The Lamb Family

Witten Sisters Retreat

2009-12-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

My sisters and I are all very close. We love any excuse to get away together for a few days. Birthdays, bridal showers for our daughters, or the time we found $59. flights to New York. A few weeks ago we took a little cruise to Ensanada for my Sister Cathy's 50th Birthday. What makes them so fun is that my dad comes along. We had a carefree weekend of shopping, eating and just relaxing.

The Ship is full of photo booths..so of course we had to take adventage of them!

While we shopped and shopped and shopped...my dad and Ruth, who is pregnant, found all the benches around the city. They were good sports!

To help burn off the calories we were consuming, they have a great gym that looks over the water. We also spent a lot of time playing cards...one of our favorite things to do when we are all together.

Another photo booth...you got love that soft focus!

We are already thinking of an excuse to get away next year...my brother Steve is turning 50 and my sister Jennie is turning 40 so, we were thinking maybe next year we will bring the husbands. This is all the Witten sisters, our sister in law, Tania and mom & Dad. We are only missing Drew's wife Sheri...she will need to plan to join us next year!

Honeymoon with a Killer

2009-10-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

Back in January 1997, I photographed the wedding of Rebecca & Bruce Cleland. In July 1997...just 7 months later Bruce was killed in an 'attempted car jacking'.

When I heard he had died I knew that Rebecca was involved. (You will need to read the book to find out how I knew)

After calling the police, helping in obtaining a search warrant and her arrest, testifying at her first trail and then again at a 2nd trial (after she had a successful appeal) the book is now available for sale next week.

Everyone I told this amazing story too said the same thing. You should write a book. Well I was interview for a book... one from a true crime novelist, Don Lasseter. He had written over a dozen true crime books. After meeting him for the first interview, I read a few of his books. He is a great writer.

I met with him today because he wanted to give me a couple of copies of this book. I had to laugh when I saw my picture and description in the book.

Wedding Photographer and
"Mormon Mom"??? How funny!

And then again in the Foreword it says "A superior court judge familiar with the facts declared,"This should be a movie or a book. It's got everything-the love triangle,the murder angle, a stripper boyfriend, the gay girlfriend, sister against sister, the innocent Mormon-mom wedding photographer... because we know all good movies and good books include an innocent Mormon-mom : )

Witten Family Vacations

2009-07-20T22:34:00.001-07:00

I love traditions and one of my favorites is the annual Witten family camping trip. I grew up going camping . Some of my most special child hood memories our those vacations. We camped in Yellow Stone, Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and rode trips to visit relatives in Idaho. We would go to San Felipe Mexico every spring break with several other families.

My parent were pretty brave ( or just crazy)...they even took a rode trip from Southern California to Kentucky with 4 kids under the age of 6.

Over the last 30 years those family trips have continued as our family of 10 has grown to 53! Being the designated family photographer, I have some pretty fun photos of all those camping trips....Here some pictures of our vacations through the years. Some of the dates might be off by a year.

The Witten Sisters with Mom and Joey Yosemite 1982
(don't you think Ruth looks a little bit like Max?)

Charles Ruthy & Jennie in Yosemite 1982
Ruthy has a fear of crabs
(A big one had chased her the year before in San Felipe)
She was upset because she was afraid
the Merced River in Yosemite had Crabs too

Yosemite...again 1983 Heather is about 6 weeks old

The Lamb family Yosemite 1990

Yosemite...the year of the thunder storms & big fire 1991

Witten Grandsons showing off their mucsles!

The Witten grandchildren the Grand Canyon 1995

Yosemite 1996
If you haven't figured it out by now...Yosemite is our favorite place!

The Witten Girls Big Sur...Where's Tania?

Grandma & Grandpa Witten with the Grand Kids same trip tp Big Sur
Thats James & Calab crying

Beach House Oxnard 2000?
We went to a corn maze....it was pretty fun!

Santa Monica Pier....We rented 2 big beach houses that year 2005

2009 Sodona Arizona July 4th
48 of us came!
We were sad that Steve & Tania had to leave early...

Next Year...Idaho...See all there!

30 Years ago...

2009-06-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

30 years ago Charles was called to serve in the Austria Vienna, Croatian speaking Mission.

He went into the MTC August 16th 1979 where he found out that he would actually be serving in Yugoslavia. The entire country only had 16 missionaries serving in it. It was a Communist Country at that time. It was not your typical mission because it was illegal to proselyte. The Church was trying to get legal status as an organized Religion.

Well, 30 years later on May 24th 2009 Croatia dedicated the first Mormon Church. Thanks to my MasterCard Flier miles I was able to send Charles to attend with this special occasion with one of his old missionary companions. It was very exciting trip.

All I asked from him was nice pictures...with him in a few of them. When he served 30 years ago he took the most amazing pictures around 100 of them...but he only in about 12 of them. Well he kept his promise...

This is the new Church. It has 2 stories. Charles said the meeting was amazing. He said it was wonderful to see all the families there.Charles standing in front of the church with 2 of his former missionary companions, Jamie Lyon & Doug Short. The tall guy in the middle was a Landlord of the missionaries, Ivica Valek, he joined the Church a few years after Charles' mission. And Ankica Ostrachevich. Her little family were some of the first members in the country.

