Sequel to the Story and more...

Last week I was in a dilemma about taking Riggin to Circleville with me for Christmas. It worked out just perfectly. We got everything in with one half of the back seat for him and his bed. He traveled well, didn't get sick or anything. He liked Kristi's house and yard. AND he behaved himself very well.
I have to record here one of the most special Christmas gifts I have ever received. Ryan sent me and Rocky and his siblings and children gifts, but the one that we all enjoyed the most was a video that he made. He did a beautiful job on the video. He talked to us and wished us a Merry Christmas, he showed a prank that he pulled on Elder Luce, he gave us a tour of the cabin he was living in, he showed us his new trick of juggling (which, I might add he was very good at after one week's practice.), he took us on a tour of Steamboat Springs, and he finished it all with his testimony which was very, very special. After we watched it a little while later he called an we were able to visit with him for quite a while. He sounded so good. He is happy with what he is doing and happy with where he is. What more can you ask? I love that guy.

Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing everyone who sees this a Merry Christmas. If you are into Winter Solstice instead. Sorry. I'm not into that. Just Christmas. I will say Happy Hannukah to all those who are of the Jewish faith. But other than that it is just Merry Christmas. If you want just a "Happy Holiday" wished to you, go somewhere else. In other words, if you believe that this is the season to celebrate the birth of our Savior, then my heart goes out to you and all of yours and my hope for a very special season for you is here. Otherwise, you don't really need it, do you. So again I say: "MERRY CHRISTMAS"

Riggin

I have a dog. I love dogs. I always have. But this dog is the best dog I have ever had in my entire life. And I have had a few. He is also the one that I have had the longest. He is thirteen years old. His name is Riggin. Now I have a dilemma with Riggin. He is not a lap dog, although he thinks he is. Last night I was sitting wrapped up in a blanket. He kept coming up and sticking his nose under the blanket and trying to weasel his way in to sit on my lap under the blanket. Ryan used to let him do that and he thinks I am really mean because I wouldn't share. He finally gave up. But he is a fairly big dog. Not real big. Probably about 60 pounds. Anyway, back to the dilemma. For the first time in years, we are leaving for a few days and I do not have a dog sitter. Marita is usually the one that does that for me, but she is going to be gone also. Connie used to do it for me all the time. Riggin loved Connie. We both miss her very much. So, I determined that I will have to take Riggin with me. I am hoping he is a good traveler. But it has started to dawn on me that I have a lot of gifts to take with me and luggage for Rocky and I. Is there going to be room for this dog? But I have no choice. I have to take him. What to do? What to do?

I Married a Cowboy (Accent on the Boy)

Yes, I am married to a true-blue, dyed-in-the-wool, Cowboy. But have you ever noticed that men are just little boys dressed up in a very good looking grownups body. And cowboys are no exception. He makes me laugh and he makes me cry. But all in all I wouldn't trade a minute, an hour, a day, a year with him for anything. He is what makes my world rock. For one thing, I like boys. I had 4 sons all of whom I adore. Then I had a daughter to help me keep sane.

Hard Work

I have some HARD work ahead of me today. I mean real HARD. I have to write my Christmas letter. Now this may not seem hard to most people. But they have to realize it may not be hard for them. But it is for me. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to put a whole year in a nutshell. I am not talented at writing or producing stuff. And I know I am a little late getting to it. But that is because it is HARD. But I guess I better get to it.

Magic or Tricks

I don't know how many people know that my son, Luke, is a magician. He has loved magic since he was eight years old. Over the years he has become pretty good with a few tricks. He is teaching his son, Cody, these things now. But, anyway, he tells me that it isn't really magic. It is distracting with one hand while the other hand does the magic.
This has come to my mind today because we have a salesman that comes to my office about once every other month. He entertains me with magic tricks each time. He also has jokes and stories to tell. He is a fun guy. He came today. And he reminded me that when we were at Luke's house a couple of weeks ago, Luke was the one doing the magic. It reminds me of what a talented amazing person Luke is. He is very good at what he does in his field of Psychology. He has a wonderful gift of relating to people. He is kind, loving, loyal, and always wants to do what is right in every situation. He is strong and good. But the magic or tricks isn't what makes him that way. It is the rest that makes him so good at magic.

Now THAT is funny.

Have you ever heard of a "road-kill" Christmas tree? I hadn't either. Until now. Rocky brought one home. In case you are clueless, this is a tree that someone lost off the back of their vehicle and it was laying beside the road. We haven't put up a Christmas tree yet, so Rocky thought he should bring this to me. I guess he thinks I will be nice to any kind of stray. I am not sure why, but he went over on the wrong side of the road, either to get the tree or to turn around. I am not clear on this. Anyway, when he did that, Guy Davis (a guy the same age as Shawn and raised her in the valley and who is now a Highway Patrol) pulled Rocky over. He thought he was drinking and driving. When he saw Rocky, he said, "Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't know it was you." Then he let him go. And as for the tree, well, it is about the ugliest tree there ever was, two trunks, one whole side missing, short and squatty. So I figure that it really isn't a "road kill" tree. I think it was dumped, because they couldn't stand to look at it anymore.

Alyssa are you reading this?

I just invited my granddaughter to read my blog. I hope that she is reading this. So I want to tell her what a special girl she is to me. I have only been present (in the room) when two of my grandchildren were born. Alyssa was the first one, and Ira the last. It was love at first sight when I first saw her. I was so touched to hold her so newly from heaven. We have been buddies ever since. We just click. My fondest memories of her are when her family lived in Hiko and I saw her a lot. She was not quite 4 when they moved. But when our house was just across the road from her, she used to make the trip over to visit me. (Remember she was just 3). Those are such sweet memories. When she was 4 she had an incident that changed her life forever. She nearly died and was diagnosed with Long QT. She had to have a pacemaker put in shortly after that. At the time she was so small and it was so big. One time I went to pick her up and I grabbed her by the waist which is right about where the pacemaker was. She said "Grandma, hasn't my Mom told you that you have to pick me up under my arms." (Again, she was just 4). But this is how she has treated her situation. She faces it and deals with it and goes on. She is one tough girl. Now her family lives so far away (Roy, Utah) that I see her rarely. I miss this girl. I look forward to every moment I can spend with her. I love you honey. Always know that.
Grandma

I Like People

I was just sitting here thinking about a Christmas party I attended last night. And I realized that I really enjoyed being around a group of friends and family. And also, prior to that I had been at the store and when I came out one of Ryan's friends stopped me and talked to me and he saw that I had a low tire and was so considerate and tried to help me. I realized I enjoy talking to people. Then I stopped at R Place on my way home to put air in my tire and two young boys were there and offered to do it for me. It touched me that they were so willing to help a stranger. They were so efficient and cute and businesslike. I realized that I really like meeting new people (particularly kids). Also early in the day when I went to the Post Office I saw an old friend who I hadn't seen for a long time. It was so good to visit with him for a minute. It all just warmed my heart. I really miss this type of thing which happened a lot when I lived in Alamo. I don't think it has ever hit me so hard as this year how different and lonely Hiko can be. Don't get me wrong, I really love living in Hiko. I usually like the fact that I have my time and space to myself. I think it is just the season. I miss the hustle and bustle of Christmas and seeing friends and meeting people on the street. But I don't miss it enough to make any change. I'll keep my life the way it is.

