Life with the Dixon's

Fooled Again!

2010-09-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

We bought a 5th Wheel Trailer in 1984. The first thing I asked Ken was if our truck could pull it. His answer?? No problem. After a couple of really hairy vacations where we almost didn't make it up a hill, he confessed that the truck would not pull the trailer and we bought a new truck. After living in that trailer for six months while we finished our house, I said it had to go and we sold it. After Brandon and Hayley bought a trailer recently we started looking at Fifth Wheels again. We found a really nice one on KSL in Mesquite. Dennis and Faye went and looked at it for us and after getting the word from Faye that it was fabulous I asked Ken, "Will our truck pull it?"

Of course you can guess the answer. "Yes it will. No problem!!" After all (I thought to myself) the truck we had now was a newer truck, it should have more power and why would I ever doubt my husband. Silly Question!! Well, long story short, the white Ford 150 did not pull the 5th Wheel. My first clue?? Everytime I got on the computer after Ken there were trucks on the internet. I knew then I was in big trouble. So I asked him, "What's the deal?"
"Well, I don't think the truck is big enough to pull the trailer and I don't want to blow the engine and then have to get a new truck anyway." So I reluctantly told him that maybe we should start looking at buying a new truck. The optimal word being LOOK. The next day he called me at work and asked me to call the Credit Union so we could get pre-approved. I told him I thought it was a little early for that when he reported that he not only had found the truck---it was now sitting in our driveway. Are you kidding me???
If there is such a thing as love at first sight with a truck my husband had it. And all I can say is 'Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.' But it is a really nice truck even though it cost more than our first house!

Yee Haw!!

2010-07-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Finally!! After four weeks of crutches I am finally free. During my last visit Dr. Bitner told me I could start putting weight to the point of pain but it took me a while to get up the courage. Ken and I went to Mount Pleasant for a few days. On Sunday, after Sacrament Meeting I was fixing dinner and happened to put weight on my foot and no pain! (or at least not very much!)
I feel like I have been released from prison and will no longer run the risk of breaking the other leg or an arm when I fall down with the crutches.
If I'm on my feet too much I pay a price at night. But I don't care. Anything is better than crutches!

Phase 2

2010-07-08T19:11:00.001-07:00

I went back to the Doctor yesterday and got my huge splint/bandage thing off. He gave me two options: a hard cast or a boot (if I promised to be good). So I promised to be good so I get to enjoy scratching my itches, showering without a garbarge bag, and starting to wiggle my ankle a little in hopes of getting back to normal more quickly.

It's still very bruised, sore, swollen and ugly but at least I'm in Phase II. I go back to the doctor in two weeks to get the stitches out. Right now it will be six weeks before I can put weight on it. Only problem is the crutches. I am totally clumsy on the dumb things and more than once I have fallen down. Hopefully I

can get through the next four weeks without breaking anything else.

Now What??

2010-07-04T13:22:00.001-07:00

I have had a few broken bones in my life. Of course there was the infamous hand incident the day before Kathy got married. I had to wear my cast with my Maid of Honor dress. About six weeks before we were married I broke my foot when we were water skiing. Got the cast off about two weeks before the wedding.
This is by far the worst break. We were four-wheeling again on the Paiute Trail by Marysvale. But I wasn't on my four-wheeler. I was just walking down a steep hill when I hit some gravel and went down. I heard it break so I knew it wasn't good. I didn't know how bad until we got the the hospital in Richfield. I have two breaks in my tibia, and two in my fibula and some ankle bone that is floating around for good measure.

So after having surgery on Wednesday for the plates and screws that are now holding my leg together I am left to ponder my life.

My New Insights:
1. I am so glad I was born in the age of pain medication, great doctors and hospitals. As everyone was trying to get me ready to get back down the hill, I was thinking about what would have happened if I were in a covered wagon.
2. I take my good health for granted. I have been so excited today to finally learn how to get into our kitchen (one step up) on my crutches. Seems like such a small accomplishment that took me 7 days to conquer.
3. I am so grateful for family, friends and neighbors who have called or dropped by.
4. I'm grateful for my husband who is now taking care of me. (I guess the shoe is on the other foot!!)

