Eastern Caribbean Cruisin'

Jan 8th 2010, we flew off to Miami FL. to go on the Eastern Caribbean for 7 days. It was just beautiful. I didn't care for Miami much but it was O.K. because I knew we were not there for long.
We left Miami on Sat. the 9th and started our Cruise to the first stop "Half Moon Cay".It was
extremely cold for Florida that week as well as the Islands close by there. We wore our jackets that day but still went to the beach for a B-B-Q. we had tons of fun. We had a total of eight couples that was with our group plus some from the group we signed up to go with so in all there was about 50 of us and it was so much fun, fun group. We invited some of our good friends and what a blast we all had together. Hopefully they had as much fun as we did.
The next stop was ST. Thomas , what a beautiful place to see, the Island was so pretty. We took a tour to to out look points then to Megan's Bay for part of the day to play in the ocean , then off to Blackbeard's Castle and gardens. What a fun day and it was much warmer and the water was great. Of coarse dinners were absolutely wonderful , I think I gained a little weight but not to much.
Next we went to San Juan, it was probably one of my least favorites of the Islands we visited. Kind of dirty there, but we still had a great time with Byron and Teresa our Friends. We went to the Old Forts of San Juan, really interesting place and fun to see. Then done some shopping. was able to call home this day and was excited to hear each of my kids voices, decided I really would miss them if I ever moved away, and found out that they really do worry about their parents as well. This is the day we found out there had been a earth quake in Haiti's and they were all worried how close we were to that and if we were safe. Made me feel good they were so concerned. I think it made us all realize just how important we all are to each other. It was definitely a good day with friends and family.
Next stop was Grand Turk., My favorite place of all, what a beautiful Island this is, we had such a good day, a day on the beach and the water was beautiful, and I found a whole beachfront full of sea shells and big ones. Anyone who knows me I love to find treasures and this is one of them to me. Cory was not wanting to carry all these shell back to the ship but I made him. I wanted to bring one home for each of my kids but that didn't end up happening because they were to heavy, so I brought home two for me and gave everyone that was with us one to take home. They all were excited as well to have one. We done some shopping on this stop as well, but didn't bring much home this trip. This was such a relaxing Cruise for us and much needed after the past few months. I really hated to come back to reality but was ready to by the end of the week it is what keeps me constant in life I guess.
I love to see the beautiful areas of the world that God has created for us to see and enjoy. It makes me so thankful for all I have in this life, it always makes me more thankful for my family as well when I go away then return to know they are always here for me and bring me stability in this life. I have such great kids and grand Children. I was once again thankful my Mom was able to go with us again this year, what a blessing it is for her to be able to enjoy her children , we all had so much fun with her. It was good to see her smile and have fun.
When we returned home we came home to a nice cooked dinner that our kids made for us and lots of hugs from them and our grand babies, so I know we were missed while we were gone.
Know I am ready to plan our next trip next year Hum "where should we go " ? and who is up for going with us next year ? Life is to short to not enjoy !
Vacations are memories of good and this one surely was good with good friends and family, new acquaintances and fun time ahead for us all.

Winter is "SnOwFuN"