The Definition of Joy

I know that I have realized many times how sweet things are to you when you don't get them very often. But every time I am amazed how sweet it is to have a day at home to do what ever I need to do on my own time. This happens so rarely that it is pure joy when I get it. Yesterday was one of those days. I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the day. I got a lot accomplished, too. I fit a weeks worth of work into one day. Now I have that "ahhhhh" feeling. I love it.

Historically Speaking

Okay, I know I am not very funny. But I couldn't figure out a title for today's blog. So I decided to put the first thing that came to my mind. Now why this came into my mind is anybody's guess. I have already maintained that I have a weird streak in me. Anyway, historically speaking .......
We just had a pretty awesome weekend. We went to Cedar City on Friday and did some shopping for Christmas and such. We met Kristi and Dustin and of course, Dalley, there. We went to Applebee's for dinner, then Kristi and I went to the "New Moon" movie. I would like to say it was good, great, bad, or not-so-good, but since I slept through the end of it, it wouldn't be fair to put any kind of judgement on it. How about if I just say that it was good, but not as good as the book.
The next morning Rocky and I went on to Escalante and got there in time for Cody's baptism. It was a wonderful day. Cody is a wonderful kid. I am so lucky to be his Grandma. He is so smart, good, and handsome.
Rocky and I stayed overnight with Luke and Kayce and the kids. I had so much fun playing with the kids and later when they were in bed, Luke, Kayce, Rocky and I played games.
We went to church with them and then we headed back to Cedar City. We had taken our four-wheeler in for service and left it there. We were supposed to pick it up on our way home, but we got our wires crossed and it was all locked up. So we determined that we would have to stay the night and get it in the morning. But at about 2:00 we were driving past the place and noticed that the owner had stopped in for a minute. We pulled in and he agreed to let us get our four-wheeler. So we got it and went home. We were both so happy to be home. We love our own bed.

Blogger's Block

You have heard of "Writer's Block" haven't you? Well I have had "Blogger's Block". I have had no idea what to write on this blog. I am hoping that this will end soon. I wish I could have written about our "Fabulous" Thanksgiving. I wish I could have written about how happy it made me to have my brother, Mark, and his wife, Marita, come. I wish that I could have written how awesome it has been to have six of my grandchildren under one roof and the fun that we have had. I wish I could write about how sad I am that it is all over. I wish I could write about how happy I am that I got to spend time with Ira, who I never get to see as much, and how he warmed up to me and warmed my heart. I wish I could write about his cute little smile, his "Shawn look", and how he can go from crying to smiling and back to crying in an instant. I wish I could write about how sad I was to see him go because I don't know if he will know me again when I next see him. I wish I could write even more than all of that. But, alas, I truly have "Blogger's Block" and can't seem to express myself.

Let The Fun Begin!

Starting at about 2:00 Saturday, the fun did begin. Two little boys showed up with their mamas. One is blue-eyed and blond haired. The other is brown-eyed and brown haired. Separately, these boys are a strong wind storm. But together we have a tornado. But oh they are fun. We are having the time of our lives. Dalley won't let Grandpa out of his sight. He is NOT going to be left in the house with all the women if he can be out with Grandpa. Ira is still not too sure about Grandpa. But we are pretty sure he will be his shadow too, as soon as he gets used to us. Dalley has to leave on Wednesday, but he will be back on Friday for a couple of days. But Ira will be here for a whole week more plus. Fun! Fun! Fun!

I Am Thankful.

With Thanksgiving almost here, I am thinking a lot about the things that I am thankful for. One of the things I am thankful for is that I live in this great country with all the opportunities and advantages we have. Then I am also thankful to live where I live. In Nevada and in Pahrangat Valley and most specifically, Hiko. I am very thankful for my husband who is the only man on the planet that was perfect for me. His tolerance matches my flaws. I am thankful for 5 of the most beautiful, intelligent, good, outstanding, wonderful kids anyone could ask for. (Not too prejudice, Right?) I am very thankful for the spouses they have picked. There are none more worthy than they are. And I am thankful for 11 most beautiful, intelligent, good, outstanding, wonderful grandchildren. I am thankful for my youngest son's mission. I am thankful for how it is helping him grow and how it gives us all an opportunity to serve in some way. I am thankful for really good friends. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for so much more. I could go on and on. But I will stop there with the top ones for now.

Why Is It.......

Why is it that every year more and more people are offended by Christmas? I was listening to the news this morning and there is an Elementary School Principal who does not want any sign of Christmas to be in their "Holiday" party. They cannot even use red and green paper. Heaven forbid that something MIGHT remind them of Christmas. Now I am all for letting others believe the way they want to. But why is it that they see the need to force their opinion on others. Especially elementary age children. My honest opinion is that if you don't believe in Christmas then don't celebrate it. And I also believe that if you don't believe in it don't expect others to quit celebrating it for you. AND there is nothing offensive in the least by any thing that has to do with Christmas. Just let us live the way we believe. And we will let you believe the way you want to.

I Don't Know Whether to be Scared Or Mad

So I heard on the news this morning that the U.S. Government Health Department is changing the rules on us. They think that women 40-50 no longer need yearly mammograms. And women from 50-75 only need them every two years. They even stated that doctors no longer need to teach women to do self breast exams. A doctor was reporting this. A doctor for cancer and a woman. She said this is a big mistake and as far as doctors go there will still be the same standards as before. She also said that 45% of women who die from breast cancer are from 40 to 50 years old. If the government passes it's Health Care Bill, Doctors no longer will be able to make this call. And I believe the statistics for beating Breast Cancer will go down. Can we afford to let this happen?

Okaaaayyy, I guess I am not the only dumb one.

Well, I got no answers for my wonderments. I guess I am not the only one who has no answers. OR Noone reads this blog. Well that is okay. I am not writing it for anyone but myself and my family when I am gone. (But family was who I expected to answer these questions. So if they are not reading this hmmmmmm..)
Oh well, it is all good.

A Curious Quiz

So, today I was thinking of some things that I have been very curious about. Then I had this idea (which may or may not be bright). I could ask these questions in a quiz and then anyone reading this who knows the answer can fill me in as a comment. So are you in? If so, just answer me these things:

1. Why is Black Friday called Black Friday?

2. Why do skunks have a white stripe down their back?

3. What is so great about a ChiaObama and why doesn't it offend him?

4. If you die in a dream will you die in real life?

5. How in the world does fax machines work? I mean how do all those words on a page go through the air and end up on a page miles away?

