Vera's Poppycock

Petaluma/Point Reyes Bike Ride

2012-01-29T17:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to get out of town for the day. Last year, Sue gave me a book called Road Biking, Northern California. I looked through the book and found a ride near Petaluma and Fort Reyes. I decided that is where I wanted to go for the day. I could not have asked for better weather. It was bright, sunny and about 65 degrees. PERFECT for a ride. The loop was 33 miles. Due to a couple steep climbs (see description below), I had and embarrassingly slow ride (about 3 1/2 hours). I still am trying to build my hill climbing strength since I will be riding several hills in the St. George Century Ride in April(which is part of the reason I choose to go there yesterday).

The start & finish of the ride.

Some scenery of the first part of the ride:

This picture does not even begin to show how steep the hill is. I had already climbed about half of it and this was part of the second half. The name of the climb is appropriator named "The Wall". It was a 2 mile climb ranging between and 8% to 18% grade!

The payoff after such a brutal climb was this amazing view (and the 25-35 mile per hour downhill ride!!!

Just some nice scenery towards the end of the ride:

Foxy's Fall Century

2011-10-16T18:30:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, was the "Foxy's Fall Century". It is a bike ride and participants have the choice to ride either 30, 62, or 100 miles. My dad and each rode the full 100 miles! My friend, Jill, offered to drive my mom around the course to take pictures and cheer us on. We finished in a total time of 8 hours, 28 minutes and a ride time of 7 hours, 7 minutes! It was a beautiful day for a bike ride and we all had a great time!
Here are some of the pictures taken throughout the ride.

25 miles in - pulling into the first rest stop!

Pulling into the water stop.

Finally - after 50 miles of riding, it is lunch time!

Getting ready to climb back on the bikes after lunch.

Climbing "Cardiac Hill". Yes, that really is the name of it - AND it is aptly named!!!

Oh, the blessed descent!!!

Lake Berryessa.

Pulling into the final rest stop.

A professional photographer set up his equipment along the course. These are the two I ordered.

Lake Solano.

The bike statue (between Winters and Davis).

Pulling into the finish line!

Best Buddies Challenge - Hearst Castle 2011

2011-09-11T18:29:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, Sue brought me an information card she picked up downtown about the Best Buddies fundraising bike ride. I looked it up online and decided it would be fun to do. I looked at the elevation/grade chart on the four different rides and decided I could do the 30 mile ride. After this weekend, I found out you can NOT judge a ride by the chart!!! It was WAY harder than I anticipated it would be and I am more sore and tired after this 30 mile ride, than I was last weekend when I rode 60 miles (mostly flat with a couple short and not-so-steep hills). With that being said, it was WELL worth it!

Friday, I left late morning and took advantage of the early check in. While there, I signed up the ride next year and signed up for the 62 mile ride (that was BEFORE I new what the hills are like) - now I am wondering what I got myself into?! I did find out that I can change and do the 30 mile ride if I want to again next year. After I got to my hotel, I had dinner then went to the ocean to watch the sunset. It was gorgeous!

Saturday morning, I drove to near the finish line. My bike was loaded into a big moving truck with the other bikes and I boarded a shuttle bus with the others starting at the 30 mile mark. After a brief opening ceremony, we began. We rode south down Highway 1 and the scenery is absolutely beautiful! I was not in a big hurry and new that, so I stopped a couple times to take some photos. When we crossed the finish line, there were people cheering us on, people giving out a medal to each of the riders and someone to take our bike and helmet to store for us so we could enjoy the post-ride events. We were given a a goodie bag, a message, a hot shower and a great lunch. In the evening, we were taken up to Hearst Ranch for an amazing barbeque and concert. This year, it was Smash Mouth. Everything was absolutely amazing, and I am already looking forward to next year. If anyone wants to join me next year, the ride will be on September 8th!!!

Friday evenings sunset.

These show the elevation/grade of the ride as well as the color coding. On the grade, we started at the "30" mark and rode toward the "0". As you will see - part of the ride was in the red AND the PURPLE!!!

Google Earth view of the ride.

Some of the scenery I saw along the ride.

View from the finish line!

Smash Mouth concert!!!

On Sunday, I went theMonterey Bay Aquarium. It was well worth the few hours I took to go look around!
The display of numerous different Jelly Fish was my favorite.

Feeding time!

Vacation 2011

2011-07-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, July 9th, I started my vacation. I drove to Caliente where my Grandma and Grandpa Petersen, as well as Brenda and her boys were already staying. I had a good time visiting with them as well as Melissa and her kids (Cory was still working out of town). On Monday, we drove to Cedar and had lunch with Marie, Joe and kids. From there, we went up to Pinewood Resort for our Petersen Family Reunion (see previous post). After the reunion ended on Thursday, I stayed with Marie and Joe's family until Saturday, when I went to St. George to see the Wiscombe's. I left there on Sunday morning and had the privilege of bringing Parker and Chandler on the drive home with me. It made a long drive a little easier. It was a great vacation and a wonderful time was had by all!!!

Playing in Grandpa Smith's apple tree.

Bike ride to Beaver Dam road on Monday morning.

Some cool scenery throughout the week!

The Haley kids with Great Grandma and Grandpa Petersen.

Waiting for and watching the Shakespeare Festival Green Show.

Chilling after a short bike ride.

The first time riding her bike all by herself without training wheels!!!

The swimming ladies!

The fisherman!

Placing a dab of whipping cream on the back of your hand, hitting your forearm with the other hand, tossing the cream into the air, then trying to catch it in your mouth!!!

Petersen Family Reunion 2011

2011-07-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

This year we had a Petersen Family Reunion. My Maternal Grandparents have 12 children, 80+ grandchildren and 60+ great grandchildren! Needless to say, we have a good amount of people when we have a reunion. I had a GREAT time and I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. Here are some pictures that were taken. I hope you enjoy them!!!

Spending some quality time with my nieces and nephews!

Playing "Go Fish"

The kids thought the sand volleyball court was the best and biggest sandbox EVER.

One day we took a hike to Cascade Falls. Here are some photos from that trip.
Bauer LOVED riding in his carier!

The Smith group.

OK, I couldn't resist putting THIS photo in!!!

My parents at Cascade Falls.

Cascade Falls.

Whipping cream usually has to get involved at our reunions!!!

My grandma going for a ride on the 4-wheeler (she is 91 years young!).

My grandpa on the rhino (he is 95!).

Family photos...
My parents with their children and grandchildren (except Cory, Melissa and their four kids - They had to leave early so Cory could go to work).

My Grandma and Grandpa Petersen with all but one of their children.

A group picture with almost everyone who attended!

Tour of The Carson Valley

2011-06-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to ride in "The Tour of the Carson Valley" bike ride. I wanted to do this ride to see how I would hold up on hill climbing. I will be doing my first century ride in October, which does have some hill climbing. Around Davis there are not very many hills (unless you count the freeway overpasses!), so I needed to do a ride to prepare. The route took us on a total of about a 1500 foot climb (not all of it straight a straight climb. There were some rolling hills, but there was also a substantial sustained climb. I actually surprised myself on how well I did on the climb as was pleased with my results. I rode 42.5 miles in a ride time of 2 hours, 57 minutes and a total time of 3 hours, 38 minutes. I know I still have work to do, but now I do feel more confident in my abilities to complete my century ride in October!

View of Lake Tahoe from the summit.

Lake Tahoe!

Dipping my toes in the lake!

The Wild Rose Inn Bed and Breakfast where I stayed Saturday night.

My room.

A view from the first rest stop (it was also the third rest stop as we were on our way the finish).

The food that was provided at all three rest stops.

The view from the half-way-point rest stop.

I just completed the ride!

The picture on Google Earth taken using my GPS watch!

A great Weekend with the Haleys!!!

2011-06-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Marie, Joe, Veronica, Tyler, Samantha, Brealynn and Brenna arrived to spend a couple days with me. They got here at about 4:30. We walked to this restaurant called Noodle City for dinner. After dinner we took a walk around the U.C. Davis Arboretum then went to Crepeville for dessert.
Friday morning, I rented an 8 passenger SUV and we went to San Francisco for the day. Our first stop was Golden Gate Park. It is so large, you could spend a few DAYS and not see everything. We then went the beach. It was COLD and windy, but the kids has a TON of fun playing in the waves and sand. When we finished there, we went to a cute cafe for lunch.
The next stop was the Golden Gate Bridge. We took a walk across part of it and enjoyed the sights. We then continued on to Lombard Street, which is known for the small stretch of sharp switch-backs.
Our final stop of the day was Fisherman's Wharf. Our first place to visit there was Ghiradelli Square where I ordered the "Earthquake Sundae" (see pictures below) for the kids' dinner! We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the street shows and other sights around the Wharf.
Saturday, we went over to the city of Winters and ate at Putah Creek Cafe (previously shown on Dinners, Drive Ins and Dives" where we had an AMAZING breakfast. We also went to my office there so I could show them and Joe replaced a leaking faucet for me. When we arrived back in Davis, we went to the Farmers Market and wandered through and tried some the samples that were being given away. When we finished there, I took them to Yolo Berry Frozen Yogurt for lunch (yes, Aunt Vera gave them ice cream for LUNCH this time!!!).
After getting a few things ready, we went to Joe's friends house to have a barbeque
and to visit for the evening.
Sunday, they got up and left for more adventures!
I am sure Marie and Joe will post some of the same pictures I have on here, but there will surely be many more as well!
Enjoy some of our fun times in snapshots!!!

