A birthday weekend

What do you do for a young girl turning twelve for her birthday? Why a sleepover with her closest friends right??? (Not recomended if you want your sanity to remain intact) Well, that and a chance to go to see the latest movie on her list of 'must see', How to Tame Your Dragon. Then there is the ever present cake and ice cream right? But wait, what about the family. How do you fit them in to all these plans and ideas? Well by celebrating said young woman's birthday for an entire weekend!

So we embarked on this (absolutely insane) idea starting on Friday (the 26th) right after we finished with an insanely busy fundraiser for her choir. (thanks to all who helped and donated for that. It is much appreciated!) Thus begins the sleepover portion of the party.

Cele's friend Erika Larkin

Cele and her friends admiring one of her (many) birthday presents

Opening presents

A moon sand kit from Erika Larkin

More Pokemon cards from Katie

Chatting with Erika Larkin and Jade

Rayne Chillaxing

Erika Rassmussen watching the movie

hello Katie : )

Playing with moon sand

A jumble of sleeping girls and stuffed animals

the girls brought out Cele's entire collection to sleep with

more sleepers and stuffed animals

Those that were able to spend the night included: Katie, Rayne, Erika Rassumssen, and Jade. Erika Larkin joined us for a while that night but wasn't able to spend the night. She joined us again for a little while the next morning before the movie.

And now we enter phase two: Saturday, March 27

We are off to see How to Tame your Dragon

This time the contingency of friends has changed a bit due to other plans

and the inclusion of inviting some of her guy friends (though only one was

able to come).

The kids LOVED the movie and are still raving about it!

At the mall for cake after the movie

Cele gets more presents. This one is from Jason and

includes a dragon egg to be hatched and chocolate

Here we have Kelsey, Jade, and Jason

Cele and Rayne trying to eat cake while laughing

Erika Rassmussen with her cake

Jade and Kelsey have colored teeth, all thanks to the frosting

tornado simulator

The kids in the simulator

Phase three was spending Sunday with her dad so...

Now we have phase four:
Dinner with the family

We got to go to Grandma and Grandpa Brown's house

and I cooked one of Cele's favorite meals, Tonkatsu

Grandma made the cake (thank you SOOO much mom!)

Aunt Alisha, Uncle Kellison, cousin Ethan, Grandpa, and Grandma

were all there and we all had a great time!

Cele blowing out her candles

Ethan tries his hand at blowing out candles too

Soooo there you have it. An entire weekend, four days, spent on birthday fun. I need a break!

Meg has a new home!

When my mom died, Cele and I thought we would have to move so as to make a home for her dog Meg. However, that was not to be. My mom's friend Susan, who also uses a wheelchair (her daughter Hope and I are friends and our friendship back in Middle/High School led to our mother's friendship) had lost her companion dog about a year and a half ago. Meg is now in good hands and gets to keep doing what she loves. Working as a companion dog. Cele is also happy with the arrangement as she still gets to visit Meg any time she wants.

Alice in Wonderland

Wanna see an acid trip in the form of a movie but still have a good time? Well then, make sure you go see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. It definately fits the bill!
















Especially if you head to the movie with my crazy friends! This was a great break for Cele and I from all the hullaballoo of the last month.

Two years already

It's already been two years since I started this blog. In that time, many things have happened in our lives. Most good, a few bad, and some rather startling and drastic. Let's take a quick look back...

- My divorce (the whole reason I started this blog. So the family could keep up with our lives)

- Celestra has gone from this (age 10)

to this (age 12)

- Many, many choir concerts including the 20th anniversary celebration of Cache Children's Choir and a choir trip to Salt Lake to help the Salt Lake Children's Choir celebrate their 25th anniversary

- two visits to Spokane, Wa. The first to celebrate the marriage of our sister-in-law/aunt to Darryl Burgess and the second to watch our niece/cousin graduate from High School

- A trip to Seattle, Wa and Vancouver, Canada

- A visit from our favorite niece/cousin Brianne

- An emergency flight on helecopter by my mother to Salt Lake where she was put on a ventillator, allowing us another year and a half with her.

- My graduation from College (at least my 1st graduation)

- A couple more weddings, My baby sister Melissa and my friend Laura

- A couple reunions with old friends of mine from High School

- Cele performing in the Opera Carmen

- Cele starting Middle School and the flute

- A Christmas surprise for Celestra in the form of a trip to Houston

- The death of my Mother

What a ride. It will be interesting to see what this year will bring.

Nedra J Taylor ~ Memorial Timeline

This is a video I made that was played at mom's viewing and her funeral. I have been having problems uploading it and finally figured out what the problem was. Silly me. I just wanted to give everyone who wasn't able to attend the funeral a chance to see it since most seemed to like it.

In Memory

These pictures were taken in Mesquite at mom's burial. I forgot my camera for the rest of the stuff so these are the only ones I have but I think I can be forgiven. I was a little stressed.

Left to right: Uncle Henry, Aunt Raelene, cousin Brady, Uncle Clyde
with Celestra in the background

Uncle Henry and Uncle Randy

Pallbearers carry the casket

Uncle Henry dedicating the gravesite

Family friends that live in the Mesquite area

Mom and Dad's grave
Cele next to her Amma's grave

Me in front of my parents grave

Cele and I at the grave dedication in Mesquite