I'm truly blessed and honored to be a citizen of and to live in this great nation where I enjoy the freedoms and liberties that many have courageously sacrificed their lives on our behalf and on behalf of our country.  Let's not ever forget them -- our nation's forefathers and the men and women in our military, both past and present, who defended and continue to do so to ensure these blessings and our Constitution!  God bless the U.S.A. and our brave military!!! 
Check out one of my favorite versions of "America the Beautiful" by Ray Charles. Please have a safe 4th of July!

is needed! Vivint, formerly APX Alarm, is giving away monies to local charities with the highest amount of votes. This won't cost you a dime, but it will require a minute or two of your time. As most of you know, my son, Dallin, has been suffering from a chronic illness called Eosinophilic Esophagitis, or EE (EoE) disease, which for him is mainly triggered by aero-allergens that sometimes daily medications cannot help and he must endure the pain and discomforts of the disease. We were told he would "grow into it", those are not very comforting words. However, we are very blessed that his disease still allows him the freedom to eat like other normal children, with the exception of dairy. But, many of the children in his support group have other forms of EGIDs (Eosinophilic GastroIntestinal Disorders) caused by food and are on feeding tubes and/or are on restrictive diets. Imagine a life without food that you and I enjoy everyday. Seeing these children and thousands of others suffer from this disease breaks my heart. We can all do our part and help Dallin and these brave children (and adults) suffering from EGIDs by casting your vote for the CURED Foundation. This organization will donate 100% of all funds to research in finding better treatment options and most importantly, for a CURE. We urge you to please participate and assist us in this great and worthy cause by voting HERE. If you're able to, please vote every day until August 27th. Dallin and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Some highlights from my birthday bash including my Uncle Vao singing one of my favorite songs "My Girl" as I danced with my Daddy!!!!

This was the slideshow that was played at my Sweet 16 right before Josh and I entered the hall. There are no photos of my mummy. :(

Estos son unos fotos de mi mummy HERMOSA, fueron sacaron a la fiesta mia para los diesiseis anos! Ella hizo un buen trabajo en ayudar a planear y preparar para mi fiesta!

My awesome, awesome aunties, Betheny and Crystal photographed, edited my photos and created my invites. I LOVE MY AUNTIES!

My sweetheart and I love to stay at Bed & Breakfasts, especially if it's a turn of the century home with a great history. I was in charge of finding a B&B for this year's Valentine's Day weekend. My husband didn't care about the price just as long as it was to a WARMER location. He's grown tired of the winters here and longs for the desert warmth. So, we decided to head south to Kanab. To my surprise, there was only one B&B, the Purple Sage Inn, out of several in town with perfect 5 star ratings on two different websites. I called and spoke with the owner, Kathy, who was very kind and very accommodating! We arrived after 9 p.m. on Friday night, since it took us over 4 hours to get there and we were greeted by Kathy, her husband, Tory, and their son. As we walked in, Tory had just lit the fireplace in the living room which gave it a warm and inviting ambiance. Kathy told us the history of the house and took us on a tour to see the rest of the home and its cozy rooms. The author, Zane Grey, stayed in this very room when it was a hotel and penned Riders of the Purple Sage (pictured above, bottom right-hand corner).
It just so happens, Scott and I were the only couple there for the weekend, so she upgraded our room to the master bedroom suite for free. Lucky us!!! She made us a Valentine's gift basket with chocolate lollies and a bottle of sparkling cranberry juice with cute champagne glasses, which we brought home. The mattress was perfect and we had a very restful night. We woke up early, for a Saturday morning, and took a stroll around the neighborhood.When we got back, the smell of breakfast permeated throughout the house. Kathy and Tory served up the best breakfasts we've EVER had, and I mean E-V-E-R!!! They even kept us company on Saturday night after Scott and I returned from eating a great steak dinner in Arizona at a place she recommended. As a matter-of-fact we saw them with their family as we were paying our bill. Earlier that day, Scott and I took off exploring a few sites in northern Arizona and the surrounding communities near Kanab, and she sent us packed with fruits and snacks to munch on, and she did the same when we headed home on Sunday. We've never had such wonderful hospitality as this from former B&Bs we've stayed at. We felt so comfortable as if we were amongst old friends. Scott says he felt as if he was staying at a museum because of the many period pieces found in the home. For our 17th wedding anniversary this year, we are going back to the Purple Sage Inn and I'm really excited! I look forward to seeing the flowers and trees blooming on the property. We plan to spend an extra day and finish touring Zion's NP and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and maybe do some whitewater rafting down the Colorado....or maybe not! If you get a chance... stay at this amazing B&B. You won't regret it!!

I exclaimed to my hubby last night and he unhesitatingly agreed as we talked about visiting her and Uncle James. I was not expecting a call this afternoon from Scott's sister, Shelley, notifying us that our beloved (great-aunt) Aunt Edith passed away this morning.

I also think everyone should have an Uncle James!! Uncle James took wonderful care of Aunt Edith! He's amazing and we love him very much!

We had a grand time at this year's Orchard Days...

I got home on Saturday from girls camp just in time for my family reunion. I was so sore from tubing and boating but I had tons of fun with my cousins and brothers!! The wind was blowing mad and the water was choppy. Zel and Rich brought their boats and whipped us. All I can tell you is that Rich is a speed demon like Zel and it was so much fun (I even lost my shorts while tubing on Zel's boat). My mom went along for the ride and soaked up the sun! OH, girls camp this year was AMAZING!!

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Tiani finally left for girls camp this morning. She was so excited and maybe it has to do with the fact she wouldn't have chores for the rest of the week. This would be her own mini-vacation. I miss her already, but I'm glad she's there surrounded by good friends and amazing YW leaders and advisers.

Happy Father's Day to my Daddy, Grandpa W and all of my many Uncles! I love you all!