SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

The moment I've been waiting for all winter is finally here! The flowers are thriving! I love Gerber daisies and I'm so excited that so many are coming up this year. It's been great to look out my window every morning and see so many things springing up. These daffodils were a great surprise last year. We didn't know that there were bulbs in the dirt in our front yard until they started sprouting. They produced a whole bunch of flowers last year and were fun to have in vases in the house. We're hoping that this year there will be just as many.
Last, but not least, is this calla lily. We planted it last year and it got really pretty lilies on it and then it looked like it was rotting at the base and dying. So we pulled it out. I guess the bulbs were down there still because it came back up this year and looks better than ever. We're still awaiting flowers.

SMELLS LIKE BURNT APPLES!

Usually when I make an apple pie, the juices don't bubble out of the plate and down to the bottom of the oven. It's only ever happend a couple times. Today, however, my apples happened to be very juicy. I went to put aluminum foil over the crust so it wouldn't burn, but the crust was fine. It was the bottom of my oven that had something burning on it! Bummer! At least the pie turned out fine! So my tip for the day is: ALWAYS PUT SOMETHING UNDER AN APPLE PIE TO CATCH THE DRIPPINGS WHILE IT'S COOKING! EVEN IF IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT WILL DRIP!

Anyone know how to clean an oven really well?

PUERTO PENASCO (ROCKY POINT)

This is the first time that Keith & I have ever been to Rocky Point, Mexico. It was a great relaxing weekend, and an after Valentine's Day present. The parents of our brother in law, Skyler, own a condo down there and so Jenny & Skyler invited us and Keith's other siblings down for a weekend. Four couples made it.

This shows the view from the condo we stayed in. Our building looked like the one that's in the picture.

We played a fun (and funny) game of volleyball the first morning and then we girls enjoyed the hot tub while the guys played with their Aerobie on the beach. They were having a contest to see which team could make the most passes in a row. (Just so you know, guys, the world record for distance is over a quarter mile. That will give you something to work towards next time!)

After a challenging Aerobie competition, what's better than going together down a slide into freezing water?

After a fun filled day of playing on the beach, going quad riding, shopping at the fish market, and getting all of our faces burned, (Duh! Aren't we old enough now to know to wear sun screen?) we enjoyed a delicious dinner at a local restaurant. This virgin strawberry margarita was the best part of the dinner, and the dinner was great! I know I'm silly for noting that it was nonalcoholic, (as if I would get the real thing) but I didn't want to leave you guessing. Ha ha ha!



We went to one of the LDS church branches down there on Sunday. Cool experience. Keith and Skyler enjoyed being able to use their spanish skills during the trip, and especially at church.

TEN TENORS

For Valentine's Day, Keith and I went to the Ten Tenors Concert at the Mesa Arts Center. They were great! Not only did they have amazing singing talent, they also had entertaining personalities and great lights and effects. We'd recommend them to anyone.

This is us in front of the Mesa Arts Center. Too bad the person taking our picture didn't quite get it when we asked to have the building in the background too. Oh well, they were nice enough to take the picture. We've been to one other concert here, and both times has been great. It's a nice theatre and you can't beat driving only 10 minutes from home, and parking really close.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Today we went to Keith's parents clubhouse at Val Vista Lakes to take a boat ride with his parents and Grandma & Grandpa Bates. Unfortunately the boat wasn't charged so we didn't get to go far, but we were able to sit by the beach and enjoy some warm fresh air. This was a treat for us since we've been sick all last week and are just getting back to par.

As we were getting in the boat, Keith's mom was explaining to the driver that we had been married for two years. Then the driver said that he'd been married for 38 years. Keith's mom said Dane & her had been married for almost 35 years. Then Grandma and Grandpa Bates topped us all with their almost 62 years! Isn't it great to see true love that is strong and lasting? We look forward to all the many more years we will spend together here, and then forever after this life. We know that true love isn't something that just happens, it has to be worked on every moment of every day. And the rewards are priceless!

LEGACY

LAST NIGHT PRESIDENT GORDON B. HINCKLEY PASSED AWAY. As Keith and I heard the news from several friends and family that called us, we took a moment to think about the great life that Gordon B. Hinckley lived. What an example of truly living life to the fullest. For Keith and I, he was the first prophet of the church that we felt we knew really well since we were older when he was called. He will be missed, but we are so happy for him to be with his sweet wife again. There are great pictures and videos of President Hinckley on the church website. Here's a link to that:

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/#current

With this we pose the question: What will your legacy be?

"You did not come into the world to fail. You came into the world to succeed. You have accomplished much so far. It is only the beginning. As you move forward on the trail of life, keep the banner of faith in self ever before you. You may not be a genius. You may not be exceptionally smart. But you can be good, and you can try. And you will be amazed at what might happen when in faith you take a step forward."

-Gordon B. Hinckley