Barney Blah...g

The Exodus Continues

2012-02-16T17:07:00.001-07:00

Whether we like it or not, Royce and AubRee left for California today. I am a bit teary eyed once again. We have been so happy to have them here, so close to us. Royce has just three months of school left and he will be a real live optometrist. That has got to be a pretty exciting milestone to look toward. Russell was out of town most of this week but I was able to spend some last fun times with them. I went over Valentine's night and watched the kids while Royce and AubRee had an actual date night. Think they had a fun time
Last night we went to Juicy Berry for Grace's actual birthday:

Always a smile on little Grace's face, she is a little ray of sunshine, (usually).

Four years old today.

This morning I went over to help them get ready to leave and they were mostly ready to go but I did get this cute picture of the sleepy kids:

Sleepy little angels

Russell got home from a business trip just in time to repack and head to California with them, to help them by driving their pickup. We had one last lunch together and then it was time to tell them goodbye, good bye Royce, AubRee, Grace and Kruz, we love you and will miss you. Thanks for all the fun times together.

Getting ready to load into the car and head to California.

I think we are going to have to hog-tie Colby and Jim to Provo so they don't leave also!!!!

What a Busy Weekend

2012-02-13T17:47:00.001-07:00

We were all over this weekend. We started here at home, drove to Meredith's house then to Eric's house, then back home. Friday night we had a super fun birthday party for Grace here at our house. She went swimming with her little cousins and friend then came up to our condo for pizza, cake and ice cream and presents. She was really sweet and kind to her guests. We had a Hello Kitty party and her mommy made her a really cute Hello Kitty cake. Grace will be 4 this week, glad we got to have her party at our house.

Little Grace in the Chef Hat and Apron I made her for her birthday.

Saturday morning Russell and I drove to Gooding to spend the day with Meredith and her family. We were able to go to one of Easton's basketball games and his blue and gold banquet that night. He is a pretty cute little cub scout. Sunday morning we drove to visit Eric, Chandra and their girls. They have a new house I hadn't seen so was able to see it and see all the hard work they have done on it. It was a fun weekend.

The Exodus Begins

2012-02-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

Several years ago Brittany left our little town of Victor, ID to spend the summer in Alaska. Colby was playing in a softball game near Rexburg and Brittany stopped by the game to tell her good bye. It was a sad day for those two, much crying was going on by the girls but also by me....well tonight we relived that once again. Brittany and Patrick are moving to California tomorrow and tonight was the last chance Brittany and Colby had to be together. It was pretty sad for the girls once again. I wish I could find the picture from several years ago to post but had no luck finding it. Here are the girls tonight spending time together for the last time. It was a sad time for them and for me. It is hard to see these friends tell each other goodbye.

Brittany, Colby and baby Kimber

A sad night for the girls.

Patrick and Jim say goodbye, not such a sad time for them.....

Wow, how things have changed! Brittany and Colby both have husbands now that we love and Colby has a baby also. I am glad the girls still love each other so much, it is sweet to see. We are lucky that Meredith also came down for the weekend to see Brittany off. It is so good to have our family together. Eric came down last weekend to see Brittany and Patrick for one last time. So glad our children love each other and support each other, it does my heart good!

Good Job Honey!

2012-01-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

It seems that Russell's employer is always downsizing....I guess it is the way of the world. I just wanted to give him a shout out because he recently survived another round of downsizing as his position was eliminated. He was given a new job, which brings more responsibility and a larger area to be in charge of and a vote of confidence for his work ethic and leadership abilities. Way to go Honey, I love you and am so thankful to have you as my friend, spouse and the dad of all our wonderful family.

Such a Week

2012-01-17T11:05:00.001-07:00

To start off, two of our nephew's wives had sweet little babies last week, two days apart I think. We were happy about the save arrival of Nora and Jet, grandchildren of my two older sisters. What fun to welcome such sweet little babies to our family.
We Barneys were busy ourselves...we had a baby shower for our own little granddaughter, Kimber, who will be here any day now, my mom and I sang in church and we had Red Neck Monday yesterday. I was a bit lame-o and took my camera to the baby shower but did not have anyone take any photos so that was sad. It was as fun party though, Meredith was here with Sadie, Saria, and Easton, (although there were no boys at the shower, so Easton, Russell, Jim and Royce has a boy afternoon,) and my mom and sisters, Rae Jean and Julie were at the shower. Lots of Jim's family, his mom, Kristen, both his grandmother's, Melba and Peggy, his aunts and cousins and sister Ashleigh, were at the party so it was a fun time. We had some family friends there as well, and collectively Colby and Kimber received lots of nice gifts and feel a little better prepared to bring Kimber home from the hospital.
Mom and I sang in my sacrament meeting Sunday afternoon. We sang Did You Think to Pray. My sweet visiting teacher Anna, played the piano for us. It was kind of fun because Colby and Jim, Brittany, and Royce, AubRee, Grace and Kruz came to my church to hear us sing. I guess we did okay, several sisters in the ward said they were a bit teary eyed during the song, (hopefully because of the message of the song, not the bad singing!)

When Jim and Colby moved to Utah, to go to school at BYU we started a little tradition called Red Neck Saturday where we spend some time at Smith and Edwards,( a crazy store north of Salt Lake, that has everything in the world you could ever want to buy), followed by dinner at Famous Dave's BBQ. (Famous Dave's is one of my favorite places to eat, just saying.) Anyway, since Monday was a holiday and I wasn't working and Russell wasn't working and Patrick wasn't working and Brittany wasn't working and Jim didn't have school we decided it was going to be Red Neck Monday and had fun spending the day together. We started out with breakfast at IHOP.

First meal of the day...

Followed by a quick trip to RC Willey to get Colby a rocking chair for when the baby comes, a daddy tradition, that Russell has done for most of the mommies in our family.

the chosen recliner, rocker for Colby and Kimber

all together

Then headed to ...

an awesome store

two handsome hunks

ice fishing tent

ice fishing with friends

our sweet Kimber

We found some fun little Wrangler jeans and a sweet little cowgirl shirt for Kimber then we headed to

the yummiest place to eat, great baked beans, coleslaw and cornmeal muffins

the gang

humm wonder what they are thinking about

started Red Neck Monday eating and ended it eating........

where we ate the trash can lid lunch which was really yummy.

This video is really funny of Patrick trying out the recliners at RC Willey made for the old folks. It actually lifts you upright so you are almost standing when it is done moving.

It was a fun day together, thanks kids for sharing it with us.

Love you all, Eric, Chandra, Ali, Myah, Royce, AubRee, Grace, Kruz, Blake, Lindsey, Caleb, Spencer, Ethan, Meredith, Wes, Saria, Easton, Sadie, Brittany, Patrick, Colby, Jim and baby Kimber. Especially love you Russell!!!!

My Great Idea.....

2012-01-03T15:23:00.002-07:00

I had the great idea for Christmas this year to make all my gifts and so started way back in the summer knitting, crocheting and embroidering, making Family Home Evening lessons for kids, and food storage notebooks and meals for each family, sadly, that was not soon enough and I found myself most mornings in December at 5 am out in the living room knitting away and then again while watching TV at night and sometimes in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. What a surprise I gave myself when it was time to wrap the gifts for my sweet sister in laws only to find that I hadn't quite finished embroidering one of the dish clothes I had planned to give away, so another late night was a head of me. Well, I ended up in Bear Lake still at it, knitting at all hours of the day and night. I was sick though so it gave me an excuse to stay in bed and knit. Here are some photos of the headbands I knit and crocheted for each of my daughters, daughter in laws and granddaughters, (except Meredith who never wants her photo taken ,you little stinker, and somehow I missed taking a picture of Lindsey, sorry)

Sadie-pants

Saria and Grace

Colby and Brittany

Myah, Chandra and Ali

Grace and AubRee

One thing that is cool about these headbands is that the buttons are from a stash my mom had at her house left over from their Munson's Grocery Store in Escalante, UT, sort of sweet little remembrance of Grandpa and Grandma Munson. I am posting these pictures to remind myself not to be part of this insanity again, it was a nice idea that grew way out of proportion.....and took over my life. HA!

The Barneys, Smyths, Monsons and Allans go to Bear Lake for Christmas

2011-12-28T20:35:00.001-07:00

We just returned from a great week in Bear Lake with all our kids and grand kids. It was really a fun time and so so good to be all together. Thanks so much to each one of our kids who arranged schedules so they could be there with us.

Christmas Eve, after opening the 12th day of Christmas gift which was PJs for everyone.

