A Little Deja Vu.

Yesterday was a day that reminded me just a little bit of a day just over two years ago.

Two years ago Ryan packed his bags and left us with an empty room and empty hearts.

Yesterday he has done it again. He moved to Escalante to work. He got a job there working on Turnabout Ranch, a ranch for troubled kids. He plans on majoring in Psychology, so this job is a grand opportunity. So I can't tell if I was just reliving the feelings that I had two years ago or whether I sincerely am going through those feelings all over again.

But I do think it is mainly deja vu. But all I know is that already this morning I sure am missing that guy. We had him for two wonderful months and now we will get only visits now and then, but that is life!!

TALENTS

Today I have talents on my mind.

Why?

Because I have discovered some new talents in my son, Ryan. Well, I didn't just discover it barely, but I was blown away by a demonstration of a talent he has.

Now Ryan is talented in a lot of ways that I have known since his birth or childhood. But this is one I wasn't as aware of until recently.

His talent: Public Speaking

This guy can give an awesome speech without any written out talk or even notes. It is right off the cuff. Wow!! I am mostly amazed because there is NO WAY I could do that.

So where does he get this talent? As I've said, not from me.

His Dad has this talent somewhat. He can give a speech with notes. Me, I have to have it all written out.

But yesterday Pearl, my mother-in-law, told me that her father had this same talent.

How cool is that to find out!! I love it.

Call me a Thief or WhatEVER!!

I have been trying to think how to express my thoughts lately. I have been going through a time of growing and stretching. BUT I am not good at expressing what I feel.

Then I was reading a book last night written by one of my top favorite authors, Richard Paul Evans, and there before my eyes were my very feelings written so well. SOOO

I am borrowing them. I am telling you that they are his words, so it shouldn't be illegal, but I am also at the same time stealing them. Here it is:

"There are moments in all lives, great and small, that we must trudge alone our forlorn roads into infinite wilderness, to endure our midnight hours of pain and sorrow--the

Gethsemane moments, when we are on our knees or backs, crying out to a universe that seems to have abandoned us.

These are the greatest of moments, where we show our souls.

These are our 'finest hours'. That these moments are given to us is neither accidental nor cruel. Without great mountains we cannot reach great heights. And we were born to reach great heights.

Every one of us is faced with a task to chip away at the stone of our own spirits creating a monument to light the universe. Our task will not be completed in our lifetime. And in the end we will find that we were never sculpting alone."

What I have learned from these words is:

1. We all have trials.

2. Trials make us grow.

3. We are carried by our Savior through it all. Anything is possible with His help.

Denver or BUST - Chapter 3

I am starting to think that maybe this trip is not right for us. And blogging about it has become like writing a book. (A boring one)

I guess anyone reading this can tell that this trip has been postponed again. It just wasn't working out to go anytime in May and June is out of the question. SOOOO

it has been put in July. We have a Hatch Family reunion in Ogden on July 15 so we would still be combining two trips into one and saving some gas money there. Our plan is the week prior to the 15th OR the week after. Preferably the week prior. It will depend on Rocky's work. They have some chipping jobs this summer and he has to be here if they are doing one.

So we'll see. Will it happen or not? Stay tuned for Chapter 4.

Denver or BUST - Chapter 2

Well, I think we have made some solid plans to get to Denver. Chapter 3 will be when we actually succeed in getting there.

Here is our plan:

May 20 - Go to St. George, go to my doctor's appointment (just a checkup), then leave from there and head to Colorado. Our hope is that we will get to Grand Junction that night and stay. The next morning we will head to Buena Vista.

May 21 - Arrive in Buena Vista and visit some very very good friends Ryan made on his mission.

May 21 - Stay another day in Buena Vista, possibly head for Denver.

May 23 - If we haven't already arrived in Denver then we will definitely go this day. We will let Ryan take us wherever he wants.

May 24 - This day we will head back in the direction of Utah, possibly go by way of Steamboat Springs. Maybe we will stay there for the night or maybe somewhere else.

May 25 - Drive to Roy, Utah and attend a very special High School graduation for a beautiful young lady.

After this it is kind of up in the air, but I may be going to Cedar City for the birth of my 13th grandchild, Whitlee Jane. Of course, that can't be planned, but it will all work out. I am sure of that. So I guess we will wait for Chapter 3 to see what actually comes about with these plans.