Rice-Ball

Chad's Funny Mug

2011-11-30T15:47:00.001-08:00

So Facebook has monopolized the world lately. I have to admitt I like it because my favorite thing to do is get on and look at everyones pictures. Andy teases me that I've become a stalker, I use that word loosely, because I don't feel that way at all. I'm definitely not one of those people who update my every move like, "Now I need to poop" "I just threw up in my mouth a little" "I'm so hungry" etc. etc. etc. I really don't get that at all. Thanks for sharing, but really you could've just done those things without the play by play update. Anyways, like I said I love seeing everyones pictures and one day my mother in law put up a picture of Jessica's baby Chad. He's making the most funny face ever. It's like he's upset, scared and mad all wrapped up in one. It's too cute to not share, so here it is...just love that little guy and his cute 'mug'!

Miracles Really Do Happen

2011-11-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

So after fifteen years or so my uncle Rob and aunt Becky have offically gotten married. This was too good not to post about! They've been dating almost consistently since he got home off his mission about 19 years ago, but they've never gotten married. Believe there have been multiple proposals but nothing ever panned out. We would tease them because when one was ready the other wasn't, so on and so forth. Then out of the blue one day Becky put up an announcement on Facebook; what better way than to reach thousands of people at once, with the glorious news that they were getting married in a couple of weeks. I'm so happy for them deciding to offically ceal the deal! Welcom to the Behunin family for REAL AUNT BECKY! We love you and your great sense of humor!

Happy Birthday Ralph

2011-10-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today is our brother in law, Ralph's birthday. We wish we could take him out for cake and ice cream; out of everyone Ralph loves desserrt even more than me! We're glad he's a part of our family, just sad we don't live closer because that makes celebrating, honoring him, and getting to know him better much harder! Anyways, we want him to know how much he is loved. Were SO happy to have him part of the Ball Branch and we're grateful that our B has such a great husband. He's a hard worker and a great leader. Another year older and wiser! Happy Birthday Ralph!!!

Ohio Exotic Animal Tragedy

2011-10-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

The recent event in Zamesville, Ohio really was a tragedy for every party involved. An owner of dozens of wild/exotic animals opened their cages to free them and let them run loose, then committed suicide. I guess he was an avid gun collector who had traded and swapped weapons for these exotic pets. He started sheltering animals no longer wanted by their owners and buying others at auctions, he said that "Once you have an exotic animal, you're somewhat tagged as someone who will take unwanted or abandoned animals. And that's how it grew,"

The local deputies shot and killed 48 of the animals, including 18 rare Bengal tigers, 17 lions, six black bears, two grizzly bears, a baboon, a wolf and three mountain lions. Six of the released animals - three leopards, a bear and two monkeys - were captured and taken to the Columbus Zoo.

No one is sure why Thompson freed these 56 animals and then committed suicide. What followed was basically a big-game hunt in the Ohio countryside as police officers shot and killed them for fear they would harm humans. A 49th animal was killed by one of the big cats. The remaining animals were captured and taken to the Columbus Zoo.

The frightening situation put a spotlight on the lack of oversight on exotic pets in some states. Ohio has some of the nation's weakest restrictions. Gov. John Kasich announced he would push for a moratorium on exotic animal auctions and a crackdown on unlicensed auctions. He had let an order that banned buying and selling exotic animals expire this spring.

Eastern Ohio has been criticized by some who say the animals should have been saved. The officers were ordered to kill the animals instead of trying to bring them down with tranquilizers for fear that those hit with darts would escape in the darkness before they dropped and would later regain consciousness.

Rooga....

2011-10-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today Regan aka Rooga turned 18 years old! It's crazy to think that she's legally an adult, because to me she'll always be my baby sister. Currently Roog is attending Marinello School of Beauty in Provo. She's got Landon, Juji & Nicholas near by, but she's such a social butterfly that she rarely sees her family. Regan's probably the most gifted/talented person I know, she can move and dance like nobodys business. Along with her busy 8-5 school schedule she's also keeping up with her dance at Center Stage, the amazing dance studio that has catered to people like Julianne & Derek Hough and other famous dance pros. Happy 18th Birthday my Rooga Bam Boo! Here's my shout to Regan: Have a wonderful day and a wonderful year! Remember who you are, if you don't decide and know who are you and what you stand for then you'll fall for anything. Don't be like a sheep, be who 'EWE' are and be all you can be! Love your guts sissy!Here she is at her new school and the last photo is when they did an Avant Guard Competition....they totally kicked butt and won!

Off the Market

2011-10-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

Happy to report that my little brother Landon is officially off the market; sorry girls he's now spoken for :(He asked his girlfriend Lauren to be his bride in the amazing landscape that Timpanoges has to offer. It was a beautiful scene for these two beautiful people. Our 'Ball Branch' couldn't be happier that Lauren's going to be a part of our family. They're scheduled to become 'one' December 30 of this year in Newport Beach at their LDS temple. Landon was so excited, when he picked up her ring he was texting us pictures showing us where he was going to ask her. He's all grown up. Good thing he grew up in a family with 5 sisters, because he's definitely not short of emotion or sensitivity :) Here's some pictures of their special day.

Congrats to Landon & Lauren! Wish you two a lifetime of happiness and love!

The Greatest Speech~Charlie Chaplin

2011-10-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

I borrowed this from a friend on Facebook. It really moved me to say the least. I just had to share it. It's crazy and almost scary how relevant a speech made by Charlie Chaplin back almost 70 years ago is today.

One Last Thought

2011-10-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

One last word of farewell, dear master and mistress. Whenever you visit my grave, say to yourselves with regret but also happiness in your hearts at the remembrance of my long happy life with you: "Here lies one who loves us and whom we loved." No matter how deep my sleep I shall hear you, and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail. ~ Eugene O'NeillTo our friends out there, thanks for the extra love it's never easy losing such a close friend; especially the furry kind who walked on all fours, and neurotically played with balls...our dog Rock will forever be missed! We're having him cremated and then we'll place his ashes in his huge favorite 'horse ball' that way he'll always be with us and with his prize possession.

Goodbye My Son

2011-10-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

R.I.P. Rocket dog Rice-Ball :( He was the toughest dog I ever knew. A brain tumor got the best of him in the end, he was 15 years old. The decision to ease his suffering was one of the hardest we've ever made, but we're grateful that his final moments were peaceful and quiet. We'll always miss our little buddy! The balls in doggie heaven better be scared!

After Dinner Entertainment

2011-09-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

My hubby has done it again...lately he's had his musical genius just raring to go! This is his new song "The Tide" that he's been working on for the past few nights. After dinner Keith & I got to hear it and it had come together perfectly! Way to go Andy! Don't mind the lighting, it sets the mood for it to be a little more gritty and hey our living room doesn't have really bright light, so there you go, enjoy:)

Celebration of Life

2011-09-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Twenty years ago today my second little brother Taylor Vaughn Ball was born into our family. He was such a beautiful baby! I remember the entire pregnancy, getting to go in to watch and be a part of his birth, then bringing him home from the hospital and being the big, bossy, eldest sister I was I got to hold and just baby him. My parents remarked at how vocal he was, he was smiling, cooing and trying to 'talk' right off the bat, like he had so much to say and share with us. Alas he was only with our family for two months and eight days. He passed away from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). It was the hardest thing we had ever gone through. And it's events like that, that either tear you apart or bring you closer together; thankfully ours was the latter. I remembering having to help mom wrap an ace bandage around her chest to help stop her milk from coming in. We all greaved for our brother, our son, our friend, our missing family memeber. It was our faith and love for each other that got us through. Now decades later, despite our distance or difference in beliefs we still cleave to our family. We're always there for each other, especially in times of need. We know that families are forever and continue to love and support one another. So today we choose to celebrate the life of our brother Taylor. Even though it was short he was still able to come into our family and get a name. That name is special because he was named after my grandpa Vaughn Ball since he was conceived at his Holliaire Farm when my parents were up there during his death, and that is also the place where Taylor passed away. Taylor was the perfect fit to our family and we were blessed to know him, to love him, and to be able to find joy in his life and choosing to come to our family. We love you Taylor and we miss you the most. Mom always said you were going to be her future missionary, and we know that you had a more important calling than staying here with us. Today you would've been a young man, it's crazy how time flies by. Taylor know that you were loved, that you are loved and that you're not forgotten. Thank you for being a perfect example for the rest of us. I know that you are my guardian angel and I take pride in that!

Hockey Fans

2011-09-18T00:30:00.000-07:00

My little brother Landon grew up in a family with 5 sisters. Not only are we all emotional, but we're loud, sometimes obnoxious, and the best cheerleaders around. I'm serious when I say that going to any sporting event which was always hockey with son never ceased to be entertaining or get us pumped up would bring out our less than lady like behavior! I'm sure he when he wasn't mortified or thoroughly embarrased at our behavior, he was actually touched and excited to be able to hear our screams and cheers above everyone else in the stands. But that's how our family rolls....we've always got eachother's backs and we are always there on the sidelines cheering eachother on. With the new school year and Landon made the BYU hockey team again, and despite them not being the top callbiur he grew up playing, he keeps on playing the game that he's grown to love and that has become a part of him. His first priortiy is the top notch education BYU provides, but he's been given this gift and he has excelled and continues to play. I know it's hard on him being on a less experienced team, but he plays well all the same and he's never one to shy away from sticking up for himself or playing hockey like the big boys play. This past weekend was his first games of the season, both Friday & Saturday night against USU (my home school). USU is so good, they are ruthless to say the least! Almost all of their team came down from Canada and is playing together still. So they are a very seasoned and experienced team. They work well together and totally dominate the ice. Friday the game was down in Provo and USU beat BYU 11-2, then Saturday it was up here in Logan where once again, coming off that high of a win, being on their home court they whipped BYU 17-2 (OUCH!) It's hard to compete with USU's team, besides recruting for their team they don't have to deal with the standards that BYU sets for it's students like a cerfew, church/moral standards, codes of conduct, no alcohol, drugs, etc. and it's not somewhere that seasoned, really great players want to come because they can't cut it. Also almost all BYU players have less experience because they devoted two years of their college years going on a church mission. This is great for them, bad for the hockey team. So there's a lot more going on than meets the eye, but never the less, being what it is our family was there to support our baby brother. Juji, Nick and Rooga went Friday night in the Provo arena, along with Lauren; Landon's girlfriend and her entire family and some of her friends. He had a huge cheering section then. And then Saturday night Andy, me, Lauren and her BFF Britney came to Eccles ice arena in Logan.Here's two of his mission companions that came up to show their support for Ball #17

Landon played really well, he's a natural leader and he always passes and assists his team. They have several guys that are good, but they're never out on the ice together, BYU overall just seemed to lack the drive or rather the speed to go after the puck and chase it down. USU was rentless, the refs were really favoring USU and kept pentalizing BYU or turned a blind eye to obvious bad USU behavior, but oh well that's how sports go. This was their first game afterall, so there's only room from improvement from here on out. Andy usually gets so embarrassed with my behavior; how I yell and scream and have no regard for those USU fans around me, but I promised I'd be better behaved and keep it together. Landon said he could hear my screams over everyone else, which made him excited. After the game we got to see Landon and give him some much needed love, getting beat like that just isn't any fun, it's embarrassing and truly frusterating. But we got him a huge gatorade and some sourdough pretzels for the bus ride home to help ease the pain. Sure do love you bro, you're a great hockey player and we love seeing you play and yelling our lungs out just for you!

Andy & Josh Rockin Out

2011-09-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

Joshua is growing up so fast! We don't get to see him very often but when we do he's such a hoot! The last time he came up with his mama, Andy was playing his guitar which really intrigued him. So Andy gave Josh another guitar and they both started rocking out! They were such characters, it was too cute! We were loving the little show they were putting on.

Carry On

2011-09-10T04:50:00.000-07:00

The first week of July our dear friend abruptly and unexpectedly lost his father. He had gone into the hospital due to difficulty breathing and ended up having a massive heart attack. It was such a horrific tragedy, that the pain our best friend was experiencing, we could only imagine was unbearable. We were in the middle of a big BBQ with all of our closest friends, but Andy was able to get away and just spend time with him. He wasn't married so the preparations for his funeral and body care, as well as carrying out his dad's last will and testament all fell on our friend. I can't imagine all of the pain and sorrow that accompany the loss of a parent, I haven't had to go through that, which I'm grateful for, however I have lost grandparents and my litter brother passed away when I was twelve. I do know that death and the loss of a loved one at any time is never something we are prepared for or take lightly.

