November. Now, THAT Was FUN!

What a month! We sure had fun. It started with a group (Nick, Mom, Delynn, our friend, Deidre and I) going on a mini trip up to Rexburg to help Carrie (Nick's finace) prepare all the wedding invitations. It was such a fun getaway. The first night, at Craigo's I ran into some old friends. Here's me and Dr. Curtis, the wonderful doctor who delivered Spencer over 8 years ago.
Me and his sweet daughters, Lydia and Rachel. It was SO neat to see them again!
My first visit to the Rexburg, Idaho Temple. It was VERY special.

Visiting Yummy Gator Jack's in Rigby, Idaho. I ordered a "Cluck n' Nuts Sandwich" We decided that Delynn's Cluck, and I'm nuts.
The future mother-in-laws order up. My friend Stacy and I prepare to release our ebook, 'Harvey Hunts for Hugs' on the internet. Stay tuned, more info to come!
Spencer's 3rd grade class was assigned to disguise their own turkey to help it safely make it through Thanksgiving. He chose to dress it up as Yoda. We stuck on a glowstick to make the lightsaber look cool. The finished product was amazing. (Almost as amazing as Spence's candy blue lips).
The night Will was invited to attend Karate with his friend Gage, and literally broke through a wooden board. Hi-yah!
The night bullies(Ben, Megan, Spence, Will, and Allie) attacked the oblivious grown-ups(Alfonso, Carrie, Nick, and Grandma) with random cruel notes.

The night Spence got his Bobcat in Scouts, he also led the Pack in the Pledge of Allegiance. We are proud!
Team Ralph, November 20, 2009. Happy Birthday Alfonso/Dad/Papa!
Spencer thoughtfully gave Alfonso a banana and an orange for his birthday. So funny!
The scene of the crime. Alfonso's Birthday Party :)




Statue of Liberty? Alfonso was such a good sport, he wore his crown almost the whole day!
Alfa, Shane, and Ammon.
The many sides of Ben and Bill.
Evidence from "THE NIGHT SUGAR TOOK OVER," leaving nothing but a bunch of laughing hyenas. I literally set out all the kid's pinata candy and Halloween candy and said, "Go to town." We haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

Ammon's 2nd Birthday Party at the Lehi Pool



The fun continued with a wonderful Thanksgiving meal at Mom Terry's house, and a nice leisurely weekend. This has been a great thanksgiving filled month, I look forward to brimming with Christmas cheer and celebrating with my friends and loved ones. . . (that means you, I hope!)
p.s. Tonight, we put up the tree! It was so fun to decorate it together. The boys did a great job don't you think? BTW, prelit trees are THE BEST!

Thanks for the Memory

Thanks for the memory
Of sentimental verse,
Nothing in my purse,
And chuckles
When the preacher said
For better or for worse,
How lovely it was.

Thanks for the memory
Of Schubert's Serenade,
Little things of jade
And traffic jams
And anagrams
And bills we never paid,
How lovely it was.

We who could laugh over big things
Were parted by only a slight thing.
I wonder if we did the right thing,
Oh, well, that's life, I guess,
I love your dress.

Thanks for the memory
Of faults that you forgave,
Of rainbows on a wave,
And stockings in the basin
When a fellow needs a shave,
Thank you so much.

Thanks for the memory
Of tinkling temple bells,
Alma mater yells
And Cuban rum
And towels from
The very best hotels,
Oh how lovely it was.

Thanks for the memory
Of cushions on the floor,
Hash with Dinty Moore,
That pair of gay pajamas
That you bought
And never wore.

We said goodbye with a highball,
Then I got as high as a steeple,
But we were intelligent people,
No tears, no fuss,
Hooray for us.

Strictly entire nous,
Darling, how are you?
And how are all
Those little dreams
That never did come true?

