Celebrating 20 Years....with 10,000 of our closest friends.

Heading out for my morning run....-1 below at 5:00 a.m., according to our thermostat. Chip thinks I'm a "stud." I'll take that as a compliment.



Celebating our 20th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

So, last month we decided to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary by going to see Dave Matthews (who we both love) in Las Vegas. We left on Thursday, driving in lieu of flying because Rich's health is just too precarious to get non-refundable tickets to anywhere right now.

Actually, driving to Las Vegas together was fun. We talked.....a lot. And, we were able to eat at Subway and listen to NPR without any protests from the kids. As you can see, our trip was getting off to a lively start.

We got to Vegas about 5:00....starving (Subway only lasts so long), and immediately headed off to dinner at a very overpriced restaurant in the MGM Casino. After dinner we enjoyed a couple of drinks at a really fun bar....I had two wonderful martinis (gin, extra dry and straight up, just like I like 'em), and then headed off to the concert. Dave Matthews was playing at Planet Hollywood; this was an acoustic concert with just him and his lead guitarist, Tim Reynolds. The venue only held about 10,000, so there wasn't a bad seat in the place. It was an absolutely amazing concert. He really puts on a show and gives you your money's worth. We were sitting by some real die hard fans who follow him all over (known as groupies back in the day) which made it even more fun. After the concert we headed back to our hotel and didn't get to bed until 1:00 a.m., which made us feel like we'd really accomplished something. I mean, this was our 20th anniversary celebration, and we were in Las Vegas, so we kind of felt obligated to stay up extra late.

We slept until 9:00 the next morning, courtesy of the lovely privacy blinds in our hotel room. We attempted to take a stroll down the strip, and after purchasing the much requested items for Caitlin and Sam at M&M World, we'd had enough of the strip. So, we headed down to a really nice outdoor mall we'd gone to with the kids a little over a year ago. We spent a couple of hours in Borders, drinking coffee and looking at books, followed by lunch at a wonderful restaurant with 100 microbrews on tap, and then went to see "Precious" at the theater there. We had a great day. We momentarily entertained the idea of going to see Bill Engvall, who we both think is very funny, but it didn't start until 9:00 that night, and we had stayed out until 1:00 the night before so......

We headed back to out hotel and enjoyed a celebratory glass of champagne, followed by the buffet, which for me consisted of about one pound of peel and eat shrimp and a couple of decadent chocolate desserts. Were in bed by 9:30....in an attempt to balance out our sleep time from the night before, of course.

We had an absolutely wonderful time together. However, we have concluded that we are not "Vegas people." It is a really fun place to be, and you can people watch to your heart's content. However, I think our next anniversary celebration will be in wine country, San Francisco, or Seattle.

We were so happy to see the kiddos, who were wined and dined by Grandma all weekend. I'm not sure they were nearly as happy to see us :)

Twenty years is really an accomplishment, in my opinion. Not many people in my family have been married that long, and if they have, it's their second marriage. I take immense satisfaction in knowing that we have been married for TWENTY years, endured some pretty challenging times, and are more content than we've ever been. Content in a good way, too....not in a "going through the motions" way. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be married to someone who is so invested in my well being.

The icing on the cake is that even though we came home to a driveway that needed shoveling, it is no longer frigid cold, so tomorrow's run will be sloppy but warm. Oh, life is good.

I'm On A Roll Here!

My merry carolers! The two who can't sing are, and I'm sure Caitlin is wishing us all Peace on Earth.

That Sam....always carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders....

Me and the kiddos.

So, this is the second post to our blog in 3 days! I'm a feast or famine kind of person, I suppose. Actually, the last post was courtesy of my adorable niece, Vanessa, who shamed me into getting back into blogging. She reminded me consistently throughout the week of how behind our blog was, so being the sweet person that she is, she did it for me :) That being said, I'm feeling compelled to keep up the momentum and start posting more regularly. I have been told there are no blogging rules or norms that require one to catch up for the many, many months their blog has been inactive. I'm very happy about that.