Here is Blake, Lindsey, Caleb, Spencer and Ethan, all the way from Washington.

Jim and Colby, with little baby Kimber who should be here in a month.

This is Wes, Meredith, Saria, Easton and tiny little Sadie.

Here is Eric, Chandra, Ali and Myah,

Our newlyweds, Brittany and Patrick.

And Royce, AubRee, Grace and Kruz.

We had lots of stockings for Santa to fill,

and many gifts to share. Santa brought lots of fun stuff for all.

We ate some really large pizzas,

and had lots of fun doing it.

Sledding was part of the fun and sadly, the very first day little Grace got quite an ouchie on her cheek and chin.

Patrick and Jim decided to try sledding without a tube or saucer. They went down the hill with just these garbage bags on, on their bellys, face first. They are crazy!!!

Hope you all had a great holiday season!

Four Really Great Folks!

2011-08-28T09:29:00.002-06:00

I just love this happy picture and just wanted to share it with you.....hope you love it too! ( love the people in this picture!) So glad we have such great kids with such neat spouses. PS:be sure to keep reading so you don't miss the blog about Brittany's wedding shower....

Brittany's Really Fun Wedding Shower

2011-08-28T09:17:00.001-06:00


We had a really fun bridal shower for Brittany this past week. Thanks so much to Melissa Ballard and family for the party and for employing her the past 9 months.

There was so many people at the shower, friends from Victor, college roommates, sisters, sisters-in-law, mom, mom-in-law, friends from Utah, grandma, and LOTS of little girls. She got really nice gifts from everyone. It was good to meet Patrick's family and Melissa at the shower. Its hard to believe two weeks from now she is going to be married......a little bit sad to me, but very exciting. Here are some photos of the fun event.

Family and friends.

Cute little dressed up brides, Eliza, Saria, and Mary Katherine.

My sweet sisters, Rae Jean and Julie.

Opening gifts.......


My present for Brittany, crocheted hot pad holders, knit dish clothes and embroidered hand towels. Lovingly made each time one of my daughters or sons is married. Guess this is the last time since Brittany is our last to be married. WOW!

Brittany has planned a fun party for after the wedding and their honeymoon, hope we get to see lots of you there!

Road Trip!!!!!

2011-08-10T09:05:00.002-06:00

Many years ago we lived in Northern Idaho in a little town called Hayden Lake. It was an awesome place for little kids to grow up, especially if you liked to play in the woods and climb really tall pine trees. Well....last week Russell and I took a little stroll up nostalgia lane and returned to that place and those memories. We had such good friends there and had a chance to visit some of the best of them.


This is the house we lived in then. It was right in the middle of the woods. Russell cleared the land so it could be built. Now... there are houses all around it. Eric, Royce, Blake and Meredith climbed those tall pine trees, often times to the tops. I had a little preschool here called Alphabet Soup Preschool. It was a fun little place to come to.


These are the Frantz boys. They had a home out around Hayden Lake and we had lots of good times there. Between our boys and these boys much mayhem and mischief was made, all in good fun of course. We were able to spend an afternoon with them while we were up north and we loved seeing them all. Between their family and ours I think there were 17 of us so it was a gang! Their dad, Marty, (left in the picture), gave Colby the name of Little Thunder Diaper when she was first born and it has been one of her nicknames ever since. It is crazy to see these guys all grown up with little kids of their own.

Our next stop was Seattle to visit Blake and Lindsey in their new home. Blake is at the University of Washington doing a dental residency. He is studying to be a prostadontist, (not really sure how that is spelled). They live on campus in a nice little 2 story apartment. When we lived in Hayden Lake, Seattle was one of the places we visited often because we were in that temple district, so going back there was really fun for us. We got to go back to all our favorite places we haven't seen in many years.

One place we love is Pike Street Market Place. We got on the bus and rode there twice while we were visiting. Here are the boys having fun on one of our visits. We also ate on the wharf one night and this is the delicious dinner Lindsey and I shared:


It was a treat!!!!!

Caleb

Spencer

Ethan

Bus riding photos.....

We also rode a ferry to Bainbridge Island one day for a little adventure. The boys were so excited to ride on the big boat and see the cars ride on and off with us.

While we were there this little fellow joined the Royce and AubRee Barney family.

Meet Kruz Kent Barney:


We are pretty excited because he is moving here next week!!!!!!

After our Seattle visit we drove down the coast to visit some of our other favorite places, Seaside and Tillamook, Oregon. Seaside has a yummy restaurant called Pig and Pancakes where we went for breakfast and then we took a stroll on the beach. We were able to stop and visit my mom on the way home and it was good to spend some time there. It was so nice to have a week with Russell and just do whatever we wanted to do. It was a much appreciated week of rest, fun, and relaxation. Now it is back to work and the real world, darn it!

Grandkids come to play, and play and play......

2011-08-02T08:43:00.010-06:00

Every summer for the past 6 summers our four oldest grandkids have come to visit for a week. We try to do every fun thing possible while they are with us. (mostly because we live in a tiny apartment and the addition of four extremely fun, active kids is to much for the little place), there are lots of cool things to explore in our area. Well this summer has to be ultimate in fun things to do. Our city has a neat pass you can buy that lets you get into 13 attractions for a reduced price and...I found a Groupon that had this pass on sale so it was even cheaper so I bought us each one and we had a great time. Now, just so you know, that week is over and Russell and I are on a vacation from that vacation. It was such a busy week that we needed a rest. HA!

Monday morning, this was the first official event we attended, breakfast at our church 24th of July celebration, followed by the Days of 47 parade in downtown Salt Lake City. Then we got in our swimsuits and swam all afternoon. Something that you just have to do every day with these four little fish/parade watchers.Tuesday we went bowling and I am happy to say I actually broke 100 in both of our games. We also helped Brittany and Patrick move into their new apartment. We got some of Brits stuff out of our storage unit to take there and Patrick was moving from one place to another so we helped them move that stuff. One great find there was tons of snails, they were excellent entertainment for the kids!!!!! This picture is of a snail race up the stairs at their apartment.

Wednesday, the first Groupon place we went was to the Lion House Pantry where we got a free lunch. It is located in downtown Salt Lake and is near temple square. This is walking distance from our apartment so we go there every chance we can. Temple square is a beautiful spot with lots of memories for Russell and I. It is were we were married 32 1/2 years ago. These girls especially like going there because there are usually brides and grooms coming out of the temple after getting sealed to each other as well as getting wedding photos, so they like to see all the beautiful brides in their lovely wedding dresses.


Our next stop that day was the Discovery Center at the Gateway Mall. This is the second visit we have had there and the kids love it. They spent lots of time in the little grocery store, Saria was a checker, Myah was a shopper and checker, Easton was a shopper and Ali stocked the shelves which meant that after each child bought their groceries, she had to put the stuff back on the shelves. Also, lots of little boys just like to dump all the groceries on the floor so she spent a good amount of time picking up after them. Another fun thing at the Discovery Center is a mini new-casting center. You can sit in front of movie camera and read the news, or stand in front of a green screen and do the weather. The girls love that!!!! After the Discovery Center we stopped in at the Family History Center at the Joseph Smith Memorial Center and looked up some genealogy for the kids. It was cool to look at the census records , and other records for their great great great great great great, ( just kidding) grandparents.

Thursday found us at the Clarke Planetarium, also at the Gateway Mall. We were able to explore all the neat things that place has, read about space, walk on the moon and Mars, and do science experiments. We watched a 3D IMAX movie about baby elephants and baby orangutans that was very informative and super cute. Then we watched a presentation in the dome about space and the planets. (I think, because I pretty much slept through that!)

After lunch we went to the This Is The Place Heritage Center , up Emigration Canyon and spent the afternoon. It is a place that teaches about the beginnings of Salt Lake City and life in a earlier time. There were lots of hands on stuff to do here in different old houses and cabins and the kids loved it here. We rode this train around to see it all then went to all the different places to check them out. The favorite thing this afternoon was the gold panning, although Easton was quite put out that the gold wasn't real, just iron pyrite or fools gold. They each did get some though so that was fun.

Friday morning we went to Hoagle Zoo and did a lot of walking around. It was a fun place to go. We saw lots of animals but the favorites were tigers, elephants, giraffes and the animated dinosaurs that were on display there for the summer. This big metal elephant the kids are sitting on would squirt water out it's trunk so that was good for getting cooled off at! (Also there was a couple of the dinosaurs that would squirt you!)


