My Grammie Let's Me: -Jump on the bed! -Sleep until 10:00 o'clock in the morning! -Sit in my own special chair and watch Baby Einstein while I eat breakfast! -Ride in my stroller for an hour-long walk! -Smile for the camera and then shows me my picture on the display. I love to see myself -Play and play and play in the bathtub -play in my travel bed and then on her big bed with the BIG FISH! -dress like a ghost and kick the ball all around -lay next to her and make funny faces
Debbie Andersen, Muah and Jody Hill. All from the Wheeler Machinery days. I love you girls! Scott and Debbie Andersen, another marriage made in heaven at Wheeler Machinery Co! When I sold Real Estate in Salt Lake, I helped Scott and Deb sell some property they had in Park City. Scott Wilson was actually the person who hired Scott Andersen at Wheeler 18 years ago! Way to go Scott! The reason for my trip to Salt Lake? To spend some time with my Dad on his 78th Birthday! Happy Bday Dad! I love you so much and wish I could be even half of the person you are! Rocky racing past me near the end of our road rally. He was headed to Salt Lake from St. George for a family reunion and decided I needed an escort.It made the trip go by so fast getting cell phone calls from him to give me updates all along the way. You rock Rocky! My best friends ever...Jody and Kevin. Thank you for taking such good care of me when I am there. I love you both SO MUCH!
It was a whirlwind trip for sure, but fun as usual. Kevin BBQ'd pork chops for us on Friday night then we sat around visiting until 1:30 in the morning, all the while enjoying our favorite Rum and Coke beverages. Saturday Jody and I went shopping and then Saturday Night we went to Texas Roadhouse for a family get together for Kevin's family. I didn't originally plan to go with them, but they twisted my arm and I was so glad I did! I had forgotten that Scott Andersen was a friend of Kevin's practically since birth so they were there at the family gathering. It was so good to see them! Afterwards we went back to Jody and Kevin and chatted again until Jody and I drove Kevin to his bed with "girl-talk" Ha Ha. He is such a good sport about stuff like that! Sunday I woke up to Henrik's morning wake up call and then I was off to my Dads. It is always so nice to be near my Dad, he is an amazingly kind and gentle man. We had lunch and then I hit the road to come home around 2:00 pm. I actually made the 4 hour drive in 3 hrs and 20 minutes! I'm certain there had to be a tail wind! Anyway, I'm home now, getting ready for the work week, lots going on.
I hope you all had as nice of a weekend as I did and I hope you have friends that are as loving and caring as I do! I have to pinch myself sometimes! Love to all!
The never ending Blue Eyes! It's finally here! My big weekend to go see my friends in Salt Lake. I have needed a change of scenery especially having so many restrictions for the last couple of months with my blood clots. Lot's of plans already that are in the works and a few other tentative plans I will figure out when I get there. Because I won't see Stella for a few days, I watched her for a few hours tonight and enjoyed her so much. Our evening started out with pork chops and mushroom gravy I put in the crock pot early this morning. She loves to eat anything that comes out of Grammie's crockpot. When she comes in the house and see's it on the counter she point and grunts at it. I was at the dollar store the other day and found a little pink flashlight with Tinkerbell and Cinderella on it for .99 cents. After we got home from our walk around the golf course it was almost dark. We went in the house, turned off the lights and played with the flashlight on the walls and ceiling. She was so excited!!! It was so cute to watch her. We also held her special music box I brought her from Bavaria of the Neunschwanstein Castle and made up stories about Stella living in the castle. You can see in the photos how fixated she is with it. We played outside for a while running around on the grass..something I am really going to miss when I move to my apartment next month. BUT, I will find a way to do other things that will be fun and enjoyable with Stella. Okay, I am off to bed so I can get up early and hit the highway headed North first thing. And before you say anything, yes, I will stop freguently and walk around...preventing any more blood clotting problems! I hope you all have a good weekend!