Wow it has been a long 5 months since my last post. A lot has happened in our family since then.
We have a new baby girl in the family " Morgan Elise Holt ", proud mom and dad J.C. and Elisa, and sister's Paige and Brooklyn. That makes three girls for J.C. and Elisa now. She is adorable can't keep my eyes off of her. She has a ton of hair , dark hair. I think they are going to have their hands full with three girls, but they are all so beautiful. Paige already has boyfriends, she is only 6 and has crushes on boys and is boy crazy, not good. Brook just is one big tease with everyone, but so loving and cute . She is her grandma De Anna's Monkey. I can already tell Morgan will be so special to our family, she came on the perfect day Jan 28th. Our family has had a rough winter and she has defiantly been the bright spot and lifted all our spirits to a high level.
J.C. is now working for West Jordan Police Dept. and loving it. Elisa is still working as a Nurse for IHC, plus being a full time mom and doing a good job at it. She is so loving and patient with her kids and all of us for that fact. I love this girl sooooo Much.
Kendall is in the middle of going through a divorce, He has his girls most of the time. They are so cute and loving. Brinley has such a infectious laugh I love to make her giggle and smile. She has become her grandma's girl and we love to play barbies and read. Kaylie is full of energy and keeps us all busy, but oh she is so happy all the time. Her eyes can tell you story's with the expression she gives. She is a cuddle bug and grandma loves that. I am so thankful for them and to have them here with us most of the time.
Kendall is working for A.P&P. out in Tooele, he loves his job and is really good at what he does. He works long hours but he loves his job. He is doing well and adjusting to being a single parent. He is such a good daddy and loves his girls so much, they are his life. He is finally seeming a lot happier then he has been for a long time. So good to see him happy again, I am loving to see that . It has been hard to see him go through what he has this past year or so but good to see the happiness coming back.
Annie and Ryan are expecting their 2nd little boy around May 19, can't wait for this day. They will have two boys. Hazen is his grandma's little buddy. We have so much fun going to lunch and shopping, yes I said shopping. He is just like his mom when she was little, she love to go to lunch and shopping. We also like to watch movies together " Disney" of coarse. He has most of them memorized. He talks so cute and with so much expression. I can have a great time just sitting and listening to him. I always get tons of loves from him.
Annie is trying to take the test to be a pharmacy tec. and loving working in the pharmacy at Smiths. Ryan is still working as a Rep. for the hunting sights.
He has to travel a lot this time of year for shows, so we try to help Annie as much as possible. I love this girl she is my rock in life. I don't know what I would do without her. I love the time we spend together laughing and enjoying our mother daughter relationship. We have "Monday Night Bachelor " we enjoy watching it together and critiquing the ladies and who we think would be best for the Bachelor. Fun times with her always.
On New Years Day we always have a brunch and go sleigh riding. Our family so looks forward to this day. We bought all the grand kids sleighs for Christmas with snow pants hat, gloves for this year. They were so excited and cute. Brook was the only 3 year old that really like it this year, Of coarse Paige loves it she is now 6. I built a snowman with Hazen and Brinley and we had fun. Great Grandma Bev watched Kaylie since we was sleigh riding on her hills.I think the guys had more fun then the kids, we all took turns all except Elisa, she was due soon so we wouldn't let her have one. We look so forward to this tradition every year. Memories for a life time.
We now have 5 granddaughters and 1 grandson and soon 2, what joy they bring into my life. Being a grandma is the best.
Cory has been in corrections now for 18 years , loves his job and those he works with. I think I wish he could retire, I totally love it when he is home. We have fun together. We just celebrated our 31st anniversary. Where does time go, I think way to fast. I have been so blessed to have him for my soul mate and friend. He is such a good man and dad. I am hoping for 31 more blissful years together.
We just went on a Cruise to the Eastern Caribbean it was so much fun. I will post on this a a later time.
I love my family and hoping 2010 will bring our family happiness and simple joys of life. Happy New year to all my friends and may this year bring only the best to you and your family's as well.

"STRAWBERRY SUMMER"

Well here we are at the end of the summer months, and we have enjoyed

every ounce of the summer this year. I have come to appreciate the warmth

of the sun and the happiness it brings into my life. We have gone camping a

lot. We have spent the last month in the Strawberry valley at Main Canyon

and Clyde Creek, It has been sooooo fun and relaxing to be in the mountains

enjoying all the beauty we are surrounded by and the quietness of the night, and the smell of the freshness. Of coarse the camp fire's, smores and good food.

We always seem to eat a lot better when out camping. I have loved watching my

grand babies play and get dirty, and the smell of their freshness as well at the end

of a long day of play and then a warm bath as I was able to hold each one of them

at the end of each night before bed. We had some fun teaching them how to play

horseshoes, one of grandpa's favorite games to play, going for hikes and walks, and pumping them full of sugar, playing in the creek , watching movies in gramme's trailer and building great memories to last a life time and then some.

