Why these are the BOMB!!!

• They do not split down the sides and you do not have to chase your can goods to your front curb!
• They fit about three times the amount as one of the plastic bags!
• DUH.. they are environmentally friendly!!
• I have to make 1/3 of the trips from my garage to my kitchen..
• I look cool while using them.
• they come in different colors, blue, green, yellow, red!!!

any how you have the point.. I LOVE LOVE LOVE reusable grocery bags mostly for selfish reasons. It makes the chore of grocery shopping easier on me!! If you don't use these you should buy a couple of them and try it, YOU WILL LIKE IT!!

DON'T TEMPT FATE, THAT TEXT WILL WAIT.. DO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE!

SUCH A FUN WEEK WITH SARAH!!

Sarah (Sam's oldest daughter) and her friend, Kelsie, just left to go home to Laramie. They are now done with their spring break and back to the college life at the University of Wyoming.. We had to laugh because some girls go to Mexico and get a bunch of HOT 21 year olds.. Sarah and Kelsie came to Utah and hung out with Sam and I and all our friends.. We had such a fun week and here are a few pictures of our highlights.. I MISS YOU GUYS ALREADY!!

We had some friends come from Logan and we all road bikes to Kelly's Roadhouse. Sarah and Kelsie got offered to play with finger paint and we are not talking on paper!!
We got a little "too" Irish on St. Patties Day!!! Sam looks so cute!! OOOO.

They looked so festive in GREEN!!


Brock's 12th Birthday. We went to Gateway and like you would guess.. With 2 girl at Gateway from Laramie.. WE SHOPPED!!

We had a "Double W" party.. WAX AND WINE!!

I can't wait for Sarah to come back~

DON'T TEMP FATE, THAT TEXT WILL WAIT. DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROCK!!!

Brock turns 12 on Thursday.. 12.. he is the caboose in the family and usually is surrounded by all girls.. We love him so much and he is Sam and my little side kick!! He brings so much life to our house!! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY BROCK!!

Brock;

I've always loved you the best because endings generally are sad and you are such a joy. You readily accepted the mild-stained bibs. The lower bunk. The cracked baseball bat. The baby book, barren but for a recipe for graham cracker pie crust that someone jammed between the pages.

You are the one I held onto so tightly. For you see, you are the link with the past that gives a reason for tomorrow. You darken my hair, quicken my steps, square my shoulders, restore my vision, and give me humor that security and maturity can't give me.

When your hairline takes on the shape of Lake Erie and your children tower over you, you will still be "MY Baby."

LOVE YOU!~

MOM!

Bikers Prayer!!

Sam and I are starting up the engine today for the 2010 riding year!!
For all the biker's!!

PLEASE WATCH FOR BIKES!!


According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, of the 88,000 motorcycle accidents in 2009, 44,000 were caused by vehicle drivers who "didn't see" the motorcycle and either turned or pulled out in front of the motorcycle.

Sarah and Kelsie!

Sarah has come from Laraime to spend a week with us for spring break and she has brought a friend with her Kelsie. They got here Saturday afternoon and we made it though the first weekend..
My nephew and a friend from Logan came and spent last night here... Funny how that work. I have hardly seen him down here in a year and a half and we have 2 coed's at our house and BAM.. He is spending the night..!! Ha.. In all honesty it is GREAT to have the house full again...

We also had a funeral yesterday. One of our good friends Jerry's Mom passed away so we all went to Ogden to the viewing. Before the viewing we had a dinner/Dexter party at our house... We had a bunch of people and lots of fun!!!

kewl brutha!!!

Sam and I have made a "contract" or pack or a "deal" with each other.. NO TEXTING AND DRIVING.. or email and driving or facebook and driving or blogging and driving.. etc. etc. etc.. NO PHONE AND DRIVING!!!

I have nightmares about those terrible video's you see via you tube of the crashes from Texting and driving.. So I am "dead" serious about this.. and all of you should write up a contract about the exact same thing and have everyone in your family sign it!!

*side note.. So Sam does not text and drive we were headed to Logan last night to meet some friends and someone texted Sam.. So Sam says will you read that. So I read it to him and I notice a text that he had sent to a friend of his that simply said..

"kewl brutha"

which I think he meant.