6. What makes some light globes last for years and others are lucky to last one month?

7. Why can't I grow anything in my front yard no matter how hard I try and my back yard is growing with very little help from me?

8. Why do I have dreams all the time and Rocky very rarely has any?

9. Why does my favorite color change?

10. How can you tell the difference between alzhiemers and dementia?

Okay there is 10 things I wonder about. If I had answers to this many it would reduce the amount of wonder I have in me anyway. So then maybe I could concentrate on more important things. So help me out. Okay?

Sequel to the Story

In my blog yesterday I mentioned that I needed to fix my washer so it was level, so I laid it down to do so. Well, you have to unhook the drain pipe to do something like that. (I bet you can see where this is going.) Anyway, last night when I got home I put a load of wash in. I was in the kitchen when the wash started to drain. Oh my goodness, it sure sounded like water hitting the floor. And, of course, it was. I had forgotten to hook the drain pipe back up. THANK GOODNESS for the button that shuts everything off. But not before I had a pretty good flood. Well, all I can say is that you can probably even look under my dryer. It has all been washed clean. Rocky and I were grabbing towels and sopping it all up. So one load of towels became three. I am sure I will laugh at this in the future. I am already starting to chuckle over it.

A Mixture of News and Thoughts

Well I have a lot of things running through my mind today. I haven't blogged for a week because I have been tending Dalley. What a joy that little boy is! Also Luke and his family came for a few days. Those kids were a lot of fun, too. And I got to know LE a little better. She is a real sweetheart.
I got a letter from Ryan today and he has a new companion. He is Elder Luce from Las Vegas. Elder Luce says he has been to Alamo a few times. Ryan really likes him and is loving his mission with being in a great area and having a great companion.
I just found out that my nephew has gone totally blind. And it is irreversible. My heart aches for him and for my sister and her family. I used to be the big sister. I guess I still am, but she has been tried and tested and has come out a very strong person. She now is the one I look up to.
Have you ever looked under your washing machine or your dryer? You may not want to if you haven't. It is just gross. I had my washing machine get off balance. The legs needed to be adjusted so I pulled it out and laid it down to adjust them and YUCK. What a mess. But, hey, you could look under it today and it is all clean now. Just don't go looking under my dryer.
I have a lot of things I love about my life right now. I have a wonderful husband, five great kids, eleven awesome grandchildren, a job that is not too demanding, and a calling in the church that allows me to be with the best 11 year old kids in the world (and two twelve year olds.) Also, I love having a son on a mission and sharing experiences with him that bring joy to your heart. No, I don't have a lot to complain about. There are things that are not so good, but these things outweigh the bad by far. So I choose to be happy.

I LOVE Nevada

I have lived in Nevada my whole life except for when I was in college and the first four years of my marriage. There are so many things I love about Nevada. Some of them are the very things other people do not like about Nevada. I love the wide open space. Some people like people around them in large numbers. I love the mountains. Some people prefer their own green ones or none at all. I love the dry heat and the desert. Now that is one that many people think I am crazy for. But I do. I find many kinds of beauty in this world. It isn't only the green hills and the green meadows that God made. He made it all and each has its own beauty. And if you have hair like mine a rainy climate would keep me in the most frumpish of all looks. My aunt once told me that one thing she appreciated about Nevada was the various shades of green that you can find. You see, grass green, isn't the only shade of green to be appreciated. And it is fitting that green is my favorite color. It isn't the basic green that I love the most. It is the other ones that take my fancy. I like the people in Nevada. They are hard working, fun loving, down-to-earth, faith filled, and the salt of the earth. That is the kind of people that this state has raised or attracted. So, I really do love Nevada. But today the reason that I love Nevada the most is because tomorrow I don't have to work because we are celebrating the day this fine place became a State. Nevada Day and Halloween share the same date, but in my book Nevada Day is the best of all. After all, who ever heard of getting out of a day of work for Halloween.

Happiness That Makes You Cry

It is my birthday today. Everyone has been so wonderful. It has been an awesome day. But the thing that has topped it all off has been two packages that arrived RIGHT ON THE DAY from my missionary in Steamboat Springs. What a thoughtful, great person he is. This is what he sent me:

A pair of warm slippers - (He knows that I wear slippers all winter and they came right at the right time because it is really cold today.)

A Steamboat Springs collectors spoon - (He knows I collect spoons.)

Some Rubbermaid bowls that keep vegetables crisp - ( He knows I have trouble with that.)

Then he gave me these:

In the birthday card this is what he said about them: "You are probably wondering what those ugly pieces of yarn are in the packages that I sent. Well they are supposed to be dish towels. I learned how to crochet from an investigator and as you can tell I am not very good at it. But I tried." Well that just made me cry. I cannot believe he actually crocheted them himself. He is so full of surprises. He is unbelievable.

Then he gave me this picture in this frame:

He knows how much I love pictures and this is so special. He put it in a frame and everything. I love the "Mommy's Little Angel" title. Because he is.

He sent a bunch of pictures from his mission. Here are two of them:

This is Ryan and his companion, Elder Englund, and I am not sure who the other two guys are. Either member of the ward or investigators.

This one is Ryan with an investigator by the name of Mosi.

The last and most touching gift of all is inside his card he wrote me a poem. The name of the poem is "The Perfect Mom". It is awesome. Really Really Awesome. I will cherish that for the rest of my life.

They Bloomed!!

My Mums finally bloomed before they could get frozen. They still have a little way to go, but I am afraid they may freeze tonight, so I got some pictures of them in all their glory before that could happen. I just love them.
These are the ones that have a lot more buds on them that haven't bloomed yet.

I love the color of these.

But these are my favorites. They are just gorgeous. I am going to separate the colors later when they are dormant. I planted them not knowing that the colors were not the same. The story of these mums is interesting, to me that is. When Shawn and Stina were married in May 2006 I thought it was the perfect season to have live plants all around at their reception. I bought several potted plants. Actually, more than several. After the event was over, I shared a lot of the plants and kept a few for myself. All the other plants died out, except for these mums. I had no idea they would get so huge though. So they gave me a pleasant surprise. I absolutely love them.

Three "Dalley" Stories

I decided to record some stories here in my blog for future. Kristi may have recorded them too, but I want to remember these "Dalley" stories forever. He is such a funny little guy. Besides there are enough stories that she can tell all the others and have plenty.

Story 1: Kristi was painting her kitchen. She got a phone call on her cell phone and doesn't get very good reception in the house, so she ran outside for just a minute because it was the doctor. When she came back in Dalley had the broom and was "painting" the walls. I think he just thought he was helping Mom out. Needless to say Kristi had to redo that wall and threw the broom away.

Story 2: Kristi had bought some soups to take to work for her lunches. She had them in a bag to take to work. While I was talking to her, she went to check on Dalley and found him in the kitchen. He had unloaded all the soups and had them lined up along in front of the refrigerator (I am sure he thought that the refrigerator is where they were going to be stored.) He had thrown the bag away in the garbage. Now isn't he just the best little helper and he isn't even two yet.