Cory has been to the Book Cliffs hunting as well. What a wonderful experience that

was for him and our two sons . Cory's dad and nephew went as well, they had such a

great time and hunt. J.C. shot a 4 point and Cory a 3 point. It was the Archery Hunt, Then Cory also shot a Cow Elk as well with his bow. So we have plenty of meat for

winter months. The first week at strawberry we had 51 people with us at our camp

fire. 29 nine of us was from the Holt clan, what a great weekend it was. J.C.

and Elisa came up for the day and was able to bring my mom, she really enjoyed it I think. I'm so glad Cory and I have had this time this summer to focus on each other and enjoy the time that we have had together. I'm not quite ready for fall yet and for the cold weather to set in, I have enjoyed the sun sooo much. We will be in the sun in four months from today though so it gives me something to look forward to as winter approaches us.Hopefully you have all had as much fun as I have had this summer and are looking forward to the holiday season that is not to far off from us.

" O " for Fun

Well here we are into July already. How time goes so fast.It seems like it should only be the first of June to me. We bought Cory's mom and dad's fifth wheel this
past spring and I was so worried about spending the money to buy it and to splurge
on ourselves. Well as it turns out it has been a great thing for him and I to just do
for ourselves. We have now been on two trips out to Ophir in it and I think I have
been so spoiled with it already. We went with all of our kid's the first of June and
we had a blast with them all and with our little grand babies. They are all getting
to the age where they think camping is the best for the main reason they can get
dirty without getting in to to much trouble with mom's and dad's, and they know grandma will spoil them rotten every second of the day. We took the T.V. so they could watch their favorite movies and fruit snacks, smores and much more of all their favorite things. They all want the same toy as the other one has and fight just
like most kids do. We sat by the fire and roasted marshmallow's and made smores, ate bags of sunflower seeds" dill pickle " is all their choice, peanut in the shell.
They had fun fishing with sticks and playing in the creek throwing rocks . Life is so great for children, What a great weekend we had.
Cory and I went ourselves this past weekend , a much needed trip for us to take.I was sad our kids couldn't go but we needed to have the time we spent together alone.We went for several four wheeler rides and seen a lot beautiful stuff. It made me reflect and take the time to enjoy the many things my Heavenly Father has created for us to enjoy, and helped me to see we all need to all make more time for to strenghten our relationships with our spouses. We spent time enjoying each others company at the fire in the evening and laughing reflecting on all our wonderful memories we have created as a couple and family, how fortunate we are
for everyone of our children and grandchildren and most of all each other. Cory is the thread that holds our family together. Just as a quilt is held together from the stitching, sometimes we have to repair the old worn out stitching he is constantly repairing , and making us all stronger and more independent and durable. What a wonderful man I married. We went fishing and I haven't fished in years . I caught a total of 7 fish and I seem to forget how much I have missed these simple things in life. I had a blast and I think Cory had a blast watching me catch these fish. O f coarse I got plenty of snags as well and broke many lines and needed repair once again and guess who was there to take care of me ?. Thank goodness I still don't like the whole hook thing.We stayed up late watching movies and slept in and had no phones !. Yes I can live without my phone for a few days.
We decided to come home for the Riverton Parade on Friday, It was so fun we sat with four of our little grand babies. It was so fun to watch the joy and excitement in each of their faces with each thing that passed us by and their little hands waving for candy and a wave back. I really missed Annie my sweet daughter and her little guy, they were out of town for the fourth as well. Hazen would have loved being with his cousins and seeing all the fire trucks pretty girls and of coarse all the candy.Maybe next year we can all go to it together. I can't remember all through the years ever really missing the Riverton Parade, only one time when we were all in star valley for vacation together. It just didn't seem right to me. I guess my true loyalty lye's in the good ole' town of Riverton Utah. It's now been two years ago my dad watched his last parade in Riverton, he told me he never had missed one and didn't plan on missing the one two years ago. He went so sick that night and we made sure he got to see the things that meant a lot to him the pride of his country and home town he was raised in, and the celebration of that Indepedence day 2007.
It was hard for all of us to know it would be his last parade he would watch in Riverton Utah on July 3, 2007.Thanks dad for helping me to see the importance of that pride of our Country and Town of Riverton.
When we finished at the parade we went to Belv and Roy's for a B-B-Q. , then headed back out to Ophir for the rest of the weekend." O" we have so far had a fun summer and I'm so thankful for Cory and for his simple little ways of helping me find joy in the simple things in life.Hopefully we will be able to continue to have good health to enjoy our fifth wheel and many more camping trips to Ophir or wherever it may be in the mountains. Happy summer time to everyone, enjoy life !

bAbY SiTTiNg

Grandma my up come get me Hazen called out, again Grammy my up.