Andy was grateful to have spent time with our friend and his dad when he was alive. Shortly after coming home from our friends home Andy barricaded himself in the guest room and drowned his sorrows in song. He somehow was inspired to write about his last excursion with the two of them and it was transposed into a beautiful song called 'Carry On'. This was Andy's tribute to him in passing. It shows his love and admiration for those men, the time they spent together and the lessons learned along the way. It's a beautiful song and I know our friends dad would've been proud to hear it and that Andy held him in such a positive light.

Andy actually got the chance to play his first gig up in Idaho and this was where he was able to play this song live for the first time, around people he didn't know which was nerve racking and exciting all bundled up in one awesome experience. Andy's mom and uncle traveled up to see him, where they recorded his first live show. He did such a good job and I'm sure Kevin would've approved of this song and his tribute to him.

Quick Labor of Love

2011-09-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

My parents made a quick visit to Utah this past weekend in order to see a couple of shows put on by BYU. We all decided since everyone besides Brittany, Ralph & Peyton would be in the state of Utah, we should get together. So we spent all day Saturday together. First and foremost mom & dad treated everyone to Cafe Rio, a favorite by all. Since they don't have it in California mom & dad get their fix when they come to visit. After that we headed up to Sundance to walk around, see the village and shops. It brought back memories for mom & dad because dad used to dance and perform in the outdoor shows that would take place there like Shenandoah and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Dad said he used to ride his bike up the canyon every practice day so he could get a good workout, however he didn't do it on performance nights because he legs would be too worn out.

The scenery was great. We were able to walk around, relax and just take time enjoying it and one another. There was some awesome water ways that we even got to snap some pictures at. Landon & Rooga had to jet but the rest of us took a chairlift ride up the entire mountain. It was awesome! It gave us about 20 minutes to really just take in all of the majestic landscape. There was tons of bike and hiking trails that one could take, we didn't have time, but it's definitely something that's on our radar for the near future.

After that we headed back to Nick & Juji's where they treated us to homemade garlic chicken pizza and netflicks. Landon was trying out for his BYU hockey position so mom and dad hurried to go watch him play. Despite him being gone on his mission for two years he really has improved and gotten better. We're all so excited to see him play.

It was after 12:30am that Andy & I finally got back on the road heading for home. It was said to say goodbye, but we were so glad that we set aside some time to spend some quality time with the rest of the Ball-Branch. We sure love our family, nothings better than being all together!

My Oh My, It's Matties Birthday

2011-08-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

I can't even believe that I'm writing this, but today is Mattie's 11th birthday! She and I are 19 years apart! My little baybuh has grown up right before our eyes and now she's a beautiful young lady! She's such an important player in our family, bringing up the caboose, she's kind, thoughtful, generous, calm, easy going, joyful, creative and very smart. She's got an amazing voice and graces us with singing & performing, even when she's feeling the least bit foolish. She's got a great ear for music as well, she can play by ear which I've never been able to do. She's even started writing her own songs like she did for baby Peyton, since he was such a good inspiration with being his favorite aunt and all. Mattie looks a lot like I did when I was little, we have the same button/stubby 'Polly Anna' nose. She loves the busmudot puppies like no other and takes great care of them ever since B moved out. She's our little baker and loves to watch the cooking channel or cupcake wars to get her inspiration and ideas from. She also reaps the bennefit of being the baby and having mom & dad's undivided attention; like having her papa build an amazing tree house for her. We sure do love our Mattie May, and couldn't imagine our family without her. Thanks for choosing us babe, and for making our family complete!

The Fair & Rodeo

2011-08-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

It's a tradition of ours to attend the yearly Cache County Fair & Rodeo at our local fairgrounds. And this year was no different. All of our friends bailed on tagging along with us, so Andy & I made it a date night instead.

We started off looking at all of the animals. We were specifically interested in the goats this year; Andy's been wanting to purchase a breeding pair for a while now. We fell in love with a baby moon spotted Nubrian female and a big boar male. We couldn't track down any phone numbers or someone in charge to discuss possibly purchasing them however. Plus we would have to get two goats around the same age so they could breed together. This way we'd get the cross we'd want of a milk and meat breed. Even though that fizzled out we still had fun looking at all of the babies. There were tons of dwarf and pygmy goats this year. They're so funny looking with their short little legs and huge bellies.

Next we headed in to the chicken and rabbit hanger. There were some crazy birds in that place. There was this one male Cochin, that was seriously 4x bigger than all of the other birds. Andy put his hand up and let him peck him. I hesitantly put my fist up, even though I wanted to chicken out I couldn't back down, not in front of Andy, especially with a bird. So instead I held strong and let him peck me....bad idea, he not only pecked me, he grabbed ahold of me and didn't let go for a minute. So he ended up breaking the skin causing a blood blister and giving me a narly bruise.

We quickly looked at the cows and pigs then headed over to the arena since the rodeo was about to start. Now I have to say that it was the most boring, uneventful, anti-climatic rodeo we've ever been to. Only one guy rode the bull, and a couple of the team ropers were able to get the calf, but for the most part, people fell off their animals and

Happy Burfday My Toad

2011-08-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

Twenty four years ago today, my little sister Jordan graced our family with her presence. Ever since she was little I called her 'Toad'. This is because she had such big beautiful brown eyes and for a short while she was on too much medication for hypothyroidism so her eyes were very big and dilated, drawing lots of attention to them. Being the 6 year old who loved all kinds of animals including amphibians I of course related them to the eyes of a frog or toad. It stuck, and to this day I'm still the only one who calls her that. I don't think she minds it, but she's never really said otherwise.

She has other nick names though including; Jooge, Toad, Juji and headlight (which only mama ever used). Whatever I call her I know that I can call her my friend, my best friend, my love, my best buddy, a confident, my protector, someone who'll always have my back no matter what, my cheerleader, my lifeline.

Juji has one of the funnest laughs around, when she really starts to giggle nothing can keep her quiet. She quits breathing, turns bright red, shakes her hands, and almost pees her pants. Okay maybe not every time, but there are a few times even if she's the only one laughing or who finds something funny she'll hysterically burst out. Which makes everyone else in turn bust up, because we're laughing at her.

She's a natural in the kitchen with a passion and flare for cooking unlike any of her other siblings, we're always wanting to get recipes or to try one of her new found and perfected dishes. She's very down to earth, laid back, and easy going. I guess this comes from being the middle child. She has so many friends, and gets along with everyone; she could talk to you for hours and never run out of things to say. She's not judgmental, rude or unkind. She's amazing with kids, which is why I know she's going to be the best teacher around.

Even though we have very different views she and I could talk for hours. We don't always see eye to eye, but we relate more often than not, and I can honestly say she doesn't judge me or love me any less despite my shortcomings or difference of opinion. Sometimes I feel baffled as to how right on she always seems; with her goals and life. I know that being the elder sister I should have paved a better way for her to follow, and I find myself looking up to her and the great example she sets.

Thank you for being such an amazing sister Toad. I love you more than life itself. You're such and amazing person, friend and human being. You've always been there for me, loved me, and helped me when I'm down. Thanks for all you do and say. I couldn't imagine my life without you in it...Toad you LIGHT up my life!

Mucho Luvs :)

Memorial in Casper Wyoming

2011-07-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Andy & I took a little road trip up to Casper Wyoming. We went to support our dear friend and pay tribute at his dad's memorial. It took forever trying to get out of town. With the time slowly slipping away we tried to pack more things into our schedule, like trying to purchase parts for Andy's truck along with gas and goodies for the road, then installing the parts, dropping off our problematic dog to the kennel because he cannot be trusted at home, getting caught up in the canyon all the way to Bear Lake because of traffic overflow due to Raspberry Days, and then dealing with the truck's mechanical issues. Needless to say it was an adventure but we finally arrived after about 8 hours on the road.

The memorial was very sweet. It was held at the local Veterans of the Armed Services meeting hall. The colors presented were Green, Orange and White. There was great photo montages at the front of the room, along with his flag and clan colors. Then his sidekick, his trusty African Grey Parrot was in the corner, adding extra dialogue and sound effects along the way.

Here's a few pictures from the trip Andy got to go on with Keith & Kevin in 2008. These are some of Andy's greatest memories. Kevin made quite the impression! You will be missed, but never forgotten.

The dinner was buffet style with corned beef, cabbage, smoked wieners, jalapeno poppers, fruit salad and homemade chips & salsa. We arrived shortly after dinner was served, during which it was a casual meet and greet with all of the friends and family who gathered to pay homage to this wonderful, unforgettable man. The sons, one of which is our dear friend asked that we honor their dad by telling a funny or memorable story about him and then toast him in the proper way. One of my favorites was by his sister in law who said that he was a 'pirate born two centuries too late'! That totally fight our friends dad, he lived the life on his sailboat, was care free, flew by the seat of his pants, and had the ultimate parrot sidekick.

Andy talked about the time he spent out on the sailboat during a couple of unforgettable trips he took with them (father & son duo). The lessons he learned, the influence and impact he made on him as a man and a father something that Andy cherishes and really takes to heart. Andy's memory was after a terrible storm that he slept through he awoke to everything dumped from the shelves in the boat. And in the pile of stuff were about 8 huge cans of beets. With space tight and valuable on a boat to begin with Andy wondered why on earth anyone would have beets, let alone several cans of them on board. When he asked our friends dad his response was, "Beets rock man!" I guess he loved beets and could live on them if needed. Several people came from afar, family, friends, work colleges you name it. It was great to be there supporting our friend and see what an impact this man had on so many.

We stayed to clean up then transferred food, pictures, bird and people to the various locations. The rest of the night was spent hanging out with friends and family which made us thankful for not being alone in times like this.

The following morning we went to breakfast with our friend, his brother and his sister. It was a this cute restaurant called 'Kaspers' which had been around and serving homemade food to order since before they were born. The rest of the day was spent helping his brother move into a new apartment, which we were glad to do.

Overall it was a great weekend away. We got to be there for our friend which meant a lot, we were able to pay tribute to his dad, we helped move his brother, and we got to spend some much needed quality time together. It was a great buddy date weekend. Andy drove and in pure cowboy tradition I sat next to him in the truck the whole way home. We listened to local cowboy and rock hits, sang out guts out, and ate plenty of trail mix along the way! Before entering Logan Canyon we did stop and treat ourselves at a local eatery with hamburgers, fries and fresh raspberry shakes. We had too, being that it was Raspberry Days and all.

No More Chard Yard

2011-07-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

Our sweet neighbors packed up and moved down south today. It's bittersweet actually since he got a great paying job in his field, she now gets to stay home with her two precious babies, and they got a big sweet house in the move. However, they were such great neighbors and wonderful people that we're sad to see them go, but happy for them in this next chapter of their lives. We're gonna miss you guys and your Chard Yard, which you always kept so nice and neat. We loved having neighbors we could relate to and looked up to. Andy & I would tease that we were their carbon copies just about a decade later. I'm glad they were a part of our lives, that we were able to forge a friendship together, and that we'll still keep in touch. I'm sad that I won't be able to have them here in times of need, like when no one would be better to talk to than her, that we won't have wood burning parties together anymore, or late night jam sessions or ping pong tournaments, and who will make us our birthday treats now. But so is life and I'm glad to say that they were our friends and we're better people for knowing them. We'll miss you guys, good luck in this next chapter of your lives. We're a little scare and apprehensive of our new neighbors no one can replace the Chards that's for sure! We love you and miss you guys already!

This picture is a little outdated of the kiddos, but Brandon & Julie look the same, fabulous, fit and full of life!

The End of an Era

2011-07-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

So I grew up with Harry Potter. It's been around for the past 17 years, and I only got introduced to it about a decade ago. But that decade was so amazing! To me it's been like Star Wars was to my parents. Absolutely quintessential to my young adulthood. I absolutely loved the books, they kept me on edge, they were riveting, captivating, they made me laugh, cry, cringe, and bite my nails down to the skin worrying about what was going to happen to my beloved Harry, Hermione and Ron. I was a Gryffindor fan through and through. I thought Luna Lovegood was hilarious. I sympathized with Hagrid and his love of the scaly/scary pets; and we actually went through a spurt naming all of our snakes appropriate Harry Potter names. I couldn't believe what a great writer J.K.Rowlings was. And her story of rags to riches is seriously one for the story books. I'm sad that it's finally come to an end both with the books and the movies. I was however pleasantly pleased with the movie series. Each director took it in a different way, but I felt the closer we got to the end, the better and more closely related to the books they became. It's not often that a movie made after a book leaves me with a good taste in my mouth, they're usually lacking in several areas and then I become angry and boycott it. However with the Harry Potter's I thought that where the book was lacking the last couple of movies actually enhanced the story, for me that is. I'm sad to see them go. But I'm glad to have been a Potter fan, and had them as an entertainment for the last decade of my life. I went to the movie along with my best friend Tera on opening night. It was jammed pack as you'd expect, but it was great to share the experience with someone else who loved the books and movies as much as I did. We've listened to Harry Potter books on tape during several of our vacations together, and they always keep us entertained. Thanks Bear for all the 'HP' memories.