The question that I am left with is Now What?
Lots of things to figure out such as how much can I work, how can I keep busy without becoming a first class Couch Potato and how do I keep from going crazy with this cast???
Definitely more insight is needed!!

Happy Father's Day Dad

2010-06-20T08:30:00.001-07:00

My Dad has been gone for 20 years this year. It is hard to believe that Mandee was 12, Gage was 11, Brody was 9, and Hayley was only 6 when he died.

If you asked me who was the most influential person in my life it would be my Dad.

My Dad was always in the background working hard. He never wanted to be in the limelight. He was the guy who would be at the Stake Farm for hours and then take the next shift because someone didn't show up. Never complaining. He was the guy who would be in the kitchen helping at the ward dinner and then take the broom and sweep up the gym to make sure everything was just right. Even though he only had girls, he and my Mom sent several missionaries from our ward on missions. Never said a word about it. In fact, Kathy and I are just finding out a lot of things that he did that we didn't know about.

He was the guy who saw a family of little children without coats at Stake Conference and he had my Mom order coats and have them delivered without a card. He was the guy who saw an Ice Cream Truck with some children standing aside and watching because they didn't have any money. He bought ice cream for all of them.

He was the guy who was totally in love with all seven of his grandchildren and made sure they had warm coats and shoes (and anything else their little hearts desired!!) I think he especially cared about coats and shoes because he didn't always have them when he was young.

Anyway, Daddy I was just thinking about you today. Happy Father's Day. I miss you.

Not the Biggest Loser!

2010-06-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

In my ongoing attempt to get back into shape I found Priority Fitness. It's a small gym where you can go 1 hour up to six times a week and work out with a personal trainer.
I thought since I had been wogging somewhat steadily that it wouldn't be that big of a deal for me. WRONG!!
The first day she was fairly easy on me and it kicked my butt! I have been back three times now and I have concluded that if I were on the Biggest Loser I would be the one on the floor crying and I would be voted off the first week.

More to come!!

Just a 5K????

2010-05-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, the Ogden Marathon. It's a BIG DEAL, at least in my little corner of life. Yup, I ran the 5K today. Didn't make a personal best but I didn't throwup and I wasn't last.

BUT.....there were three times today that I said 'I'm only in the 5K'. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT??

For some reason with everyone running the 1/2 and full marathon being in a 5K did not seem to be that great.

ENOUGH of this. If you would have told me last year I would have ran a 5K today I wouldn't have believed it. I am going to enjoy my accomplishment and quit feeling like it's not a big deal for me! .

YEAH - I DID A 5K today!!

Time to Try Again

2010-05-04T20:25:00.001-07:00

Here we go again... I signed up for the 5K at the Ogden Marathon on May 15th. Been running lately but I'm still not where I was when I ran last fall.

I do have a goal to get in under 35 min. (last time was 37:10). Don't know if that will happen but at least I'm out there!!

SUCCESS!!

2009-09-07T15:45:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I did it!! I ran my first official 5K today.

Not great time, but I accomplished my three goals:
1. Not to make a complete fool of myself.

2. To finish without throwing up or falling down.

3. To finish under 40 minutes.

Mandee running the last block with me. Although it doesn't look like we are running, we really were. I guess I will have to work on getting both feet off the ground at some point.

Crossing the Finish Line!

I finished in 37:10 and took third in my age group. Now you have to understand that there were probably only three runners in my age group, but hey, I did get a white ribbon!

I Just Bought a New Car (or did I???)

2009-08-21T17:23:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of the brand new Titanium Kia Forte I just bought -- or did I?

