Valery West McDonald

For some of you this is new to you, Valery is my real mother who past away when I was 12, she was killed in a head on collision in Star Valley, Wyoming and a frigid day. The roads were slippery and the fog was extremely thick that morning. I remembered coming to school, and some of the 7th graders and teachers had come to me telling me they thought they had seen her car crashed and told me to immediately call home. My dad had been home that day because my younger brother Ryan was home sick, but when I called there was no answer, so I went to classes. Later on, a policeman and my uncle showed up at school and took me to my aunt Terry's home, where the rest of my siblings were at, we waited and waited with my aunt. It was wierd, we listened to music and danced, then my dad, and grandparents showed up and set us down on the bed and told us she had died. It was so emotional, can you imagine telling your 4 children your wife and thier mother had died.

She was a speech pathologist, she worked with children who were handicapped literally. She commuted from Star Valley to Cokeville, I think twice a week to work with these wonderful children and helped them through a lot in their life.

She was young and beautiful, intelligent, funny, she always said really funny things, and I am told that she was the "boss", if you know what I mean. She was always willing to help anyone and was a faithful Mormon, she taught us well, and lived rightously.

I do miss her and love her very much.

I took these pictures from my sisters web, some are old, but I get a laugh out of looking at them, I also know where I get my long, thick hair-you will see.

Love you mom.

BIG PARTY!!!

As most of you know the time has come for me to finally graduate, yes, I know seriously, this is NOT a joke, it is going to happen. So leave the date open for Friday, May 22. There will be a party somewhere...

(don't worry-I will be walking across the stage, I have paid the dues for graduation, and that has never happend.)

And I just added some pics from two years ago..of the kiddies and of my brother Ryan, actually the one of Claire is from our "fake cooking show", we love to bake and cook together.

"ROGER THAT"

The infamous "Top Secret location" notice how Travis is running to get in the van.

These two are the Bridge and tunnel, notice the pic to the right, you can tell when the bridge stops and the tunnel begins, I think this is for the all the ship coming departing and coming in.

Mike is still the same, remember Ninjas-MIKE?

Mike, Jenn, me, and Travis. (my hair is a little crazy)

With all the time on my hands, I decided to go and visit a friend who is in the army in Virginia Beach. He is in the music section of the army and is getting ready to graduate this coming up Friday. My friend Jenn went with me, we drove down on Friday night, got there late and camce back last night-Sunday. It was an adventure, to avoid traffic in the Baltimore and D.C. areas, we drove down the Delmarva Peninsula. Delmarva-Deleware, Maryland, and Virginia. It's on the eastern shores of the CHesepeake Bay. It was long-only because it was late and dark, we got to the southern tip which takes you to the Chesepeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Not let me tell you about this, it is what connects the peninsula to Virginia Beach, it is really long-I think 7 miles. At night it was extremely scarry for me, I started getting anxious and couldn't WAIT to get off. In the day a much different story. It was really cool, still really long.

One more thing, my camera's battery died and Jenn forgot hers, so we bought disposable ones, we used them on Sat. and mine on Sunday, so the pics of Sat, will go up when we get finished with the cameras and I get them developed, I hope they turn out.

We also had the oppurtunity to go to Williamsburg, which was only 46 miles from the base we were at, we got there late and missed all the action. The old Williamsburg is one of the first settlements, so they bring the town to life, its a reenactment of when they first settled.

Our friend Mike who use to live in Jersey is one of the main reasons we went and so it was fun to see him in his surroundings on base and off, he has changed for the most part, looks a little different, but also is more confident in himself. His changes are for the good. He also had a close friend who hung out with us-Travis, who has been in the army for four years longer than Mike. In the army you are not allowed to spend time with a solder who is younger than you otherwise it is fratinizing, so in order to hang out with him we had a "TOP SECRET" location to pick him up and drop him off. (THE LIBRARY, or the trash dumpsters behind the library). Talk about histerical. You will see the pics. Overall this was a great trip and we congratulate Travis and Mike for the work and service they do for our country and wish them the best of luck in Texas and Korea.