The Goober

2011-07-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

Andy's been busy training Goose for his upcoming duck & goose season. Goose has superior hunting genes; he's got the making of a champion in him so it would seem. So Andy's been diligent in working with him day in and day out. Today we took the pups up to Porcupine Dam to run around, and Goober of course is always game to retrieve his dummy from the depths of the cool water. I love my boys!

Beard Transformation

2011-07-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Andy gets a wild hair up his butt and decides to get cut off his beard. This is always hard for me, because I absolutely LOVE his facial hair. Don't get me wrong he looks good almost any way, but I prefer him with a full beard. He has such a baby face, it's too cute. But whenever he kisses me without it, I feel like I'm cheating on my husband with a complete stranger.....Well not entirely, but I do feel a little naughty! Anyways, I captured his transformation a little while ago, from full fledged beard, to a slight separation between beard and his huge chompers, and then the handle bar mustache to the child molester-stache, to bear bones....What'cha think? Pretty different looks huh?!

Peyton Goes Global

2011-06-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

I kept getting all of these texts today. And at first I was confused, but then I put it together that it was just a joke. Ralph's good friend Ryan Towers had made them. They're pretty creative and really capture the 'essence' of little baby G. Just look at Peyton, he's famous world wide.....

Welcome Home Fiesta

2011-06-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

Mom prepared a vibrant Mexican Fiesta for close friends and family in order to welcome home and honor Landon. Everyone was there, except for Andy he had to work. It was great to have the my brother, sisters and parents all together again. We sure have a great family, I'm so thankful I'm a part of it. They/we are the best cheerleaders with the strongest support system around. Sure do love you son, it's great to have you home.

Crazy Schedule

2011-06-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

With Landon's homecoming, we had to finagle when Andy & I would be coming home since we had work that couldn't be missed, but not being there to greet Landon also wasn't an option. So this is who our week was planned out.

I worked 62 hours the week before and Andy worked over 70 hours, neither of us had a day off until the day we were leaving for California. So after staying up until 2am finishing laundry we got a couple hours of shut eye, before having to wake up at 5am to head down to SLC. Andy hates waking up so I let him sleep in, which proved to be the wrong thing because it set us back and we were late leaving, hit some bad traffic, and almost missed our plane. The airlines ended up calling to find out where we were stating they couldn't hold the plane for more than a few minutes and no one at airport security would let us skip ahead in line. We barely made it to our plane, they told us to hurry and take a seat, so we separated and took the first two available. Then the flight attendant made a point that we needed to sit in our assigned seats. After all the hussel and bussel they ended up powering down the plane and waiting for a new part, which took an extra hour and delayed our arrival time.

We got to Long Beach and made our way to the car rental kiosk, and ended up getting a sweet deal on a souped up blue smurf Mustang. We took full advantage of the torque it had to offer. Instead of going home we went straight to Brittany & Ralph's home to meet their new baby Peyton. We got some cute pictures and spent some much needed time with our precious nephew.

Then we headed out with B to meet up with the rest of the family as we all headed out to the LAX airport. There was some confusion with what gate/terminal he would be coming from so we made 3 trips back and forth, sprinting and almost having a panic attack. No one wanted to be late or not be there when he came out, especially after not seeing him for the past two years.

After he arrived and we reunited we headed for home. There mom had a beautiful spread of sandwich fixings. We sat around as a family, ate, talked, and reminisced. Then it was time for Andy & I to head back to to Long Beach to catch our flight back to SLC. We returned our rental car, waited until our flight left and then headed back, where we gained and hour to our already jam packed day.

We took the tram to long term parking, got in our car and headed the 1.5 hours back to Logan. We got home at about 2:15am. We did manage to get a few hours of sleep, then it was up and at'em, we both had to be at work early. I ended up working full days

Welcome Home Son aka Landon

2011-06-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Landon came home after serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for the past two years. He served his mission in the Culican, Mexico area. He had an amazing time, the time of his life thus far. Each week he'd grace us with an update letter of his experiences, the amazing people he met and the impact they made on him. His life will never be the same, he was molded and changed during that period of time, all the for better. He went away a boy and came back a man.

Now coming from a family of all girls he knew he was in trouble when coming through customs out into the greeting area in the airport. He even warned his mission companion that we'd be loud, screaming, crying, out of control. And he was completely right. We're all such boobs, but when it comes to family you wouldn't want anyone besides us on the sidelines, we've got your back no matter what!

Our whole family, minus Ralph since he had to work, made our way through mid-day rush hour traffic to the LAX airport to greet Landon in person. There was a misunderstanding of where he would be coming out, and which terminal that meant. So needless to say the whole family had a great workout sprinting back and forth a couple of times until we were at the correct gate. We stood there proud, holding up the welcome home signs and embraced. You could tell he was a little bit shell-shocked and felt out of place. He hadn't seen any of us in over two years, let alone been able to embrace us. He even was greeted by a married Brittany and a new nephew Peyton, all of which he heard about by only through correspondence.

It's great to have my little brother back. What an example of hard work, determination, dedication, endurance, love, and humility. He exemplifies what a good man should be. We're so thankful and excited to have him back home. Our family is never truly complete if one of us is missing, even if it's for the right reasons.

Mama B & Baby G

2011-06-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

For Father's day my sister Brittany went and got pictures taken of her and Peyton for new papa Ralph. They turned out so adorable that I had to share them here. Isn't my sister a knock out?! I can't even believe she's just had a baby, absolutely gorgeous!

Cousin Wedding

2011-06-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today was Brittany Purser's wedding. She's Andy's cousin, daughter of Greg & Jodi Kidman. She was such a beautiful bride. Her colors and decorations were so cute and she looked divine. It was a very sweet wedding. I loved how in love the bride and groom were, and how attentive and caring he was with her. The man who married them gave them some sound advice which was, "If you see that something needs to be done, go ahead and do it, rather than wait and nag your spouse about it. During that time it could've been done and over with, without creating problems or resentment." I think that's sound advice, maybe now I'll be adjusting or rather shortening my 'Honey Do List.'
Here are some beautiful pictures of her special day! Sure do love my cousins and family by marriage!

Mattie the Composer

2011-06-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Madison has been so ecstatic to have become an aunt. She's so amazing with babies, she's patient, kind, soft spoken, attentive, and oh so loving. She's been so excited to become an aunt that's all she's been able to talk about; especially how she's going to be Peyton's favorite aunt.

To show her love and devotion she even wrote Peyton a song. She did it all by herself including both the piano music and the words. It's such a cute song, she did a great job. Way to go Mattie. This little boy sure is getting spoiled, in the best possible way with music, something our family never is without.

I'm having trouble downloading it...but stay tuned I'll get it up eventually!

Happy B-Day Brittany

2011-06-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today is my sister Brittany's birthday! She's 28 years old today. In those 28 years she's matured into an amazing young woman. She's graduated college, she's working on her teaching credential, and has a goal of becoming a teacher. She's dated, met and married the man of her dreams; Ralph Gilley. She's blossomed into a beautiful woman, wife, person and now mother. She carried and delivered a precious baby boy; Peyton Samuel Gilley. She continuous to share her love of music and laughter with her family and those around her. She has a light and a love for people; she's genuine and has a very tender heart. She's the funny one in our family and without her the Ball Branch would not be complete! Sure do love you B, you're the queen B, my baybuh!

A Rare Find

2011-06-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Dad & Rooga were out jogging in the Southern Utah, in the desert and they happened to come upon this little guy....

I had to put this up here, because it's such an awesome find. Seeing a desert tortoise in the wild, in their own natural habitat is SO rare! Andy & I were totally jealous, but stoked for them at the same time. Way to go you two! Looks like you guys had a great jog!

Happy Birthday Landon

2011-05-31T08:28:00.000-07:00

It's crazy to think that my little brother will be coming home from his mission soon. He's been gone for the past two years down in Mexico serving a mission for the LDS church. He went out a boy and is coming home a man. It's been fun and interesting to read his letters home, his mission has really changed him; humbled him and given him the opportunity to serve others while forgetting about himself. Being in a family of only girls Landon definitely is not one to shy away from tears; but his tender heart and heartfelt emotions have helped him touch and bless the lives of those around him for the past two years. Even though I haven't physically seen him, I have loved the transformation that has been present. Hope you have a wonderful birthday bro, we sure do love you and can't wait to have you back home with us! Today you're 23 years old, that's crazy to even grasp. Hope it's everything you wished for. Can't wait hug you and give you a birthday smack :)

Introducing Baby Chad

2011-05-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Andy's little sister Jessica & her hubby Alex, welcomed their second baby today which was a boy,via c-section. They named him Chadwick Hyrum Adamson. Here's his stats:

Born: May 27, 2011
Time: 7:06 am
Height: 20 inches long
Weight: 7 lb 10 ounces

His mom said he had such long fingers and toes, plus he had lots of dark hair, unlike their first baby Josh which was a blondie. That's one fun thing that Jessica said was that they got to watch this babies hair grown at each ultrasound and were wondering how much hair he'd be born with. He only ended up staying in the hospital for 3 days while his blood sugar got regulated. He's such a cutie! We're so glad to have another handsome, healthy addition to our immediate family! Congrats to Jess & Alex, you guys make some cute babies!

Jessica had some adorable pictures taken by Brit from Stolen Moments Photography, they're so cute I just had to share them!

Beautiful Baby G

2011-05-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Here's the P-Man (Peyton Samuel Gilley) making his modeling debut :) Such a cutie patootie, I can't stand it!

Introducing Baby G

2011-05-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

Today I'm pleased to announce that Ralph & Brittany Gilley (my sister and her hubby) are celebrating the birth of their son and first baby, Peyton Samuel Gilley. Here are his stats....

Born: May 13, 2011
Height:19.5 inches long
Weight: 5 lb 7.5 ounces
Time: 9:26am

His mama said besides him being the most beautiful thing she ever saw, that he had the biggest, most voluptuous lips, just like his daddy. He also had hands just like grandpa Behunin. He came out with tons of jet black hair, like his mama when she was a baby.

I'm a proud aunt and have to share this new beautiful babe with the world! Sure do love you Peyton, can't wait until I get to hold you and give you tons of smooches!

Happy Birthday Papa

2011-05-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

My papa never ceases to amaze me. He's the most kind, tender hearted, fun loving, easy going, kid at heart, enthusiatic, energetic, and life of the party kind of man. I'm so grateful to have him in my life. He's my hero, my gentle giant! I can always count on him and go to him for anything and everything. He's the greatest! Here's to another great year dad....so go ahead and jump right in! This is my papa jumping off one of the falls in Havasupia...

Our Birthday Weekend

2011-05-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

Andy's and my birthday are only two days apart so this year we decided to get away and take it easy with a little R&R, while celebrating both of our special days. I turned the big 3-0, while Andy welcomed 28. We spent the weekend heading up to Idaho to camp and enjoy the natural hot springs.
We ended up camping in their little trailer that was provided. It had a fold out bed, a small kitchen, kerosene lamps and an outhouse near by. We spent the night chilling out in the hot springs, chatting with our friends Kelly & Penny who joined us for the excursion. Then we chowed down on some chicken tortilla wraps, compliments of Penny and ended up hitting the hay early; man we must be getting old!

The following morning Andy & I got up early headed down to the springs for another dip, then we changed and packed up so we could get a move on down the river for some bow fishing. The river was pretty cold and moving too fast to glimpse very many fish, however whenever there was a warm water run off from the springs that's where all of the carp would be clustered and it gave us a couple of pretty exciting moments to shoot them. Andy did most of the shooting while I prided myself in driving the boat, I'm a really good driver :)

The rest of the day we spent traveling up towards Blackfoot, Andy's favorite place to go bow fishing, since it harbors some of the biggest carp around. However, it was still frozen solid so we were only able to take in the magestic scenery and capture the moment with some photos.

Then we headed down to Franklin Lake to see if we could possibly get in some bow fishing time there, however, the county had recently drained the lake and there was no way to we could even drop the boat in. The dock itself was over 80 feet away from it's current depth. The local gas station teller told us they were expecting a huge run off this spring from all of the snow they got. In some areas the snowfall amounted to over 16 feet!!! So instead of fishing we all walked along he banks of the lake looking for shells and anything else that was now exposed on the virgin beaches. It's crazy all the 'stuff' we found.

