Card #2

Enjoy!

A Card a Day

We’ve got a couple weeks left of Sale-a-Bration. I’ve shared a few of samples with you, but I’ve saved the best ones for last!

My favorite Sale-A-Bration set is Bliss—I loved it from the beginning. But now that I’ve played with it a little, I love it even more! I’ve chosen three beautiful cards to share with you—one every day for the next three days.

If you already have the set, you’ve probably discovered (like I have) how much fun it is. And if you don’t have it yet . . . well, all I can say is that you definitely need to get it!

Here’s the first card. Make sure you check back tomorrow and Saturday for the other two. . .

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

Sterling arrived home from his endurance ride convention yesterday evening, just in time for his birthday party! We served dinner within an hour of his arrival, opened presents, and enjoyed a potluck dessert with the girls, their husbands, all the grandchildren, and a wonderful mix of family and friends.

Our tradition is to let the birthday boy (or girl) pick the meal, and Sterling chose spaghetti—which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone! He would eat pasta, and especially spaghetti, at every meal if he could! (If any of you have been on cruise, you may have seen Sterling at the pasta bar for breakfast. . . )

His birthday gifts were simple—an exercise mat, clips for his exercise machine, and a few other odds and ends. He bought his own main gift (a saddle) at the convention, and I couldn’t have been happier! He’s always hard to buy gifts for because he doesn’t want a lot, and when he does want something, he usually buys it himself. Once in awhile, he’ll suggest a horse-related gift, but since I know next to nothing about horses, that never works out very well either. So I was thrilled that he found something he wanted at the convention . . .

After dinner, the grown-ups and older kids sat around and visited while the younger grandchildren disappeared. We were enjoying our conversation so much we didn’t notice that it was unusually quiet. Then the kids came downstairs, bearing their own gifts—handmade cards they’d made for Grandpa. The cards were quite creative, and very sweet! Sterling will treasure them!

I did give him one gift that I was excited about—an album featuring all his endurance rides. He has photos from most of his rides. . . sometimes just one or two, sometimes a handful. . . so I thought we needed to get those photos scrapbooked. I had fun preserving these memories that I know mean so much to him.

I designed the album so that we could add pages as he continues to go on rides; here are a few of the spreads. And each ride has a place for journaling (his job!), so he can record who he went with, when and where the ride took place, and any highlights (or lowlights, if you count the Moab ride, when he broke his collarbone!).

Sterling doesn’t enjoy being in the spotlight, and he would just as soon ignore his birthday, but he was a good sport and, as always, we all enjoyed a good excuse to gather together as a family!

A Night of Fire & Ice

Last night was our annual trek to St. George, where we participate in Dixie College’s yearly Fire & Ice scholarship fundraising event. Mom Pat and Megan are on the event committee, and we love supporting them—plus it’s a great excuse to dress up and have a fancy night out with the grown-up Gardners.

Some years everyone makes it, but this year Sterling, Sara (and Sean), and Shalae (and Jon) couldn’t make it. Although we missed them, the rest of us had a fabulous time!

St. George is just far enough away that we usually stay overnight in a hotel. I drove down with Shanna and Jared, and we met Sage and Megan at the event early enough that we could check out all the auction items, and enjoyed a great dinner!

We won a few auction items, one that I was particularly excited about. Last year there were some cupcakes that we bid on; I’m not necessarily a cupcake lover, but those cupcakes were so beautiful that I wanted them—badly. We lost last year, so I told the girls that this year we were leaving with cupcakes! With one minute left in the silent auction, I casually (I hope) strolled over to check out the bid sheet, made sure ours was the last bid, and then stood guard (again, casually—I hope) to ensure it stayed that way. (smile)

I felt quite triumphant carrying the box back to the hotel, and we had it open within moments of getting into our room. I won’t tell you how much we paid, but let me assure you that those cupcakes were worth every penny! We all agreed that the chocolate ones were best. (Some of you may want to know where the cupcakes came from, but I don’t have any website information. So sorry. . .)

It was fun to wind down last night after the dinner at the hotel, chatting and relaxing. Today we had a late lunch with family in St. George before heading home tonight. The weather was absolutely gorgeous in southern Utah, so it was kind of hard to leave that behind, but tomorrow Sterling comes home and we’re celebrating his birthday. So there is something fun to look forward to!

A Pick Line Pick-Me-Up

This morning I got to work on the pick line, always a fun experience! Our pick line workers literally fill thousands of orders a day—they’re amazing—but every once in awhile, when we get an influx of orders, we’ve found it beneficial to keep the line running, even when our regular workers take their lunch breaks. So an e-mail is sent out, asking for volunteers from throughout the home office to help pick up the slack.

I always look forward to those e-mails, because there’s an energy on the pick line, and in the Distribution Center generally, that is exciting to be part of! Just walking to my spot on the line creates adrenaline, as I greet others working on the line, then when boxes start coming my way and the lights light up and I start filling orders . . . I just love it!

The short, 30-minute shift also reminds me of my appreciation for the tremendous work that takes place in the Distribution Center. I’m not sure I could stand on my feet for an entire eight-hour shift, and if I could, I’m not so sure I’d have a very good attitude about it! But every time I’m in the Distribution Center, I am greeted by smiles and happy faces . . . I love our employees, and it was a privilege to help them out today!