What were you thinking?

Okay...here is a picture I scanned into my computer of Dad feeding a bear in Yellowstone.  It was Mom and Dad's honeymoon.  There are other pictures too, but this one was amazing to me.  Those were the days...

I am assuming this was on that trip too, but I love this picture.

Summertime in Delta...2011

Well,                                                                                             July, 15 2011
I haven't seen anyone "sharing", so I will try this out.  I figure our lives with the two of us is pretty boring, but it is the first summer I have had Dakota here in Utah with me.  It has been a great summer, so far...Dakota ended up telling his Dad he wasn't going to Tennessee this year.  His Dad was playing the usual mind games, but this year I found out just what rights I have and Dakota has.  The day after the 4th of July the football team went to football camp in Nephi.  Dakota had a ton of fun there and really got recognized by the coaches.  He has been busy with his friends the whole summer and is playing in a band too.  He plays music that I can't handle much of, but he will also throw in some Bon Jovi, or Lynyrd Skynyrd for me.  I told him he had to learn some John Denver if he was going to play around others...so he did. 

He is a character and a camera ham...He is pretty good at catching himself in some pretty strange poses.  He has his 'learners permit" and is a really good driver, he can even get through all the construction in Utah County pretty well.  He keeps me rolling most of the time.  I am thrilled to have him home this year...and that we both stood up to his Dad...VERY LIBERATING!!!

Our little Tubman went missing about a month ago.  He has escaped our house probably about 6 times in 3 1/2 years, but this was his last time.  I could see where he had dug to get under my house, but he never came for food and we haven't seen any sign of him.  We loved him, but boy he was a naughty little boy...he would stash all the ferret food, so the ants would come and it would be messy.  Harriet (his sister) really went into mourning for a good week or longer.  And Soldier and Lenny did too, but not quite as long as Harriet.  They are all good now. 

I adopted another dog...I just love them...and why not?...I only have 1 child.  Her name is Sandy, but we like to call her "Sandra" and drag it out as we say it.  She is 7 years old and a Chihuahua.  She loves me AND she loves Dakota.  She knows he is coming in the house and grabs her cow or bone and takes it to him to play with her.  She is fun to have around.

I have just been busy at work.  No new projects for this summer.  Hopefully I can get my backyard graded and get some grass in back there, but for now I am spraying to keep the weeds out.  Dakota and I also went to Youth Conference on a handcart trek at This Is The Place Heritage Park.  I really thought I was going to die...or maybe wished I had.  It is hard to admit that you can't keep up  with kids 1/2 your age anymore.  That was a hard one to swallow.  Dakota was AWESOME!  And he saved our lives a few times by man handling the handcart back onto the trail.  We had to meet at the church at 3:00am...drive to Salt Lake...go on the trek...and then drive home at 6:00pm.  I am sure we had angels because we were all so exhausted...I am glad I didn't have to do the driving :)

Also in April for our Spring Break we went to San Francisco...had a BLAST!!  We stayed just a block from the piers and had a lot of fun seeing the street performers and shopping and checking the hills out.  Went to Alcatraz for the first time too...it was neat, but don't really have to do it again in my lifetime.  Saw some great circus acrobat performers that were AMAZING!!  And Dakota experienced the "bush man" and thought that was hilarious.

On the streets of San Francisco

Dakota in a few of his many hats :)

On Memorial Day I relieved Brian watching Dad, a few days earlier.  We drove Brian to the airport and Dad kept asking why we had to go all the way to Salt Lake...that they used to always fly out of Provo.  Well...not they do have 1 flight in and 1 flight out of Provo airport on Frontier...and it seems to be priced the same as Salt Lake.  Anyway...Ashlee and Cameron came down on Memorial Day and we decided to go to the cemetery (that was ridiculously packed).  But we ended up driving around East Provo looking for the house Dad grew up in.  But we learned that they moved quite a bit, so it was one of the houses he grew up in.  He also led us right to Rock Canyon...he wanted to know if it was still there because the 2 grade schools he went to are now being torn down and replaced by a new school and the other by high rise housing, I think.



Hope you all enjoy and think of posting yourself!  Love you all!

Nina and Dakota

And She Still said "Yes"

Hey!  What's that blur on the right side of the screen...maybe that's the mess culprit, tricking me into insanity!  Notice the fabulous goodies all over the floor, and even super stained carpet with a new carpet shampooer sitting two feet away.

  As you all have heard by now, James is engaged.  We had Nichole in our home many times and hours over Winter Break.  I was having one of those times in my life where I just COULD NOT get the house cleaned.  I was HORRIFIED that my malfunction was occurring while Nichole was getting to know us.  I remember growing up and having some anger or energy or anxt...whatever it was that caused me to do some MAJOR clean-up around the house on occasion, and cursing mom and her house management under my breath... "I will teach my kids how to clean." and "My kids will never be allowed to make these kinds of messes."


