Going Platinum

Diamond has reached Platinum status with Marriott. And it's AWESOME!


Normally, a person has to travel quite a bit to reach this level of service. Diamond however, knows how to work the system and managed to earn the upgrade even with his moderate travel schedule.

Marriott had a deal that once you had so many "stays", you would achieve platinum status. Each time you checked in is considered a "stay", whether you stay one night or a week. Knowing this, Diamond spent a week in Toronto changing hotels every single night - daily checking in and out in an effort to accrue the required "stays". And when people came into town for a work conference, he would kindly checked them into their Marriott hotel rooms - under his member number.

It paid off. Being a Platinum guest with Marriott, comes with certain privileges. We get any available upgrades, have access to the concierges lounge and we always get a "welcome gift". (Like this tray of Haagen-Dazs ice cream and sodas!) Since the upgrade, we've stayed in hotel rooms that are bigger than our first apartment. And I'm becoming a bit of a princess - expecting to have a good breakfast (free of charge) and pouting when the person at the desk tells me no upgrades are available. The boys are even worse!

We have a year to enjoy the finer things of life before we go back to living the life of regular travelers. But who knows? Diamond has a week long trip to Vegas coming up. Maybe he can earn some more "stays" if he's willing to live the life of a vagabond. 'Cuz really, I've grown used to my welcome gift...

Memory Lane

As we were driving into Utah Valley at the beginning of our vacation, Big Boy #1 spotted the "Y" (for BYU) on the side of the mountain next to campus. He said he wanted to hike up sometime during our trip. So, on the fourth of July, Diamond and I took the kids up.

Even though our niece and nephew Adrienne and Jake live only 20 minutes away from the Y, they had never been up, so we took them too. And we just made our other nephew Michael come along for fun. He was not a fan of hiking - but he managed to get up to the top.

I had only been up to the Y one other time. My freshmen orientation group went up the week before classes began in August 1990. (See below) I remember breathing hard as I adjusted to the thin mountain air of Utah. Somehow the hike didn't feel any easier this time around. Maybe adding twenty years is about the same handicap as adjusting from sea level?

Diamond had also been up once before, freshmen year on a hike with his girlfriend Julie. (Here is Diamond in 1988.)

No too much has changed; other than that we are now married and have three kids. OK, a LOT has changed.

While we were town, my old college roommate Kristi also happened to be in town visiting family. We were able to meet up and took the kids to a movie at Movies 8 (and talked through the entire thing.) On our way back from the movie, we decided to stop by our old apartment. And why wouldn't we knock on the door and ask the current resident for a tour?

Kristi and I in our shared bedroom in 1993. We made a tape line, dividing our room in half at one point, just to be stupid. (We did stupid a lot back in college.)

And here we are back in the same exact room, seventeen years later.

Back in the old kitchen:

You can see the old kitchen in the background of this picture of all our roommates. Kristi's in front and I'm in back.

Whenever we spend time in our old college town the memories flutter in and out. But this trip hiking the Y and touring our old apartment was crazy fun. It was almost surreal to be back in those places with my kids and husband. SUCH a good time!

Change is Good - right???

*Caution: This post may not make too much sense to anyone who is not at least somewhat familiar with Mormonese (ya know, that unique vocabulary that we tend to use when talking about church things.) But if you can make it through the first paragraph, consider yourself suitably knowledgeable.

Last Sunday our ward split, creating a totally new ward. As part of that split, I was officially released from my calling as the Relief Society President. It's a job I have been doing for the last three years, serving over 150 women.

The question is, how do you pour your whole soul into loving, serving and caring for these amazing women, then just walk away? So many of these families will be attending a different ward now and things will be, well, different. (This picture was taken at the end of our last meeting.)

When I was first asked to serve as the RS President I had only been in the ward for four short months. I didn't know hardly anyone. Now I not only know them but I love them. I see them as warriors, as angels and as heroes. I was able to get in the trenches with these women and then marvel at what they did. Without a doubt I am a better person because of the opportunity I had to watch these amazing, faithful women in action.

