...wow...

the passing of a decade! so much has happened in the last ten years!

*graduation from Weber State University*

*marriage to the one and only Gailon Tucker*

*the loss of dear loved ones...papa, grandma sokoloff, and grandpa sokoloff*

*discovery about true friends*

*change in employment*

*change of home site*

*purchasing our first home*

*with so many changes and events of the past decade, here's to hoping and praying that the goals and plans for 2011 come to fruition....*

{goodbye fall}

I guess that we can officially say that Fall is over here in Ogden.





We had quite the storm last night! I got caught in it at the grocery store and then at Home Depot. But I got all of the fixins for a great Thanksgiving dinner and snow melt! What a combo!! If you need a place to go, come on over! With usual Tucker flair, we will surely have plenty!

The one thing that I have noticed this year is that we have had some of the most amazing sunsets! This one was so amazing, the picture does not fully capture the brilliance of it all! This is straight out of the camera too! BeAuTiFuL!

great photography props and such giveaway!

check it out!

yup...

...i am grateful that we have good insurance!

{gratitude}

I am so grateful that I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are so many times that I rely on Him to help me understand the events around me. I am so grateful that I have a knowledge that there is a plan and that even though I may not like the plan right now, I can find strength in knowing everything will work out in the end.

I am grateful that I am employed and that, most of the time, I enjoy my job! I have some amazing kiddos this year and they make it worth it all!

I am grateful that my report cards are done and that we are on to term 2!

I have much to be {grateful} for..

I am grateful for a wonderful husband. We have so much fun together, even through the tough times! Thanks cute stuff!!

Another thing that we are so grateful for are our families. Where would we be without loving parents and siblings? I am ever so grateful that my mom and sister are close by! I miss my dad so much, but I am glad to know that he is not that far away!

I am grateful for holidays! What fun it is to remember the fun we had as children! Even in the matching homemade costumes mom made us wear each year!

*thousands of words*

the beginning of a beautiful adventure...

a work in progress! i {love} having friends with talents! a good friend of gailon's from work needed something and we needed something ....presto! a match made in fireplace heaven!

almost there! the mantel arrives this week!
CAN'T WAIT!!!


our first jars of tomato sauce that are from our garden!! i learned some really valuable lessons! let's just say that, well, steam is hot and can burn you...oowie!

a sneak peak of the cutest little guy!


friends are so fabulous, wouldn't you say? i can't imagine my life without amazing friends!

........wishing ...hoping ...dreaming....

so much has happened in the last little bit, i don't know where to start. between the summer ending, beginning a new year at school with older kiddos, being selected to adopt a baby girl and then a change in the plan...

no wonder i am ready for life to take a bit of a break so i can catch my breath.

i am feeling so blessed to have such a wonderful husband! i truly am glad to have him for my best friend. he reminded me the other day that i was his best friend and that we needed to set up a date to wander....oh, i am so ready!!

i love you my dear gailon!

{oh what do you do in the summertime?}

This summer was a very nice one, given the fact that I did not teach summer school. I had many classes that I took instead....a science course, a semester course in field biology in one week, a math course, computer course, and in a few days a history course! cRaZy!~

I made my first, from scratch peach pie...
....I also was able to go to California for a wedding....
...congratulations morgan and jessie! What a beautiful wedding ceremony

and reception...




....enjoy the beach!

.....be gouged by gas prices! OUCH!

and enjoy the company of friends.

sadly i was unable to see "my kiddos" and their parents...who gets strep throat and the chicken pox's at the same time? seriously?! hopefully all will be well soon...but i missed seeing my t...

** fOuRtH oF jUlY **

We had a great time on the third for the Fourth!

~ {in Utah, if a holiday falls on a Sunday, then it is celebrated the Saturday before} ~

We had about thirty people over for a bbq and watch the city fIrEwOrKs from our backyard. I, unfortunately, forgot my camera during the fireworks in the front yard and in the backyard!
But I did get a few of the crowd~


It's hard work swimming and playing with new friends!

{Munching on Cajun Burgers, ribs, BLT salad, fruit salad, fruit, chopped salad, chips and fresh from the garden salsa, and dips. Not to forget the yummies like german chocolate cake, carrot cake, the always needed flag cake with a tucker twist, and the cutest and yummiest star sugar cookies!}

Thanks to everyone for their contributions!!

My little buddy wondering when he is going to get his shot at the yummies!



* i came in to get a picture of the amazing spread, and this is what i met instead! a crowd! *



... picture this: our dinning room table stretched to its largest length and then filled from end to end, and everywhere in between with bowls and platters. got it?...



Only one picture of the BLT salad!

Oh well! Happy Fourth of July!

{one year}

It is hard to believe that it has already been one year since we moved to Utah.
So many changes and experiences.
And the best is yet to come!!

{i love you more than all the stars in the sky}

{done}

**I DID IT!!!**

I had a goal in mind and beat it!