So, this was a busy, wild, fun-filled, service-filled Thanksgiving holiday weekend! We spent Thanksgiving day with many friends and all of my family at Mary and Mike's home. They have a beautiful home that is perfect for entertaining and both of them are wonderful hosts who make you feel very at home. We had a great time ...lots of laughing and eating....and oh, the pecan pie! I think I'm still living off the sugar and fat from the enormous piece I ate. But hey, it's the holidays :)

I got some shopping in with Vanessa on Friday, after an early morning trip to the doctor who confirmed I had sinus and ear infections, and most likely strep throat. So, after popping antibiotics and decongestants, Vanessa and I shopped and then did the fastest decorating job ever in my mom's house as a way of surprising her and helping her get some holiday spirit. I'm quite sure we could be in the Guiness Book of World Records for the fastest decorating duo. It took us longer to unearth all the decorations and find extension cords in the basement than it did to string lights and put up tinsel! That night Sam had some friends sleep over and they enlisted us in a rousing game of Apples to Apples.

Saturday I helped the Youth Group cook and serve lunch at St. Anne's, one of the homeless shelters in Ogden. Vanessa came along and including her and myself there were 11 of us that cooked and fed 139 people. My sweet husband spent time with Caitlin going for coffee, hanging Christmas lights on our trees out front, and cleaning our house. It was a good day.

Saturday night, Chip's sister Ann, and our niece Briana, stopped for a visit on their way from Laramie back to LaGrande, Oregon. As usual, we stayed up late talking and laughing, and my voice was totally shot by the end of the night. It's good to lose one's voice from too much talking and laughing, I think.

Yesterday it finally dawned on me that I have a pretty hefty paper due this Thursday, a smaller one due on Tuesday, as well as a final to study for. All this playing kind of made me forget I'm not quite finished with the semester yet. So, Sunday was pretty much spent sequestered in my office madly typing away. We did get our Christmas tree up and our house decorated, after which we went to see A Christmas Carol (good, but I think it would be scary for little guys) and took a stroll through Christmas Village. It's been years since we did that with the kids. It used to be a holiday tradition to visit Christmas Village; the first time we went we were pushing a very tiny Caitlin in a stroller. While the kids are older, and there's no longer the whole Santa thing to enjoy, I have to say we had just as much fun and I still think Christmas lights are magical.

Thanksgiving Break

For Thanksgiving break, my wonderful niece, Vanessa, was able to come down from BYU-Idaho and spend the week with us. On the night before Thanksgiving, Caitlin, my mom, Vanessa and I got tickets to the Transiberian Orchestra in Salt Lake. Everyone enjoyed it, but it was definitly not my mom's favorite. She had the impression that it was going to be more like a symphony with bells and "lighter" and "softer" music. Little did she know that the Transiberian Orchestra is more of a rock band with bright lights, electric guitars, and head flipping. It was definitly not what she expected. The rest of us really enjoyed it and we had a wonderful time. Afterwards, we all went over to the Gateway and had dinner at an Italian resturant. The food was delicious and we had a wonderful time together. We were so glad that we got to spend time with our wonderful, incredible, hilarious, and beautiful Vanessa. Sadly, we have to give her back to her family in Iowa for Christmas, but we look forward to next year's holidays, where she will be at school and able to come down to see us :)

Happy 17th Birthday Caitlin!

A celebratory dinner at one of Caitlin's favorite places to eat,

The Pizza Factory.

Today is Caitlin's 17th birthday. I can hardly believe it. Like her Dad, Caitlin has never been one to make a big deal out of her birthday. She rarely asks for gifts, has never been much for parties in her honor, and has always preferred to keep her birthday nice and simple. This year was no different.

Due to a prior commitment with the Governing Youth Council, we began her celebration last night, rather than on her actual birthday, with dinner at The Pizza Factory, the restaurant of her choice. Grandma joined us to celebrate in between visits to the nursing home to see Rich. Caitlin's never cared much for cake, so this year we bought a half-gallon of her favorite ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. (In years past she's chosen a huge chocolate chip cookie or even cookie dough in lieu of birthday cake.) Today my mom took us (Caitlin, Sam and me) out for lattes at Grounds For Coffee and to Roosters for lunch. Caitlin said her birthday was a great one and exactly as she wanted it...low key.

Every year on the kids' birthdays, I reminisce about the day they were born and all the events leading up to it. I honestly can't believe that 17 years have gone by since Chip and I left for the hospital, at 12:00 midnight, on August 4th. It's still amazing to me how we walked into that hospital as a couple and walked out not even 48 hours later as a family. I remember thinking to myself, "I can't believe they're just going to let me take her home!" Even though I was 29 and Chip was 32, we were still so unprepared for the experience of parenthood and overwhelmed at the work involved and the depth of emotion we experienced for our new daughter.