Friday afternoon found us at Thanksgiving Point at the Museum of Ancient History. It is truly an amazing place. It is full of dinosaur bones, tiny and HUGE. Some of the displays were out of this world. Those dinosaurs were gigantic. The kids are sitting in front of a huge shark that was alive in the dinosaur age. It was very large, very real looking and very scary!!! It looked like it could just eat you up. The kids liked this place a lot.! The Fabulous Four We sure had a great time with the kids. It was even better because Russell had the whole week off so he could spend it with us. Thanks Ali, Saria, Myah and Easton for spending part of your summer with us. WE LOVED IT !!!!!!!! See ya next year.

Randomness of things I like.....I guess that's okay since this is my blog!

2011-04-07T20:51:00.001-06:00

Oh yes I love all these people, they bring joy to my life, I thank Heavenly Father every day for them!!!!

Barney Family Fun.....

2011-03-23T22:10:00.002-06:00

We had a fun filled weekend right here in Salt Lake with most of our family. Blake and family were here for a few days and that means it was time to get together. Eric and Chandra were on their way to California to visit Royce, AubRee, Grace and Disneyland and Meredith and Wes came down for the weekend. We had such a nice time being with everyone. The grand kids are getting so grown up and are so loving to each other. The little babies are so cute, (one of them is hiding behind Russell's head). Russell and I are so thankful for each of them and the happiness they bring to our lives. Who would have thought two little Idaho kids could have such a wonderful life and family. We sure are thankful for our blessings! We are looking forward to seeing Royce and family in just a month, we sure missed them this last weekend!

Ohio and the OSU Barneys.....also known as home of the Yellow Fellow.

2011-02-27T12:03:00.001-07:00

We are in Ohio visiting Blake and his family. Although the reason for our trip is not so great, the time here has been really fun. Blake has been diagnosed with auto-immune hepititis. It is the third diagnoses he has had. This is the best so far so we will take it! He has been put on some medicine that will help stop his body fight itself as it is attacking his liver. He is so much better the past few days, it has been great. He is really yellow and will be until the liver stops getting attacked. It takes 23 days to get rid of all the bellirubin (sp) in his system. I just wanted to post a picture of the yellow fellow....maybe you can see the yellow in his eyes and skin.

Here are some photos of the boys. They are such sweet, good boys.

It has been great being here with them. We love them!!!!

Lots of folks in our little apartment.

2011-02-05T09:37:00.001-07:00

We have lots of company this weekend. Brittany, Meredith, Wes, Saria, Easton, Sadie, and Jim and Colby plus Russell and I are squished into our little apartment. It is nice and cozy and wall to wall people. We like it!!!!! Just wish we had Eric and his family, Royce and his family and Blake and his family here, then we would really be tight. HA! Mer is staying at a hotel so they at least have a bed. Thanks for coming everyone.

My Girls and Their Projects....

2011-01-19T21:46:00.002-07:00

Brittany and Colby and Meredith have been busy this winter making all sorts of cool things, just wanted to share some of their projects.
Brittany is taking a flower arranging class right now so twice a week we get these lovely new floral arrangements at our house. They are really brightening up the place. It has been fun to see what she will bring home after each of her classes. What a nice change from the winter doldrums! Thanks for sharing Brit!!!

This awesome wooden bowl is my Christmas present from Colby and Jim. They made it themselves which is not surprising because they are always making really cool stuff. When I was young my Grandma Jones had a bowl similar to this on her front-room coffee table full of nuts and as soon as I saw this, it reminded me so much of that. I love this bowl. If you like this bowl they would be happy to make one for you as they have decided to start selling them.
PS:they also made Russell an antler lamp which he has in his office at work that turned out pretty nice. (I personally do not care for antler furnishings, they pretty much make me want to hurl, so I don't get excited about such things, but Russell really liked it.)

And this is Meredith's sweet little project, Sadie. We got to see her this last weekend and she is getting so big and cute. Well, she is still pretty small but adorable. It was so fun to see Easton holding her and talking to her. That is a sweet little memory.

Keep up the good work daughters, you are creating some great stuff! Love you, MOM

Cosmic Bowling

2011-01-15T23:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday night at the bowling alley. It was cosmic bowling so we wore all the white we could find so we would glow in the dark. It was pretty fun because the bowling alley was all lit up in neon and even the bowling balls were glowing.

It was fun spending the day in with Eric and Chandra and Ali and Myah. We were able to take Jim and Colby along with us so they got to join in the fun.

Here we are all in the dark with the neon lights going........

and here we are with the flash on our camera, it took away all the fun glowing in the dark stuff but is a much better picture of us where you can actually see us.

Over the river and through the woods.....

2010-12-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

How did Russell and I get to be so old. We are facing our first Christmas ever without any children at home. It is really weird and makes me feel ancient. Luckily we are headed to my mom's for Christmas so hopefully we will have a good visit there. We will be celebrating our 32nd anniversary next week as well. Man or man, where does the time go?

New little arrivals........

2010-12-20T05:59:00.004-07:00

Our new little grandchildren are here. We are sure thankful they came safe and sound. Please meet:

                      Ethan Russell Barney
                Son of Blake and Lindsey Barney

Sadie Annebelle Smyth
Daughter of Meredith and Wes Smyth

What fun to have these sweet little additions to our family. We haven't been able to go see little Ethan yet but are looking forward to that. We have been able to visit Sadie and she is a little doll. They are both lucky to come to families that are excited for them to be here. Good luck to you mommies as you get used to having a new addition in the family. We love you all!

Colby's Wedding

2010-11-29T21:26:00.002-07:00

Scrapbook personalized with Smilebox

Count Your Many Blessings......

2010-08-26T10:03:00.000-06:00

We had a super busy, fun summer this year and got to see all our family. It started with a visit from Blake and Lindsey and their sweet little kids. It is a big job for them to come all the way to Utah and Idaho from Ohio and we sure were glad they came. We love them each so much. The happy smiles on their faces are one of the things we remember about them all year, when they are far away from us.

We got to spend part of a week in Sun Valley and were able to have the Idaho grand-kids stay with us. We did lots of fun stuff with them, went to the movies, played at the park, went swimming, had a bbq, and had sleepovers in our hotel. It was good to be able to spend time with Eric, Chandra and Meredith. Sure love each of them, they make our lives full and complete.

Then we were able to drive to California to visit Royce and AubRee and Grace. We went to the beach and had a great day. It was nice and sunny and warm. We were just happy to get to spend time with them there. The whole weekend was wonderful. We sure love our California kids, wish we got to spend more time with them. Actually the drive was not as bad as I thought it would be so maybe we will drive over again soon....

After California it was our week to have the Idaho grand-kids come and spend some time with us. We spent time at our house in Idaho and then time in Salt Lake. We went horse back riding with Colby at the AOK Corral in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, went to the drive-in to the movie, and played in the hot tub and played with Brittany. They were so good there to help clean our house as we were trying to get it ready to be sold. We visited the Utah state house and did a fun matching game there, went to dinner and spent time walking around temple square and learning about the history of the pioneers.

We count all this family among our greatest blessings!!! We are so thankful for each one of them.

One more blessing that has come about in the last few days is that our home in Idaho is sold. The sale is not yet complete but the offer has been signed and things are in the works. We know Heavenly Father has been looking out for us because there are hundreds of homes for sale there and we were able to get our sold in less than two weeks. How thankful we are that we are being looked after and know it is due to a loving Father who answer prayers. It is pretty much a miracle for us and we are very grateful. WOW!

Happy Birthday Brittany

2010-07-13T22:41:00.000-06:00

Make your own photo slideshow

Happy Birthday to our Sweet Colby Lynn

2010-05-12T13:32:00.000-06:00

Free picture slideshow made with Smilebox

Our Weekend Adventures with the Grandkids

2010-05-02T16:45:00.000-06:00

Scrapbook design made with Smilebox

The last two weekends we have been able to visit Eric and Meredith and the grandkids. We had tons of fun and have been glad for the invitations to come and visit.

Our Sunny Carribean Cruise, 2010

2010-04-13T22:22:00.000-06:00

Free digital scrapbook customized with Smilebox

Spring on Temple Square

2010-03-29T22:10:00.000-06:00

The flowers are starting to bloom on temple square and they are so pretty. We walk by them several times each week as we go back and forth to church or shopping. It has been fun to see what new flowers are blooming each time we are there. We have loved the little orange flowers that seem to be a variety of tulips but the hyacinths are my favorites. They are so fragrant! There have to be thousands of pansies all around temple square so if that is one of your favorite flowers you are going to love to be on temple square this spring. What a wonderful place to live by and to be able to see often.