Golden Gate Park

Even Joe had to be one of the kids for a bit (don't ask how we got him out of that seat...)!!!

The Carousel at the Golden Gate Park. It is one of the few that have the original wooden animals (rather than the current plastic ones).

The kids REALLY wanted to go to the beach. Even though it was WAY cold and windy, they had an absolute BLAST!!!

Samantha was ECSTATIC about being at the beach!

They loved the beach sand!

Me with the Haley kids at the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Haley Family at the Golden Gate Bridge.

We drove down Lombard Street which is known as "crookedest [most winding] street in the world" (although the actual fact is contested). It is famous and we can now say we have been there!!!

Just finished driving down Lombard Street.

THIS, folks, is the "Earthquake Sundae" from Ghiradelli Square. Come visit and I will get one for us to share!!!

Do you think they were excited about eating it?!

I told them I wanted to see with their smiles how much they liked it!!!

Wow, we polished that off!

One of the entertainers along Fisherman's Wharf!

Alcatraz in the background.

Do you think we wore them out in San Francisco?!

Yolo Berry frozen yogurt for lunch (yes that is two meals of ice cream in two days - hey when you get to visit Aunt Vera, it is ALL GOOD!)!!!

The kids posing around the sign to my business!

Checking out my bike!

After two-and-a-half days of pure fun they were, again, exhausted (sorry about the quality, I took it with my cell phone and it was semi-dark in the room)!!!

Audi Best Buddies Challange

2011-05-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

I recently found out about this event called the Audi Best Buddies Challenge.
Best Buddies is an organization that gives opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
This is a fund raising event. I pledged to raise $1550.00. Anyone can contribute and I have decided that the funeral home will match 100% of all donations made.
For a direct link to my personal page, click here.
Any and all donations are greatly appreciated!

Out with the old, in with new!!!

2011-05-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of March, my old cold storage broke down on me. It would have cost me a very MINIMUM of $1000.00 to fix. As it was, around $300-$500 were being put into it every 4-6 months to refill it with freon. I was fortunate enough to have a friend lone me a small two person cooler to help give me some time to decide what to do. After MUCH though and research, I finally decided to have a walk-in cooler installed. In the long-run, it will be much better for me in MANY ways! Here are some before, during and after pictures!!!

The old cooler before the crew started to take it apart.

The old cooler half-way disassembled.

The old cooler in pieces.

The new cooler on the truck waiting to be put into place.

The exterior of the finished product!

The interior of the finished product!

Crazy Afternoon

2011-04-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I had a little bit of excitement here at the funeral home. I had just gotten back from a funeral and was in my office eating lunch while doing some paperwork to get ready to meet with two families that I had scheduled to come in and make arrangements. I heard a loud crashing sound like someone's car hitting the building. I looked out my office window to find just that. I went down stairs and checked on the driver. She was fine, so I called the Davis Police Department and asked for an officer to come over to take a report. The lady said her car just took off on her. Since I didn't see it happen, I can't say for sure. All I know is, it did a fair amount of damage. The best way to tell you about it is in pictures!:

The view from the sidewalk looking down the driveway. She somehow managed to drive her car from the parking lot to the left, through/over the brick wall, across the driveway and into the building (and yes, that is the entire brick wall that fell over).

The front bumper of her car on the corner of the building.

Looking from the parking lot she was trying to park in toward the funeral home.

Tow truck driver preparing to pull the car out (he couldn't get it out the same way it went it).

Ugh, the poor Magnolia Tree. It may have to be replaced - not to sure if it will be able to recover.

Damage done to the flowerbed after the tow truck pulled the car out.

Luckily, this is the only damage done the building, it self - at lease as far as visible damage, someone with a trained eye will need to come look at it to be sure.

The hole her car created in the brick planter:

Driveway after the car was removed:

Famous?!!!

2011-04-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Famous? - No not really. As part of an advertisement I did with Sacramento's News10 web-site, they came into the funeral home and filmed me giving information about our services, then took quite a bit of film of the funeral home to use in the video. This is the final version that is published on their site under our funeral home. It is quite obvious that this was my first time doing it and I am nervous, but overall, I think it turned out fairly well!!!
Please feel free to share on your blog, Facebook, or any other social network you are with!

March Madness - Bicycle Style!!!

2011-03-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

In the month of March, the local bike club puts on "March Madness". The Davis Bike Club donates one penny per mile ridden by each participant and applies that amount towards bicycle helmets for school age children (click here for the full details).
Since this was my first time signing up, I pledged to ride 250 miles, to see how I would do. Due to poor weather this month as well as being busy with work I did not reach my goal. In fact, up until Monday, I only had 50 miles. I knew at that point I would not reach 250 miles, but I still wanted to get in as many miles as possible in hopes that I can help as many children as I can. So, between Monday and today (Thursday) I rode 120 miles! Thanks to the cool GPS watch mom and dad gave me for Christmas, I am able to see on a map exactly where I have been! I have included a map of each day of my rides this week.
I also got a VERY SMALL glimpse at what my 100 mile ride will be like in October, and you know what? ... I do believe I can do the full 100 miles!!!

30 Miles (to Winters and back)

30 Miles (to Woodland, around some of Woodland and Back)

20 Miles (just some country riding - it was windy and I wimped out!)

40 Miles (to Winters, then back taking a long way around!)

Smith Girls Weekend 2011

2011-03-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

This last weekend we had our annual Smith Girls Weekend. All the Smith ladies 12 and older attend this wonderful event. This year, everyone came to my place! The event started Thursday evening with Pizza then wonderful crepes from Crepeville. On Friday we all boarded Amtrak and rode the train (switching to bus for the last little bit) to San Francisco. We spent a great day eating, touring, walking, eating etc. Saturday we went to the Davis Farmers Market, then wandered around several of the cute shops in Davis. In the afternoon we held a baby shower for Melissa. We also took a field trip to Trader Joes and to World Market. For dinner we ate at Thai Recipes (which for some was their first experience with Thai food!). On Sunday morning most left for the trip home. Matti and Brenda had a later flight, so we went to Winters for breakfast at Putah Creek Cafe. I had a great weekend and I so grateful that everyone was so willing to come out here, since I was not quite ready to leave my new business for a full weekend! Thank you ladies for a GREAT time!!!

San Francisco:

Davis Farmers Market:

Baby Shower:

Antique Buffet

2011-02-13T10:59:00.000-08:00

When the Wiscombe's moved, one of the items they left was this antique buffet. It is absolutely beautiful, and just needed a little sanding and refinishing. As most (if not all) of you know, I enjoyed doing wood-working, so I was excited to have the opportunity re-finish it! The pictures don't really do it justice, but you can a good idea of how it turned out.

The front:
Before

During

Finished

The Top:
Before

During

Finished

Set up in my foyer:

"Angels Among Us" in ASL

2011-02-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

This is a very touching Video a friend posted on Facebook this morning. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Small Business Owner!!

2010-12-29T19:54:00.001-08:00

As most (if not all) of you know, I recently purchased the Funeral Home I have been working at for the last 4 1/2 years! The sale was finalized and official on December 1, 2010. I am quite nervous, but also very excited at the same time. I am looking forward to this new adventure in my life!!!

Front of the Davis Location.

The front of the Winters Location.

Pulling the for sale sign up.

No more for sale sign on the lawn!!!

The new furniture in the arrangement office. The Wiscombe's replaced the furniture that was in there with this!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T18:01:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday, I left at 3:30 A.M. to drive to Caliente for Thanksgiving. I took I-5 south through Las Vegas then back up in order to avoid the storms on Donner's Pass. I arrived at 3:30 that afternoon. By 4:00 my nephew, Hafen called to ask if I could go on a bike ride with him. I went over to their house and Hafen, Hudson and I went for a bike ride. I had a great time (I hope they had as a good of a time that I had!). Later that day and on Thursday we had most the rest of the family arrive. Everyone except Brenda and Andrew were able to be there. They had planned on being there, but storms and closed roads prevented it. Brenda, Andrew, Keagan, Deker and Bauer we all missed you. Thursday morning several went out to the gun range to go skeet shooting. I didn't go out in the beginning, but went out later and joined in on some of the fun. That afternoon we had dinner. We had 38 people there and STILL had left-overs!!! That afternoon we relaxed and quite a few of us of joined in on some mattress surfing down my parents stairs. I had never done it, but apparently some of younger siblings did when they were younger. Some left Thursday evening, most of Friday then the rest of us left Saturday morning. I left at 9:30. Due to traffic in many areas, I didn't get home until 11:00. A good weekend at home with family was well worth the over 1400 miles I drove there and back. Thank you mom and dad for hosting us and going to so much work to provide a great dinner and a great weekend!

