Minnestoa Twins Game

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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.