"cool brother"

I HAD A TALK WITH HIM HOW HE SHOULD NEVER EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!! ;-)

"When I Retire........."

Today I made a trip to the Boise area to work on some new store layouts that are going to be built this year. I always tour stores as I travel and I happened to catch up with Steve.... the Executive Regional Director for the Boise area stores. Good friend and co-worker..... he is the one that originally hired me on to Maverik in 1997.... anyway.....
He said Sam I want to show you my cars that I am working on at my shop... hop in it will only take a few minutes. Now I know his new hobby is that he and his wife take a car to car shows around this area but what he showed me absolutely floored me!!!!!! He opened the garage door to his shop and I think I heard angels sing in the distance. The perfectly decorated and designed shop is the ultimate manroom. He closed the door and turned on all the display lights and not only did I hear angels sing but God himself spoke I think.
Everything in this shop is perfectly clean and immaculate. The cars are all in perfect show room condition. Old antiques that have been refurbished... cars have all been gone through and totally redone, even is office in the corner is decorated with old coke machines and all kinds of details. I could have spent hours and hours in here looking at every detail. I wish I would have brought my high resolution camera. Steve kept saying "When I retire I am going to finish this car..... or finish this project... or get another car.... get a bigger shop etc...." So I am saying...."when I retire I want to be just like Steve" haha... I hope you enjoy the pics..... it doesn't do it justice

SAD!

Went to a funeral today of two year old little girl. Her Dad is my cousin. It was the sadest funeral I had ever been to. I started to cry so hard I put my head on Sam's shoulder and said..
"I WANT TO LEAVE"
Sam grabs my hand and whispers in my ear "I WILL LEAD THE WAY". We stood up and left about 1/4 the way through the service. It was a beautiful but heart wrenching service and my meltdown was not how I wanted to "support" the family. I have made myself sick thinking about it.. Headache, sick to my stomache and anxious. God bless the Barton family!!!

Another reminder how lucky we all are to have all of our loved ones in our life..


SAGE BARTON Sage Caroline Barton "Sagie Boo" Our beautiful baby, Sage Caroline Barton, returned to her Heavenly Father on March 2nd, after two brief and glorious years with her family here on earth.No child was more cherished by all who knew her than our " Sagie Boo". Her beautiful dark brown hair, gorgeous and expressive big brown eyes, little bowed legs, and a smile that melted our hearts. She was a very warm and expressive child whose funny little antics made us laugh until our eyes brimmed with tears. If you were to visit the Barton home you would most likely hear a strong little voice say "I love you much", which she truly did. Sage is survived by her parents Tyler and Sarah Barton of Centerville, Utah. Her siblings who loved and cherished her are Haley (13), Zachary (11), Kelsey (7), and Amanda (4). Her grandparents, who she completely captivated, are Byron and Judy Barton, Farmington, Utah and Richard and Claudia Barth, Los Banos, California, and Great Grandfather, DeLamar Palmer of Kaysville, Utah. There are several aunts, uncles, and cousins who loved her dearly. We know she has secured her exalted place with her Father in Heaven. We look forward to the day we can hold her in our arms again. Sagie Boo, we love you much! Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, March 8, 2010 at the Greenfield Ward, 1298 North 400 West, Centerville, Utah. There will be a viewing Sunday evening from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Russon Brothers Bountiful Mortuary, 295 North Main, and Monday morning 9:45-10:45 a.m. at the church prior to services. Online guest book at www.russonmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at Wells Fargo Bank to help with burial costs.

Bud Light!!

One of my favorite things about Mexico is the BEER. O' the beer in Mexico.. I dream of it. I can't wait to get off the plane and RUN to the nearest bar, cooler, or grocery store and get ice cold Corona or Dos Equis and have a little lime and enjoy my FIRST taste of the weeks MEXICAN beer.
We get off the plane and start heading south to Playa Del Carmen and we see a 7-11 (they don't have Maverik's.. HA) and Sam asks our driver to stop so he can buy some beer. He goes inside and comes out with a NICE WARM six pack of BUD "FRICKEN" LIGHT..
When he sat down in the car I could barely wait to tear into the bag he had and I looked at the bud light and I looked at Sam (like he had 18 heads) and I looked at the bud light and you would have thought he had just purchased a six pack of baby kittens. I could hardly BELIEVE my eyes. "BUD LIGHT?"