On our way home Andy surprised me by stopping at the 'Ice Cave'. It's this natural occurring cave underground in the middle of now where, that the pioneers used to preserve their perishables in. It was so dark, and everywhere was covered with ice. We snapped a couple of fun pictures with the aid of the timer. I was worried we were gonna slip and fall, but thanks that Andy being part monkey he was able to scale the rocks and ice just fine and make it into each picture frame unharmed.

Overall it was a relaxing and very laid back birthday weekend. It was just good to be together, to be spending quality time alone, working on us, and enjoying each others company. I love my husband with all my heart. He's such an amazing man. At first I thought I needed a big bash to face my 30th, however, it was perfect just the two of us. Happy birthday babe, thanks for another great year! Here's to us!

Happy Birthday Nick

2011-05-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to throw a quick shot out to my brother in law, Nicholas Olsen. He's such a great guy, we're so blessed to have him in our family. He's always upbeat, cheerful, willing to work, ready to play, he's patient and kind and above all treats my sissy like a queen. Sure do love you Nick. Have a great 25th birthday, just think you're halfway to 50 now!!!

MVVHC Health Fair

2011-04-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

This was my works second annual Health Fair. This year they moved it up to the last saturday in April which low and behold happened to fall on my birthday of all days. And being that this event was mandatory there was no getting out of it. So I spent the majority of my 30th birthday setting up and then working it.

I love my job, there are so many perks to it including working with great people and awesome pets. I love being an advocate for our silent, furry friends. This year we got assigned our tables where we'd all have to present our information,wear guinea pig out fits, put on a presentation or display cool ideas for other pet parents. We also had a run/walk, but the weather wasn't very cooperative so not many people did that. It was a fun and informative day. Even though I would've preferred to be doing something else for my birthday, it still was a fun time.

There was a dog show where our Behavior Consultant called out tricks which the owners and their dogs performed. Booth demonstrations on acupuncture, chiropractics, nutrition, microchips, safety, heartworms and much more.

New Found Fro-Yo

2011-04-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

Okay so I have to tell you that my new guilty pleasure is pint sized. It has to be kept at freezing to be enjoyed, it can be no more than 200 calories, and it's full of chocolate flakes and cherry tid-bits. If you guessed Ben & Jerry's Cheery Garcia FRO-YO you're absolutely correct.

I'm trying to be more conscious of my figure so ice cream is a no go, but frozen yogurt is my new found FAVORITE thing! At home I eat and enjoy this kind but when I'm in town my favorite little spot is Twizl Berry.

I used to go Spoon Me, which is the perfect name for a frozen yogurt joint, however they closed down which was not only very rude but it forced me to venture out and find a replacement joint.

It's great because I can choose my size, fill up on a variety of different yogurts, and then load up on whatever toppings I'd like. I stick with the original plain tart yogurt and then lots of berries and/or fresh fruit. It's so good I can't even begin to elate my utter enjoyment of this frozen treat. If you're ever in the area you should check it out.

Creative Juices

2011-04-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

Excuse me while I brag right now, but Andy is such an amazing writer. He's always been so eloquent with his words which is proven time and again with his poetry or short stories. Just this past spring he started picking up his guitar and really going to town playing on it, it's all he's wanted to do creatively speaking. His extra time and effort are really starting to show and he's amazingly picked up and conquered song writing.

His music has started off simple, but his words are so captivating and come straight from his soul. I have to brag a minute because this isn't a simple feat, he's so incredibly talented and I'm just so blessed to see him expressing his gifts first hand. It amazes me at how easy he makes it seem. He said that this isn't something he can force, that sometimes the creative juices just start flowing and he flies by the seat of his pants. He said that he approaches creativity and inspiration as a real 'thing'. He'll call it out and ask for help to put his words or what he's feeling into motion. For example, the first song he wrote he was in his car on his way home, and he started speaking out loud, like he was talking to someone; namely inspiration/creativity and asked them to please help him do this, that he specifically wanted to write a song, both the words and music and he needed their help. That night he tried writing but he felt blocked and couldn't make the words come. He ended up going to be with a headache, hoping in the morning he could start fresh.

In the morning he was awakened with the thought in his head, that his headache just wasn't going away. From that line he sat down and the words just started flow from his pen and in less than 5 minutes he had the song completed. So he immediately went to his guitar and the melody just came to him. Andy was amazed that he was able to carry out what he had set out to do, and that it came to him after he asked and put in the time.

Since then he's written several songs, each one better than the last it seems. All are different, but they carry the same tone, and the words either knock me off my feet or pierce me through the heart. I can't believe how good he is, I mean I can he never ceases to amaze me, but I'm thankful that I get to experience and see this raw evolutionary side of him.

So Long My Friend

2011-04-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Neighbors & Friends,
My husband Andy and I have been deeply concerned about your concern; for the safety of our neighborhood as well as your emotional well being. It is more important for us to be good neighbors than for us to alienate ourselves by causing you to worry. After long thought and contemplation for our future associations, we thought it was important to put down our dog Kya. As of Tuesday, April 5, 2011 we decided as family to put her to sleep. After she expired we did have her cremated so there are no physical remains that will be of a concern. We are very sorry for any loss you may have suffered and any unexpected stress that resulted from our continued ownership of our dog.

This was an extremely difficult task in doing something to someone we loved. As much as we keep our animals in our containment and under lock & key, we do understand that they are still animals, and that human error is always prevalent; however we would never do anything intentional to jeopardize the safety in our neighborhood. We apologize that getting rid of our dog took longer than you might have liked, but because we don’t have children of our own, they are like our kids. We know this may sound melodramatic but that’s not our intent. We only mention it because of the void that was left by getting rid of a member of our family.

We know you understand how very difficult this was for us personally, yet the importance of the safety of our neighbors outweighed the love we had for our dog.

Please know again how deeply sorry we are for any loss or fear that our dog may have created. We hope that this will not make you uncomfortable with our future association as we understand the need and the prudence to do what was necessary. Please feel free to approach us at any time, on any subject. We want very much to be an asset to this neighborhood and a neighbor that you can depend upon to do the right thing. As new homeowners with permanent ties which have set down roots here, we appreciate being a part of this neighborhood and your patience with our development as a young family.

With Much Regard,
Andy & Lindsay Rice

To Sum Up the Rice-Balls

2011-03-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

I hope that you made it through the pictures each day, and got a little more insight into Andy & I. Here's a quick run down of everything we covered during our month long get to know us period. It was fun asking Andy those questions and he asking me. I think we learned a little more about each other in the process which is always nice, and sometimes very insightful :) You should try it!!!

Day 1: 15 Facts about US
Day 2: The Person we're Closest too
Day 3: The Cast from our favorite TV show
Day 4: Our Favorite Night
Day 5: Our Favorite Memory
Day 6: A Person we'd Trade Places with for a Day
Day 7: Our Most Treasured Item
Day 8: Something that Makes us Laugh
Day 9: The Person who's Gotten Through the Most
Day 10: The Person we've done the most Messed up Things With
Day 11: Something we Hate
Day 12: Something we Love
Day 13: Our Favorite Band & Artist
Day 14: Someone we Couldn't Imagine life without
Day 15: Something We want to do Before we Die
Day 16: Someone Who Inspires us
Day 17: Something that has Made an Impact on our Life
Day 18: Our Biggest Insecurity
Day 19: Pictures of Us when we were Little
Day 20: Somewhere we'd love to Travel
Day 21: Something we Wish we were Better At
Day 22: Something we Wish we could Forget
Day 23: Our Favorite Book
Day 24: Something we Could Change
Day 25: Our Favorite Day
Day 26: Something that Means A Lot to Us
Day 27: Something we're Afraid of
Day 28: A Picture that can Always make us Smile
Day 29: Someone we miss
Day 30: Our Family

Us in 30 pictures: Day 30

2011-03-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

Our family members...
ANDY's FAMILY
Mom-Jeanine

God Mom-Kath

Dad-Larry

Sister-Jessica

Brother in Law-Alex

Nephew-Josh

LINDSAY'S FAMILY
Dad-Matthew

Mom-Tanya

Sister-Brittany

Brother in Law-Ralph

Sister-Jordan

Brother in Law-Nicholas

Brother-Landon

Sister-Regan

Sister-Madison

Brother-Taylor

JUST US: RICE-BALLS FOR LIFE!!!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 29

2011-03-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Someone you miss
ANDY:JOSHUAH (NEPHEW)

LINDSAY:BROTHER TAYLOR
My brother Taylor Vaughn Ball passed away from S.I.D.S. (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, otherwise known as Crib Death) in 1992. I was 12 and in 7th grade. We were going up to visit my grandma Ball in Eugene Oregon for Thanksgiving. Taylor was a newborn only two months 8 days or 69 days. He passed away on Thanksgiving Day, which was one of the hardest things we went through as a family, and one of the most difficult things I had to cope with growing up. It's events like this that shape and mold people. Serious events like this either make or break a person, family, company, etc. We knew this going in and decided to have it be our common thread and really come together as a family. Erik Clapton's song 'Tears in Heaven' fits perfectly for losing my little brother. He was an angel that only needed to come to earth to get a name and a body, he was just too perfect that he didn't need to stay long. On his headstone it reads, 'The Perfect Son to Show the Way'. That's significant not just for my brother, but in a spiritual sense for us as well. Each year on September 18, we as a family have a celebration of life for Taylor. Even though he was only with us a short time, his influence and him being a part of our family helps complete us. Love you and miss you Taylor. You are my guardian angel.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 28

2011-03-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

A picture that can always make you smile
ANDY:BABY GORILLAS

LINDSAY:KIDS BEING NAUGHTY

Us in 30 pictures: Day 27

2011-03-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

A picture of something you're afraid of
ANDY:SPIDERS & SHARKS

LINDSAY:CLOWNS

BOTH:SHARKS

Us in 30 pictures: Day 26

2011-03-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

Something that means a lot to you
ANDY:GOOSE BANDS
This may sound weird, but shooting a banded bird is a big deal. It serves as bragging rights all season. Some bands are for rewards, but all are for tracking different family, flight and growth patterns. Whenever Andy shoots a banded bird he tracks it all on the internet and then fastens it around his calling necklace for the whole world to see. Nice shooting babe!

LINDSAY:AFRICA (MY SECOND HOME)
I was able to spend a some time in Africa thanks to the connections of my dad's colleges. It was the best, most daring, outrageous, informative, mind blowing, fun, exciting experiences of my life. I got to work with habituated chimpanzees (Bili & Mzee),a cheetah names Sasha, and learn first hand about the illegal bush meat trade and difference conservation groups. Room & board were provided, with an amazing view at the base of Mount Kenya. I had an amazing African live in staff: a cook, two house keepers, and a couple of ground keepers. My employers Karl & Kathy were were amazing! They were so kind and generous. They always made me feel at home while away from my home, and they were always looking out for me. It was the experience opportunity of a life time, and I would not have traded for the world! I cherish the memories that were made there and the pictures I got to bring home and share. One day I'll go back and then it will be with another animal lover, my hubby.
This is Bili, she was orphaned in the township 'Bili'. She was transfered because she started to become a nuisance by stealing food.

This is Bili again during one of our afternoon play sessions in her tree house. She would love to have staring contests and to try picking my face; that's where Andy says I got those tendencies from.

