Halloween Party-10-17-09

Formal Night on the ship 7/10/2009

This is the whole family who went on the cruise. Back Row L to R: Dirk Peterson, Matt Terry, Ben Timm, Josh Timm, Ken Heinhold
Middle Row L to R: Debbie Heinhold Peterson, Angie Heinhold Terry, Becky Heinhold Timm, Jake Timm
Front Row L to R: Maddy Peterson, Taylor Peterson, Ryan Timm, Lynne Heinhold
Very Front: Samantha Terry and Kate Terry

Our family cruise to Mexico!

Pictures of our trip are below this super long posting! :)
Our family just got back from the greatest vacation ever to the Mexican Riviera! Grandma and Grandpa took their kids (minus my brother Dave, who just welcomed a little boy into the family) and grandchildren on this cruise. Saturday the fourth, we drove down to L.A. and enjoyed the evening in Long Beach. Sunday we headed over to the port and got on our ship, the Carnival Splendor! It was HUGE and our rooms were nice. Ben and I were lucky enough to get an ocean view room, so we watched the ocean, dolphins and whale spouts out our window. The ship pulled out at 5:30 p.m. and we were on our way. Monday was a day at sea and Ben was begged by a niece to enter the Hairy Chest Contest. He didn't really want to, but he did it for his niece. He ended up winning 2nd place! That night was formal night, where we all dressed up in our nice clothes for dinner in the dining room. We had the greatest waiter, Pedro from the Philipines, and his assistant was Danilo. Lobster and Prime Rib were on the menu, YUM! We then went to a fun show in the Spectacular Lounge. The entertainment on the ship was top notch! Tuesday was another day at sea spent lounging on the deck, shopping, watching movies and just relaxing. Wednesday we woke up in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. When we got off the ship, there were tour taxis and vans right there that you could pay for, so my dad talked to a man named Jimmy, to take us in his 15 passenger van. We first went shopping and then he took us to where the "Night of the Iguana" was filmed. We then went way up into the jungle and went to the set of where the movie, "Predator" was filmed. It was so hot because of the humidity. The kids and Benj went and jumped in the river to cool off. After, we drove back to a resort called, The Krystal Resort, to swim in their beautiful pools and play in the ocean. That night we went to the Spectacular again to watch a comedian named Jerome and this other man who played the electric violin. Jerome was HILARIOUS and I am so glad he kept it "family friendly". Even Ryan "got" his jokes and we laughed the whole time. The violin player was absolutely amazing!!!! Thursday was Mazatlan. We again rented a van and this time our driver's name was Oscar. He was so excited to tell us and show us his city. He took us all over to see the sites. We went to their big beautiful cathedral that was in the center of old downtown. They were in the middle of Mass and we sat through a little of it. He took us to see one of the LDS chapels in his city. We went high up on a mountain overlooking the city, we went to the new part of Mazatlan that they call the "Golden zone" where they have nice shops. We watched a cliff diver jump off a high tower into the water below. This is how they make money, and after he dove, he and his friends came and collected "tips" from all of us who watched him. We then went to a resort, Las Flores, to swim and play on the beach. The water in the ocean was so warm you didn't have to get used to it, you just got right in. Benj rented a boogie board and he and the boys did their favorite thing, they caught waves all afternoon.
Friday was Cabo San Lucas. We rented a glass bottom boat to take us over to Lover's Beach, which is a beautiful beach in the Sea of Cortez. The kids saw all sorts of fish, stingrays and even a shark in the glass bottom boat on the way over. The beach was beautiful and the water was crystal clear! We spent our time snorkeling and enjoying this spectacular place! Anyway, once again, the water was warm, no having to get used to it and you could stay in as long as you wanted and wouldn't chill. That night was another formal night. The kids did not enjoy dressing up, but we were able to get a great family picture that night of all of us. Dad purchased the picture and I will post it on here as soon as he gets me a copy. Saturday was another beautiful day at sea and Sunday we arrived in Long Beach and drove home. It was an amazing vacation! On the cruise ship they had 24 hour ice cream and pizza. Room Service was complimentary. Benj and I loved going for lunch on the Lido deck and while eating we would watch the ocean go by. I think every time we went back to our room after lunch, we would walk in and the boys would have ordered room service! They loved ordering anything they wanted from the menu and then having it delivered right to the room, and it was FREE! Everything was perfect! The weather, the ship, we stayed healthy, it was just wonderful!!! Thanks grandma and grandpa!!!