Love Ya!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Today was a bitter sweet day while I hiked to the Emerald Pools in Zions. As I departed the shuttle bus that takes you up to the trailheads, an announcement came across the bus drivers radio that they were closing the Angels Landing Trail for a search and rescue operation. That hike is the one I hope to be able to do in a few weeks. It is one of the most dangerous hikes in the canyon and each year, someone falls from along that trail to their death. Today, a 55 year old woman from Los Angeles fell from the top...over 1000 feet. She was hiking with her husband and two adult children and had done the hike before. I happened to meet a woman who was right behind them on the trail and she saw the woman fall. She just mis-stepped and went over the edge. It does make me think more about hiking by myself, but usually Zions is busy enough that people would witness an accident. Anyway, my hike was fabulous to the pools. It was only 67 degrees in the park when I arrived at 8:30 a.m. in fact, it was a little cold! As soon as I crossed the bridge going over the Virgin River the sun came out and hit me and it was a perfect day after that. The hike is about 3 miles and it took about 2-hours. Although the waterfalls were small, the mist spraying off of them looked so beautiful in the sunlight. There were Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds and plenty of chipmunks along the trail.
When I go to the Park I usually find myself a minority as it seems most of the visitors there are French, German or Asian. Mostly French and German. They are also so polite and say such nice things about MY park! They are also so amazed to find out that I live so close. It really makes me appreciate where I live even more.
As I walked to the Upper Pool I really started to sweat so out came the red headband to keep the sweat from my eyes. As I drove down the canyon after the hike it was about 83 degrees. I rolled down all four windows in my Altima, turned the radio up REALLY LOUD and cruised down the canyon towards home listening to Creedence on the radio. I was home by noon! What a great way to spend a Sunday morning.
The rest of my day I did tons of ironing, printed pictures of Stella to take to my Dad in Salt Lake this coming weekend and enjoyed some Pork Roast I put in the crockpot before I left. Now that I'm moving in September, I am trying to eat up everything in the refrigerator and cupboards so I don't have to move them! I was doing a lot of computer work as well today so I watched the Hitchcock movie "Notorious" while I was clicking on the keys. That is such a classic movie!
The hummingbirds just flew up to my window and were looking in at me. I am really going to miss them! Today, there were 5 hummers out there at once! I guess our little homesteaders told their friends about my great sugar treat. In addition, the canaries think it's for them. As I was leaving for my hike this morning a HUGE black raven landed on the roof of the house next door and watching all the activity in the yard. I certainly hope that Ravens don't eat hummingbirds!
Cort and Michelle went to Ron and Kathy's house Friday night to work on the sprinkler system and landscaping that Ron needs done. They were there pretty late, but got alot done and got to eat dinner there. Kathy always makes such good food!
Henrik is back in Denmark, picking up where he left off taking care of his gardens and enjoying BBQ with his neighbors. He took some Carne Asada home with him, Yes, in his suitcase wrapped in newspaper...to share with his friends. He sent me a picture of it cooking on the grill...
Enjoy the pictures of Zions...every time I am there enjoying a hike, I always wish I was sharing the experience with some of my friends. What are you waiting for??
What a busy summer. Henrik was here for almost the entire month of July. We enjoyed getting up in the mornings on the weekend and driving the Harley somewhere for breakfast. We enjoyed breakfast in Pine Valley, Zions, Mesquite and New Harmony. I love riding on the back of the Harley, especially with the views in this area that I can enjoy while Henrik was busy driving us safely to our destinations.
Gail and Kip were here for a long weekend following my Mom's funeral in Salt Lake. It was so great to see them both and for them to get to see the kids and Stella. We went up to Oscar's at Springdale in the mouth of Zions. It was a perfect day to eat out on the patio and then we went up to tour Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Gail and Kip are fans of Dogtown on the National Geographic Channel so they were excited to see what a great place it is. We drove by the Vicktory pit bulls, but most were inside because of the heat. We spent alot of time visiting cats in several of the cat buildings and then drove over to Angels Rest so we could put more beautiful polished stones on Madison's grave.
