Football Foibles

I really don't know where I get some of these words.....Ha... Ethan is the player on the sidelines wearing the white hat.....oh, and the sling! At practise last week he was doing lineman drills and another player, charged him from his right side and it sent him flying about 5 yards. He landed on his arm and shoulder and that's when he felt it snap. Yep, he knew he broke his collar bone, because he had done it 4 times before. The team had a great game, won 44 to O. Ethan won't be playing anymore this season but he' has alot of team spirit to share! Go Ethan!

Welcome Sign

My pet project for the past couple weeks has been my front door. When I first moved in, the door was chapped and dry from years of exposure and neglect. It was sun bleached to a pale tan. The interior side of the door looks great, the wood being a Knotty Alder. Last spring I stained the door and thought I had a good protective coat, but through the summer the door dried again and the stain would come off on your hands in a powder. I stained it again and it looks terrific. As with my Green Grass, I have taken unusual pleasure in restoring that which was neglected and to make it better. Since I was a child, I loved the painting of the Savior, standing just outside the door, waiting for the knock. I want all who know me, to always feel welcome here. An imaginary "Welcome" sign continues to hang above my door.

Families Forever - Thanks to modern communication!

I have the best family in the world. I love all of them dearly. Specifically, Mom & Dad, my brothers (4) and my sister. Of course, my children as well. As one who finds great joy in developing relationships, I savor the times when I get to speak to any one in my family. Just last night my oldest brother, JEH called and we had a marvelous conversation. He's the most authentic person I know. A couple weeks ago I had opportunity to talk with DMH, another brother. Now he's as real as they get. Before that, my sister and I had a lengthy chat on the phone and I hope she know's how much I love her. In July I got to visit in person with most of my siblings and Wow, am I lucky to be related to people like that. I've had the most fun emailing my Mom and Dad and keeping up with news on the phone. My kids and I often text, email and talk on the phone. Looks like a common thread here is being so grateful for modern communication to keep these family ties alive. I could go into a whole next chapter on how grateful I am for the friends in my life but.....I'll save that for another post, oh yeah, I just did that in the BFF's post! Ha...

(May I most reverently present this photo that belongs to a dear family wherein the Mother recently passed away. This photo symbolizes to me the loving web of families and the eternal round of our Heavenly Fathers Love.)

BFF's 4 Realz

I had a sweet reminder last night. The posts for the Blog doesn't have to be from the present, but pulling pictures from the album is ok too. This is Shanda. She's my BFF and embodies true sisterhood. We met in Idaho about 15 years ago and she's been my Rock during the best of times, the worst of times and everything in between. I am so grateful for the Lords vision to know I needed a friend like her in my life. I've had special friends in the various chapters of my life, SM,DMB,CMW, GKR,WS, TR, LM, SG, AM, AW, DW, JM, CP, CJ, TK, PL. Each has brought a special element to my life and I appreciate each one of you. Shanda, I am so very proud of you. I love you forever my forever friend. A word must be mentioned to Layne, her husband. Thanks Layne for all you are to my family and the support you have been to Shanda. Shanda and I got to go to Hawaii together in 1996 and we've had so much fun together ever since. We shared a pregnancy's together, and raised our children together for years to come. She now lives in Southern Arizona and I miss her alot, but all it takes is a phone call and BAMM!, she's right back inside your heart....not that she ever leaves....but the girl is the BOMB! I am so lucky! I am eternally blessed by all my friendships, THANKS LADIES!

Football Strikes Again.....

Ethans team with American Fork Cavemen, 9th Grade team is doing great! They won 44-7 against Provo High. The team is 5 and 0 so far. Ethan's number is 64. Go Team! Ethan had some great 'sacks' tonight. He plays Lineman Nose Guard.

Tibble Fork Adventure with LM

Our aim was to capture the moment, but we did so much more. LM met at my house this morning and we took the nickel tour. Using teamwork we hooked up the 4 wheeler to the Jeep and headed up the American Fork Canyon to Tibble Fork Reservoir. LM had not been on a 4wheeler before so I told her the basics of being a rider, hold on tight, make your spine like a jelly fish and lean uphill. After riding the trail a while, finding a creek to splash through, we found a great place for a great picnic lunch. Perfect spot....Trees, Shade and a Creek! LM was a quick study and she drove the 4wheeler back down the trail a ways. Couldn't pass up another splash in the creek on the way down. The sites were breathtaking. So glad for the outing and the fun time with LM. Let's go AGAIN!

Labor Day Weekend Hike & Picnic

Gavin decided that wading in the pool of the falls was colder than he figured on. The cool mist sure was refreshing!

Family Adventures - Labor Day Weekend

Organizing a family picnic is a bit of an obstacle, but once you are amongst the tall pines, smelling fresh air laced with the scent of BBQ sauce singed onto hamburgers, sitting with your favorite people in the world...it's all worth it! We gathered at the trail head of the Mnt. Timpanogos just past Aspen Grove on the Sundance Resort highway. Luckily we got a nice picnic table under shady pines and had ourselves a great picnic. We then walked around a huge outdoor amphitheater, and then headed up the trail to the first waterfalls. It's about a mile up a moderately steep incline and we sure appreciated the shady trees! At the falls, Morgan and Ethan and Chance dunked their heads in the water pool at the base of the falls for a quick cool down. The evening was finished with a nice ride along the Scenic Alpine Loop. Mike and Bridgett were on their motorcycle, and Annie and Chance followed in her car.