Our Mexican Riviera Cruise 7/05-7/12 2009

Jake-13 1/2

I love this picture of Jake that I took today before he left for a Priesthood Leadership meeting. He looks like a missionary! I have been so blessed to have such great kids!

Another fun trip to St. George June 1-5, 2009

Last week we were supposed to be on our cruise around the Mexican Riviera, but due to the Swine Flu, we had to postpone it until July. Soooo, since we already had work, church and school off, we decided to head back to St. George and relax there. We were able to stay at my parent's condo which is so nice and really fun! My sisters, Debbie and Angie and their families also came. It was an absolute BLAST! We spent a lot of time at the pool and the weather was perfect! We saw the new Star Trek movie and the second Night at the Museum. I wish we were there now! Our family loves our relaxing St. George vacations!

The Best Trip Ever!!

A fun trip to San Francisco/Napa with my sisters!

On May 8th through May 11th, my sisters, Debbie, Angie and I went on the GREATEST trip ever to Napa Valley, California. My sister, Debbie won a 3-night stay at the Vino Bella resort in Napa Valley and free 50 minute Swedish Massages for all of us. We arrived in San Francisco at around noon and picked up our rental car. We immediately headed for Pier 39 and Fisherman's Warf. We had lunch at the Sea Lion Cafe where we ate the best Clam Chowder and Fish and Chips you can find! As we ate our lunch, we looked out a big window next to us and watched the sea lions sunning themselves on the docks. We walked all around the warf and Ghirardelli Square. Then we headed up to Napa. The resort was beautiful! Saturday we hung out at the pool listening to relaxing music they had playing. It was so nice to just lay there and read, sleep, cool off in the pool. AHHHH! We then went to a neat place called the Oxbow Market where we ate fancy cheeses, crackers and had our very first Kara's Cupcakes!!! YUMMY! Then we went to the outlets and shopped for quite awhile. That evening we went to a fun Mexican/Colombian restaurant for dinner. Sunday was Mother's Day and we each had a massage. I've never done that before and it was amazing! After, we went to the pool again and then out to dinner at a place called, Rutherford's Grill for some delicious ribs. Monday we got up and headed back to San Francisco where we walked around Chinatown and downtown San Francisco. We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory at the top of the Macy's in downtown San Francisco. Then we headed back to the airport and flew home. It was absolutely the most fun trip ever!!! So Fun!!! I want to go back!!!

Our trip to Escalante 4/11-4/15 2009

We had such a great time on our trip to Escalante! On Sunday, we enjoyed the beauty of Lower Calf Creek Falls. It is a 6 mile round trip hike, but not too strenuous. The weather was perfect and when we got to the falls, Jake and Ryan immediately took off their shoes and waded in the cold water. We became friends with our "camping neighbor" who is here from Australia. She is almost finished with a tour around the world! So cool! Monday we hiked the slot canyons, Spooky and Peek-a-Boo! Those are our families favorite slot canyons...challenging and super fun. There are places where you have to walk sideways for 30 feet to get through since the rocks are so close together. You look up and there are straight rock walls, super narrow going up 70 feet. If you had claustrophobia you wouldn't do well here. Again, perfect hiking weather...maybe 70*. Monday night, Grandpa Carl came down and camped with us. We had fun eating yummy food and roasting marshmallows and making smores. Tuesday the weather was a little cool and windy, so we took a drive over Hell's Backbone. I think Ben and his dad loved it, but after a while the rest of us got a little bored. :) Wednesday we packed up our camp and headed home. The good weather was gone at that point and we had to go over the Boulder Mountains (9600 ft. above sea level) in a blizzard/white out! It was a little nerve wracking (so glad Ben is such a good driver in the snow after driving semi trucks over Parley's during the winter). Such a great trip!!

Our family vacation to St. George 3/25-3/29 2009

We spent last week in St. George, Utah. What a blast we had!!! It was so nice to get away and enjoy the comfortable weather down there and just have fun! We went to the movies, mountain biking, 4-wheeling (not my favorite :)), to the Dinosaur tracks, hung out at the pool, the skate park, went to Nielsen's Frozen Custard 3 times!!! Just your usual St. George fun! No one wanted to come home and go back to the real world...oh well. I love family vacations!!!