While Henrik was here, he bought a hummingbird feeder for the hummers that were born in the bush in my backyard. In no time, they started to enjoy the feeder. One night we were sitting having dinner on the patio when one of the babies flew right into the flower on the table, not 10" inches from us. He was there for several minutes drawing nectar from the flowers without any fear from us at all. Today I went out to get the feeder to clean and refill it. When I was taking it down, one of the hummers actually landed on my arm! It was so awesome.
Our weather has been fabulous. A cold front has moved in so our temps have only been in the 90's. This morning it was 67 degrees outside which felt so nice. It's a little early for this type of temps so we aren't turning the furnace on yet!
I just heard that Van Morrison is going to be in concert in Las Vegas so I went to see when the concert is...of course, my luck...it's the weekend I'm going to be moving! I would have liked to go to that concert, especially after having listened to his music while Henrik and I was cruising thru Liechtenstein and the Austrian country roads. Every day I am reminded of something from my European trip, I am so greatful to Henrik for taking me on this amazing trip.
So, about my moving. I have rented a 1-bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex. I have convinced myself that this small place will be like living in a flat in New York City. My favorite things about it are the view from the patio, the gas stove, and that it is closer to my work. The things I will miss? Walking with Stella on the golf course, the adorable hummingbirds I have learned to love, and alot of really great memories in this house.
Tomorrow I plan to hike the Emerald Pools in Zions. I hope to make it to all three pools, we will see. Next Friday I head to Salt Lake. I am staying with Jody and Kevin, am meeting Lana for lunch on Saturday, and taking my Dad to lunch on Sunday for his birthday. Saturday night I have a few options but nothing firmed up yet.
I am improving everyday from my leg problems. I am still trying to get my blood to cooperate, but the numbness in my foot and toes is going away which I am VERY happy for. I am back to working 9-10 hours per day which I wish I didn't have to do. I am walking now with almost no pain and I am able to pick up the pace more and more.
Well, it's almost midnight and time for me to go to bed. I love you all and based on the responses to my question about keeping my blog going it sounds like many of you want me to continue. So, I will continue to post here, at least for a little while longer.
I love you all and I am grateful for everyone I have in my life. :-)
Here are some more pictures of Stella in her little white dress. I copied these off of Tawni's blog they were so precious!
Story time on Grandpa Olson's lap.
Our dainty little lady...
Sitting in her toy box in her bedroom
It's official... I'm moving! I signed the papers today for a new place. Sadly it's not in Coral Canyon which brings tears to my eyes, but it's what I need to do. I'm REALLY down sizing into a one bedroom apartment in a nice complex. As most of you know, I am a minimalist so I don't have a lot of crap to find a place for. I still have the option to take a 2 bedroom if one becomes available on Sept 1st, but I'm thinking I'm going to give the 1-bedroom a try. In some ways I feel like I am regressing going from a home to an apartment but, in reality, it will fit into my current single lifestyle and financially it's a win-win! There is a clubhouse with a pool and fitness center and I took a 3rd floor unit with a view from the patio. I have had the most fabulous views for last year and a half, but, life goes on! It's closer to work and close to everything in St George so I'm sure I will adjust to the location. The boys are NOT happy about moving all of my heavy furniture up 3 flights of stairs, but they will do it for their MOM :0). I will email new contact information out once I'm closer to moving time. If your bored and you want to help me pack and move, let me know and I'll buy the beer and pizza for everyone who helps! Patrick, don't let the 1-bedroom thing change your vacation plans! My couch is VERY comfortable!
I went to dinner with my girlfriend Christa at Red Robin tonight. She is adorable and so much fun. Christa was in Europe at the same time I was! We have not had a chance to get together and compare notes since we both returned. She loves Europe as much as I do so of course we day dreamed about a group of us getting together next year and doing a girls trip abroad. How cool would that be!
Cort is doing some yard work for Ron and Kathy up in New Harmony and he and Michelle are going up Friday night to do some measuring and planning for parts. I think I'm going to join them and probably have a sleepover. I also can take Stella for the evening while Jason and Tawni go to the Temple....So many choices!! Sunday I want to go back up to Zions, this time remembering my camera! I might take the same trail so I can capture what I missed last Sunday. If you want to join me, let me know! I'll head out about 8 am Sunday morning...also check my Facebook for updates.