In the bunker releasing the skeet.

Getting hugs from my nephew, Sawyer!

Before Dinner.

After Dinner.

Mattress surfing down my parent's stairs.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2010-11-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 4, 2010 was my mom's 60th Birthday. We had the opportunity to surprise her this last weekend. My dad rented a vacation home in Salt Lake City. Most arrived on Thursday. I arrived on Friday morning. After I got in, most of us went to the zoo. Surprise number 3 was Friday night. We all went to Arctic Circle. We had arranged ahead of time for my dad to call Alma when they got close and meet for dessert. We hid behind the play ground and when my parents arrived we all walked out and surprised her! Surprise number 2 was Saturday morning. Since Neal is serving a mission in Brazil, my dad asked him to email a special letter to my mom. He read it just before breakfast. It was a very touching and beautiful letter. Surprise number 3 was Saturday night. My mom and dad went out to get ice cream for dessert. While they were out, most of my mom's siblings that live in the area arrived at the rental home. We had a great visit with lots of laughs. Sunday morning we attended church with Alma and Matti. It was great weekend and we all had a wonderful time. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM, I LOVE YOU!!!

The Zoo.

Surprise number 1!!!

Playing games and enjoying the beautiful weather we had!

Surprise number 3!

Giving out the rubber band guns I made for all my nieces and nephews and my siblings!

Reading to several of my nieces and nephews while their parents got packed and ready cleaned things up.

Family photo. The only person is Neal, who is serving a mission in Brazil!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2010-10-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

My cousin, Amy Petersen, put this video together in honor of a good friend/mentor who died quickly from Breast Cancer. It is a very beautiful and touching video. Click here to watch it on YouTube. Please feel free to share with anyone you feel could benefit from it.

Bike!

2010-10-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

After much thought, and the great encouragement of those who commented on my last post, I decided I am going to see if I can do a 100 mile bike ride. Click here to see the link to the one I want to do first. To start out my goal right, I got a road bike. I realize that a ride like that would be extremely difficult on my mountain bike!

Do YOU think I can?

2010-10-05T18:17:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, I have been getting into riding my bike more often. I think this is my next goal. I know I have a LOT of work to get to that point, but it isn't until May, so I might be able to work into it. What do YOU think?

Visit from my parents

2010-09-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Friday night, my mom and dad flew in for a visit. Saturday we spent the day in San Francisco. We started at Coit tower, then drove down Lombard Street. Next we went to the Cable Car Museum, followed by China Town. We completed the day around Fisherman's Wharf. There, we wandered around and saw some of the shops. We completed the day with a 2 hour sunset cruise. On Sunday we went to church, relaxed and went to visit with the Wiscombe's for a little while in the evening. Monday we relaxed in the morning, then walked around Downtown Davis for a little bit. We got lunch from Subway then took a bike ride down the U.C. Davis Arboretum. We left around 2:00 and took my parents to the airport. A fun time was had by all! Thank you, mom and dad, for a good weekend!!!

Coit Tower:

Lombard Street.

Cable Car Museum.

China Town:

From the Submarine USS Pampanito:

From the Sunset Cruise:

Weekend with the Picanco's

2010-07-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

YES, I know this is way over-due - no excuses, just haven't sat down to do it till now!
The weekend of June 24th - 28th, I had the opportunity to go to Boise, Idaho to visit Brenda, Andrew and their three boys. I arrived on Thursday afternoon and was able to enjoy time with them until Monday. The pictures show a lot of what they did (they are not in any particular order). Most are of me with the kids. I had a great time and want to thank Brenda and Andrew for their wonderful hospitality!!!

Bauer and I (Keagan asked to use my camera to take a picture of us, so I let him!).

One night I got out my computer to play some music, and Keagan and Deker got their computers out to be like me!!!

Aunt Vera with Emmalyn and Brooklyn (Jeanette and Jeff's twins).

Bauer taking a nap in Aunt Vera's arms :)

Bauer giving big smiles to Aunt Vera!!!

The Picanco Family on the morning of the Baby Blessing.

Bauer's Blessing outfit. Brenda made his tie (as well as her skirt and the boys' ties [including Andrew's]) and my mom made the pants, shirt and vest.

Yummy stuffed jalapeno peppers. Click here for the Recipe

Keagan and I in our go-car ready to get moving!!!

Keagan and I riding in the go-cart.

Reading to all my Picanco Nephews!

Back to the Future!!!

2010-07-06T12:37:00.001-07:00

Just a useless fact!

Today is the day that Marty McFly arrived in the future after hitting 88mph in a pimped out Delorean in 1985!!!

WOW, What a Rush!!!!!!

2010-05-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to go sky diving! I have wanted to go for a while, and finally decided to just do it. I arrived a little before 8:00 and signed in. We had about 45 minutes of instruction. We then went to the equipment room, I met my instructor, got suited up and went through some one-on-one instruction with my instructor. From there, we went out and got on the plane. My instructor and I got on first (because we were jumping last). Everyone else on the plane jumped out at 13,000feet. I chose the package to jump at 18,000 feet, so they jumped first, we closed the door and went up to our height then jumped. From that height, we had 90 seconds of free-fall. Then we opened the chute (I got to pull the cord). My instructor asked if I wanted the scenic view or the roller coaster ride. I said some of both, so he spun us around a little, then we had a nice easy decent the rest of the way down. It was SO much fun!!! I have a DVD, but am not able to post it, so the next few times I am around family, I will take it with me and show it to those who want to see it!

Instruction prior to jumping.

On our way to the plane.

Because of the height we jumped from, we used oxygen for a little bit in the plane.

Ready...

Set...(you can't see it in the picture, but at this point, my feet are hanging out of the plane!)

GO!!!!

Beginning of free-fall!

I liked this picture with the airplane that we jumped out of in the back-ground.

Close-up of my instructor and I.

Awesome view!

Peek-a-boo!

Still free falling.

Chute deployed perfectly!

Coming in for the landing.

Safely back on the ground!

My instructor and I after our jump.

Miscellaneous stuff

2010-04-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

Just some miscellaneous stuff that has been going on as well as a fun activity I have planned do to for myself!

First, the insurance company that our funeral home uses, went into the funeral home a little while ago and did a nice video of the funeral home with Shawn narrating. It turned out nice.

Another "happening" is our crematory got a new chamber installed. It is rated to cremate up to 800 pounds!! The crazy thing is, they actually will need to be be able accommodate 800 pounds.
This is the old "standard size" chamber.

This is the new chamber. See how much bigger it is?!!!

And finally, click here to see what I plan to do some time in June!!!

Interesting Weekend

2010-04-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

We had a guy who died up here and the family wanted him buried in Southern California (San Bernardino). They wanted me to drop him off at the church between 1:00 and 6:00 P.M. on Sunday and then pick him back up at 11:30 A.M. on Monday. They had an all night viewing, but I didn’t need to stay for that. On Saturday, I set my alarm for 5:15 and planned to get up get ready, go to the mortuary and load then head down. Well, my alarm went off at 5:15, I got ready and left for the mortuary. About half way to the mortuary, I looked at the clock in my car and it showed that it was not even 5:00 yet. I looked at my cell phone and it said the same thing! It took a couple minutes then I realized that my alarm clock is a “smart” clock. It changes itself for the time change, but it is programmed under the old time change schedule. So a couple weeks ago, I had to manually change my clock when the time changed and then Sunday morning, it changed itself. So in actuality, I ended up getting up at 4:15!!! At that point, there was no sense in going back home, so I just got ready and left as planned and just got down to the church an hour earlier than I would have otherwise!
After I dropped the person off at the church, I had the entire afternoon to spare, so I went to a movie. About 20 minutes before the movie started, the theatre started to roll and shake. It lasted for about 10 to 15 seconds. I thought it was a little strange, so I just walked to the doorway and looked into the foyer, but no one seemed to be bothered by it, so I just went and sat back down and watched the movie. I never felt anything else, so I started to wonder if maybe it was just something in the building, like a bunch of people leaving at the same time or something. After I got back to the motel and logged onto the internet, I saw that there had been an earthquake around the California/Mexico border and that it was NOT my imagination and that I actually felt and earthquake!!! It was actually kind of fun and pretty cool!!!