Story 3: (My favorite) Kristi has Dalley in a youth bed now. With Dustin gone, she put it up in her room at first so Dalley would get used to it. He was doing great so she moved it into his bedroom. He did just great. Until Dad came home for a weekend. So Sunday night after Dustin left, he was not wanting to sleep in his own room. Kristi put him in there and surprisingly he did pretty good until the middle of the night. Kristi heard him cry but was determined that he was going to stay in his own room. So she ignored it. It went on for about a half an hour, then it stopped. She slept well and woke up to get ready for work. Usually Dalley gets up around then too, but this morning she did not hear a peep. She decided that he got pretty tired crying himself to sleep. So she let him sleep. As time went on she really couldn't believe that he was still asleep. She decided to peek in on him. What a Shock! He was not there. He was not anywhere that she could see. She looked over the entire house. She was FRANTIC. What could have happened to him. She searched his room again and finally heard a little noise. Dalley was waking up. There is a twin bed in his room with drawers under it. He had climbed in one of the drawers and slept peacefully until that moment.

Well, That Is Creepy

I was a little disturbed by a phone call I got today. I did not answer the phone because it was not a number I recognized. I wasn't in the room where the answering machine is, but I heard someone leave a message. Well, I went in to see who the message was from. A man's voice came on and said "Your house is on fire" Then he laughed. Then he said "Jack is going to be mad at me." Then he just hung up. That doesn't sound like it was too bad, but I just thought it was kind of creepy. So I called the number and found out it was a company that I buy a product from. I really like the product, but they keep pestering me to buy more and I don't need more. They also want me to buy a warranty and I have told them I am not interested and they have had some salesmen that have been very rude. So when I found out that this was where the message was from, I asked for a manager. They put a manager on the line and she was appalled. She is going to try to find out who it was and someone may be losing their job. It is surely a crazy time when we can get so much creepiness from so many sources. We really need to be on our toes and making sure we don't let it in.

All About Skunks

Okay, if you know me very well you will know how terrified I am of skunks. They don't have to be anywhere near me to totally freak me out. I guess it may come from having a very sensitive nose and a fear of smelling like a skunk forever. Then there is the fact that my dog thinks they are cats and if you know him he loves to chase kitties, and my dog is a HOUSE dog.
Anyway, back to the skunk fear. Well, Rocky likes to take me and we will go out in the field on the four wheeler at night and spotlight the deer. I just like to look at them. He likes to see if there are any big bucks in there. Well, one night we were out there and we saw a skunk. He wanted to go shoot it. He figures that will be one less skunk getting into stuff and stinking up my world. I pled and begged for him not to shoot that skunk with me with him. (I just know that if he does I will pay for days with the smell all over me even though he claims that doesn't happen.) Well he didn't shoot the skunk. But now when he asks me to go out with him to look at deer I always ask if he is going to be shooting skunks. He always says that he will be and he needs me to hold the light. So, alas, I no longer get to see deer at night. Darn skunks anyway.
The other night he went out and got a couple of skunks, but he said that he had seen four but he didn't have anyone's help so he could only get two. The very next morning when I was coming back from lifting weights (it is still dark at that time) there is a skunk right at my door. When he sees me he heads off to the field. So that night I told Rocky about seeing that skunk right at our door. He reminded me that he probably wouldn't have been on our door if I had gone with him the night before and he would have been able to get that skunk. I don't think that I will be hunting skunks regardless. The fear is still there.

Elder Hatch - I love his stories.

I got a letter from Ryan today and he just tickles me. What a great personality he has. He is sweet, funny, loving, competitive, and industrious. He is all those and more.
Anyway, he was saying in his letter that being in a suit all the time, you get different reactions from people. He said: "Whenever I go in stores, people always ask me if I work for the FBI and stuff like that. And if I an not wearing my suit coat they think that I work at the store so while I am shopping people always ask me to help them find stuff, so I do. Whenever we go anywhere with our suits on everybody just stares at us. It's funny. I love it. Sometimes when we are walking down the sidewalk and people are walking towards us they will run across the road and about get hit by cars just cause they are scared of us. It's fun to watch."
I think the thing that tickled me the most that kind of shows what a great personality he has, is that when people in stores think he works there and asks for help, he doesn't just tell them that he doesn't work there, he just goes ahead and helps them. I love that. I love his sense of humor. I love his stories. I love him.

Dreams are Cruel, OR Maybe not.

Yesterday morning when I woke up I was really really trying not to do so. I wanted to live in my dream. I wanted to stay there because I was with Ira. I was playing with him and tending him and I was thoroughly happy. I wanted to enjoy it a little longer. He is such a cute little guy and I am missing out on him growing up. I ache to see him. But I don't want anyone to think that I am upset about this. Not at all. I understand. It is just one of those things in life that have to be accepted. And his Mom and Dad are so good to keep him knowing us and we will see him as often as we can. It is Okay. But I can't help but enjoy that dream if it will come back. It was so fun.

Tribute to a Friend

I grew up thinking that everyone has a very special friend in their life. One that lasts for life. Well, I have since found this not to be true for everyone. There are a few of us that are blessed to have this and we need to really cherish that friend.
When I was still a baby, my mother would sit by Freeda Schofield at Relief Society and other functions. Freeda had a baby girl just a couple of weeks younger than me. My mother said that when we saw each other we would both get so excited. We became friends almost instantly. I believe we were friends in heaven. As we grew up we spent a lot of time together. She lived in Hiko, I lived in Alamo. Sometimes I would ride the bus home with her and spend the night on a Friday. Sometimes she would stay in Alamo and spend the night at my house on a Friday.
There were a few years that we drifted apart a little. I made some friends in town that would come and go. She had other interests at times. But we always remained friends and during High School we were pretty much inseparable. I have some really great memories of times spent with her.
But my tribute to my friend is for more than that. It is for the type of friend that she is. When I am happy, she is so excited for me. When I am down she builds me up and brings me back. No matter how long it has been since I have seen her, we pick right up where we left off. But the thing that I love the most about her is that she makes me feel like a better person for knowing her. She loves my family and I love hers. She is the best listener I have ever met. She really listens and cares. AND she remembers what I have told her. I hope I am the same to her.
One story I want to tell about her. She had a son on a mission in Russia. He was stabbed and killed. She was stalwart through it all, a fine example to me. That was over 10 years ago, but I just sent my youngest son on a mission and I was suffering. I almost felt like I had lost him. One day when I had been over to Utah on a visit, I was on my way home and stopped at Maverick to get some fuel. I walked in to the bathroom there and ran into my dear friend. She was headed the other way back to Provo. She sensed that I was suffering, because she knows me better than anyone else I can think of. She stopped and took me to lunch and visited with me for a couple of hours. I was ashamed to tell her that I was suffering over a son going on a mission, after all she had one that never came home. But she assured me that my pain was important, too. By the time we finished visiting I felt like a new person. No one can do that for me like she can.
I am so blessed to have this friend. Rebecca (Becki to me) Schofield Mackintosh. I love you friend.

