Three moves all in the same day

How did this happen, three of our children moving all at once. We went from five kids including my nephew to one in 13 months. Wow life is every changing with such wonderful opportunities.  I have realized true happiness is seeing your kids achieving and reaching their goals. 

Since all three of these exciting events happened the exact day I had many helpers to make it happen.  My Mom and Paul helped drive Joslyn and Justin's vehicle to Ohio.  It took them three days to drive across the country.  They loved seeing all the sights and arrived just in time to move in on Saturday!  Their place is so beautiful, can't wait to see it in person.  Nana and Paul thank you so much, I truly couldn't have done it without you.

Three weeks ago weeks we all moved Laurisa and Grafton into a storage because they had a three week interim before moving into their new house.  What a treat to have them stay with us for three weeks until they closed on their house. Happy New House.

Mitch and I headed to Utah to get him all settled in the dorms for BYU.  He decided to go summer term so he could get some schooling in before his mission.   I really enjoyed the parent orientation and it was fun to see Mitch make so many friends the first day.  He is definitely in his element. After we got him all moved into his dorm room we went shopping and out to dinner at the Brick Oven.  It was so fun to reminisce and go down memory lane. I took this picture of where I lived when Wade and I met. 

We really enjoyed being with family, Mom took off work to be with us and we spent time with the Heaps.  It was a fast trip, but much was accomplished in such a short time.  I know Mitch is where he is supposed to be and will have so many great experiences, which makes letting go so much easier. GO Mitch, GO Cougars

2011 Whiting Family Reunion

This year our Whiting Reunion was at Duck Creek at Pinewoods Resort in southern Utah. It may be the last year for quite awhile that everyone was together.  It was worth the effort of arranging all our schedules to make it happen! 
The Whiting Clan...look at all those beautiful smiles.  You can feel the love and support this family has for each other.

Fishing was a favorite.  We only got fishing licenses for one day but by the looks of these pictures you can see that they couldn't get enough.  One day, as a combined effort they caught 21 total.  The last day they even fished way into the dark.  They not only caught them, but cleaned them, filleted them, and cooked them.  I have to admit they were the best fish I have ever tasted. Davin especially liked the taste of the eyeballs, but more importantly he liked the reaction of everyone when he ate them.

 We spent two nights in cabins with a common gathering area.  We had championship games of ping pong, horse shoes, basketball, ladder ball, and bean bag toss.  The official games were called the "Swag Olympics".  It took all day to get through the brackets, but made for a fun day of crazy fun. At night we had a retirement party for Grandpa and Grandma and sang by the campfire, thanks to our guitar performers, Mitch, Mac, and Jake.

Let the games begin!

Mammoth Cave- Our Family

It was a fun way to end the reunion exploring the caves which were several year old lava tubes.

Our family stayed an extra day and hiked Bryce Canyon.  It was stunning and a breathtaking hike.

What a fun reunion spent with those that we love and cherish the relationships we have!

High Adventure to the Max!!!

A few years back Wade came up with the idea that when the girls moved out we would take the boys on a high adventure vacation to Moab. It was three boys and a mom high adventure to the max. I loved getting a vacation with my boys. Mitch felt lucky to have this his senior trip. We didn't leave any stones unturned. We experienced everything from Whitewater rafting, Canyoneering, ATV riding, exploring caves and hiking to the arches, and mountain biking slick rock.

Whitewater rafting was intense and definitely and adrenaline rush.  We hung on for dear life as we went down the rapids of Westwater.  There were whirlpools, boils, and drifts.

Mountain biking slick rock was an experience.  I only went over the handlebars once, I guess that was pretty good since this was a 10 out of 10 on the difficulty of mountain bike trails.  The boys were naturals.

Moab is a giant ATV playground.  The terrain was so varied with sand, rocks, water.  It was a thrill to ride up these giant rocks leaving you feeling like "King of the Road". 

Hiking to delicate arch was a highlight with spectacular views of this arch that sits in a giant basin that looks like a Colosseum. After hiking to the top and turning the corner to see this spectacular structure made this high adventure trip an all time favorite.

Las Vegas get-a-way

A few days after school got out Wade whisked me away for some Q.T.  Both of our love languages are quality time and we were in desperate need of some.  It had been a crazy, busy few months and so the first break we got, we had to take it.  We had so much in Vegas seeing the Piano Man, Donny and Marie Show, relaxing by the pool, dining and  uninterrupted conversations.  My favorite thing in all the world is spending time with my sweetheart. I love getting him all to myself. 

Double Celebration 2011- Two Graduates!

Mitch graduated from Highschool and Justin graduated from Medical School. It was a week of celebration! We are so proud of these two.

Sitting in Hawk Stadium watching Mitch receive his diploma.  It was the perfect weather and such a fun evening.

 Everyone wanted a piece of Mitch, which was his face on a cake.  Boy was it yummy!  Mitch loved his T-shirt quilt. We are so grateful for Mitch and all his accomplishments.

We are so proud of Justin after 4 years of Medical School.  Way to go Dr. Pattee!  His brothers flew in for his graduation.