Girls Weekend - 2010

2010-03-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Smith girls got together for our annual (or at least we try for annual) girls weekend. My trip started with some slight difficulties... While on Donner Summit I came across slushy roads. Easy enough to drive on, but my washer fluid would not come out and I had VERY poor wiper blades, which just smeared mud all over. I literally could NOT see where I was going. The first place I stopped, the gas station was closed down, so I found a rag in my car and poured some water on it and wiped some off the mud off. It didn't take long before it was just a bad again. I finally found a gas station and cleaned off my windshield. From there the drive was quite easy. After arriving, I found out that, due to some very unforeseen and unfortunate circumstance, Matti would not be able to join us. We were all very disappointed that she could not be there with us, but we also agreed that it was very important for her to be with her family this weekend. We did, however, have a good time. We played games, visited and ate LOTS of food! This year, Veronica was able to join us for her first time! We did have one boy there, though. Sawyer is the youngest of the clan and came to add to our enjoyment!

Woodworking Class

2010-02-27T15:45:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago I began a woodworking class. It is through the University here in Davis. It has been on Wednesday evenings for two hours each evening. We had a required project, a cutting board (see below). This project was so we could show we know how to use (and SAFELY use) the machinery. Now that we have gotten through that part we are allowed to go in at anytime and work on whatever project we want. It has been a fun class and I will probably sign up for another one next semester as well!

The New Missionary!

2010-02-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

My youngest brother, Neal, entered the MTC yesterday to serve a 2 year mission for our church. He has been called to serve in the Brazil, Campinas Mission. He was originally going to report to the MTC in Brazil, but his Visa did not arrive in time, so instead he reported the Provo MTC. We all hope his Visa arrives soon, because we all know how much he wants to get to Brazil. I wanted to post a little "tribute" to Neal, so here are some photos of his growing up years. I decided to mostly put family photos with a few others in between. Neal, I know you won't see this for 2 years, but you are a great person and will be an awesome missionary!!!

Chirstmas 2009

2009-12-30T16:23:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas I spent the week at my parents home. I flew in on Saturday the 19th. Our entire family was together on Saturday night, when we opened our gifts from each other (the siblings had drawn names earlier in the year as well as the cousins). We currently have 27 people in our family with 2 on the way, which makes for quite a full house. On Sunday we had a wonderful Christmas dinner. After which, the girls escaped and threw a small baby shower for Melissa, who is due with-in the next couple weeks. We then went back for dessert.

We had a family photo taken after church on Sunday. As you can see, all the kids were tired and hungry, but the important thing is we were able to get a photo with everyone in it!

For my parents Christmas, my siblings and I gave them a gift certificate to a bed-and-breakfast in Palmyra, New York along with a gift certificate to a restaurant in the area. As you can see, they were pleased with our choice!

Toffee!!!

2009-12-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

Do you need some sweets for the holidays? Go to Bella Toffee. My sister-in-law, Matti makes some Amazing Toffee! It is as easy as going to her web-site, place the order, pick it up in the mail and enjoy!!!

Visit from family

2009-11-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

During Halloween weekend, my mom, dad and brother, Neal came out for a short visit. We mostly relaxed for the weekend, but on Saturday morning we went to the Sacramento Auto Museum. This time of year they have a small display of Hearses. The entire place was really fascinating but the highlight for me was the Hearse display!!!

My new toy!!!

2009-11-07T16:27:00.000-08:00

Last week I bought a new computer from QVC. I received it yesterday and have had fun setting it up and playing aound on the computer and the internet from the comfort of my own home!

Disneyland and Huntington Beach

2009-10-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Alma and Matti invited me to join them on their trip to Disneyland. I picked them up from the airport on Wednesday. We spent Thursday and Friday at Disneyland and California Adventure then Saturday afternoon at Huntington Beach. A wonderful time was had by all. A BIG thank you Alma and Matti for the invite. To the rest of you. If you want to take you kids to Disneyland and want a third person to help with out, I am ALWAYS up for another trip!!!

I was a little jealous of Bella getting her picture taken with almost every princes we saw, so I had to get a couple myself!!!

Halloween fireworks show.

It was a warm, muggy day. I think the splash pad was a HUGE hit!!!

Trick-or-treating in California Adventure.

This is my new favorite ride in California Adventure!!!

One tired little girl after spending two days in Disneyland.

We had lunch at Ruby's Diner on Huntington Beach Pier. A guy came around making balloon animals. Bella asked for a butterfly. Such pure joy when he handed it to her!

Building a sand castle.

A wave came behind Bell and knocked her over, then as she was trying to get up, another came and pushed her back down.

The little mermaid.

Wind...Ugh!!!

2009-10-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I rode my bike to Winters and back (yes, I do like to make that ride - especially since I get to eat breakfast at my favorite cafe while in town!). Today, however, was rather windy. The total round-trip was 35 miles and took me 2 hours, 45 minutes (drastically slower than usual because of the wind). With a tail-wind I averaged 18-19 MPH with minimal effort. With a cross-wind I averaged 14-15 MPH with a little effort. With the head-wind, however...I only averaged 8-9 MPH with MAJOR effort. IT KICKED MY BUT!!! The positive side? It is definitely a stamina and strength builder!

Smithalicious

2009-09-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

Just a quick announcement to let everyone know that if you watch Smithalicious you will get information on your chance to win some really cool stuff!!!

Birthday 2009

2009-09-06T20:39:00.001-07:00

For my birthday this year the Wiscombe's gave me a one night stay at the Fairmont on Nobb Hill!!! I left early Friday morning and Drove to Vallejo then took the Ferry to San Francisco. First I walked to Pier 39, then to the Ghiradelli Square, where you get free chocolate samples! I also sat down and had a nice cup of hot chocolate. I then rode the cable car to the hotel (a 4 star hotel!!!). After checking into my room, I walked to a theatre and watched a movie. Next I went to the Grubstake Diner, which was shown on Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives. I then went back to the motel and relaxed before going down for a nice massage at the club in the hotel. On Monday morning, I went to Mama's for breakfast. I found out about this from a post that the Wiscombe's told me about. I had about a one hour wait, but it was worth the time! After breakfast, I walked up to Coit Tower. I took the elevator to the top, where you can see a full view of San Francisco. Next, I went to China Town and wandered around there for a little while. I also went to a place where you can watch the people make fortune cookies. A neat place a visit. Finally I went to the Cable Car Museum. I then went back to Fishermans Wharf and walked to the Ferry Building and came back. It was a fun weekend where I had the opportunity to see a lot of sights I had not been to before.

My transportation to and from San Francisco.

Ghiradelli Chocolate!!!

A neat view of a ship with Alcatraz in the backgound.

The hotel I stayed in.

My hotel room!

View out the window of my hotel room.

Grubstake Diner.

A sampling of the hills I walked up and down.

Mama's.

Coit Tower.

Views from atop Coit Tower (city, Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz).

China Town.

While wondering around China Town, I came across a funeral and could not resist taking a couple pictures. In the asian culture it is very common to have a band,a car with a large photo, the herse then the rest of the procession.

The fortune cookie shop.

The cable car meuseum.

Looking at the bay from the cable car.

This time I took pictures!!!

2009-08-29T16:27:00.001-07:00

I rode my bike to Winters again today. I made the 17 1/2 mile trip about 15 minutes quicker than I did last time. On my way back I took some pictures. Unfortunately, about 7 miles in by trip back, I hit a puncture vine patch and both tires went flat. I had to call the Wiscombe's to come get me ( a BIG thank you to them)! It was a good trip while it lasted. At least I got over there and had a wonderful breakfast at Putah Creek Cafe!!! The pictures are of different areas of my bike ride (the first is of my ride between work and home - the rest are of the ride to and from Winters). There are a lot farms with various crops, a few of which are almond trees. An absolutely beautiful ride.

Your thoughts, opinions, and ideas, please...

2009-08-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

So, much to MY great surprise and probably others as well, I am seriously considering getting a kitten. Here is what I KNOW I want: A baby kitten (so I can raise it), a female and short hair. Other than that I don't know much else about cats (ie. temperament). With that being said, I would appreciate any thoughts, opinions, and ideas!!!

Saturday I...

2009-08-03T08:33:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I left my apartment at 8:00 A.M. and rode my bike to the little town of Winters (a 17 1/2 mile ride). I ate breakfast at a great place called Putah Creek Cafe (if you come visit, we will go there - great food!!!). I then rode back, taking a small detour, which made the return ride back 19 1/2 miles. It was a great way to spend Saturday morning with beautiful scenery, great food and some exercise!!! Sorry, I didn't stop to take any pictures, maybe I will next time.

Minnestoa Twins Game

2009-07-22T19:32:00.001-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to go to Oakland and watch the Twins play against the A's. Unfortantly, the Twins lost BIG TIME (16-1), but I had SO MUCH FUN!!! They had one dollar hotdogs today and I at 8, yes that is right, EIGHT of them! Here are a few the pictures I took.

The Twins warming up before the game.

Justin Morneau touching home plate after his home run in the first inning. To bad it was their only run of the game.

The Twins making a double play.

This is so I don't hear - "Why is there no picture of you?"!!!!

The ball field.