27 Wonderful Years!

2009-04-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yes...I am old...enough to be married 27 years.

I met Charles in the summer of 1977. I was 14 years old and Charles was 17. We met at Church Youth Conference. It was being held at a new university in Irvine. UCI. On the first day we had these name badges that encouraged us to introduce ourselves to each other. I was sitting in my dorm room when this cute boy was walking by...perfect time to use my name badge. Three days later he went home with my badge with my phone number written on the back.

Someone took our picture. Look how cute he is!

My first impression was he was much too old for me, I mean he shaved and everything. After nine months of him trying to win me over to the idea of dating an older man...he asked me to his Prom. I was still in Jr High so this was huge! Because I was now 15 1/2 and we would be going with a big group my parents agreed to let me go.
That's when it all began.

After Charles served a mission in Austria & Yugoslavia and 10 months after I graduated from High School...

We were Married on a beautiful day on April 3, 1982 Now 27 years , 4 children, 2 sons-in-law and beautiful Granddaughter later...I couldn't be happier.

Thank you Charles for being my best friend

and partner in life. I am looking forward to the next 27 years~

The Big Lamb Family

2009-02-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

I love my Big Families! Maybe that's because I am one of 8 children and Charles is the oldest of 7 Children.

The Lamb Family was all together for my nephew Sean's missionary farewell.
He is going to Japan for 2 years. It's pretty exciting because
that is where his dad, Scott, went. Here we are! The entire Lamb Family...all 44 of us!
Having fun. This is such an amazing family
and I am blessed to be a part of it...
it's even more fun that my little sister, Jennie
married Charles' little brother, Dave
Here are all the grandchildren, including 2 grandsons-in-laws
and one great grandchild with Grandma & Grandpa Lamb...
who will be celebrating 50 years of marriage this year

Witten Family Christmas!

2009-01-26T22:21:00.000-08:00

More Christmas Traditions!Every year the Witten family gets together to celebrate Christmas, usually the weekend after New Years. With 8 Witten children & their spouses, 30 grandchildren, a few of their spouses and 6 great grandchildren that is a huge group. It is so much fun getting together.

This year we celebrated at Terri and Jim's new beautiful home in Northern California. They have a home big enough to hold us all. It was so much fun! We spent the first day having our Christmas party and talent show.My Dad starts the show each year by giving us a Witten family update. This year I had him announce my news...I was called to serve as the President of the Relief Society a few days earlier. I have been so busy, that's why it has taken me so long to post the 2nd Christmas post.Some of my favorite acts this year... Sheri and her kids singing, Terri's boys rocking out on their new electric guitars and my very favorite...
Ollie showing us 5 different ways to hold a pupGrandma has been busy making Yo Gabba Gabba hats, ponchos and quilts. She is so talented. Wendy in her cute gift from her great grandma... a Foofa poncho
The next day we went to San Fransisco and had a blast! Shopping, riding the street cars, eating clam chowder in a bread bowl...yum! It was cold!
We are waiting in line for the Street car and having fun just being together.

The last day we went to Yosemite. We ice skated in an awesome out door rink and played in the snow. Yosemite is so pretty in the Winter

I vote for going to Terri & Jim's every year!

Christmas with the Lambs!

2009-01-13T22:09:00.000-08:00

I love Traditions! Every Christmas evening is spent with the entire Lamb Family.

Dave and Jennie drive their family from Las Vegas so the entire family is together
...all 47 of us!

We start with a delicious dinner...yum!

Then comes the Family talent show. Each family shares a talent. I took these photos...hopefully someone took a picture of my family acting out the nativity with Baby Wendy playing the role of the baby Jesus (Too Cute!)
Scott, Marilyn & Kids sang Santa Baby with
Dylan & Makenzie on the guitar and Sean on the Piano

Jennie, Dave and kids sang a song about how it doesn't snow in Las Vegas with Jacob & Gracie doing a little dance during the chorus...
How funny that it did snow in Vegas a few days earlier.
Steve, Angie & kids sang a Hana Montana Christmas song
with a little help from Harrison

The Blackburn kids wrote a tribute song to their parents that was AMAZING!!
We can't wait until the newest Blackburn, Sophie, joins the singing group!

The finale was Chrissy, Brandon and boys! Harrison was great on his horn
and Frankie showing how BIG he was!

Presents are opened with a wrapping paper throwing fight to follow

Grandma & Grandpa gives PJ's each year to the grandchildren.

We are all happy that Scott & Marilyn host this party each year in their home...
and for adding on 500 square feet to their home this year so we can all fit!

The fun continues the next day with a Lamb family trip to Knott's Berry Farm!

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas Cookies

2008-12-23T00:18:00.000-08:00

It's our annual Christmas cookie decorating contest! We have started a tradition... the Sunday before Christmas we decorate Christmas cookies. Charles is the judge.Here are some of the Winners...the luckey winner recieved a jar of Apple Butter!

The Mom Song

2008-12-14T21:51:00.000-08:00

The Mom Song says it ALL. (period:)

Every mom can relate (I guess every kid can too). I laughed so hard when I watched this.

Lamb Family Christmas Photo Shoot

2008-12-14T00:25:00.000-08:00

We had our family Christmas photo taken by Ruthy...She did such a great job! She even photo shopped to help make us all look beautiful!

