Christmas

One last Merry Christmas to everyone! It was a beautiful day here, sunny and quiet. We saw The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" if you haven't seen it, it is pretty good, just pack a lunch it is 3 HOURS LONG! Yesterday marked the 2 year birthday for the grand boys, Eli and Jonah. It was a fun afternoon with a bunch of little kids hopped up on sugar and the excitement of presents!!! I missed being with family this year, but was grateful for the quiet peacefulness and the time to reflect on a year full of transition. 2008 is coming to a close and I am anticipating a great 2009. Hope your day and year were filled with great memories...

Holiday Greetings from the Utah Hacienda

Our neighbor, Jennifer, took this picture of our home in Hurricane. It is looking towards the north. What a great blessing to have SNOW in Hurricane right before Christmas! I am missing my family a lot and wish we were there to celebrate the holidays. Merry Christmas to all of you and may you be safe in your travels, peaceful in your hearts and have the spirit of the season in your homes.

Christmas Traditions Tag

One of the traditions I remember most about Christmas when I was little was the Town Christmas program at the old LaVerkin Church. We always did the Nativity in the Primary and it was such a big deal to get to be Mary. The problem in my class was that there was a girl named Mary so the rest of us got to be shepherds or wise men. Anyway, the best part of the night was towards the end of the program everyone sang Christmas songs and when we'd sing "Up on the Roof Top" or "Here Comes Santa Claus" sure enough the big guy would come ho ho ho'ing into the church and we'd get to rush the stage, tell him what we wanted, get a candy cane and it was SOOOOO exciting!

Loved that! Merry Christmas and tag to EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO PLAY!!!!!

Strapped4Cash

YEA! I was able to get a picture posted of what the actual product I've been working on looks like. It's a stretchy silicon band that goes around your driver's license, a couple of credit/debit cards and your money (the red band). It's a great thing to replace a wallet or even a purse. I used it in Hawaii and Bruce has become a convert. The seed idea came from seeing people with rubber bands strapped around their stuff. It's actually pretty cool and will have it's debut at the Outdoor Retailers Show in SLC January 22, 2009. My website will be coming up in the next couple of weeks at www.s4cash.com

Twilight Moon

Tonight is a full moon and it is really cold here. This is the moon from our front porch. It is beautiful coming up through the trees. Silent Night comes to mind...

Tagged 4 Fun

Thanks for the Tag G. Here is my 4th picture from my 4th picture file on my PC. Lucky for me and all of you it is another lovely shot of Diamond Head in Hawaii.

The lucky 4 who are tagged next... Sammi, Tricia, Nat and Nikki
Go to your picture file, pick the 4th file and the 4th picture.

Last Aloha

This is Diamond Head from the ferry. Perfect picture, perfect day. I came home on the red eye to 6 inches of new snow and temps in the teens! But I will carry the aloha in my heart and mind for a long time. It was an incredible trip, I loved almost every minute of it. I am happy to be home though and now turn my thoughts to preparing for the holidays. Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka!

Finally! Love It!

Enchanted Forrest and 7 Sacred Pools

Road to Hana

Aloha all! Just wrapping up a very cool week in Maui. The pictures are on the road to Hana, the trees were like an enchanted forrest, the colors were unbelievable! The pools are the 7 sacred pools and are worth the long drive. Yesterday we snorkeled at Molokini, a coral reef out in the channel between Maui and Lanai. The fish were pretty awesome! Then on the way back we stopped at a place called Turtle Town, another reef where the big Honu or sea turtles hang out. We swam around with the turtles, they were huge! When they would come to the surface, just seeing them come towards you was an experience, all you could do was try to get out of the way.

Today I took the Super Ferry from Maui to Honolulu, a 3 hour trip (remind you of any other famous voyage?) It was very cool, I could stay inside, I was glued to the back of the boat and I am one crispy critter tonight. We sailed around the back side of Molokai along the cliffs and past Kalapapa where the leper colony is. It would be almost worth having the disease to get to live in such a beautiful place. Although for the record, leprosy is almost non-existant in the colony, if you live there, the federal government pays your way. You cannot visit the colony without permission. I landed a small plane on the airstrip a couple years ago, there is a big fence all around the area and we were not allowed to do anything except go to the bathroom and take off again.

I am here one more day and will be on the red eye home tomorrow night. It has been such a fun few days, I am very satisfied and looking forward to getting home. Aloha!

Me and Linda preparing to snorkel

Maui Wowie!