The A's coach arguing a call - and THEY were up by at least 12 runs!

The A's mascot.

More of Neal's Wood Shop Skills

2009-06-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks of school, Neal had been working on building a toy chest for me (a place I can store the toys I have for when the nieces and nephews come visit me). Due to various activities (like Senior Ditch Day!) and the fact that his teacher had Neal helping other students finish their projects, he did not have the chance to get it finished. In fact, Neal went up to the school the morning of graduation to finish building it. I brought it home with me and put a natural stain on to finish it up. I enjoyed the opportunity to finish the project, because it brought back memories of wood shop in my high school years. Neal, you have an amazing talent!!! I know I as well as the rest of us have enjoyed your wood shop projects over the years.

BEFORE THE STAIN WAS PUT ON:

AFTER:

Smith Family Reunion

2009-06-05T19:18:00.001-07:00

For the last week I had the opportunity to spend time with my family. Here is a quick review of what happened. On Thursday, I drove to to my Parents home in Caliente. On Friday morning, I went on a bike ride with my nephew, Hafen. On Friday night we attended my "little" brother, Neal's graduation - the same high school I graduated from 15 years ago (see previous post). On Saturday I drove to Cedar City to spend the day with my sister, Marie and her kids (sorry, no pictures from that day - forgot to pull the camera out!). Sunday we drove to Heber City, UT where, thanks the generosity of my parents, we stayed a seven bedroom rental home. There we met up with the rest of the family (all 25 of us, with 2 on the way). That evening we took a walk along a path near the home. Monday we went to Park City, UT and rode down the Alpine Slide. On Monday evening, after the kids went to bed, we sent the guys away and the ladies had a baby shower for my sister, Jeanette who is expecting twins. Tuesday morning some of us went on a river rafting trip (others went in the afternoon). Also on Tuesday evening, my parents fixed a wonderful meal of dutch oven chicken and potatoes, which has become a bit of a family tradition when we all get together. Wednesday morning we took most the kids to a near-by park then in the afternoon we went a train ride called the Heber Creeper. A few people had to leave Wednesday night and on Thursday, the rest of us finished packing up and everyone departed. We had a wonderful time together and enjoyed each others company. I want to send a BIG thank you to my parents for renting the home for us. Without them, most of us would not have been able to enjoy the extra activities we all did throughout the week.

A beautiful view from the house we stayed in.

What a difference 15 years make!

2009-05-29T22:11:00.001-07:00

Today my youngest brother, Neal graduated from high school. 15 years ago was my graduation at the same high school. I have a photo of Neal and Jeanette with me after I graduated and Neal was unhappy that I was getting ready to leave. I decided to scan that photo and bring it with me, so I could post it with a current photo of the two of us together. It is a little strange to have my "baby brother" graduating. Am I REALLY that old?!!! Congratulations Neal, I love you!

Journey Concert

2009-05-25T12:23:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, the Wiscombe's took me to a Journey Concert. I had never been to a concert and let me tell you, it was amazing!!! I had so much fun. I made the mistake of not taking my camera, so I used my cell phone to take some photos. I want to send a BIG THANK YOU to the Sue and Shawn for such a great night.

Davis Bike Paths

2009-05-23T03:28:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the generosity of the Wiscombe's, I now have a bicycle. The last couple days after work, I have gone out ridding. I am a little out of shape, so I have not gone very far, yet!!!! The first day I did not take my camera, but after ridding through some beautiful scenery, I decided to take my camera on the second day. The first picture is of the bike. The last two are a small sample of what I saw just within about a 5 to 10 minute ride from my apartment. I am looking forward to getting in better shape and being able to explore more of the Davis Bike Paths.

Smithalicious

2009-04-21T10:36:00.001-07:00

A while back, the ladies in my family wanted to start sharing recipes. My sister, Matti started a blog called Smithalicious as a way for each of us to share recipes. It has been a lot of fun and now we are trying to expand and let more people know about it (hence this post!).
I tried to come up with something clever, but I am not as talented as my sisters, so all you get is this with a little story about the recipe you see below. I guess this will be a two-fold post. First, to let you know about Smithalicious. Second, to have this memory documented (which is what blogging is all about, right?).
As a teenager, each year for my birthday, my Grandma Smith (she passed away three years ago) would make a cake that I absolutely loved, with a wonderful cream cheese frosting. I do not remember ever telling her that it was my favorite, she just somehow knew. Last year our family got together for the baby blessing of a nephew, which happened to be a week or so before my birthday. My sister, Melissa, called and asked what my favorite dessert was. I told her then she and my grandpa were able to find the recipe. My grandma had written on there (Vera favorite). I must say, it tasted just as I remembered. Melissa then gave me the original recipe that my grandma used (if you look close, you can see the stains on the paper from the many times the recipe was used).
So, to get this recipe and numerous other great recipes, check us out at Smithalicous. Please feel free to post comments and/or become a follower of our blog.

A Funeral Director who SAVES Lives?

2009-03-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that correctly!!! Every few weeks, I go to the local blood donation facility (Blood Source) to donate blood platelets. The last time was there, I asked them to take a picture so I could post it on my blog. I highly recommend that those who are eligible find a place near you to donate, because you really do save lives. For more information on donating in the Northern California area, click here.

A Weekend in Utah

2009-03-04T11:21:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning I flew into the Salt Lake Airport. My mom picked me up and we met my sisters, sisters-in-law and all my nieces and nephews at the Discovery Gateway, which is where most of these pictures are at(all the guys went golfing). We were there for 2 hours and some of the kids still were not ready to leave. We spent most of the afternoon relaxing, visiting, some shopping and eating. On Sunday we attended Alma and Matti's ward for the blessing of Oliver. After their Sacrament Meeting, we all went Alma and Matti's house for a wonderful dinner (Hawaiian Haystacks). After dinner everyone started leaving because they all had a long drive ahead of them. On Monday morning for breakfast, Matti, Bella, Oliver and I went to the Blue Plate Diner (featured on the show "Diners, Drive-In's and Dives" on the Food Network). It was a short, but fun weekend and good see all the family again.

A Great Article for All to Read

2009-03-03T13:54:00.000-08:00

As I was reading the Ensign last week, I came across this article that I really enjoyed and wanted to share. Below is the part that caught my attention the most. For the entire article (click here).

Gullible Gulls
I clipped the following article from the Reader’s Digest some time ago. It reads:

“In our friendly neighbor city of St. Augustine great flocks of sea gulls are starving amid plenty. Fishing is still good, but the gulls don’t know how to fish. For generations they have depended on the shrimp fleet to toss them scraps from the nets. Now the fleet has moved. …

“The shrimpers had created a Welfare State for the … sea gulls. The big birds never bothered to learn how to fish for themselves and they never taught their children to fish. Instead they led their little ones to the shrimp nets.

“Now the sea gulls, the fine free birds that almost symbolize liberty itself, are starving to death because they gave in to the ‘something for nothing’ lure! They sacrificed their independence for a handout.

“A lot of people are like that, too. They see nothing wrong in picking delectable scraps from the tax nets of the U.S. Government’s ‘shrimp fleet.’ But what will happen when the Government runs out of goods? What about our children of generations to come?

“Let’s not be gullible gulls. We … must preserve our talents of self-sufficiency, our genius for creating things for ourselves, our sense of thrift and our true love of independence.”2

The practice of coveting and receiving unearned benefits has now become so fixed in our society that even men of wealth, possessing the means to produce more wealth, are expecting the government to guarantee them a profit. Elections often turn on what the candidates promise to do for voters from government funds. This practice, if universally accepted and implemented in any society, will make slaves of its citizens.

We cannot afford to become wards of the government, even if we have a legal right to do so. It requires too great a sacrifice of self-respect and political, temporal, and spiritual independence.

In some countries it is extremely difficult to separate earned from unearned benefits. However, the principle is the same in all countries: We should strive to become self-reliant and not depend on others for our existence.

Governments are not the only guilty parties. We fear many parents are making “gullible gulls” out of their children with their permissiveness and their doling out of family resources. In fact, the actions of parents in this area can be more devastating than any government program.

Bishops and other priesthood leaders can be guilty of making “gullible gulls” out of their ward members. Some members become financially or emotionally dependent on their bishops. A dole is a dole whatever its source. All of our Church and family actions should be directed toward making our children and members self-reliant. We can’t always control government programs, but we can control our own homes and congregations. If we will teach these principles and live them, we can do much to counter the negative effects which may exist in government programs in any country.

We know there are some who, for reasons beyond their control, cannot become self-reliant. President Henry D. Moyle had these people in mind when he said:

“This great principle does not deny to the needy nor to the poor the assistance they should have. The wholly incapacitated, the aged, the sickly are cared for with all tenderness, but every able-bodied person is enjoined to do his utmost for himself to avoid dependence, if his own efforts can make such a course possible; to look upon adversity as temporary; to combine his faith in his own ability with honest toil. …

“We believe [that] seldom [do circumstances arise in which] men of rigorous faith, genuine courage, and unfaltering determination, with the love of independence burning in their hearts, and pride in their own accomplishments, cannot surmount the obstacles that lie in their paths.”

