Spring in Vegas

This is the time of year we enjoy living in Las Vegas.



Our back yard is just buzzing with activity...

Karl has been buzzing about the yard also.

We are trying another approach to gardening in our mini-yard.
So we are hoping our little garden will grow.



Then we took a quick trip up to Mt. Charleston.

It's still winterland just 30 minutes away.

Happy Anniversary

Happy 1st Anniversary
Clark & RachelMarch 8, 2008

Congratulations!

Look again!

For the second time in the past few months I've been given the "courtesy" of a "Senior Discount"! What gives...Do I look like I deserve a senior discount!!! I like a bargain but I rather pay the extra buck than get something I don't deserve...especially if it is a senior discount! I pride myself on looking "okay" for my age...but maybe I need to look again :( I guess I need to be hitting the gym and the hair color.

I know this comes right after my post on missing my grandkids...but I have some pride issues here!

There's something extra special about Grandkids...

And we sure miss them!

Our Very Little Greta

Tinkerbell Violet
Charlie & his best friend Bear

Cousins.
(Being a Far-away Gramma is hard!)

A farewell dinner.

Last night was our last evening with Steph until we meet her in Canada for the reception there. Jake was working so we decided to surprise him...and show up at Claim Jumper for dinner in his section. It was great fun...of course we had to hide...or at least keep our backs to the dining room while we waited for a table for 3 to be available in his section.

Surprise!

What a grin when he saw us...or at least when he saw Steph. Of course he was a bit embarassed by the picture taking...we tried to be sneaky...but the flash kept giving us away.

Here's Jake in action.May I take your order?

Great Service.


He's trying to ignore us.

Of course one has to leave a note and phone# for the "Hot" Waiter!

Proud Parents.

Artistic Expression.

We Toblers are talented! Usually it's well hidden but sometimes it just comes out.
We are artistic and our medium of choice is GRAHAM CRACKERS!

Jake & Steph were feeling a bit left out when they missed the building of the the Graham Cracker houses at the Tobler Christmas in Dupont. A Total Artistic Experience!So for their last free night together they decided let their artistic talents bloom.
They made Graham Cracker Houses...but not just any Graham Cracker Houses...

But the Salt Lake Temple....I wonder what inspired that?!

A Scientific Study

It's a proven fact...

If I don't get the garbage out first thing in the morning on garbage day...
The garbage truck comes before 8 am
and I miss it!

If I get the garbage out by 8 am..
The garbage truck doesn't come until late afternoon.

A tried and tested fact!

Good bye to an old friend

We don't just own a car...we Toblers marry them...for eternity or so it seems. But that's okay, I loved my "Old Lady Luxury car", my 1990 Cadillac Deville. It was a good ride...at least for the first 7 or so years. The past few years the poor thing was getting feeble. I really didn't like to drive her any further away than I could walk in 45 minutes. She's gone now and I do miss her or at least I miss what she was in her earlier years.She's been replaced...probably another "marriage" for us...a 2008 Nissan Sentra. We haven't really bonded yet and this one doesn't have a name yet. But I admit I feel like I've got wings..finally. I can go anywhere not only here in Vegas...But I could drive cross country. I don't remember ever having a car that I would trust taking alone long distances. It's so nice and I still have pinch myself that it is real. So I think me and my new car will get along just fine.

Happy Valentine Day
Wish we could share our cookies with you!

Makin' us Toblers look good.

Congratulations
to the newest Dr. ToblerToday Amy is officially a PhD of Human Health Behaviors.
(we think that's the title)
We are so proud of her for her hard work, dedication and for taking care of Jeff.

January in Vegas

We spent a lot of our Saturday in the yard cleaning
and pruning.It was hard to prune the roses when they were still full of beautiful blossoms.

Jake's new-to-him wheels

Following Clark's recommendations...Jake purchased

1994 Chevy Lumina
82,000 Miles
Clean one owner
Owned by a grandpa that just drove it to church...
At least that's the story.

Rachel tagged me...so here it is...and it was an exercise for the memory.

Sweetheart Tag

1. Where did you first meet your hubby?
The first time I met Karl was on our first date. It was a blind date set up by his cousin, Michael Tobler, who thought we should meet. Funny thing is neither of us wanted to go...I didn't want to go out with some guy that couldn't get a date on his own and Karl didn't want to go out with a very young freshmen... he was 23, I was 18.

2. What do you remember about him most?
He was hot! A cross between Robert Redford and a guy in high school I was secretly lusting after. He was also very funny...he kept making these crow calls...funny but somewhat embarrassing.