I picked this car out a week ago Monday. I went to the credit union to get pre approved so everything was ready to go, just sign the papers and pick up the car. The dealer at Wasatch Kia called the next Wednesday and said my car was in. I made an appointment to pick it up on Friday. Friday came and the guy I had the appointment with wasn't even there; he was on vacation and you guessed it - no car. That made Ken mad so he started to call other dealers. He found one on Saturday at Jerry Seiner Kia in Salt Lake. They called on Monday night and said it had come in. I made an appointment for Wednesday night to go down and pick it up. On Wednesday afternoon they called back to say they didn't have the car yet either, but to still come down and sign the paperwork and they would have it in Ogden on Thursday or Friday. We went down on Wednesday and 4 1/2 hours later finally left with the loan papers signed. Yeah!! I had a new car -- or did I?

On Thursday Ken and I were at Sam's when I saw the truck with my cool looking titanium Forte sitting right on top. We followed the truck and sure enough it turned into Wasatch Kia. Ken wanted to make sure so he went in and asked the salesman. "Yeah, that must be it," he said. But Ken getting wise to the fact that there may not even be a car said, "Let's go check." They came back a few minutes later with the sad news that it wasn't my car. (My car has a sunroof!). They said it should be here anytime and they would find it and call us back. No call. Today I asked Ken to call back and see where my car is.

Surprise, surprise! My car that has seemed to be somewhere between Ogden and Salt Lake for the last ten days has now just left Tacoma. Good news - it could be here in 24 hours. Bad news - it could be here in 10 days. Maybe it's a magic car. It seems to appear and disappear a lot.

Anyway I'm excited that I just bought a new car --- or did I???

5K at 55?

2009-07-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to run a 5K for several years now, but there is just one problem--I HATE TO RUN!
But in the desperate state of now or never I decided that (in honor of my 55th birthday) I would sign up for the Tomato Days 5K in Hooper on Labor Day. I mean that would give me 2+ months to train. And that's doable-- right??

Up to last month I had only ran on the treadmill. Mandee told me that I really should try running outside on the road. I found that from our house to the Bowery at the Church was 1.6 miles so round trip is a 5K. So two weeks ago I started out with a bottle of water, my IPOD, my pedometer, my heart monitor and my cell phone (just in case I had to call Ken!). The first time was horrible. My heart rate was so high that the monitor kept shutting off after it hit 200. Most of the time it was in the 175 - 180 range. It took me almost 47 minutes. That included the small breakdown I had at the Bowery. The next time was a little better. By the 4th time I could manage to keep my heart rate about 160 but I couldn't run for a steady amount of time. I asked Mandee about it and she said I was running too fast. "Well, that's a problem" I told her, "because any slower and it would be called walking!"

On Monday (my 7th time) I was actually feeling pretty good. My heart rate is between 140 and 150 and I got done in 39 minutes (with a 2 minute breather at the Bowery).

So maybe I might be sort of able to pull this off in six weeks. If I can get my time down to at least 35 minutes, I think I might sort of try and sign up.

Hang 10 in San Diego

2009-05-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great family trip to San Diego. We left on Saturday, May 2nd and returned on the 9th. We had two condo's on Imperial Beach. Brody and Mary and Brandon and Hayley's Family shared one with the rest of us in the other. On Sunday we visited the San Diego Temple. We went to the zoo on Monday. Wednesday we spent the day at Disneyland. Brinley, Avery, Mandee, Christina and I had breakfast with the Princesses while everyone else had breakfast with Minnie and her friends. It wasn't as warm as I thought it would be, but we still had fun playing in the ocean and on the beach.

26 Days and Counting

2009-04-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is almost May 2nd. When I made the reservations last May I thought it would never come. Now I have a lot to do to get ready to go. We fly out on May 2nd at 10:15 and head for a week at the beach in San Diego with 10 adults and seven children under 6!!

