Spencer's Baptism

Spencer on his 8th birthday.


Will, Ben, Spence, and Jasen.


The cake.


The birthday boy.


The Bowens.


A treat for those in attendance.


The fumbling pianist.


Ben, Megan, Will, and Allie on the front row.



Spencer and his dad.


Me, Alfonso, and Spencer.


Spencer with Grandma and Grandpa Terry.


Our familia.


Spencer and his cousins from my side of the family.


Spence and D.D.


Spence and me.


Proud parents.



I adore Grandma Castle. It has been soooo long since we've last played cards!


Spencer, Will and (from the Richardson side) Grandma Castle, Camille and Evan.


Spencer's family. We love you Spencer and we are ALL so proud of you!

My Audition

I bumbled like an idiot at the beginning, but I think you get what I was trying to say. Anyway, this was a really fun experience!

For more info, check out http://www.dodgers.com/lds

AMERICAN IDOLS LIVE 2009

For a limited time only, straight from our camera, here are a few show highlights.
This is intended for the viewing pleasure of our friends who weren't able to attend the show. No copyright violation intended.






Our "Slow Ride" Home

Lucy and Peter

Earlier this week I had the fabulous priviledge of going to girls camp with the choice young women of my ward. There is something to be said about being way up in the mountains, removed from electricity and distractions. There is something magical about watching the full moon rise as you listen to all the girls giggling in their dimly lit tents.

I should tell you, I am a heavy dreamer. My nights are usually filled with random restless images that seem to play until I open my eyes. It can be exasperating. However, while up in the mountians with only a thin layer of fabric between me and the stars, my nights were limited to one dream only. I slept so peacefully and dreamt so clearly.

I dreamed that I was on a staircase, close to the top, when I saw a beautiful blonde-headed girl running into the hallway above. Her curls were bouncing and her smiling expression was radiant. She was so excited to see someone approaching. I looked below to see a little boy, crawling up the staircase squealing with joy. I instantly knew who they were and recognized a big sister jumping up and down at the edge of the stairs, ecstatic to see her little brother. I have to emphasize, they were SO HAPPY to see each other. They were only two steps away from each other, and the dream was over.

I know without question who those beautiful children were. The little boy's name is Peter. I know this because I held him in my arms in the park last Sunday and had the priviledge of rocking him to sleep. The little girl's name is Lucy. I know this because I've played with her. I'd know her beautiful face anywhere. I know and love her parents and mourned with them when she passed away last year.

This was such a clear, sweet dream. When I woke up, I became regretfully aware of the fact that Lucy and Peter will never play like that in this mortal life. But, it was obvious that they do KNOW each other, that they LOVE each other, and there WILL be a time for them to laugh and play together. I'm so glad to have caught a glimpse.

This Ragged Old Flag

Image taken of a flag which was recovered from ground zero at the World Trade Center.

Ragged Old Flag - Johnny Cash
I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down,
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it."
He said, "Have a seat," and I sat down,
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town"
I said, "I think it is"
He said "I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of
That Ragged Old Flag

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there,
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
and It got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,
writing "Say Can You See"
It got a rip in New Orleans, with Packingham & Jackson
tugging at its seams.
and It almost fell at the Alamo
beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on
That Ragged Old Flag

"On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp, and low, a time or two,
She was in Korea, Vietnam, She went where she was sent
by her Uncle Sam.
She waved from our ships upon the briny foam
and now they've about quit wavin' back here at home
in her own good land here She's been abused,
She's been burned, dishonored, denied an' refused,
And the government for which she stands
Has been scandalized throughout out the land.
And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin,
But she's in good shape, for the shape she's in.
Cause she's been through the fire before
and i believe she can take a whole lot more.

"So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought
I DO like to brag
Cause I'm mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag"

Let's not forget to give thanks.
Thanks to the men and women who have fought and still fight to keep America free, thanks for our government which isn't perfect but desperately struggles to provide for and guide it's people, and thanks to God for granting us time here on this blessed soil. Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

Confessions of a Hermit - Part 2

Right now as I type, my neighbors are on the porch next-door visiting. Why have I not joined them? I don't feel excluded or alienated. But with the kids out on a playdate, I just would much rather be alone. Remember what silence sounds like. Enjoy an uninterrupted moment with the current book I've been reading. Is this antisocial?

Lately, I've really immersed myself in reading. It has been such a long time since I've been able to do that. On Tuesday, I finished Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and now I'm getting deep into The Freedom Writer's Diary. I have my next selection at hand. What can I say? I like to read. It's like a healthy dessert for my brain. So for today, I'll let the neighbors chat, I'll let the kids play with their friends, and after I rotate the laundry, I'll even let that set for a time. But now, I choose to be alone and read.

p.s. Have you read any good books lately that you'd like to share with me? I'd love some suggestions!