OOOOO...

An elderly couple walked into the lobby of the Mayo Clinic for a checkup and spotted a piano. They've been married for 62 years and he'll be 90 this year. Check out this impromptu performance.

Cassidi's Parts!!

This is Cassidi's shoulder now. Who knew that when they said she would have permanent sutures they meant.. "We are going to take some nylon rope and tie her shoulder back on"...
I sure hope that guy knows how to tie knots... ;-)

Happy 19th Birthday Jordan!!

Jordan is Sam's baby (or youngest) and its her BIRFDAY today. Happy Birthday Jordan and thank you so much for sharing your Daddy with me!!

I know your Dad and I being married was not the fairytale everyone had dreamed of but sometimes when things go wrong some wonderful things happen and now we have a different kind of fairytale. I know for sure that your Dad, Sarah, Josh and yourself have made my life a lot more full and happy and I look forward to spending many more Birthday with all of you!! WE LOVE you the most!! (don't tell the others~~) First time Sarah and Josh met JordanJordan and DAD.. Jordan has always been a daddy's girl!

What are little sister for?

Tuesday ROCK..

Tuesday at our house is "Sam Cooks".. So what usually happens is we do Chinese take out or chicken from Smiths or something..
Tonight we are going to a Mexican restaurant in Farmington.

I HEART TUESDAY NIGHTS.. IT'S THE NEW FRIDAY!

A fun Saturday

This Saturday Debbie and I had the whole day to ourselves. We were ready to get out of the house!! We have talked about going Cross Country skiing to see if we like it or not and Debbie came up with the idea and I happily said yes. We headed up to Logan about 10, rented some ski's and Debbie took us up to a golf course next to the mountains.
The wind was cold so we both put on every stitch of clothing we brought and took off. About 5 minutes into it we were both sweating to death in our space suites....wow. What a work out!!!! There were about 30 deer running around with us..... so awesome. So about 20 minutes into it Debbie wanted to take all of her clothes off and lay naked right where that first picture is.... yes she was that hot... lol. We made it about a mile and said "that's enough!" We then went out with our friends for a couple of hours.

We are both sore today.. my arms and Debbie's legs but we had a great time. This probably isn't something we will do all the time but maybe once or twice a year.

I know this has nothing to do with skiing but these poor dogs waited patiently for me to finish this blog post to take them potty. Are they CUTE or what???

Dear Mexico... please dont change

A fun talent....

The last couple of days several people have come over to the house bringing all kinds of cookies, sweets, flowers and such for Cass as she is healing. During conversations with a few neighbors on some activities the young women were going to do, Debbie and Cass got invited to a house down the street from us Wednesday night to learn how to crochet (I call it Yarning). Debbie used to do it so its a revived talent.
Wednesday night they bring home a couple of hats they were working on and had fun. About half way through the day today after some meetings, I IM'd Debbie and asked her how they were doing. She said "I went online and learned how to crochet flowers so I am making flowers for the hats" haha. (youtube.com is the bomb) Today I come home from work and guess what they were doing all day long..... "Yarning" hats. That put a big smile on my face......Cass was hooked up to her ice machine on the couch and Debbie on the other side of her both with their faces down making things.

I love coming home to my family.... you guys are so funny. Always up to something.

Caray "the best Vacation shoes EVER!"

While packing to go to Mexico I had an epiphany that I do not need to take ANY shoes rather than flip flops. Well guess what.. I WAS WRONG. The first night we were there I wore my flip flops and was happy as a little lark flipping around!! Well the next morning Sam and I were walking on the beach (bare foot) and I said to him. "my toe hurts... I had a blister between my toes. Normally this would be a pain in the "toe" (ha ha) and you would live with it. But when you are in a foreign country and have NO other shoes but flip flops.. This is more than a PAIN.. This is a problem.. So I limped around the first two days and walked barefoot whenever I could. Picture below is day 1 of my owie!After having a drink in Puerto Adventuras we were walking and I said to Sam. "Look at those shoes", they were kinda like sandals but they were neoprene and had NOTHING that went between the toes. We bought them for me and they saved my little toes life. My toe got worse the entire trip (below picture was day 4) but I was ready to go because of my new Mexican sandals. The shoes name is Caray and I have already looked online to see if I could get more. They are the best shoes EVER.. I wore them ever day and night, dressy and non dressy, walking or sitting, wet or dry. They ROCK. If you are ever in Mexico get a pair.. and while you are at it, get me a pair. I "heart" them!!

