In the Angel Garden

Just one day after my fantastic visit with my older brother and his family, I got to see my sister and her family as they came to Salt Lake City for a short vacation. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with them because I had to work. However, the time I did spend was lovely.

My first visit happened to be at Primary Children’s Medical Center where we met up for lunch. We spent so many hours there visiting our beautiful Miss Sassypants that to go there is a reminder of her.

Before we left this time, we stopped in the Angel Garden just outside the front door. You may recall from past blog posts that this was a place we spent a lot of time with her the last time she was in the hospital. It’s so beautiful.

Here’s a few reasons why it’s fun to visit. There’s little reminders all over of the angels who attend children at the hospital or for those who, like us, have lost loved ones.

Butterflies will always remind us of our Ashley. This statue had plenty of them.

See – it isn’t just us that butterflies mean something to.

The fam in the Angel Garden. Love them so much!

At the races once again

Wow! So many adventures lately and not enough time (or energy if I do have time) to blog about them! Here I go in my attempt to catch up on my backlog of blog posts.

Last weekend I had a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my older brother, sister-in-law, nephews and darling 3-year-old niece as we attended the Clash of the Titans Monster Truck Race at Rocky Mountain Raceway in Salt Lake City. Every time it’s been a few years since I’ve gone I forget how much I enjoy it, but I always do. Part of that lies in the fact that it feels like something so unTammy like to do, and I usually enjoy that.

Just being silly before we went to the race. What a cute little poser and a silly boy.

The thing I can never get over is the sickly sweet scent of the fuel they put in those trucks. It’s so interesting. They’re so big and so loud. As an adult who has been quite a few times, I forget how loud they are to tiny ears, but KK reminded me. The first truck came out and she got so scared she went over to her mommy to sit on her lap. Then, when she came back over to me, the first thing she did is take my hands and place them over her ears. So my brother fixed the problem for her by getting her some headphones.

A few pictures of the races. I discovered that although my iPhone is great for regular pictures, it’s not so awesome with action shots. Oh well! There’s a few with car crushing so use your imagination on the rest.

Here’s the eventual winner, the Bigfoot Bessie, driven by Larry Swim.

A few after race shots during the Pit Party. First, the boys.

Then the girls (pictured by Scarlet Bandit, the only truck driven by a woman at this event. Her husband was also there with two other trucks they own.)

Finally, me with the kids.

This year they did a wheelie competition after the races, but, alas, my pictures are all blurry, so I’m not going to post them. It was an enjoyable evening spent with my wonderful family.

Two new members of my shoe family

Greetings everyone! I’ve taken a short hiatus the last couple weeks, thanks to some very busy weeks, oh and the Olympics on TV. I like to watch as many of them as I can since they only happen every two years. No worries though because now I’m back.

An exciting thing happened this week: I added two new members to my shoe family!

And since I’m fun like that I just have to share them on my blog.

I have to preface the first pair by saying that when I was at my sister’s house over the Fourth of July I found a pair of sparkly pink shoes that I LOVED! I wanted them and would’ve bought them except they cost more than I wanted to pay so I didn’t. However, since that time I’ve thought more than once how this or that outfit would sure look cute with pink sparkly shoes.

So, when I went shopping with a good friend on Monday and found these, I knew I had to buy them!

I’ve already worn them at work twice, and believe me when I say they were received with enthusiasm! You wouldn’t think it, but they’re actually quite comfortable. And they’re so me!!

The second pair I found was rather unexpected. I was on a hunt for another article of clothing I needed this week when I stopped at a store I don’t usually visit to see if I could find what I was looking for. Alas, I was unsuccessful, but I did find these cute, and comfortable shoes. Kathryn, I blame you for falling in love with this brand (Clarks) and trying them on in the first place! I didn’t expect to fall in love with them!

To explain why this purchase is justified, I should tell you that I bought a cute pair of black sandals a couple months ago, and I’ve been suffering ever since! They rub the bottoms of my feet raw, and when I switch out for my flip-flops, I get blisters on my feet. This was a purchase of desperation. And I’m not sorry!

So, of course the other shoes in my collection needed to meet the new arrivals. Some were brave and stepped right up, while others hung back. A few (my flip-flops for example) were a little shy, while the slippers jumped right in. See for yourself.

I couldn’t be more delighted with the new members of my shoe family.