We had them taken at one of my favorite locations. Downtown Fullerton at Charles' office building, The Villa Del Sol. I love them so I had to share them all with you.

It wouldn't be a complete without a funny face picture...they usually end up being some of our favorites!

Vanessa is so talented...she took a lot of the pictures that she isn't in. I love the way she captured the moment with Wendy & her grandpa and Charles & IThis our first family photo shoot with little Wendy Lu!

A Wonderful Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-30T22:39:00.001-08:00

I love Thanksgiving...

This year the day started with a great game of flag football in the park. The Schultz family womped up a big game. About 32 people played, 16 on each side. It was a little crazy but a lot of fun!

Little Wendy Lu enjoyed watching the game too!

Charles was one of the few players who actually touched the ball until he pulled a muscle in his leg. We the hosted the Big Thanksgiving Dinner for the Lamb family. 38 people including the kids. I cooked the 23 pound turkey...yum. Charles smoked some Salmon...more yum! Everyone else brought the side dishes...even more yum! Some annual favorites are Grandma Lamb's home made croissant rolls, Chrissy's pumpkin cookies and Sue's special green salad.

We set up dinner outside, because I like a sit down dinner...my house is too small. So we set up tables on my driveway! I hang sheets on the archway for a little privacy.
I was little nervous because of the threat of rain. But it ended up being a beautiful day.

The Fire is still burning

2008-11-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

We woke this morning to a strong smell of smoke & fire...but we are still in our home. The fire in our area is only 5% contained with heavy winds expected today. I was glued to the television until about 1:30 this morning and as soon as we were up we were back to our places in front of the TV.

Here are some photos of the thick layer of ash that is covering our home and our city.

Fire in Brea, my home town

2008-11-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

This morning Ruth & I were in East Brea working out in a boot camp. It is a great 1 hour work out. Ruth talked me into doing it with her. I am glad she did. I have muscles waking up that have been asleep for a long time.

This morning it was so hot and dry, it made our work out a little harder then usual. Then the wind started. I told Ruth that this was fire weather.., Unfortunately, I was correct. But I never imagine it would happen in my town. About an hour after I arrived home I was out the door again for an appointment. I notice two different spots were a little fires had just started. I could see little black clouds of smoke.

One looked as if it was a couple of miles from my home, in the park were Ruth and I had our workout. The other looked like it was in the next city over. I called my sister-in-law, Chrissy, who lives in Yorba Linda and asked if her home was on fire because were I was driving it looked like the fire was in her yard. She looked outside and gasped. She said it was dark and smoky. Her family had to be evacuated hours later.

My little city and the neighboring cities have been burning all day. A lot of friends from church have been evacuated. So far there have been no homes destroyed in Brea. There has been rumors of restaurants and buildings being burned. Sadly, in Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills over 100 homes have been destroyed.

A beautiful home I was in just a few weeks ago has been burned to the ground.

The wind and heat is supposed to continue through tomorrow.

Hopefully it isn't going to get worse before it gets better.

My eyes have been glued to the news.

Here are some photos of the fire next to

Nathan's High School about 3 miles from our home

This photo was taken during the middle of the day.

The smoke was so thick that it made the sun look like a dull light.

This was a Yorba Linda Neighborhood

My office is in Yorba Linda and most of the agents live there too.

I pray that their homes will be spared.

Every year we have fires in Southern California due to our Santa Ana winds. But this is the first time in my life when the destruction was in my own backyard.

My Prayers are for those who have lost their homes and for our brave firemen who will be fighting these fires all night to save our neighborhoods.

2008-11-03T11:22:00.000-08:00

I know I have friends and family who feel differently then I do. And I know many who have blogged on this very important issue. It is one day before the election so I know it is a little late but, I feel that I have to stand up for what I believe in. With permission from Caitlin Calder I am copying from her blog. She wrote about this important issue beautifully and what she said matched my feelings exactly.

Prop. 8 will put into the California Constitution that the definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. In 2000, 61% of voters agreed upon this definition and recently a small group of 4 activist judges went against the voice of the people and overturned the majority vote. Prop. 8 seeks to restore the decision of California voters and is on the ballot in this upcoming November Election

Tolerance, Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Freedom:

Those who favor homosexual marriage contend that “tolerance” demands that they be given the same right to marry as heterosexual couples. The Savior taught that tolerance is a principle of love in His gospel. “Love thy neighbor,” He admonished. Matt. 19:19. Jesus loved the sinner even while decrying the sin, as evidenced in the case of the woman taken in adultery: treating her kindly, but exhorting her to “sin no more,”John 8:11. Tolerance as a gospel principle means love and forgiveness of one another, not “tolerating” transgression. In today’s secular world, the idea of tolerance has come to mean something entirely different. Instead of love, it has come to mean condone – acceptance of wrongful behavior as the price of friendship. Jesus taught that we love and care for one another without condoning transgression. But today’s politically palatable definition insists that unless one accepts the sin he does not tolerate the sinner.

As Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an Apostle from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has explained: "Tolerance obviously requires a non-contentious manner of relating toward one another’s differences. But tolerance does not require abandoning one’s standards or one’s opinions on political or public policy choices. Tolerance is a way of reacting to diversity, not a command to insulate it from examination. ^[15]"

Speaking out against practices that I disagree with on moral grounds – including same-sex marriage – does not constitute abuse or the frequently misused term “hate speech.” We can express genuine love and friendship for the homosexual family member or friend without accepting the practice of homosexuality or any re-definition of marriage. -Adapted from The Divine Institution of Marriage.