This is Mzee, he was several years older than Bili and much more spoiled. He loved having people come visit, especially women. And that's what this picture is of, he always was trying to get a 'better view' of what was under my shirt!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 25

2011-03-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

Your favorite day
ANDY & LINDSAY:OUR WEDDING DAY
Well so far in our lives, we both agreed that our wedding day was by far our most favorite day ever! It took us a long time to get there; over 7 years of dating before we tied the knot. We both wanted to be completely sure we were ready, because divorce was never going to be an option. It's sad how many marriages now a days end up in divorce, all because it was an option, an easy way out. We however knew that it was going to be hard and that if we wanted to make it through, then we'd have to really work for it and for each other! It such a special, memorable, beautiful and absolutely wonderful day! I'm more in love with my man today, but on June 30, 2007 the Rice-Balls became official and we never looked back! Having our family and friends there to show their support, partying the night away was so great. It felt good, it felt right, we knew we were doing the right thing and that we were right for each other! For the time being it takes the cake, that is until something or someone comes along to change our minds!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 24

2011-03-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

Something you wish you could change
There seems to a similar pattern in our thought process here...
ANDY:HAD MORE MONEY

LINDSAY:NO DEBT

My Kind Of Work

2011-03-09T17:24:00.001-08:00

I absolutely LOVE my job! It's the best! I love working with all of the different animals. Each day brings something new to the table, it's never routine or mundane. I love being an advocate for animals awareness, to the innocent ones who can't 'speak' for themselves. The other day we had a couple of routine procedures with some pretty cool, exotic species. I did get permission from their owners for being able to put them up here, as long as I didn't mention any names...so no worries about breaking that client/patient confidentiality code. We neutered both a raccoon and a hyrax. Now you're probably wondering what a hyrax is, well it looks like a small rodent, but it's actually the closest living relative of an elephant. They're about the size of small dog with .small hooves on the end of its toes. Each hoof is capped with moist, padded skin which they can use to climb, almost like a suction cup. They can become very well adapted to climbing that they spend most of their lives in trees. When I lived in Africa, which is where they're from, I'd hear them scurrying around up in our attic and on the roof, making some crazy noises. It was fun to be able to finally see one in person. Like I said I love my job! I'm so lucky to be able to do what I love and what I'm good at. It feels my life with great joy, and I think I do my job well so as to give back to all the animal creatures :)

Us in 30 pictures: Day 23

2011-03-09T08:09:00.000-08:00

Your favorite book
ANDY:THE LORD OF THE RINGS

LINDSAY:WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS
Sure it's a childrens book, but when I read it as a kid it had a huge impact on me and my animal loving heart. It's one I always recommend it, the story of 'big Dan & little Ann' gets me every time.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 22

2011-03-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

Something you wish you could forget
ANDY:
The day he shot off a paintball gun, while in that tattoo shop that was full of clients! I wasn't there, but he said he was up visiting his friends at 'Sailor Jims' the tattoo shop here in town. While there he picked up a paintball gun, to look at it. He pulled the trigger, and he had NO IDEA how loud it would be when it went off. It wasn't loaded but the air in the gun made a huge sound. Everyone got mad at him, and no one thought it was cool. His friends told him he was lucky they weren't in the middle of tattooing on someone or there would have been hell to pay. He felt so bad and embarrassed! And to this day he still has regrets wishes he could take it back.

LINDSAY:ROOMMATE IN COLLEGE
I had this one roommate in college who was pretty weird. She'd 'borrow' our clothes without our permission and bring them back smelling like sweat and smoke, then bold face lie about having them and not bothering to clean or wash them. She also would do weird things like take the remote for the t.v. and put it in her room, under her covers so no one else could use it when she wasn't around. But that wasn't even the craziest thing she did. One day we were going through the kitchen cabinets, because all of us 5 girls had our own section to keep our food and dishes in. All that she had in her section was saltine crackers, bottled water, bubble gum, and huge mason jars full of her puke! That's right, you did read that correctly...her vomit was kept as a keepsake in mason jars right there in our very kitchen, hidden out of immediate view of course. We all thought that was pretty gross so we kindly approached her to find out what was going on, and it turns out she had some body image/eating disorders. She didn't want to eat very much so she chewed a lot of gum and drank a lot of water, then when she did eat it was pretty much saltines, and when she couldn't keep that down she puked it up, but didn't want to lose part of herself so she kept it as a keepsake. Lets just say that's an image I wish I could forget.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 21

2011-03-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

A picture of something you wish you were better at
ANDY:SONG WRITING
Andy really is amazingly witty and quick on his feet. I got him a guitar when we were first dating, he taught himself the basics and soon became the best party entertainer around. People would shout out words and he'd take a few and make up a song right on the spot. These past few years he's gotten more serious and has learned to play some of his favorite band's songs. He's always loved writing, spoken word poetry, etc. Now he just wishes he were better at writing songs; meaningful, well written, poetic songs. Songs that touch and influence people, as he was by his favorite artists.

LINDSAY:ROCK CLIMBING
I've been a few times, and I'm really not good, but I love it. I love seeing a climbers upper body strength and their overall physique. Maybe that's my biggest problem, I have a lot more junk in my trunk that climbers do. I would watch Andy for hours work on different routes at our local indoor rock climbing gym, it amazed me what the body could do. I hope one day I'll be able to get that point.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 20

2011-03-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

Somewhere you'd love to travel
ANDY & LINDSAY: AUSTRALIA
Of course we'd both pick a place that had some of the world's craziest animals! Australia has more species of snakes that anywhere else on earth. They have some of the coolest lizards and monitors, not to mention other scaly reptiles which fascinate us. I want to see baby kangaroos and koala bears and the ocean looks amazing. However you won't be catching Andy anywhere near that since he refuses to swim in a sharks 'home'. Some day we'll get to make the journey and we know it'll be totally worth it.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 19

2011-03-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

Pictures of when you were little
ANDY

LINDSAY

Us in 30 pictures: Day 18

2011-03-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

Your biggest insecurity
ANDY:HIS SMALL SIZE/HEIGHT
I guess being a little guy is hard. I didn't understood because height for me has never been a problem, I've always been the shortest. But for guys or at least Andy it's a problem.

LINDSAY:BEING OVERWEIGHT
Enough said! It's always a problem or at least a thorn in my side. Some people struggle with other addictions, food is mine. I wish it was easier to lose weight and stay fit, but it's a lot of hard work. And it's always easier to put it on than take it off! Andy finally had to get to it through me that it wasn't 'my weight'. I kept saying I needed to lose 'my weight' and Andy brought up a good point, that it doesn't belong to me it was an unwelcomed guest, and I needed to stop attaching it to me, because it wasn't what made me who I am. It's just an annoying, free loader, hitching a ride for the time being; not forever!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 17

2011-03-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

Something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
ANDY:CHANGE OF EMPLOYMENT
Without saying too much since legally we our bound, Andy's change of work has had the biggest impact on our lives. He's such a hard worker, and he's so good at what he does. He's very professional and treats clients with the up most respect, which is why everyone wants his services. I knew he would do well with whom ever he worked with, but this move was definitely a better choice for us and our little family. It's been a stressful year with all the legal things that accompanied this major change, but it's been totally worth it. Thanks for working so hard for us baby. I love seeing you happy and doing what you enjoy.

LINDSAY:BUYING OUR HOME
I realize I haven't got a good picture of our home when it's not snowing, but here it is in all it's winter glory! We love our home, it's ours, we can do with it what we like, we have lots of room for all of our critters and hopefully for some 'kid expansions' in the future! Sure it's an older, fixer upper home...but like I said it's ours. Purchasing this was a big step for us financially as well as emotionally. It finally meant that we were 'adults'. That we had to work in order to pay for the roof over our heads. We have to work hard to make improvements and make sure that it runs smoothly with all of the necessary things that go along with that. It's not something we take lightly. We have our credit to protect, and when things get tough it's not like we can just move and find somewhere else to reside. This was it, our ticket into totally responsibility.

Here's some of our 'babies' enjoying the new carpet we had put in and sunning themselves through our front windows.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 16

2011-03-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

Someone who inspires you
ANDY:UNCLE GREG KIDMAN
During high school Andy actually lived with his Uncle Greg & Aunt Jodi for a little while. Andy was having some problems since he didn't have any male influence in his life, so his mom sent him to live there so as Greg could whip him into shape. Greg is one of the hardest working people we know. He's up at the crack of dawn, has a full time job with accompanied overtime. He's a father to four drop dead gorgeous gals which is a major feet in and of itself. He stayed near by his parents and continued to help his dad on their farm with all of the duties that accompanied it, he gardens, farms, raises and breed horses, and still makes time for his family. If it weren't for Greg and his positive influence on Andy he would have been a very different person. We may never even have had the chance of meeting.

LINDSAY:MY DAD (MATTHEW GIBSON BALL)
My dad has always been my hero. He's such a hard working, honest, bright, happy, carefree, playful, fun person. He's adventurous and always knows how to have the most fun where ever we go. He's like a kid a heart. He'd be the one playing so hard he'd forget to eat, sometimes he'd say "eat to live, don't live to eat." He's always been there for me when I needed help and guidance. I value his opinion and love to have deep conversations. He's the biggest net-worker around and he's been able to provide the best life experiences for me, from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to living in Kenya, Africa and working with Chimpanzees. He's mastered skills in writing and public speaking which is where I get that love from. He has a tender heart. He's amazing leader. He takes pride in his body and always makes time to keep himself physically active. He's always on the go and is a great multitask-er. He has a deep love and respect for his wife, which is one thing I sought after in my husband. He's taught me to never give, to go after my dreams, and that you're never too old to do what you love or what you're good at. I hope I make him proud, because he does for me. He's a model person, friend, father & husband. And I'm thankful he's my papa!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 15

2011-03-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

Something you want to do before you die
ANDY:SKY DIVING
A sensation often difficult to put into words. Most people say that you can't describe the feeling. The skydiving sensation is difficult to duplicate on the ground. It’s not like a roller-coaster or like snow skiing. You don’t really feel like you are falling as many people believe. It’s been described that you are falling on an elevator of air that lowers you to the ground. They may not make sense but it helps to understand the science of falling 120 MPH.
The Sky is the Limit!

LINDSAY:TO BATHE AN ELEPHANT
Yep I want to get wet and wild with this large mammal! I'd soap 'em down give him a nice scrub and I definitely wouldn't forget to wash behind his ears. Then after he was spick 'n span I'd kindly ask for a ride back to town. I've told Andy that one day I will get to go to Thailand and this is what I'll be doing there!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 14

2011-02-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

Someone you could never imagine your life without
Not to get mushy now, but our first natural response to this question was each other. We are soul mates. We love being in love, being together, laughing, playing, crying, even fighting which comes with the territory. We couldn't imagine our lives without each other. Marrying Andy was the best decision I ever made, I love him more than life itself. He makes me want to be a better person, a more loving wife, his sexy girlfriend, an awesome cook, a killer bow fisherman, his naughty secret, a good laugh, his nightly entertainment, the best back scratcher, an off key shower singer, a good sport, and the best cuddle bug around! Marriage definitely isn't easy, it's something we constantly have to work for, and man do we earn it. I do feel like Andy is my soul mate, he's the one who makes my life complete and helps it come to life. So in turn that is what I want and strive to be for him. Our rewards are good and plenty! And just like things you really have to work hard for in life, it makes them that much sweeter!

“Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you I had no control over.”

ANDY:MY WOMAN (AKA ME)

LINDSAY:MY MAN (AKA ANDY RICE)

Us in 30 pictures: Day 13

2011-02-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

Your favorite band or artist
ANDY:SOUL COUGHING (BAND) & TOWNS VAN ZANDT (ARTIST)

His 1968 single, Waiting Around to Die...It's hauntingly beautiful!

LINDSAY:DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL (BAND) & MICHAEL JACKSON (ARTIIST)
So everyone knows that I love Dashboard, they've been my favorite band for most of my young adult life. Yeah I liked them even though they were mostly whiny lyrics that Chris the main singer would end up screaming or blubbering out and almost all of his songs are about love and then his heartache. His earliest cd just had him and his guitar, that's when I feel in love with the acoustics and never looked back.

Michael Jackson has been my most favorite dancers, singers & performers ever!!! People who know me, know just how crazy I am. While in high school I'd carry about a styrofoam cup at lunch and ask for any spare change so that one day I might be able to see him in concert. Sadly that never happened, but I still have all of his cds, movies and music videos. One of my favorite memories was rocking out with my dad to "Man in the Mirror" and "Billy Jean" in his little Honda CRX that he later gave to me. We had the moon roof down, blaring the speakers and singing our hearts out! I remember at every church dance almost every cheer leading activity I was busting out some of MJs moves.

My current, favorite artist right now has the most angelic, beautiful voice Priscilla Ahn. I could listen to her for hours. I love how laid back and effortless she comes across. This is how I imagine singing to my kids one day, a perfect lullaby. Plus I love that she plays both the guitar and harmonica together, a true artist. Take a listen...

79 Years Oh My!

2011-02-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

Today is my grandma Barbara Behunin's 79th birthday, although she said she's only 49 since she can't be 39 any more! Even though distance separates us, she has been and will always be my favorite friend in the world! We've always had a special bond. She has been the main reason I loved animals so much and caring for them. Grammy was a nurse and she always was taking care of animals. I remember being a little kid going over to her house to watch her mama kitty give birth, see her serenade her huge blue and gold macaw parrot 'Luie' that no one else could tough for fear of losing a finger, to see her reaction to any baby animal and always be willing to take me to the zoo. Besides being her birthday this is also a long day coming since today she's going to be sealed to her mother in the lds temple. This is a ceremony in the mormon religion that they do to seal their relationship in their life hereafter. It's a very special day for her all around. And since I can't be there to help celebrate or have my share of the cake I wanted to send her lots of love coming from my way! Happy birthday grammy, here's to 79 more!