Self Defense Class

2009-02-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

For the last five weeks I have been taking a self defense class offered through our local police department. It was on Wednesday nights, for three hours each night. This evening was our last class so we did three different simulations. They had three guys (BIG guys) come in to be the aggressor. As you will see, they were VERY well protected, which was a good thing for them! I know there are a lot of photos and some of them are dark (the person taking them was a younger person and with my camera if you zoom in, the photos turn out dark, but I hope you can get an idea of what we did. I also had a video taken during one of the three simulations. I highly recommend any female over the age of 14 to take this class if it is offered in your area. If you are interested go this this web-site: http://www.rad-systems.com to get more information.

Memories

2009-02-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about this specific memory for quite some time now and have decided to post it. About 4 or 5 years ago, we had a Petersen family reunion in Montana. On our way back to Utah/Nevada Veronica, Tyler and Samantha took turns riding in my car with me (as well as a couple siblings). During one leg of the trip, Tyler was with us. We had the radio playing, but we were also visiting. The song that was playing said something to the effect of "you love me you don't know who I am". I wasn't giving much though to the song, but apparently Tyler was because he asked me "Vera, how can you love someone but not know who they are?". It took me a moment to realize why he had asked the question. I just responded by saying I didn't know and that is was kind of a strange thing to sing about!
When ever I hear this song on the radio, I always think of that time get a good laugh!

Installing Laminate Flooring

2009-01-20T17:34:00.001-08:00

For the last couple weeks, I have had the opportunity to help Shawn and Braden install wood laminate flooring in the living room, dinning room, kitchen and master bedroom of their residence. It has been a lot of work, but we think it turned out pretty good (if we do say so ourselves!). I have had a lot of fun helping with it and want to thank the Wiscombe's for letting me jump be involved in their projects.

These two show a sample of what the finished product looks like.

Neal's Handy Work

2008-12-31T15:43:00.001-08:00

For one of Neal's wood shop projects, I asked him to make a spoon holder for my collector's spoons. He did such a great job on it, I wanted to show it off on his behalf and to thank him, again for his hard work. In fact, it is already getting full enough, I might need him to make another one before the school year ends. I do know, however, that I need to take a number, as a few of my siblings have already requested that Neal make some items for them as well!!!

Tagged - Scattergories Style

2008-12-20T09:28:00.001-08:00

Jeanette tagged me with this scattergories style tag. It is harder than it looks, but is also fun.

Name: Vera
Boy Name: Vernon
Girl Name: Veronica
Occupation: Veterinarian
Color: Violet
Beverage: V-8 Juice (some of you may remember Grandma Smith drinking this nasty stuff!)
Food: Velveeta Cheese
Something Found in Bathroom: Vent
Reason for Being Late: Vertigo
Something You Shout: Victory!

I tag anyone who wants to do this. It is actually really fun. Maybe a good activity for the kids to to while on Christmas Break!!!

Happy Birthday Neal (Yesterday)!!!

2008-12-15T10:11:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was the 18th birthday of my youngest brother, Neal. I did ask and got permission to post a few photos from his past, so here are some of them.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEAL!!!

Military Service

2008-12-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

Today I went to the Golden Gate National Cemetery (just outside of San Francisco) for the burial of a person who served in the U.S. Army and was retired (meaning he served 20 or more years). When a person retires from the Armed Forces he/she is entitled to full military honors, which means: firing party, taps and flag folding. While in Arizona, I saw this done many times, but never took any photos. Today, I was able to get some photos due to the fact that I was standing in a place that I was not noticed and could be inconspicuous about it (it would be weird for the funeral director to be taking photos!). After the service I drove to the top of a little hill on the grounds and took a few more photos. I would like to send a big thank you to all our service men and women for all of their sacrifices, especially during this holiday season.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

As you saw in my previous post, I spent last week with my family. All of my siblings, their spouses and children were at my parents house for Thanksgiving Dinner. We had 24 people in my parents kitchen. Everyone had a great time and it was good to have the opportunity to see and visit with everyone again. Here are some photos from the week.

My dad has an M&M candy dispenser. He loves to fill it up before the grand kids come for a vi st so he can spoil the grandchildren and hear their parents get after them for eating candy. Over the weekend, Brenna and Braelynn pulled the leg to dispense the M&Ms. It made the noise of the M&Ms coming out and they jumped. After a second their eyes got big and a huge smile crossed their face and they said "I did it!" We all got a good laugh.

Bella also figured out the M&M dispenser!

My nieces and nephews love to read. Here are some of the photos taken of different people reading to them.
My mom with Keagan, Brenna, Braelynn and Samantha.

Me with Brenna, Braelynn and Keagan.

My dad with Hudson and Keagan.

Thanksgiving dinner.

After dinner, the ladies went to Cory and Melissa's house to do a Christmas craft and left the guys to babysit.

The guys babysat by putting on a movie and giving the kids a bowl of popcorn!!!

Taking a few of the nieces and nephews for a ride on the Rihno.

Rihno Ride

2008-11-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about living in the country is the open spaces. You can decide to take a ride on an ATV and just go (vs. the city where you have to load your ATV and drive somewhere before you can take it for a ride). On Monday afternoon, my dad and I took a ride out on their Rihno. We had a great time going up in the mountain and enjoying the scenery.

My parents Rihno.

One of the trails we were on.

Some of the beautiful scenery we got to see.

Vacation Time

2008-11-24T08:37:00.001-08:00

I began my Thanksgiving Vacation on Saturday. On my way, I was able to to see the sunrise. I have seen better, but it was still pretty, so I stopped to take a photo of it. Hafen, Hudson (two of my nephews) and I went out to play on Sunday afternoon, so here are a few photos of that.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Dessert time!!!

Grandparents

2008-11-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in my job, a service we have will remind me of a friend or family member. I had one a couple weeks ago that reminded me of my Grandparents. I found a poem about grandparents and thought I would share the poem with some photos I have.

What are Grandparents made of?
Hope and pride, pure joy inside
Warm Hugs and kisses, shooting star wishes
Tickles and fun, a sprinkle of sun
Hands to hold, hearts of gold...

That’s what Grandparents are made of

Tales from the past, memories to last
Laps for reading. “I love you” greetings
Wisdom to teach, always in reach
Toys galore, eyes that adore...

That’s what Grandparents are made of

Patience and time, trees to climb
Baby photos in frames, childhood games
Bragging rights, sleep over nights
Comforting arms, magical charms...

That’s what Grandparents are made of

Kindness and care, affection to share
Heart-to-heart talks, unhurried walks
Faith and trust, spoiling a must
Endless love, a gift from above...

That’s what Grandparents are made of
By Teri Harrison

Halloween in the Funeral Home

2008-11-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

This year Hannah and her friends had a Halloween Party in the funeral home. I was very impressed with their planning and execution. They worked hard and did an excellent job. Everyone who attended had a great time.

The Hosts

Check out the eyes!!!

For fear of serious chastisement if I don't post a photo of myself, here it is!

The decorations.

Our Most Recent Funeral

2008-10-31T09:43:00.001-07:00

Just kidding!!!! Hannah is having a Halloween Party tonight here at the funeral home. She and her friends started decorating last night. This will be in the front of our chapel. Good times for all!!!

Tagged

2008-10-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Melissa and Marie. For several of these, I do not have 8 things to share, but I will share what I have.

8 Shows I love to watch.
*Survivor
*CSi - All 3 of them (Las Vegas, Miami and New York)
*The Unit
*My Own Worst Enemy (New show on NBC)
*Numbers
*Amazing Race
*House

8 Favorite restaurants
*In-N-Out
*Applebees
*Chili's
*Crepeville (a local place - come for a visit and we will be sure to go!)
*Caffe Italia (another local place)
*Subway
*Outback

8 Things that happened yesterday
*Typed,printed and folded memorial folders
*Drove to Sacramento to pick up a casket (for Halloween props this year!)
*Got van washed
*Microwaved dinner (I don't COOK dinner!)
*Watched some of the above listed shows
*Finished a great book ("No Place Like Home" by Mary Higgens Clark)

8 Things I look forward to
*Being with family for Thanksgiving
*The rainy season (we are desperate need of the rain)
*Girls Night Out
*Twilight Movie (coming soon)

8 Things I love about fall
*Fall colors
*Cooler nights (believe it or not, I do sleep better when it is cooler)
*Using my electric blanket (contrary to popular belief, I do NOT use it during the summer)
*Halloween

8 Things on my wish list
*Pay off shoulder surgery
*Pay off car
*Pay off Student Loan
*Get in better shape

8 People I tag
*Sue
*Jolin
*Brenda
*Andra Batisti
*Ixchelle (sorry, you left a comment at just the wrong, or maybe, right time!)
*Deb Spilsbury
*Mom
*Cristie

A Great Halloween Web-Site

2008-10-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

I know it is a little late for Halloween this year, but this is a fun web-site to look at anytime of the year. It is www.pushindaisies.com
I hope you all enjoy!!!