Proposition 8 does not take away any rights granted to a same-sex couple who have a civil union.

Gays and lesbians in California can already enjoy all of the legal rights and benefits of marriage. The California Family Code says, "domestic partners shall have all the rights, protections and benefits" of married spouses. There are no exceptions to this and Proposition 8 will not change that.

It is a MYTH that allowing gay couples to legally marry does not affect anyone else.

Perhaps the most common argument supporters of same-sex marriage make is that it is essentially harmless and will not affect traditional heterosexual marriage in any way. “It won’t affect you, so why should you care?’ is often heard. "While it may be true that allowing single-sex unions will not immediately and directly affect all existing marriages, the real question is how it will affect society as a whole over time, including the rising generation and future generations," (from the Divine Institution of Marriage).

In just one example of how this could negatively affect our children, should Prop. 8 not pass, is the changes in mandatory school curricula. Children will be taught, starting in Kindergarten, that marriage can be between a man and a woman, as well as between two men and two women. In Massachusetts, where gay marriage is legal, a father of a kindergarten student tried to opt his child out of homosexual education. He was not only denied the right to remove his child, he was then arrested for trespassing (read about it here). Parents in Massachusetts are also fighting to keep a "gay fairy tale" called "King & King" from being read in their second grader's classroom (read about it here).

Those against Prop. 8 claim that gay marriage has nothing to do with furthering the gay agenda in schools. Many Californians are surprised to find out that homosexuality is already being taught in schools. First grade students (5 and 6 year-olds) in San Francisco were taken on a school sponsored field trip to attend a gay wedding. In another incident at a K-8 school in Hayward, October 23 was designated as "Coming Out Day." Posters depicting only homosexual families were hung all over the school. Parents were not notified of what was being taught at their children's school and they have now sought legal council (you can read about it here). Why is a parent's right to teach their children being taken away? Proponents of gay marriage contend that parents of children attending public school will be notified before being taught about homosexuality during the curriculum of sex education. To borrow from a friend's blog, "According to CA education code 51932(b), 'instruction or materials that discuss gender, sexual orientation, or family life and do not discuss human reproductive organs and their functions' is not subject to the parental notice and opt-out laws. In other words, if schools are going to teach about marriage and family life, including homosexual marriage, they're not required to notify parents or give them an opt-out option if they're not also going to be teaching about the human reproductive system." There is a way that schools can work around notifying the parents, taking away a parent's right to opt-their child out. Gay activists argued successfully that Massachusetts’ parental opt-out provision should not be permitted. It is foolish to think that the same thing would not happen in California. Whether you support homosexuality or not, this is an issue for parents to discuss with their children according to their own values and beliefs. It shouldn't be forced on us against our will.

Another consequence of Proposition 8 not passing is the rights that will be taken away from religious organizations. For those of you who attend church, this could greatly affect you. Pastors, priests, bishops, and other religious clergy who refuse to marry gay couples will be sued, even though it goes against their religious beliefs. Why is a person's First Amendment right to freedom of religion being taken away? Opponents of Prop. 8 support the closing down of religious adoption agencies who choose not to place children with same sex marriages (this has already happened in Massachusetts). Churches that do not support gay marriage could also lose their tax exemption diverting millions of dollars away from charitable causes.

There is so much more that I could say, but I have gone on long enough. I encourage those who are undecided on how to vote on Prop 8 to investigate the consequences of it not passing. If you are still unsure I ask that you take it to the Highest Authority. Pray to know the truth. In James 1:5 we are promised "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." I know that He will answer. I will end with a statement put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints of which I am a member:

The Sanctity of Marriage

Strong, stable families, headed by a father and mother, are the anchor of civilized society. When marriage is undermined by gender confusion and by distortions of its God-given meaning, the rising generation of children and youth will find it increasingly difficult to develop their natural identity as a man or a woman. Some will find it more difficult to engage in wholesome courtships, form stable marriages, and raise yet another generation imbued with moral strength and purpose.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has chosen to become involved, along with many other churches, organizations, and individuals, in defending the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman because it is a compelling moral issue of profound importance to our religion and to the future of our society.

The final line in the Proclamation on the Family is an admonition to the world from the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve [Apostles]: “We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.” This is the course charted by Church leaders, and it is the only course of safety for the Church and for the nation.

Links:

The Divine Institution of Marriage

Protect Marriage.com

Preserve Marriage.org

Halloween

2008-10-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

Today I went to see Ollie's Halloween Parade and Program at his preschool.

Seeing all the little cuties today made me a little sad...

My little ones are all grown up.

It seems just like yesterday I was running around all over trying to put together costumes, staying up all night sewing and baking goodies for classroom parties.

Nancy, Ollie's grandma, reminded me that it won't be long before I will be coming to enjoy Wendy's Halloween Parade and Program...The next generation.

And then I wasn't so sad.

I am looking forward to all the fun without all the work!

Here are some of my memories of my little cuties!

I know this makes me sound old...but it really does feel like this was just yesterday!

