Fourth of July

This morning to celebrate America, I went to my first tea party and had a great time. I took a lot of pictures and came home only to discover that I had no film card in my camera. Dumb. Ugh! The field was filled with veterans, families and kids of all ages. It wasn't about hating democrats as the media says. This group is equally disappointed with the republican party, maybe more so. Instead, I found them welcoming people from all parties with a focus to follow the constitution and push for a smaller government, less spending and honest leaders. It was a refreshing grass roots approach about change. I think the message that stayed with me was the importance of one and how we can each make a difference. I will definitely go to another one :)

This year, Paul way out-did himself with his t-shirt design. The kids quickly found themselves over at Ashlee & Paul's making t-shirts for themselves. They turned out pretty cool.

We headed over to BBQ with Larry's parents. With so many of us now, it has turned into a bring your own meat and side dish which works out really well. We played whiffle ball and laughed when Brent jumped in the water to get the ball and played a tackling game of duck duck goose. Conrad is like a little fish in the water and splashed non-stop. We had a good relaxing time and ended with homemade ice cream and then left to take down the Pebbles booth at the Freedom Festival.
-Brenda

Larry Boy #51

We celebrated Larry's #51 with the kids. We grabbed some dinner and headed up the canyon for some down time after spending time at our Pebbles booth in Provo for Freedom Festival. Kelsie sewed like crazy and made some cute t-shirts to sell. It's been a hot and sticky day and this was a great way to end it. We came home for presents and Larry's favorite Blueberry Cheesecake. Conrad had fun fighting us with his noodle swords...
-Brenda

Birthday Omelets

We started our day celebrating Larry's #51 birthday with early morning homemade omelets before everyone went off in all directions. Ransom, Paul & Josh had already started their day, so it was just Larry and his girls.We planned to meet for dinner up the canyon later. Happy Bday :)
-Brenda

David & Pip

This is a story about David, Ransom's younger brother that is too endearing not to pass on... Not long after David got home from Utah, he was hiking with his dog and rescued this baby bird he found stuck in a glob of sap on a tree. There was no nest or mama bird in sight and so he brought it home. I was sure it would die, but David cleaned it up, went hunting for grasshoppers to feed it and it is thriving. We named it 'Pip'. Pip is a mockingbird... we're not sure whether it is male or female. It is the cutest thing though. It perches on our hand while we go hunting for grasshoppers (definitely its favorite food). It will eat seeds, fruit and worms, but it definitely prefers grasshoppers. It eats constantly, so it is a family affair trying to hunt for food for it and keep it satisfied. It is almost ready to fly, so David is teaching it to hunt for itself. We wonder if Pip will just fly away, never to be seen again or whether she will stick around. We hope she sticks around. David is so cute with her, like a proud papa!
-told by Marian Bigelow (David's Mom)

Biking in the Rain

The rain is becoming a regular staple of summer here in Utah. Quite unusual for us, but I love it! This afternoon, Lindsey and I went for a bike ride in the pouring rain and it was glorious. Larry & Ashlee set up our booth at the Provo Freedom Festival for Pebbles. Paper products in the rain... not a great combination, but we will hope for good weather through the weekend :)
-Brenda

Tea Party

I just heard about a tea party being held at the Lakeridge Junior High football field in Orem on July Fourth 10am to 2pm. I can't think of a better way to spend part of my Fourth of July then to actively be able to share my concern for our country... The integrity of our leaders and their lack of doing what is right vs. wrong choices for their own personal power or agendas, the government's lack of following the constitution, government overspending and higher taxes which are sure to come to pay for it all. Republican? Democrat? They both disappoint me greatly.
-Brenda

Plan B

It seems like everything in life has a plan B at some point. Our plan B began this week. Larry started school at UVU once again, but not to finish up his teaching degree. Instead, he is finishing up some classes before applying for the Weber State Radiology program (2 yrs. plus more as he specializes). We know the years will come and go quickly and know things will get tough as we juggle more, but we are looking forward to the future. Pebbles in my Pocket is now 17 years old and feels like part of our family. A small family owned business has been a mixed blessing, mostly filled with wonderful memories. With the slowing economy and digital market looming over us, we honestly don't know what the future holds for it... but thoughts of being able to reverse roles with Larry and take care of him sound better than wonderful :)