My Dear Sweet Dad

2010-01-28T09:56:00.004-07:00

A few weeks ago we got word that my dad's cancer is being very aggressive and as a result he has been told he has 9-12 months to live, which apparently has even been downgraded to 6-9 months. May I say how that has saddened my heart. When I think of the many happy times of my life I can attribute so many of them to him. He and mom have spent a lifetime taking care of us socially, physically, and spiritually. How lucky we have been to be part of a family that has parents that consider us among their greatest blessings. I know they would do anything for me if I just asked them and am grateful to know they care for me enough to do so. How does a person get to be so lucky to come to a big family that is gospel centered and family oriented? So many people are not so fortunate and for this blessing I will be forever thankful.

I think our parents are perfect examples of our church's "Proclamation on the Family", and if we can do as they have done we can be examples also. I am thankful my mom spent her life at home caring for our really large family, for the things I learned from her, sewing skills, cooking skills, homemaking skills, as well as lessons in obedience and example just to name a few. There were probably times she wanted to run away from home and get away from all that responsibility but she has always been there for us. I am thankful for a father who put our family first and went to work everyday to provide for us so we would have the things we needed as we grew up and even after we left home. He has always been full of fun, and willing to share all he had with others. That is one of the best things I have learned from him. Thanks to both of these wonderful people.
Because of their sacrifices I was able to grow up in a home where I felt safe, loved and needed. In today's society that is not found as often as it should be and I thank my parents for putting our needs first, so often before their own. Love to you both.

New Christmas Pajama Night

2009-12-29T16:17:00.004-07:00

Here we are at West Yellowstone getting ready for Christmas. Russell hadn't made it there yet so we are missing him in the photo. Sorry honey. We had such fun with all our family there. What a blessing it was to be able to spend time with those that we love the most!

The Tall and Short of It!! Elder Jimmey My Love Allan Update

2009-12-08T17:16:00.004-07:00

Here is a hilarious photo of Jimmey My Love with his new companion. He is Elder Austin and went to Lonepeak High School. He will be playing basketball for BYU when he completes his mission. (Karla, he is going to become one of your boys!) Anyway just wanted to share this with you.
Just in case you might want to send some Christmas joy his way, Elder Allan's address is: 1714 Lexington Cir #5, Edinburg,TX 78539

Thanksgiving, Trotting Across America and Birthdays

2009-11-28T05:04:00.012-07:00

Come to find out, apparently my entire family was doing a turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning. Eric and family were trotting in Hailey, Idaho, Blake and family in Ohio, and the rest of us were trotting in Draper, Utah. When we Utahn's were done with our turkey trot I checked my phone and had texts from Eric and Blake telling me about their trots. I think I knew Blake and Lindsey were doing a turkey trot but not Eric and his family. This is a photo from Eric's turkey trot. Doesn't it just make you warm and snuggly. This is his his wife and two cute kids, mother-in-law, and his sister-in-law and her hubby, . I didn't ask him what the temperature was in Bellevue but it doesn't look to awfully warm.
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The Utah turkey trot was called the Human Race. It was a 5K. We had two groups of entries. The stroller gang which was Russell, Meredith, Saria, Easton and Grace. Royce, AubRee, Brittany, and Colby ran and I walked. AubRee was the winner at just over 24 minutes, Royce came in 2nd at the 25 minute mark, Colby was around 30 minutes, Brittany just over 31 minutes and I walked it in just over 37 minutes. It was pretty cold, 28 degrees and it took us a while to warm up after it was over. It was quite a fun thing to do and the general opinion was that we should do it again.

Besides the turkey trot on Thanksgiving it was also Royce's birthday. We went to the brunch at the Little America for our Thanksgiving so we celebrated his birthday and Thanksgiving there. Happy birthday Royce.

Brittany's Video Podcast Assignment, It's Yummy!

2009-11-11T06:26:00.004-07:00

Here is an assignment Brittany did for one of her classes at school. It is delicious, and fun while being educational, good job Brit! I want to learn this.....

Happy Halloween Happenings from East to West

2009-11-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Carving at Grandpa Greats!

2009-10-24T07:57:00.004-06:00

I was in the Boise area for the state soccer tournament so got to spend some time at my parent's home. One night Saria and Easton came over and we carved these scary pumpkins. It was a lot of fun. Easton was pretty much disgusted by the guts of the pumpkin and was wanting to wipe his hands off every few minutes. They each did their own and thought it was a treat!

Ohio State Barneys, Revisited

2009-10-06T15:14:00.005-06:00

We had the opportunity to spend several days in Ohio visiting Blake and Lindsey and their super cute, super nice, super duper little boys, Caleb and Spencer. It was such fun to wake up to the little boys ready to climb in bed with us and snuggle.

We did lots of fun stuff like go to a 3D movie, (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs)

We fed the ducks, ate blue ice cream, and ate at one of our favorite Ohio restaurants, Schmidts, a German place, and went to a Cincinnati Reds, St. Louise, Cardinals baseball game.

It was nice spending time with Blake and Lindsey, thanks for a fun weekend!!!!

Miley and the Girls

2009-09-30T06:46:00.000-06:00

Finally, the Secret is Out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-28T16:48:00.005-06:00

My granddaughters love Miley Cyrus, not just kind of love her but totally love her so many weeks ago I bought tickets to the Miley Cyrus concert for my three oldest granddaughters and myself. Since then I have been sending anonymous postcards to them with little bits of information about the coming event, for a long time they had no idea where the postcards were coming from and finally figured that out last week. Well, the concert is tomorrow, and this is a video of my blondie granddaughters getting the final postcard in the mail today telling them who the concert is. They were pretty excited. Their parents are bringing them to SLC tomorrow for the fun. Enjoy!!!

Look At Those Legs!

2009-09-27T15:37:00.003-06:00

Saturday, September 26th, found us in Elk Ridge, UT at a local golf course. My hubby,and brother hit the links while my sister-in-law and myself were driving the golf carts. It was kind of fun watching hubby and bro. go from hole to hole showing off their golfing abilities,(or lack thereof). I had to think several times that they looked pretty cute in those shorts, golf shirts and ball caps. They may not have hit the ball as well as the pros but they looked the part superbly! It was a fun day, ending with the BYU football game for the guys and the Relief Society Women's Conference for the gals. Thanks to a different sister-in-law we had primo seats at the conference center for the broadcast, thanks LB! After those events we girls met the guys for dinner and then we headed north to our home and they headed south to theirs. Thanks for a fun day.

Labor Day with family who are good friends.....

2009-09-09T22:01:00.005-06:00

We had a super fun Labor Day weekend in Victor with many of our dear family members. Besides the wind that gave us these beautiful hairdos we enjoyed Saturday together visiting Jackson Hole, Jackson Lake and Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenni Lake and ended the evening at the Bar J Wranglers Chuckwagon dinner and show. The Bar J Wranglers where so fun and very entertaining.

It was nice having my parents and two sisters and their spouses with us for the weekend. We started out Friday night playing Guitar Hero and while some of us were pretty good at it, some were not, Ha Ha. Mom was pretty good at the drummer's foot pedal and Rae Jean was quite a singing, dancing queen. There were a few who didn't want anything to do with it, so they had the joy of sitting around and watching the rest of us.

Anyway thanks to all who come over to visit us for our last big weekend in Victor. Look forward to many more fun times together. Love you all!

Meet the newest Brittany Barney

2009-08-28T13:46:00.007-06:00

This is our nephew Jacob Barney. His father is Gregg who is Russell's brother. Two of Gregg's sons have married beautiful Brittanys in the past year and a half and have gone from a family of all sons to one that has two Brittanys for daughter-in-laws. Is that crazy or what? Something that is even crazier is that there is a Brittany cousin on both sides of their family. I guess that was a really popular name 21 years ago.

Here are Gregg and Valerie and their very handsome sons and new Brittany.

Visitors to our little home in Salt Lake.....