At the Dinosaur tracks in St. George...

I can't believe how tall Jake is getting!

More pictures of our trip to St. George...

Baby Adam is born!

Yesterday, March 23, 2009, Adam Kent Heinhold was born. He is my sweet little nephew, son of my brother Dave and his wife, Emily. He is a big baby, 8 lbs. 10 oz. and 20" long! He has a little reddish hair on the top of his head. It's so fun to have another baby in the family! Adam is the 4th child in 5 years (amazing) born to Dave and Emily. Their oldest will be 5 in June, Hayley. Grace was their second baby and would have been 3 this April 20, but she passed away on August 5, 2006 from SIDS. Max will be 2 this June, and now we have Adam!

Today Ben and I took the kids to see the Draper Temple. We waited for almost 2 hours at a wardhouse nearby before we took a shuttle to the temple ( I know Saturdays are a very busy day, but it was the only day we could go as a family). When we got to the temple, there were protestors outside holding signs with various unkind things written on them. We prepared the boys before we got off the bus to just look straight ahead and not listen to the things they were saying. When we got inside the temple, Ryan, who is ten said, "Mom, I had a really bad feeling when I was walking by those men." I explained to him why he had felt a bad feeling and that now that he had entered the temple, that he should forget about those men. The temple was absolutely beautiful. The spirit there was peaceful and sweet. Although there is a definite difference being in a temple that has been dedicated (the spirit is so much stronger), you could feel the peacefulness that the temple brings to your soul. The outside world was gone, and the kids marveled at the beauty and spirit of the temple. The ugliness that had greeted them when they got off the bus was far away and not remembered. Josh expressed how much he is looking forward to being able to go through the temple in 2 years before he goes on his mission. The boys were in awe of the beauty of the whole temple, but especially loved the Celestial Room and the Sealing Rooms. I can testify to the fact that the Spirit was felt by all of us as we walked through the Lord's House. After the tour, we were led back to the ward across the parking lot from the temple where there were refreshments for all. We were so happy and grateful that we had had the opportunity to take our children to the temple before the dedication so they could see inside. As we walked out of the ward to wait for our shuttle, we were surrounded by men with signs who started yelling things at us as we stood there, and Ben, trying to keep the peace and drown out the men started singing the song, "Families Can Be Together Forever." Immediately the kids and I joined him, and then quickly all of the people around us began singing. It kept everyone calm and showed our kids how to deal with people who disagree with you in a peaceful way. Right as the song ended, the bus pulled up and we were able to take our children away from the ugliness that had surrounded them. The one good thing that came from those protesters being there was that we were able to point out how the Spirit was so strong in the temple and how different the spirit was that those men had brought. Each one of our children would be able to testify of how they felt in the temple and how most definitely those protesters were not doing the Lord's work. I believe we all have a right to worship how we wish and that we should show kindness and respect towards others of different faiths. I was proud of my family and the people we were with today at the temple because they showed patience and humbleness towards others. The temple truly is the House of God.

The Miracle of Diet and Exercise...Before and After

When I was married 18 years ago, I was nice and trim. Then, working full-time and in the bliss of newly wedded life, I packed on quite a bit of weight in a short period of time (about 50 pounds in 9 months....I don't know how I did that really). The fact that "stretchy pants" were "in" didn't help. Then I became pregnant with Josh before I lost the weight, and even though I didn't gain much weight while pregnant, I kept it all on after I had him. This picture of Josh (his 2nd birthday) and me is probably at my heaviest at around 200 pounds. Embarrassing. I tried now and again to lose weight and I did lose, but then would gain it back. In 2004 I decided enough was enough! I had to put myself first and take time to care for myself. I started my diet in April and lost 65 pounds by October. I now do "maintenance" diets every year so I don't ever get "heavy" again. This April marks 5 years since I started that diet. I do have to stay on top of my weight because I do love to cook and food is just so yummy! But, I have determined to never be heavy again... so as I write this I am on one of my maintenance diets! Good luck to all of you who are trying to lose weight or just stay healthy! You can do it!!!

