Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Shrute Army of Champions

Well Shrute Army are officially champions! They won the championship game last night. They were pretty excited, it was their high school basketball championship they never got. This isn't the entire team as some weren't able to make it but here are some. All the guys are from Valley (except Jana's hubby Tate-but they didn't have a problem accepting him as one of their own). Owen has a blast getting together with everyone and playing basketball. Us girls like it too because we get to catch up on everyone and of course watch the boys play ball.

This other pic. is from highschool when they won their region tournie. Not everyone is the same age group but here are a few of the boys back in their high school days.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Grandpa's Letter


So it was my Grandpa Gary's birthday today so I decided to write him a little letter. I will share it below.

Today is February 4, 2009,
Today is my Grandpa’s birthday which makes him 75
Today I am remembering the many memories I have had with him
Today I am going to write about some of these memories

One of the best memories I have of my grandpa is reading Horton Hatches the Egg
What joy this used to bring me as a child as I would sit in amazement and wonder
“How can Grandpa sound just like Mazy and Horton?” Grandpa was the best entertainment.
I don’t think anyone will ever read Horton Hatches the Egg better than Grandpa.

I used to love to go Grandpa’s house and go “exploring”.
Oh the things we could find between, the backyard, the garage, the basement, and Lisa’s old bedroom.
It was always an adventure there and there was always a good place to hide.
We never got bored at Grandpa’s house!

If however we did get bored, that meant it was time to wrestle in the living room.
What joy it brought me to have Uncle Mark pull my underwear clear past my head!!! J
Then Grandpa would come in and say “I swear if you break one thing in here….”
It always ended in us crying and my mom threatening Mark about what she would do to his kids one day.

I have so many memories with Grandma and Grandpa, so many I will never forget.
But there are some memories that I don’t necessarily remember, but that I have been reminded of
Like the time I told Grandpa that I wasn’t going to say “F---ER S--T no more”.
Or the time Hilary said “I don’t like Grandma Gethel but Apey does”


Some of my most memorable times were when we went to Australia,
I loved every minute of that trip, except when Grandpa was infuriated with me
All because we were at the “best seafood restaurant EVER” and all I would try was a burger and fries.
It was all I could do to put my sunglasses on and let the tears stream down.

The time we went to Holland was absolutely unforgettable
Becoming boaters, seeing the Neeleman windmill, Amsterdam and the red light district
When we went to Keunkenhof- the tulip festival, Grandpa wasn’t going to take a rest
He would walk the entire place with Hilary and me.

Of course Brazil was another trip I will never forget.
Paraty-the celebration of the Holy Ghost, Uruguay-best deals ever, Argentina-best steak,
In Brazil eating Jewish food at somebody’s home and wanting to die because I couldn’t be my picky self
Many memories, but mostly seeing my Grandpa in a place that he loves was a special experience for me.

Going to the ranch and the cabin were always the best of trips!
Always stopping at the Texaco to get frozen ice-cream
Always shucking corn, playing games, catching lizards, going to the big rock, exploring, and building forts
Always being free to roam the world!

There are many things we count on our Grandpa’s to do or to be
And these are some of the things we count on our Grandpa to do or to be
We can always count on Grandpa to keep the family together through thick and thin
We can always count on Grandpa to have a trip planned or to call us from some far off country

We can always count on Grandpa to sit on the couch with us and tickle our hands
We can always count on Grandpa to fall asleep but only claim to be resting his eyes
We can always count on Grandpa to give us a talking to and a few threats if we need it
We can always count on Grandpa to have a story or a joke to tell

We can always count on Grandpa to brag about his family wherever he goes
We can always count on Grandpa to have an opinion and not be afraid to voice it
We can always count on Grandpa to make a funny face, start speaking pig latin, or show off his pompous look
We can always count on Grandpa to be holding Grandma’s hand

We can always count on Grandpa to have an idea when we need a job, a paper, or something done.
We can always count on Grandpa to be our bestest friend
We can always count on Grandpa no matter what it is, he is there.
WE CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON GRANDPA!

There are so many areas of my life that involve my Grandpa and my Grandma
As time moves on and we don’t see each other as often, I do know some things
I do know that I have been very blessed to have my Grandparents in my life
And I do know that I want Owen and me to be the kind of Grandparents that they have been to me

I do know that I have the best of memories with my Grandparents; I wouldn’t trade them for anybody’s.
I am so grateful they have started traditions that will carry on for many generations
I am grateful they have kept this family close, and for who they are and what they stand for
I am grateful that they are they and I am I!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Superbowl and Shrute Army

I decided I needed to write a little bit on this weekend because honestly I do not remember one thing about last year's Superbowl and Owen keeps telling me all about it and honestly I think I must have blacked out or something or I just have really bad memory.
Anyway this year for the Superbowl we went to Jeff and Erica's and we had good food and of course good entertainment. I actually was really into the game and I thought that Arizona put up a good fight although the Steelers had some awesome plays!! I think my favorite commercials would have to be the Doritos and the Pepsi commercials. The best part though by far was the after show of The Office. Loved it! It was a good one!
Yesterday Owen played in his city league game with all the Valley boys and really this is the highlight of his weeks. He loves basketball and I think he still has dreams of being in the NBA with Kit right by his side. Boys! Anyway last night they played their first game in their tournament against a bunch of the Kanab boys and well we pretty much had a sweet victory! It felt good for some reason, don't know why, but better than other games. Maybe it was Kanab, maybe it was because I actually paid attention, maybe because it was a 'tournament', or maybe because Owen got a Technical for saying to the ref "that was a damn foul" with 2 minutes to go. If they win tonight then they get to play in the championship game. Yahoo! Go Shrute Army of Champions!
On another note Owen and I decided last night that we would wake up at 5:45am and go to Denny's to enjoy the free Grand Slam breakfast. Surprisingly or not so surprisingly we listened to the alarm go off until 7:00am. We finally got up and drove to Denny's. By then the line was all the way out the door and wrapping around the building. Yay we didn't care that much about free food, but we didn't get up that early for nothing. So we hit Ihop instead. We both determined that it was good and all but we would both would rather have our sleep.
That's all folks!!!