3. Who asked who out first? For our second date...Karl! Remember this was way back in the day when a girl asking a guy out was taboo. She would be seen as hard up for dates or obnoxiously forward. And it took him a week or so to finally ask me out for another date after our blind date...I was going nuts waiting!

4. What did you do on your first date?
First date...I don't really remember...it was some event or dance in downtown Provo that was so crowded that we left and went to A&W for rootbeer. That's when the crow calls really started. Second date...first real date...we went to a 50's dance on campus (no it wasn't in the 1950's...it was in the 70's so the 50's was an era gone by). There was a dance contest (vote by applause) and we came in third...that's when we decided we loved to dance .

5. What was your favorite thing to do together while you were dating?
Swing dance and eat at Dee's...5 hamburgers for a dollar. Hang out around temple grounds.

6. When was your first kiss with your sweetheart? Third or fourth date...the memory is foggy. I was waiting for/envisioned a romantic unexpected swoop-in kiss...But Karl politely ask if he could have " a little smackaroo"...not the romantic unexpected swoop-in I had expected...but oh well, it was a nice kiss.

7. Who said it (I love you) first?
Me...then when he didn't reciprocate and I was devastated. I'm still waiting...Not really. He always says he loves me!


8. When did you realize you first loved him?
I really don't know...It just grew and keeps growing. So how I loved him way back then is nothing compared to how I love him now...of course there was a lot more lusting going on back then.


9. How did he propose? One Evening on the Idaho Falls temple grounds. He just asked and I said yes. But we didn't really announce it until we had a ring. And I can't remember how he gave me the ring...must of been really memorable!


10. What do you remember about your wedding day? The part we loved the best was having both of our families around us. Put karl's family all together and they were as crazy as he was.

After the ceremony we were to have pictures on the temple grounds...Karl had forgotten to bring a sports jacket (he was wearing plaid pant, not a suit! but that was fine in the 70's) So in those pictures he's wearing his father's jacket.


We had a dinner after the temple in our basement...that my dad had worked so hard to remodel before the wedding.

For our reception Karl was suppose to be wearing a lavender tux...but it didn't come in or it was the wrong size...but the tux place had a yellow one...I didn't care at all...yellow was fine. Now it surprises me how easy going I was about my wedding details...it just wasn't that important to me.
At our reception my uncle Louis's dance band played and it was very fun. Alot of people stayed and danced or even came back after their other obligations to dance. Dances and DJ were very uncommon way back then...at least in our "neck of the woods".

August 14, 1975....33 years and having more fun than ever together.

I tag Jera, Diane, Renae and Lynnette...my friends that should have blogs but don't! This is a great time to start one. And I'm still waiting to see Janet's that Rachel tagged. I would also love to see Kimberly's ...but she would rather have her toenails pulled out than blog. But that's okay!

Yes...It's Official

Jakob Tobler
&
Stephanie Van den Berge
have chosen
April 11, 2009
to be married for time and all eternity
in the Salt Lake Temple

Our Arizona Adventure

We had a fun time with Clark and Rachel this past weekend.

Besides cheering Rachel on at the PF Chang Rock & Roll Marathon
We enjoyed good music, good food and good scenery.Rachel has discover a new talent on the drums.

...under Clark's tutelage.
With two drumsets in the house they now have dueling drums.
( a friend is storing his set there).

Clark and Rachel got a little dancing in while Karl practiced.
Monday's Breakfast...a dozen Dunkin' Donuts!
(It must be another day off from the Tobler Challenge)

Then we ventured out into the SanTan Mountains.

Where we hiked to the top of a ridge and took in a beautiful view of the valley.

It was rough going down for poor Rachel...
her legs were still screaming from the Marathon.

The beautiful Arizona landscape...a different beautiful.

For lunch we decided to bypass "In & Out" for a culinary adventure...
a mexican eatery that looked pretty authentic.

Good homemade enchiladas and burritos served on mis-matched Corelleware.
We felt good supporting a small (very small) business.
(Next time we have our eye on a hot dog place that looked bumpin' or the burrito shack that is really in a shack...we think it might still be in business.)

Rachel's 1st Marathon!

Today Rachel ran in the PF Chang Marathon. She was disappointed with her time but considering she was battling a cold a day ago, had to make a few stops, got leg cramps and had to stretch out several times...her running time was amazing. She doesn't want to post her time but most people would be thrilled with approximately 196 minutes.

Still smiling at mile 2.

Headed to the finish line and still going strong!Recovering with Jenna, her coach and running buddy.

Tired tootsies!A good end!