My final time was 3hours 57 minutes and 9 seconds...and to top it off, I have runner's feet! {BIG} blisters on my piggie toes and under a big toe...ouchie! Next time, more moleskin!

on your mark...

running clothes set out...check,

music ready...check,

words of comfort from gailon...check,

yummy carb loaded meal...check,

personal pep talk...check,

running my first marathon...priceless... ♥

so many questions, still yet unanswered...

but there are other questions that have answers that are sure...

i {heart} the vintagepearl.com

i really love my necklace from the vintage pearl! it is simple and sweet.
today they are doing a giveaway for mother's day...check it out!

we made it!

Mom's farewell to Torrance Beach..."So many memories."


Wow! Some folks will relax wherever they can!


This is only a few of the folks who turned out to help pack the trucks {yes, you read that right! two 26foot trucks!}

Welcome to your new home state!

what a crazy weekend...who woulda thunk...fly to long beach with the bug and jen on friday evening after work, pack on saturday and then drive to primm,wake up sunday morning and drive the rest of the way to ogden... i am so tired!

...i am still kicking...

wow, things have been way busy! i only have a few moments to catch up with a few of the latest happenings...










* my grandpa's graduation ceremony*
the ceremony went well. it was so great to have some of my good friends there for love and support. as i looked out over the folks in attendance, i was able to see smiling faces that helped me through the song i was singing. thanks!

i loved being able to see besties, go to the beach, and enjoy our family tradition of going to disneyland after a funeral. kinda strange, i know...but it works for us!









*training for the marathon*
i missed some important sessions while in california, but quickly got back into the swing of things. since then, i have run a 6.5 miler, improved my time twice, and even completed my first 5K race! the 5K was a hard one, with many butt-kicken hills, and yet i still completed it in 54 minutes. not too shabby for this fluffy kid!


*mom is moving to utah!*
my mom has sold her home and is moving to ogden. her house wasn't even officially on the market, just a sign in the yard, and she was still able to sell it in less than three days of the SIGN going up...amazing! so we found her a cute little house in a nice neighborhood in the south end of town. she and jen will be moving in in about three weeks.

A Great and Noble One has been lost...

My dearest Grandpa has graduated.

I was in a photography seminar in Salt Lake City last night listening to one of my favorites, with a phone that had no juice. When I got out to the car during the dinner break, I thought I would see if it would turn on, it did briefly. What I saw made my heart jump...a 911 message from my mother.

I borrowed Gailon's phone and called her, already feeling the inevitable news. Yes, Grandpa has graduated, just a few hours after my last call in.

I was hoping that he would be able to make it through the weekend because I was planning on going down on Tuesday, the earliest I could possibly go. I have so many commitments this weekend, between the seminar we booked months ago, to my running class, Jordan's Eagle Court of Honor that we have been asked to photograph, a mandatory meeting on Monday at school...so many roadblocks to getting home...

So now I am preparing a slide show to honor my Grandpa, a Noble and Great One!

He has taught me so much about the arts, life, and how to have a grand adventure! From plays, ballets, the Cirque de Sol adventures, to enjoying the finer things in life, as well as simply stopping to smell the roses.

I truly miss him...

(pictures borrowed from the slide show, taken by family members, not myself)

~ love ~

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” ~Dr. Seuss.

Happy Valentine's Day!

... i lOvE...

i lOvE my family. i am so grateful to have been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life!

... i lOvE...

i lOvE training for my first marathon! i know what you are thinking...her?! a marathon!?? Yup! Ogden Marathon here I come!

... i lOvE...

i lOvE a good valentine party, complete with cookie decorating, heart bingo, and the funnest game of tic-tac-toe ever!

... i lOvE...

i lOvE funny kiddos and their jokes...for example, i was told this one today.. "why did the chicken cross the road?" "why?" "because, silly, his teacher told him to."

... i lOvE...

i lOvE sewing and checking out crafty crafters.

... i lOvE...

i lOvE my job! kiddos are so funny sometimes. one of my students, out of nowhere, tells me, "Mrs. Tucker, your eyes are so beautiful!" Gotta love 'em!

...i LoVe...

i LoVe being able to worship how, where, and what i may...

... i lOvE...

i LoVe my bed...being sick is no fun though...

...i LoVe...

i LoVe that Gailon has found a job!

{ now to work on that retirement plan...} hehe!

Happy February!

Ok, so I am a little late with my greetings to one of my favorite months! However, I am still going to catch up with my countdown to the 14 things I love for this month...

...Day One: I LoVe Winter!!

...Day Two: I LoVe green olives. {thanks to mikey, they are one of my favorite indulgences!}

...Day Three: I LoVe candles! {currently my favorite is a red apple fragrance from Partylite...}

...Day Four: I LoVe books!

... i gotta feelin' ...

Here is one of my new mantras.... i gotta feelin' that today's gonna be a good day ...