Weekend at Lake Roosevelt

Our time at the Lake was so much fun. Tyler enjoyed fishing with daddy and his cousin Carter several times...

We also enjoyed a little hiking...

...and A Lot of boating and tubing! It was so much fun! The kids and adults alike had a great time on the new tube Russ and Katie just got!

See Conner trying to do his "thumbs up" :) He is still perfecting it!

Spencer did a great job skiing!

I decided to try wake boarding again. It's fun...I'm definitely a beginner!

Tanner is doing great on the board too! Guaranteed his skills will surpass mine quickly!

Keith and Tanner enjoyed fishing a little too, and "observing" nature around the lake.

Hunter stayed up FOREVER! We finally dropped the rope, thinking he must be tired. When we came up to him, he said"Why did you drop the rope?" Apparently he wasn't wiped out!

Conner loved all of it!

The Pageant and Vegas

First of all I want to thank all of you who showed interest and watched the pageant "stuff" that was aired on TV. As you know if you did watch, Whitney did not make it into the final 14. The pageant lasts 4 nights total. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are when the girls all perform their talents, model their swimsuits, evening gowns, and have their interviews. So the only thing aired, besides the one-hour preliminary show, is the final night, Saturday night, where they immediately eliminate all but the top 14. Whitney was not one of the top 14. So, that was a bummer!!! We were all totally shocked because of course we think she's the greatest! She's phenomenal on the piano - (if you saw the preliminary show when you could vote then you saw her play twice) She's also so great in her interviews! She was one of 4 girls wearing a one-piece bathing suit, (out of 53) so considering how much they focused on the bikinis in the preliminary show, and you never once saw a girl in a one-piece, maybe that was her drawback. Anyway around it, she said (after the pageant when we were back at the condo) she has no regrets! She didn't mess up on anything she did - she was awesome and performed at her best! I must say I am so amazed and impressed at her accomplishments and all she's had to do to get where she is! We all are! You're awesome Whitney!

All that being said, the weekend in Vegas was so fun! I haven't been there in years!!! I loved seeing everything, including the Belagio - here are my parents at the gardens
eating and SHOPPING at Miracle Mile. My new favorite store - White House Black Market! Can't wait to go there again - hopefully they have sales!
This is Jenn and baby Lucy, me, Becky and Jessica and baby Isabel.

Another one from inside the Belagio.

Strolling around outside. The Eiffel Tower was cool! But the coolest thing was the outside Dancing Water Fountain at the Belagio. Loved it! Very worth watching!

And of course the whole reason for the trip...Jess and I at the Pageant!

It was awesome being able to spend time with my family! We were with Jess and Mike and the girls the whole time which was great! I wish we'd had as much time with Denise's family, but the time we did have was still so nice! There's nothing better than family unity and time shared together!

Vote for my niece in the Miss America Pageant

Denise, Whitney and Mitch! My niece Whitney Merrifield (Denise's daughter) is the current Miss Utah! And if you'd seen her perform at the pageant, you'd understand why. She's amazing! She's beautiful, intelligent, thin, and incredibly talented on the piano. It was so AWESOME watching her perform! The audience was in an uproar when she finished! And so now, she's off to Miss America. The pageant is this month, January 25th - 30th. And here's the part where YOU come in...

Save the date and VOTE FOR WHITNEY!

All you need to know is...



Voting Information:
First, watch the 2010 Miss America Pageant One-Hour Special Friday, January 29th on TLC. Check your local listings or visit TLC.com for channel information.

Following the Friday night special, America will be asked to vote for their favorites from a field of 10-12 contestants chosen by the 53 contestants themselves, not a team of outside consultants. The top four with the highest votes will be placed in the top-15 the final night. Vote for Whitney!

Miss America Pageant:
Saturday, January 30th on TLC.
Watch the Top 15 compete in swim wear, Top 12 in Evening wear and Top 10 perform their talent.

And, if you want to help spread the word, that'd be awesome!

Many of us family members will be there! Can't wait!

GO WHITNEY!!!