Happy First Birthday to Haden

2008-12-29T20:15:00.000-08:00

December 30th is Haden J Hipwell's first birthday. When he was born he was in the NICU for a few days. It was quite funny because he weighed in a hefty 8+ pounds and he was next to all the tiny pre-mature babies.
Haden is very quiet and sensitive. He also likes to cuddle. He likes to watch his sister Avery and cousins Kade & Kamri but his favorite things are playing by himself and he especially likes any kind of balls that he can throw and retrieve.
Happy Birthday Haden. We are so happy you are in our family!!

Everything that goes around. . .

2008-12-06T19:51:00.001-08:00

One of the best things about being a grandma is

seeing the comparisons between my children and their children. For instance Haden reminds me so much of his mother when she was little. (Although Haden actually has so much more hair than his mom did!)

Being Thankful at Thanksgiving (or Ken's Not So Excellent Adventure)

2008-11-25T15:42:00.000-08:00

Ah... Four Wheeling in Moab in the Fall. It's Ken's idea of a great time. (Not so much mine!) On November 7th we went down to ride with our friends Alan and Maureen Green. The first day was fun. The trail wasn't too hard, it was really warm and we had a good time. The second day Ken talked me into going on Poison Spider Mesa. I'd been there once before and I HATED IT, but for some reason I listened to my deluded husband. Getting up to the top was HARD and SCARY but we had finally made it when Ken decided to try something utterly ridiculous and rolled his four wheeler. He tried to jump clear but got his foot caught in his bag and went over with it. I was at the top of the hill and only saw the wheels go over, but I knew it was bad. We had no cell phone coverage so Alan was getting ready to go down for help when a jeep coming down stopped and said they had coverage. We were able to call 911 and dispatch Life Flight from Grand Junction, Colorado. In the meantime some bikers stopped to help us and stayed with us until the helicopter came.

They were able to make him as comfortable as you can be with a broken pelvis laying on a rock. It took the helicopter 1 1/2 hours to get there. But Ken was really glad when he heard them coming. They were able to get his IV in and give him some pain medication and then they loaded him up to go.

Alan was able to give him a blessing when they loaded him on the helicopter and as you can see he was feeling a lot better when they took off.

I'm glad there isn't a picture of me when the helicopter took off. First of all I was scared. Ken isn't one for pain medication and when he wants morphine you know it's bad. Second of all I was mad!!

4 Reasons Kim was Mad When Ken Took Off in the Helicopter!!

1. He got me up that stupid mountain and now I would have to come down alone (well, not really alone, Alan took really good care of Maureen and me.)
2. I have told him 1000 times or more that he is not 17 and to quit acting like it!
3. I now have the four wheelers, the trailer and the truck. I think I have driven the truck like five times and never with the trailer. I'm going to a strange place to find a hospital and I'm pretty sure they don't have parking for 4-wheelers.
4. I was scheduled to go to DC to do a presentation for the IRS Commissioner. I had been working on it for months.

10 Reasons Kim knows that Heavenly Father Takes Care of Us (even when we do stupid things)

1. The cell phone worked. That cut at least two hours off the wait.
2. Ken had his GPS and we could tell them exactly where we were.
3. The bikers knew first aid and stayed with us the whole time.
4. The man in the jeep rode Ken's 4-wheeler down for us.
5. Ken did not have a fractured pelvis. He did have 5 cracks but did not require surgery.
6. Maureen rode with me and Alan followed us to Grand Junction after he got the 4-Wheelers loaded on the trailer for me.
7. We were able to find the hospital and Alan even found me a place to park the 4-Wheelers.
8. The nurse at the hospital suggested a motel I could stay at for a discount and the manager there took the trailer off and parked it so I wouldn't have to drag it around.
9. We were able to get him home in the truck after five days and in a really nice rehab facility in Brigham City so he could have more intensive therapy.
10. After 10 days there, he is now at home.

It was bad, but it could have been so much worse. We appreciate all of all friends, neighbors and family that have supported us for the last 17 days! Hopefully Ken will now realize that he isn't 17 any more.

