Our Tomatoes Have Cancer

Our tomato plants have produced a number of odd-looking fruit but this one has got to be the strangest!

Read Now - Time Sensitive Post!

Summer is quickly coming to an end and my stint as an actress will soon be through. And in case some of you didn't know: I play Juliet's nurse in the American West Heritage Center's Wild West Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet - A Musical Comedy. And if any of you have any desire to see it, you better act fast!
Tonight is "friends and family, pay-what-you-can night." And tomorrow night is the last night open to the public. (We have one more private performance next weekend.) So if you want to see the show for cheap, show up tonight (Thursday, Sept. 3) with $5 or so and enjoy. (Show starts at 7 p.m.) Or if you want to pay the big bucks and get the chuck-wagon dinner tomorrow night, call the Heritage Center for reservations (435) 245-6050.
4025 S. Hwy 89, Wellsville. Hope to see y'all there!

Melanie

It took six years for my German sister Melanie to make it back to the United States for a visit, but it was well worth the wait! It was so good to see her and we had so much fun together! So I guess not much has changed since she came to live with my family for 10 months back in 2002 as a foreign exchange student.
I have a ton of pictures from her stay and had a hard time deciding which to post. So here are just a few of the highlights:
Pickup trucks are not common in Europe so Melanie was dieing to take Mark's for a test drive. I hopes it lived up to her expectations.
We went to Manti to visit my family and enjoyed an afternoon at the swimming pool.
Then my family came to Logan to hang out and watch me in the play, and visit Minnetonka Cave (near Bear Lake).
The night before Melanie's return flight, we ate at Café Sabor. It was so sad knowing she would be leaving in the morning.
After Mark and I dropped her off at the airport, we went to breakfast and then to a store where Mark had to pick up a bathtub for work. By that time it was time for Melanie's departure. I watch several planes take off and most likely saw her plane (although I'll never know). I hope it won't take another 6 years before I see her again. Maybe it's time for me to make another trip to Europe!

Project: Guest Room

A while back I mentioned that Mark missed the Mickelson family reunion in order to work on a project. That day he built the closet pictured above and over the next 2.5 weeks he made a guest room and bathroom out of the empty wall frames that stood in our unfinished basement.
I forgot to upload the "before" picture but I'm sure you all know what an unfinished basement looks like. Mark worked like crazy to get it done in time for our special house guest (whom I will blog more about in my next post). His labors included: electrical and plumbing work; hanging sheetrock, baseboard, casing, taping, mudding, caulking and painting the walls; sealing the cement floor; installing the vanity, mirror, lights, tub-surround and a bunch of other things I'm sure I've forgotten. Thanks-a-million honey!
Of course Mark did all the real work, but I felt like I had a million and one decisions to make, and kept busy (repeatedly) visiting stores all over town to make them, so it was work for me as well :)
P.S. We expect more visitors now. Hint, hint.

News

I'm so excited and had to share the news with all of you: At 3 days shy of 20 months old, Ivy has finally cut her very first tooth!!! Hooray! Even Mark and Millie are excited and we're now discussing plans to celebrate this momentous event.

More Wedding Photos

My mom took a bunch of great shots at the wedding that I snagged off her Facebook page. Above is Millie with her cousin Xander who is one month older than her.

My mom feels so bad that she didn't get a picture of all 5 of her daughters together at the wedding but 3 out of 5 isn't too shabby.
Left to right: Millie, my neice Ellie, my brother Max, nephews Kurin and Xander.
Ivy and Mark had a great time sitting back (eating) and watching all the action.
And here's another windy family shot at the temple.

Mandie's Married

My little sister Mandie got married on Tuesday. She is now Mandie Valenzuela! She and her husband Danny are a perfect match and we are so happy to have him as part of our family!

Millie was the flower girl and here she is passing off the bouquet to the bride after the ceremony.
The Manti Temple grounds were so beautiful, and this would have made a great family picture if it weren't for the wind and Millie's uncooperative attitude. (I was holding her hands because she kept covering her face!)
Millie was a much better sport when it came to modeling with her aunts Ariel and Deanna, and uncle Max.
Mark and I were also married in the Manti temple, so it holds a special place in our hearts as well.