2009-08-13T09:56:00.009-06:00

Our little apartment was invaded with family over the weekend and part of the week. It was GREAT! Royce and AubRee made Salt Lake a part of their travels home to California so we were excited for that. Meredith brought the kids so they could all have a nice long visit, well a short visit I guess. We were wall to wall sleeping at night with six people sleeping in our little living room. We didn't spend a whole lot of time in the apartment so we survived. We live in such a nice location in Salt Lake, you have to stop by for a visit. (you may want to wait for the temperature to drop because it gets pretty toasty here)

We had several fun trips to the pool while everyone was here. When the grand kids came previously Easton wouldn't even leave the side of the pool. Now he is swimming the length of the pool with the big kids. Way to go Woostie!
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Bossy Bob's Bunch

2009-07-19T20:08:00.008-06:00

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We have called ourselves Bossy Bob's Bunch for so long now, how did that ever start? We had a great family reunion just a week ago. It was great to see all my brothers and sisters and their spouses and kids. We have grown from a family of 11 to over 60 in not so many years. Some of my fondest memories are of family reunions as a child and now we are the adults, crazy. Thanks to Julie and her family for a fun time together. My family gets to be in charge of our next reunion, two years from now

Grandkids Week

2009-07-17T21:46:00.001-06:00

Hawaii Fun

2009-07-06T15:07:00.004-06:00

We had such a good time with Meredith, Augie, Saria, Easton, and Brittany on our trip to Kaua'i, Hawaii. What fun to get to spend a week with some of our favorite people! Here are a few photos to share the fun....

Happy Birthday American, I Love You!

2009-06-30T05:37:00.001-06:00

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We're Home!

2009-06-29T21:28:00.003-06:00

Okay, it has been 11 days since I have blogged or been on the computer or changed my blog's background or typed or read an email or anything computer related. I think I have had severe computer withdrawal, not good! It is great to have this laptop on my lap getting warmed up from the heat it generates and hearing the clicking of each key as I type this blog. AHHhhhhh!! Nice.

We had a great vacation and I will write about it and add some photos at a later date, I have lots of stuff to put away right now so TTFN!

Girls at Play

2009-06-17T14:54:00.003-06:00

We had fun getting pedicures Monday morning in Rexburg. Here are some photos.

The Last Couple Weeks at the Barney Home

2009-06-17T14:16:00.008-06:00

We have been lucky the last two weekends to have some of our kids come home. Here are some photos of the fun.....

Isn't our family awesome, we sure love them!

SLC Update

2009-06-10T08:06:00.010-06:00

Russell and I have been in SLC for three days now looking for an apartment for him to stay in while we attempt to sell our house. We signed a lease yesterday on a nice, old place that is really close to downtown SLC. It has three parks right by it and City Creek meandering in front of it. It is one of those really great areas of SLC that takes you back in time. In the neighborhood there are lots of tall, old trees, great sidewalks, bridges across the creek, a memorial park for Utah war veteran's, and a definite slow paced feel. It is a block north and east of the conference center. There are missionary couples living there along with many other variety of folks. Russell will be about 5 minutes from his job compared to the 30 minute commute he has in Jackson. It seems like a nice place to be.

The apartment has one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen and living room. There is no microwave or dishwasher so Russell says he is going totally paper and plastic for dishes. He says he may take one pan to the apartment but you know us, we are microwave cookers deluxe so I imagine he will do the same at the apartment. We are trying to decide if we can call it a condo, a suite or second home but since it is just an apartment that is as romantic a label as we can come up with. (any other suggestions ?)We hope to get a hide abed couch in case we ever have company but our finances are going to be a bit strained supporting two households so who knows if that will happen. Rae Jean has offered to furnish it with her abundance of furniture so I'm sure we will take her up on that. That will save having to move stuff down here from Idaho so that will be awesome, thanks Rae Jean. We will need to move a bed down is about all.

You will be welcome to come visit anytime, just know you will need to bring your own bed, pillows,towels,dishes etc. Just kidding, I am sure we will eventually get a blow up bed and all that other stuff too. Just a matter of getting it from Idaho to Utah. You maybe eating on TV trays which may be interesting because I am not ever sure there will be a TV there. Well, I guess there may be a TV, I am not use to the idea that there is just plain free TV to watch. We have lived so long where there is only TV if you pay for it that is it kind of weird to remember there are other options than that.

I love downtown SLC so I am excited about this all. Just pray for us that we get our home sold quickly, yeh, that will be a real miracle!

Our Wonderful Washington DC Weekend

2009-06-01T18:21:00.010-06:00

Wednesday, May 27th, Russell and I flew to Washington DC, a place we had never been. The reason for our trip was to celebrate the retirement of Lieutenant Colonel Kim Paul Wortham. Kim is a close high school friend of Russell's from way back at Meridian High School, class of 1975. Just wish I had a picture of them from 1975, they look much different now!

His retirement ceremony was Thursday afternoon at Ft. Myers military base. It is adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, home of the unknown soldier. The ceremony was pretty awesome, here is a photo of Kim and then some video of the occasion. It was pretty spectacular and we sure were glad he invited us to go to it.

This drum and fife band was our favorite, (you drillteam sisters, watch how straight their diagonals are).

Here are some photos from our day walking, (and walking and walking) around the sites. Please know we are not looking our best, it was hot, rainy, and windy that day.

Clean Baby Clean #3, or Colby Barney, with the goo goo googley eyes.

2009-05-26T15:10:00.005-06:00

So yesterday while Colby and Russell put up the trim in our room I cleaned out my drawers in our bathroom. Man did I have a lot of junk. This photo of Colby is to show how many pairs of glasses I had in the drawers, 5 pairs of reading glasses and one old pair of prescription glasses. I haven't needed reading glasses for about 2 years now so they have just been taking up space in the drawers. When I looked at this photo I just kept thinkng of the song, Barney Google, with the goo goo googly eyes, but in this case Colby Barney with the goo goo googly eyes.

Also, I had 5 toothbrushes and I have used an electric toothbrush for about 3 years now, so I guess going though things now and again is a good thing.

Perfect reason for moving to Salt Lake City...

2009-05-23T20:41:00.006-06:00

Well, I must admit I did not do any cleaning today because I had to spend the day going to Idaho Falls to run some errands. We painted our bedroom a while back and have needed some white trim to finish it so off to Idaho Falls we went today. A trip to Idaho Falls generally takes most of the day so we don't get much other stuff done when we go there. It was a fun trip though, we picked Colby up in Rexburg and she came home with us for the weekend. We had a yummy lunch at Red Robin, went to Lowe's and of course Walmart and spent a little time in the mall. Instead of cleaning when we got home I painted the trim for the bedroom and it will hopefully get put up on Monday. We have a really cool picture of the Salt Lake temple we can hang after the trim is up so we will be able to get that done also. Now, when we get to Salt Lake I imagine we can run to a hardware store and home in an hours time so that will be nice. Wow, that is going to be exciting!!!!!

Ooh...Gross!

2009-05-21T15:48:00.009-06:00

Okay so knowing that cleaning is a big part of moving I started today with the dastardly deed. First job, under the kitchen sink, a job that hasn't been done for a while. Any way, I figure I might as well make it memorable while I am doing it so I am going to bore you all with a play by play account as I go along. Whats under your kitchen sink? I had 2 bottlesof Kaboom, 3 bottles of Windex, 4 packaging tape dispensers, 2 kinds of ceramic stove top cleaner, 3 flyswatters, dishwasher parts, assorted sponges, scrapers, squeegees, dishwasher soap, dish soap, Jet Dry, vinegar water, Murphy's oil soap water, stainless steel appliance cleaner, a few rags, hand towels, 3 kinds of carpet cleaner, and the list goes on. My whole plan was to chuck some of it, but mostly I just dispersed it to the bathrooms in the house. I did find two plant pots that will be great in a garage sale.

Here is the mess underneath my sink after all those bottles and junk are gone. What a lovely surprise! I can't wait for under the refrigerator!

How many packaging tape dispensers does one person need, don't you even fret about them though because we will be needing them all in the next few months.

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All clean and shiny...

One job down and 100 more to go...your welcome to come and help anytime!

Drum roll please........Salt Lake City here we come

2009-05-20T20:04:00.004-06:00

Here is our big news, we are moving from our wonderful, beautiful valley to a really big valley, Salt Lake City, Utah. Russell had his first day of work there today, Wednesday, May 20th. Holy cow we have had to keep that a secret for a week and a half and it was almost more than I could bare. Anyway, if you know any one who wants a great house in a great valley with great views and great weather (ha) just let us know because our house will be on the market soon.

Living in the Teton valley has been a dream come true. After leaving the Wood River valley our girls learned there really are other kids with values and morals and are just plain nice. Brittany and Colby have loved living here and will probably be the most sad to leave. How will Colby survive being so far from the Allan family in Jackson? Hmmm, I bet she and Jim never factored this move into their relationship, what is going to happen there?