 If there's one thing I've learned in life at age 42, it is NEVER be super judgemental about something or it will come back to bite you.  I can name many, many examples of it happening in my life.  Art oft reminds me, to my chagrin, that I'm the lady who indignantly said, "My children will never wear just a diaper." 

 Anyway, back to the subject of cleanliness:  When I saw that the cleaning just wasn't getting anywhere, I asked James what kind of house Nichole's mom kept.  Yep...tidy...very much so.  So thank you, Nichole, for overlooking my weakness...a weakness I could very well have passed to James (let's not beat around the bush...a weakness I DID pass to James, if his bedroom is any indication).  And thank you as well for not turning and running for the hills when you came upon me at Christmastime, in the bathroom, having diarrhea, and singing the diarrhea song at the top of my lungs with my little ones (my kind husband taught it to me).  What a great thing love is for hiding all our flaws...until after we're married : ) .

Moving Day

Just thought you might enjoy a look at the Elk Ridge house empty and some pictures of the new house in Payson.  Enjoy!

                    ELK RIDGE HOUSE

                    

                      THE NEW HOUSE



Jetted tub in master bath.




Large corner shower in master.




Vanity outside of main bathroom.




Walk in closet.




Master Bed Room




Guest Bathroom




Guest Room




Laundry Room




Office




Entrance to office




Large Kitchen with TONS of storage





Living and Dining room



Signs of Family

I looked around my entryway last night and noticed that I had some signs of "Ekins love" all around me.  I thought this would be the perfect place to post some of the Christmas spirit going on at the Eck house.  I type to the sound of Sophie blowing away on a trumpet that was just given to her by my friend...the perfect addition for that perfect Christmas ambiance : ) .

Kristen made this quilt for our Christmas gift two years ago.  She wrote a great poem to go with it that talks about how each square represents one of our family members (we're short one square now), each having a square of likeness (all of us Ecks)  in the middle and the others unique from each other (each of us having individual likes and personalities).  We really love it and it has matched our living room perfectly.

I love the JOY sign that Laura sent this year.  I am always amazed with the cards she comes up with each year...ever paper crafting!  I think it really adds some punch to this corner of the entry.  Thanks Laura (and anyone else who helped in its production-sorry I discounted Brian and Brandon for a minute there...we all know what crafters they are). 

This is a card holder I bought this year at a boutique.  It's actually full, but the amount of cards we have on it are not many.  I blame myself because I have failed to get cards out for at least two years now.  We're still crossing our fingers for cards from all of you to hear your latest going ons or see your sweet smiles.  Mom's is at the bottom..the picture in it cracked me up!  Mine is written and collage made, but still no closer to getting mailed.  Still so much to do, and yet I remain cool as a cucumber.  How do I do it?!!

Wishing you all a great holiday season and especially Christmas...and especially these days leading up to it, that you will all get your tasks accomplished and bask in the real meaning of Christmas...the birth of our Lord.  We love you from here in Arizona!!  It's great to have James home and see a legitimate love between he and Nichole going on (in other words, it's not all in his mind....phewww!).  Merry Christmas!!!!

What's up with the Jordan's?!?!

Well, I love this idea and hope we all find it easy to use and keep in touch.  It is kinda like a personal Facebook :)  I love to look at pictures and see what people are up to.  I LOVE to see Jordan's post of Poland.  Does Nate have access like that? 

We are 7 days short of living in Delta for 3 years.  AND we still LOVE it here :)  Dakota will mention out of the blue that he loves Delta.  I have been at my job at the hospital for almost 3 years too...it will 3 in March.  I truly love my job.  Dakota got done with football and now he is in the pep band for basketball.  It keeps our lives hopping, but I like it.  They have wanted him to wrestle and throw the diskus and shot put (?), but he doesn't have any interest in it.  He just came back from a whirlwind emergency trip to his Dads.  On Thursday before Thanksgiving we found out that his Dad was really sick with pancreatitis...Friday they admitted him into the hospital and Saturday morning I had a call to please send him there and his Papa would foot the bill.  So Sunday morning he flew out to Tennessee, missed Monday and Tuesday of school and cam back a week later.  His dad had been released from the hospital on Saturday and Dakota flew home early Sunday.  Hopefully he continues to recover.  We were thinking of vacationing there at Christmas, but now there is no sense in that.  Especially since plane tickets are between $600 and $800 each.

It is a relief to have Mom and Dad on level ground this winter too.  It has been great to go visit them and not have to "drive up the hill".  We still would have done it, but it is much nicer this way. 

Hope you will all join in and post some things.

We love you all and invite you to visit anytime!

Ya know...Delta is Gods Country...there is even a profile rock of Joseph Smith here :)

Yea! Thanks Karen