Back in Washington DC

2008-10-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

I just spent another 10 days in DC. I am getting to be quite a pro at getting around. In fact, a guy asked me for directions! I took a cab to work today (because I was leaving and I had about 100 pounds of luggage!!). The cab driver was a very nice man who had on a turban. We were discussing politics when I looked up and saw we were in front of the White House and it struck me.

HOW COOL IS THIS!! A little Mormon girl born and raised in Utah for all of her life and she is not only riding in a cab, talking to the driver but passing the White House!

I am also getting pretty adept at riding the Metro. The top three things people do on the Metro are:

1. Read the Newspaper (over 30)

2. Listen to IPOD's (under 30)

3. Sleep

I have a new ward. It is the Washington DC Third Ward. In fact they were in a recent article in the October Ensign. On the Sunday's that I am in DC I take the Metro to Church.

Last Saturday I passed a guy on the street selling flowers so I bought a bouquet from him. He was really nice and asked me where I was from. When I said Utah he told me his landlord was from Utah and he was a Mormon. I said I was one too. He said, "I already know. I can tell." Wasn't sure what that meant but I took it as a compliment.

I told Kathy I am beginning to feel like Mary Tyler Moore. If I had a hat, I might just throw it in the air.

Happy Birthday to Gage & Mom (1 day late)

2008-05-19T19:16:00.001-07:00

Happy 30th birthday and 80th birthday to Gage and my Mom (one day late). We are experiencing some serious computer problems. This is a really bad time since we are getting ready for my Mom's open house and I have about a million pictures to scan and a video to create. Ken is sure that somehow I am responsbile for the computer breakdown, but I'm not so sure. Anyway...Gage was actually 12 days, he was due on May 6th, but like the rest of my children, he operated on Dixon Time (which is always late). He ended up being born on my Mom's 50th birthday and they became birthday buddies!! Gage was the most interesting birth I think because there were about 15 people in the delivery room. For some reason I had requests for paramedics and nursing students to be there. I said OK to the nursing students but declined to have the EMT's and paramedics in there because I knew most of them. They worked with Ken and that was just TOO Wierd!!
Happy Birthday Gage (one day late).

California - Here We Come

2008-05-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

One thing I have wanted to do for a long time is to take a family vaction together. I am finally getting my wish. Tonight I booked two condos in San Diego for 17 people!! (1o adults - 7 children under 5) Next year on May 2nd, two weeks before Gage graduates from med school we will spend one week in San Diego. Disneyland, Sea World, the zoo and just laying around on the beach!! Sounds Great!!

Another Strange Anniversary

2008-05-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

My family will tell you that I am an Idiot Savant when it comes to dates. I can remember the dumbest things. I could never put it to good use for something useful like algebra or physics or anything like that. Just totally useless things. For instance this morning I woke up and thought to myself, "May 1, 2008. Wow it's been 40 years since I got cheerleader at Wahlquist Junior High. Yes, on May 1st 1968 they announced the new cheerleaders and believe it or not (mostly not) I somehow made it. I don't know how because I totally forgot my homemade cheer and had to go out in the hall with my sister Kathy so she could help me remember it.

I know - it's a really sad and pathetic thing that I remember this. But my life isn't the only thing I remember. I remember totally useless facts from other people's lives too.

Anyway-- GO EAGLES!!

Happy Third Birthday to Avery

2008-04-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

We need to wish a very Happy Birthday to Avery Hipwell (one day late). Yesterday after I got off the airplane from Detroit, Ken and I took Avery to Build A Bear. But of course with Miss Avery we did not build a bear, but rather an elephant! She was so cute as she picked out her elephant and watched her get stuffed. She looked for several minutes at all of the outfits available but finally chose a levi skirt with a pink T-Shirt with a horse on it. (The best of both worlds!) But - when it came to finding the shoes, Avery knew exactly the ones she wanted and went for the purple sparkly sandals. She was so happy with the shoes and to add the final touch she found a pink straw purse. As we were making the birth certificate, she couldn't think of a name, so I suggested Suzy Hipwell. We put that name on the birth certificate, but the name changed immediately after it was printed to Sally. So Suzy or Sally Elephant and Avery Hipwell, we wish you a very Happy Birthday!!