It was a weird feeling to be on base..completely different lifestyle, not sure if I could do it, so many rules and no way would I be getting up at 5 a.m. everyday to do physical training. I don't like being told what to do, but let me tell you that I would love most males to go through basic training, I cannot tell you how awesome it was to have them say yes, mam, no mam. I wanted to bring them home with me, they were so respectful and kind.

Friends

Ok, so I had to add more of the babies room, Shauna yourHIRED. And I also had to add pics of Ty with the boys..Elliot, didn't want to see me, it was a hard day. Also I added one more picture of the fam. We were sitting around at V's house.

Ok, so the babies room was so cute and Shauna did such a good job I had to take pics...and what was really cute was her oldest Oliver was so excited when I got there, he came and gave me the biggest hug and snuggled up to me...what a sweetheart. her house looks so good..

Shauna and Matilda-new addition, along with Oliver and I. Her family looks so good, and it was so much fun to see them..it just so happends she lives about 15 minutes from sister Vauna.

Chrissy, what is going on? I see your retainer-I think....I know it is one of those lights that you were using on New Years. Good seeing you.

Look how long her hair is.

Ivy and I reminiscing...what fun we use to have, and what trouble makers we were.

I got to see five of my old jersey friends, Ivy, Shawn, Nicole, Chrissy, and Shauna...they were a huge part of my life here Jersey. We had such a good time, we reminisced about our crazy life here on the East coast. I didn't have any pics of Shawn-I am sorry, I forgot to pull the camera out.

ABOUT TIME

My Parents and I

Ryan and I, his farwell

What is going on?

Hot babes!

More hot babes!

Catherine and I

Madeleine and I

My sister and her husband, Jeremy and Lauren

Some of the silliness

Temple, notice the dress ups

Well, I am finally going to put pictures up of Christmas and New Years. As everyone knows I was in Colorado visiting my two sisters Lauren and Vauna. They are both younger than me and have children, yes I know so does everyone else. I stayed at my sister Lauren's house in Highlands Ranch with her husband Jeremy and their two chillies-Madeleine and Catherine, plus she was on bed rest, so the rest of us were as well. Not really, we did get permission from her Doc, to take her out a couple of times. She was sick at times due to the medicine she had to take every 2,3 and 4 hours. (makes me want to have kids-just kidding) My sister Vauna lives in Ft. Collins about and 70 minutes north of Highlands Ranch, and we went up there once. My brother Ryan had gotten there a few nights before me and then our parents flew in on Christmas Eve. It was so much fun, except for Ryan who had a splitting toothache, ended up going to the Emergency Dentistry Hospital and had to be put on mega drugs until he was able to get a root canal when he went back home. It was so painful to watch him in agony every day.

We all stayed in one house and were up late almost every single night watching movies or playing wii, which let me tell you, I beat the pants off almost everyone there playing tennis, hahaha. My sister Lauren was really suppose to be on bed rest, and it killed her, but everytime she got up her daughter who is 3 told her that she was going to tell jeremy and she was going to get in trouble or she was constantly telling her" now mom, you are suppose to be laying down, I am going to tell Dad and your are going to be in BIG TROUBLE, or it was "wait a minute mom, just wait-you are suppose to be on bed rest." It was histerical, what a character she was. One day, we were discussing the size of Laurens belly when my brother pulls his shirt up and we compare..another funny moment. His was bigger then my sisters-of course he was blowing it out. Here are a few of the pics. Oh yeah, and some of the highlights were hot tubbing, and going to the temple with my nieces in their dress up clothes.

One more thing, I went to Colorado for some snow and the only day we got snow was the day before I left..what a crock, it was about 50-70 the whole time I was there. BEAUTIFUL.

Merry Christmas!

So I have made it through my last finals, EVER!!!!! Yahoo... This is the greatest news...I will be graduating and I will never have to take another class until I turn 50, just kidding. Who knows maybe graduate school will be another life.

I am in Highlands Ranch, Colorado right now, with my sister Lauren and her family, along with my parents who flew in from Hurricane, Utah and my brother Ryan from Salt Lake. We have had so much fun, trying to outdo each other on our cooking/baking skills. It has been eventful...miss you all, and hope to add some pics when I get home.
Happy Christmas and new Year!

p.s. I love you all, especially those who leave me posts.