Here she is today, 17 years old, and I still find myself overwhelmed at times at how much I love her and how grateful I am to have the opportunity to be her mom. I hear people talk about how raising teenagers is horrible, and their kids never want to be seen with them. Now I admit that we have our moments, and there have been times when I'm sure we all love each other far more than we like each other. And there have been times when we definitely have all needed a break from each other. However, I don't relate to the horror stories I've heard about raising teenagers.


Caitlin is such a great person and she loves spending time with us. She has never been embarassed to be seen with us (except when I stood up and danced during the Mamma Mia movie.) She always kisses me goodbye and tells me she loves me on the phone no matter where she is or who she's with. She has such a kind heart and is very sensitive to the way others are treated. Caitlin is one to advocate for the underdog, and at times I wonder if we have a budding social worker on our hands. She's always been such a great student and had the rare honor of being inducted into the National Honor Society as a Sophomore. Because of her academic performance and her value system, she was asked to be on the Governing Youth Council for Weber County two years ago. Caitlin took it upon herself to find a job last summer and has worked at Johnny's Dairy for almost a year now. Although she complains that it gets boring at times, she has never complained about going to work. She's one of the most resilient people I know, some of which is learned and some of which is innate for her.


Am I gushing? Why, yes I am. After nine months of pregnancy, 16 hours of labor and delivery, countless diaper changes, middle of night feedings, and ongoing sleepless nights I spend worrying about and wishing for the well being of our daughter, I HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO GUSH!


An assignment in one of my Social Work classes asked that I write about my family. Caitlin read it recently and told me how much she liked what I wrote about her. Because it meant a lot to her, and because it came from my heart, I will end this post with those words.

"My daughter, Caitlin, will be 17 years old in August. Caitlin was born August 4, 1992, after an easy pregnancy but difficult delivery. She has, from the very beginning of her life, been a total individual, marching to the beat of her own drum. Caitlin is a beautiful and graceful dancer; although she prefers jazz, hip hop and modern dance, she is also a lovely ballet dancer. While growing up she has preferred dance to soccer, Sarah Brightman to the Spice Girls, linguine with clam sauce to macaroni and cheese, and old Hollywood movies to the current teen flicks. Her I-pod is filled with everything from Lady Gaga and Britney Spears to Frank Sinatra and Tchaikovsky. She still kisses me goodbye and tells me she loves me on the phone. I absolutely love my daughter and am so proud of the woman she's becoming. From Caitlin I have learned that celebrating one's individuality and uniqueness is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves and to those who love us."

I love you, BooBoo.

An Update

Since I blogged about some of my Hospice volunteer stories in my last post, I felt the need to share some news. My Hospice friend, T., the elderly woman who fell recently, died on Sunday. Her funeral will be in California, so I'll be unable to attend. Her prayers were finally answered and she's now with all the family and friends who passed before her.

Volunteering For Hospice...My Experience So Far

I have mentioned in a few of my previous posts that I am a hospice volunteer. I decided to do this last spring, as I have found my schedule to be somewhat flexible and wanted to engage in some meaningful volunteer work. The organization I am volunteering for is Hospice For Utah. It was started by an R.N. who had worked for a hospice in Montana and the agency has grown from a very small office in her home to three offices along the Wasatch Front.

I went to an all day volunteer training last April, and found it to be one of the most worthwhile things I've ever done. Even if I had decided not to volunteer, I would have been glad to have gone to the training. I heard so many inspirational stories from the staff, and it was clear to me that these are people who are very dedicated to the cause of helping people die with dignity. I found it liberating to discuss the topic of death so openly, which is something our society isn't very good at doing.

It took awhile after the training to get assigned to any patients because of background checks, TB tests, etc. Meanwhile, I found out that one of my Social Work classes required 20 hours of volunteer work during the semester, so I felt fortunate that I had decided to pursue this when I did.

In May I was assigned to visit three individuals who were all residing an assisted living facility that's not even two miles from my home. All of the patients I've visited are women, and all are quite elderly.

