MAY'S PROVIDENT LIVING

Hi Fam-i-ly!

Check out the new goals for food storage for this month on the side bar. May is the time to focus on First Aid.

Remember: you don't need to get it all right now, but at least START by getting 2 things a week and putting them specifically in a separate place for your emergency preparedness. Next year in May you can add to it! This is do-able!

We will be blessed if we are 'on the path'.

Love to you all--

Mom and Dad

Wet Wednesday

Well, it is another cold and drizzly day. Looks like our April showers are continuing into May! Everything is just continuously damp. It sure is making things nice and green!

I have been working on the wedding plans today. I had a nice chat with Robert's dad, Mark, and a great conversation with his mom, Tammie. What nice people. I got the order in for a personalized temple envelope for Robert and Natalie and for wedding day hankies. They will be really nice. We have an appointment for wedding cake testing and ordering on Saturday. We are using Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe. Meredith used them and so did Adrianne. They do a phenomenal job on the cakes.

I really haven't felt all that good today. Achey, scratchy throat, tired, a little tummy ache. I don't know if I'm still trying to recover from all the trips recently or if I'm coming down with something. Christine came down with a bad sore throat and cold over the weekend and now Shaun started in on the sore throat today. Holy cow! I hope it doesn't go through the whole family!

I was asked to teach the RS lesson on the 18th. It is on the Everlasting Priesthood. I read over it today. It is a great lesson, but so much material. One of the longer chapters in the manual. I'll have to prepare all of it and then go by the spirit.

Some Things Just Have To Get Done

Meeting : I met with the RS Presidency to go over visiting teaching and other agenda items from 9:30-11am this morning. They are great women and do so much good for others.

Reporting: Since I was gone so much the last two weeks today was 'crunch' time for the vt report for April. Truly on the phone most of the day. Finished it up finally at 9:30 pm. Whew...

Dinner: Got dinner done. I made a homemade chicken noodle soup to go with our cold, 53*, and drizzly day. It was so delish.

Company: Brooke and her friend, Codye, got here this evening. They have been good friends since high school days at Skyline and are celebrating their college graduation from the U of U with a few days at Disneyland and then all the fun things Newport Beach has to offer. I hope the weather warms up for them for their beach days. The current weather is PERFECT for the Magic Kingdom though.

DWTStars: Oh, couldn't miss the 100th episode and results show! Had it on while figuring out the vt report. At this stage it is hard to see anyone go. They all are good and work really hard. I really enjoyed the show dancing and Rascal Flatts!

Blogging: Yes, while waiting for lots of phone calls to be returned, I got caught up on my blogging. Like I said, some things just have to get done! I really have gotten into the habit of trying to write something about each day and when I don't/can't get that done it bothers me. Some of the entries may be a little mundane but it's my life and I want to get it down. I really lament that I don't have anything from past generations but my own fleeting memories.

I don't like to admit this, but I'm finding that I don't recover as quickly from travel as I used to. It takes me a day or two to get back in the swing of things. So today was also a day of regrouping!

***My dad had a round of testing today for his kidneys. Ultra sounds. He has additional tests this Friday and will meet with the doctors next week on Wednesday for a sit down with the results. It will be good to get more information.

Catch Up

I think I'm caught up since I've been gone. Scroll down and go to the older posts for the Santa Clara orchestra trip and check it out!

Family--I love you all so much! Hopefully I can print out and switch to May tomorrow.

Mom

Grandma And Her Humanitarian Hats

My mom learned how to make knitted hats for the Humanitarian Center from my Uncle Joe, who is her youngest sister Darlene's husband. Auntie Dolene passed away 3 years ago April 30th after enduring MANY years of chronic illness and even a liver transplant! Uncle Joe learned how to make them after he was assualted in the LDS Hospital parking lot and lost the sight in his left eye as a result of the beating. (The assailant was trying to car-jack Uncle Joe's truck and beat him unrecognizable with a pistol. This was 4 months before my aunt died.) Auntie Dolene and Uncle Joe went to stay with their daughter, Jennifer, while he recovered. During their stay he made hats to occupy his time and train his good eye to compensate for the loss of the other. He is really good and quick at them!