I Love Sundays

2008-10-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

I look forward to Sundays all week. It is a day of enjoying my family, going to church, a day of rest which translates into taking my well deserved weekly nap. But what I really look forward to is the big family Sunday dinner.

Once a month the big Lamb family gets together to celebrate monthly birthdays. The Lamb family is getting bigger every year with weddings and babies...When Jennie and Dave are visiting, we now have 47 people including the babies! I love hosting the dinner at my house even though it is quite cramped.

When the Lambs aren't coming over for dinner I will try my hardest to have a big Sunday dinner with inviting my married kids, their friends and family that don't have family living close by to have Sunday dinner with, plus Ruth & Scott with my favorite little boys. It is the day of the week I am cooking a real meat and potatoe dinner, not an instant Costco dinner. After dinner we play games or just talk. It sometimes gets a little loud and crazy... that's how I love it!

Maybe it has something to do with my childhood growing up in a loud and crazy house with 8 kids and lots of friends who were always over. Plus my huge extended family Sunday dinners at my grandparents little house filled with Aunts, Uncles and hundreds of cousins.

So if you ever find yourself eating alone on any given Sunday, please come on over! I always cook extra just in case! We would love to have you!

Pierre from Paris

2008-10-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a visitor... Pierre from Paris.
He is a friend of my best friend Heather...or as my kids call her TaTa.
Heather is a life long friend who moved to Belgium 7 years ago. It was so fun to finally meet Pierre in person... to meet the person behind the voice. Last summer we sent Vanessa to visit Heather & Pierre for Graduation. She had a fabulous time and is always saying how she wants to go back. Who wouldn't?! She had a personal tour guide of Paris & Belgium.

I had a lot of fun showing Pierre the California sights...Laguna Beach with a drive up the coast to Seal Beach. It would of been breath taking if it wan't so foggy.
We met the Lamb family for some dinner and a walk on the pier.
We spent a day seeing the sights in LA, Beverly Hills & Pasadena. Not mention a day of shopping..buying 6 pairs of Levi's We had a good ole California BBQ (Pizza) and swim party where Pierre met the extended family.

I am sure Pierre needed to sleep for a week when he got home.

The Five

2008-10-02T23:03:00.000-07:00

I have been Tagged twice now. Once by Colt, that one is still coming... Now this one by Ruth

The 5...

Ten years ago I was.......
1. Living in Fullerton in a 1170 Sq ft home with my family of 6
2. Was photographing weddings most weekends
3. Was the PTA President, Players Agent for Bobby Sox & Primary President...I was a little busy
4. I had a child in Preschool, Elementary School, Jr High and High School...Yes I was busy!
5. Started a neighborhood Camping group. We went to Yosemite that first year with about 8 families, around 45 people. We have gone every year to either Yosemite, Zion or the Beach.

5 things on my "to do" list.....
1. workout
2. get out my Halloween decorations. Now that we are grandparents, Charles thinks it is important to decorate the house for holidays.
3. Blog about my last tag from Colt.. "Quirks". I am to tell 6 quirks about myself
4. get a pedicure
5. revamp my website. I pay for a real estate web site. I have never updated it or in fact have done anything to it. My friend sent me an email from the web site that I never received..I am pretty sure it went to my First Team email. I left First Team almost 2 years ago.

5 snacks I enjoy.........Like my sister Ruth I love my snacks
1. Homemade cookies and the dough of course
2. String cheese
3. Raw almonds... I have to try Jill's fave snack Cinnamon almonds, yum!
4. Cheese its
5. M & M's

5 places I have lived
1. Cypress, CA
2. Morgan Hill, CA
3. Buena Park, CA
4. Fullerton, CA
5. Brea , CA
This is actually ALL the places I have lived too

5 jobs I have had........
1. A Women's Health Spa called Pam's it was so long ago they actually had a machine where you put a vibrating belt around your hips to help with your cellulite.
2. I was an Icee Bear. I went to places where Icee's where sold and dressed up like a big Icee Bear and passed out coupons.
3. Waitressing at Spire Coffee shop, Marie Calendars and Bobby McGee's Working hard to put Charles through school.
4. Wedding Photographer, soooooooo much fun!
5. Real Estate Agent...Do you know anybody who wants to buy a house?

5 things I would do if I was a multi-millionaire........
1. Travel the world and visit my friends in Europe
2. Keep my personal trainer, I had to stop until the I sell a few more homes
3. Help out my friends and family... like buy a nice home for my in laws... in my neighborhood
4. Have a few surgeries... some nicks, suck fat and laser hair removal
5. Buy Bedroom furniture...In my 26 years of marriage it has not happened

5 people I tag are.......
1. Cathy...Please we need a new blog!
2. Terri...It's time Terri, join us!
3. Aaron...Who has the most amazing blogs
4. Colt ...who tagged me
5. Crystal ....my sweet niece

My Favorite Day of the Week!

2008-09-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

Every Monday I get to play with my sweet Wendy Lu!

Heather works 2 days a week, Monday & Tuesday.
I am the Monday baby sitter and Grandma Williams is the Tuesday baby sitter.

Mondays have become my favorite day. Wendy is getting cuter every day. She is getting a little personality that is full of smiles and giggles. All you have to do is smile at her for her to return the biggest smile back. But her laughing tops all! It melts my heart every time. She has figured out how to use her hands...which grabs anything close then quickly brings it to her mouth.