My Wife... an amazing woman

I have always appreciated Debbie so much for how she takes care of her family on a daily basis. But during more challenging times (like with Cassidi's surgery) and I see Debbie step up to the plate and completely take over and make sure all the bases are covered.

She sets her alarm several times in the night to go check on her, give her meds, make sure the ice on the shoulder is ok, comfortable, feeds her etc...
During the day she cleans her, hand feeds her, puts lotion on her feet and gives her a foot massage, constantly gives her drinks and waits on her hand and foot every minute of the day to make sure she is taken care of. I have never seen this kind of care for anyone, anytime anywhere. Cassidi should appreciate her mom very much.... I know I do.

Thank you for everything you are doing honey. We all love you!!

Cassidi and Debbie crashing on the couch for a power nap after a long day. As you can see, Cass has her cell phone permanently attached to her at all times as usual

Sam and Debbie play doctor!!

Not what you are thinking...

IM conversation between Sam and I..

Debbie says:
Hey you, they are going to call in different pain killers for Cassidi to Walgreens.
should I get some bandages when I go get them or do you want to?
Sammy says:
I can at lunch
on my way home
Debbie says:
so you can change her bandage when you come home for lunch? I will get sick if I change the bandages. should we get bandages or just BIG bandaids?
Sammy says:
lots of gauze im sure
Debbie says:
lets get those really big bandaids also.
Sammy says:
I think we should put some padding in there to protect it
ok
Debbie says:
how would we stick the gauze?
Sammy says:
duct tape
Debbie says:
hot glue?
Sammy says:
lol
Debbie says:
gorilla glue!
Sammy says:
perfect

Cassidi finally has her surgery

Ever since I have met Cassidi she has complained of her shoulder hurting and popping. Well we kinda knew it was going to be way tough on her as well as expensive so we waited for the right time. Cassidi got her school in order and we finally were able to get her in to the doctor. Yesterday morning they put 3 permanent staples in the front part of her shoulder, a temporary one on the top to hold things in place while things heal and they also pokes 2 or 3 holes in the rotator cuff to promote more blood flow and faster healing...in other words.... Cass is going to hurt for a while.

In one month she goes in to start rehab but even a couple of days after surgery she is supposed to start squeezing a ball and moving her arm 30 degrees to each side and up.

You did great Cass! We love you

Before Surgery- SMILES and a bit nervous. Sexy socks girl!!

After Surgery- NO SMILES but feeling no pain at all.

Surgery!

After years of problems... Cassidi had her shoulder fixed for good today. Had the surgery done at Mckay Dee hospital and I simply cannot say enough good about them. They were wonderful.

She is sleeping and we are gearing up for a very long recovery.

Hugs to Cassidi!!

Vacation for Dos!

Sam and I have promised each other that these Vacations for two will not end.

With much dismay from our kids we book at least a couple of vacations a year for just the two of us. Just like the other vacations this was WONDERFUL. If you have never been to Mexico I can't say enough wonderful things about it.

I am going to stick with telling a story here and there about our trip but I am going to start with our accidental nude beach.

We rented a car for the day and drove about 45 minutes south to Tulum Mexico and we go to all of the "eco boutique" like hotels on the coast of Tulum (GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS). We found this quaint little beach side bar/grill that hardly noone was at and we put our butts on the swings at the bar and ordered some beers, ceviche, and fajita's.. It was picture PERFECT...

Sam looks at the resort to the left and looks at me with HORROR and says..

"Debbie, all those men at the hotel (on the beach) next to us our NAKED"..

well me being the "woman" I am was so excited. Not because I was excited about the potential of getting nude on a beach but talk about GREAT PEOPLE watching.. and the best thing about it.. The men where playing paddle ball on the beach.. Now try to get a mental picture of a bunch of naked men, running around on the beach after the ball, bending over, etc..... I sat and giggled the entire time. I mean I could not stop looking...like a train wreck but better... I MADE SAM STAY AT THAT BEACH FOR ALONG TIME...