Christmas to remember!
Four things that stand out about 2008 Christmas.
1) Austin exceeding his last year talent by sliding 6, yes 6 quarters into one nostril for his portion of the talent show at Grandma Geneals.
2) The little grandkids opening their presents with such an air of newness and surprise.
3) Justin's present of a "real girl", Vicki. Multitalented and so accessible.

4) The excitement of the girls for their present from Mike and Me. Meagan was so overwhelmed she cried, laughed at herself for crying and then cried again. Hopefully when the present arrives she won't be disappointed.

Is this pathetic or what?
Yesterday was crazy and I felt like I didn't get anything done. I messed up at work, I traveled from one end of the city to the other on stupid errands and was just plain exhausted. I got home late, around dinnertime and told Kaitlyn to order Cafe Rio. When she returned home with the order it was wrong! I just started to cry a little because I was so frustrated.(Addendum: Aubs saved the day, (by way of Austin's request), and brought me a different Cafe Rio order, that was right! What a great girl!) Anyway I determined that in the morning I would get things accomplished. I got up fairly early and started to work. I felt really good about it when all of a sudden Good Things Utah said something that spurred a memory. I was an hour late for a business appointment! It was totally snowy, so I quickly determined to take Lil' Blue and her four wheel drive. I threw on some clothes, a little makeup and dashed down the stairs to look for my coat and gloves. Found my coat, but no gloves. In a panic I ran to the island to look for spare gloves. The only thing available was an orphan dirty leather glove and my blue oven mitt. Well in a pinch I can tell you it works! Even with mismatched gloves, this day was better than yesterday!

70. VISITED THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL, with Grandpa Hughes, Kath, Greg, Mike, Meagan and Owen.
72. PIECED A QUILT
73. STOOD IN TIMES SQUARE
77. BROKEN A BONE. 1988 broke my wrist at Sunrise Elementary while in my Halloween costume. I hit the ground so hard my wig flew down the hall. 2005 I broke my elbow when I rolled my ankle on a walnut.
78 BEEN ON A SPEEDING MOTORCYCLE
79. SEEN THE GRAND CANYON IN PERSON
80. PUBLISHED A BOOK, my personal receipe book, (best seller that year).
81. VISITED THE VATICAN, with a few of my Mormon friends.
82. BOUGHT A BRAND NEW CAR, 1984 brown Volkswagen Rabbit.
84. HAD YOUR PICTURE TAKEN IN THE NEWSPAPER. 1977 Zach and I had our pic taken at the Merry Go Round at Lagoon on the 4th of July.
86. VISITED THE WHITE HOUSE, when it was still the White House
88. HAD CHICKENPOX
89. SAVED SOMEONE'S LIFE. Performed CPR on Mr. McCaffee and brought him back. He lived another three days.
91. MET SOMEONE FAMOUS.Cher by Austin proxy. He ran into her in the Sistin Chapel, literally. Elizabeth Smart in the Louvre. Had a pic with Glen Campbell. Met Donald O'Connor at Park City. Mickey Mouse. Angie Larson channel 4 news. (Doesn't she look cuter since she's divorced?) George Foreman and Arnold Freiberg I took care of in the Hospital. Kevin Bacon was having brunch at Hotel Dell. We would have met him, but when he turned around we discovered it wasn't him and besides it was a woman. Coach Tom O'Brien of Boston College, and North Carolina fame. Mathias Kiwunucku, NY Jets player and personal friend. Matt Ryan 2008 NFL 2nd draft choice signed for 72 million and just happened to be the back up quarterback to my all time fav, Paul (aka Pauly, Pistol Pete) Peterson. Star quarterback of Snow College and Boston College. Now of course a noted Coach at SUU. Thurl Bailey. Sheri Dew from a Stake Women's Conference. Virginia U. Jensen, whom I met outside the temple taking pics of a relative. Hartman Rector Jr., Vaugh J. Fetherstone, Thomas S. Monson who performed Melisa's wedding. Miss Spackman my third grade teacher, former Miss Revlon. Britney (Tod's girlfriend) former Miss Coppertone, or so she said.....Merrilee Webb, face model for Mary Mother of Jesus, in a book. Mayor of Alta City, and last but not lease "Barbra Blue" classic star of news and film. She's a beauty.
93. LOST A LOVED ONE, Timmy and my mommie.
94. HAD A BABY, eight
96. SWAM IN THE GREAT SALT LAKE
98. OWNED A CELL PHONE
99. BEEN STUNG BY A BEEN- 36 years old and I got my first bee sting in Arizona, swimming in a pool.

