JodySimmer.com

It has been a long, tiring, stressful, fun, exciting, lots of late nights, successful 4 years! CONGRATS to Jay's Journeyman Lineman Apprenticeship Class! They all did a great job. They, and their families, should be very proud of all their hard work! To celebrate, the class invited all the other lineman in the company to come and celebrate with them. It was a really fun night! We enjoyed being with friends and I enjoyed meeting lots of Jay's other co-workers. Now on to the next adventure... whatever that may be!

It is always great to be in Show Low to celebrate the 4th of July! It is my favorite time of year to be home! This year the parade was a little different for us. Rather than watch the parade from the sides, we got to be IN the parade! My step-dad, Zeke Austin, is running for Constable of Show Low Precinct 5 so we were able to be in the parade with him to show our support. Mom and Zeke rode horseback, Justin and his family walked and passed out candy and campaign cards, and me, Jay and the kids sat in the back of the truck waving signs and keeping the candy bags filled, and Pardner and Grandma were in the truck driving-4 generations! It was great to be there and show our support to Zeke. We are very proud of him and his decision to run for Constable! VOTE FOR AUSTIN!

We enjoyed another SUPER FUN week at the Lake! It is always such a fun week away with family! The kids had the best time swimming in the lake. They had just finished up a couple sessions of swimming lessons, so they were more at ease and confident in the water. This year we added another boat to the fleet. The week before the trip Jay bought a catamaran sailboat. No one in the group had ever sailed before! It was fun to watch the guys figure out all the rigging and sails and take it on it's maiden voyage! Everyone enjoyed skiing, wake boarding, and the kids had a great time being pulled on the tube behind the boat. Even Jacy and Jake took a turn with daddy! ANOTHER great year at the lake!

We had a chance to get away for a weekend in Show Low and it was wonderful! The weather was perfect! While we were there Mom and Zeke were able to take us to the Ellsworth's Ranch and take the kids horseback riding for their first time ever! They had a GREAT TIME! Jacy kept saying, "I really feel like a cowgirl now!"

Jacy did it! She graduated from Pre-School!!! Jacy has had a wonderful 2 years with Mrs. Tiffany! she is really going to miss having her for a teacher. Mrs. Tiffany has done so many wonderful things with her classes these past two years! Jacy is able to write her first and last name, she knows all her colors and shapes and can write her letters and numbers. She knows the months of the year and the days of the week. Jacy has brought home some really fun and creative crafts and learned some fun songs and games that we can play as a family. During the last 1/2 of the year the focus was on reading and by the end of the year there were many words and beginner books that Jacy would read all by herself! We are so proud of Jacy's progress and so grateful for Mrs. Tiffany's time and efforts she puts into her class. We are looking forward to Jake attending her class next year! Thanks Grandpa Zeke for coming to her graduation ceremony! She was so excited for you to be there! CONGRATS OUR ...

My mom turned the BIG 6-0 This year! We had a really great time celebrating with her. We had a party at the Hook-N-Spur on the Ellsworth's Ranch. Lots of family and friends were there to join in the fun. Some of her childhood friends were there too. It was neat to meet them and hear stories about when mom was young. I think Jacy's favorite part was helping Grandma eat the corner of cake that was loaded down with extra frosting, and Jake really had a g reat time playing cowboy golf with his Grandpa Zeke. Mom was a real trooper with all the "OLD" gag gifts that she received and she looked great with her "This Princess is OLD" sash. LOVE YOU MOM!

It doesn't happen too often, but today I got to enjoy the double celebration of Mother's Day and my birthday! When I was little my Mom said that on my birthday I was very sad and pouty all day. When she asked me what was wrong I responded with, "It's my special day and I have to share it with you!". Now that I am older and wiser (yeah right!) I am honored to celebrate these days together. I can't think of a better birthday gift than being a mom! We had a full fun-filled day today! It started with flowers from my sweet husband and kids! Then we headed out for our annual Mother's Day brunch at the Mesa Country club with Grandma Greta, Pardner, and the Campbell Clan. It is always so much fun to get to see everyone! After that we headed to Grandma and Pardner's house for our May birthday family celebration. Most of our family's birthdays are in May, so we always hold one big birthday party to celebrate. Next it was home for a family nap! We were all ex...