Dancing With the Stars Tour!!

Christopher gave me tickets to the Dancing With the Stars Tour for Christmas!! Susan was excited to come with me and is a "Dancing" fan as well.

I have watched Dancing With the Stars since it began - 8 seasons!! It is a unique series that pairs up celebrities with professional ballroom dancers in what can be an intense competition. I love the dazzling costumes, the music and of course the dancing! This years tour featured performances by Lance Bass, Maurice Green, Marlee Matlin, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Mark Balas (a Utah native), Derek Hough (another Utah native), Kym Johnson, Cheryl Burk, Lacey Schwimmer, Edyta Sliwinska, Karina Smirnoff and Fabian Sanchez. Toni Braxton also performed two songs. It was spectacular!!

The stage and dance floor looked just like it does on the show.

Cheryl Burk with her partner, Maurice Green who is an Olympic Gold Medal winner. Cheryl is one of my favorite professional dancers.

The Dancing With the Stars singers and band were at the performance. They are amazing!!

The finale dance was performed to the song "Dancing Queen." Derek Hough stole the show and brought the house down.

Thank you Chris for being so thoughtful.

I loved seeing the show live!

Quote for the week of 12-29-2009

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

2009 will be Divine!!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Morning - 2008!!!

We woke up to a beautiful white Christmas!!
Snow was falling most of the morning and we got several inches.
Santa hanging around on the deck.

"Super Hero" Chris - in recognition of his heroic efforts to make the world a wonderful place!

Everyone in the family has some kind of electronic gadget so Santa thought it was high time Tiffani had one of her own. She likes her Nintendo DS!

Chris tending Makaika's gift.

Tim looking very handsome in his new coat.

New coats for Mark and Tiff!

George and family stopped by Christmas morning.

Makaiya sees her new doll.

Chris got Kawika a gun because his parents forgot to get him one!!

Christmas night we visited with Johnnie Belle and Lee.

Johnnie Belle got a new electronic piano for Christmas.

Johnnie Belle likes her new jacket!

Chris loves his grandmother and visits her almost every Sunday.

It was a happy Christmas and we are soooo blessed!!

Christmas Eve - 2008

Tiffani's parents - Brad and Cindi

Tiff loves her new jammies!

Table all set for our Christmas Eve dinner.

We enjoyed having Tiffani's parents join us.

Our second Christmas with Tiff!

Chris is seriously ready to play games!

Tiff is the champion "Mad Gab" player - a good time all around!

Williams Family Christmas Party - 2008

The newest member of our family, Poppy, Mike and Pam's twelfth grandchild. She is standing by for the Nativity pageant!!

Our Williams Family Christmas party always includes the Nativity, Jude as an amazing shepard!

Mark was the narrator this year and cousins, nieces and nephews make up the wonderful cast. Tiffani and Greta were lovely angels.

Chris as Joseph, Cheyenne as Mary and Poppy as baby Jesus. Thanks to Brooke for producing a wonderful Nativity.

Yeah, the "Queen's Storyteller!!!"

Lee never disappoints spending hours writing an original Christmas story and putting together the most incredible costume.

Minie and Gabi with their Christmas swords?!

I enjoyed the show with sweet Greta!!

Family!!

My Mark and Tiff - love them.

Johnnie Belle complete with her "Merry Christmas" banner! When your 87 you can do as you please!!

Minie!!

Elijah with his favorite Uncle Lee

Johnnie Belle brought paper so we could write a note to our missionaries - Elder Aaron Kay in Mexico and Elder Eric Williams in Chile.

I love Greta - she looks like a Christmas princess!!

More family!

Holley looking like a teenager with Mark and Tiffani!
Fun, fun night with family - we missed those who don't live in Utah!

Thanks to everyone who helped make it a wonderful night!!!

Williams Top Ten List - 2008

10. After working with his brother Mike for 20+ years, Tim has opened his own fledgling law practice specializing in estate planning. He hasn’t practiced in this areas before so he has a lot to learn. He has gone to several weeks of continuing education and is studying like he’s back in school. It’s a big leap, but we all know he can do it with our support. Life and its changes - - isn’t it interesting.

9. Mark and Tiffani spent the summer in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. We missed them but it was good for them to be across the country, together, relying on just themselves. Mark worked very hard everyday, door to door selling alarm systems. Tiff was very supportive and worked part-time at the mall. They had a productive and growing summer and we were so proud of them!

8. One of Tim’s seminar’s was in Chicago, and when I saw how close it was to Ft. Wayne, I tagged along. We flew into Chicago and had an enjoyable drive to Ft. Wayne. We stopped to see the historic campus of Notre Dame. We celebrated Mark’s birthday while we were there and enjoyed about 24 hours with them before returning to Chicago. While Tim was at class, I enjoyed walking around Chicago – lots of window shopping and free concerts in Grant Park! We also got to see "Wicked" – a great musical.

7. Christopher finally got his long awaited trip to China this summer. He spent 6 weeks taking advanced Chinese at Beijing University. His Chinese came right back and the locals were always amazed at how fast he talked – and his ability to use the local lingo. As it worked out, he was there during the Olympics, and got a chance to see a number of events. He hung out with a group of other students and they had a blast. He’s anxious to go back, but we don’t want him getting too attached to a land so far away.

6. Mark and Tiffani celebrated their first wedding anniversary on December 8. We have LOVED having a daughter. She is an angel and we feel so thankful that they found each other.

5. Christopher graduates from Utah Valley University in a few weeks with a B.S. in Business. He will hold the distinction of being Glenn and Johnnie Belle's first grandson to graduate from college. We are so proud of him. He's also working on several business ideas.

4. Mark and Tiffani are staying with us until they can find the right place to live. We love hearing laughter from the basement. Mark is working at Orange Soda (a web optimization company). Tiffani is a very capable orthodontic assistant. Mark will attend college in January to finish his degree. We are proud of the goals they have set and want to do everything we can to support them. Still no grandbabies – but there’s no pressure from us!

3. Eileen sang in the Relief Society choir for the general Relief Society meeting. It was a once in a lifetime experience. She is still serving as stake Relief Society president and at the Mount Timpanogos Temple once a week.

2. What an amazing difference Tiff has made in our family dynamics on Sunday's when we're all together for dinner and Sunday night games. We have fun together.

1. We are so grateful for all the Lord's blessings to us, our health, each other, our beautiful home and neighborhood, our wonderful friends and extended family.