This is a great opportunity for Russell. He will be over all the lending in Utah and Wyoming for Bank of the West. His little Jackson area has been the leader in lending totals for all of Utah and Wyoming for some time now, and he will now have the chance to do the same for the Utah region of the bank. Right now it is pretty much in the bottom of the pool for the whole bank so there is no where to go but up. Since fixing bank problems seems to be his specialty I have no doubt he will be really successful as he undertakes this challenge. I an really proud of him for all his hard work, and ability to problem solve.

I guess we will be down sizing with this move since the kids are pretty much gone, so, if there is anything we have that you love makes us a deal and it could be yours. Oh the joy of thinking about moving again, lets see, this is our 12th or 13th move so we should be pretty good at it. We have been really blest though, with each move, to learn and grow and hopefully become better parents, friends and members of the church that we love. We have a huge list of friends we send Christmas cards to every year and this move will surely add a bunch to that list.

As for me, I am ready for Salt Lake. It the past 11 years or more I have had an hour commute to do any kind of actual shopping, movie watching, or any kind of thing that simply doesn't happen in small towns. (like eating at real restaurants). I am a little sad at leaving my music job and job at the seminary but I am sure there are other opportunities just awaiting me. With one surgery behind me and one sadly loaming in my future it will be nice to just relax and have some fun with my family and I think Salt Lake is just the place to do that.

So there you have it...our big news is finally out.

Our Baby is 19, Happy Birthday Colby!

2009-05-11T21:01:00.003-06:00

Well, it is hard to believe but Colby is 19 now. She was home for Mother's Day so we celebrated her birthday. Of course, she was really home to talk to Jimmey on Mother's Day and you will be happy to know he is still fabulous and marvelous! She had a nice long talk with him and says she can now last until December when she will be able to talk to him again. Anyway, Happy Birthday sweet daughter, we love you.

Splish Splash I was taking a bath.......

2009-05-11T20:51:00.003-06:00

We had Eric and Meredith and families over for Mother's Day. It was fun having them all here. While they were here I walked into my bathroom to check on the girls that were taking a bath and this is what I found. I think the water was about up to their chest and the rest was bubbles, bubbles, bubbles. Poor Myah can hardly see over the top of all those crazy bubbles. They were having a blast though and those bubbles just seemed to disappear after a while.

Blake's Part Time Job.......Hee Hee!

2009-04-08T16:42:00.004-06:00

I totally forgot this hilarious photo in the following slide show. Who says dental students can't have a part time job. Keep up the good work Blake, j/k, actually we found this lovely thing on our trip to Kirtland so had to snap a picture!

SPRING BREAK 2009

2009-04-08T08:45:00.004-06:00

Here are some photos from our trip to Ohio. We had a great time and did lots of fun things while there. Our favorite was our visit to the Kirtland temple. If you ever get a chance to visit there you need to go. It was awesome. We had a great time with Blake, Lindsey, Caleb and Spencer. It was so fun!!!!!

Wait a minute!!!

2009-03-28T19:52:00.003-06:00

Okay, we left Victor last week thinking that when we got home from our spring break trip to Ohio all our snow would be gone, as it was nice and warm and melting when we left. Not so, there is snow galore here and more on the way, all next week snow is in the forecast so, so much for thinking that spring might be on its way. Boo!!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day to Ya!

2009-03-16T16:57:00.006-06:00

Hey all you lads and lassies, may the luck of the Irish be with ya today! We had a really fun rook party with our rook buddies Saturday night and we all had these fabulous hats and such to wear. Russell and I did not have the luck of the Irish with us, as neither one of us won the game but at least we were not the losers either. We ate green jello, green salad, broccoli, green grapes, kiwi, granny smith apples, green koolaide ice cubes in Sprite, pistachio cake and yummy scalloped potatoes with ham, (that were not green). It was a fun night!

Our March is coming in like a lion for sure, hope it goes out like a lamb!

2009-03-07T21:40:00.005-07:00

I intended to change my blog when March got here, and it is already a week into the month, whoops! Since spring is suppose to arrive in March I am being optimistic and putting some little robin eggs on my blog. We still have quite a bit of snow so I really don't imagine we will have any such thing this month. When I looked at Royce and Aubree's blog with their cute little pictures of Grace there were flowers and oranges in the trees and they didn't even have on a jacket. I just hope it will be warm when we head to Ohio to visit Blake and Lindsey in a few weeks. Their weather is usually warming up by now so I hope it will be when we get there.

I had a great visit with my family last weekend when I drove over to the Boise area and attended the blessing of a new little niece, Sage Solosabal. It was fun to spend some time them and with Meredith, Augie, Saria and Easton. I think the best part happened right before I left to come home when my brothers gave my dad a blessing. He will be starting cancer radiation this week so it was nice the boys could give him a blessing before that all begins. As you are growing up you always think of your dad taking care of you but not your brothers, so thanks Mark and Darrin for helping dad now that he needs someone to help take care of him!

I must be having a boring life....

2009-02-22T15:50:00.003-07:00

I haven't had anything to blog about lately. I keep forgetting to take a camera with me when I go places so I don't have anything new to add. I have been hitting the road quite regularly though, with a trip to Kuna, and Provo in the last few days. Plus I am excited to see my family this weekend when we assemble at the baby blessing of a new little niece. So....sorry about all the boringness lately.

A Day Off

2009-01-29T07:25:00.005-07:00

Today is parent teacher conferences at the schools so I have the day off. Plus, we had a snow day on Tuesday because it was 39 below at some places in our valley so...I had only two days of working this week. It's a rough life huh? Russell wants to know why bankers never get a snow day, sorry honey. We finally have some snow here. It has been slow coming but I suppose it is here to stay now. Our weather has been so crazy, it was in the 40s last week so lots of the snow melted and it was getting pretty thin in spots.

When the kids were here for the holidays they made a snowman which sits in the front yard and was really cute. After all the melting it looked pretty sad and kind of scary actually, here some photos of the poor guy:

Our Dance Lessons are Paying Off! Just Kidding, (no dance lessons for us!)

2009-01-23T19:54:00.003-07:00

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Ahhhhh.....Sunny California

2009-01-20T19:07:00.006-07:00

Here are some funny photos taken at the Disney store we visited at Downtown Disney, can you find Grace among all the Minneys?

We had a fun trip to Southern California over the weekend to visit Royce, AubRee and Grace. It was sure nice and warm. It was fun to see their house, Royce's college, and get to go to their ward with them on Sunday. We were able to do a lot of stuff in the three days we were there. We went to Newport Beach, walked around Downtown Disney, ate at some yummy spots and did a lot of visiting and enjoying spending time with them. Their little Grace is so sweet, always full of smiles and you will tell from the following photos.

Our Family Talent Show

2009-01-09T08:40:00.007-07:00

We had quite an entertaining talent show over the holiday put together by Ali and Saria so I thought I might put a few of the outstanding entries on the blog. Please know that Easton eventually stands right side up. (He is popping bubble wrap.) Here you are, da ta da da.... the first ever Barney family talent show.

Our Baby Is All Grown Up!

2009-01-04T18:30:00.004-07:00

We are a bit melancholy today at the Barney house. Not only has all our company left that were here for the holidays, but our baby also left today for college. All I can say is that it is a good thing Brittany is going to be home with us or we would really have a quiet place. There were a few tears all around as Russell gave Colby a father's blessing just before she loaded in her car and drove to Rexburg for school. We are planning on going over tomorrow and bringing anything she left, and meet her roommates and take her out to dinner but it is still a sad day for us! I think she was excited though so that is good. Thank goodness she will only be one hour away, I guess we will survive.

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Our Wonderful Non-wintery Pre-Christmas Caribbean Cruise

2008-12-26T17:52:00.005-07:00

Please enjoy these pictures from our cruise. We left our valley with no snow and came home to tons of it!!!! We were so warm while we were gone!

Merry Christmas One and All!!!

2008-12-26T07:58:00.005-07:00

Here are some Christmas morning photos. We got up at 5am and had a great time looking in our stockings and opening presents. Stockings are always the best part of Christmas for we Barneys and that is what we look at first. It was so fun having Blake and Lindsey and Caleb and Spencer with us this year.

It was a snowy, blizzarding day and Russell had to take Blake and family to Ririe to Lindsey's parents and Colby had to head to Jackson to Jim's house for the Christmas missionary phone call. Russell drove to Swan Valley and had to turn back due to a road closure so they came back home and traveled to Ririe by way of Rexburg. Although Colby got to Jackson she had to spend the night because the pass closed while she was there. I haven't talked to Colby since she talked to Jim or I would give a Jim update to you all. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, we sure did!