Haley Trip to Arizona - May 2001

2008-10-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

In May of 2001 the Haley family traveled to Arizona for a visit. This was before Samantha was born (they made another trip a couple years later and I will post that at another time). During their visit, we went to Mexico and got a few cheap gifts for the kids, did some swimming and also drove over to Tombstone (about 20 minutes from Sierra Vista). We went to watch one of the gun-fight shows. Once Veronica realized what they were going to do, she did not like that idea at all. We tried to explain to her that it was just pretend, but she still did not want anyone fighting or shooting, even if they were pretending! We were able to stay and watch the show, then took the kids down to meet a couple of the actors. We had a great time, as I always do when family comes for a visit!

Leaving the Tennesee Knoxville Mission and Returning Home

2008-10-06T16:22:00.001-07:00

You are all probably tired of the mission posts and this is the last post regarding my mission. On June 11, 1998 I along with the other missionaries who were going home arrived at the Mission Home in the afternoon. We had dinner there with President and Sister Benson. In the morning of June 12th we went to the airport in Knoxville and flew to our various destinations. Brenda had just graduated from the LDS Business College, so I flew into the Salt Lake City Airport. Here are some photos from the Mission Home, Knoxville Airport and Salt Lake Airport.

In the Knoxville, Tennessee Airport, getting ready to fly home.

Arriving in the Salt Lake City Airport and greeting family and friends.

Shortly after getting back, Neal and I dug out the old cherry tree.

Pigeon Forger, Gatliniburg, Sevierville

2008-09-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

The 4th and final area on my mission was Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville. This area was at the foot of the Smoky Mountains. I arrived November 13, 1997 and left June 11, 1998. My first companions were Sister Randall and Sister Saunders. Sister Saunders was transferred in December. Sister Randall finished her mission in March 1998 and my new companion was Sister Hansen, who was my companion for the remainder of my mission.

The following photos are of the baptisms we had while I was in this area:

Jr. Albertson - November 30, 1997

Sharon Bordeaux - March 15, 1998

Brenda Heath - March 17, 1998

Joan Albertson - March 17, 1998

Ann Leatherwood and Heather Turner - April 12, 1998

Susan Bordeaux - April 20, 1998

We had the opportunity to help Jim and Rikki Diepeveen with their new house for some service.

Sister Randall and I decided to give the Elders an idea of what it was like to ride a bike in a skirt. We took a couple of our skirts to one of our meetings and let the them use our bikes. We all got a good laugh from it (even the Elders laughed about it after the fact).

Christmas 1997. The photos I took did not turn out well, hence the post card I scanned.

Here are some photos of the Great Smoky Mountains and surrounding area.

Mom and Dad Anniversary - 1996

2008-09-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

While looking through my photos I came across these two photos. I do not entirely remember which siblings were involved, but I know some of us asked Sue Wiscombe for help and she came up this really cute idea I got a good smile out of it and thought you all would as well. I know it is hard to read it on the post, but if you click on the photo, you might be able to open it to view it on a larger scale.

For All You Chocolate Lovers

2008-09-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Clinton

2008-09-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

My third area was Clinton. I Arrived on June 19, 1997. My first companion here was Sister McCarthey, who had just arrived from the MTC. We were the first missionaries the Clinton Ward had in quite a while. Here, we had a lot of area to cover, which meant traveling several miles to each nearby town. We often asked members of the Ward to help us with transportation. On September 24, 1997 I got a new companion, Sister Rawson.

I was transferred on November 12, 1997.

Our car and apartment (the apartment is bottom right).

Sandy Mercado (a member who drove us to many places) and Sister McCarthey.

The Howard family. They fed us many meals and helped with transportation.

Me, Sister McCarthey "my daughter", and Sister Stahl "my mom". Because this was a new area, Sister Stahl and her companion were asked to spend a day and help us get new contacts. We used this opportunity to get a photo of me with my "trainer "and "trainee".

This church was just down the street from our building. They would often put up a message and these were the two that I got pictures of.

Other signs we got a good laugh out of:

The fall season:

Are You Ready for Some Football?!!!

2008-09-08T13:15:00.001-07:00

Weekend with the family

2008-09-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I traveled to Boise, Idaho to visit my sister Brenda, her husband, Andrew and their two children: Keagan and Deker. On Friday, my sister Marie, her husband, Joe and their children: Veronica, Tyler, Samantha, Brenna and Braelynn arrived. Friday evening we all went to a little place not to far from Brenda and Andrew's to pick black raspberries. On Saturday morning we all went to downtown Boise and rode the paddle boats and went to a fun place that has a small river and wildlife area which shows the life cycle of fish. We then went to a park and ate lunch and let the kids play on the near-by play ground. On Saturday the rest of our family arrived and we had a great dinner hosted by Brenda. After dinner we walked to a park and had a family photo taken then let the kids play on that play ground (they needed to run off some energy!). On Sunday Andrew blessed Deker and after church Brenda and Andrew had our family, Andrew's family and several friends over for dinner. It was great to have the entire Smith family together again (24 and one on the way - if I counted correctly). A big thank you to Brenda and Andrew for their generous hospitality. Here are some photos from the weekend.

North Knoxville

2008-08-24T18:47:00.001-07:00

My second area was North Knoxville. My first companion here was Sister Millier. She was my companion until May 22, when Sister Lafferty was transferred in to be my new companion. I was in North Knox from March 27 to June 18, 1997.

Our apartment and car (our apartment was on the top floor).

Sister Millier and me in front of one of the yards along the "Dogwood Trail".

This is the Isom family. Sister Isom was the Relief Society President. She and her family fed the missionaries often. She also helped the sisters in any way she could.

Kelly Langtimm is another member who help us out often.

This is a place called "Top of Knox." Knoxville is in the back-ground.

Check out the street sign!

Sister Lafferty's family sent us 4th of July decorations!

Due to my chosen profession, I visited a funeral home for a tour. I saw this casket and have not forgotten it. For some reason, I did not take a photo of it, but I found one online to share with you. I know how dedicated the Tennessee Vols fans are and truly believe this casket was purchased by more than one family!

The last of the photos in this blog will be from the "Dogwood Trail" For more information on the Dogwood Trail in this area, go to http://www.dogwoodarts.com/trail_fountaincity.htm

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

2008-08-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

My first area was Oak Ridge. We also covered Oliver Springs and several small towns in the surrounding area. I arrived in Tennessee on December 23, 1997. Due to winter weather, our group had several flight delays and did not land until late on the 23rd. We had dinner at the Mission Home and learned who our companion would be and left for our first area.

Upon arrival at the Mission Home, I had my picture taken with President and Sister Benson.

I then had my photo taken with my first companion, Sister Laura Stahl.

Our apartment was through the door you see and down a set of stairs.

January 30, 1997, Henry Patton was our first baptism in this area.

In February, we had a major skunk problem near our apartment. We let the manager know and he sent his maintenance man to take care of it. He went over during the day and boarded up the hole that went under our apartment (keep in mind skunks are nocturnal). The skunks got mad because they could not get out, so every time we stepped on the floor in the morning or entered out apartment from the outside, they would spray. The smell got so bad that it permeated our clothes so we were going around smelling like skunk. On February 8th we took all our clothes to a members home and did laundry. We stayed with a member until February 12th, when they finally got the skunks out and we could go in and clean the apartment.

Cleaning after the skunk problem.

February 26, 1997, Janice Newport was baptized.

March 15th and 16th we had a Regional Conference. Elder Stanley of the 70, Elder Wirthlin of the Quorum of the 12 and President Hinckley with each of their wives were present for the conference. As missionaries, we had the opportunity on the evening of the 15th to have a special missionary meeting with them.

Because of this little bit of snow, we were not allowed to drive our car until it melted away!

The remainder of these photos are of scenery from around this area.

I was transferred from the Oak Ridge area on March 26, 1997.

The MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo, UT

2008-08-17T14:40:00.001-07:00

I was called to serve in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. I entered the MTC on December 4, 1996. My memories of the MTC are mostly as follows. The Spirit was VERY strong. We had a schedule that mainly consisted of eating, studying, attending classes and sleeping. We had the opportunity to attend the Provo Temple twice in the 2 1/2 weeks I was there. The group of missionaries that attended the classes with me (our District) was a great group. During our time there, we were not given a specific date as to when we would leave to go into the mission field until about a week before we left. This was due to how close Christmas was and there was a lot of discussion about whether we should go before or after Christmas. It was eventually decided we would go before, so we left the MTC on December 23, 1996. Brenda lived in Salt Lake City at the time and she met me at the airport. We had a short, but good visit before it was time to board the plane.