Happy Engagement Day

2008-04-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

April 20th marks the 35th anniversary of the day that Ken propsed to me. I mentioned in an earlier blog how that exactly took place, but I will add a little more history. Our first date was on October 14, 1972. It was exactly 4 days before my 18th birthday. (But to be fair, I was one of the youngest in my class and was actually attending Weber State at the time.) So a little over six months later we got engaged. You can tell that we were a very stylish couple. Just check out Ken's pants. They were really groovy at the time!! I know that 35 years sounds like a long time, but it has gone by so fast!!
This week I am in Michigan with Gage, Christina, Brinley, Garret, and our newest addition, little Kamri Dixon (born on April 17th).
Since I'm not at home with Ken, I just wanted to let him know how much I love him even after all these years and so....
Here are the top ten reasons for being glad we got married:
10. He can be incredibly thoughtful (when he wants to be!!)
9. He can fix anything (he is a manly man!!)
8. He can do whatever he sets his mind to.
7. He designed and built our beautiful house and yard.
6. He has incredible blue eyes.
5. He is the smartest person I know.
4. I still get butterflies when I see him across a room.
3. He honors his Priesthood.
2. He is absolutely crazy over our seven grandchildren.
1. He makes me LAUGH. (Never underestimate the importance of laughter, especially after 35 years!!)

Anyway, Happy Engagement Anniversary Ken - I miss you!!

Also, here's a peek at our newest grandchild. Check out Gage & Christina's Blog for the video edition.
(PS Gage doesn't mention it on their Blog, but he delivered Kamri!)

Kamri Marie Dixon

Happy Birthday Brinley!!

2008-04-07T19:42:00.001-07:00

We want to wish a very Happy 5th Birthday to Brinley Mae Dixon. Brinley is our oldest grandchild and right now she is living in Michigan with her Dad, Mom, Brother Garret, and next week she will have a brand new sister!! Brinley goes to Pre-School in Michigan. She is learning to read and write. She loves High School Musical and the Barbie movie. She also loves to do crafts. Brinley lived with us for a while before her family left for Med School and Meme and Papa miss her a lot. Happy Birthday Brin -- Only 8 more days before you meet me at the Airport!
We love you!!

Remembering the Good Old Days

2008-03-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

After watching Mandee & Hayley learning to deal with their new little bundles of joy, I wondered how I had survived. I got out my journals and thought it would be fun to post some of my entries from that time:

June 12, 1978

"Things are going really well. We've pretty much established a routine now but it's pretty hectic. Especially in the mornings. Mandee & Ken have to eat breakfast. Then Mandee has her bath. Then I bath Gage and then he eats. By 10:00 I'm pretty tired and there's still the house to clean up.

All babies are now present and accounted for. Steve and Jean had another girl on June 3rd. They are naming her Sharee. Lex and Marilee had a little boy on June 9th. His name will be Brady James.

On June 9th we were hit with a bombshell. President Kimball had a revealation that will allow all Blacks to hold the Priesthood! Scary!! I've got to whip myself into shape. Time is getting short."

July 8, 1978

"Lots has happened since I last wrote. On June 25th we blessed Gage. His name was changed to Gage Skeen Dixon. (None of the Dixon family liked Dennis - it kind of hurt my feelings.) He was blessed by his Father. Grandpas' Skeen & Dixon were there along with Uncle Ron. Steve & Jean were in Yellowstone and Grandpa England was sick.

Mandee is really cute with Gage. She has quite a vocabulary now. She can say Daddy, Mama,

baby, ball, bowwow, cookie, oops, choo choo (you have to remember we lived by the train tracks!!) moo, meow and a few others.