I take Wendy to see her mommy during her lunch hour. So I get to play with Wendy and have lunch with Heather every Monday too!

Being a Grandma is amazing! (I can't wait for more little ones to join our family!)

2008-09-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

Does anyone want some fish?

We watched our house be built. We came to visit it each Sunday after church.

We notice a few places that were closed off hollow spaces. We made a closet in our palor from one of them. Its great, I store our Holiday decorations in it.

We noticed our fireplace had a nice hollowed wall behind it. My creative husband thought it would be the perfect spot for a salt water fish tank. We had a custom tank made plus Charles designed a cool frame for the outside of it. I love it!

The only problem is the fish Charles bought are shy. We bought 5 beautiful fish that stay hidden behind the rocks. For a long time friends of ours thought we had no fish in our tank. We had a seahorse that was slow moving so it didn't servive because the fish would eat all of its food. Charles agreed to buy some more seahorses when the fish die out.

It has been almost 1 year and we have 2 fish still alive. Can anyone help?!...I am tired of waiting...I need to have the fish taken care of but it needs to look like an accident or that something natural happened...Thanks!

Thanks Colt!

2008-08-23T22:20:00.001-07:00

I'm so honored to say that Colt started his couch tour on my couch.

I didn't meet Colt until he spent the night, but I felt like he was already a close friend. How?...I've been stalking his amazing blog for a few weeks. I saw his clever messages to Ruth, so I snuck a peek at his blog.
(I'll admit it... My name is Beth and I am a blog stocker!)

On one blog, he showed the artwork he did for Sammy's. It was amazing! I then started noticing his artwork all over. At the Yo Gabba offices where he did several murals, Jill & Steve Barrett's house, Ruth & Scott's, plus some cute artwork he did for little Wendy. I loved all of it! He is so talented!

I left him a message on his blog, admitting I was stocking his blog and how much I loved his work. Long story short... we now have some of his art in my home! He totally captured our style, which is a little different. See for yourself! I LOVE it! If you are ever at my house, go upstairs and check it out! You need to see it in person to see how awesome it is!

Thanks Colt! You can sleep on my couch anytime! Thanks for helping me with my Blog too! (He helped me get my friends blog back on my main page plus he taught me how to put links on my blogs!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUTHY LU!!!!!

2008-08-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

Today is my baby sister, Ruth's birthday. She is 33 years old! I remember the day she was born... Yes I feel old! I feel so fortunate to live in the same city as her and her sweet little family. She has truly become one of my best Friends. She is the first person I call when I have news, or when I am upset about something. She 13 years younger then me but she always gives me the best advise to handling all my life's problems. She is amazing and I know all of you who read my blog know her and her talents.
This a few of the reasons why I think she is amazing...

She was the youngest of 8 children with 4 older sisters.
Which means she grew up with 5 moms always telling her what to do. She handled it with a smile :) Yes that is her on the right!
(My mom is the one in the red...She looks amazing!)

She entertained most of my friends and dates...Just think, Ollie's wit mixed with Max's goofiness and you have Ruthy. She was perfect for breaking the ice when I brought someone to the Witten home for the first time.

She was and is the coolest Aunt for my kids. Charles said that if we ever wanted our kids to try something new, we would have Ruth suggest it because then they would try it for sure!
Ruth loved my 80's leopard print sweatshirt she is wearing in this picture. I think I finally just gave it to her.

She is always smiling, making you smile with her. She is the family comedian & entertainer (along with our brother Drew.) She has always had that talent. She is the life of the party. Being the youngest of 8 children I guess you had to be to out going to get anyone to notice you.

She is the family Stylist. She has done my daughters hair for all their important events from graduation, proms to weddings. (Waking up sometimes at in the early morning hours like in this photo where she is doing Heather's hair for 8th grade graduation) Not mention hair cuts and color. She has had me go from red to blond over the years. I don't even need to tell her what to do. I trust her 100% I just sit in her chair and let her do her thing!

She took Nathan everywhere she went. It was so awesome! I had 3 busy girls, plus my life has always been crazy! It was such a big help to have her entertain that active little boy! Now she is letting me return the favor. I love having her boys spend the day with me! They keep smiling just like their mom did!

She is my own personal shopper. She has amazing style. Last year when I lost some weight I was in desperate need of new clothes. Charles gave me some gift certificates for my birthday to

2 stores in the Mall. (He knew to call Ruth and asked her which store to buy them in) I shopped a little before Ruth joined me and I could not find anything I liked. She came and had me in an entire new wardrobe in about an hour. It was amazing...I just stayed in the dressing room while she brought me different things to try on. I love to shop with her because she finds the deals! I don't think she has ever bought any clothes that were not on sale.

She keeps her olders sisters up to date on the latest fads & Styles. She started the Witten Women Retreats. Our first one was to New York City. It was so much fun! She knew where to shop and what cool things we had to try... Like Magnolia's Cupcakes and H & M. She has got me hooked on Blogging, Twilight, Pink Berry, Jogging, Lindora (Thanks to her I am in better shape then I have been in for years!) and so much more.

Happy Birthday Ruth... You are an special person and I feel so blessed to have known you your entire life

and to have had so many fun wonderful memories with you!