I also came to know my Savior in a totally new way. I was able to taste just a smidgen of the love He has for the women whom I served. I learned about the atonement, about grace, about faith, about sacrifice and about service. I have felt my soul enlarge and stretch and grow. This calling has been one of the hardest things I have ever done, but growth never comes without a price.

I have worked with countless women in this capacity and if I try to list them I am certain to leave someone out. But I can't not specifically mention my presidencies. These three women are the poor souls who had to hold my hand during the early, very steep, learning curve.
*Margo thinks about things is such a cool and unique way. I could sit and learn from her for hours and hours.
*Jill is so organized and is such a practical, yet warm woman. She is insightful, thoughtful and wise.
*Katherine kept me organized and in check. She worked with me the entire three years and always seemed to be the voice of reason when I started getting a little too crazy.

But things don't stay the same for very long and eventually I had to replace both Margo and Jill. (Poor Katherine couldn't get away!)
*Lovely, soft, warm Susan joined me about halfway. Susan was my greatest cheerleader, always kind and so willing to love and watch over the women.
*Carolyn is a fabulous balance between gospel centered and feet on the ground practical. She took so much off my plate, all the while asking what more she could do.

And here is my Bishop. He was the one who would meet me at the hospital when something terrible happened. I have to admit that every time I saw his number come up on caller ID my heart would skip a beat - worried about what awful thing he would tell me this time. But I also I remember the times we would meet together with someone who had been struggling. I saw this man love, counsel and care for so many people throughout the time we served together. I have worked with him, worried with him and cried with him. Bishop always made me feel listened to. He cared about what I thought, what my opinions were and how my family was holding up. He is such a good man.

Diamond was my rock. He held together our family while I was off trying to hold up someone else. He let me cry, even in the middle of the night, and would take me away when I was desperate for respite. He championed me at every turn and told me over and over that I was doing a great job - whether it was true or not. What a true blessing this man has been to me.

But now it's Diamond's turn. Last week he was called as first counselor in the new bishopric in our newly formed ward. He's the one having the lengthy meetings now. He's been out almost every night this week to meet with members of our ward and he's the one who has the weight of responsibility.

While there is a part of me that aches at the thought of being released, it's time. Frankly, I'm just so thrilled to be able to take my turn at home. It's a good thing. Right?

Surprise!

For the last several years, I have been putting aside $20 a month in the name of Diamond's 40th birthday. As his birthday got closer, I started selling some of my scrapbook tools on Craig's List, etc. and by the time I put it all together I had enough for a quick trip somewhere in the US.

Of course Diamond knew nothing about any of this.

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:30 Sunday morning, so I got up like I was going to my morning leadership church meetings, but came home shortly after because there was a (pretend) emergency, and Diamond and I needed to quickly head up to the hospital. (Really, it was a totally reasonable scenario.) He quickly put on his suit and we dropped the kids off at my parents before heading up to the "hospital".

About 3/4 of the way to the airport, I told him we were actually going to the airport. His first response? Grumpy.

"What about work?" Vacation time had been pre-approved

"I don't have any clothes!" Our packed bag was in the back.

"What about my Sunday School lesson?" I had organized a substitute.

"How are we paying for this?" Taken care of.

When he was finally convinced that all the details had been taken care of, he started to enjoy the process. Here he is changing into travel clothes at the airport parking lot:

"Where are we going?" was his next question. I wanted to keep him in the dark for as long as possible. While we were in line at security I taunted him; "Think of it, you could be ANYWHERE in the US by lunchtime!!!"

We got all the way to the terminal without him figuring out where we were headed. As I approached the sign which would tell me which gate was ours, Diamond said "Come on! You have to pick a side!!!" Nope! I stood right in the middle and closely looked at each and every screen.

Diamond was thinking Phoenix, or maybe New Orleans. But there were also gates leaving for Orlando, San Diego and Salt Lake. "We better NOT be going to Salt Lake!" (Reason #394 why I married him!)

