February

You know what they say.. the family that does yoga together, stays together. 

Poor Tyler... February is really wearing him out. 

Brynnli is always the first one around here to get sick. Poor thing was down for a few days with this nasty cold. 

Makayla had a dentist check up, and she somehow convinced me that we needed to go to lunch before her appointment. Lunch was great and I loved catching up with her, but then she was begging me to buy her the Dubai chocolate strawberries for dessert. I told her no and she had to buy it herself. She didn't ask how much it was before ordering and guess how much it was? $20!!! Insane!!! I was glad I didn't offer to buy it for her and Makayla got a valuable lesson in money management... although she said it was worth it. 

Remember the "huzz" from last month at Caden's church basketball game? We knew there was more to the story. Turns out Makayla and Spencer are "talking".  Basically they text each other all throughout the day. But to be clear they are not dating. They have held hands and they hug before they go to class, but they are not dating. With Valentine's day coming up, they got each other gifts. Teen dating is so fun to watch. 

While we were on our cruise, the kids had fun at Grandma and Grandpa's with the cousins. 

We celebrated Tyler's 43rd birthday. Things were a little hectic with our cruise, Grandma Bonnie, and just life in general, but we couldn't pass up an opportunity to celebrate our favorite guy! I tell ya, they don't get any better than Tyler. He's a great husband and dad, he works so hard to provide for our family, and he's the one we all go to when we need logical advice. He makes us laugh, comes up with funny games, and helps us to be better. Tyler is the most disciplined and dedicated person. He wakes up every morning at 4:30 to work out and has lost over 40 pounds. Once he decided on a goal, he accomplishes it. We love you!!

Oh look at that, we finally got some snow... not very much though. 

We wanted to take the kids out to a fancy restaurant for Valentine's day. Tyler and I love Carvers, so we decided to treat the kids there. They loved the coconut shrimp, steak and rolls. We had great conversation, and learned how to have good manners at a fancy restaurant. 

Then for Tyler's birthday my parents took us to Texas Roadhouse. We were spoiled with steak again!

 February has been a roller coaster ride. We have had so many fun moments, and so many sad moments. I guess that truly sums up life, right? 

Grandma Bonnie

 Grandma Bonnie passed away February 18 and we are all heartbroken. This picture was taken last August, but I fell like it encapsulates what Bonnie loved, being surrounded by her family. 

After Grandma Bonnie fell earlier this year she was in the hospital and then went to a long term care facility. Tyler was able to go see her and play the piano for her when she felt good, but she later got an infection and her health declined. We were on our cruise and we were hoping so badly she could hold on until we got home to say goodbye. We were able to see her one last time, and she passed away that night. 

There are a few core memories I have of Grandma Bonnie. One time when I had young kids, I was in the thick of all the mom things and I was just really doubting myself. We were at a family party and when we went to say goodbye she looked me right in the eyes and said, "you're a really good mom, you know that?" I told her thank you as I tried to hold back tears because it was just the words I needed to keep going. It really meant a lot to me. The other memory I have of Grandma Bonnie is that she was at our endowment session when we went through the temple and it meant a lot to me too because it was such a big milestone in our family, and my own mom wasn't there. 

The viewing and funeral was really nice. Jo and Bill both gave really great talks that really highlighted her faith, strength, love of family, and support of all things softball. 

The kids loved being together, even though it was a sad event. 

This picture broke my heart. All of Bonnie's kids together to say their last goodbyes. And then Bill saying goodbye before they closed the casket. 

Here's a few pictures from the dedication of the grave. 

I have included Bonnie's rough draft of her obituary here. It's not the one that was final, but I think this one really captures Bonnie's life and legacy: 

Bonnie Jean Nielsen Evans, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend, passed away on February 18, 2026, in West Valley City, Utah, at the age of 93.

Bonnie was born June 18, 1932, in Hunter, Utah, to Alfred Christian Nielsen and Hazel Charlotte Day. Bonnie was a farmer at heart, shaped by hard work and determination, qualities she passed on to each of her children and grandchildren. She married William “Bill” Reid Evans on November 2, 1950, in the Salt Lake Temple. Together they built a life over 75 years centered on faith, family, adventure, and unwavering devotion. They raised four children: Karen, William Craig (Terry) Evans, Vicki Lin (Terry) Meeks, and Joleen.

