Another Death In The Family :(

The Duffy Bisque Kenmore Chest Freezer passed away on Saturday, October 17, 2009 from complications due to old age. She was 25 years old. Born in 1984, her first home was in Westminster and she made the move in 1994 to Trabuco Canyon. Lovingly cared for, Kenmore stood proudly in the background of the Duffy Family garage. Oh! The stories she could tell of family holidays and parties, weddings, scouting, church and school activities, and Costco trips. Those were her favorites. The Costco trips! That meant a thorough cleaning/defrosting and replenished to fill the measure of her creation. In her later years, she suffered with a broken right hinge that made lifting her lid difficult, but she never complained! A bit of rust here and there hampered her appearance, but she stayed true to the end when her motor just quietly stopped. Kenmore was laid to rest on Tuesday, October 20, in the Sears junkyard. She is survived by her owners and many neighbors and friends who she lent her help to over the years.

Sad. Sad. Saying goodbye is hard. We saved and saved to buy this. It was $350. Interesting fact: after 25 years the new and improved model wasn't much more than that! Many a mouse passed away by climbing in that motor area to get warm! The new versions motors are covered.

Introducing:
Kenmore II
Born: October 20, 2009
Vitals: 25 cubic feet
White
3 upper baskets
lower grid system for optimal storage organization
Proud Family: The Duffy's
Special Feature: 65% more energy efficient!

Loyal to Kenmore I, I balked at this storage grid. And blue accessories. It didn't take long to become converted! We did order one more additional top basket.

Nothing falls on top of or slides on other items.
It's awesome!

Putting it all away.

Ready for another Costco trip!

Welcome to the Family, Kenmore II!

Back To School Night--YW Style!

Back To School Night Of Excellence!

Can I just say again, for I don't know how many times, that we have a great ward and a fabulous youth program. The RS room was simply but wonderfully decorated like a classroom. And everything the whole program was similar to a back to school night only with the students attending.

SO CLEVER!

Class is in session. They have stood to sing (for music time) the Opposites Song:

"When things aren't going exactly my way,

When I have feelings of total dismay.

I ponder the reason--this has to be,

And as I consider,

I can clearly see:

(Chorus)

Most things have an opposite.

Most things come in pairs.

And many times I can benefit if I do not despair...

Whoa---

Hot has Cold. Black has White.

Up has Down. Day has Night.

Life has Death. Good has Bad.

Young has Old. And Happy has Sad----

If I didn't know about bad, about cold,

Something of death and the sad and the old.

Then I wouldn't know about wrong and right,

And I wouldn't know the joy of good and light!"

(Repeat chorus.)

They had an elementary school picture of each girl on an apple cutout hanging from yellow yarn from the ceiling. And, the girls were asked to dress and wear their hair like they did when they were younger.
Great talk from Sister Koelliker, the president. And a 'matching game' on the chalkboard for a pop quiz! We matched candy bars to YW related phrases.

Then each table--remember how you would have to do things by table in school?--presented one of the projects they had accomplished this year. Christine worked on and completed Knowledge. She is currently working on Good Works and has her project planned, just needs to execute it.

After each girl gave their presentation their poster was placed on the 'bulletin boards' all over the 'classroom'. I wanted to get a picture of hers there, but she was too quick getting it down!

Items from her 'desk'.

Very timely closing remarks from the Bishop.

Loved it all. Great job everyone!

DWTStars

Okay. I've loved this show. I am a dancer at heart. But raunch is raunch and doesn't belong here. They pushed the limit tonight. They need to eliminate those new dances they've added and go back to the originals. I watched through Donny and Kym's dance (which was tastefully done--thank you!), voted and then...

I turned it off!

I'm going to write a very strongly worded letter to the producers.

All Things Sunday

Gosh, I like that this day is different than the other days of the week. I need it.

Meredith is very sick with the flu/cold. Duff went over to help Josh give her a blessing this morning. Get well soon!