I watched Hazen while Ryan and Annie went on their cruise

to the Western Caribbean for their fifth ann. It was a lot of work but

what greater joy then my grandchildren. They are the light of my life.

It took me back a few years to my twenties I would say, only at

night I didn't feel twenty after chasing him all day long. It made me think

back to when my children were young and I wonder if I took

the time to enjoy them as I do my grandchildren. I think that answer is

NO! Boy I missed out on a lot. I tried to think back about the cute

things they use to say and couldn't remember a lot, so I wrote some of Hazen's

comments to myself and his grandpa through-out the week here we go!

Hazen asked grandpa what ya been doin'?,Grandpa said" I've been playing

with you all day , we've been to the park". Grandpa asks Hazen " what have you

been doin", Hazen comment back" I've been out in the corral" Grandpa asks," Where

is the corral", Hazen" out by the barn" Hazen then comments " I have been

sellin' horses all day it's hard work Poppa".

One morning I got up then went to lay back on Ry and Annie's bed Hazen comes

in and asks " hey grammy you been sleepin' with my daddy?, that's his bed".

But the most precious thing was as we was watching his most favorite

movie at 12:30 a.m. "Savage Sam", Hazen looked up at me and said " Grammy

I want my Mommy to come home ,I want My mommy". My eye's feeled

with tears as I remember the comfort of my mother at a young age. Only a mom

can feel the shoes of their own children , not even their Grandma can feel them.

I also remembered times my children most needed me when so little as they

had hard times understanding.It made me so thankful to be a mom and

to have had and to know my children still at times need their mom for differant

circumstances in their lives, rather it be to baby sit or to give advice or

even to comfort them in times of disappointment in their lives. I will always love

being their mom and loving that they have brought these precious little

one into my life to be their grammy. I love all five of these little

spirits and personalities they each have. They all say and do the cutest things,

and have my whole heart forever!

What a tiring week it was and I'm glad Annie and Ryan was able to go, but

also what a blessing it was for me to have the opportunity to go back in to time

and to remember my children and the fun they brought into my life

years ago and will continue to bring into my life to come. I love them all so

much and I am so thankful for them!

"The begining"

" So here it goes the beginning of My first Blog"

I'm still learning so try to be patient because I know there

will be lots of mistakes. Cory and I have now been married for

30 years as of Feb 15, 2009, We celebrated on a Western

Caribbean Cruise with Family and friends and had a

wonderful trip. My Mother was able to go with us and that

was a great experience for her as well. We started our

first day out at sea on her and Dad's 59th Anniversary and two days

later my dad's 81st birthday. So needless to say she was a

little melancholy and sad, it's been almost two years now since my dad's

death and we all missed him and wished he would have been here

to share this special time with us, but felt his spirit greatly.

One of my favorite highlights of the trip was swimming with the

stingrays. Anyone who knows me well knows I'm scared to death of

the water little lone the ocean especially. It was by far the

most frightening but most fun thing I have ever accomplished in my

life. I concerned the fear of being in the ocean and also was

able to snorkel and actually have fun doing it. I so enjoyed being

with family and reminiscing all of our good times we have

shared through out the years. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful

husband who has taken such great care of me and our three

wonderful children, what a blessing they are in my life, along with my two

daughter-in-laws and one son-in-law, and five grand babies. We love

being grandma and grandpa, it's life's greatest blessing for trying to develop

patience with my on children and never really achieving it. Boy I'm

quite patient with these grandchildren and give in to them a lot more then

I ever did my own. It seems I've learned a lot the past 30 some odd years and

probably will continue to learn the older I get. Anyways I have one

great life and family, and have been greatly blessed through the years.

I hope I can continue to have improving health so I can continue to watch my

little family go to a big family some day and to be able to experience

the love of family as my parents have in the many years of marriage they

had together. I love you Mom and Dad, and miss you dad.