This is a picture of four generations. Bamba, my great granda Marvel Smoot, Barbara, my granda, Tanya my mom, and me!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 12

2011-02-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

Something you love
ANDY:BEING OUTSIDE IN NATURE

LINDSAY:PHOTOGRAPHY
I aspire to be a great photographer one day. I'm most interested in animals, portraits & landscapes.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 11

2011-02-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

Something you hate
(Hate is a very strong word...)
ANDY:DEMOCRATS

LINDSAY:MUFFIN TOPS & MULLETS

Us in 30 pictures: Day 10

2011-02-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

The person you do the most messed up things with
ANDY:KEITH HAINES (KMFH)
Of course this was his answer!!! All I can say is that Keith is awesome! Neither Andy nor I could ever imagine our lives without him in it! He's such a good guy! Such an honest, carefree, fun loving, party animal, down to earth guy. He's 'One of the good ones' as Billy Bob Thorton told him to his face, whilst he asked to shake Keiths' hand! He and Andy are partners in crime and just about everything else as well! They're brothers at heart, best friends by nature and kindred spirits! They've been sailing, hunting, Park City party crashing, Gwar head banging, dynamite blowing, canoeing, backwoods-ing, frog giggin, rockbanding, bow fishing, noodling SOBs! Sometimes I worry about the two of them, but I wouldn't take them any other way!

LINDSAY:TERA NANCE
Like I said before Bear has been my partner in crime over the past decade. If ever I'm gonna do something naughty, nice or even a little be crazy; she's the first person I call!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 9

2011-02-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

The person who has gotten you through the most
ANDY:ME, MYSELF & I

LINDSAY:BRITTANY
Being so close in age she was like my baby. We grew up together and we were always the best of friends. She's been there for me through everything. She's been my confident, my shoulder to cry on, my secret keeper, my back bone when I needed one, and a good kick in the pants when I had it coming. Thanks for always been thee for me B I don't think I could have made it without your influence and constant love without judgment.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 8

2011-02-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

Something that makes you laugh
ANDY:LIFE
Take that how you will, sometimes things go the way you want, other times they don't. All you can do is laugh, it's either that or cry, he prefers to laugh!

LINDSAY:TALKING ANIMAL VIDEOS
They get me every time! I always end up laughing until I cry. It's good for the laughs and great for my abs!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 7

2011-02-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

Your most treasured item
ANDY:"REIGN IN BLOOD"
His boat is his baby! If he could he would eat, sleep and be on it 24/7. When it starts to warm up he usually takes off for days at a time. Getting his boat totally changed his game plan & how he bow fishes. He, along with Keith have put a lot of time, money and effort into making it awesome. Which is why she's call "Reign in Blood!" It's multifaceted and perfect for them!

LINDSAY:MY PIANO
I remember hating to play the piano as a little kid between the ages of 3-9 years. But I also distinctly remember going to see Last of the Mohicains with my dad and getting an Irish/Celtic jig stuck in my head. It turns out that I was learning something similar with my piano teacher Darlene Findlay. It was this song, her diligence and my parents making me practice up until that point that made me have a complete change of heart. After that I wanted to always play, to practice my little heart out. I learned to love the piano! My Sophmore year of college I didn't have access to a piano which made me miss it so bad. I remember coming home to here my sisters play at their recital and feeling like I was all rusty and had let my talent go. My parents saw my dispair and were able to get me a little upright, then surprised me by having Heather Findlay and her boyfriend deliver it to me in Utah. Music is my escape, I love being able to sight read and accompany people, sometimes I even sing; although I do not have the best voice! I keep teasing Andy that one day, when we have the space and money he's gonna have to get me a baby grand....One day it'll happen too!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 6

2011-02-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

A person you'd love to trade places with for a day
ANDY:THE VAMPIRE KING (AS PER DON HENRIE & HIS CULT FOLLOWING)
Ok this sounds crazy, I thought he was loosing his mind! But Andy said there are so many fascinating and perplexing people he'd want to see how they tick, but that this guy was so far from what he even thought was possible he'd want to find out what actually went on in his head.
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LINDSAY:JANE GOODALL
Ever since going to Africa and being a part of it, I've been fascinated with Chimpanzees and Gorillas. That was the best experience and opportunity of my life. I would give anything to be able to go do that again. It's what sparked my interest in photography, and made me open my eyes to the devastating illegal bush meat trade and how humans are destroying our closest living ancestors. I would love to be able to sit and chat with her, to pick her brain, to hear first hand what her trials and tribulations were as the voice behind these animals. Her research and knowledge excites me and I so want to be a part of it. I had a glimpse while in Africa and I'm bound and determined to get back there one day. This time with my animal loving husband right by my side.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 5

2011-02-19T06:04:00.000-08:00

Your favorite memory
ANDY:HIKING DOUGHNUT FALLS AS A LITTLE KID WITH JESS, MOM & KATH

LINDSAY:SUMMER VACATION WITH THE FAMILY
My parents rented a big RV camper, loaded up the family and we went all up and down the California & Oregon coast. We spent a couple weeks traveling the PCH; we went to the Redwoods, the Oregon coast with huge tide pools, and everywhere else in between. It was the prettiest drive and the best scenery. We loved being in the camper, with all of the crazy sleep bunks, and using the funny toilet. It was the best time I had with my family.
The PCH is the Pacific Coast Highway, seen below, the most beautiful drive ever.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 4

2011-02-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

Your favorite night
ANDY:RAN AWAY FROM HOME
When Andy was a little kid he decided to run away one night. So he packed some clothes inside a bandanna, put that on the end of a broom and slung it over his shoulder; like you'd picture a hobo. He also took along a book and his teddy bear. He stayed out until it got dark then he sauntered back home, rang the doorbell and asked if he could sleep there that night. After that he decided to stay home and never leave again....

LINDSAY:CAMPING ON THE BEACH IN CARPENTERIA
For my 11th birthday party my parents asked what I wanted to do. This was my second birthday living in California and I loved the beach. So I asked if I could go there. Dad suggested camping so I got to take two other friends; Morgan Lawler & Vanessa Laguire with me and my dad. We actually set up a tent right there on the beach and had a amazing night making smores, tinfoil dinners and swimming in the ocean. It was small but so perfect!

Us in 30 pictures: Day 3

2011-02-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

The cast from your favorite show
We don't have T.V. anymore, which is absolutely wonderful, but when we did this is what we loved to watch.
ANDY:3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN

LINDSAY:SIENFIELD

Us in 30 pictures: Day 2

2011-02-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

You and the person you have been closest to, for the longest time
ANDY:SAM OLSEN
They've been friends forever. Grew up together, went to school together, hung out with all of the same friends, got into trouble together, have been there at all of each other's important events; like Sam being a groomsmen in our wedding and Andy being there when Sam's daughter was born. Through thick & thin, differences in opinion and beliefs they shared a common ground. Sam is great, he's one of the nicest, most genuine souls I've ever met, he wouldn't hurt a fly. He's so sincere and kind which is why everyone loves him and having him in our life is a blessing.

LINDSAY:TERA NANCE
Girlfriends are hard for me; I only have a few because of how caddy, dramatic and backstabbing they can be. I keep them close and cherish our true, non judgmental or competitive relationships. I keep them close to my heart. I met Tera after returning from Africa, while I was working at Petsmart. She was the new manager in the store and we hit it off right away. She's been there for me through good times and bad, always my little confident, someone to talk to and go on crazy adventures with. She's very responsible and helps keep me on tract. I can't imagine life without her.

Us in 30 pictures: Day 1

2011-02-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

15 Facts about Us
ANDY (trying to get a straight answer is ALWAYS fun when it comes to Andy)

He's
The best bowfisherman around
Way stronger than your grandma
Pretty fly for a white guy (STWB)
Really loves what he does for a living
Can rattle off facts, scientific names & any information about all animals
An amazing chef
Absolutely hates getting out of bed in the morning
Super funny and entertaining
The first to show and the last to go
He has a bad temper
Loves to climb trees
Spaghetti is his favorite meal and he would eat it everyday if he could
Has a green thumb and baby's his plants
Loves to draw & doodle
Thinks that Mini Pomeranians are the cutest dogs in the world

LINDSAY

I...
Laugh like George W. Bush (the shoulder thing, it's all me)
Am addicted to frozen yogurt with black berries & white chocolate chips
Snores really loud
Can fall asleep anywhere
Like to collect movies, i'ts my healthy addiction
Absolutely loves my job and what it en tales
Have a very tender heart, that's my way of saying I cry at anything
I love to clean, especially when I'm mad or stressed out
I hate split ends and I'm always pulling them out if I see them in my hair
I'm the strongest girl my husband or his friends have ever met
Love entertaining; having people over and cooking for them
Wishes I was a better dancer or even had that kind of figure
Love photography (and have been trying to save up for a new camera)
Obsessed with Michael Jackson, I love his music & dance moves
I could go to the zoo everyday and be happy

Dashboard Confessional

2011-02-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

My best friend Tera had surprised me and for Christmas had gotten tickets to our favorite band Dashboard Confessional. We've been a fan when he was underground and not mainstream at all. This concert was the 10 year reunion for 'Swiss Army Knife' probably the best album he ever made. The show was down at the Venue in SLC. We got to go to an early dinner and then head down to the show. It was SO amazing! We loved every minute of it. Especially since it was all him on the guitar...COMPLETEY aqcoustic! We just sang our little hearts out to every song. Of course we knew all the lyrics so it made it that much better. Thanks for a wonderful night bear, such a good memory!

Check Out Sleezy-P

2011-02-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

Yes we have another new addition in our family; a white throat monitor lizard, named Sleezy-P; named after the manager of the band Gwar. Andy's been working with him, getting him used to being handled and feeding the crap out of him. Now it's all starting to paying off, he's not really aggressive or mean like monitors can be and he's growing like a weed.

He loves meal times, and all of the literature and keepers say to feed them until they're full and don't want to eat anymore. His diet is pretty diverse; he gets eggs (still in their shell that he has to crack and tear open), goldfish, turkey balls (turkey meat rolled into balls, not the literal translation there), also cockroaches, and mice. The fish were fun to watch him devour because he had to be coaxed under the water, but once he got the hang of it there was no stopping him. He's a voracious eater and a quick learner. He's got killer claws and a tail that hurts when he winds up and tries to whip you with it. But other than that he's pretty awesome. He loves his bath times as well and hates it when you try to take him out and he's not quite done. He's lucked out and has it pretty well made here at our home. And lucky for him we're huge reptile enthusiasts so he'll always get the royal treatment at our house.

Our Newest Rice-Ball Addition

2011-02-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

Andy has wanted a hunting dog for as long as I can remember, but due to finances, living arrangements, and other animal circumstances it was never feasible. That is until this holiday season. By word of mouth Andy found out that a breeder had this dog that was paid in full and never picked up. The breeder had him for eight months, he wasn't one they planned on keeping so after all that time, they decided to return the money and see if someone else would want to purchase or even take a juvenile dog off their hands. Most people want a pup they can really train and mold from a young age. He was adopted by a family that didn't really under the tempermant of Chesapeake Bay Retreivers so they gave him to a friend who has four other hunting dogs, all German Short Hairs. He didn't want to keep him, but said he'd spread the word to see if someone else did. So by a real chance of luck this guy was friends with Andy's best friends' dad, and he told Andy all about it. Got all that? Andy went out to Paradise which is the next town over from us about 10 miles South just to see if this dog was worth getting. Turns out he was a little overweight; because he was being fed a diet strictly of cheese and mink meat. Plus he was in a kennel 24/7 and no had ever worked with him so he needed a lot of basic training on top of any retreiving training.

What can I say except that Andy is in love! He's been so good with him. He's been taking him out for walks twice a day and he just started working on some basic training and hunting commands. He still has a lot of work to do but he's on the right track. I haven't seen him this motivated about an animal project in a long time. I told him that if he got this dog it was going to have to be his responsibility...ALL OF IT! That I wasn't going to do any of it, just to prove a point. Well so far he's been great. I wasn't that fond of Chesapeakes before, but he's a model of what an ideal specimen would be. He has the height, the weight, the bone structure, the deep chest, the big/blocky head, the thick/wavy coat and the drive to please. Andy ended up naming him 'Goose' which I think is hilarious, since he'll be used as a fowl hunting dog, for mostly ducks & geese. He's still a pup, so when we get frustrated or think he's not where he should be, we just have to take a step back and see how far he's come in the little time we've had him. I think he's a cutie, which is rare for me because this is not my kind of dog. But it sure is Andy's and he totally lucked out getting a purebred beauty for nothing at all.