I've been on the island of Maui now for about 7 days. This is the funnest trip I have had in a long time. No pressure, no work, no worries... I have spent a ton of time in the water and I have accidentally drank my share of it. I have so much sand in my ears you could plant corn. I have laughed so hard and had so much fun, just pure joy is how I would describe it. I am here with my girlfriend, Linda. Monday we rented a plane and flew around the island. It was incredible! Yesterday we drove the crazy winding road to Hana and then on to the 7 Sacred Pools to dip our toes. We came back in the dark and that was an experience! Tomorrow we snorkel at Molokini. We sat on the beach this afternoon and watched whales jump in front of a beautiful sunset, it doesn't get any better than this.... wish you all were here!

AARRGGHHHHHH!!!!

So I finally gave in and got BI-FOCALS! Yeah, how sad is that! I have reading glasses but I always forget to take them with me (probably a denial thing) so I decide to get graduated lenses. HELLO CAN YOU SAY DIZZY??? I have to move my head, which isn't natural for those of us who were born Beardall's. They told me the more I wear them the more I would get used to them, so far I'm just getting more used to seeing everything else out of focus!

The young guy that helped me pick the frames said these were "hip", but I feel like a school marm or something. It will take some getting used too...

Quirks - Tagged!

Wow, I only get to list 6???

1. I'm always counting in my head, number of steps, number of everything, it drives me nuts sometimes.

2. Men driving mini vans set me off! Why would a guy think he can pull off cool when he's driving a family barge??

3. I always find money on the ground and all coins must go in my left shoe. I think I have a nickel in there right now.

4. I can't get rid of old stuff, I feel like I am the keeper of all ancient history. I feel like everything has a spirit or a soul and should be taken care of.

5. I have to stop and look at snakes in the road. Mostly to see if they are dead or alive and to make sure they aren't rattlesnakes.

6. I'm superstitious....

I'll leave the tag open to anyone who hasn't been tagged but what's a go at it!

Over the River and Through the Woods....

Just a couple more shots of the Devenish homestead...

A Trip to Grandma's House

When we were just little kids, Grandma and Grandpa Dev lived in this home in Springville. It has recently come onto the market and a grandious dream I've always had is to own this house. It was fun to go in and look around. It seemed so much bigger when I was so much littler! The one big disappointment was that the trap door to Grandma's cellar had been covered over. I always wondered what was down there. She alway told us we couldn't go down because there were BIG spiders! But I could remember seeing her with an apron on in the kitchen, the red rose linoleum on the floor and the smell of coffee brewing. The big old heater in the living room with the big pink rug and grandpa's library where he would give us candy if we'd been good. Remember the cigarette tree? And running around on the lawn with our cousins, Stephen and Brian with Cherries draped over their ears pretending they were earrings?

The bonus for me though was getting mom to tell us stories on this trip, she put a time line and locations to stories we had heard bits and pieces of over the years. She told us about her sister Sue, I can't imagine how hard that memory has been to live with, but can feel how devasting that memory is and how difficult it would be to lose a sister. Love you mom and thanks for sharing your stories and memories. I hope you'll tell me more.

It was a fun weekend with many peaks and valleys. I'm so grateful for my family, even when we are so dysfunctional it is hard to remember why. I'm grateful for my place in this world and for the opportunity to have such close relationships with different members of my family, it is rewarding and it certainly fills up the space where I hoped my own family would be.

I'm accepting contributions towards the "Restore the Devenish homestead" project!

Winter Wonder Land

The first real snow of the season, what an incredible day!

A Super Man? I sure hope so...

Yea, by now you've heard the speech over and over again. You've seen the historic images, felt the sting and the pride of being an American. As I watched the election returns last night, then the concession speech and then the victory speech, it struck me how lucky I am to be an American. No where else on earth do you see the gracious, peaceful exchange of power. I was impressed that after a hard fought campaign, that both men were gracious and supportive of each other and of our country. It made me stop and check my own attitude at that very moment and something inside me just snapped to attention. The hard part really starts today, this moment, this instant. The campaign, although it seemed rigorous and draining, was only a small warm up to what lies ahead. We can choose to waste time feeling sorry, upset or angry at the outcome, but it doesn't change the fact that the country is in a really bad place and it has to get moving, regardless of who ended up in the white house. I don't envy the work that needs to get done, it would be a job that most people would run away from.

