plane too.

I missed a holiday!

I was reading one of my favorite blogs and discovered that I missed an important holiday.

It was National Chocolate Milkshake Day this past Saturday. I wished I would have known before this wonderful holiday, as most of you know that I am all about celebrating especially when tasty treats are involved.

I am going to ask a favor from my blogger friends, can you make sure that I don't miss any other fun holidays like this one?

Last month our Annual Smore Day was postponed because it was raining. :( It is hard to have a campfire when it pouring rain.

Does Time Fly?!!

Early this summer I received a notice that my 30th year class reunion was being organized. Wow, 30 years really??? I did the math and yes, it was indeed 30 years.

I was very involved in many high school activities, and I would have to say my memories of high school were good ones.

Of course, the planning committee sent a following email enlisting past and current photos for a slide show presentation accompanied by a questionnaire. I really had a hard time responding to their request. I am highly critical of any pictures of myself, and seeing a picture of me on a big screen made me shutter at the thought.

Here are some of the questions that I was to respond to

• Tell them the highlights of my journey through life since 1979.


• When I retire you will find me living in (fill in place) and spending my time doing (fill in).


• My passion in life is.......

The 1st question really stumped me because how in the world was I going to highlight 30 years in a paragraph. You know when you get a question or statement and you want a good response, and then the next day you get it. Well, that is what happens to me all the time and it happened this time too.

Here is some of my highlights of my life's journey.

I have learned to teach, serve, nurture, need for spiritual awareness, love and in return I have been taught, and been served, and been loved, been nurtured, and have a knowledge of my loving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

When I retire I hope that I can continue to learn more, teach more, serve more, nurture more, and become a better example of my Savior Jesus Christ.

As far as my life passion is to celebrate and be grateful for each day.

That is my life for the last 30 years as concise as I can get.

By the way, I had a good time with my classmates celebrating our class reunion.

Anything Nicole Can Do... So Can Michelle

See a few weeks ago Nicole hacked into Mom's blog. I (Michelle) thought it was genius. However, was not smart enough to guess Mom's password. I called Nicole to ask her what Mom's password was and she told me no. I had to figure it out myself. I thought that was incredibly mean and told her I was giving her the silent treatment for 1 month. It has been a week. And it is really hard!!! However, I finally figured it (the password) out tonight! Therefore I think I can stop the silent treatment because technically I figured out the password! I have never been the fan of the silent treatment. In fact I LOATH it! I am sorry Nicole that you chose this course. I hope you have learned your lesson!

P.S. Sorry Mom that we used your blog. And don't worry about changing your password... I accidental already forgot it. So basically we are back at square one.

P.S.S. The picture has nothing to do with a silent treatment, but I love this pic of me and my parents. It's from the NorthWest Washington Fair

Weekend Fun & Memories

I love weekends! Why are weekends so fun?

For me it means a different schedule and having more time to enjoy the things I love.

Last weekend Rayme and I were able to attend our work picnic. We were asked to help with the food which involved BBQ-ing the burgers & hot dogs. It was fun to see our co-workers and meet their family and seeing everyone having a good time.

The drive up to Silver Lake was like going down memory lane. I remember as a child our family would go to Silver Lake to visit my parents friends. They had a wonderful rustic cabin at the end of the Lake and our family tradition was to go there and camp on Labor Day weekend.

I recall that my sister learned to water ski at the lake.

The reason I explained it was a rustic cabin, at the time it didn't have plumbing. Which means that they had an outhouse. Using the facilities during the day wasn't really that bad, but when it was dark that is a different story. With flashlight in hand and the all courage I could muster, when nature called during the night I ventured out to use the facility. Upon my return I was surprised to find an animal on my way back. I was sure I spotted a bear, but knew that shining my flashlight at it wasn't in my best interest. It must have heard me and ran off. The next morning I reported to my parents that I saw a bear on my night hike. To this day, they think I saw the families big dog. Big dog or bear I am glad that I had already visited the outhouse. Memories...I love the days we went to Silver Lake.