Okay, I Know I'm Not a Marriage Counselor

A very dear friend of mine just got word that her daughter's husband has decided that he is unhappy in the marriage and he wants to start a new life without her. This is very heartbreaking because there are 4 children involved. In fact it stinks. I know I am not a marriage counselor, but I have been married for 36 years and I am still happy and I am pretty sure that he is and I have had some very good examples of marriage with my grandparents, parents, and Rocky's parents. This much I do know. You can avoid this kind of thing. Just a few things that have been running around in my head. Here they are:
1. When you get married decide that it is forever and there is no getting "out" except in exteme unforseen cases. (However, choosing a mate should be done very very carefully. Make sure you know them well.)
2. When you feel that the marriage is lacking and heading the wrong way, CORRECT IT IMMEDIATELY. Do whatever it takes, counseling, prayer, time alone with your spouse, etc.
3. Speaking of prayer, do it often. It really works and it helps you know what to do about any given situation.
4. Don't always blame everything on your mate. Own up to what you need to do to improve., In fact I have discovered that if I only concentrate on my own faults and shortcomings and try to improve them, it miraculously changes every thing.
5. Make your mate the most important person in your life, even before your kids.
6. Spend time with your mate alone. You have to nourish your relationship. It won't do it on its own.
7. Communicate, communicate, communitcate.
8. Tell your spouse you love them daily.
9. Often sit and think of all the good qualities that your spouse has. Don't ever dwell on his or her shortcomings.
10. Live righteously so that you have the spirit to guide you.

Now I am not saying that my friends daughter was lacking in any way. She was totally willing to work on the marriage, get counseling, whatever it would take. My comments are directed at him since he claims he just wasn't happy. You can't blame your unhappiness on other people. You have to find it within yourself and if you don't your next relationship will be just as unhappy. But noone has to listen to me because I am NOT a marriage counselor.

I Like Columbus

There is all this talk about changing Columbus Day to Autumn Day. I guess there was some not so good things that happened when Columbus discovered America. They said this morning that he was supposed to be the first settler to America, but that it wasn't correct because there were already people (natives) here. Well, my take on the whole thing is that the original reason for honoring Columbus is still there. He did go out on a voyage and discovered this land. That is history. To dwell on what he brought to the natives such as smallpox and other things, is a different issue. It is an issue of human nature and the times they were living in and the hardness of life. Why is it that we have to trash our history every time we turn around because of some perceptions that can become skewed. Well, all I can say is that I am sure glad Columbus made that voyage, discovered this land, and made it possible for my ancestors many years later to come here. I am thankful that I live here in this land where I can have freedom. And I am going to use that freedom to call it Columbus Day even if they do change it to Autumn day. Because I LIKE Columbus.

It's A Beautiful Day

Do you ever get up in the morning and just feel GREAT. Well that was this morning for me. I wonder if it has anything to do with going to bed early. And I slept so good. Also I was able to get my 3 bathrooms all clean AND get to work on time. That makes a beautiful day also.

An interesting thing came in the mail the other day. A letter saying we had won a sweepstakes for $248,000 and a check for $4,960.00. It said that we got the check to cover the taxes on the $248,000. BUT of course we were supposed to send them some money to pay the taxes. $3,640 to be exact. Now that looks like a fair deal doesn't it? NOT. I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. I talked to the Credit Union to see what they make of it. They assured me that it was a scam and that if I sent the money I would lose it and the check would not clear. They suggested that I call the number and see what I can find out. So I called. Well a man with an Indian accent answered and proceeded to tell me that he could only talk to Rocky and if he told me anything he would lose his job and have to come and live with me. I guess he is a funny guy, but not in my book. Oh I forgot to mention one of the tip offs to a scam showed up in the fact that the check was from Greensboro, NC, the bank was in Pittsburgh, the head office is in Toronto Ontario, Canada, and the tax agent who I was supposed to send the money to is from Shadwell, England. WELL. Another thing that set up warning flags to me was the misspellings. Oh, and also I never entered a sweepstakes. And another thing, all of this was sent to my old Alamo address which I haven't had for five years. Oh and by the way it says they received my entry slip from the Government Lottery Office. What government? US, Canada, England??? That is confusing. Do people really fall for this stuff? WOW!

To Bloom or not to Bloom.

I have the most beautiful chrysanthemum bushes. They grow big and are COVERED with buds ready to bloom. One of the bushes is just starting to show color. They will bloom any day now. But the other two are loaded and not looking ready to bloom as of yet. The problem with that is the weather. It is getting really cold at night. Any night now it will freeze. I REALLY want to see those flowers before they get frozen. I am just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best. Wish me luck.

Withdrawal Pains

Yes, that is right. I am in withdrawal. Not from drugs, but from having Dalley around for a week and then having him up and leave me. I felt kind of lost when he left. He wasn't wanting to leave either. We were outside saying goodbye and he thought Rocky was going somewhere on the four-wheeler and he was NOT going to be left behind. So he got in his car seat a very-unhappy-camper. Both Rocky and I looked at each other and said well what do we do now that he isn't here to entertain us. We decided to just keep busy and that worked until this morning when I got up and there was no cute little guy around to make my day start out with a smile. What is more Rocky is still pretty sick and stayed home from work. (If he stays home, he is REALLY sick.) Oh well, it is back to the old schedule. We will be fine. We are lucky in that we still like being together. It is all good.

Random Thoughts

Today my thoughts are very random. Maybe even scattered and unorganized. The other day Rocky asked me what I was thinking (I am always pestering him and asking him that.) I told him I was just thinking random thoughts. Well, he is using that right back at me now. But here are some of my random thoughts.

When I ask Dalley for a kiss. He will put the top of his head or his neck next to my face so I can kiss it. Evidently a kiss to him is only received.

Rocky has been sick this week. He keeps telling me he feels fine but he just doesn't have a voice. However, he doesn't have any energy and he obviously doesn't feel well. But he is on the mend.

My friend, Cass, has been working on her Masters for a long time now. She just called to let me know she has passed her oral defense. All she has to do now is finish her thesis. We will be glad when it is all done.

It has cooled off here. The mornings are really nippy. I had to wear a coat for our walk this morning. The first time since last winter.

I am going to have ALL of my kids here for Thanksgiving, (except for Ryan of course). I think my brother is even going to stay and spend it with us. At least that is the plan.

Rocky brought a tarantula home the other day. He says it is for Cody. So that means we will be taking care of it until we can get it to Cody. I am assigned to call Cody and find out what to feed it. Rocky came in about an hour after he brought the creepy thing in and asked me if I had transferred it to another bottle, it seemed to be missing. Good thing I know my husband. I said that I knew it was still in the original bottle. And it was.

I LOVE conference. I am so thrilled because it is tomorrow and Sunday. I can hardly wait. It is going to be a fabulous weekend.