Ride like the Wind

Michael and Bridgett go for a moonlight ride around town. Mike brought his Road Warrior down for the Labor Day weekend. We made a visit to the Harley Davidson shop in Lindon and after a stroll about, had some 'Sliders' at Marleys. Gavins loved all the bikes and got to ride on a Motor bike with the help of a quarter. Mike loves his dirt bike as well and frequently takes to the mountains, climbing hills and rocky trails. Nice outlet to his weekday job as a banker!

A moment with Morgan

Morgan likes to do lot's of stuff, but I don't have many pictures showing him doing them. He's now half way through his 16th year and is a Jr. in High School. He loves to play basket ball and is so good at XBox, he's getting bored with it. He's gotten so tall this year, now at 6'3", (even taller if you count the poof of his tight curly hair.) Morgan had some great campout's during the summer, one of them floating the rapids in the Snake River near Jackson Hole, WY, and he loved the 4-wheeling adventure in Idaho. School seems to be a breeze for him, and he's wanting to find a job so he can maintain a car. He recently got his braces off and his new smile is a tickles your happy button. Morgan your Mama loves you!

Cousin Hilary's Wedding - July 2009 - Lake Tahoe, NV.

Annalisa stands with her Uncle Dean and Cousin Maggie, and Tiffany. Her cousin Hilary married Eddy at a beautiful location at Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Annie is a beautiful woman, going to UVU in Orem, Utah, to become a Social Worker with a focus in Art Therapy. She shares an apartment in Orem with friends and works part time. Her family is very proud of her.

Annie with boyfriend Chance

Annie and Chance have been going out for over a year and life is good for them.

2009 Durocher Family Camp - Big Springs, ID.

Nothing better than finger on the throttle, blazing through the trees, climbing rocky trails and eating dirt! With seven 4-wheelers and a dirt bike, the group of us had a great time at a camp ground called Big Springs, near Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. We had a great camp spot with lots of trees, 2 picnic tables, a fire pit and a creek nearby. The weather was great and cooking over the fire with dutch ovens and hotdog sticks makes for the best of times.

Let's go again, and real soon!

Lagoon Day - "Wicked"

I always smile at this picture. David and Ashlee have just completed the ride called Wicked, at Lagoon in Layton, Utah. And this is them on the ride here at the top. I rode this twice and thought my head was going to fall off my neck! My company at Curtis Miner Architecture hosts a day at Lagoon every summer and boy do we have a blast! Love you Dave & Ashlee!

Boys and their Toys

In a way, our family could be likened to Detroit, Michigan, Motor City of the World. We could be called Motor Family, USA. Posted here is Nicholas with his new Road Warrior Bike in front of his '06 Toyota Tundra. One day during Sunday dinner, we listed 28, now 29 motor vehicles that Nicholas has owned since the age of 16. He is a pro at buying cheap, fixing and selling for a nice profit. David is very good at this as well. Mike has his share of things that go and that reminds me of a song from Sesamie Street a LONG time ago....went like this.....Ohhh we're for a ride....Sally-go-sa-moo.....Going to sail the ocean blue.... Well something like that...I had to knock on some rusty brain cells to get that much figured out. Ha... Of course, I had to have a thrill ride with Nick on his bike. I do love my hair flipping in the wind, which it would have if he didn't make wear the stinkin' helmut!

Precious Moments - Annie Packed a Peck of Peaches

Priceless, just Priceless.....as you can see, the Jars of Peaches are beautiful. Nothing can imitate natures colors. The value of each of these jars, hummm, had to buy the peaches, find the bottles in the basement, unearth the lids in the pantry, set a pot to boil, dipped countless peaches to slip the skins, cut, sliced and filled the jars, added sugar, poured boiling water in each jar, screwed down lids, and waited out the 30 minute boiling water bath of the jars.....geeze, was it all worth it? A resounding YES, be cause the priceless part was that Annalisa was by my side the whole time! She had asked me to teach her the art of canning peaches and well, it had been 10 years since I had last done it, so who would turn down a request like that! We talked and talked, and ended the night with a big hug. Thanks Annie! Love You.

It's all about Football!

Since May '09 Ethan has been committed to Football. He tryed out and made the American Fork 9th Grade Football Team. Ever since....it's all about football! Six days a week he's with his team, and six day's a week I get to support his committment with rides home from practise and every Saturday watching his game. This has been a great experience for Ethan...his favorite part....bashing an opponant...HARD. Must be a boy thing. Contact sports are not for Mom's I suppose. We're rooting for you Ethan! Good game last Saturday with AF 9th winning 34 to 6. The team has 3 wins to 0 losses so far.

Low and behold....?

A new leaf is turned and the communication highway open for family to peak through the fence and see whats going on in our lives. I experienced personal inspiration a couple days ago to publish the life and times of the Durocher family so that our life experieces didn't pass without notice and lay forgotten. I've marveled at the Blogs of a couple friends and each time I view them I'm enchanted at the chance to peak through the knot hole in the fence and peer into their lives....I invite you to do the same.