As we passed by the Phoenix sign, he said "I think we're going there." "Maybe!" "Well, I'm sitting down!" So we sat in the Phoenix waiting area for a bit, then I got up and suggested we keep walking around. We basically did the same thing at the Orlando gate.

Then I spotted a flight that was boarding, headed to New Orleans and we got in line. "So we're going to New Orleans?" I told him that he should know me well enough to know that I would stand in the wrong line, just to throw him off. Then again, this could be our flight...

It wasn't until we gave our tickets to the airline worker and actually got on the plane that Diamond knew where we were going: New Orleans, LA.

I had originally envisioned a beach somewhere, but with our recent cruise, I opted for New Orleans, a place we had never been and were curious to explore. Plus Diamond had mentioned a few times that he would love to go there. Once we were settled into our seats, I handed him some travel books and he read up on "Nola" the whole way there.

Day O' Fun

For Diamond's 40th birthday, we decided to surprise him with a Day O' Fun. (Actually, this whole day was created just to throw him off of the bigger surprise that was coming the next day.)

We started with a nice breakfast of creepes and cinnamon rolls. We can never do breakfast in bed with him - he's always up too early! When he was done eating, we presented him with his first of several envelopes - that had a little poem which provided a clue as to where we would be going next: a tour of Coors Field.

In the visitor's locker room:


The highlight of the tour was getting to go down by the field and in the dug out.

Just another game at Coors Field:



In the dug out:

After lunch at Smashbrother (yum!) we were off for some baseball and ice-cream:

Ouch! Those numbers have to hurt!!!

Then we headed to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, where a few of his friends were able to surprise him!

Surprise!!!

Our Day O' Fun was a lot of, well, fun. However, it was NOTHING compared to what was coming the next morning...

Counting the Ways

Elizabeth Barret Browning famously wrote "How do I love thee, Let me count the ways..."

I figured it might be worth turning that around a smidge:
How do I know he (Diamond) loves me? Let me count the ways...

*He calls me from work just see how I'm doing.

*He lets me warm my freezing toes on his toasty feet.

*He understands my need for a break, and is willing to go on "Adventures" with the family.

*He shovels all the deep snow.

*He listens to me when I need to vent or cry -

even when it's 12:30am, and he has to wake up in less than five hours.

*He takes me along on his business trips.

*He doesn't complain about how busy I get with Relief Society.

*He goes to work, so I don't have to.

*He sets a great example for our boys.

*He cuts coupons, then uses that extra money to take me to faraway places.

*He is trustworthy.

*He lets me pick the restaurant.

*He has always supported me in reaching my personal goals.

*He manages the kids so I can sleep in on Saturday mornings.

*He always seems to know when I need a hug, a pat on the back, or an "attagirl".

*He promised me forever.

Sometimes I just can't believe how lucky I am.

Happy Valentine's Day Diamond.

Football!

BYU beat Oklahoma tonight 14-13. A bit of a surprise for BYU to upset the team that made it to the Nationals last year. It cracks me up to watch Diamond watch a BYU game - especially when it's close. Can you tell when Oklahoma failed their field goal attempt?

Meanwhile, the boys set up their own stadium - complete with lights for a night game. (I swear my boys aren't too interested in coming up with stages for a play, or costumes for dress up, but they will spend all kinds of time getting the backyard ready for a game, and will dress in uniform according to the sport they are playing!)

It was amazing how bright they got the place! I suppose gathering up every lamp from every room in the house adds up!


The boys had a great time playing football with their friend while the dads watched BYU inside. They did come in for the final bit - enough to be thrilled when BYU won.


Then Thursday night Diamond took the big boys to a Broncos game. They had never been before (games are usually on Sunday) and LOVE it! Of course BB#1 was as thrilled to see the pyrotechnics as much as the game, and they had a great time!

Ahh, football, and it's only Labor Day...

