Sunday, May 31, 2009

So Come What May



We had a fun day yesterday. We had Tayler's birthday party, Brooke Halcolm's wedding reception and stake conference. Tayler's party was kind of a Hawaiian theme and the kids swam in their beautiful pool with a rock slide and waterfall. I didn't swim because I needed to go to the reception and conference. I was sitting in a chair talking to Ethan while we were watching the kids swim and he said, " It feels like someone's missing." I said, "do you mean Kamber?" He said, "Yeh." It was a sad moment for me. Then last night on the way to the reception Rich said, "You know, sometimes you think you are dealing with Kamber's passing, but in reality you really aren't." I said, "Yeh, I know what you mean, I feel the same way." The reception was fun, Brook looked darling, her husband seems really nice and Kenny and Teresa did a great job with the food and decorations. It was held at the Superstition Springs Golf Club and her colors were hot pink and lime green. We stayed and visited for an hour and then off to conference we went. We got there just in time to listen to Lennie speak. He was talking about children and how we need to teach and help them, but ultimately they have their agency. We stayed and had some friends tell us what we had missed and it sounded like a great meeting.

This morning we got up early and had to be at the Stake Center by 9:30 a.m. because Tristyn was singing in the choir of primary children. It was really special seeing all those little children singing primary songs. They sang 5 or 6 songs before conference started and then we sang "I Believe in Christ." I was doing good until we came to the last verse when you sing,"I believe in Christ; so come what may, With him I'll stand in that great day. When on this earth he comes again, To rule among the sons of men." It was an end to the emotional journey I had been on for awhile. We need to be ready to deal with trials in our lives. "So come what may" triggered something in me and the spirit was there to teach me that we are not in control of certain things in our lives, but we need to "Believe in Christ."

Saturday, May 30, 2009

TWO MORE BIRTHDAYS!


May is such a busy month it will be good to get in to June. The problem with that is June is hotter than HE#*! But, before we can move on to June we need to celebrate Tayler's birthday. This is a big one for her because she will turn 8. She is a special person. She is the oldest of the Larsen sisters and with her dark hair and freckles on her nose she is darling. I know she helps Ethan and Jenn and is smart and funny. She always comes up and gives us a hug and is so full of love. She is an absolute sweetheart.

Candi will be 30 on Monday June 1. When I was pregnant with her I think she was due on June 8th, but I was always early. We have lots of birthdays in May including Rich and mine, so I was sure she would be born in May. She had to wait until June to prove me wrong, that's the way it has been for 30 years. Candi is a wonderful person. She is a great hairdresser and a good friend to all her family and clients. She is so good about sharing her talents with her family and friends and I can't tell you how many times she has gone the extra mile to help others. She has the kindest heart and the funniest personality. She is passionate about life and intense in her feelings, (like her mother), and that sometimes gets her in to trouble. You never have to wonder what she thinks because she will tell you straight up. She is a great mother and I know she loves her boys and B.J. very much. Tayler and Candi are opposites in personality with Tayler quiet and shy, and Candi loud and crazy but we love them both and hope they each have a Happy Birthday!




Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day 2009



We have had a wonderful weekend. Spencer and Annie came in and brought a friend and teammate of his from the Denver Broncos, Peyton Hillis and his fiance Hannah. It seems like all we did all weekend was eat, swim and party. They left for the airport at 3:00 so I went and took a nap. It felt good to relax and reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day. As a family we have always celebrated this day by going with extended family to the Mesa Cemetary to decorate the graves of those who have passed away. That includes my dear Grandma Fern, my aunt Tenna and uncle Elmer Heap, my great-grandparents Earnest and Centenna Turley, my cousin B.J. Abney and many others. At times we have gone, (some of us with not such a great attitude) because my mother tells us 15 times during the week when and where we need to be. Yesterday as I was getting ready to start my trek I felt that maybe I wouldn't be able to do what was being asked of me. I was in my bedroom and I started to cry and I thought, "Will I be able to handle the pain of seeing the final resting place of that sweet angel girl Kamber?" We have been there before on her birthday and the day they put her headstone on so why was this different? Anyway, when I got there and saw that Ethan and Jenn had already been there and cleaned her grave off and put some darling flowers and pinwheels on, it was more than I could bear. It is a spiritual thing when you lose a grandchild. It's something you can never prepare for and something you sure as hell hope you never have to go through. But, as I was walking in the house just now, a thought came to me that all of us have been born and we are all going to someday end up in the cemetary. It's just a matter of time for all of us. I feel at peace. I know Kamber loves her family, her parents and sisters. I hope she loves her grandparents and all her cousins and aunts and uncles that think about her everyday. It won't be long until we will be able to see her again. That I know for sure.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Thank You Everyone

This week has been so crazy, what week isn't? We had Rich's birthday on Tues. and then mine was yesterday. I usually get really sad on my birthday, I think it is childhood trauma. My parents were both school teachers and so the last part of May was always hard for them. They were finishing up the year and getting report cards done and all the work that teachers have. As I'm getting older it's time to stop worrying about myself and start thinking of others. I try to make everyone elses birthdays nice, but it's hard to enjoy my own. I do want to thank all who thought of me yesterday. My kids were all so thoughtful and my visiting teachers and friends in my ward dropped off small gifts and I had some very nice phone calls from family and friends. Rich has even offered to fix a few things around the house for me, that always means a lot. My parents came over and we had Sandy's Burros from Mattas, Spencer and Annie are here from Colorado and they brought some friends with them. We had a lot of fun eating and laughing. Thanks again to everyone for thinking of me on my birthday it meant a ton to me. I love you all!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Dewey's 55


Kylie took this picture at Brookie's birthday party. She is a little camera happy!