Well those are my random thoughts. Can't get more random than that.

My Philosophy

I have an opinion that I don't know if everyone agrees with. It is my philosophy. Yesterday something happened that got me thinking about this. Here is the story. I got an email from Ryan. He said that he had some bad news but that we would get a letter from him today and he would explain. Well, it kind of ruined the day for me. I was a little sick with worry. Had he been hurt? Had he had another accident? Was he being moved out of the area when it wasn't transfers and he loves this area? Had he had a problem with members or an investigator? I could think of a whole basket full of bad news. I stewed about this all the way home. Sure enough his letter was in the mail. I opened it right on the spot. I didn't wait until I got in the house. He wrote a three-page letter and saved the "bad news" for the very last. He got a speeding ticket. He was going 42 in a 30 mph zone. He was very repentant. He felt very bad. He said the really bad news was that he had to pay for the ticket and he hated to put that burden on us. He said he was going to scrimp on money to make up for it. Well, you cannot imagine how thrilled I was to hear that he got a ticket. In fact I was delighted. I wanted to dance a jig. It was so much better than the alternatives I had cooked up. So when Rocky got home I told him that Ryan had some bad news to tell us in his letter. He didn't have as long to stew over it, but it worked just the same. He was so relieved to hear the "bad news" just as I was. Now for my philosophy. If you have some news you want to tell and you don't want someone to frown at you for it, just prepare them ahead of time and give them time to think about it. Well, I guess that works if your news isn't really "bad" news. But I am starting to think this son of mine is one smart guy. You can't help but love him.

I LIke This Day

As usual, my day starts at 5:00 a.m. to go to the gym. But when I returned home this morning I found a golden haired smiley boy awake and ready for the day. What a bright ray of sunshine that little guy is. Even though when I asked for a "squeeze", he just shook his head "no". I took it anyway and he allowed it.
Yesterday he was a HUGE (wink,wink) help with putting up peaches. We did two boxes making 27 quarts of peaches. Dalley did all kinds of things to help, like climbing on the table and trying to use the peaches as baseballs (we changed that to handing them to us which he grew tired of after one or two times), trying to sneak the knives we were using ( I am sure he just wanted to try his hand at peeling), getting his hands on anything we were using (obviously to show us how we should be using each item), and picking up stuff that got dropped on the floor (most of which he dropped). So you can see with help like that no other distractions were needed. And we got done and we are happy to be done and that makes today a better day. I like this day.

It is Monday. That says it all.

It IS Monday. And what Monday says is "Oh no, we are starting a new week all over again.!!" I like that Carpenters song that says "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down." However, I need to quit that type of thinking. I made a goal a week ago to make every day "the Best Day Ever."
But do you know that this day IS the "Best Day Ever." I have a certain 19 month old on his way to my house. I get to have him and his mama for a whole entire week, so this is not only the "Best Day Ever", it is the "Best Week Ever." We are going to enjoy every minute of every day of this week.
We are going to start it all off with canning peaches tomorrow. Now that doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun, but I get to take a day off work to do it. And I don't have to do it alone. So it will be all good.

An Idea I Had

I decided the other day that if I really want this blog to be somewhat of a journal, which I firmly believe in, then I need to put more into it. So I was thinking (scary, huh?) that maybe I should write something almost every day. It doesn't have to be a whole lot, but something to document this time of my life. So that is what I am going to do.

Something really weird happened this morning. But let me start with yesterday. We went to St. George (we as in Rocky and Me) to the dentist. We also went to be moral support for Kristi. She was taking Dalley to Dr. Ethridge (his Long QT doctor). Dustin wasn't able to go with her, so we did. Anyway back to the original thought, when we got home Rocky went out to feed and his gray horse was dead in the corral. She was all bloated up. Probably from the heat. He couldn't find any reason that would have killed her. She was getting up there in age, so he figured it must have been a heart attack earlier in the day and the heat made her bloat up. He was baffled. Well, today he had to go to Las Vegas for an evaluation from Worker's Comp on his knee injury. He didn't want the horse to lay there rotting all day, so he needed to take her away. He wanted to do this before he left for Las Vegas. Sooo, he was looking for a chain to hook her to the tractor. He looked in the back of his truck and this is where he found the weirdest thing. In the back of his truck was his spare tire (nothning weird about that). But it was blown. The tread was coming off and it looked like it had been thrashed. I guess that wouldn't be weird if he had done that himself, but he put that tire in there just a couple of weeks ago and it was fine then. It had to have been on the truck when it blew, but he didn't do it. How did it get from the back of his truck onto his truck or another truck, get blown, then get back in his truck bed? What a weird mystery. I wonder if we will ever know what happened. WOW..........

Okay, I know I am copying, or copywriting, or whatever

I know Stina posted this last week, but I got to thinking that maybe I wanted this picture on my own blog for history purposes.
This is my youngest grandchild, Ira Roger Hatch, son of Shawn and Stina. He is about 9 1/2 months old and I don't get to see him very much, which breaks my heart a little each day, but I fell in love with this picture. He looks so grown up. I just want to squeeze him.
Shawn called me last night to tell me that Ira is now walking. He has been walking around with help for a while and last night he just started walking by himself.
They bought him this suit for his Grandpa's wedding on October 9. He will probably steal the show.

It is What It is.

Or..........What is it? I'm talking about IT.
Well IT is what IT is.
Don't worry, I'm not going crazy, nor are you. But I have been trying to figure out what IT is that I am supposed to be doing right now. I spent the first 20 years of my life preparing for the life I have. I spent the next (I'm not going to tell anyone how many) years of my life living that life, very happily. But the problem is that I didn't prepare for when that ended. I am still very, very happy. But I don't know what IT is that I am supposed to be doing. Something is missing. I have an empty spot. Actually 5 empty spots. I keep them patched up most of the time. But every once in a while, like today, they break open. If anyone is reading this that hasn't reached the stage of life I am in, I warn you, prepare for after. Prepare what you will do then. It may seem like a long, long way off, but IT comes faster than you will ever believe. Just yesterday I was so busy with laundry, cooking, cleaning, attending school events, changing diapers, getting up in the night, sewing, helping kids with homework, swapping babysitting, paying bills, running kids everywhere, keeping track of kids, dealing with discipline, tearing my hair out because of teenagers, trying to keep the yard presentable, etc., etc.
And don't get me wrong, I love that I can rest a little now and I can keep things done and actually have a little time to myself. I really, really love that. But what do you do with the holes. They are still there.
Well It is what IT is. That is all I have to say.

