The Short Family

BBQ with Steve's buddys 8-9-2010

2011-05-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

On Aug. 9, 2010 Steve's old buddys from childhood planned a BBQ. We had it at the Haslam's house in Draper, Utah. The Freeman's and Haslams and us were in attendnce.

The Haslams have a beautifully landscaped backyard so we took advantage and got some good family pictures.

8-9-2010 Let's go to a BEES game and the Hogle Zoo!

2011-05-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

The Noble family loves to go go go! This day we decided that we were going to take all the cousins to the zoo. Grandpa and Grandma Noble have passes and so we all met there in the morning. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a blast! Aspen especially loved the Aviary demonstration as she was imitating the big birds noises for days afterwards.

Then after a short breather we all gathered at the Bee's Baseball field to enjoy an evening of fun beyond the out field grass.

I'm not really sure what was so funny but everone was sure laughing and having a great time!

8-6-2010 Lagoon Day

2011-05-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

On August 6th Mary's Stake held "Lagoon Day" Lagoon is the amusement park north of Salt Lake City. I've been going there ever since I was a little child and it had lots of memories for me. Steve wasn't in Utah yet so he didn't get to come with us but Vickie and her family, Grandpa and Grandma Noble, Mike, Mary and Aspen and my kids all went. It was a really fun day!

One of the highlights of the day was Pioneer Village. That was always a favorite of mine when I was a kid. We had our old fashioned pictures done. Sad that Steve wasn't there to be in the picture though! :-(

About halfway through the day it started to pour rain. It only lasted a short time but it did leave behind some puddles for Aspen to jump in.

Mary gets sealed to Mike 7-31-2010

2011-05-26T07:21:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful day at the Salt Lake Temple! Mary and her husband were sealed together for time and all eternity with their precious baby girl Aspen. After the temple we all went to eat at The Mandarin Restaurant in Bountiful, Utah. After we ate dinner Mike's Mom hosted a desert bar at her house. We had such a nice time!

Joe and Kim as well as Dan and Krista came to the Holje's house so we took advantage of the sunset and got some nice pictures.

Learning how to shoot with Grandpa

2011-05-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

While we were in Utah getting the boys moved in and visiting family, my kids decided to have Grandpa Noble take them to the shooting range and give them some shooting lessons. We all had a great time except Megan who got hit by something hot that came out of the gun as she was shooting it. That ended the fun for her and she decided to stay in the waiting area until we finished.

Another year has passed?

2011-05-26T06:45:00.001-07:00

Another year has passed and I'm just getting around to updating my blog. I'm going to try to back date some of the many events that have happened.

Bret and Taylor both headed out to Utah to attend school this past fall. Bret went to the University of Utah and Taylor attended Brigham Young University.
We all went out as a family last July 2010 and moved the boys out there. Megan, Bret and I drove Bret's car through Atlanta (stayed with Rusti for a few days) then on to Bear Lake (stayed and hung out with Mary and Mike and the rest of the Holje clan)for a few days, then finally on to Salt Lake City. Taylor and Steve flew out there and met us. We had a great trip and really enjoyed all of the time we spent with loved ones on the way.

Graduations

2010-06-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

This is the last week of school! YAY! It has been such a busy month for the Short family. Taylor had so many awards ceremonies to go to before graduation night that he didn't even want to go to graduation. He was just so ready for it all to be over!
I am so proud of that boy though! He is just such a great kid. His graduation was Friday June 4th, 2010 and the next day he and some friends were headed to the lake to Jet Ski. He was at a stop light and the light turned green. He pushed on the gas to go BUT the new driver in front of him didn't! He ran into her car! He was so upset! The nice policeman that came to the accident didn't give him any kind of ticket! He went to get an estimate today and they said it would cost $970.00 for Taylor's truck. It was a good learning experience for him. I couldn't help but think back to when he first got his learners permit. One time he was waiting to make a turn and the car in front of him was taking too long and he was too close. I told him to be patient and he said "Can't I just bump him out of the way"? Well I guess he learned that you can't just bump anyone out of the way!

