Big slacker when it comes to blogging!!!!

Okay so I haven't blogged in what seems like eternity! but, really has only been about three months. Well where do I begin? I left off with Casey playing football and though we didn't have a winning season it was still great! We went on to win against Canyon View which is the other High School in Cedar City. We then made the playoffs but then lost. Casey had a great football season and even made 2ND string division team. I think that's what its called. He is looking forward to his senior year and is working hard at getting himself ready in fact he is wrestling this year which he hasn't done in about 3 years and so far hes doing pretty good. Nicole is almost done with cosmetology school and is not quite sure what she wants to do next maybe finish her degree at Dixie state. Cody and Sara just celebrated their 1st year anniversary and just got their first baby! A little pug named Hugo! I haven't seen him yet bet I hear he is adorable! I think that will be it for them for a while as far as Kids go for now!! they are also planing to go to the Temple soon.Looking forward for that. Noelle is growing taller I swear each day She has completely passed Nicole and I both up. She is still cheering on Raglan a competitive cheer squad and we are leaving today for a Competition in Salt Lake. Which is good because we may get to see Gary. He is now working in Wyoming for a company called Haliburton. As the economy was getting worse we were struggling big time with our concrete company and we had to do something, We sold our house and are now just renting a few blocks away to keep the kids in their same schools and Gary went to Wyoming. He has been in School training since October and we have only seen him about 3 times since.He didn't even get to come home for Thanksgiving and wont be home for Christmas. Once he is done with school he will work 2 weeks straight and be home for 1 week. but we feel very blessed because so many people in the construction business are really struggling and this is a really good opportunity for us. And eventually we will be making a move further up North probably after Casey graduates. As for me I'm just trying to hold down the fort here in St. George and am still working 2 days a week at Taylor Andrews the hair school Nicole is going to. Oh and I finally got my Braces off!! I love Dr. Feller and everyone @ his office they are awesome and I Love my new SMILE! Thats it for the Shafer family these days and in spite of all the trials this past year I feel very grateful for the many blessings in my life.

LOST AGAIN!

Friday Night Desert Hills lost to Eldorado!!! Eldorado never won when I went there back in the eighties!! Casey said they were a good team that showed good sportsmanship and they definitely beat us in size!!! Well hopefully we will get a chance next year to play them again!!!

Homecoming Dance

Casey went to his first homecoming dance Saturday night. He asked a real cute girl Lexi and I think they had a great time. For their day date Casey and his friends took the girls to a Cabin in Kolob and made the girls dinner! They then went to the dance I thought Casey looked pretty handsome! He's such a cute kid! Even though he would not smile for one picture!!!
Casey And Lexi
Morgan, Kolby, Lexi and Casey
Casey and Lexi on the red carpet
Brad, Haley,Aaron,Chantelle,Lexi andCasey
Lexi and Casey again!

Homecoming Game(New Coming)

Friday night was Desert Hills First Homecoming game Or New coming seeing how it was our first ever! Anyways it was a good game, but we lost in over time which was a real bummer! I think the boys just had other things on their minds because they just didn't play as good as the past 2 weeks oh well hopefully they will have a better game against Eldorado next week!

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

It was a great game on Friday Night we had an away game in Salem Hills. We were down the entire game until the 4th quarter. There was about a minute left in the game and Desert Hills was up by 7 and Salem Hills had the ball when the Quarter back threw and interception to Casey to end the game!

2008 FOOTBALL SEASON HAS BEGUN!!!

Ok so this year Casey is playing Varsity @ the new high school in St. George Desert Hills High.
We had our first game this past friday night and it was great! We played Uinta they are a high school from up north. Anyways we stomped them with a score of 36-3! What a way to start off the season! Casey is #55 and is starting @ middle linebacker on defense and also starts @ o line. He is pretty good and did make his first local news debut! So check out KCSG news and go to sports and week one. So wish us luck for a great season!

Happy Anniversary!

Gary and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary this past weekend. We had the most wonderful weekend! We drove down to southern California. The weather was perfect! We stayed in Encinitas which is where I grew up as a kid and it was really great because I had lost contact with an old friend who is like a brother to me Shawn.
I looked him up before we left and we all got together for dinner and then we went to the beach. Saturday Gary and I went and saw Dallas play in a pre- season game against San Diego and even though Dallas lost we still had a great time! It really was just the most perfect weekend and I hope Gary and I continue to share many more anniversaries like this past weekend!