Today is my darling husband Rich's birthday. As he left to go off to work I told him to "have a good day and do exactly what you want to on your birthday." He said "You mean like I do every day." Yeah! All who know him can agree to the fact that he works more than anyone they know. He started his own business about 25 years ago. He promised me "I will be home more, and we will have more money." Wow was he wrong on that one. Rich can pretty much build, fix or solve any problem related to building. When we got married he was a parts man at Berge Ford. He would memorize every number in the parts so I knew he was really smart. I just didn't know he would want to do construction. He is strong and tough and expects everyone else to be the same. I remember one day he came home and had blood all over his clothes and tiny holes on his skin around his waist area. I said, "What in the world happened to you?" He said, "Oh I just fell off the roof on the job and landed on my tool belt that I just filled with nails." I think the first day on the job for Bob Jones Construction he nailed his thumb with a nail gun while framing. We were talking to my 80 year old parents on Sunday and he finally admitted that he can't do what he used to a few years ago. He loves what he does and says he will never retire, so Happy Birthday to Rich, keep on working. "If You REST You Will RUST."

Monday, May 18, 2009

I Love Being a Farmer

Tristyn holding my bunny "Carrot Top."

I just love living on two acres of land. We have been here for 13 years now and it has been a work in progress. It has taken most of our time and money for those years to get us where we are today. This morning we got irrigation or as Rich calls it (irritation). Last time we were up late and had no water so after a butt chewing by my darling husband, BOY did we get some water today. After about one and a half hours of our three we were flooded. After the flood subsided Mindi went out to feed our menagerie. I was holding my new baby rabbit. She is a Flemish Giant breed. I have always wanted one, so when I saw an add in the paper I called and went to Glendale to buy her. She will grow up to be almost 20 pounds and live over five years. As I was talking with Candi about my rabbit, Mindi came running in and said, "I need the camera, "Big Boy" is coming across the irrigation. So I went out and took some pictures of my animals. I don't know why I have an obsession with animals. I guess it started as a child when we had a toad that lived outside on our back porch. One day my Dad was digging in the planter and accidentally killed it. I remember him saying, "Teri why did you kill that toad." I know he was just kidding, but as a child I was really traumatized. I feel it is important to teach children to be kind to animals and never hurt them. I have been called a "bunny hugger" because I detest hunting and killing any animal. But I know that we need them for food but it can't be a personal animal for me to eat it. When I was young we would go to Eager and my Grandma Slade would kill a couple of rabbits and chickens for our dinner. I sometimes wonder how in the world I ate up there. Anyway, I know I'm sick, maybe I need a shrink.


Big Boy made the trek through the irrigation.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

The Light

Those close to me know that once a month I go to counseling to get my head screwed back on right. It really helps me to take some deep breaths and try to figure out what is bothering me at that time. For the last two times he has suggested I read a book called,"LIGHT In The Wilderness." I am only in the second chapter but I have really felt inspired by this book. I wouldn't say that I'm an intellectual person, so when I read, it has to be easy for me to understand or I lose interest really fast. Although I wouldn't say this book is easy reading, I have managed to stay with it and I almost can't put it down. Basically, I have learned that we are in the wilderness, and without the Light of Christ we don't have a chance. This book is filled with scriptures and quotes by prophets and authors. One of the things I've learned is that "We have to acknowledge the Lord's hand in all things-to give up the idea that things happen randomly to us." She quotes Brigham Young in saying, "Make up your minds thoroughly, once and for all, that if we have trials, the Lord has suffered them to be brought upon us, and he will give us grace to bear them." I have thought about what happened on July 25th almost every day since then and at times I thought my heart was breaking in half, that I was dying inside. I remember walking down the hall punching the wall saying, "NO! NO! Why me." Then in a still small voice I heard. "Why not you?" So on we go wandering in the wilderness trying to make sense out of things that happen to us. My new motto is the Serenity Prayer which is "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

Monday, May 11, 2009

Surviving Mother's Day


I survived another Mother's Day and lived to tell about it. It was a bitter-sweet day. I had conflicting emotions all day and by the night I was exhausted. In the early morning I couldn't stop thinking about Kamber and how sad I was she isn't here with us anymore, I was also feeling sorry for myself because Spencer's card he sent never got to me. Then as I sat in church listening to all the talks about how "wonderful" mothers are, I found myself back in that dark place I had come from in the morning. After Sacrament meeting my friend Paula came up to me and we shared our dislike for Mother's Day. She has had some hard challenges in her life. Her oldest son was killed in a motorcycle accident a few years ago and I can feel her pain. As we cried at the back of the church we concluded that at least we still had our Mothers on this special day. During Primary they had a fun activity where they brought four mothers in and let the kids ask questions to find out who they were. They wore brown paper sacks on their heads that were decorated with hair, eyes and lips. It was really fun. Then the kids sang four Primary songs about mothers, ending with "I am a Child of God." I could not stop crying. We have been told that when children sing it goes straight to our Heavenly Father as a testimony to him of their love.