A Unique Place

Well, Ryan let us know last week that he was going to be transferred. He said that his Mission President had told him that he would be going to a unique place. Unique in a good way, he said. Well, we got a letter from him on Saturday. He was pretty happy about being in "Steamboat Springs, Colorado". The reason: There are a lot of ranches around the area. His companion told him that a lot of times they do service projects helpingt the ranchers. He siad that he had baled hay for a rancher once. Well, I guess Ryan is missing the work more than he realized because he is anxious to get out there and bale some hay. He is also pretty tickled to be driving a car again. And to top it all off, there is already a baptism scheduled. He was missing one of his own, so it was kind of nice to walk in on one at his new place too.
I thought I would throw in here a little update for those interested in my pet lizard. His name is Ben Ralph. Cody told me that I should name him Ben and Stina said I should name him Ralph. I figured that he could use both names. It was really quite cute the other morning. Michelle and I had been lifting weights and when it came time to leave Ben Ralph walked us to the door and said goodbye and he scooted back in. I'm not sure if he was hoping to get rid of us or just saying goodbye. But since we will never know I will assume that I can read his thoughts and I definitely think he was just being chivalrous.
Oh, and a tv update (My, I am full of boring information.) I guess they can't seem to find the parts to fix my television, so I am going to be receiving a NEW ONE. Yeah. I am just hoping that they will give me the money for a new one or at least let me pick something other than an RCA, because I never want to own another RCA.
Well that is it for now.

What Can I Say?

Well, if the old addage that "No news is good news" is correct, then I am just full of good news. I want to update this blog. But what do I say?
Let's see........... I could write about the skunk that hangs out at my back door because Rocky has some calf milk sitting there. (Which by the way, is no longer being kept there.) The miracle there is that I have not been sprayed because I come out that door at 5:00 each morning to go lift weights. Also, in that miracle is that Riggin hasn't been sprayed. That is absolutely phenomenal....................... I could write about how our television keeps shrinking. No, really. We had a big 32" flat screen. But right now it seems to be only 12". I got it back to size one day after watching the little one for about six weeks, then after only one day there it was again, shrunk down to 12" again. ( I guess in order that someone doesn't read this and thing I'm out of my mind, I will just say that our 32" keeps breaking down. We send it to the shop, wait forever, then get it back only to have it go out again. But I guess after this time, if it does it again, they will consider it a lemon and send me a new one.) ................................... I could write about how I baled hay for Rocky one morning, (the first time ever), but that would be a rather boring story since I broke down and there is nothing really to tell. ............................. I could write about how fantastic Ryan is doing. He amazes us every week with sides of his personality we didn't realize he had. We're kind of thinking maybe we didn't do such a bad job with the kid. He is an amazing person. ..................................Or I could write about the pet lizard we have acquired at the gym we lift weights at. Every morning he greets us. He is waiting on the fan or on one of the weight benches. When he realizes we aren't going away for a bit, he jumps off and runs around and hides, then comes out and looks at us, then hides, then looks, then hides, and so on. We have been playing this game for about three weeks. We decided we maybe better name him. But then I think if I get attached enough to him to name him, then it might jinx him and he will leave. Anyway he deserves a really cool name. ....................................... But no, none of that stuff is really news. And it is all rather boring I think. But since it is here in this blog I guess I will leave it for posterity. Who knows, someday I might find it all a little less boring.

Here are a few random pictures I took on the trip.

This is the Joseph Smith Cabin

This is the print shop in Palmyran where the Book of Mormon was printed.

Here is a picture of Branson.
This is one of the shows we went to in Branson. It was "The Brett Family Show"

I tried to get others, but I wasn't having any success. Lots of them failed. So this is it I guess.

How sweet it is.

Life is sweet. That is what I mean. It really is. I am finally at a place where I have quit aching and am truly enjoying Ryan's mission. I find that the more pain you feel, the more joy you feel. It is in exact proportions. Therefore, I feel life is pretty sweet right now.

A while back I talked in my blog about being afraid to be alone with my sweetheart again. Well that is definitely a fear that was unfounded. I am truly enjoying having the attention of my husband again. He is such a terrific father. And I have appreciated all the help he has been with the kids and how hard he has worked for all of us. But oh how sweet it is to have his full attention again. At least most of the time.

We just got back a week ago from a trip to Branson and New York. What an awesome trip it was. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Thanks to Keith Whipple again. It is so sweet to have his trips that he puts together in our life. I have to document one embarrasing moment during the trip though. It seems like there is always one. We went to the Shoji Tabuchi show when we first arrived in Branson. This man is a genius with the violin, fiddle, you name it. Anyway, videoing is not allowed. I promise that I was not videoing. But I got pulled out because I was taking pictures. I was just trying to get some really good ones, so I was focusing and snapping and focusing, etc. I guess it looked like videoing. So they pulled me out. They believed me when I said I wasn't videoing, but I spent the rest of the show in the back because my seat had been in the middle of the row on the second row. I did not want to crawl over everyone, AGAIN. But the rest of our time in Branson was AWESOME, or should I say SWEET.

Palmyra, New York was next and it was wonderful. I've been there 3 times before, but every time is new and different. They are always improving things and there is never enough time to see everything anyway, but I had some special experiences there this time. Oh how sweet it was.

You know, I don't think many people read this and I don't think that bothers me at all. I just like to put my history down somewhere. And maybe my family will read it someday. That is all I need. But if you do read this and you want to see something really cute, go to the blog from mine that says STINA. She has a video of Ira doing flips. It is so darn cute. He is a cute little boy. I adore him. I miss him. Oh I better stop now before I remember how sad that makes me, because I want this to be a Sweet Blog.

See ya next time.

Hey, Where is May?

Ryan is in a city called Centennial, which is a suburb of Denver. He and his companion lives with an LDS retired couple, The Anderson's. Bill Anderson sent me these two pictures. The first one was about a week before Mother's Day. The other one I got for Mother's Day. What an amazingly handsome boy. Course I'm prejudice. But along with his good looks, he is just one of the nicest kids you could ever meet. I miss him so much. But I am so happy for him and where he is in his life. He sent me one of the sweetest cards for Mother's Day (besides this picture) and a very thoughtful gift.

Last Friday I was feeling pretty down because we had talked to Ryan on the phone, therefore I hadn't got a letter on Monday and I was just blue. When I stopped to get the mail when I was coming home, there was a letter! And to top it all off, I came in the house and Rocky happened to be there, so we were reading the letter and the phone rang. I looked on caller ID and saw that it was an unfamiliar number and area code. So I didn't answer it. But then the answering machine kicked on and a man's voice started talking and saying that he had an Elder Hatch sitting at his table. I ran and picked up the phone and had a delightful conversation with this man and sent my love to my son. Some might doubt that this was a gift from our Heaavenly Father. We sometimes think our feelings are not important enought to Him to create a miracle. But they are not trivial to our Heavenly Father. He loves us and cares about everything we care about. He knew I needed something this day and he sent it.

