'When you THINK happiness...'

I hope KATIE you think of

'OUR SONG'

sung at the Taylor Swift concert

and that you will

'STAY BEAUTIFUL'

and

'FEARLESS'

Knowing that the

'Best first date you ever had'

was with your Mom, Tina and Scarlett Economou

and not when you were

'FIFTEEN'.

No, no, no...I want you to stay my little girl FOREVER,

And to Tina and Scarlett...

"Thanks for giving us a NIGHT to REMEMBER!"

Survivor...Man vs. Woman

For those of you who know me...

know that my favorite ALL-TIME

television show is...

SURVIVOR!

Seriously...I know this is pathetic but I have watched all 18 seasons and plan to watch the 19th season when it comes back on this FALL.

I know ALL the winners, all the losers, all the locations and to top it all off...

I've even had the opportunity to meet (and HUG) the host

JEFF PROBST!

My dream was to someday be on Survivor and prove that my diligence in watching all seasons and episodes...would pay off when I would be the one to

outwit, outlast, outplay and be the Million Dollar winner!

Until,

Ron and I took a trip to Lake Powell and did our own version of Survivor!

Me...when we got there!

Ron...looking distinguished!

Our amazing, private little campsite!

Do you notice...no sun!?! Yes it was cool!

Our only form of cooking...a dutch oven!

Ron's got some skills!

Ron doing what he came to do!

Me doing what I came to do!

Rainbow Bridge is a must see!

OUR one and only picture together!

Ron's amazing photography skills...shocked me with this picture of this beautiful flower...I had no idea I was even in the picture! Love it!

Can you believe this storm!?! We did not expect such cool temperatures!

But Ron loved every minute of it! The cool weather, the fishing and

spending time with his best friend...ME!

Seriously, this man had some amazing FIRE making skills!

So at the end of the trip

and after realizing I don't like cold,

I don't like bugs, I don't like (and am too old) to sleep on the cold hard ground...

that I would SEND

RON

to live out my DREAM!

Survivor...here he comes!

Splashing into SUMMER

We started our summer with a trip to the lake!!

GOT the big one!

After two YEARS

and a few little BLUE gills...

Christopher finally caught

THE BIG ONE!

A nice 2 lb. 3 oz. large mouth bass!

Can you say...WHOOHOO with me!?!

Note to God

Dear God,

Thank you for sending me an

ANGEL.

During my visit with him

I found the PEACE and JOY

I had been searching for at a time in my life when all I felt was

ALONE.

Why do I always doubt whether you are on the other side of that door?

When all I have to do is LET you in!

So you brought me help in the form of my BABY brother!

Who is a GREAT role model to my children,

and teaches them how to be GOOD!

Who plays with them...no matter what they want to do.

Who gave me wisdom and insight...far beyond his years.

I don't think he will ever know what he gave me that week...but I know You do!

Thanks for ALWAYS blessing me with exactly what I need.

Your loving daughter,

Jana

Kent, myself and Chris...Bass Pro Shops!

Swimming time fun with Uncle Kent and kids

Christopher's favorite buddy!

Taken the TRAIN......again!

Reflections...

I was thinking as the children left for school today...

Where did the last year of school go?

I can not believe that after today

Christopher will be an official Junior Higher!

Rachel will move on to 5th Grade,

Katie to 3rd grade,

and Jacob will start Kindergarten!!

And then it made me

REFLECT!

We had some important things we prayed for each morning before

going to school this year,

Christopher...to find good friends. I knew this was the AGE when things start to turn from family to friends, and friends are an important thing to choose.

But he surprised me when,

he ENJOYED spending more time with Ron

doing what boys' love to do,

and being sad when Ron had to work.

And then I realized, our prayers had worked...and he had chosen the RIGHT friend!

(Christopher & Ron - May 2009 at Saguaro Lake)

Rachel...to find herself and to know that she IS a beautiful child of God. Rachel struggles with her self-esteem and she doesn't like to make a MISTAKE.

And BEING a good friend this year wasn't always easy,

especially when girls aren't so NICE at the age of 10.

So she learned what having a TRUE friend and being one back

means to her being a child of GOD.

Our Prayers are working...

Thanks to SUMMER for knowing how to be a true friend.

(Rachel and Summer, May 2009)

Katie...to learn how to READ and to be BRAVE!

Katie moved from the bottom of the reading groups to the TOP...but the coolest thing we learned this year about Katie,

she LOVES math.

Her teacher was so excited to find out, that Katie was her top MATH student when Katie was BRAVE enough to shout out the answer.

So she tested her...TOP of the class!

You go girl!

Prayers definitely answered!

(Katie made this hat in school, May 2009)

Jacob...that him and I would ENJOY each day together!

And to JUMP right into the idea of

BIG SCHOOL next year!

Looks like this prayer is working!

FOUR girls...one man

Our one MAN of the weekend,

was put to work

at Nana's house.

Mowing the yard, killing weeds, hanging pictures...

well you get the idea...

he worked

meanwhile us girls,

well let's just say...

we pretended to work!

Nana, had the UGLY job of

cleaning up the dog poop!

A man has his LIMITS.

But I thought Nana made

quite the fashion statement...

and MODELED to us as such.

And Nana made us

the yummiest dinner of chicken, potato salad and bread,

which we got to sit outside and EAT

for hours,

laughing, talking, sharing memories

and

playing a MEAN game of BINGO!

(Man ?...well he won!)

And the girls

spent hours, and hours, playing with boxes.

and made the coolest

GIRLS clubhouse ever.

They decorated it just like

any GIRL would do...

And the best PART?

No fighting...

And NO BOYS'

Allowed!

We love you, Nana

(Comment is a must, Nana. I'll be checking your blogging skills!)

Don't READ if you believe in Santa Clause....

Christopher lost TWO teeth this week and was upset when the toothfairy didn't come.

Christopher does not believe in

Santa Clause

or the

Easter Bunny

or a

Pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow

so I had no idea he still needed money from the toothfairy!

Good to know that in the end...a kid is still a kid!