Thank You!

My Mom is home

and doing well.

The surgery was a GREAT success!

-----------
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Surgery Today.

In as much as MY MOM is having surgery today

to remove her thyroid due to cancer...

PLEASE PRAY
for her!

I Love You Mom!

Flashback Friday

Same tournament ... Same lawn ...

Same time of year ...
Same Boys...??

May 2005...

May 2009...

Same "SMILE" ...
Same one is cheesy ... Same one is half way there

5 a day ... ANYWAY?

Do you think I can count
---------------
FRIED Zucchini
---------------
as one of my
5 fruits and vegetables today?

Monday ... Funday

So my crazy cousins, Rick and Amy, sent me an email titled

"I licked a fireman on your car

because I'm cool like that."

I thought ... What the heck? ... so I opened it.

Enclosed was one of those silly games but it made me laugh

so I thought we should play it and have a

FUNDAY on this Monday!

Remember your sentence as you make it so you can leave it in the comment section. It won't be fun if you don't share your answer so please ... in order to make it a FUNDAY for all ... leave your sentence for all of us to read.

Here we go...

Pick the month you were born:
January-------I kicked
February------I loved
March--------I karate chopped
April----------I licked
May----------I jumped on
June---------- I danced with
July-----------I did the Macarena With
August--------I had lunch with
September---- I sang to
October-------I smelled
November-----I yelled at
December-----I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:
1-------a birdbath
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a snowman
6-------a nun
7-------my mobile phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friend
10-------my neighbor
11-------my science teacher
12-------a banana
13-------a baseball bat
14-------a stuffed animal
15-------a goat
16-------a pickle
17-------your mom
18-------a spoon
19-------a Smurf
20-------a fireman
21-------a ninja
22------- Chuck Norris
23-------a noodle
24-------a squirrel
25-------a troll
26-------my sister
27-------my boss
28-------a homeless guy
29-------a surfer
30-------a football player
31-------a llama

What is the last number of the year you were born:
1--------- in my car
2 -------- on a motorcycle
3 -------- in a hole
4 -------- under your bed
5 -------- on your car
6 -------- on a roof
7 -------- in an elevator
8--------- at the dinner table
9 -------- in line at the bank
0 -------- in your bathroom

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White--------because I'm cool like that
Black--------because I was drinking diet rootbeer, again.
Pink----------because I'm only in it for the good times.
Red----------because the voices told me to.
Blue---------because I'm sexy and I do what I want
Green-------because I think I need some serious help.
Purple-------because I'm AWESOME!
Gray---------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.
Yellow-------because someone offered me 20 dollars
Orange -----because my I saw it on the Internet.
Brown-------because I can.
Other--------because it sounded like a good idea!
None--------because I can't control myself!

Now type out the sentence you made in the comments.
(even if you only dare leave it as "anonymous" ... pretty please.)

Perfection ... Not Required Overnight.

As I've PREPARED for my Sunday School lesson on
The 2nd Coming,

it's been a little overwhelming.
Yet, as I've PRAYED about it, it's not so much so.

A great comparison to that day is
The Parable of The Ten Virgins
Five were wise and five were foolish.

I've always admired the five that were WISE and READY. I've hoped I would be one of those. However, I've never stopped to realize that their preparation did not happen overnight.

It took a whole lifetime to fill those precious vessels.

They, like all of us, needed TIME ...

TIME to try to do their best everyday. As we do the same, we add another drop of OIL to our precious vessels.

Note before watching:
"The Bridegroom" is representative of The Savior
"The Virgins" represent each of us
"The Wedding" is The 2nd Coming
"The Oil" represents our preparation for the 2nd Coming

“In the parable, oil can be purchased at the market. In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching, control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures—each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity—these, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps”
-President Spencer W. Kimball

Missed A Beat

So maybe I missed a beat ...

or 2 ... or 3 ... or 4 ... okay ... so I missed 7

In my world of HUNDREDS of games,

I missed 7 of them in the 5 days I was gone.

But no worries...

I think I can pick up right where I left off.

I was up at 6:30 this morning

headed to baseball camp...

and we only 5 games

in 5 days this week...

and another 2 day camp.

Yeah... I'm pickin' it up just fine.

Oh, My Dear Ritz... I'm missin' you already!

Puttin' off The Ritz

Many tears have been shed...
for the loss of "my" new bed.

I'm sobbing on the floor...
as I close the toilet door.

I glance towards the pool...
while I wipe away the drool.

I might even try the spa...
if you don't make me say "ta-ta".

The days have gone to fast...
how I wanted them to last.

Oh, I know I'm throwing fits...
but you see, I loved "The Ritz".

Thanks for traveling with me. It's been so much fun chatting with you everyday.

So... the much awaited answer to the question:
"Is The Ritz worth the hefty price tag?"
The answer:
"YES... IF someone else is footing the bill."
(I'll be sure to give my feedback to the company.)

See you next time!

The Ritz ... Check Out?

The final words spoken by

The Ritz

"Mr. Hutchins, we see you don't have time to eat before you check-out. May we pack something for you?"

Can you find better service anywhere in the world?

I would dare to say...