Sisters

2011-01-30T20:23:00.000-08:00

I'm such a home-body! I love hanging out with my family more than anything else really. I especially love having so many sisters, and being so close with each of them. I find that despite our differences in age, beliefs, living situations, and where we are in life we all get along great and have the best time together.

Being the oldest I have a strong type A personality; leader, bossy, assertive, outspoken, nurturing, overprotective, etc. But I also have a huge heart, and tender to boot. I love being in my family and being best friends with my sissys! Each relationship is built on love and trust and I relish having that in my life. I love it when we can get together and play. We always have so much fun, we end up chatting and laughing and never having a dull moment. My sisters are my forever BEST friends. I'm lucky in that we've stayed close, and that we can still talk on the phone for hours, or if we've had a disagreement we're never too proud to patch things up. I know that families are forever and that I can always count on them no matter what; through thick and think, fat and small, successful or broke, they won't judge me or leave me alone. They're never let me down, and it's important to all of us sisters to have that close bond!

This past weekend Brittany was able to come down to Utah to spend some time with both Jordan and I. Regan was in town too for her dance tryouts at UVU, however with her busy schedule we weren't able to meet up. But I had tons of fun with B, just catching up, watching old movies, eating frozen yogurt, going out to eat, etc. It was the first time I had seen her since Thanksgiving, so she had a little baby bump which was totally cute. That baby G is growning and we're so excited to have him in our family. Andy couldn't keep his excitement to himself, which tickled B. We did get us three older sisters together on Saturday night for Cafe Rio, at B's request of course since California is void of them for the time being. And then Sunday we hung out and had Juji make us such an amazing homemade meal. I cry every time I have to say goodbye, it's so hard because I love having everyone close and together. Maybe one day that'll be possible. But for now the distance is broken up and made bearable by daily phone conversations which I live for. Thank you to my sissys for being my best friends, my confidents, my buddies, my pals! We will forever be friends, just like our kids will be too!

30 before I'm 30

2011-01-28T22:42:00.000-08:00

Well what can I say 2011 is upon us, and it's the dreaded year where not only will I turn a year older, this year I will in fact be turning 30! Ahhhh, it seems crazy to even think about. I remember when I turned 25, I was freaked out, and I'm serious when I say I freaked out about being a quarter of a century. It wasn't worse until Andy pointed out the fact that I was actually 1/2 way to 50 years old! Now come on that was brutal!

Now that I've had time to relish becoming older and hopefully wiser, I can absolutely say that I'm approaching my 30th birthday with my head up and that I'm totally excited for this change. So what I've decided to do is try and tackle 30 different and fabulous things before I turn 30, this coming April! I got this idea from a friend and I think it's fabulous. I'll be adding to it and hopefully marking it off along the way. If anyone has suggestions they are more than welcomed. I know this is going to be the best year ever! Here's to 30 before I'm 30!

Families are Forever

2011-01-25T22:23:00.001-08:00

It's hard for me to sit by and watch the people I love and care when they're in pain, upset, or even suffering. I've come to a realization that I love my family more than anything and despite our differences, the distance between us, and our separate lives we will ALWAYS have each others' backs! I've come to realize this, especially during times of trial; when we are faced with heartache and loss. This life is so precious, our bodies are so precious. And despite all of our best efforts and medical advances people will continue to grow old and eventually die. This is never an easy process; but it makes it even harder to bare when the people closest to us are dear family and friends, sometimes the only ones we have left. To the people left standing after the heartache, after the trials they were faced with, after the countless hours on their knees in prayer, their reddened faces and teary eyes...know that you are not alone, and that this life is not the end. At least that's what I believe, I know that we will all be reunited one day. It gives me hope and something to look forward to. A perfect world with all my dearest family & friends, that's how I picture forever!

I just wanted to send extra love to my brother in law Ralph, he is an exemplary man, who's gone through so much already in his short lifetime. It almost seems unfair for one person to experience so much loss and heartache. Just remember that you are not alone and that we love you! Families are forever. Our thoughts and prayers are with Altheia.

First Day Bowfishing

2011-01-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

So yeah it's been like 30 degrees lately, overcast, with snow on the ground, and bad air quality to boot! But yesterday it was picture perfect, in fact it was such a beautiful day out, that Keith & Andy were able to take me out bow fishing, our first official trip of the year.

Now this is a BIG deal. We are HUGE bow fishing people! What can I say we love killing carp! Ok that sounds a little hill billy-ish, but whatever it's the truth. They took me up to Tremonton to one of their favorite spots. We have full access to a friends land that just lets us shoot them dead! Sure it was still a little cool, so I wore a couple of layers and then tried to squeeze into some waders. Thanks to my lovely 'child bearing' hips, I was only able to get halfway in, so I kept walking/wading around with my pants halfway down my bum. Now I am no way near as nimble as these two monkey boys, but somehow I DID manage to fall in the freezing cold water. Andy literally had to give me the shirt off of his back....What would you do though? He couldn't just let me freeze. So besides my wardrobe malfunctions I was a major success. Together Keith & Andy killed about 50 carp, and I only got 4. But I'll take it since these boys are professional.

It was such a great day, I had so much fun out with the boys. I tried not to complain, despite me falling in and being soaked from my chest down to my knees. All the waders did was seal in the stink and the wetness! But like I said before it was totally worth it.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad Ball

2011-01-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

Well I can always remember how many years my parents have been married, because it's just one year more than I am in age. So this year is my big 30th birthday, which mean my parents have been married 31 years! It's crazy to think about that number in today's society when it seems like people are throwing in the towel and getting divorced. I've heard the 2 out of 3 marriages ends in divorce now. And I also heard a program on NPR radio that had a lady saying that divorce was so nice, essential even to help people start over fresh, get out while they still could, and basically it was talked about like it was just an excepted thing that couples do. We, meaning Andy & I have never thought like that or even considered it. We actually waited several years to get married because we refused to be that couple, divorce was never an option for us. As is my parents. They've been through their share of hardships, trials, fights, quarrels, disagreements, bad decisions, death, heartache, loss, etc. You name it, they've had to work it through together as a partnership and as a family. In fact in times when it got the hardest if they didn't cleave to each other and count on one another for support they would not have made it through. Thank you for your example to us mom & dad. Thank you for showing us that couples can and do make it in today's society. Thank you for showing us that couples can still bring home flowers, slow dance in the hallway, and share lots of smooches in front of us kids. You've taught us about having healthy, well rounded, fun, exciting, and intimate, lasting relationships.

It was just one year ago that us kids were able to honor mom & dad by throwing them a surprise 30th anniversary party with some close friends and family at the Cheesecake Factory. That was such a blast, even though it was a small token of our love and appreciation I know they enjoyed every minute of it. We love you guys! Happy Day!

Last Day of the Season

2011-01-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

Andy was SO sad to see his hunting season end. He lives for his weekends off from October through January, it's when he gets to go out and hunt ducks and geese. He & his buddy Chuck were able to take the boat out and get some nice pictures on the last day of the season. They were totally bummed that it was all done for another ten months. But Andy does have bow fishing now until then, and that's SURE to keep him plenty busy!'

Bringing up the 'Son'

2011-01-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

Today as I read my little brother's letter home from his mission in Mexico it made me smile to think of all the great adventures he must be having. I'm sure it's not an easy task, something I would never have been able to do, let alone want to do, but he's approached it and tackled it with no fear, complete jubilation, and faith. Despite what all of our beliefs may be I do believe that my brother Landon is doing a service, he's following his heart and stands behind everything he preaches. He is man enough to walk the walk and talk the talk. That behavior alone is an example to me of what kind of people we can be, and what we're made of. Along with his letter he sent some pictures. I loved this one of him standing on a hill, facing the city. It speaks for itself, I just made me smile to think about his purpose in life right now. It also speaks volumes about everything he's trying to accomplish, and that he has already conquered in his life to get to this particular point. Thanks for being an inspiration to me son, to follow my dreams, to have faith, and to never give up. Your dedication and drive have helped you succeed gives people like me hope. We love and miss you and can't wait to have home soon!

We've always called Landon 'Son' even us sisters. We heard my parents call him that it just kind of stuck.

There is Light at the End of the Tunnel

2011-01-10T21:33:00.000-08:00

So to all my blogging friends, stalkers, family and people who wished they knew me...I just wanted to apologize for not starting the new year out on track. I've been deterred by several other side projects, but now that I've taken a minute and have my head above water we're ready to commence with the Rice-Balls' regular scheduled programing. Have no fear there is light at the end of the tunnel :)

We have LOTS of things to look forward to in 2011.
Our health
Our home
Our work
Our animals
Our animal adventures
Bow fishing
Duck/Goose Hunting

Spear fishing

Boat trips
Birthdays; my 30th to be exact
Jordan finishing her Bachelors degree
Brittany finishing her Masters degree
Regan leaving to attend her first year of college

The arrival of the first grandchild in the Ball family

Andy & I taking on the role of being an aunt & uncle (Thanks to B & Ralph)
Landon finishing his Mission in Mexico and coming home...after 2 long years

The list goes on, and we're going to be adding more to our agenda you can count on that. If it's one thing we got going for us is that our life is FULL of adventure! We look forward to 2011, it's going to be a great year!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

This was our off year with my family so of course I had to work. I specifically planned working this holiday though so that next Christmas when my little brother will be home from his mission we'll be able to be together and spend it with my entire family. Afterall it is my favorite holiday. Even though we weren't able to go home we still had a great time. It was our first official Christmas in our home totally on our own, which was great. It was intimate but special all the same. Andy spoiled me with some awesome new pjs, a gift certifcate for a new pair of glasses and an 1.5 hour massage (oh yeah baby)! I got him some new clothes and books, as well as a new shotgun. Our stockings were full of Blueray movies, candy and other nick nacks.

My mom always makes a huge breakfast so in keeping with that tradition I also made a breakfast fit for a king. And since I was on call and had to work I thought it would be nice to also have Dr. Nemanic over since she wasn't able to leave to celebrate either. Breakfast was great, however right in the middle of it we got the call from our family that Landon was calling home to speak with us, a treat we only get once a year. So we had to spend the rest of breakfast in silence, listening to him on the speaker phone. Poor Dr. N had bare with us, but I don't think she minded since the food was so good :)

We were able to join Andy's grandparents and see everyone open their presents and join them for a light lunch which was fun. But we decided to have our own Christmas dinner, so we invited several friends, but only Keith was able to attend, which meant we had lots of extra food. It was such a great dinner. It was my first time making a turkey completely on my own, and Andy said it was the best he'd ever had so that made me feel great! I accompanied it with all of the fixings, dressing, green bean casserole, homemade rolls and mashed potatoes. We stuffed ourselves and then headed out to our friends Chuck & Amy for dessert, where we had my homemade apple crisp & vanilla bean ice cream.

It's always great to celebrate with kids since they enjoy all of their presents so much more than we ever could. Andy & Keith did get an awesome gift from them though, which took the cake for the favorite present. It's hard to describe but the best way was 'Carp Art'! Andy went straight home and hung it where everyone could see and admire it.

Henderson Christmas Party

2010-12-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

Our yearly Christmas party with Andy's grandparents and immediate family went great. Aunt Jodi was in charge. We feasted on French dip sandwiches and lots of good fixings. Then we played some killer games.
The first was a race of who could pick up the most candy canes with a larger candy cane in their mouth, no hands were allowed.

Then the second was another game without the use of hands where a glob of vaseline was placed on their nose and they had to try and flip or whip a cotton ball on the end of a ribbon up and have it stick to their noses; it was pretty gross, but totally hilarious to watch.

We also brought gifts to exchange, white elephant gifts that is, which changed hands during a Christmas poem. Josh was a big helper :)

Then for the final game we split up into four teams and had a contest constructing gingerbread houses. I was on a team with Andy's mom, Aunt Jodi, and our cousin Emmi. Andy was with grandma and cousins Makenzie & Britney. They all turned out pretty cute, each with a different flare. I teased Andy that they house looked like a house in Florida with all the green grass everywhere.

Family gatherings are great, especially since we get to see our nephew Josh; Jessica & Alex's baby. He's growing like a weed and doesn't know Andy or I very well, so it's always a challenge to get him to like coming to us or being held. Sometimes he's great...

Other times he's not!

It was such a fun night to be with our family, we had a great time like always!

Oh My Snow!

2010-11-30T22:25:00.000-08:00

Let me state for the record that I have a great husband! He's such a hard worker, always providing for our family. With the crazy weather and the immense amount of snow we've been getting he's had to work nonstop for the past 20 hours. I made a beautiful roast with all the fixings on Sunday but he couldn't afford to take a break because the plow on his truck broke so he had to go out and brave the storm in his little tractor in only his winter wear to protect him from the elements. Lets just say that after working for that long in the snow he came home and slept. And slept. And slept! I got a call midmorning today at work letting me know he was finally awake and actually conscious after sleeping for 18 hours straight! I just hope that his plow gets fixed asap before another storm hits. Utah has been getting hit big time with the early snow storms this year!