Christmas Morning at the Barneys

2008-12-26T07:28:00.004-07:00

Here are a few photos from Christmas morning. It was so great having Blake and Lindsey here with their little Caleb and Spencer. We got up around 5 am and had lots of fun looking in stockings and unwrapping gifts. Santa was pretty good to all of us. We had a fun morning and our breakfast was Karla's yummy baked oatmeal. It was a blizzarding day here and Blake and Lindsey and Colby has traveling to do so that was a bit scary. Russe

A Bunch of Christmas Smilers

2008-12-24T21:55:00.003-07:00

Hello and Merry Christmas, here we are on Christmas Eve, aren't we just adorable? Just wait for the Christmas Day photos!

Thanksgiving in Kuna

2008-12-07T12:43:00.004-07:00

Here we are stuffing ourselves with a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. I just can't believe it is already more than a week since we were in Kuna for Thanksgiving. This month is flying by already. We will be gone on our vacation in 6 days so we are getting excited for that. Mostly we are excited to pick up Blake and Lindsey in Salt Lake next Friday night. Isn't Christmas the best time of the year?

Merry Christmas from Russell, DeEtte, Brittany, Colby and our dancing dog, Sophie

2008-11-30T23:29:00.004-07:00

Okay, so this is my new favorite thing, these Jibjabs, sorry. Anyway,please remember to pause our blog music so you can enjoy we five really skinny dancing elves!

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We're Hot!

2008-11-17T21:15:00.004-07:00

Please pause our blog music before you watch this hilarious little number.

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Only in Teton Valley will you find a cow in your backyard!

2008-11-16T20:09:00.004-07:00

We went out our front door on Saturday and guess what we found? A herd of cows coming fast into our yard. Colby herded them out of our yard into an empty field by our house, so far so good. Well, we went out into our backyard a little while later and there was one cow in our yard and another on its way into our yard. It was so funny, I was just a little worried though that we would end up with all that herd of cows in our back yard so Colby chased them out. I just wish I would have had my camera then because its not very often you find a cow in your backyard!

Happy Birthday Russell

2008-11-16T19:57:00.003-07:00

Russell celebrated his 52nd birthday this month. We had cake and ice cream at a Rook party we attended on the Saturday before his birthday. The cake was Grandma Munson's really yummy lemon cake, Russell's favorite. On Monday, we met Brittany in Rexburg and went to dinner on his birthday. It was fun to be together and we had a nice little visit with Brittany that night. Happy birthday Honey!!!

Wedding update, or no date...

2008-11-02T15:18:00.003-07:00

I almost can't believe I am posting this but Brittany and Gabe have decided not to get married. It is kind of crazy when I think of all the letters and packages she sent him on his mission and how anxious she was for him to get home. They are just not happy together like you should be when you are engaged so I am proud of her for recognizing she needed to do something different. Just wanted everyone to know.

Sort of after the fact but this is a real tearjerker!

2008-11-01T16:06:00.006-06:00

If you know our family you know Colby has been dating Jim since February 2007. They are pretty close and spent lots of the last couple of months together. I asked him one day if he thought they should quit being together so much before he leaves so it wouldn't hard for them and he said no, they were going cold turkey. It was more like a bawling, really sad, cold turkey! He went into the MTC on October 15th and these photos are from October 14th. He left our house to get set apart for his mission and his family left for Provo after that. There were two really sad kids here when that all happened! It was even really sad for me. The good new is that he loves the MTC and is loving learning the Spanish language. Jusy thought you might like to know.....

Winter is on it's way...

2008-10-12T18:07:00.003-06:00

For good or bad we have had our first big snow storm and it is way to early!!!!! We are not ready for the snow yet so hopefully it is just here for a day or two and is now on its way somewhere else. PLEASE!!!!!!

We take a roadtrip to Provo, Utah for a really fun BYU football game.

2008-10-12T17:41:00.003-06:00

Because it was Jim's birthday and he loves BYU football and we were given 6 tickets to a BYU football game and also because he leaves for his mission in three days from today,we headed down to Provo on Saturday, October 11th, for the BYU, New Mexico football game. (whew, that was a long sentence) It turned out to be quite an adventure because we forgot the tickets at our house in Victor so had to drive home from Idaho Falls and get them and that was just the beginning of the excitement. It was fun though because as you can see from the pictures we all had BYU Quest t-shirts to wear and I think we looked really cute in them. It was fun being back at the football stadium as Russell and I haven't had many opportunities to return there since we graduated 30 years ago,(could it possibly be that long?) We told Colby and Brittany how we used to take Eric to the football games and bundle his all up and tuck him under the bleachers in his car seat, now that was a long time ago, (he turned 29 a couple of weeks ago). Colby and Jim said we could come to the games with them when they are at school at the Y in 2 1/2 years from now. Jim loves BYU football so much he says they are going to have their wedding reception at the Levelle Edward Stadium, guess we had better start saving our money, HA. Jim's dad was able to go with us so it was a fun chance for them to spend some time together before he leaves for his mission.

LOTOJA, need I say more...

2008-09-16T19:47:00.005-06:00

For the past many months Russell and Meredith have been training for a 206 mile bike ride that starts in Logan, UT and ends in Jackson Hole, Wy. (hence:LOTOJA) Due to injuries and dehydration they did not cover the whole 206 miles but they sure did a heck of a job trying. I am so proud to those two, they felt bad they did not finish the whole race but all I can say is you sure did a lot better than the rest of the world, (except the other 998 riders that entered). You have nothing to be ashamed of guys and next year you'll know a whole lot more of what to expect. My job was the car driver that met them from pit stop to pit stop, and boy was I good!!!!! Anyway good job Russell and Meredith, love you. MOM

August ends and turns into September.......

2008-09-16T19:36:00.003-06:00

We were able to celebrate the close of summer this year with a visit from my dear sisters Kim and RaeJean and their really great spouses, Mike and Don. We had a fun time together and were able to visit some of the beautiful places around the Jackson Hole, WY area. Sometimes its just good to sit and chat with your sisters and it did me a world of good. Thanks for coming over girlies!

Meet Horse Wrangler, Colby Barney

2008-08-12T15:26:00.004-06:00

Colby has taken a job for the month of August as a horse wrangler at the AOK Corral in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She jumped right in and started working from 7am to 7pm with an hour drive back and forth each way. She works 6 days a week, having only Sundays off. She leaves the house at 6am and gets home in the late hours of the evening. (Jimmey my love's house is on the way home so she usually makes a pit stop there on the way home.) I guess she is a real cowgirl for a month. These pictures were taken on Saturday, August 9th, 2008. Easton, Saria, and I drove over and visited her that day. The kids were thrilled to get to take a little horsey ride!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-08-04T09:37:00.004-06:00

So I had my birthday in June and turned 50. Is that crazy or what? Anyway I wanted to show you what Russell paid for and Colby and Jim made me for my birthday. They built 10 of these tables for a motel in Jackson and made really good money doing it, but they were kind enough to build them for me for my birthday for cost only. They turned out really nice. Jim designed them and he and Colby spent many a night building the tables for their costumer. Thanks and good job guys!

Jim gets the call....

2008-08-04T09:31:00.005-06:00

We drove over to Jackson last week to lunch to be there when Jim announced his mission call. He and Colby already had read the letter and knew where he was going so they just had some fun having everyone guess where they thought he would be. He was pretty excited! He is going to the Texas, McAllen mission, spanish speaking. He reports to the MTC on October 15, 2008.

A Month in Revew

2008-08-04T08:55:00.004-06:00

Okay, July has been the out of town, company coming, house cleaning, driving all over tarnation months. (it was a fun though) Now I am happy to say I am in the staying at home, cleaning house, taking care of everything to get ready to go back to school month. July was so fun, it was fun get to see so many dear family members. We had the Munson family reunion which was so great. I just love all those dear aunts and uncles of mine!!!! and cousins. It was so fun to see them for a few days. Brittany and Colby were able to go the reunion with me and they had a blast. It was a great time for each of us.

We also had the Barney family reunion here at our house and had a good time having Russell's family here for a few days. We were able to go see the Bar J Wranglers, a absolute favorite and just let me tell you, Brittany and Colby and Jim were laughing their heads off. Those wranglers are pretty entertaining. We went to Yellowstone also and then had a bbq here for those that were here already and a few more that drove over for dinner. It was fun having them here seeing everyone growing up.

Last week I was at education week at BYUI and an alumni ambassador training meeting in Rexburg. In case you don't know I love that place and had a great time while there. It was a good time because I got to learn about all the construction that is going on and all the changes that have and will be happening at that great school. Colby has decided to attend there in January so that is exciting.