Had all the kids over for dinner and FHE. We usually do this on the first of the month. We've had conference and Wendy's funeral so we're finally getting to it. We love doing this and look forward to it each time. Lasagne with the trimmings and a good lesson on Friendships.

Day Trip To San Diego

Divide and conquer!

That was the 'game plan' for this morning. Duff and Christine headed to Newport for her lacrosse games and I did the weekly grocery shopping, picked Josh up from dropping off their car for maintenance, and got things ready for the day trip to San Diego.

BYU vs. San Diego State

All the pom poms in a cup holder ready to go!

Biiiiig stadium! Also home to the Chargers.

Meredith's littlest bro at his first BYU game! He really enjoyed himself and can tell you everything available to have for a snack! He loved the whole experience and was so good.

Fans.

Chris and her friend, Sarah.

Stadium nachos. Why is it they taste so good outside?

Such a cute couple!
Mike and his Adriannie.

She is such a good sport. Not a big football fan, and if she votes for a team it would probably be the U (sigh, argh...) since she went there, but for Duff, she'll don the blue and white at least once a year!

Gwen and I trying to get pictures at the same time, so the guys row in front of us didn't know where to look. Bob E., Josh, Eric (Mere's brother), and his friend, the one and only Taylor D.!

Victory, but they answered back quite a bit. SDSU has a new coach and you can see the improvements.

Ooooh. Come on guys. TCU next week!

[ anniversary of my mom's car accident in '89. Twenty years. That was a very bad day. Duff and I were out of town at colleges doing recruiting for Ernst and Young, my dad was in San Francisco for work while the huge earthquake hit and we couldn't find him. My mom was staying with our kids and taking Mike to scouts at the church. She turned left when the traffic light turned yellow, but a man on a motorcycle split the traffic lanes and wanted to make the light, gunned his bike and hit our van as if there was a bullseye target on the side. All 4 of our kids at the time were in the van. It was totaled. The motorcycle man was dead at the scene, revived, and later died at the hospital of massive injuries. No helmet, no license. Middle bench seat of our van pushed out the other side with 2 of our children on it. My mom was charged with vehicular manslaughter, we were sued. It was a MESS!!! The police department was in an ongoing battle with the city where we lived at the time and happened to use this case as one they were going to make an example of. We know what it is like to have horribly false lies printed in the newspaper! Don't believe everything you read! Fortunately, we had an amazing attorney, who just happens to be Meredith's father!---who would have thought!---and all of us were cleared of all charges. We sure learned a lot through this. But my mom, even all these years later, still has a hard time driving. I'll have to devote an entire post to this one day. What I've written here is only the 'readers digest' version/synopsis.]

Gee, Shucks. You Didn't Have To...

When I got back from school car pool, there was a package on my porch.

Brown boxes on porches bring such excitement, don't they!

Inside was this sweet angel statue (which I happen to love all things Willowtree...), and such a tender card from Shelly, Sheri, Auntie Tia, and Uncle Bob.

Thank You.

Ahh. It was my pleasure!

Love You All and miss you too...

f.r.i.d.a.y.

Getting back on track. Company beds all freshly laundered and made. Plus 4 large loads of towels. Two big essentials! I'm not a real 'have-to-get-out' person. I'm really kind of a homebody at heart, and I like these days where you get a lot done to keep the home-fires burnin'!

The leaves on my white birch and liquid amber trees are changing and they are lovely. The wisteria is on it's last legs too. The sun is setting earlier and the way it shines tells us it is fall. Oh the subtleties. It's nice to notice subtleties. I makes you dig inside and notice other subtleties as well.

Shaun is hanging out at the beach today with friends. THE BEACH. In October! Yep, this is sunny socal.....

Got WOOD?

The winter wood was delivered today. I think we are set. I know I've been dreaming of a gas unit, but when I see it outside all stacked so nicely, I feel like I can count it toward my emergency preparedness/food storage. Between this and the charcoal in our storage, we could have warmth and hot meals for quite some time here.