For me personally, I know I will find a way to thrive regardless of the situation and regardless of the political landscape. The blessing that comes from adversity is strength of character. The victory is sweeter when you have to work harder. It's all about what you choose to do with the things you can control. I do like the idea of people getting outside of themselves to take care of others, whether it is families, friends, community or strangers.

So I guess my advice to myself and others today is "BUCK UP" just get in there and get it done.

Thanks John for your service to our country!

One adventure I can live without

I was out the other day just driving around and came upon this snake sunning itself on the road. Snakes are not my favorite thing but this is a King snake, good for the garden, etc. So I waited while he slithered off the road and then we were both on our way.

Go For It! The 7 Keys to Success

I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in a seminar this weekend put on by the Go For It Foundation. The founder, Judy Zerafa was the speaker and it was an incredible experience. The whole program is aimed at young kids in an attempt to change the way they see themselves and provide them tools for a lifetime of success. The principles are some I already practice, but are critical for adults (those of us who didn't learn them when we were young). I'll share the 7 keys with you, what you should know is that in her research she interviewed 35 of the most successful people in the world. The one question she asked each person was this... "What do you think you know that know one else knows about achieving success in your life?" The pattern of the responses boild down to these 7. Of the the 35 people interviewed, most only knew 3-4 of the keys and only one person knew all 7. That person is Oprah Winfrey need I say more. So here are the 7 keys...

1. A Positive Attitude. Most of us think we have one, but if you stop yourself every hour and ask these 4 questions, you will be surprised. What am I thinking? What am I saying? What am I doing? What am I feeling? It is the negative self talk that is the most defeating thing we can do to undermine our success. Find a way to change the negative to a positive.

2. Believe in yourself.

3. Build positive habits. This is a little harder, so I'm going to give you the gift she gave us. You have to reverse the negative images that have built up in your subconscious mind over the years. The way you do that is #1 stop the thought from coming in and #2 get yourself some 3x5 cards. Take some time to think specifically about those things that you sincerely want to change. On a card your declaration goes like this "I Ann Anderson, am always on time" The first word must be "I" the next 2 words should be your name so your subconscious gets that you are talking about yourself. The 4th word to give it power must be "am" it puts it in present tense and set it in motion. 2 other powerful words are "always and only" then the rest is specific to the behavior or goal. "I Ann Anderson only crave healthy food and drinks." These postive statements you should read just before going to sleep and then again when you wake up. It has a lot to do with the brain being in the Alpha state. You can do it any time during the day but the end and the beginning of the day will have the quickest and most impact. You can do as many as you want and as many as you have the time to read. Email me if you want help with this one.

4. Make wise choices. Every choice you make produces a result and a consequence. Think about the choices you are making and make sure they are in alignment with the result you want.

5. Set and achieve goals. If you aren't physically sitting down and writing your goals, you really are just wishing for something to happen. The critical part of setting goals is the writing and reviewing of them. If it is hard to write, get a poster board and put pictures on it of what you'd like to achieve, it's called a Vision Board and it is highly successful. Once you achieve a goal, celebrate it and replace it. Work toward a goal by doing something everyday.

6. Use creative imagination. Act as though you already are the person you want to become. The term for this is experiential visualization. Close your eyes and think about what it would mean, pay close attention to how you feel and let yourself experience a successful end result.

7. Be persistent. Never give up. If you falter today, forgive yourself and start again, but do not give in to defeat. Remember to look for improvement, not perfection.

Good luck, I hope you'll give this a try. It is very powerful and if you do it and set the example in your homes, you will change the outcome of all of those around you.

http://www.goforitfoundation.org/

Just for fun

She's my buddy and constant shadow...

The 777 Tag - Thanks Nik!

7 things I CAN do

1. Bake awesome bread

2. Sew

3. Rock Climb

4. Belly Dance

5. Fly

6. Tell stories with the best of them

7. Climb trees, skip and get through the rails on the fence

Bonus - Do anything I put my mind to.

7 Things I can't do

1. Give up

2. Stop remembering

3. Quit hoping

4. Eat fish

5. fail

6. stop loving my family (all of them)

7. wondering what might have been....

7 things that attracted me to Bruce

1. his cowboy boots

2. his eyes

3. the goofy way he dances

4. safety

5. he likes me just the way I am

6. his story

7. he looks a little like Richard Gere!