"NO!"

The Ritz ... Secret Shame?

Not many people know, for I don't like to share my...
"Secret Shame"
However, in an effort to share this whole experience with you,
I shall now reveal it to all...
(and I don't want to hear you saying "Hummmm... odd")

It is PENS and PAPER!
(Oh, stop "Hummmm-ing" and scratching your head.)

The Lifeguard knows of my obsession (and loves me anyway) and apparently so does The Ritz.

Their paper is like silk in my hands
and their pens...
OH GLORY!!
I've never written with anything so smooth!

In as much as The Lifeguard has spent his time actually "writing", he's gathered up as many as he can for me.

(Can you imagine that people have just left the beauty of them
lying on the table after work?!)

Oh, and if I put the one's from my room inside my purse... Wendy will leave some more for me EVERY night!

(Did I mention ... I like Wendy.)

GLORIA!!

The Ritz ... Spa?

Don't mind me...
I'm lurking around The SPA

My initial plan was to visit The Spa here at The Ritz and have a massage.

At dinner the other night Patsy told me how great it was but then she warned me...
everyone is walking around in THE BUFF!!

Ummmmm, NO! NO! Not for me!
I'll head over to The Spa in Utah when I get home... everyone there is modest and fully robed, thank you very much!

I've got to go. I don't want them to catch me lurking... they may try to drag me in and strip me down! See Ya!

The Ritz ... Private?

It seems you'll find the ultimate

in privacy at

The Ritz.
It's in the form of a separate room

for the...
POTTY

Although private, you can still chat with your friends if you want.
Call me!

The Ritz ... Goodnight?

The Ritz has a girl named Wendy.

I've never seen her.

But she comes in every night.

She turns down our bed.

She leaves us a treat

and a note.

I like Wendy.

The Ritz ... Romance?

It's a little hard to be ROMANTIC on a business trip.
Due to the fact that Jeff's colleagues and employees are lurking around every corner... even at The Ritz.

I understand this.
However...
I've gazed out my window every night at this gorgeous fire The Ritz so lovingly lights each evening (in the middle of the hot desert) and I've LONGED to sit in front of it.

Last night The Lifeguard took me down after dinner. We both propped our feet up and discussed the days events.

We laughed at the fact that Jeff was getting so old...

We laughed as we tried to take our own picture to the remember the moment (we just can't pull it off)...

We laughed as Jeff tried to picture me trying to take my own picture all the day long ... all around The Ritz.

It was ROMANTIC!

The Ritz ... Valet?

It was mentioned to be sure we used the Valet Parking at The Ritz. We laughed because we already had ... $20 later.

The next day, we thought we'd go a little "wild" and see how uncomfortable it was to actually park the car ourselves and heaven forbid, WALK!

Well, HELLO!! Look at the horrendous walkway we had to endure to get inside the parking garage. It's terrible, just terrible! So bad I think we'll do it from now on.

The Ritz ... they're so barbaric ... LOL!

The Ritz ... Food?

The Ritz threw a little party for the company the other night. Dinner was served in that white tent. It was cool but made me feel a little like I was in middle of a task Donald Trump would give on "The Apprentice" ... very corporate like.

It was fun.

However, the FOOD? Let's just say it all looked raw and odd. By the time I was approaching the end of the buffet I was just longing for something I recognized and could pronounce. Something like, say, beef. Alas, the last silver platter was before me and what was inside? ... STEAK!

Alleluia!

(I am such a stay-at-home mom... it's a little ridiculous at times.)

The Ritz ... Swimming?

I'm at The Pool
The Ritz has offered me my very first introduction to a

real-live "Pool Boy & Girl"

Upon entering, the "pool boy" escorted me to perfectly lovely place to lounge. He then proceeded to drape my chair with covering, put up my umbrella and stack towels by my side... he didn't leave before offering me a drink & lunch.

The "pool girl" is frustrated with me because I haven't taken advantage of any of her offerings. She first came around with daiquiri's ... "No, thanks" was my reply. Just now she offered me frozen cherries ... again my response of "No, thanks" left her shaking her head. The problem, "pool girl", is that you've soaked everything in ALCOHOL!

Dang... those cherry looked delicious!!

***Note: If you ever visit The Ritz,

go to the pool on day 1 and day 2 and ...

The Ritz ... View?

So while I hang out at The Ritz

there's nothing to look at.
My VIEW isn't much to behold.

That water is part of the fake ocean I laid by yesterday.
It's hilarious to see people out there fly fishing in it.
Don't they know the fish were brought in just like the bunnies were? They aren't real... Well I guess they are REAL... but they weren't put here by nature... you know what I mean! Anyway, what's the fun in catching a fish that has already, technically, been caught. Oh... and you have to throw them all back. So really, you are catching a fish that could have already been caught 100's of times.

Yeah... there are boats out there too. You can also go boating in the fake ocean. You're laughing, aren't you?

The Ritz ... Bellman?

The Bellman... opps ... I mean

The Lifeguard

just dropped by to chat for a minute.

He brought me "A Ritz" snack.

It had more GOLD on it.

I just ate it this time.

It was still tasteless.

The Ritz ... Drinks?