My mom has made over 100 hats now in the last 6-7 months. She would just do one occasionally, but now she works on them all the time. She LOVES making them! She gives them away to granchildren and others and sends the rest to the Humanitarian Center. She carries a loom and yarn everywhere she goes. Even in the car! She took it to the party the other night at Gwen's! She can crank one out in no time at all. She has figured out all kinds of combinations of yarn and colors. She loves to mix them up. Mom has been using all the leftover yarn from her mother that she discovered in a box from when my grandma passed away. She mixes it with yarn she picks up on sale from various stores. My grandmother was a crocheter, especially pot holders. We all have them. They never wear out! One day recently, my mom took out a skein of yarn for a hat and Mamo's crochet hook fell out of it! That was pretty fun! It was kind of like she was 'there'. That crochet hook has made thousands of projects! My mom makes all sizes of hats from baby to men.

Some have pom poms on the top and some don't. She figures teenage boys all over the world might not want pom poms! Some have cuffs on the bottom and some are rolled bottoms.

I figured it was time to document her latest hobby. Grandpa and Meredith set the latest hats up on the table while she supervised so I could take the pictures. This is a great service she can do. Grandma is always used to going and never stopping and with her fibromyalgia and bone marrow cancer she has had to slow down a bit from the pain and sit sometimes. True to her spirit, she cannot sit and do nothing! So she knits the hats one after another on her looms.

Thanks Mom for the good example. We love you!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

Happy 31st Anniversary to Duff and Cindy

(I just figured out how to scan in a picture. These are kind of crooked. I'll have to work on that!) Our cake was so pretty. I wanted white with a lemon filling--my mom wanted banana nut. We got some of both.
I've always liked this picture. Our family was waiting for us up on the temple walkway.

Today is our 31st wedding anniversary! Boy--where has the time gone? I am married to the most amazing man! Today is kind of overcast and drizzly just like it was the day we got married. We were married by Hyrum Chapman in the Los Angeles Temple on Thursday, May 5, 1977 at 9am in the morning. The colors were pink and white.

Duff and his family didn't account for the LA traffic and were late. The brother at the recommend desk at the temple kept teasing me that Duff might have reconsidered and wasn't going to show up. Not very funny to a bride, but he got a good laugh out of it!

We had lunch at the Velvet Turtle restaurant and then a reception at the Torrance Stake Center. We spent the night at the LAX Marriott and came back to my parents the next day to open presents. We left the next morning to drive back to Utah because we both had to work on Monday! We were SO poor. No honeymoon for us! We had an open house in SLC the next Friday.

We have had great times, good times, and trials and adversities as well. We are not only husband and wife but each other's best friends as well. You know you've been married a long time when you can finish each other's sentences and know what the other one is thinking! We have always been able to 'talk'. I think that is one quality that has helped us to have a successful marriage.

I LOVE YOU DUFF! Thanks for a wonderful 31 years!

Monday, Monday (think Mama's and Papa's)--

So busy getting back on track. I've only been home 24 hours in an 11 day period of time! Laundry (lots of it) and tidy, tidy, water pots, throw pots away that didn't get watered while I was gone, vt report, get ready for Brooke (our niece) and her friend to come tomorrow. They just graduated from the "U" on Friday and are coming down for a SoCal trip to celebrate. I gotta say: Brooke is one of my all time favorites. She is an amazing woman and what you see is what you get with her. I like that. CONGRATULATIONS on the graduation!

And now back to my domestic engineer job. Things just don't get done quite the way they normally do when mom/wife is home. Why is that!!!!????

RS Object Lesson--Fainting or Fall?

Well, we thought it was fainting--at first!

When I had my gall bladder out unexpectedly in Arizona two years ago this July, the RS president from my parent's and sister's ward came to see me in the hospital. I was so touched, because I was not a member of their ward, and far away from mine and she came to look after me. She brought me things to read and lift my spirits, she visited. I felt so loved and that Heavenly Father KNEW me and my situation.

(Here are my mom and Beverly at my parents kitchen table. They had just finished having lunch)

I was sitting in the back row today with my mom and Beverly recognized me and was on her way around the RS table to come and greet me and she tripped on the A/C return vent in the floor and cracked her forehead open right on the side of the chair! She just fell as hard as she could, smack! It knocked her out for a bit, but we all thought she had fainted from fasting for Fast Sunday.

Anyway--her forehead was laid WIDE open and as head wounds do, there was blood everywhere! Her husband was out of town, so a sister who was a nurse and a couple of priesthood brethren rushed her to the ER at the local hospital (the same one I was in!). She had a large stitch underneath/inside and then 6 more on top. Now this is an itty-bitty woman!