After church we had Mom and Dad over for dinner and then the extended family came over for desert. It is always really loud when the Greer's get together. We laughed and "scratched" and it was after nine before everyone left. I am thankful for my Mother and hope to have many more days with her.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Happy Mother's Day to Me!


I woke up early this morning, Rich was pouring cement in the backyard and I needed to get up early and do my chores before the sweltering heat hits. I have 1 cat, 3 dogs, 6 rabbits, 15 birds, 11 tortoises, 8 water turtles and a LOT of fish. As I walked out to feed my animals I realized that my pump on my big pond wasn't working. As I got closer I could see that some of my fish were floating on the top and all of them were trying to breath on the surface. I hurried and turned on my big pump to get the water going so hopefully I could save some of them. I scooped some of the dead fish out and walked over to Rich and said, "Happy Mother's Day to Me." He said, "Yeh look and all this concrete." No that's not really what I was talking about. Anyway I told him I needed one of his guys to dig me a hole so I could bury my fish. Mindi came out a little later and helped me move the plants and get the floating fish out. As I was walking back towards the house I thought of the last time I lost a bunch of my fish. It was a few days after Kamber passed away I left the hose in the pond all night and with all the chlorine in the water it killed about half of my big Koi. Rich is more philosophical about it because he says, "maybe this is a natural way to thin the herd. I never have thought of my fish as a herd, but I still have plenty of fish and there's always PETCO and PETSMART, my "home away from home." Hopefully the day gets better because if it doesn't I'm in trouble.

My fish that didn't make it through the night.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Mothers and Children


I have to admit that Mother's Day is probably one of my least favorite days. It started when my children were young and took all my time and energy. Then the teenage years about killed me; I was lucky to get out of that alive. Now my kids are all adults and have their own children and I marvel at how well they take care of their offspring. My patriarchal blessing doesn't mention children so I wasted no time having Mindi ten months after we got married. On Saturday Ethan called and said,"do you want to come to dinner tomorrow? " He knew I have been struggling with some issues in my life and it was nice to go to his house and relax and have a wonderful dinner. Then yesterday Mindi made her famous Cafe Rio Pork and everyone came over for burros on Cinco de Mayo. It does get chaotic when we have nine grand kids plus a few neighbor kids over, but as I sat and watched Ice Age with Ethan and a few of the kids I felt blessed to have my children and grandchildren so close. My Mom always tells me how much she loves me, how happy she is to have her "precious" kids, and that I'm "darling." That's probably not a word that most people would use to describe me, but my Mom thinks I'm wonderful. (She's forgotten how hard I was as a child and teenager.") I guess that is why it is a blessing to grow old and be able to forget the bad times and cherish the good. I know I haven't always been the best mother, but I think all mothers do their absolute best. I don't think any of us think, " what can I do now to screw up my kids." I'm thankful for a Mom that loved me unconditionally despite my faults, there were times when she saved my life as I was growing up. I hope my children know how much I love each one of them and their children also. It would be a lonely life for me if I didn't have them.

Friday, May 1, 2009

MAY DAY


I can't believe it's already the month of May. As we were driving home the other day we were talking about how busy May is going to be. We have Rich's Mom's birthday on the 4th, Mother's Day on the 10th, Rich's birthday on the 19th, mine on the 22nd, Rich's sister's on the 25th and Tayler's (8th) on the 30th. That doesn't even include "Fathers and Sons" this weekend and Memorial Day in three weeks. May is a good month because it isn't that terribly hot yet, but the pool is starting to get warm enough for the kids to swim. I remember last year the first time we went swimming at Ethan and Jenn's, Kamber was a crazy swimmer. I was so worried about her because she would hide and take her floaties off. Jenn and I even talked about how worried we were. Then we were trying to plan a family trip to Lake Powell. The guys really wanted to go but we had Brookie a few months old, Annie big and pregnant and Spencer leaving for Denver for training camp. We talked about camping with twelve grandkids or some of us staying in hotels part of the time. Then I suggested a houseboat, I remember Jenn having a terrible feeling about that. She felt that Kamber would just walk off the side of the boat. We didn't seem to ever feel good about taking all those small children to that huge lake. Anyway, the summer came and went and the thing that we had feared the most all summer happened. I have been thinking alot about that lately. Were we being prepared for the accident, or is it just coincidence? Why didn't I do more to help Jenn with the kids? We knew Kamber was so hard. I know she is in a better place. I know people love her on the other side, but it won't be the same this summer without her.