One more little tidbit about Ryan, since I'm in the mood I guess. Monday was Rocky's birthday. When we got home there was a letter waiting and TWO packages. Ryan had sent us a letter and mailed Rocky his birthday. What a treat for Rocky. And then the card he sent Rocky was so special. I didn't know that Ryan had the talent to write such warm, tender feelings he has for his Dad. My Mother's Day card had been equally special. I've never had an occasion to receive a letter from him before so I didn't know, but he is very expressive and sweet. Anyway, he made Rocky's birthday very special. And following that Rocky heard from every one of his kids. Needless to say, he was on the phone all evening. We sure do have some awesome, wonderful, great kids. How blessed we are.

So where is May? It is more than half over and I felt like it was just getting started. Well, all the better, I guess. Keeping busy enough to make the days fly by is one way for me to stay happy. So all in all, see ya next time May!!

It's About Time

Well it has been a whole month since I blogged. Hey, but I am not the only one out there that is less active in blogging. You know who you are.
Anyway, I would like to say that the last few weeks have flown by, but I can't say that. It would be a lie. I have a feeling that the next couple of years will slow down drastically.
Monday's are what I live for. It used to be that I hated Mondays. But that is letter day. That is when I hear from my missionary.
This week has been fun and interesting in its own way. I have had Dalley since Saturday. I went over to Cedar City on Friday and tended him while Kristi was a judge at some kind of thing. Then Saturday I brought him home. He is lots of fun and lots of work. Mostly fun. But work I am not used to anymore. I have been taking him to work with me. This wouldn't work out on a regular basis, but we are working it out. I have to say that I am a little handicapped. For instance, I am typing with one hand right now due to the fact that my computer desk is not kid freindly. The corner is very sharp with a metal piece on it. I have to hold my hand over it to prevent a hurt baby. He insists on playing right at my feet. But, hey, I still type better than my kids, at least some of them, one-handed.
Ryan is doing great right now. He is in Centennial, a suburb of Denver. He said it snowed about two feet last week, and then it promptly warmed up and melted the whole mess. He said that he is teaching several investigators right now. He feels good about it and is loving his mission more and more each day. He lives with some members who have opened their home to the missionaries. They are the Anderson's. They are a retired couple with no children at home. I am so thankful to them and what they are doing for my boy. He says they feed him really good. Now, in his eyes, that is the most important thing they could do.
I haven't heard a lot from my Oregon/Washington kids. They did call to say that Ira got a couple of teeth. He is beating Dalley by at least 9 months because Dalley hasn't got a tooth yet. I was a little worried about that, but I looked and you can see the outline of them coming down. They are just taking their time.
Luke and Kayce spent a few days with us a couple of weeks ago. It was so fun to have them here. LE is growing so fast. She is one of those babies that has no fear. She is determined and cute and sweet. We really loved having her and the other kids there for a few days. They are such sweet kids. It was pretty good having their parents too.
Well, that is the update and it is about TIME!

Highs and Lows

These last two weeks have been a tax on my emotions. Both good and bad. On March 17th we left Hiko with Ryan and went to Ogden. We visited with Rowdy and then we stayed overnight with Rocky's brother Dennis. Then on Wednesday, March 18, we took Ryan to the MTC. Here is a picture of us outside the MTC.

Here is a picture of Ryan inside the MTC. This is an exciting awesome time for Ryan. But I found out that it isn't for me. YET. I am getting there. It is just that I miss him soo much.
I was only home for one day and I headed for Circleville. Luke and his little family, Kristi and Dalley, and Shawn, Stina and Ira, and I left Friday morning for a quick trip. Here is one of our stops. The Glen Canyon Dam

One of our main goals was to see the Grand Canyon. Here is Luke, Lukie, and Cody at the Grand Canyon.

This really doesn't do it justice.

I had some great times with my grandkids. It was awesome.

Here we are. Me , Cody, Kate, and Lukie sitting in four states at once. This is Four Corners.

We went in to New Mexico to visit a town that an ancestor of ours lived and died in. This cemetery is in Fruitland. The ancestor was Ira Hatch. This is Shawn and Ira by his grave. Then we were able to visit with two of Ira's Grandsons who are both over 90 years old but still going strong. What a delightful visit we had.

The last day we went to Mesa Verde. Here is the one and only picture I got there because my camera died right after taking it.

It was a fabulous trip. But it was sad to have it be over, because now Shawn and Stina are moving to Oregon. And what is worse they are taking Ira with them. So through all the joy of these events is a huge sadness. Sadness for missing my baby so much (Ryan). Sadness that I will not see Ira very often. I will miss so much of his life. But looking on the bright side. They are doing what is best for them. It will work out okay. I'll be okay.

How it went.

Well the weekend was AWESOME. We were all together except for Rowdy's kids. For some of you who have not seen pictures of my new grandchildren of this year I am posting some that I swiped off of Kristi and Stina's Blogs. This is Rocky and Ira in his cowboy hat.
This is me with Ira outside of the temple.

This is the three new ones at Christmas time. Dalley is in the middle and he is the oldest. Then L.E. on the right is the next one. Ira on the left is the youngest. Oh we do love these special sweet kids.

A Magical Time

The time right now is truly a magical time. In more ways than one. To feel the guidance and love from my Heavenly Father and my Savior during times of trial and then to feel their love through the special experiences we are having. It is keeping my heart full of joy and gladness. Rocky was hurt on the job. At first I didn't know how we were going to cope with this one more trial on our financial situation. But I have seen things fall into place to get him the help he needs to get this taken care of and I just stand back and say "WOW". I know I don't need to waste too much time worrying about this. With Ryan preparing for his mission, the adversary tries his best to get us to be at odds with each other. All it takes is a silent prayer or a vocal one and the spirit is back in our home. I have several flaws in me that keep me from being the person I want to be. The last couple of months I have felt extra help with this. I just can't contain the fullness of my heart right now.
Sunday we went to get Ryan's patriarchal blessing. What a wonderful experience. I have had this before with my other kids, but it was awesome to do it again. This weekend we are going to the temple. Our whole family will be there. It is the first time we will all be together since Ryan's graduation. I am sooo looking forward to it.
Oh, I have to write down something that just tickled me today. I have been emailing my 10 year old granddaughter. I asked her how she liked school this year. She told me that school was all right but that one thing she did not like was learning. What a funny girl.

Better late than never.

I forgot all about blogging the latest news for our house. Ryan finally, after six looooonng weeks, received a mission call. We know that this mission is special for him because of the way it all worked out. But anway, he is going to the Colorado Denver South Mission. He goes into the MTC on March 18. This is coming fast for me. I am not so sure how to handle being an empty nester. I have had children in my home for over 30 years. How do you all of a sudden find yourself back to the beginning. Just me and the guy I adore and fell in love with all those years ago. When we were married all I wanted was to be with him and him alone. Why all of a sudden, does that scare me? We have been a team in raising kids. It has been the greatest achievement of our lives. Five awesome kids that have brought us more happiness than ever imagined. Now we need to focus back on us, I guess. I know it is going to be okay and I know that it will have it's own special place in my life. I am heading for it with anticipation and with determination. When I think about it, it could be just as exciting as back in 1973 when I married my best friend and was alone with him all the time. A dream come true!!