Have a great day today and a wonderful year!

I love my Husband

2008-08-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

I have been married over 26 years! Wow!... How can that be when I feel about 30 years old?

It hasn't always been perfect and we have had our struggles but my husband has become one of the best husbands out there!

He gets up early each day before I get up and has this awesome routine.
Don't get jealous when you read this but everyday he ...

1. Folds any laundry that was left in the dryer and will even do a load or two if needed.
2. Put away the dishes from the dishwasher or will load it.
3. Pick up any mess that was left from the night before. (It's so nice to wake up to a clean house)
4. Feeds the Cat
5. Feeds the fish
6. Takes out the trash
7. Waters all the plants. (He doesn't like silk plants, so my house is full of real ones)
8. Sweeps up outside
9. Works out (He's just turned 48 and is looking goooooooood!)
10. All this and he gives a wonderful foot massage.

I know I am bragging but he is AWESOME!..I think I will keep him for another 26 years, and maybe even longer :)
My dad called after he read this post and asked...But he is he good kisser?!! Yes dad he is! All men should know, If you want a Happy life, make sure you have a happy wife! :)

Philadelphia with my Girls

2008-08-02T23:40:00.000-07:00

I went to Philadelphia with my 3 daughters and my little grand daughter.

We went to attend the wedding of Andrew & Nina Strothers. Heather & Rachel were Groomsmaids!
Andrew is the son of my childhood friend, Kim Muller.

Andrew and her other son, Stewart, grew up with my girls. They call them the brothers and my girls are the sisters. (They were their only brothers until Nathan came along) It is so awesome how they are all still so close. My nephew Joey, became a close friend too. He was one of the groomsmen!

We had a great time seeing the sights and hanging out!

Favorites of the Trip

Tour of the city in a Horse drawn carriage

All the histoical sights...old beautiful homes and cobblestone streets

My first Philly Cheese steak sandwich w/ grilled onions & cheese wiz...yum!

The Wedding

Being with my girls and my nephew too!

Not so favorite...being stuck in an Airport all day because our flight was cancelled. It wasn't all bad, we came home the next day and spent an extra day in the city, sight seeing.

I came out of retirement and photographed the wedding with Vanessa.

Vanessa is an amazing photographer!

Here are some of her photos.

My favorite picture of the day!

HELP! I LOST MY FRIENDS!

2008-07-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

I need some help from the bloggers out there!

I lost the list to connect to my friends and family's blog sites! Has any one seen it? Does anyone know where or how I can get it back?!

When I go to the edit part of my blog the friends edit is gone too! HelP!!

thanks,
Beth

Wendy Lu's Blessing Day

2008-07-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

On July 6th our little Wendy was blessed by her Dad, with a beautiful Father’s blessing. It was such a special day! It was so amazing to see all the family who came. We had most of the Wittens, (who traveled far to be there) all of the Lambs, the Williams, the Schultz family, plus friends of Heather & Ryan’s. It was wonderful to see the love & support for Heather & Ryan . I loved hearing Heather & Ryan’s testimony. (I was so proud!) I served a lunch for 75 people. We had the lunch at the park because my house could never hold that many people. What a great Day!

Disneyland with my nieces

2008-07-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

This past week I have had my cute nieces visiting me from Nevada. My brother Adam’s 3 girls, Danielle 10 years old, Caslista 6 years old and Eden 3 years old, plus my sister Jennie’s daughter Gracie almost 9 years old. We had so much fun! It is my goal to be the favorite Aunt. ( Which isn’t easy to do when you are competing against so many!)

But I do have big advantage…

I live near Disneyland!

We had so much fun! It was Eden’s first time so that always makes it more special! I forgot how much work a group of little kids can be, just the laundry alone is huge! But it was all worth it! I will miss them!

Help me pick a new photo

2008-06-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

I am a working Realtor again!

After a dry spell of only selling 2 homes in the last 9 months, I sold 3 homes last week! Wow! It's going to be nice to have a paycheck again!

Of course I had to spend some of my future $$$ to celebrate! I had a new head shot taken for my Real Estate business cards and flyer's.

I like them except for the wrinkles... when did I get those? And my chubby face (you would think the fat would smooth out the wrinkles) And don't you love my new Golden Century 21 jacket?! Just let me know if you want to borrow it!

Help me!... Not with the wrinkles or chub or the cheesy jacket...but with picking one of these pictures.

Let me know which one is your favorite.

Thanks!

Look who's one month old!

2008-06-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

Look who's one month old! Isn't she beautiful?! Wendy Lu is such a little sweetheart!... Maybe because her mom was a sweetheart and still is.

Vanessa did an amazing job on this photoshoot! I am happy to say that she is the new family photographer. I am retired!
What a Cutie!

My Parents 50th Wedding Anniversary

2008-05-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary by going on the weekend cruise to Ensenada. 33 of us went! 2 parents, 8 children, 6 spouces, 15 grandchildren & 2 friends. It was my first cruise. It was alot of fun! It did fill a little like being at Circus Circus on the water. I was dizzy about half of the time. But it was wonderful being with my family. We are all so close and we have our parents to thank for that!

We celebrated the by having a party for them. We all shared memories and I realized it was the little things that we all treasured...going for Ice cream at Thriftys, Camping, wrestling with dad, seeing all the service mom gave. What a great example my parents are to me and my entire family!