7 things I say most often

1. Here's the deal

2. AWESOME!

3. Incredible

4. Let's rock this thing!

5. Git er' done

6. You ROCK!

7. WHAT?

7 People I admire

1. and the 3 folks I admire most are the father son and the holy ghost, they caught the last train for the coast, the day the music died....(sorry, couldn't help myself!)

2. My brothers, Dan, Tim and Barry

3. My friend Susan L.

4. Oprah (most of the time)

5. Moms

6. Richard Branson (Virgin Atlantic)

7. The strong females in my life, sister's (that includes the in-laws) and nieces.

7 Favorite foods

1. Chips and Salsa at Medina's

2. Green Chili and the burritos at Medina's

3. Fresh fruit in season

4. Gnoochi

5. raw nuts, especially round pecans

6. hot homemade bread with honey

7. Berries and whipped cream

Taggy Poo!

I am...unstoppable

I think....all the time about crazy and wacky stuff

I know...that there is a purpose for my life

I miss....my dose of Trish

I fear...running out of time

I feel....incredibly grateful

I hear....a tractor in the distance

I smell.... I still need my morning shower!

I want....to travel

I crave....family

I cry....over all that's been lost this year

I search...for the meaning to all things and usually everything else I misplace

I wonder...what the point is sometimes

I regret....more than a few things

I wish....I could have had children of my own

I love....flying

I care...about my family

I always....seek to forgive and be forgiven

I have...an incredible life

I worry...about everything

I am not....willing to give up

I remember...camping at Oak Grove

I believe....that there is good in everyone, you just have to look hard enough

I sing...off key and usually to Hannah who runs growling from the room

I argue...a lot just for the sake of making my point

I write...emails to friends from High School that I recently reunited with

I lose...my train of thought sometimes (can you say, Where is Springdale?)

I listen....but not always as good as I should

I don't always....get it right or just get it, period

I don't understand....why things happen the way they do

I can usually be found....hanging out with the critters

I need...to be needed

I forget....half the stuff I start out to do everyday

I am happy....when I am busy

Tagged: Karen, Misty and Peter

November 373 Whiskey Delta

My big adventure last week was a bumpy flight in Whiskey Girl. Some of you don't know the story behind my tail number, so here is the short version...373 are just lucky numbers but the WD or Whiskey Delta is a tribute to my Grandpa Dev who also flew a Cessna. His name was William Devenish. Shortened down she won the tag of Whiskey Girl. The N at the front designates that it is a plane registered in the United States. N373WD ready for take off!

AAAAHHHHH the colors of Fall!

It is so beautiful here in Colorado right now, crisp days and nights cold enough for an extra quilt on the bed. I took a walk yesterday and these are just some of the images I captured. Enjoy!

Farm Update

I took Booner to the vet last week because he was moping around, he had gained a lot of weight, was acting a little depressed and when I comb the shedding hair on his back, there was a huge bald spot. Overall you could tell that he just wasn't feeling himself (can any of you relate?) The vet checked him over good, drew some blood, weighed him - a whopping 148 lbs! The last part was the urine sample, it was silly following him around with a cup on a stick while he sniffed the trees and bushes, but it worked. When the tests came back they revealed that his thyroid was low and that he had crystals in his urine (that should be a good thing right?) which had the probability of turning to stones, YIKES! We put him on antibiotics and thryoid tablets and he is like a new dog, frolicking around and the spark in his eye is back. He needs to lose about 10 lbs, same as me. So we are working on it together. Something tells me he will win but it is great motivation.

Part of the daily regement is walks (brisker now), ball throwing and a dip in the pond. Check out Sadie, she looks like a coyote when she's wet. She LOVES the water and don't try to take her ball away, I bent down to pick it up this morning just as she lunged for it. Her hard head connected with my jaw and I saw stars! That will definitely leave a mark.

Life on the Ranch

2 part post today and sorry about duplicating the tree shot below :-) just some more great shots of places on the lower 40.

Fall in the Country

We are having an incredible Fall this year. 3 weeks now of clear skies and temps in the high 70's. Looks like rain (fingers, toes, legs and arms all crossed) this afternoon. I just went to town, yeah, the big metropolis of Kiowa to pay the annual registration on my car, and decided to take a little drive to look at the colors. I drove south to Elbert, stopped into the convenience store for a little refreshment and then turned east on a dirt road.... many twists and winds later, I made it back to civilization, it was pretty, but dusty. The pictures are all from a recent walk with the dogs, hope you enjoy! Wish I could capture the way it sounds and the way it feels, it is like heaven!