Welcome to Grandmaville!

This is my online journal of stories about my family, my work, and just everyday ramblings.

A little about me--I am a native of Wyoming. Lived within 60 miles of where I was born most of my life until my husband and I decided to move to Arizona! Talk about culture shock! We LOVE AZ!

We have three awesome kids, two perfect kids-in-law and FIVE of the cutest grand kids ever sent to earth!

My husband (Blaine) is a horse lover and enjoys having his Morgan mare near us so he can ride her every chance he gets. She is currently spending the summer in Wyoming enjoying her "honeymoon" and will hopefully be carrying a foal when we bring her home in late July. My hubby works as a project superintendent for a one of the largest commercial construction companies in Arizona. He is currently building an $18M school about 5 miles from our house, so his commute is short and easy!

I work for a semiconductor manufacturer firm in their legal department. My title says I am the contracts administrator, which means I read contracts all day and try to keep track of them when they are being negotiated, sent out for signature, or on their way over seas somewhere!

We are both involved in Boy Scouts. B is the scoutmaster of our troop and I am the committee chair for the troop. My office at home used to be organized, but now is covered in scout documents!

We have two dogs as well as the horse. We have a 16 year old border collie who is deaf as a post, and has a hard time getting around. We need to face the inevitable, but are not quite ready for that realization yet. We also have a two year old psychotic cocker spaniel. She is a bundle of energy and thinks she runs the house!

Our oldest daughter (Amber a/k/a Weezie) lives with us. She is a group home supervisor for the mentally disabled adults. She oversees three apartments with five gentlemen clients living in them. She puts in a lot of hours for little pay, but will definitely reap the rewards for her service later! We keep trying to get her married off, but so far, we've come up empty handed. ;-) B is ready to order her a husband off the internet, but he's not that computer literate!

Our son and daughter-in-law (Travis and Robin) live in Wyoming with their three gorgeous kids (Kolby, Baylee and Taylor). Travis works as the barn manager for the local community college and teaches a few equine classes and breaks and trains horses on the side. You could say he is a real-life cowboy! He has a natural knack with horses and makes us proud every day.

Robin is awesome. She is a Mary Kay consultant and a full-time mom. She is about as crafty a person as you would ever meet and she makes me smile every day. She loves to hang out with family and always has something fun going on.

Our oldest grandchild and only grandson (Kolby) is 6 and just completed kindergarten. He is the crown prince of our family. He is all about tractors and machinery. He can drive most anything by himself already, including the skid steer at his dad's work! He loves to torment his two sisters and has the most infectious laugh I've ever heard besides his dad's.

Then we have his two sisters (Baylee and Taylor). Baylee is the fairest blonde you will ever see! She also has the bluest eyes and the widest stubborn streak! I don't think I've ever seen a kid who can be more stubborn. She definitely got the worst of both parents with her stubbornness. But what an angel she is! She loves horses and ponies and is quite the little cowgirl.

The youngest one of this family (Taylor) is our little Greek throwback! She has the olive complexion and darker hair with hazel eyes. She is also the most active two year old you will ever meet! She can get into (or out of) anything in the blink of an eye! She keeps her mom and dad on their toes that is for sure! I don't think they have a wall in their house that has not been decorated (tagged) by Taylor!

Our youngest daughter and son-in-law (Tama and Karlo) live in Idaho with their two beautiful girls. Karlo works for a closet and cabinet company making and installing awesome closets and cabinets in peoples' homes and offices. He is way into rafting, basketball (good thing since he is well over 6' tall!), and anything outdoors!

Tama is a stay at home mom with a degree in early childhood education/development and puts it to good use with her girls. She turns everything they do into a learning experience and it shows in the girls! They are both so smart! She enjoys canning and playing the piano, but most of all she loves music and loves to sing. Another trait she has passed on to her girls.

Our oldest granddaughter (Abbie) is about the funniest kid you will ever see. She is so smart and has such a vivid imagination that she keeps us all in stitches all the time. She is tall like her dad and says she is going to grow up to be a volleyball player (no coaching there!). She loves to help her mom but her greatest joy comes from hanging out with her dad I think.

Then we finally have our youngest grandchild (Kallie). Our miracle girl! Kallie is two months younger than Taylor (two years old). They are quite the pair when they get together! Kallie was born with Turner Syndrome (a chromosome abnormality) and went into heart failure at 6 days old. She gave us all quite a scare! She was first transported by ambulance from Nampa to Boise, stabilized there in the NICU and then flown by air ambulance to Salt Lake City where they performed open heart surgery on her and repaired her little heart. Many prayers were offered and answered, blessings given and received, and miracles took place in the first six weeks of her little life. We have all learned so much from her and she is truly the light of our lives! She continues to grow and progress and amaze us on a daily basis! To read Kallie's story go to http://www.carepages.com/ and search for KallieGrace (no spaces).

I think that will tell you all you want to know about us, our family, and what we like to do. We are very involved with our children and grandchildren and our world revolves around our family.

Welcome to our world! Enjoy your stay!!