My parents are good friends with Noel and Beverly, so they went to the hospital after church and when she was finished with her stitches, they brought her to their house and went to the church to pick up her car. She has a concussion and has to be woken up every 2 hours for the first 24 hours. She stayed there until her daughter could come and get her from Mesa. I left the rest of dinner in Lisa's capable hands and Mere drove me over to see Beverly. I felt I should go and visit with her since I was the reason for her fall in the first place! Well, not really--it was the grate, but she was on her way to say hi to me, right? We had a fun chat. What a gal!

The RS lesson today was on being prepared for medical needs. The teacher stood up and the first thing she said was, "Well, I want to thank Beverly for her object lesson! She sure grabbed our attention!" The rest of the meeting went on without a hitch.

50's Party at the Evans!

Bob and Gwen turned 50 in the last couple of months, so she threw a 50's party this weekend! Lucky for me I had decided to stay in Arizona an extra couple of days and was able to go. We didn't have to dress up in 50's attire, but we did need to come with a 50's attitude! Get ready to party!

A neighbor had this car and brought it over for part of the outdoor decorations. It was really cool.

The color scheme was black and white polka dots with hot pink and kiwi green. This is part of the food table. It was in an L shape. The menu was straight from the 50's: BBQ hamburgers, buns, condiments, chili, fruit, potato chips, and root beer floats. She had a giant beverage container of root beer and vanilla ice cream that we scooped ourselves to make them just the way we like them. I tend to like more ice cream than root beer, then stir it up to make kind of like a root beer freeze/shake. OH--it gives good brain freezes!

Justin at the grill. He worked at a steak house in Provo this year while he was at school and learned some good tricks. He was basting the burgers with something that we couldn't quite put our finger on but I've got to say--it was one of the best hamburgers I've had in a while! Gwen finally got him to share the 'secret sauce'. She is going to send it to Lisa and I. It has something to do with soy sauce and garlic, but it didn't make it teriyaki tasting. I'm anxious to get the recipe.

The gift table in the dining room.

Keifer and Josh in the family room watching the basketball game. Everyone just flowed back and forth from the backyard to the house to check on the game. We had great music and dancing going on. Thank goodness, because I had to wear off the dinner. They have a beach entry on their pool and Lisa and I were cooling our feet in the water and all the little kids came up. We held hands with those cute girls and danced and twirled to the music in the water! It was such fun!

Thanks Bob and Gwen for a great party.

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Today is the anniversary of the day I went to the temple to receive my endowment 31 years ago. My brother Greg, and I went together as he was preparing to leave on a mission to the Netherlands right after I got married. It was a wonderful day. I was not nervous. I soaked it all up. I had some great counsel from my bishop who told me to focus on how I FELT and not try to remember or comprehend everything that first time. That would come as I continued to attend the temple. It was a fabulous experience. I felt the spirit keenly and knew that the temple is a holy place.

I also learned that I did not 'take out' my endowments. I 'received' my endowment. Just as an endowment for a college or philanthropy is a 'gift', so is the temple endowment a gift. A gift from Heavenly Father. One goes to the temple to 'receive' that gift. It is not 'take out' like fast food! I have never forgotten that wise counsel from that day. Whenever I attend the temple, I think of it in that and am filled to know God's perfect love in the gift he has given me in the endowment.

Family History--I Am Doing It!

Ha! Well, I'm learning how to do it, a bit at a time! Lisa and my dad tried to get me signed up for the new Family Search program. The only problem was that since my temple district is not 'live' with it yet, I CAN'T sign up. When I put my member number and confirmation date in, it knew exactly where I lived and told me I couldn't sign up yet. Bummer. So Lisa went in to my family records under her name as a 'helper' and boy was I surprised.

Not much done. This new program is so thorough and complete that it is eliminating all the duplications. I learned that where a lot of previous family members have said they have the geneology 'done' in a lot of cases means they have done the research but not the actual temple work. On Duff's side there are a lot of things ready to be done, they just need someone to physically go and do them.

It is VERY exciting and now I understand the enthusiasm and passion that Lisa and my dad have for redeeming the dead! It is a REAL physical feeling when you go into this site and see YOUR family on those pages. I am going to call NBeach Temple and see if they might know when we will go 'live'.

I sent Natalie and Robert and Christine and Darla home this afternoon. I will stay until Sunday night and then fly home. I haven't had a minute to visit with my parents. They got home around 8pm.

