LIFE'S A PICNIC ... AT WORK

Soooooo... Container and Packaging got a new logo!  Scott celebrated with his crew at work with a cake - created by himself!  He's truly amazing!

The new logo - on a cake!

Lucky Kentucky Warehouse!

Then, today, we had a company picnic.  It was delicious and fun!  The hamburgers and brats really put me over my calorie intake limit... but it was worth it!  Yummmm!  And watching everyone play football, spike ball and volleyball was great!  Some of Scott's coworkers are pretty competitive!  I think I enjoyed watching spike ball the most.

D'Argy at the grill...

Ryan loves anything competitive!

Mason too...

And little D'Argy looks on!

Teaching the younger generation to throw a football....

She is my favorite picker - of course, she's my daughter!

Good food!

Good friends!

Good times!

Spike Ball - who knew?!

Ryan - Mason - Chris - Joel

Paige tried it out too!

Isn't Paige gorgeous?!

Dominique and Jon

Wishing he could play....

Nancy serves a mean volleyball.

Kotten Kandy chases said volleyball.

D'Argy "sported" too!

Dominique was great!

Volleyball is for everyone!

I got to hold this cute little one!!!!

And I even took another selfie with my beautiful daughter!

Thanks, CPS, for the BBQ

EMOTIONAL FOR MAMA

Key Lime Pie

Well... one of my best friends is off on a new, grand adventure... and I'm not invited.  Kiara Lea is officially a BYUI student!  She is so ready!  And she is so excited!  And she is going to do great things!  I couldn't be more proud of her!  I'm excited for her!  I'm happy for her!  And, yet, I'm a bit sad.  I'm sad because I'll be so far away in Kentucky.  I'm sad because my first, precious daughter is growing up.  I'm sad because she won't "need" me in all the same ways anymore.  I keep singing the song "Happy/Sad" from the Addam's Family Musical:

I'm feeling happy.  I'm feeling sad. ...

I'm sad and happy, why should I choose?

Life is full of contradictions, every inch a mile.

And the moment we start weeping,

that's when we should smile.

In every Heaven, you'll find some Hell.

And there's a welcome in each farewell. ...

So let's be happy

Forever happy

Completely happy

And a tiny bit

Sad.

We left from Colorado and drove ALL night and got to Rexburg at 3:30 AM.  We slept for 2 1/2 hours in the Walmart parking lot.

Road Trip - Me - Kiara - Shanae - GJ

We've been shopping multiple times to set her up for the semester.

GJ - Gary - Shanae - Mariah

GJ and I make "very pretty people!"

We've enjoyed meeting her roommates and touring.

This girl was waiting for us this morning and opened her apartment to us before we cold even knock...  She's so funny!

Love her photo ID

And G.J. took us all out to Applebees for dinner!  YUM!  Thanks, sis!

Great food!  Great times!  Great company!

Even though she's an "adult", she's still my little girl.  So my awesome sister and I took her around campus this morning for a back-to-school photo shoot!  It was fun!  And she was so sweet about posing for us!

Ready for school!

Such a beautiful campus (and girl!)

Kiara and I LOVED this part of the Snow building.

(Which, by the way, was "MY" building when I attended Ricks College.

I actually remembered it!)

She's going to love learning here!

GJ and I are Ricks College alums!

Dramatic and happy!

Look out world!  Kiara Lea is going to make a difference!

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Clan McCallister

Nice looking genes, if I say so myself

It was a WONDERFUL weekend!  And EVERYONE made it!  I am sooooo grateful!  And I LOVED every minute of it!  I wish we all lived so much closer to each other... because I really enjoy my eternal family!  I'm so grateful my mom and dad fell in love over 50 years ago!

Mil and Grandpa started it!

But the week didn't start until Kiara Lea came home - finally - on Tuesday night.  They had major car trouble and had to turn around and go back to Grand Junction TWICE.  We're glad she and my parents made it safely to Kentucky....  And Thursday, our walking/running gang was back together again!  It was wonderful to walk with my best friends: Amy, Key Lime Pie and Kotten Kandy.

Amy - Me 

Raisin

Kotten Kandy - Key Lime Pie

And my beautiful daughters posed for me too:

Best Friends for Eternity!

Friday was RAINY!  But we still enjoyed being together at Claudia Sanders for a true Kentucky dinner.  Thanks, dad!  And it was DELICIOUS!

The Adults

Ain't he as cute as his dad?!

After dinner, all but the 4 youngest, got to go to the temple.  We wanted pictures... but were unable to get them due to the fact it was POURING rain.
Saturday started off rainy, but it let up once we got to the Mammoth Caves.  We hiked, walked and enjoyed hanging out together - complete with a picnic in the parking lot.  Then we quickly got to see Lincoln's birth place.  Kentucky is amazing!

I loved listening to these 3 girls giggle, visit and talk together!

Strengthening relationships is what it's all about!

Cousins by the dozens!

Most of my Mammoth Caves are too dark...  

Only two turned out:

My Sister!

My niece, Mariah!

Just "beCOUSIN"

Sunday was church and LOTS of pictures....

The DeGooyer Family

The Honda Family

The Zane McCallister Family

The Ben McCallister Family

And we celebrated EVERYBODY'S birthday.

Scott made the cake!

And we all devoured it!  Yum!

And walked to Indiana from Kentucky....

Cousins being silly on the walking bridge.

All of 'em!

Monday we went to Beckley Park.  We hiked and played, etc.

These 5 girls braved the 3 mile walk in the middle of the hottest part of the day with high humidity!

Of course, the beauty was worth it!

A Sister is a Special Friend

She's my best friend!

They loved the beautiful train bridge....

And then we BBQed.

Building a 9 Square

Playing 9 Square was soooooo much fun!

The cutest jouster of them all!

This kid climbed so high - we could barely see him.

Begging Kiara to play.

Bubble Blowing Contest 

These two won!

Their own container of bubble gum!

And did anybody sleep, you ask?  We tried...

I love my daughters!

And some succeeded:

I already miss everyone!  I really love my crazy, unparalleled family!  They are mine!  And I am grateful!