Bonnie was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints and a proud member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She served faithfully in many callings, including many years working in the Jordan River Temple. Her favorite calling was camp director, even when “the girls always wanted to get her hair wet.”

In her 93 years, Bonnie witnessed remarkable moments in history. At nine years old, she was living in Hawaii and watched the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Years later, Bonnie, Bill, and their four young children moved to Germany for a two-year work assignment. When it ended, Bonnie returned home alone with the children aboard a freighter, embarking on a grueling 21-day journey - a trip that perfectly reflected her courage, resilience and determination.

Travel was one of Bonnie’s greatest joys. While trips to Egypt and Israel were especially meaningful, her favorite journeys were always those to visit family and to watch softball, her favorite sport. On those road trips, there was one nonnegotiable rule: they had to stop every two hours and report that they were okay. In her later years, Bonnie was always ready to “go for a ride,” never losing her love for the open road.

Bonnie was the ultimate team mom and legendary for her homemade cookies and brownies. She became the team mom for multiple softball and basketball teams, tucking treats for her favorite players under the bench. She always showed up and was always cheering and feeding someone. Her constant cooking earned her the nickname Taco Bon.

Family was always Bonnie’s highest priority. She showed her love by being there—again and again—for her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Whether it was softball, baseball, basketball, dance, football, or any other activity, Bonnie showed up. She cheered from the sidelines, celebrated every milestone, and made each person feel seen and supported. Family was her greatest joy, and to those who loved her, she was simply the best. Her presence was constant, her support unwavering, and her love unmistakable.

Bonnie was preceded in death by many loved ones over her long life. She is survived by her devoted husband, Bill; her four children; four grandchildren—Joshua (Scott) Meeks, Barbara (David) Grogan, Tracy (Jeremy) Jones, and Tyler (Kristen) Evans; and twelve greatgrandchildren: Johnathon

Grogan, Will Meeks, Nathan Grogan, Cooper Meeks, Carson Jones, Colton Jones, Jason Grogan, BJ Norman, Makayla Evans, Caden Evans, Camden Jones, and Brynnli Evans.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to all who loved and cared for Bonnie over the years. Special thanks go to Jonathan Olsen who helped her survive the COVID years, the surgeon who repaired her broken hip, the Legacy Village staff who supported her recovery, Alpine Meadows for her final days, and Active Hospice whose compassion and care were the blessing the family did not know they needed. In lieu of flowers, please go to a ball game.

Taco Bon’s gourmet dugout is officially closed.

Crusin' Together

Tyler and I went on a weekend cruise to celebrate Valentine's day and Tyler's birthday. It was a super quick trip, but so much fun and so very needed. We left on Thursday after work and drove all night to L.A. We stayed the night and then woke up early to board our boat. It seems like just a few months ago we were on a cruise... oh wait, we were! We boarded the ship and our first stop was to get ice cream and take a few pictures of L.A. before our boat embarked. This is the same boat we were on a few years ago with the kids, so it was fun that we already knew our way around the ship. We didn't feel like we had to do all the ship activities like ice skating or rock climbing or mini golf because we experienced that with our kids. Even though this was the same ship I feel like we had a totally different cruising adventure and we were loving it. 

I told Tyler all I wanted to do on this trip was to lay out by the pool and relax and that's exactly what we did. We splurged and got a balcony room in the back of the boat which provided amazing views. 

Dinners were so fun with just the two of us. We had great conversations about the upcoming busy months with our kids and talked about our future as our kids are getting older and growing up. 

Our only port stop was Ensenada, Mexico. We didn't even get off the boat. We sat in the sun and relaxed all day. Until it was time to get tacos... then we were all over that. 

Also, I think I have a drinking problem... not that kind... but I need my water, Diet Coke, and fun drink all at once. 

Tyler got a special dessert and a happy birthday song from the servers. Then it was like he was in the middle of the show for the crew songs. 

We loved the shows at night, the piano bars around the boat, and going to get midnight pizza. Tyler even convinced me to go to the club, but we quickly realized we are in our 40's now and left after 15 minutes. 

Sunday morning we woke up early to watch the sunrise. We got an amazing view of the ocean and even saw some pods of dolphins swimming. One of the many highlights of the trip. 

Dang! He looks hot! And he's all mine!! Can you believe he is 43 now? Tyler is literally in the best shape of his life. 

Oh look, he's in the show again!! 

We had so much fun celebrating together. Happy Birthday Tyler and Happy Valentine's day to my favorite person and my best friend.