Have a great weekend, do fun things and keep smiling!
I'm already surprised by the number of you that have responded and asked for me to keep doing my blog. I'm still not sure what I want to do about keeping up with it. It was alot of fun while it lasted, which was over a year and a half ago! I can't believe it has been so long. I decided to start to blog my blog on a Monday and Stella was born 3 days later. It then became the Chronicles of Stella for all to read and to follow. It was for certain the biggest reason people visited the blog and even still today, people check in just to see how well she is doing.
I'm making a lot of changes in my life right now. I'm looking for another place to live now that Cort and Michelle have moved in together. They have a cute house that is decorated so wonderfully! I don't need this much space and I could certainly use the reduction in rent! I will hate not living in Coral Canyon so near all the things I love so much, but, I'm sure I will adjust to where ever I live.
I'm looking for another part-time job now that my leg has improved. I'm not sure what, but need to find something in the next couple of weeks.
I'm going to Salt Lake in a couple of weeks and already have lined up alot of fun things with old and new friends. I'm really looking forward to seeing my Dad as well.
Patrick, my friend from Maine emailed and wants to meet me in Vegas and then come to St. George and spend the rest of his vacation hanging out with me and the family. We had such a great time when he was here last November. He'll be here sometime mid-September and we are all looking forward to it (especially Tawni!)
Congrats to Brad and Tina who will be getting married on the 23rd of the month in Maine. I am so sorry I couldn't be there as planned, but I still have some travel restrictions until my leg is free of bloodclots. Love to you, and wishes for a wonderful married life together!
Amber, get your butt back here to St. George. I miss you terribly! Christa, I can't wait until this Thursday when we get to share our mutual trips to Europe! Treena, get your butt out of Maine and back here to St. George, NOW! Rocky, keep those cards, phone calls and drive-bys coming, you are the best! Michelle, Heidi, Lori, Heather, Kristen, and Kam Marie...it's time for another GNO at my house. Craig, when is the 2nd Poker Night at Glenda's scheduled for? We better do it before I move...last time we had about 20 people here! Vicki, Tom, Kathy and Ron...I love ya!
Have a good week everyone, big hugs and kisses. MUAH!
I am trying to decide whether to continue updating my blog. Some of you I am in contact with thru Facebook and others, well I'm just not sure how many people are still following me and my ever changing life! If you still follow my Blog and want me to continue it, please email me at emailgwilson@gmail.com and reply "update" or "forget-about-it"!
Today was the best I have felt since I first developed blood clots in my leg. I can't beleive it was almost 2 months ago! I went for my first "hike" in Zions. I don't think you can really call it a hike, it's a paved, gradual uphill walk thru the Temple of Sinawava along the Virgin River to the mouth of The Narrows. I made it in the same amount of time as I used to do it pre-injury. It's nice to be back in the outdoor world again!
It felt so good I even made dinner for the family, including Dave, Sharyl and Jared. Now I'm kicking back resting after a very fullfilling day.
Miss Stella came to dinner in her little white church dress and no shoes. She looked so adorable!
I promise to get more photos posted soon, but now I have to get ready for the big work-week. I have so many pictures to share from Henrik's visit. We enjoyed several really great rides on the Harley and of course I took a zillion photos. Henrik is now back in Denmark (rain and in the 70's). He is most likely going to return to St. George the middle of September.
Look below and if you are visitor number 2000 to my blog, please email me at emailgwilson@gmail.com and let me know!
Flower Power!
My New Ride
I'd rather sleep in a house than a car so I downsized a bit but love it!
Guess Who Won the Men's Basketball Tourney Competition at Work?
You guessed correct! Of course I only entered as a joke because I know NOTHING about college basketball. As I started choosing down through the brackets, I chose for reasons like: Memphis: Beale Street BBQ is awesome! Kansas: Glinda The Good Witch of Course! Xavier: because I liked that it started with an X! You get the pattern I'm sure. Not only did I beat the group at work, I was in the 98.3 percent of over 3 million people who participated! What did I win you ask? One 20 oz soda from the vending machine (thanks Clark) and bragging rights! HA!