Memories

2008-08-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I have been saying that I want to go through my old photos and scan them into my computer. I wanted to do this for a couple reasons. One, it is always fun to reminisce and another is to have a digital copy of the photos. Yesterday I decided to start with photos from my mission. I sat down and spread all the photos out on my living room floor. I organized them, starting with the MTC, then to each of the areas I served in (in chronological order). Before I knew it, I looked at the clock and it was midnight! Time just flew by and I only got through my photos of the MTC. I will post those today, then continue with each of the areas I served in. I hope this does not get too boring for all of you, but as most have said in the past, this is sort of like a journal, and even though I do keep a journal, this will be my digital version!

Vera enjoys a Chick Flick?

2008-07-31T01:30:00.000-07:00

That's right! For those of you know me well, you know I am NOT a Chick Flick type of person. However, tonight a group of ladies from church had a girls night out and went to the movie Mama Mia. It was a great movie. I highly recommend seeing this one!!!

Christmas 2004 - in Arizona

2008-07-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

I got to looking through my photos and found some of when mom, dad and Neal helped Jeanette move to Arizona so she could stay with me for a little while. The move occurred during Christmas break. Neal had fun swimming on Christmas Day and, as the story goes, he enjoyed bragging about it to his friends when he returned to school. You will have verify that with Neal! During that vacation, we also went to the little town of Bisbee and took a tour of an old copper mine, which we all enjoyed.

The website for this mine is: http://www.queenminetour.com. If you ever happen to be in that area, I recommend this as a place to visit.

What do you get when...

2008-07-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

You mix 110+ degree temperatures with numerous fires in the area?

THIS!!!

Believe it or not, this is NOT a cloud coverage. As most of you are aware, California has several fires burning and we have had about two weeks worth of this smoke. As the say on the news "If you can see you are breathing it." I am just glad that I do not have breathing problems like so many.

4th of July ... 2005

2008-07-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

I got to reminiscing about the 4th of July activities and decided to post about a few years ago when the Smith family got together in 2005. Marie did a good job with the details of the traditions in Caliente (you can click on her link from my list of family and friends). Our tradition, as children, was to sleep out on the night of 3rd and wake up at 6:00 A.M. to the dynamite blasts and the fire sirens (which are actually old air raid sirens). Well, this year, I decided it would be fun to have all of us sleep out on our parents lawn this year, like we did as kids. I had long forgotten how cold the nights still got there (and as most of you know, I am the biggest wimp when comes to being cold). About 12:00 or 1:00 in the morning, I decided I was to cold and was about to go finish the night inside. I then had the realization, that it was MY "bright" idea to sleep outside in the first place and if I copped out and went in where it was warm, I would get severely chastised, so I decided it would be best, for my own welfare, to tough it out.
Here are a few pictures from that weekend. I have chosen not to show any close-up photos of the adults for fear of retaliation!

Is this what happens when you get woke up by dynamite at 6:00 in the morning?!!!

Road Trip

2008-06-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

On occasion I have the opportunity to take a business trip to Southern California. I took one of these trips this week. I drove down to San Diego on Monday and drove back on Tuesday. I enjoy taking these trips, with one exception, TRAFFIC. I think the LA area has some of the worst traffic ever. This is what it felt like (as I could not take a photo while in the driver's seat).

After enduring LA traffic, I continued on to San Diego. During the last little bit of the drive, I paralleled the Pacific Ocean. I found a scenic pull off and took a few pictures. I did not take my camera, but I did use the camera on my cell phone. The quality of the pictures are not great, but here a some I did take with my phone. I felt this was the perfect relief after the stress of bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The sun was setting and this was taken looking into the sunset.

answers to "five letter words"

2008-06-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

Delta, abyss, empty, width, today, maybe, index, fifth, panda, graph, scalp, opera, banjo, queue, sixty.

Sunflowers

2008-06-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

This time of year, there are several sunflower fields in the area and they are beautiful. For the past two years, I have told myself that I want to get a picture of them, but I never had my camera with me. This afternoon, I took a short drive with the purpose of getting a couple pictures. I hope you enjoy!

Five Letter Words

2008-06-15T01:05:00.001-07:00

OK, so I admit, the last one was easy. (If you take the first letter and move it to the rear of the word, you get the same word when read backwards). Here is a new one, probably still easy, but hopefully will take a little more thought!

Below you will find 15 well-known five letter words, with only their endings remaining. Can you determine the words?

..lta
..yss
..pty
..dth
..day
..ybe
..dex
..fth
..nda
..aph
..alp
..era
..njo
..eue
..xty

A Little Puzzle!

2008-06-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

What do the following words have in common?
Assess
Banana
Dresser
Grammar
Potato
Revive
Uneven
Voodoo

Hint: It is more than having letters repeated in each one.

Wow, time really does fly by!!!

2008-05-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

It was Memorial weekend two years ago that my dad and brother, Neal flew to Arizona and helped me move to California so I could come work for the Wiscombe's. As usual, Neal got extremely board riding in the car for such a long distance. At one point, I gave him my camera to take some pictures in an attempt to help entertain him. That idea only helped for a short time, but here are some pictures he took, as well as a few others from the trip.

Neal comparing the size of the Gatorade bottle to his feet.

The U-Haul trailer we towed.

The windmills.

Your guess is a good as mine!

Now that is a full trailer!

Softball

2008-05-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I play softball on a City League team. I took my camera last night and asked some team mates to take some photos. Here are a few of me attempting to bat and feild a ball throughout the game.

Perfect Petzzz

2008-05-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

So, I now have a new dog! He is the perfect pet. He needs very little training, as he already had obedience training in Austin, Texas. No walking or litter box is needed, he was trained to go to the bathroom when I am asleep and he cleans up after himself! He also grooms himself, but only in private!

Here are some pictures.

I have not chosen a name for him yet. I am open to any suggestions!

Ladies Weekend ... AKA: Weekend with Mori!!!

2008-04-28T09:50:00.001-07:00

This weekend the Smith Ladies got together for our annual Ladies weekend. This year, we went to Huntsville, UT and What did we do? ... We ate, played games, ate, went shopping, ate, attend a play, ate, relaxed and visited ... and did I mention that we ate!!! I love getting together with all of my sisters. We always have a great time together. Here are some pictures from our “Weekend of Joy”.

This game brought us much laughter and a new name for mom!!!

Choices

2008-04-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

You have brains in your head
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose!
Dr. Suess

In Honor of Keegan's Hat Fetish

2008-04-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

The Wiscombe's let me borrow the books Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up both by Shel Silverstein. While scanning through the books I came across this poem and I thought of Keegan's "hat fetish". So, here is the poem:

Teddy said it was a hat,
So I put in on.
Now Dad is saying,
"Where the heck's
the toilet plunger gone?"

Brenda and Andrew - I hope you keep the plunger out of Keegan's reach!!!

It's Spring!!!

2008-03-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

The local college has a living museum called the U.C. Davis Arboretum. During the spring, some ducks come up into downtown. We often see them near the funeral home and this week, these two have spent quite a bit of time on our front lawn. They are so used to people that I was able to walk right up to them and take these pictures.

What Not to Wear

2008-03-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I asked sue for advise on some new work clothes. Next thing I knew we were on a shopping spree!!! I had a great time and believe it or not, Sue was not completely frustrated after spending a day shopping with ME!

Here is a sample of a few of the outfits we picked out.

Gardening!!!

2008-03-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

We have had beautiful weather this week. The temperature has been in the low 70's. That's right, for those of you that have been excited about your 50 degree weather, I said 70 degrees!

Work has been a little slow so we spent a good part of Monday and Tuesday planting our flower beds. On Tuesday afternoon, Chandler wanted to help. He loves to garden and does a great job planting the flowers where he is directed to do so.

The Answers

2008-03-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

Here are the answers from Friday, March 1, 2008:
1. Rock & Roll
2. Mom & Pop
3. Law & Order
4. Rise & Shine
5. Rough & Tumble

Something to think about

2008-03-01T13:27:00.001-08:00

Here is your first little bit of fun. I will let you think about it for a few days, then give you the Answer.

Inside each set of the following words, there are a pair of smaller words. By putting & between them, lo & behold, you'll make a familiar phrase. For example, "Thighbone/Swallowtail" conceals "High & Low."
1. Skyrocketing/Trolleyman
2. Thermometer/Apoplexy
3. Delaware/Bordering
4. Surprised/Trashiness
5. Throughout/Stumblebum

2008-03-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I have now joined the blogging world! A few family members have told me I should start a blog. I hesitated because I only have myself to update about and that would just bore everyone! After some discussion with others, it was suggested that I could post quick and easy recipes for the busy people, riddles for the nieces and nephews, quotes for the week or any other non-sense (aka "poppycock") I wanted to. So here you go. I hope you all enjoy and, on occasion, I may include a photo or two!!!