If you know The Lifeguard,
you know that he is a "big drinker".
Oh... you didn't know he enjoys
at least 64oz. of Diet Soda every day?

Here at The Ritz they don't seem to accommodate

"The Heavy Drinker".

They serve all their drinks in these teeny-tiny sizes. However, they are in a lovely tiny glass bottle.

(We'd rather LARGER and PLASTIC, thank you very much.)

Now, if you drink Coffee or Tea, you are in luck! You can find whatever you need in this beautiful chest. It greets us as we enter the room.

The Ritz is in luck for we don't drink either (but the chest in tempting to try to stuff into the suitcase -- kidding).

Lifeguard, I'm sorry that you have to have ten or so of the teeny-tiny glass bottles in front of you at every meal. Do you think your employees are going to try to do an "intervention"? I'll rescue you if they do! We both know it's all because of The Ritz... it's all their fault.

The Ritz... Beach Front?

Yesterday I hung out at the beach.
What is that I hear ... skepticism?
You say Las Vegas doesn't have a beach?


Yeah... Well apparently that didn't bode well with The Ritz so they had one made. I've got to admit I felt a little silly sitting out there... knowing it wasn't really the ocean and all.


Geez-Louise ... I think I'm loosing my hair. What's with my forehead!

Trickling behind the beach...
a lovely waterfall was also made.
It seems to be no matter to The Ritz that we're in the middle of the desert. None the less, it was very dream-like.

Adding to the dream-like atmosphere... the teeny-tiny bunnies that were also brought in to run around in this pretend world? (You're laughing, aren't you?) Yes, it's true... true and odd. Give me an explanation for that one.

The Ritz ... Sleep?

The sleeping arrangements at The Ritz are...

Goosey and Feathery! All I really required to be happy and think you're the best hotel ever is to give me more than one pillow... request granted with SIX!

However, I didn't realize how much I LOVED my spot until The Lifeguard stood at my bedside this morning and told me they were talking about Jon Gosselin on The Today's Show and I didn't budge... not one inch.

The bed at The Ritz is apparently better than I thought.

The Ritz ... Birthday Boy?

The Lifeguard is at work
at The Ritz
on his BIRTHDAY!

They had him stand on a chair while a hundred people sang to him. Then it was back to work as he talked to the same hundred people for the rest of the afternoon... go figure. You'd think The Ritz would provide a little better birthday celebration than that.

He visited me during his lunch break so I took a picture of him... not standing, but sitting in a chair in our room. I had sung to him earlier so I didn't make him endure it again (I'm no member of The Tabernacle Choir, believe me!).

Isn't he a handsome devil! Go ahead and leave him a birthday comment. Make his day! Afterall, ever though it's The Ritz, it's also still WORK (for him, not me) ... poor guy.

The Ritz ... Snacks?

The Lifeguard brought me up a snack during his break...

The first TART I've ever had that was, truly so tart it made me pucker.

Notice the gold on top.
What does a girl do with that?
I tried to take it off but it crumbled.
Is one suppose to eat it?
I did ... it dissolved.
Tasteless.
I now know after staying at The Ritz that GOLD is tasteless.
Who knew?

The Ritz... Service?

Jeff's call to the front desk:

"We're out of shampoo."

"We will send some right up Mr. Hutchins"

One minute (seriously) ... KNOCK!
"Here you are, Sir.
Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Ummmm... No. Thanks.
But question ... do you LEVITATE?
That would be the only possible way one could reach us so quickly.
(He didn't really say this but was thinking it. It's a little spooky.)

FYI...
We later found 2 bottles of shampoo in the shower. I'm sure The Ritz was HORRIFIED to have received such a call. I hope someone didn't loose their job.

The Ritz ... Morals?

So do people who would spend upwards of

WAY TO MUCH a night

to stay at The Ritz have any morals?

If not, The Ritz will help them find some.

Look what I found in the drawer beside my bed!
Apparently you'll find one in every room, at every Ritz, all over the WORLD!

Okay. I love The Ritz.

Puttin' on The Ritz

I wasn't going to post this until next week but I just can't help myself. I've been thinking about you and thought how much fun it would be to share this together. So come along...

If you need to reach me this week I'll be at
The Ritz Carlton.

Oh, I'm not kidding!
The Lifeguard brought me.
I'll let you know if it's worth the hefty price tag the company is paying. So far my opinion is...
maybe.

Here is a picture of the
"price per night"
hanging in the room.
Oh GLORY!!

I'm sure they didn't pay this...
group rate, you know.

Now...
Don't even think about robbing my house. It is not empty. Auntie Em is the mother of the teenagers for the week.

No... a 17 year old should not be left home alone,
contrary to Tyson's belief.
Thanks Em (and Lincoln).

Take COVER!

I have a saying:
BASEBALL
It's not about the bat...
It's not about the ball...
It's all about the HEART of the boy.

I learned Thursday night that

sometimes it is about the BAT...

especially when it makes contact with

the ball and breaks right in half!

Our Dill...

has a BIG heart

with a HUGE swing!

Wondering if breaking a metal bat is a common occurrence?

(in any league)
Ummmmmmmm ... NO!