That's not all! I'm still ranked 6th out of 28 in the Fantasy Nascar League! Brad warned me against smack talk so early in the season, but hey, there's no time like the present!
My Girl
Official Font: Pea Tawni
For those of you that have enjoyed Tawni's amazing handwriting, it's now an official font! Follow the download instructions to add it to your word processing software. I did and its fun! I have yet to figure out how to add it to email or my blog but will advise if it's possible.
Well as Sylarus is growing it's time for me to recruit an Office Assistant. Olivia, I want you bad! Sharon are you ready to move back to Utah yet? And then there's Colleen, come on girl, grab orange cat and hit the road! Rena, have you grown tired of the hurricanes in Florida yet? I've been so lucky to have worked as a team with women of their caliber. If none of you are willing to come to St. George, then send me someone else just as good, will ya?
I have been the Office Manager there for almost a year, but now we are growing so much we are reorganizing a bit. My primary focus will be Human Resources and Purchasing, but I will oversee the Office Assistant who may eventually become the Office Manager. All I know is no matter WHO I hire, they will have to be absolutely amazing to be able to be as good as you guys were to work with. I miss you all!
See the link below to Sylarus just in case you want to apply. Ha.
I hope to see Stella again this weekend. I've been working my tail off so haven't seen her since Wednesday. My new Townhome/Condo is going up fast! It's been fun to watch as they build it. It's a good thing I'm watching though as they decided to remove a wall that I was actually quite fond of! Needless to say the wall is back and this week I will be busy choosing cabinets, carpets, tile, counter tops and paint! It's so much fun yet I don't feel like I'm very good at choosing that stuff very well so I have recruited Tawni's mom Sharyl to help me. She is an amazing decorator! I'll post Stella photos soon but can tell you she is still doing great! Her two month birthday is March 11, but the doctors consider her age to be minus 3 weeks as her due date is still in the future! Love you all!
2008 Nascar Sprint Cup Las Vegas MotorSpeedway
Monday, February 18, 2008 - PRESIDENTS DAY
Meet Buddy, my new Best Friend. I had a wonderful day in Kanab, Utah at the Animal Sanctuary. I picked Buddy up around 11:00 a.m. after spending some time at Madison's final resting place in Angels Rest. The snow on the ground here made everything look very different, but the snow had receeded on each marker just enough to reveal all of the items that have been gently placed at each marker.
Buddy and I went out into the cedar trees and walked a 4-wheel drive access road. Although wet, muddy and snowy, the temps were perfect and the sun was shining. We pushed out a group of 10-12 deer and some wild turkeys. We then walked along some of the other Octagons which house hundreds of dogs at Dogtown. A couple of pictures here are of the Clubhouse Octogon but it is hard to see the Vicktory Dogs. There is one red Pit Bull laying on a cot that you might be able to see. We aren't allowed to photograph them yet so this was a covert operation that didn't work to well. The picture of Buddy and I together was taken in the Best Friends Clinic by Michelle, one of the caregivers. She is from Long Island New York and moved to Kanab to work at Best Friends a few years ago. At the end of my day I drove home through Zions Park. Those are the photos at the end of of slideshow. You'll also see a couple of pictures I took of what we always called the Pink Cliffs when I was growing up. This exact location was where my family reunions took place for many, many years at the home of a grand-aunt. It's in Glendale, Utah. It was bitter-sweet to see it again as the ranch house has been replaced with very modern cabin and the ginormous oak tree has died and has been cut down to just a big stump on the side of the road.
The last stop I made was in Grafton, Utah which is just West of Zions Park. It was where the original Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was filmed. I couldn't get all the way back into the canyon as the road was impassable in my Maxima. I'll head over again after the Spring melt is over. My family claims that my great-grandfather used to provide horses to Butch and his Gang, what a rebel!
All in all, it was a fabulous day in a spectacular area. I hope you enjoy!