Awfully glad I met you,
Cheerio and toodle-oo
Thank you,
Thank you so much.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORY
(Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin)

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful for friends. I'm thankful for the blessings I enjoy every day and often take for granted: home, food, beds, clothes, warmth and indoor plumbing. I'm thankful for second, third and fourth chances,for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for the great and eternal plan of happiness. I'm thankful for Alfonso, Ben, Spencer, and Will. That I get to experience life every day with them. I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful that I get to go to mom's house this week to enjoy good company, good food, and new good memories. I hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful too.

I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Team Ralph

Not long ago, a group including Me, my brother Nick, and his lovely fiance Carrie, were sitting around Mom's kitchen table. To the dismay of the males present, the topic of 'Twilight' came up. I think my brother-in-law and Alfonso actually left the table to go watch T.V. Nevertheless, I was so excited to find out that Carrie was a fan of the books! We started to reminisce through the story when Nick decided to join in, "Isn't that the book about Jacob and Ralph?" It probably wasn't even that funny, but I started laughing AND COULD NOT STOP! In my mind I pictured little Ralphie from the Simpsons with fangs. Team Ralph. It just HAD to happen. So I'm making t-shirts (with the following image printed on front for me, Alfonso, Nick and Carrie to wear on Friday night when we go to see 'New Moon.'

I think we might be on to something here, don't you?

Rob's New Album

Robert Allen Elliott is an amazingly talented musician, composer, and good friend of mine. He has been gracious enough to work with me on several different projects and occasions in the past. I am in constant awe of his talent and ability to make powerful music. (I'd like to cut an album in his studio one day, but that's way down the road.) Right now, I am so excited for him. Rob recently released an album on iTunes called, "Piano Impressions Vol. 1" Here's what he had to say about the project,

"My purpose for this project was to write melodic solo piano pieces that evoke feelings of peace. This emotion seems to be in short supply in today’s hectic hustle and bustle schedules."


This music is reflective, gorgeous and peaceful! Go to this site, you can listen to samples for free.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/piano-impressions-vol-i/id338212739

I downloaded the album and I'm really excited about sharing it with you. Please check it out and tell me what you think. Here are some pictures of Rob and his beautiful family.

A message from Alfonso. . .

Working on the Pinewood Derby Rockets. There's no nation like procrastination.

Hi I'm Alfonso, I do not want to say anything that will come across as controversial, so, I will talk about Obama and the Health reform. . .
First: to start I want to say what all of us know, (yes, you, the reader of this blog and me) what we know is that: "Rochelle is so BEAUTIFUL", she is so fun and great. She is all I need to reform my health. Oh yeah!! She is HOT!!!
Second: If the global warming is real, How come every day that passes by it's getting colder?, at least here in Heber city, I even think that is going to snow soon. (explain that to me Al Gore).
Third: I don't think Michael Jackson died, he just went to hang out with Elvis.
And last: Back in the sixties, many people thought that the day a Black Person would become president of the USA, pigs would fly, well after few months of the Obama administration "SWINE FLU".
See? With a spoon full of sugar you can make the medicine go down. . . and maybe even get diabetes in the process.
Yo creo que con esto mi punto de vista queda muy claro para todos. Si tienen preguntas o comentarios, Felicidades!!!
PS Coman frutas y verduras, Remember to wash your hands before going to the bathroom and after every meal. Aburrr(see ya)!!

Making our Halloween gingerbread house. If it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face.

The Arches

Today I was showing the kids some flashcards of different monuments and attractions around the globe. I was surprised at how many they knew or recognized eg. Niagra Falls, Big Ben, The Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Sydney Harbor, etc. When I showed them the card with this image. . .

Spencer piped up, "It's half of the McDonald's sign!!! We all had a good laugh as we realized, he was really on to something!

Pop culture, I'm lovin' it.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these pics.

I've been following a sight called Intothetwilight.net In my opinion, it is the best website for staying updated with all things Twilight. Today I found these new pics featuring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in a photo shoot for Harper's Bazaar. Kristen has all these dramatic black dresses and the pics are completely hypnotizing. . . in a good way. Check it out:


If you're a Twilight fan I HIGHLY recommend this site. If your not a Twilight fan, I guess we can still be friends.

Can November 20th come ANY SOONER???? PLEEEEEEASE????

Brothers