Once upon a Time....

After 4 wheeling

 This summer for a few days, my family was all together.  That doesn't happen very often any more.  Anyone mind if I cry?  Whaaaaaaa.  The irony of going from a few short years before where it was divine when they were all gone somewhere and the house was quiet.  Quiet is nice for only so long.  Now I put on Queen and try to make the house rock ...just every once in a while like when Bryce had his friends over to play guitars and drums and the house really did "rock". 
Now McKay is in China.  He is passionate about becoming a famous ping pong player and is teaching English at a university to support his habit.  He was home for almost a year and introduced us to many cute girls.  We were hopeful but in the end, he still went to China.  He really wanted to go to Taiwan.  Sometimes life just doesn't turn out the way we want it to.  I can tell you about it.
Kira is in Naples as I type.  She got a new iphone and called from it on the internet.   She is one block from the train station and says it is noisy but she has a balcony .  She is getting tired of museums but is going to the ruins of Pompeii tomorrow.  She is hoping to get some beach time in before she rides a ferry to Greece to live with a single "farmer" for a week and work with him six hours a day for free room and board.  That should be interesting to hear about if we ever see her again.  Then it is off to tour the islands on a yacht.  This is her guilty splurge. 
Dallin moved into his condo at Provo.  He says the kitchen and living room is bigger than ours.  He has his own room and a closed garage for his car ( which is really McKay's car).  I think he is going to get spoiled.  We are hoping for a few girlfriends this year and good grades to keep the scholarship.  Is that possible to have both?  
Brooke's feet and legs are swollen.  The doctor says it is the heat.  Just one more month to go and hopefully after the baby comes, her legs will be normal...it's just the rest of the body that will never be the same again...trust me--I know.  We are pretty excited to have a baby within a short driving distance!

Bryce is still in heaven.  We celebrated his 24th birthday by hiking 9990 at The Canyons again. I found out he took Dallin on that snowboarding run ..the steepest in the resort when Dallin went for the first time.  He is going to hear from me when I see him.     I read an old journal entry where Bryce kept calling his sister in Tucson to find out what kind of car she had gotten.  He left a message on her machine when he couldn't get her after a few calls.  He tried to sound like he was crying and told her that she needed to hurry and call home.  It didn't sound too convincing since he was laughing through most of it.  We miss his stupid humour. 
That leaves Ty's family.  I am grateful for Skype.  I love watching those kids grow...without me.  I would be such a good babysitter.  Free even.   It is wonderful to interact with these kids and not take anything they do seriously ...except when they prefer Uncle Dallin to play with--then I get a little peeved...like he ever sends you anything. 
Thank you blog for letting me write whatever I want.  I love my family.  It is a most amazing thing to live with, grow with, visit with and love, love, love these incredibly wonderful people.  This is my happily ever after.