Grandma Smith

Today, Diamond's 101 year old grandma died. Like any good grandson, many of Diamond's memories center around her cooking: her famous cinnamon rolls, the best french toast ever, and root beer floats. He also talks about how she would leave a candy bar on his pillow after a visit to town - since Diamond was the one who had to give up his bed to his grandparents.

I meet Grandma Smith when Diamond and I were dating. What always amazed me was that no matter when we stopped by, there were always grandkids, greatgrands, etc. over visiting. I do know that Grandma wasn't too sure about me at first. Apparently, she thought my shorts were too short and she was convinced that I was corrupting Diamond's little sister when I took her to a college comedy club. But I think I eventually won her over. If nothing else the creation of three curly-haired great-grandsons got me some credit.

It is really crazy to consider the changes she has seen in her life. When Grandma was born:

-The 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote would not be ratified for another eleven years.
-There had been no world wars.
-There was no rock and roll and music. (She was 49 when Elvis had his first #1)
-Think of the technology: Henry Ford had yet to popularize the automobile, most homes had yet to become "electrified", there was no penicillin, no TVs, no washing machines, no computers, or microwaves.

But now she has passed. It's a blessing really. Her husband died over twenty years ago, she lost a newborn baby almost 75 years ago, and her only daughter died last year. She is ready to be reunited. I'm truly happy for her. I know how much she missed her husband, her parents and her children.

We'll be heading to Utah soon for a funeral. But, until then, here's to you Grandma!

And the Winner Is...

The Avs games (that we only had two tickets to) was last night. Diamond ended up taking Big Boy #1.

I have to thank everyone out there for their great advice. There was quite a contingency that thought Big Boy #2 should have the tickets. But a couple people (coincidentally, that have big families) suggested that we come up with an alternative activity for whomever didn't get to go to the Avs game. We put the two ideas together and this is what we came up with:

-We decided that we would buy a couple tickets to a CO Rockies (baseball)game.
-We then then asked BB#2 if he would rather go to the Rockies or the Avs game.
-BB2 opted for the Rockies, so we offered the Avs tickets to BB1.

Everyone was happy. Phew!

I just hope BB2 isn't expecting seats this good for the Rockies game!

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After reading all the books, I finally saw the Shopaholic movie this past week (OK, I realize I'm slow to get to the theater.) I'm still not so sure if I liked it or not. It's just so different from the book, that I'm still trying to process it. And when I say different, I don't mean "artist license" type of different, I mean a vastly different story. I would say it makes for a good rental. Of course the books were WAY better - but that's nothing new is it?

King Solomons Choice

Here's the problem:
2 tickets to a Colorado Avalanche game
1 Diamond is going
2 sports fanatic boys that would DIE to go

See the problem? 3 people wanting to go, 2 tickets. What do we do???

I suppose we could make it a date, but it seems like a waste for me (not a sports enthusiast) to use the extra ticket.

Diamond could always invite a friend, but going to an Avs game is such a rare treat - it seems at least one of the boys should be able to go.

The tickets are from work - we can't just buy an extra ticket and still sit together.

They would love the experience equally.

Any ideas???

Let Them Eat Cake!

Last night was the Blue and Gold Banquet - celebrating the Cub Scout program. In keeping with tradition, our pack had it's annual Father/Son cake decorating contest. This is what Diamond and Big Boy #1 came up with:

Pretty cool, huh? A pirate's chest, complete with candy treasure. Here's a close up:
I figured we were a shoe-in for Most Creative. That was until we got there.

There was a race track cake like this:

A fishbowl cake that looked a lot like this:
And even a airplane cake that looked just like this:

And the crazy part was that none of those cakes won most creative. Ours included.

The cake the won Most Creative was a WORKING volcano cake. There was a cup in the center of the volcano that had water and dry ice billowing away. It really did look cool.

On the drive home, Diamond was talking about next year. "What you need is some kind of robotics in your cake. If we could just figure out how to make part of the cake move..."

Umm, good luck with that honey. But I think I'm giving up!