Thanks Amelia & Justin!

2008-05-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Amelia and Justin are amazing!

They took some priceless pictures of our sweet

Wendy Lu!

I love them!!

Amelia and Justin are the photography team I gave my business referrals too when I gave up photography 4 years ago.

It has been awesome to see their talent grow.

Amelia & Justin's work is breathtaking!

I know most of you know about them but those who

don't, check out the website at amelialyon.com

Wednesdays are my Favorite!

2008-05-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

I love Wednesdays! I decided about a month ago that I needed a Max and Ollie fix every week. Plus I knew my sister Ruth would love a day off from her 2 busy boys. I pick the boys up from school and we spend the day together. We have gone to Disneyland, Knott's, Miniature Golfing, Swimming and to the Park. After all those fun days I found out that their favorite thing to do is just hanging out at my house. (Which we will be doing more of in the fuure, it is a lot cheaper!)
They are amazing! They keep smiling and remind me to enjoy life a little more. I get to spoil them rotten and send them home!

I Love our conversations each week. Last week was a good one;
Max: Beth I am going on a field trip on Friday to see Dinosaurs!
Beth: Wow! that sounds like fun!
Max: Yeah, but they're all dead ....I will only get to see their bones :(

Beth: What do you guys want to do to day?
Ollie: I want to go lawn bowling!
Beth: Lawn bowling?
Ollie: You know where you hit the ball with a long stick into the castle!
Beth: Oh you mean miniature golfing!

Max: NOOOO! I want to go bowling Ollie said bowling..
Ollie: NOOOOO! I want to go Miniature Golfing!!!

(After a little yelling Ollie won but our next trip will be bowling)

But the best is if you ask who their favorite person is.... I am! #1... followed by Grandma Shultz who is #2... with Aunt Heather who is a close #3. I was worried when I heard Heather was babysitting for the entire weekend when we were on our cruise. I knew she had big plans to spoil them and knock me from the number one spot...

When I asked them today I was relieved to know I am still their number 1!!!
Bring it on Heather!

I'm a GRANDMA!!!!

2008-04-25T01:16:00.000-07:00

Wendy Williams is here! April 24th at 2:57 pm 8 lbs, 2 oz, 20 inches long and beautiful! What an amazing day!!!
When I got the news around 8:30 in the morning that Heather & Ryan were in the hospital, my first thought was someone was sick or there had been an accident. I didn't think of Heather being in labor because no one in my family have there babies early. We are usually days late and feeling miserable. Wendy wasn't due for 10 more days! Heather was still looking pretty good.
When it finally sunk in that we were having our baby I went a little crazy...Think Ricky Ricardo when Lucy went into labor.
Ryan told me that the Doctor said the baby would most likely come late that afternoon. I begged Ryan for something to do after he told me I shouldn't come for a while because I would get bored. I was running around hyperventilating most of the morning doing errands for Ryan & Heather. I couldn't stand it any more, I was going to the hospital to help my baby have her baby!
I called Ryan to let him know I was almost there, he told me the doctor just informed him that Heather was dilated to a 10 and that the baby was there! Well that put me into near hysterics! HEATHER COULD NOT HAVE THIS BABY WITHOUT ME! I yelled into the phone NOOOOO! DO NOT LET HER PUSH UNTIL I AM THERE! I knew if Heather did her breathing exercises she could hold off for me....not!
St Jude Hospital is in the middle of remodeling and I couldn't find where I was suppose to park. I was driving around like a maniac yelling at people walking on the street to please tell me where to park. Just then Ruthy called me to get an update on Heather. She realized I was about ready to pass out from my hyperventilating and she talked me down by having take slow breaths. She stayed on the phone with me giving me turn by turn directions until I was safely parked.
THANK YOU RUTH!!!
After running all the way to the labor & delivery, I walked into the room to find Heather looking very relaxed. In fact she looked great, not like someone who had been in labor for 12 hours! She was enjoying her epidural feeling no pain, only a little pressure. (WHY DID WE EVER DO NATURAL CHILDBIRTH 25 YEAR AGO?!!!) Ryan couldn't understand why I was acting so crazy. He tells me that Heather was dilated to a 10 but the baby was only a 0 and needed to be a 3 before Heather would start pushing! Well when Ryan's mom, Bobbie, came running into the room a short time later I realize I wasn't the only one who misunderstood.
About 2 hours later after a lot of pushing
Our sweet little Wendy
came into our world and
now our world will never
be the same!

Thanks Ruthy!

2008-04-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

As you may have guessed from my first blog, Ruthy set it up for me. She has been writing the most amazing blogs with great pictures too! Check it out at Ruthschultz.blogspot.com She told me how much fun it is to do, plus to it's fun to read other friends & families blogs. At first I thought I'm too old for this. My kids are grown, I don't have any cute little kids to write about. Plus after reading Ruth's blogs I was totally intimidated. How can I write that good?! But I decided to give it a go, I watch Ruthy's boys every Wednesday, plus soon I will be getting to watch my grand daughter too, so I should have lots of good material! I am not a very good jornal writer so I hoping this will kind of work instead.

This is my first blog

2008-04-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

I dedicate this to my beloved sister Ruthy. For which I would not have this Blog.