Thanksgiving Weekend Rundown

2010-11-29T21:38:00.000-08:00

Andy, Jordan, Nicholas & I were able to make it out of Utah the day after the biggest blizzard we've had in some time, and fly into Denver to meet up with the rest of the Ball and & Behunin clan. We drove down and met up at the airport, pared right next to each, kept each other company during the security screening and waiting time, and then sat by each other on the plane. It was a quick trip in, but well worth it.

Thursday was spent prepping for the big feast since both families really know how to eat :) Then we were able to snap a couple cute pictures of the cousins and grammy. It was then off to a movie; another Ball family tradition.

Friday the girls braved the scary morning crowds for some not so great deals afterall, but some great girl time non the less. Whereas the boys, lead by Andy, had a major attack on grammie's yard; raking, pruning, weeding, hacking, trimming, etc. You name it they did it, and boy did it make a difference. The rest of the afternoon all the cousins and aunts hurridly set up decorations, made food, and planned games; all for Brittany's surprise baby shower. She'll be the first granddaughter to have a baby so this is a big deal for the Behunins. Our Aunt Effie who's Greek is known as the biggest partier around, and it was her idea to throw B a massive family baby shower. She was a super delagator and got everyone onboard. My Uncle Mark teased that this shower was more for Effie than B :)

We told B that we were taking family pictures and that they needed to be at Grandma's at a specific time. Here's Ralph bringing her in, she was totally surprised...when we yell "Surprise, she's like for what?"

Our Aunt Becky had her good friend make the cutest cake. B's theme was ducklings because she still doesn't know the sex of her baby. The food was outstanding, no one could get enough! It was fun to hear B talk about her pregnancy with everyone their, we all just lived vicariously through her excitement which brightened up our day!

Aunt Effie & the Mommy to Be

Juji & I were in charge of the games. Now let me tell you we both love games and have a great sense of humor. Juji is a little more reserved than I am, but together we kept eachother in balance. Our activities included fill in the blank nursery rhymes, what attributes B wants her baby 'G' to have, a candy bar/pregnancy matching game, a bottle chugging contest, a conception game, guess mommy's belly size, and my favorite the dirty diaper game. It turns out our family is CRAZY competitive! We had woman screaming out answers, jumping up and down, laughing hysterically and going crazy over what was going on and who actually won the coveted prize! Everyone was such good sports, I know they all had a good time. The dirty diaper game was the best because I placed 10 different candy bars in 10 diapers, then I placed them in the microwave to get all gooey and 'dirty diaper-esk'. I told everyone they could sniff and taste what was in them to see what they baby must have eaten to make a poop like that. I must say that the Behunin's all know their candy bars pretty well, but getting to the answers was an actual riot!

Here's everyone getting down on the bottle chugging contest. Turns out sucking out of bottle is hard work!

B got some beautiful presents! Juji & I had the best time figuring out what to get to spoil our soon to be niece/nephew! We got her a bumbo chair help the little one sit up on their own, a breast feeding blanket with a wire to watch your baby, while discretely feeding, some awesome bath toys, binkys that had fun sayings that 'mute button' and 'I didn't do it'. And of course the baby's own blanket. For everyone that knows B, they know that our Grandma Ball, Mary, had crochet a yellow blanket for B to come home for the hospital in. B has kept that blanket to this day and continues to hold it and smell it for comfort. It's been a major cause for discord but she's managed to keep a hold of it and keeps tying it in knots as it falls apart and tries to die. Anyways we thought it would be cool for baby G to get keep the tradition going with their very own blanky as well!

During the girl festivities the boys all went out to eat for Wings which is another Behunin family staple! After that Andy & Uncle Don's boys headed up to Central City for some football watching and a little gambling. Lets just say that Andy hit it big and came home with a little extra cash that night, which made me very happy!

Then Saturday despite everyone except Nicholas coming down with a cold, we all spent the day at the Denver Zoo. This zoo has a really impressive reptile exhibit which Andy & I get a kick out of! We absolutely love going to the zoo, more than regular people, it can be a little disturbing; but our family was troopers and we got a discount going in which made it all worth it!

While at the zoo we had to see how far we could jump. I mean fleas can jump 4 feet and polar bears 9 feet; we were right in between.

We had to pose with the hippos, the boys were even wrestling them!

There was a monkey that was infatuated with Rooga, he kept staring, following her and reaching out to her. Rooga wasn't that impressed!

The Denver zoo has some of the greatest reptile exhibits we love seeing all of the different animals, it's not very often that we get blown away by the crazy, cool animals that are displayed but that was not the case for the following.

We saw so many animals and they're one of my favorite things to photograph so we have tons of pictures, but I'll just share a few of what we got to see during this trip.

B & Ralph had to fly out super early that morning. Mom, Dad, Regan & Mattie packed up the car and started their 20 hour drive back to L.A. while Juji, Nick, Andy & I headed to the airport to catch our flight home. It was bittersweet, great to be going back to our own homes and beds, but sad to leave our family and have to say goodbye. It seems to get harder each year to get everyone back together, especially when it comes to the ENTIRE family and each of their own FAMILIES. But that's what this season is so GREAT! I love my family and I'm thankful for every minute we get to be together! Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day, I know we did!

Much To Be Thankful For...

2010-11-29T21:20:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving holiday marked the third since we lost our sweet Grandpa, Gage Behunin. It was two years ago that we had gathered as a family for what looked like Grandpa's last hoorah with us. It turned out that it was his time just as soon as the entire family was able to gather together, one day shy of Thanksgiving. This was the first time we were able to once again all come together to celebrate, remember and show thanks. This year thanksgiving was the same date as Grandpa Behunin and Taylor's deaths. It's always a bittersweet day, but still a time for reflexion and being with one's family. That's exactly what we got to do this year.

We have a tradition of 'stuffing our thankful turkey'. It's where we have this cute turkey sitting on top of a glass jar. Then everyone around the family writes down what they're thankful for on a piece of paper and stuffs the jar full of them. Then right before the thanksgiving blessing we always go around and read what we're thankful for out loud. It's hearing the sweet things people that remind us what today is really about. Not the food, not the parade, or the best deals of the year; it's the things that really matter. For me it's my wonderful husband, my better half. For a steady job that I love, that I'm passionate about, and that I'm good at. It's also for that steady paycheck from both Andy's & my jobs that keep us afloat, with a roof over our head, and a furnace that works and keeps us toasty and warm. It's for cars that work and transport us where we need to be. It's for the best family one could ever want or wish for! It's for the best support system and network that's available. And it's for true friends that are few and precious in every sense possible, ones that don't judge or talk down to me, but love me just as I am! It's for my wonderful puppies that keep me company, give me unconditional love, and still think I'm the greatest; it's being that kind of person that my dogs think I am!

I could go on and on, seriously I am SO blessed! And thankful for my life!

Here's a picture of my parents such beautiful, wonderful people!

And here's some pictures of the Behunin cousins and our Grandma Behunin. Without her and Grandpa then we'd never be here without this amazing legacy! We had a scare the day after Thanksgiving, where Grammy had to be taken to the emergency room. She has a stricture in her esophagus where it will swell and becomes so small that food cannot always pass through, and on top of her acid reflux things will get lodged and stuck in there; causing discomfort, pain, difficulty eating, drinking and even breathing. She had waited a few months between going in to get her esophagus stretched and flushed out, so she when it got inflamed and plugged up it was a scary time. I cherish this life of ours and I couldn't bare to loose my Grammy right now. She's always been my favorite one and we've been super close. She's been the rock in the Behunin family that has kept everyone going. So this holiday I was especially thankful for modern medicine and it's ability to help my favorite friend! We love you grandma!

I am totally in love...

2010-11-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

I have the best husband in the world, hands down! He's the most amazing man, person, friend, confidant, etc. I fell in love with his humor and it never fails how he can brighten up my day, put a smile on my face, or get me uncontrollably laughing. He's smart, witty and intelligent. He makes friends with everyone, isn't judgmental and doesn't hold a grudge. He helps me to be a better person and keeps me grounded. He's the hardest worker I know and together we make it work.

My neighbor is a great photographer and captured Andy at his best, entertaining us so I wanted to share his picture, thanks Harty this is perfect.

Happy Birthday Ralph

2010-10-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Ralph's birthday, the BIG 3-0! He hasn't been a part of our family for very long, but he's a great guy, with a HUGE heart, he treats our B like a queen, and he loves us just as we are! Welcome to our family bro, you're a special guy and we're so glad & blessed to have you in it! I don't have a lot of pictures of Ralph by himself, but I'm sure we'll get more as time goes by! I hope you're having a great day! We're sending all our love your way! Make sure to eat lots of cake, we know you have the best taste in desserts!

Happy Birthday Mama

2010-10-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today is my mother's birthday, what a special day it is! My mom has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She's always giving people compliments, brightening our days with her smile, going out of her way to give and serve others, and never putting herself first. She's raised a beautiful family. We're such a close bunch. We love to laugh, play, and enjoy one another. She's managed not only to raise a family but put herself through schooling completing her Master's Degree and going back to teaching, which is her other love. She gets so much joy out of bringing the gift of music into others lives; she's been a major part of every road show, musical, dance, or production that our schools and church have put on. She gets the most joy from her kids, we are her closest friends. She's our #1 fan, our biggest cheerleader in life; always supporting us from the sidelines. She laughs with us, she cries with us, and she measures her success by the love that keeps on coming back from us and those around her. I love you mom with all my heart. Thank you for being such a great example to me all these years. Thank you for always being there for me and loving me no matter what. Your love is the foundation of our family and home. And we have the best family thanks to you (and dad). Have a wonderful birthday, go out and treat yourself, you deserve it!

I love you mama, you're my best friend! Thanks for always being there for me, for your love, guidance, your support, your prayers, for holding our family together and making us work, and for loving me despite all my imperfections! If I can be half the woman, wife and mother you are I'll be happy. Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Regan

2010-10-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today is Regan's 17th Birthday! I can't believe how fast time flies by. It seems like yesterday she was just a little baby, with kinky, curly hair...walking around with a grumpy face, getting mad whenever she had a wedgie! It's true that would upset her more than anything else! She'll probably kill me for saying that. Rooga always loved music and dancing. As a baby she'd constantly wear her Minnie Mouse bathing suit, walking along shaking her hips! Now a days Rooga's hips don't lie and she's blossomed into a beautiful young woman and a wonderful dancer! Our family wouldn't be complete with her in it. Love you Rooga!

River Rafting

2010-09-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

Tera has been a part of my adult life for the past decade or so. We've always gotten along great and have reserved all fun, exciting, dangerous, or lofty adventures to be spent with one another. This summer after spending a week up in Yellow Stone and the Tetons we headed down through Jackson Hole, Wyoming where we undertook a wet and wild river rafting trip. It was so much fun! Granted the water was pretty cold, but that just kept us more alert and apprehensive about the boat accidentally flipping over. We were put on a raft with several other people, none of which we knew, but that didn't bother us, we were front and center for all of the action. I didn't want to get my camera waterlogged so we purchased a disposable waterproof one, which I kept locked to my life vest. It was such a great day rafting, made impart by our very knowledgeable, handsome and serious guide named Gavin. I kept teasing Tera about getting his number after wards but all she could muster was a nice tip, maybe next time...I have to admit though that wet suits, a waterproof jumper, and a life vest did nothing good for my figure! Oh well, the joys of rafting I guess.

Home Improvements

2010-09-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

We've been busy getting our mother in law apartment fixed up and ready to rent. We had new floors put in; both carpet and vinyl, then I painted, and Andy's been busy working on a separate entrance; complete with a fence, stairs, and a little deck area. We know how hard it is to find a well managed, nice looking, up kept place to live in; so we strive to bring that other people! It's been so much fun working together on this project.

Happy Birthday Maddie May

2010-08-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

My baby sister Madison Grace was born 19 years after me!!! Despite being that far apart we're still very close! She's our 'saving Grace' hence her middle name, Madison Grace Ball! She brings up the caboose but truly completes our family. She's smart, witty, artistic, creative, she loves to sing, dance and play the piano; she's even started playing by ear and writing her own songs! She's our peacemaker, another first born almost. We're so blessed to have her in our family. You're loved to the moon and back kiddo! Thanks for choosing me as your sister! Happy 10th Birthday Maddie May!