The boys are in the final count down for leaving for Utah. They are both really excited and nervous to go. I am dreading that flight home after leaving them there.
It's going to be awful quiet around here!

It's tourist season at the Short Resort!

2010-05-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my baby sister Mary left to return home after a 6 day visit with us. It is really quiet at my house today without her sweet little 17 month old baby girl here. She is the most adorable little girl ever! She wears these little shoes that squeak when she walks. It makes it really easy to find her when you are home or out in public. She loved to go "SHWIMMING" and she would yell for Megan, Tay, Bet or Aunt ELNEN constantly. Today My Dad and Grace are coming to visit for a week. Megan loves when they come because she loves to play card games and they will sit and play cards with her for hours! Taylor will recieve his Eagle Scout award this Saturday. I am so proud of him! Bret is taking his last final today and he will officially have his Associates Degree. He is transferring to the University of Utah to finish up his bachelors degree in Mass Communication. He is still hoping to be a famous movie star but just in case that doesn't happen he will have his degree to fall back on. Taylor got accepted at BYU Provo and will attend there for two semesters then serve a mission. It will be really hard to have both of my boys leave at the same time but I'm excited for both of them and their new adventures! Megan will miss them terribly and I'm already prepared for her to declare that she is moving to Utah too.

The next couple of months will be extremely busy and full of tears as Taylor Graduates and both boys move on. We will spend several weeks this summer in Utah before we settle in to our new routines without the boys. Less laundry and less events to attend.... no extra drivers to take Meg to dance class and young womans,or run to the store for a missing ingredient needed for dinner.....lots of adjustments!

I'm pretty sure it is going to be a very difficult year!

Long Time....No Posts!

2009-09-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

WOW! I just looked at my blog and can hardly believe it has been 7 months since I have updated it! I am a Blog failure!

Yesterday was Labor Day and so everyone had the day off. Bret went to Orlando with Luke for the weekend and Taylor spent the day at Siesta Key beach with a bunch of his friends. That left Megan, Steve and I to hang out together. We decided to have a nice lunch, shop, see a movie and end the evening at California Pizza Kitchen. The only movie out there that we could take Megan to was "Julie/Julia. So we went to see that. I enjoyed the movie, Steve said it was OK but Megan was bored to tears! She must of gone out to get a drink, go to the bathroom, get popcorn, talk on her phone etc... 20 times. We ended the night meeting Kristy and her kiddos for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. Bret and Luke surprised us by showing up at CPK. It was a wonderful day!

This past summer we went on our annual trip to Utah. This year was so much fun!
We started out the trip with a big family campout. The first night we had hamburgers to eat. That night at about 2 a.m. Megan came in and woke me up. She said she had just barfed! YUCK!! As it turns out she had soiled the only sleeping bag she had to sleep in. It was FREEZING and the only blanket I had was a child sized quilt. After freezing our toes off sitting out side while she finished up the barfing, I figured out that the only logical place for us to sleep the rest of the night was in the car. So Megan and I climbed into the front seat of our Toyota Camry Rental car. I threw the little quilt I had over the top of us. We tried to go back to sleep for an hour. Neither one of us could get warm enough to be comfortable so I turned on the car and let it heat us up. We both finally fell asleep. The next day Megan was fine! Thankfully non of the other cousins got sick. I am pretty sure it must of been food poisening. In spite of the rocky start we sure had a great time!

Wahington D.C. Trip

2009-02-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know we were just a little excited!

This week Steve and I went to Washington D.C. with our very dear friends the Waltons.
We had so much fun and the weather turned out perfect! We had weather that was more typical of May in D.C. It was nice to not have to worry about a heavy coat. We went to see the National Archives, American History Museum, walked up and down the "Mall", went to Pentagon City Mall, and saw all of the "Kristy" historical sights! We ate at Carlyles and it was so yummy!!! We had a great time! The kids stayed home with Bret and they all survived!!!

Wow! Where does the time go??

2009-01-29T20:27:00.001-08:00

This is my new baby niece Aspen Holje. Isn't she gorgeous?