B. is in her 80's and has Alzheimers. She's from New York and she's Jewish. She used to work in her parents candy store in New York City. She's also lived in California. She has two children. I know this because each Alzheimer's patient has a sheet outside their room with their picture and some personal information about them. I have also learned of these things from B. herself. As is typical of someone with Alzheimer's, she'll randomly say things out loud, and she has spoken of these things. When I visit her, we don't have conversations. I sit next to her in the Day Room, and hold her hands, which she likes me to rub. She'll talk, sleep, hum, moan, and occasionally smile.

T. is 94 and moved here from Anaheim, CA. She worked as an R.N. until she was almost 70. She is extremely bright and quick for her age. She was raised in upstate New York, by Niagara Falls. Her daughter moved her to Ogden from California so she could be close to her. T. absolutely hates it in Utah. She always tells me, "Die in your 70's." She says it's very lonely to be as old as she is because she's outlived everyone she loves. She also says that she prays everyday for "...the Lord to take me." She's shared with me that she's thought about ending her life, but can't because of her faith. While these comments make her seem rather depressing, she really isn't. She's pretty fun, actually. My time with T. is spent walking with her (she uses a walker extremely well) and talking with her. I spend more time with T. than the other two women I visit, due to the fact that she's in such good condition both physically and mentally, and therefore, she has both the stamina and desire to converse for longer periods of time.

I had not visited T. for two weeks, due to vacations. When I went to the assisted living faclity to visit her today, I was told she'd taken a bad fall and was placed in a nursing home. I went to the nursing home to see her and was totally unprepared for what I encountered. T. not only fell, she fell flat on her face. Her entire face and neck are swollen and purple. She didn't look anything like herself. She slept the entire time I was there, so I just wrote a little note and left after awhile. I'm sure this fall is going to take a huge toll on her and I wonder if her prayers will soon be answered.

D. is the other individual I've visited. She is from the area and has a daughter in Roy. D. never left her room, opting to eat her meals in there rather than the Dining Room, and avoided contact with any of the other residents. She was not very conversant, and actually was quite sick with a UTI the whole month of June, therefore, I didn't establish much of a relationship with her. My time was really just spent popping in to say hello and checking to see if there was anything I could do for her. Today when I went to visit her, housekeeping was cleaning out her room, which was empty. D. passed away on Saturday.

Overall, my experience volunteering for hospice has been worthwhile and actually quite positive. I believe the training helped me immensely. I find myself learning to be a better listener and also learning to be comfortable in the silence; just learning to be with another person. Anyone who has served as a volunteer knows that you get so much more than you give.

I do wonder if it would be more difficult emotionally if I were visiting a younger individual who was dealing with a disease like cancer or ALS. Somehow it's easier to accept sickness and death when it's an elderly person who has lived to an advanced age. Perhaps I'll have the chance to find out. As they say in the hospice movement, we're all terminal from birth.

Courtney and Morgan's Rehearsal Dinner in Estes Park

We pulled into Estes Park about an hour before we needed to be at the Rehearsal Dinner. As you can see, we're making good use of the little time we had to unpack and get ready! I am going to do a separate post for each day of this wonderful weekend. There were so many fun moments and laughs, not to mention too many great pictures, to try and fit it into one post. Besides, this is really an online journal for our family, and it's my blog so I can do whatever I darn well please!
Cousin Mike with Caitlin and Sam. Mike's an Engineer in Chicago. He was Courtney's Man of Honor. Courtney had 8 bridesmaids and didn't want to deal with the drama of choosing one to be the Maid of Honor, therefore, she took care of it by choosing her little bro' to be the M.O.H. Smart girl!

All the Fuller grandchldren. Alison, Caitlin, Mike, Sam, Megan, Briana and the Bride..Courtney. What a good looking bunch!

Sam and Caitlin with Grandpa and Grandma Fuller.

The only two grandsons and Chip. The Three Stooges....

The Tanaka crew and the Fuller kids with their Aunt Connie from So. Dakota.

I have no idea what Marilyn is telling them, but this is such a natural pose for her...talking with her hands. Chip and Sam are probably giving her a hard time and she's reacting to it. That only happens about once every five minutes.

The happy couple, Courtney and Morgan, sharing a laugh.

Chip and his big sis, Marcy, known this weekend as the Mother of the Bride.

The original Fuller kids...Chip and his big sisters Ann and Marcy. You can tell they really don't enjoy each other very much ;)