Klondike Derby Feb. 2009

Jake went with his scout troop on the Klondike Derby over the weekend. They built a "condo" with a hall and rooms off to the side (this is a picture of the entrance). It got down to 0 degrees overnight. Jake said it was a lot of fun. I was thinking how grateful I was to be a girl so I never had to do that winter camp stuff! Anyway, they had a good time!

Ryan making a free throw shot at his basketball game!

This was Ryan's first year playing Jr. Jazz Basketball! He loved it and was a great asset to his team! He is a little tiger and made many steals and made many baskets! He was sad that Saturday was his last game!

Ryan earned his Bear and many other awards!

Ryan received his Bear in January and many other awards, including 1 gold and 3 silver arrows! He is now a Webelo and loves scouts!

Saying goodbye to my missionary Oct. 1988

One of the hardest days of my life...saying goodbye to my best friend for 2 long years! 7 weeks after he returned home we were married!

I learned how to scan pictures to my computer!

So, I learned how to scan pictures to my computer today. I can now scan older pictures we have. I am so excited! The picture of me was when I was either 2 1/2 or 3 and the other is of Ben on the top of King's Peak right before he left for his mission to Oakland, California. We have had a good week. Nothing particularly exciting happened, but that's okay. Today Jake and Ryan had basketball games and they both played well. I'm going to a post a picture of them playing when I get them off the camera. Ryan made a free throw shot...it didn't even hit the rim! Plus he made 3 other shots! He was on fire today! It's so fun to go to the kids' games. Josh is at a dance at Juan Diego High School tonight. He and his friend, Riley, took a couple of girls that go there to the dance. He looked so sharp in his suit as he walked out the door. On the 17th of January Josh asked me, "Mom, you know what today is?" I replied, "January 17th." He then asked me, "Do you know what that means?" I said, "No." He proceeded to tell me it has now been 6 months since he got his driver's license, which means he can now drive with his friends in the car. It's scary when your kids can drive, but you have to let them grow up. We've tried to teach him to be responsible...and he knows if he gets a ticket he no longer will drive because we won't pay for his insurance...so I hope he is always safe. He is such a great kid and I really love him!

Back to healthy eating!

So, Christmas is over and that means we are now back to healthy eating (umm...diet). I make my families favorite wheat bread every week now. There is NO white flour whatsoever in the bread and no fat added (I use applesauce instead of butter). It is delicious and the house smells wonderful when it is baking!!! Here is the recipe:
Whole Wheat Bread
2 Tbls yeast
5 C very warm water
7-8 C Whole wheat flour
2/3 C Honey
2/3 C Applesauce
2 Tbls Salt (optional)
Proof the yeast. Add honey, applesauce, yeast and then add wheat alternating with water. Add additional wheat flour as necessary to make the dough not sticky yet pliable, add the salt. Knead for 5 minutes. Make 3-4 loaves with the dough and place in greased bread pans. Let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 350* for 35 minutes. Yummy...enjoy!!!

What's the big deal with the Twilight Books???

I have just finished reading the second in the Twilight series of books, New Moon. I struggled to get through Twilight because I just couldn't stand the "cheesey" writing. The way Edward and Bella interact is just so, well...too much. This is just my opinion here, so no one be angry with me, but I don't quite get the "Twilight Phenomenon." I actually enjoyed New Moon better because Edward was out of the picture for a good part of the book. The relationship between Bella and Jacob isn't quite as out there, but really, what teenage boy kisses a teenage girl on her forehead and then her nose, and then the top of her head? Really?! That's what a mom might do to her little child, but, a teenage boy to a teenage girl??? Whenever I get to those "cheesey" parts I text message them to Benj and he always gets a good laugh. He too agrees that that is not what normal teenage boys act like. It makes them almost girly, or motherly, I think. To me a good read was the Harry Potter series. Now that was good reading! No mushy, gushy, over the top cheesey stuff, just good entertaining writing that truly kept you excited to read! The characters, even though wizards, acted the way "normal" people do. Not drooling all over each other like in Twilight, "He touched the tip of her nose and then kissed the top of her head" kind of stuff. Just my two cents. No offense intended towards those who love the books, I just don't quite get what the hubba balloo is all about.

New Year's Eve at Debbie's House 2008

Christmas Day 2008!