What Makes A Father Good?

What makes a father good? Is it the car he drives or the size of his bank account? Or is it simply in the daily choices he makes?
Does he put on a brave face when he, himself is uncertain of the future?
Does he take every opportunity possible to teach his children, of respect, of work, of the gospel, and of kindness?
Does he live by his word?
Does he walk by example?
Does he spend the last moments of a tired day frolicking on the floor with three wired boys?
Does he put everyone's happiness above his own?
Does he honor his priesthood?
Does he teach his boys how to be men?
Does he live the way he should?
Does he carry a sleeping 4 year old from car booster seat to bed?
Does he love, provide for, and care for his two step children as if they were his own?
Does he take a family of two, accept a family of three, and MAKE a family of five?
Does he love his wife with all his heart?
Does he look out for her best interest above his own?
Does he know exactly what to say to make her laugh til she cries?
Does he always offer a shoulder to cry on and (Although she'd never take him up on it) offer his shirtsleeve as a Kleenex substitute?
Does he put a glass of icewater beside her bed each and every night?

If his name is Alfonso, then the answer is a resounding, "Yes!" And not only are we speaking of a Father who is exquisitely good, but a Husband who is true, and a Friend who is THERE. Happy Father's Day, Alfonso. We love you!

A Splendid Birthday

Yesterday, June 15th was my 30th birthday. It was really great. Alfonso woke me up with a piece of chocolate cake with a lit candle on top, and he sang me Happy Birthday. I opened my first present in bed, 2 tickets to see American Idol in Concert next month!!! My day was already complete! I went to Bountiful to have some girl's-day-out fun. My mom, sister Delynn, and neice Megan ate lunch at Robintino's and later got pedicures. I'm lovin' my toes.

Afterwards we went back to Mom's house to visit for a while and play a quick game of Curses (my sister Delynn and her family gave it to me, if you haven't played it, you haven't lived.)

I came home to Heber to be surprised by a living room full of helium balloons, colorful crepe paper, a Mr. Squarepants pinata, a rose, a cake and another gift. All 4 of my boys jumped up from behind the couch and yelled, "surprise."


We had a quick Family Home Evening/Birthday Party, Alfonso handed out previously purchased McD. hamburgers to the kids. They gobbled them up just as the babysitter rang the doorbell. It was time for Alfonso's final surprise.

Before continuing, I would like to quote the menu:
First Course, Fondue for Two: Gruyere & Emmental Cheese, Apples, Cornichons, Sourdough Bread, Pearl Onions.
Second Course, Soup du Jour
Third Course, Pan Roasted Chicken Breast, Herbed Spaetzle, Asparagus, Chicken Jus.
It was divine.
Alfonso had taken me to enjoy fine dining at Blue Boar Inn. It was so fun. The chef sent out a complimentary dessert for my birthday. Behold the "Black and Tan!"
I literally got the chills when I got the the chocolate mousse part. It was decadent and quickly became my new FAVORITE dessert! The waiter explained how it takes the chef two days to make it! Apparently, great things come to those who wait. If little discoveries like this can happen when you're 30, then life has just begun. I don't feel old, nor should I. Rather, I feel grateful that the 20's are over, that I survived them, and that I am privileged to share my life with a miraculous man and our wonderful children. It is true, GREAT things DO come to those who WAIT!

Summer Resolution

I'm scared. I just have this anxiety over what I'm going to do with the kids for the next two or three months. Summer has officially started, they're home full-time for the first time in long time. The best thing I can come up with so far is, "Let them play." We've set a goal to read each day, we'll keep it. We have a list of things we want to do (eg. the park, picnics, swimming, library, etc.) But how far will that get us? How long until they strangle each other, or me? Will sanity perservere? Will we all survive?

Sensational Summer Quotes:
Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~Henry James

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world. ~Ada Louise Huxtable

I Like This

My good friend Marcie sent me this thought and I very much appreciated it. It's wonderful:

"Parents who have surrendered the sweetest and smallest flowers from the family's garden need to remember our Heavenly Father. He has promised a special reward to those who now suffer in silence, who spend long days and longer nights through their trying times of bereavement.
Our Creator has promised glory.
He said, 'For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but nigh at hand.' (D&C 58:4)
That promised glory includes the blessing of reunion with each child who has left the family circle to help surviving members of the family to draw nearer to God. Those children still live and are a heritage to the Lord."

---Russel M Nelson