Gage has discovered that he has hands and will sit in his chair and try to figure out just what those things are and how he can get them in his mouth.

I put Mandee in the Baby Show on the 4th of July in Plain City. She didn't win, but she was the cutest baby there. It seems that the judges all go for little girls with lots of curls. She still doesn't have much hair. She has a great tan though."

I can't believe how fast time goes by. The kids grew up so fast. I was reading a verse in the Book of Mormon that pretty much sums it up:

Jacob 7:26 ... "that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed like as it were unto us a dream..."

I told Mandee that no matter how old I get, I still feel like I'm 17. I guess it will always be that way. One teriffic thing about being older is getting to be the Meme. That's my very best thing!!

Happy Birthday to Hayley

2008-03-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

March 2nd is Hayley's 25th birthday. It is really hard for me to realize that my baby is 25. That must make me really old!! Hayley is the only baby that I got to
name without any issues from Ken. Actually the
name had been picked for Brody if he would have been a girl. (Remember in those days we never knew what we would have
until the actual arrival of the baby.) Hayley was late (like all of her siblings). The Doctor had scheduled to start me that morning, but I went into labor about 1:00 a.m. and she was born at 6:19 a.m. I remember being so excited and relieved when she was a baby girl since she was the last one and it equalled out the family. Hayley was probably the best baby out of the four. Maybe it was because by that time I had a lot of helpers. Anway, we want to wish Hayley a very Happy 25th Birthday!

Time for an Update

2008-02-27T19:04:00.001-08:00

Well it's about time for an update. I am amazed at my children's blogs! They are so great. The unfortunate part of my first blog attempt is the name. We had just returned from Cabo San Lucas and in a moment of insanity, I named it Papa & Meme's Excellent Adventures, as if we have a lot of excellent adventures. Sorry to say that we really don't, but rather than admit to the dull boring lives that we actually lead, I am going to pursue more excellent adventures for Ken & me!! If I find any, I will immediately post them.

In the meantime, our children are having most of the excellent adventures in the form of adding to the Dixon Family, now counting 16. (Baby Girl Dixon #2 ((Gage, not Brody)) will arrive somewhere around April 16th and we can't wait!! Who would have thought that almost 35 years ago (on April 20th) when we got engaged, that we would have grown so much!!

My kids know the lengths their Father went through to propose. Actually it was not that romantic. We were sitting in the driveway of the LaDianeda Sorority House on 36th street, just below Harrison. I was living there at the time. It was Friday night and we had been to dinner. I was getting ready to go into the house, when he leaned over me and opened the glove compartment of that cool green Camaro (but that is another story!!) and tossed the ring box to me. His exact words that will echo through the halls of eternity were, "Here - don't lose it!" Needless to say I was bowled over by this romantic proposal. I still kid him about it A LOT!! I even told him he could try it again. Now that would be an EXCELLENT ADVENTURE!

We also need to wish a very Happy 31st birthday to Mandee. If you read her recent blog, the name we had orignially picked out was Jamee Lynn. I even had cross-stitched little bibs with her name on them. To my surprise after she was born, Ken informed me that she didn't look like a Jamee and her name was Mandy (after the popular Barry Manilow song of the era!) I changed it to the double ee's. Also Lynn was out of the question because it sounded like Mandolin. So again with a great spirit of creativity I named her Mandee Leigh. Ken's Grandma Dixon told me several times that Leigh did not spell 'Lee', but rather 'Lay' and called her Mandee Lay for as long as I can remember.

Anyway, we are so grateful for Mandee & Jamie, as well as all of our children. Families Rock!!

San Jose del Cabos, Mexico

2007-11-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

The Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez

Looking out of our balcony.

We were finally able to get our camera back from Mexico. It's too bad I couldn't get frequent flier miles for the camera. They had to send it twice. The first time the address was wrong and so it went back to Mexico.