46 to 69

46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. GONE DEEP SEA FISHING, rather vomited for three hours.
49. SEEN THE SISTINE CHAPEL IN PERSON.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. GONE SCUBA DIVING OR SNORKELING
52. KISSED IN THE RAIN
53. PLAYED IN THE MUD
54. GONE TO A DRIVE IN THEATER
55. BEEN IN A MOVIE OR A TV SHOW, actually Meagan, Kat and I found ourselves extras in the La Guardia airport during a filming of the lobby. No payment of course.
56. Visited the great Wall of China
57. STARTED A BUSINESS
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. SERVED AT A SOUP KITCHEN once for mutual. It was very sad.
61. SOLD GIRL SCOUT COOKIES
62. GONE WHALE WATCHING
63. GOT FLOWERS FOR NO REASON, Did I dream this?
64. Donated blood, platlets, plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. BOUNCED A CHECK
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. SAVED A FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TOY, actually I saved my whole stuffed animal kingdom, which Penny and I named, to be students in our elementary school. The day they had to draw waterfalls was one long day, but some of those kids could really draw.

33. Seen Niagra Falls in Person with Grandpa Hughes, Mike, Kath and Greg. It was awesome! 34. VISITED THE BIRTHPLACE OF YOUR ANCESTORS 35. SEEN AN AMISH COMMUNITY in Ohio. 36. TAUGHT YOURSELF A NEW LANGUAGE. Took three years of French and know more spanish. The three phrases I learned were all used when Gina and I went to Ecuador. Donda esta la banyo? (where's the bathroom?) Quanto vala le sapatos (how much are the shoes?), and No may tokay (DONT touch ME!) 37. HAD ENOUGH MONEY TO TRUELY BE SATISFIED 38. SEEN THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA IN PERSON 39. GONE ROCK CLIMBING, girls camp 2001, and of course the small course in Vegas. I raced Ellis to the top only to find her at the bottom three feet from the bottom and shivering in her rock shoes. 40. SEEN MICHELANGELO'S DAVID, he was naked. 41. Sung Karaoke 42. SEEN OLD FAITHFUL GEYSER ERUPT 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant. 44. Visited Africa 45. WALKED ON A BEACH BY MOONLIGHT

11. Bungie jumped 12. VISITED PARIS with my son Austin, and some of his friends from his travel class. 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. TAUGHT YOURSELF AN ART FROM SCRATCH- sewing, crocheting, knitting, drawing and painting. 15. Adopted a child 16. HAD FOOD POISONING. 1973 food poisoning from a steak. I flew out of that bed so fast to make it to the toilet that I landed on my freshly frozen plantar wart foot, squashing its fluid filled puffy blister everywhere! 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. 18. GROWN YOUR OWN VEGGIES, yeah, 2inch carrots, onions nobody ate and a pumpkin leaf or two. 19. SEEN THE MONA LISA IN FRANCE 30 feet back cuz no one would move for me a short person to view. 20. SLEPT ON AN OVERNIGHT TRAIN from Germany to France. It was sooo tight in our 4 bed compartment with suitcases backed around us. Crazy! 21. HAD A PILLOW FIGHT 22. HITCH HIKED. My Dad made Penny and I get out of the truck to ride in the camper so they could pick up a hitch hiker on the Alaskan Highway. They let us out and then took off, not realizing we weren't in yet. We thought we had become the hitchhikers. I also hitched a ride with a good Samaratan on the freeway when Zach and I ran out of gas. That was scary, but I lived. He was very nice. 23. Taken a sick day when you were not ill 24. BUILT A SNOW FORT 25. Held a lamb 26. GONE SKINNY DIPPING in the YWCA pool late at night with the other swim instructors when no one was looking....hehehehe 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. SEEN A TOTAL ECLIPSE 30. WATCHED A SUNRISE OR SUNSET 31. HIT A HOMERUN. 32. BEEN ON A CRUISE

The List,!

THE List
I have done all the things CAPITILIZED (I Have Been Tagged)
This will be a continuing saga segment so I don't overwhelm you all at once!
1. STARTED YOUR OWN BLOG 2. SLEPT UNDER THE STARS 3. PLAYED IN A BAND, my 4th grade recorder band. We went platinum. 4. VISITED HAWAII, Maui, and Oahu. 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. GIVEN MORE THAN YOU CAN AFFORD TO CHARITY 7. BEEN TO DISNEYLAND. 1963 my mom and dad took us to Disneyland. I remember waking up around 4 a.m. and climbing into the folded down seat in the car to sleep while my parents drove. When we got there, I put on my new yellow and blue seersucker short set my mom made for me to wear in Disneyland. I felt pretty proud about my stylin' clothes. 8. CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN. 1971 Penny and I climbed Mt. Timpanogas with the mutual. We were the first of the girls to reach the top, we had really wimpy girlfriends. 2008 Mike and I climbed to the top of Diamond Head in Oahu. 9. HELD A PRAYING MANTIS, duh, who hasn't. 10. Sang a solo, not!