We got a mix this year that doesn't have a lingering campfire smell. I didn't realize the kind of wood makes a difference. Geez, I continue to learn!

Bach, Beethoven, Pops Anyone?

Tonight was Christine's Fall Orchestra Concert.

One word:

AMAZING!

Wow. I had no idea the talent and the great instruction. It was a great end to the day.

Sweet Rain Brings Surprises!

Lots of soft rain today! We sure have needed it. Please send some more! I love the change of earth's colors when it rains. Everything seems to sigh with freshness.

The Slades went to see the temple and Roger's Gardens with Meredith, who had work off today. Then down to the beach to the tidepools and frolicking in the waves. The afternoon weather cleared up just in time for the beach and they had a really good experience.

Home for some penne with marinara and meatballs. Car packed, and on the road for the trip home.

Hugs and kisses and tears from little girls not wanting to leave. Sigh...

And Now For the Surprise: Shaun and some friends decided to come home for the weekend. All of a sudden we get a phone call that he is in the driveway! Yes, they drove through the night. Fun to have him here, but that driving through the night thing scares the "holy cow" out of me. Too many people I loved have died from falling asleep at the wheel on long drives....

The One Where Normal Feels Good

Just normal things today. Like making beds, cleaning the house, working in the yard in between rain showers. The coolness felt so good against me. The wet earth let go of the weeds so willingly. The little Slade girls so precious. I played several games of Go Fish and Matching. Swang them on the hammock. Nothing like these simple things to make the transition back to some normalcy.

Duff set up the firewood frame. Winter's wood will be here on Thursday. I was so hoping for a gas unit this winter. So much cleaner. But alas, the wood is less expensive so it is the option for another season. It's not like we use it to heat the house. It is purely for ambience and all that Norman Rockwell stuff. It's socal after all! I count it as emergency prep and Duff has accepted the responsibility to clean the ashes the morning after this year. YAY! I really don't like that job....

I think my best ally the last two weeks has been prayer. It's helped me get through all the events on my calendar and all the ones not on my calendar that showed up!

Mere and Echelle helped me get taco dinner on the table. Many hands make light work.

I felt normal today. It feels good.

Company--Round 3

The Slades arrived about 9 this morning. They are dear friends of Josh and Meredith from their Arizona days. They drove during the night ready for a day at Disneyland. It was Kaylee's 6th birthday and she could get in for free!

Jeremy put a lot of pressure on Mama and Papa Duff to come. We picked up Christine one period early from school and went up for the evening. One of the perks of living so close and having passes.

The most important items on the agenda for 3 little girls, six years old and under, is to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and The Princesses! They've changed the Princess process, and to be quite honest, I'm not sure I like it, but oh well!

They've taken the amphitheater area and made it into a meet the Princesses area, with only a maximum of 3 princesses at a time. They have individual greeting areas and walk your party to the next princess. On the one hand it's nice because you get a lot of one on one time with whichever princesses are on rotation, but the line is long (a minimum of an hour wait), and no guarantee of which or how many princesses.

That being said, the expressions of delight on the girls faces was priceless!

Princess Aurora, or better known as Sleeping Beauty.

Coincidentally, she is our own Aubrey S., who is in Meredith's ward!

Princess Aurora is always in character! Down to the hand motions and tone of voice. She let us know that she "is always happy to have her 'friends' come for a visit!" wink ;) wink ;)

Cinderella, she's as lovely as her name!

So gracious, and kind.

The girls were mesmerized.

Bibbity Bobbity Boo!

Cinderella's Fairy Godmother.

What a love!

Can I apply for this character? Can you imagine what a fun job this would be?!

I think I'm gonna log this one away....

Papa Duff was in heaven with the little girls. I think he watched almost all the Disney princess movies we have in our library, and they smothered him with hugs, kisses, and cuddle time. They even woke him up for waffles one morning jumping on him in bed with slobbery kisses and trying to raise the blinds.

Bring on the grandkids!