The Cheerleaders for San Diego before the game
Gary at the game
The beautiful southern California coast
The San Diego Temple
Gary @ the Beach
Don, Cherie and Shawn
Gary showing off his muscles!
The Sunset
my sis and mom
My bro Shawn!
Gary and I @ the beach!

IDAHO

So last week was my 40th birthday, and I really thought that Gary would arrange to have my best friend Shawnee there for my birthday, but he didn't. But he made up for it by taking me to Idaho to see her. She lives in this really small town called Filer which is right next to twin Falls. It was really great to see her and her family. We had a great time even though it was kinda a short trip. We went to the snake river and to the Shoshone falls and we also got a special treat the Twin Falls Idaho Temple was having their open house and so we got to tour the Temple! It was really great that my girls got to see the inside of the Temple and see how beautiful it was and it was really great to take Nicole's boyfriend Danny through because he is not a member and I think he really enjoyed it and learned a lot. We also made a few stops along the way and one was to the Salt Lake Temple and I think he liked that too. So my birthday was really great I stretched it out over the whole weekend! And I'm not even done because my kids all got me Alan Jackson tickets for August 16th! Wow do I know how to turn 40 or what


A Waterfall in Twin Falls Idaho
Gary's favorite ice cream shop since he was a little kid(this is actually in Ogden)
Nicole and Danny at the snake river
Nicole and Britt in Filer Idaho
Noelle and Sarialye in Filer Idaho
all of us in Filer Idaho(Notice how busy the town is!)ha ha
Nicole Riding a tractor in Filer Idaho!
Gary and I at the snake river
Danny, Nicole, Gary and Noelle
The Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls Idaho
me and my girls

Me and my girls again
Shawnee teaching Danny how to make eclairs
The Twin Falls Idaho Temple
Gary and I and our Girls
Shawnee and I
Gary and I
Britt and Shawnee
all of us at the Twin Falls Idaho Temple
cute little Sarialye
Nicole and Britt
Nicole and Noelle at the Twin Falls Idaho Temple
We stopped to see Gary's aunt Bonnie and Uncle Duanne in Ogden
The Salt lake Temple
Noelle And Nicole at the Salt Lake Temple
Nicole and Danny at the Salt Lake Temple
Nicole,Danny,Me,Noelle and Gary outside Temple Square in Salt Lake

GIRLS CAMP 2008!!!

So last week was girls camp for or stake (The Little Valley Stake in St. George) And as much as I do miss some of my dear girls camp buddies from the Sunrise Stake in Vegas (Jen, bro Skinner, Laura Bailey, And Sloan to name a few) I had such a great time this year and I was really impressed with this stake and especially my ward, the Little Valley 1st ward. These girls were absolutely amazing! And I had such a great time this year. It is really great to belong to a church that to know that wherever you go in the world that you have people in the church that when you are in a new place with just strangers and within no time these people become your brothers and sisters and you feel their love and have great love for them. And yes I will always have a special place in my heart for the sunrise stake where I spent my first 18 years as a member of this church. But I find comfort in knowing and it strengthens my testimony to know wherever I go I am blessed with great members of this church. I am grateful for the opportunity I had this past week to spend time with some of these good members and especially these young women they are awesome!

Little Valley Stake Girls Camp 2008!!!! This is hilarious. I have never seen it before. It is called marshmallow muffy poo!
We took a hike and believe it or not it was fun!
All The Leaders from our ward
All The Young women from our ward
You cant have girls camp without banana boats!!

DO I REALLY NEED ANOTHER MARSHMELLOW?
Bro and Sis Salisbury our camp cook and camp director
Kailee and sis Gooch
Some of my awesome 1st years! Kodi and Brinley
Kassidy, Katelyn, and Charity
Noelle and I (whats up with my smile??)
Sis Roper and I
Katelyn Roper
playing games at camp
We did a humanitarian project for orphans in Haiti
Bishop Powell was quite proud of his blanket
we made tie die shirts
And we always had fun at role call!!!