Aw.....Fall........is in the air....

....not quite here yet but I've been in SLC and it's very apparent there, especially in the evenings. I traveled north on my yearly trek to Acappellastock.....Oh, yeh....and once again was NOT disappointed. It was an amazing (surreal, that's for Lauri) evening and we enjoyed almost 3 hours of great acappella groups, not just the usual Barbershop Quartet although there were some of those but frankly, I wish they would not be invited as they get realllly upstaged by the "new-wave" stuff....but they were good and entertaining but "hard core" rockappella is what I go for. It was sooooo much fun and I plan to go again next year and the year after that and so on and so forth. I wasted 2 tickets because I was really optimistic that I would be able to convert someone but I will not give up. I will continue to be persistent, (but will probably get committments before I buy too many tickets again) but the offer is out there. It's in Ogden, so a little far up the road but WORTH....ITTTTT! So, back home again and feeling the Fall....got a few decorations out and all day today I've been remembering the scents of Fall....spicy tomatoe soup cooking (haven't made any yet but plan to) and I especially love the scents that come with the cool crisp air (which will come later but I'm anticipating) and the feeling of getting all the kiddies back in school, into a routine and life back to a little normalcy. Even though I have no kiddies at home to take to school, I still feel the sense of peace that comes from knowing yours have a place to go each day. Right now my house smells like "Pumpkin Spice" Salt City candle, my favorite, and my center piece is in place (oops, it looks a little uncentered, oh, well). Welcome Fall..... how do you feel about Fall?

Been there.......

.......that's why I'm lovin' the Olympics. This morning while watching the Today Show, Meredith, Ann, Al and Matt ventured onto the Great Wall exactly the same place that we did in March. It was so cool....and there are lots of places to go to the Great Wall and maybe this isn't really the same place we were at but it sure looked like it. They rode the gondola up and then took the bobsled down and all the same things we did. I felt like a little schoolgirl that wanted to raise her hand and tell the whole class that..."I've been there too." Anyway, when they got off the bobsleds, there's these Mongolian Warrior guys there to meet you and have a picture taken with you. We did that. So, I couldn't get a very good picture of the Today Show crew doing it (it is online as a video) but I have a picture of us so I'm posting that today as my "Show and Tell". Also, I've been pretty busy lately so haven't had time to put some follow-up pictures of Lauri's birthday party so I'm doing that as well. I collaged a few fun pictures from the party. Enjoy!!!

Send birthday wishes to Lauri.......

Top Ten Reasons I Love Being With Lauri:

10. She can dance.
9. She loves the color orange.
8. She makes really good cookies and other fine foods.
7. She likes to laugh.
6. She is mostly happy and when I'm with her I want to be happy.
5. She thinks kind thoughts and when I'm with her I want to think kind thoughts.

4. She gives me something to spend my money on.
3. She will do the driving for me.
2. She has a peaceful nature.

Ta da da da...... The number one reason I love having Lauri around......she does my grocery shopping for me.

When I am old I may not wear purple but I want Lauri to take care of me and she will because she stands to inherit my diamond ring. A shoutout today and for the rest of this week as this sweet daughter of mine turns 25 on Monday. Only 25 years ago on Aug. 18 we welcomed a little girl after 4 boys and I haven't stopped smiling since. Well, maybe one time when she told me she was dropping out of college but it was o.k. because she fulfilled a successful mission to Arizona and can speak Spanish so now she can interpret Dora for me and I really smiled when she graduated from BYU last May. I hope her good nature will be enough to sustain her in the small Mexican village of Irapuato and I don't really want to know how "quaint" it really is. She will head there for 3 months for post-graduate field study and I will miss her. Carry on daughter-0-mine and thanks for letting me dress you up and do your bangs curly when you were little and for shopping with me and for me and for raising Traci. You did a fine job. Now, go forward with faith and know that I love you. The only thing keeping me sane right now is not thinking about the next 3 months. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON MONDAY!!!!

The Whole Fam Damily.......

The second day of our First Annual Wells Family Reunion took us to Town Square for pictures. After 200 plus shots......not all of us are having a good day but what can I say....it's great to be together.
I have 9 precious little grand-sons and 3 sweet-as-punch grand-daughters. My baseball team and cheerleading squad.

Money, Teeth and Pain........

........now all this family needs is a good auto mechanic!!!!!! Yep, I made them (threatened them with their inheritance) drag out their caps and gowns for this.....do ya blame me? I'm just a red blooded, American mom. Lauri and Traci, I'm proud of you too and when you get your doctor degrees you will get your spot on my blog, k?

The first annual Scott Wells family reunion....

........is almost history. Spencer rolled into town on Thursday and the partay started. Friday was the official start of this momentous occasion and as I peruse (not sure if this is the right word but I like it) the pictures I can't decided which ones to blog and I'm dead tired right now so I'm putting on the basic "blue shirt" shot of us after a day of dentist appointments (cavities filled for Russ and Spencer) then lunch catered by Cafe Rio, activity provided by City Recreation Department hydrotube and pool, grilling provided by, um....not quite sure, I was busy inside cutting tomatoes but it was good) and then an awesome talent show and games. Tomorrow is family pictures (first time this family has been together in many, many years) then breakfast and moving on up the road to finish off the festivities in Pine Valley. So, until further notice, this family is on it's way to reunioning for many years to come. It's been an awesome day for this tired grandma......