Josh's finals finished up today. He is soooo glad to be done. I will be able to spend some time with he and Meredith the next couple of days too.

We had some delish paninis and chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight at Lisa's. No one felt like cooking so we just cleaned out the refrigerator and used leftovers to make the sandwiches. Lisa steamed some asparagus and we put those on the sandwiches with the other leftover stuff. Gosh it was good!

Today is Jessica's Bday. She is Greg's daughter. I haven't seen her in about 14 years. But I think of her often and wish her a wonderful life and happy times. Maybe some day we can celebrate her birthday together in the future! Happy Birthday, Jess!

May 1st

Happy MayDay to everyone! Where did April go? It is gorgeous here in AZ. We are enjoying an 83* day. Christine, Robert, and Natalie have been swimming in Auntie's pool. There is a wind creeping up. Flowers are in bloom.

This is the start of winding the school year down. Preparing for summer. Not knowing what kind of a day you will get from now until the June Gloom goes away.

I hope everyone is happy and appreciating the beauty of blooming wherever we happen to be planted!

Nissle Photography

Natalie, Robert and I got to AZ in good time on Tuesday. Auntie had a nice lunch ready for us, and then we scooted off to get a manicure! Oh, it was nice! I regularly treat myself to pedicures, but not manicures. I may have to rethink that!

Nats and Robert are staying at Grandma and Grandpa's and I am around the corner at Lisa's with Darla. Yes, as usual, she is a traveling pooch! Had a grand dinner at the Tucker's. Visited and watched the DWTStars results show. Not disappointed with Shannon going home. I think her little 'tantrum' aided in her exit. Mike and Adrianne went over to help celebrate Shaun's birthday at home. Adrianne--what a dear! She made him a birthday cake and gathered everyone around to sing. We chimed in on the speaker phone from AZ.

Yesterday, we had the photography session at Nissle Fine Portraiture in Mesa. It is sooo Nissle! His dad would be so proud! Steve is tutoring Nolan (his son) to take over one day and keep the family business going. It is a small and quaint place. Nice landscaped grounds and Steve and Diane have some awesome outdoor 'props'. Old cars and trucks, gazebos, horses, trees, grass, bushes, benches, flowers, etc.

The love birds had no trouble oozing for the pictures! And then it was grandma and grandpa's turn. They haven't had a picture since 1984, so this is good. He took some casual ones and then some nice ones inside in the studio. Then we had him take some individual pictures of each of them. Steve is always thinking one step ahead. At the wedding, he is going to have a picture of me and Nats and then submit it to the local newspaper and do an article on how he is now photographing the 2nd generation since he did our wedding pictures too. He was making a list of all the different poses he wants to get at the reception as they came to him while he was getting to know Natalie and Robert.

There are two different kinds of albums to consider: a traditional one or one that is like a 'year book' style with all the digital pics placed on to like a board-book page and then sealed. It's quite cool, but I kind of like the idea of having each individual picture the traditional way. Any thoughts on that friends and family???

We go this morning to view the proofs and then have him take the 3 generation hand picture of my mom, sister, me and my girls. Christine flew out last night after school (she had the 7th grade mideval fair she couldn't miss) so she can be in the picture too. It will be fun. Hence the manicures... Chris and Auntie are off right now so Chris can get hers for the picture.

After the photo shoot last night, we headed over to Chili's for some dinner. Who would have known that it is the Chili's that Robert's sister, Jenae, works at! So we got to meet her and she was our waitress. She is totally darling! She is going to culinary school in Scottsdale. She is coming over for dinner tonight at my mom and dad's.

After Chili's we headed to Sky Harbor airport to pick up Christine. There was some confusion with exactly where she was, but I finally got her from security. This was her first flight alone, and she was excited, nervous, and then humiliated. Not in a good mood when I got her. They put a child's wrist band with a doggy paw print on her and her ticket was all juvenile. She was dying. Here she is a young teen and they were treating her like she was a child. For security reasons I totally understand it, but to her she was humiliated.

Josh and Mere live a stone's throw from the airport so we stopped to see them really quick. That perked Chris up. It was good to give Josh and Brady a break from finals studying. Two more and 2L is done! Mere had all the candles lit and it was cozy and nice. Cute place. Headed back up to Phoenix and fell into bed. When I woke up this morning I hadn't moved all night! That is a GOOD night's sleep.

More to come. Stay tuned!