It is hard to believe it has been close to two months since I have been on here. Since I last posted I have spent 3 weeks in Utah and had my sister Mary and her family here for 8 days. It has been busy but so fun! enter the second semester stretch here is what is going on in the Short house. Both of my boys are currently un-attached. That's the first time that has happened in 2.5 years! Bret is working full time at the Tampa General and going to school full time. He is cutting back his hours starting next week. It is just way too hard! Taylor continues to challenge himself academically and athletically. Megan is dancing and in a play called "The little Princess". We are all busy with life. We are in the middle of having our pool refurbished and that "3 week project" has now stretched into it's third month. We are also refinancing our house. I can hardly believe interest rates are down in the 4's! Never thought I would see the day that happened. Life is good and we are all enjoying it.

2008-12-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our annual gingerbread house decorating event! Last year Bret was away at school and didn't get to participate. It was so nice to have all three of my children sitting around the table again. They look forward to this every year. I know the day is coming when my children will be replaced by grand children for this tradition. I cherish these last few years when I get to have all three of mine enjoying time spent together. Of course I am pretty sure more of the candy ends up in their tummies than on their house but what would gingerbread house decorating be if you couldn't snack on the candy??? We are all so excited and counting down the days until we head to Utah for our annual Christmas visit. Hopefully lots of snow will await us!! (Sorry Kim)

Taylor has a birthday and Meg prepares for her play

2008-10-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

This week has been so busy!! Taylor celebrated his 17th birthday. I can hardly believe that my baby boy is 17!!! That is just one short year away from being old enough to vote and the deadline for getting his Eagle! Seventeen years has just flown by and I am so grateful that Taylor is such a fine young man. He is such a joy in my life and I enjoy every precious minute I get to be around him! We threw him a surprise party (thanks to the help of Megan and Erika who did all the work....I just supplied the funds LOL!) I think he was really truly surprised! It was fun!

Meg has had her play dress rehersals this week. She is a Pirate princess in the play "Jolly Rogers and the Pirate Queen" She loves acting! Those of you that know her well will not be surprised!

I have been extra busy with all my usual volunteering but also because my very dear friend Kristy's brother was hit by a car on Oct. 8th and has been in the hospital ever since then. I saw him again today and he is doing so much better. It looks like he will be released this week. This brings all kinds of new problems as Kristy now has to juggle his needs with the needs of her children. She is really stressed and could use any prayers.

As I write this we in Florida are finally enjoying some jacket weather!!! YIPPEE!!
It feels so good to need to wear pants! It will only last a few days but I will enjoy it while it does.

TWILIGHT

2008-10-05T18:25:00.001-07:00

Taylor and Erika before Homecoming

2008-10-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

Last night was Homecoming. Taylor took his girlfriend Erika. They make such a beautiful couple! They had a great time!

2008-09-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend Steve and I went on a little trip to Bend, Oregon.
We hiked up to Mt. Bachelor, Sparks lake, and Tumalo Falls.
All were breathtakingly gorgeous!!!! The air was so clean and crisp!
We loved it there!

Megan has a serious problem!

2008-09-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

Megan loves to get all her webkinz on her bed and play school. These are all her little students! She has a dry erase board and she teaches them math mostly. Today I thought I would get a picture of her with all her little students so we will never forget this phase of her life. Someday she will put all those cute little stuffed criters in a big garbage bag and put them away never to be played with again. I will miss them when they are gone. RIGHT??????

BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!

2008-08-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well it is Friday of the first week of school. Taylor is very happy with his teachers this year and is really excited to have made the Golf Team. He worked all summer on his game and it really paid off! He has a pretty academically challanging schedule this year as it is his Junior year and the most important year as far as Colleges are concerned. At this point he is aiming for BYU (with a little bit of encouragement from Mom & Dad which is hard for Dad (GO UTES!!!) He is in Student Government and working on his Eagle. So BUSY is the key word here! He is such a delightful young man and I love being around him! HAPPY and full of life!