63 Degrees of Hiking Fun! Sunday, February 10, 2008
Meet some of my friends from work. We all got together to hike Johnson Canyon in Snow Canyon State Park today and it was beautiful! This area is just outside St George about 10 minutes and has everything from Lava Rock flows to Red Rock Sandstone Bluffs. The hike was probably 5-6 miles in total. It is so nice to be enjoying the great outdoors in February!! First we hiked up to an arch near the end of a box canyon then took another trail up to some caves that were amazing. Everyone was laughing that it reminded us of the movie Goonies from a zillion years ago! Although you see some snow up in the higher elevation and even some on the side of the trail, it was short-sleeve weather out there today. Simply wonderful!
For those who have asked if Stella is registered anywhere! Registry #69496076
Best Friends is a NO KILL animal sanctuary about 45 minutes from St. George and is an amazing place. You may have heard about it recently as they were sent 22 of the 40+ pit bulls that Michael Vick has been found guilty of abusing. I volunteer here as often as possible and have made many 4 (and some 3) legged friends. If going for the weekend I usually rent one of the cabins on the property and then after working all day walking dogs, grooming cats, mucking horse stalls or whatever it is that they need, I go to Dogtown and pick a sleepover buddy. You do a report card on your buddy so that when potential adopters inquire about a dogs behavior, they have alot of good info on hand. I fell in love with Sidney. She has never known a home other than a dumpster as a puppy and her run at Best Friends. She missed out on her chance to go out on the puppy adoptions because she was slow healing from her spaying operation. Now, because she's a "tween" (between puppy and older dog) she doesn't stand out. She is a WONDERFUL dog and anyone who adopts her will have a friend for life. In only a few short minutes she became MY friend for life. If I could have dogs where I live, Sidney would already be here with me. If you or someone you know is looking for a great pet, let me know.
Best Friends also has Angels Rest, a beautiful pet cemetary which is where Madison, our Ultimate Border Collie is buried. The slide show includes pictures of Angels Rest and the beautiful gates going in.
If you get the National Geographic Channel on television they just started a new show on Friday nights called Dogtown. It's all about dogs at the Sanctuary and is SO worth seeing, especially if you are an animal lover.
Here is the BF website, http://www.bestfriends.org/
please take a look and when you come to visit me in St. George, plan on taking a drive to this amazing place with me!
After living in Portland, Maine for the last 10 years, I have returned to Utah, more specifically St George, to be near family and friends and to enjoy the beautiful Red Rock country of Southern Utah. Previously I lived in the Salt Lake area, but was ready to live where it doesn't snow! Jason and Cortney Smith are my sons and Jason is married to Tawni. They are expecting their first child Stella in mid-march. Cortney is a bachelor-for-life it seems, at least for now. Living in Southern Utah offers so many outdoor adventures for us to enjoy. Year-round Golf is a major part of the community here. I like to hike in many of the State and National Parks that surround this area. I volunteer at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary as often as possible. You'll hear and see more about BF later in my Blog. If I really want to feel city life, Las Vegas is 2 hours to the West and Salt Lake City is 4 hours North. Vote below if you can guess which of the three little girls above is Me! Click on the photo for a larger image.
Our nemo fish came about while all of us were visiting the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey a few years back. We made a pact you had to keep both fish and that the only way you could get rid of them was by taking them to visit us. Once you are "tagged" by the nemo fish, you immediatly start planning your vacation! Of course we all live in different states. Since then they have traveled to Maine several times, Pennsylvania several times, Texas several times, Utah and Montana. I thought they were safe in Texas when Cortney and I stopped in Pennsylvania to see Kip and Gail during our cross-country move to Utah. NOPE! I couldn't have been more wrong. Karli had brought them from Texas to Pennsylvania the week before just so Gail could send them to Utah with us! They sat in the back window of my car for the duration of the trip. Realistically, our Nemo buddies have also been in every state I-70 travels through between Maine and Utah as well! With help from Kips brother Kirk, these little fellas made an appearance at Kip and Gails wedding rehearsal dinner in Billings, Montana!! They are now living in Austin, Texas but I know I haven't seen the last of them!