Jimmey my love, (well actually Colby's love) got his mission call last week. He will be serving in the Texas McAllen mission, spanish speaking. He reports to the MCT on October 15th. That is pretty exciting for him!

We were able to see Royce and AubRee on Saturday in Idaho Falls. They were there attending a wedding for one of AubRee's cousins. They will be moving to California this weekend and are excited and nervous about that. Back to school they go after working in Washigton state all summer. Good luck to them!

So that pretty much raps up what has been going on here for the last few weeks. Now...I will add a few photos to compliment this fine blog.

Royce, AubRee & Grace come to visit....

2008-07-03T16:17:00.003-06:00

We have had a fun week having Roycie, AubRee and the cutest baby ever, Grace, here. We did a lot of fun stuff but will not think it is so fun when we put them on the airplane July 4th at 7:00 am. Here are a few pics of their really cute little family.

Something Fun to Try

2008-06-25T11:53:00.003-06:00

click on this to find out about yourself. What a surprise there are not any other DeEtte Barneys in the US. There are 21 Russell Barneys.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
1
or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Our Pioneer Experience with Grandma and Grandpa Great Munson

2008-06-24T15:26:00.002-06:00

Starting Summer off with a Barney Bang

2008-06-24T14:26:00.003-06:00

We were so happy to have Blake and Lindsey spend some time with us this summer. Blake was between semesters of school so they were able to come over for a visit. Meredith came over also so she could see them while they were here. These photos are from our trip over the hill to the rec center in Jackson to go swimming. It was a lot of fun. Poor Colby still couldn't get into the water much so just sat at the side and watched.

Finally, a day or two off.....NOT

2008-06-09T11:40:00.003-06:00

Well, we are back from our vacation and done with the wild and crazy month of May. My May was so utterly packed with things to do that I didn't know if I would survive it. I had district softball tournament, two music programs, state softball tournament, semimary graduation, high school graduation one for Colby and another one to watch,for Jim, getting ready for our trip, company for a week, (which we loved), and working two jobs. It was actually worse than the month of December if that is possible. I would like to say that the summer looks better but it doesn't so, so much for a vacation. Sorry if I sound like I am whinning, I guess I am but where does it all end??????????????????????????????? I guess that is when you die, ha! I don't want that any time soon so guess I had better buck up and start each day with a good attitude!!!

We had so much fun in Mexico. We were able to do lots of really fun stuff and make lots of great memories. We were so glad that it worked out for Eric and Chandra to come with us. I bet they missed their little girls but we were glad to have them along.

We will be visiting mom and dad at Martin's Cove in two weekends so are looking forward to that. We will be taking all the little grandchildren but Gracie with us so that be a great adventure. We are looking forward to Blake and Lindsey coming to stay tomorrow hurray! Hope you all have a fun and safe summer!

Our Mexican Vacation in Puerta Vallarta

2008-06-09T11:32:00.002-06:00

As you watch this slide show, put the cursor at the bottom of each picture to read the captions that are there, enjoy, we sure did!

Our Last Graduate! and other news.

2008-05-30T08:38:00.004-06:00

Well, it is really hard to believe but our children are all graudated now. We are getting old for sure but Russell did tell me this morning that I do not look like I am nearly 50 so that is good I guess. What a crazy month Colby has had, state softball, knee surgery, graduation and then Mexico in two days. We are really excited to be going somewhere warm. It has not been the greatest weather here and we are ready for a change. Jim graduates on Saturday, May 31st and then Russell, myself, Brittany, Colby and Jim will be driving to Salt Lake to fly out on Sunday moring. We are really excited because Eric and Chandra will be meeting us there, it is going to be so fun!!!!!! Just think abour us laying around on the beach tanning and don't feel to sorry for us having had bad weather here! Adios amigos!

Colby Graduates!!!!

2008-05-30T08:36:00.001-06:00

Prom Day for Colby and Jim

2008-05-02T07:19:00.003-06:00

Here is the lovely prom couple, notice the change from the shooters to the dancers. Pretty amazing what a shower, change of clothes and a hairdo can do for someone! They do look pretty nice though!

Okay so snow on April 24th isn't that great!!!

2008-04-24T16:46:00.002-06:00

So I am sitting at home looking out the window at what appears to be a silly blizzard! The first time I ever blogged it was on a snowy, windy day in January and it is now three months later and it seems like the same weather. Lucky for us we have had a few nice days and lots of snow has melted, but we still have big piles around the house. This has been some winter in the valley here. Come on Spring!

Our Spring Break

2008-03-29T19:46:00.002-06:00

While most people go somewhere exotic for spring break, this year our spring break found us in the lovely state of Ohio. It was not to exotic but it was a lot of fun! We had such a good time being with Blake, Lindsey, Caleb and Spencer. We did many fun things and ate a lot of food!!! We were glad to get to go to their ward and meet some of their friends and fellow students. We took a walk about on campus at Ohio State University, home of the Buckeyes, which is a nut, (in case you don't know), and the highlight of that was a tour of the cadaver lab where Blake gets to cut up dead people and study their innerds. (that was pretty crazy!) We walked though the dental school and saw where he is practicing making crowns and putting in filling, etc. and so far he has scored the highest on most of the work there. Good job Blaker! So it was a great time we had and are looking forward to our next exotic trip to Ohio!

Happy Easter from the Ohio State Barney boys

2008-03-23T14:47:00.002-06:00

We are at Blake and Lindsey's for spring break and here is a cute picture taken this morning after church. These little boys are so cute and sweet!!! We are having a great time minus some unfortunate events that started our trip. Happy Easter everyone

Tag from Katie...

2008-03-07T14:33:00.003-07:00

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?
Russell and I met in the spring of 1978, so just almost 30 years, WOW!

2. Who eats more?
I really think I eat more than Russell, at least more times a day, he eats less often, but more during those times.

3. Who said I love you first?
Russell

4. Who is taller?
Russell is 6 feet tall, I am 5'8. It is the perfect difference because I can wear high heels and still not be as tall as him.

5. Who sings better?
I think we both sing okay, Russell is a good bass, although he didn't grow up in a family that sang much and he was never in choir, so good for him!

6.Who does laundry?
I do our laundry but with only three at home it is like three or four loads a week.

7. Who does dishes?
Me

8.Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
I sleep on the right side of the bed, no matter where we are.

9. Who pays the bills?
I pay most of the bills but Russell has a few he pays.

10. Who mows the lawn?
Russell or Colby-I do inside, they does outside.

11. Who cooks dinner?
Me

12.Who drives when you are together?
Russell always drives, I always sleep, don't ask me why, get me in a car and I am a goner!!! (or I read, or do some kind of hand sewing, great opportunity!)

13. Who is stubborn?
Although we are both very easy going there are times when we each are stubborn, Russell more though I would say.

14.Who is the first to admit they are wrong?
We don't ever seem to have a time when either of us is wrong or don't agree, that I can think of. I can think of once maybe.

15.Who's parent's do you see the most?
We really don't see either of our parents much, but I guess he sees his mom more.

16. Who kissed who first?
Well, after dating from May until October, Russell finally kissed me after the homecoming dance at BYU, in October and we were married two months later.

17.Who proposed?
This is a kind of comical story that you should ask me about sometime, but Russell proposed.

18.Who is more sensitive?
What a question for a Munson sibling, we are the biggest bawl babies ever. Me for sure.

19.Who has more friends?
I guess me but he has lots of people he is associated through work that may be considered friends. We are each other's best friends and mostly want to do stuff together or with our kids.

20. Who has more siblings?
Me for sure!!! He has six kids in his family and we have nine.

21. Who wears the pants?
I would say we each have a leg in the pants, it just depends on what pants are being worn at the time. (I think we Munsons inherited the need to be in charge, which is okay because sometimes somebody just has to step up and get things going!)

I tag Stacie and Kimmie when she ever gets a blog going.

New Year's Eve Safari

2008-02-22T09:00:00.007-07:00

We just got this picture. It was taken at our stake New Year's Eve dance. It was a safari theme, hence all the spots and stripes. We had a fun time. In case you can't tell Brittany is in the top row, left, and her roommate Becca is center, with their friend Ryan on the right. Colby and Jim are on the front row. They all put their shoes under the Christmas tree on New Years Eve for the New Year's baby. It was a fun dance and a fun night to have them all here. (The dance was my first official function as the stake activites chairman, we were so tired by the end of the night after putting up all the decorations and then taking them all down!)

Cross Country Skiing at West Yellowstone, Montana

2008-02-18T19:19:00.000-07:00