Bret came home for the summer and has been working full time at Tampa General. He has been exposed to some medical careers and has recently decided that he would really like to work in Radiology. So here we go again.....changing our major.....BUT yesterday he did an all day shadow in the Radiology Dept. and came home more excited about that than I have seen him since he got his Drivers License! So we will press on!! With that decision also comes at least another semester at home taking classes via the internet and working full time. We just want him to find a career that he can love. Maybe this is it??? Time will tell!!

Megan is in 5th grade and is taking part in an experimental all girls class. It was something the school asked us if we would like to participate in and since Megan thinks boys STINK and ANNOY her to death.....That was a no brainer!!! So far she is LOVING it!!

I decided this year that I was going to try and limit my volunteering at the High School to just two or three days a week. I went in the first day and just didn't have the heart to not show up the rest of the week. THEY NEED ME!!! I just can't even imagine them being able to service all these kids without help. I love to do it and so I do........

So as the close of the first week of school arrives I am once again reminded of how nice it is to have my children home all summer but also how nice it is to have them gone again!!! :-)

Bored to sleep

2008-08-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

Taylor has two A.P. classes that he is taking in school this coming year. For both of these classes he has a summer reading assignment. I, being the responsible Mother purchased these books and planned on getting them read while we were in Utah. Taylor wanted me to read them with him. Which is a practice I started with Bret because some of the books they ask these poor high school kids to read are quit frankly inappropriate reading material for teens. So I would read them with him so I could sensor them as we read. So any way, of course Taylor thinks this is "normal and customary" and I really didn't mind. I like the bonding time we get to spend together. So anyway... our first attempt to read the book for A.P. U.S. History "Founding Brothers" proved to be useless. Every few pages I would have to nudge Taylor to get him to wake up! I tried this a few times while we were on vacation and then decided that he just wasn't getting enough sleep and that we would just resume our reading when we returned home. Well today, with the start of school getting dangerously close and still 4 chapters to read in one book and the whole other book, I told Taylor we were going to get some reading done.
We read for a about 10 minutes sitting in the computer chair and a dining room chair. I was getting kind of uncomfortable in the hard chair so I suggested we move into the living room and sit on the couch. He was agreeable so we moved. I started reading what was beginning to actually be a pretty interesting rendition of the most famous Duel in history (Burr vs. Hamilton) and I am getting into the story. I look up to see if Taylor is as enthralled as I am and this is what I see..............

2008-08-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

This is some of the girls in my family.
Left to right : Sister-Vickie, daughter-Megan, Sister-In-Law-Krista,
Me, Niece- Ali
(in front row) Sister-Mary, (holding niece Hadley) and niece-Miranda,
Nephew-Braden in the lower left hand corner (goof ball)

This was taken at Murray Park in Murray, Utah. July 2008

Home from Utah!

2008-08-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

So I just got home from my month long visit with my family in Utah. I love being there so much!
It's not just that my family lives there. I LOVE the fooD!!!!! I love: Cafe Rio, Zupas, Rumbis, The Training Table, Costa Vida, The Pie, Taco Time, Pei Wei, oh...the list could go on and on... I know you are thinking...Is all this girl thinks about is food??? Well.....they just have the best food in the world and I miss it! I love the mountains and the dry air! I love all my little nieces and nephews! I love that you can find any address you need EASILY! It is so easy to get around there. I love all the beautiful temples splattered around the valley. I love the night time view from the east bench down on the valley. GORGEOUS!!! I love seeing 8 chapels in one stretch of 5 miles down the SAME road! I love that I can drive 30 minutes and be in the mountains listening to a wonderful fresh mountain stream. I love that they have a movie theater in every five mile radius. I love that you can buy a ticket to see a movie and get a RESERVED seat. I love that you can take a whole meal into the theater and not have to hide it!! I love that you can take your shoes off and walk in the grass and actually ENJOY it. I could go on and on but I will stop for now........

So I finally decided to get with the program...

2008-08-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

After following several of my friends "blogspots" I decided I was enjoying them so much I should really do one of my own. So here it goes....