The Best Gift We Have Been Given

We had a really nice Thanksgiving Day. This is the year that my siblings went to their in-laws so the stress was way less for me. Mindi even commented on how nice it was. With the stress of the birth of the twins the weekend before, I was relieved we would have such a small group. I got a small turkey and it tasted really good even though I really don't like turkey much, it tasted good. My Mom and Dad, Mindi and Candi and their families were the only ones we had for dinner and then my sister and her son came by for pie later in the evening. It was also Reagan's birthday so after everyone left we headed out to Ethan's to celebrate her birthday and hold the twins. They are so cute and it's nice Gage got home from the hospital on Wednesday night so he was home for turkey day. As soon as we got home from Ethan's I started taking all my decorations down. I then started putting up Christmas decorations because I'm on call now to go help Jenn if she needs me. Her Mom took a week off from work to help them last week, so now it's up to me for moral support. Life is busy and I'm sure it's going to get more chaotic before Christmas but I love the holiday music and the feelings I get when I see the lights and think of the birth of the Savior, which is the best gift we have been given.

Lots of Things to Be Thankful For

It's nothing like Thanksgiving to bring out all the nostalgic feelings in me. This is the year that everyone goes to their in-laws, so it's kind of been nice, less stress for me. With the twins being born and Rich sick, that's a good thing. Rich was in Boston all last week helping Spencer install his new kitchen. Ethan built the cabinets and had them shipped back east. Rich had to do the install because we couldn't take the chance of Ethan missing the birth of the twins. When Rich got home on Saturday night I could tell he wasn't feeling well. By Sunday night he was really sick but hopefully he's on the mend tonight.  I read an article the other day that was "22 things unhappy people do." I wasn't surprised that I do almost all of them. They were stuff like thinking negative thoughts, holding grudges, living in the past, not being able to forgive and looking too far into the future and not living in the moment. Dang, how do you change who you are? How do you stop worrying about your kids and grandkids and wondering when the next trial will come your way? Anyway, I have so much to be thankful for. I just got word they are picking up Gage from the hospital, he was suppose to go home tomorrow but he's doing so well they are kicking him out tonight. Ethan and Jenn will need some extra prayers tonight as they deal with two babies in the night. Tomorrow will be a quiet day with just my parents and Mindi and Candi and their families coming for dinner. Some of the cousins may be coming over for pie later and then we are going out to Ethan's for Regan's birthday. Then it's twenty-seven days until Christmas, EEK!

The Twins Are Born

This has been a hard week with Rich in Boston helping Spencer and me here sleeping alone and worrying about the twins. Last night as I was talking to Jen and Ethan on the phone she was telling me about her day. She had some pretty strong contractions and back labor. She had been to the doctor on Thursday and told her she was ready and that he didn't want her to labor at home because she needed to have two doses of antibiotic for Strep B and since these are her 7th and 8th babies she should go fast. I suggested they just go to the hospital and get checked out to see if she had progressed at all with the pains she had. She got there at around 11:00 p.m. and they decided to keep her. She was at a seven dilation and was having contractions so they started her medication. I think I only got around three or four hours of sleep between my insomnia and worrying all night. Dr. Huish came in this morning and broke her water and she had an epidural and they were born this morning. The first baby was delivered head first but they had a problem with baby b, he was born breech and is having a hard time with his breathing, so he is in the nursery at the hospital while they watch him for a couple of days. We will be saying extra prayers for him until he can go home with his family. Rich is on route as we speak coming home and I'm excited that maybe with him home I'll be able to get the sleep I've been deprived of all week. We are certainly blessed that Jen was able to hold these precious babies in for 37 weeks and they are beautiful, I can't wait to hold baby b. Their names are Rustin Leonard and Gage Richard, and they were 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 8 pounds, and both were 21 inches long. Jen is a real trooper and I'm sure she's glad this is over and they are here safe. Today is my parents 64th wedding anniversary so what a memorable day for their birth.

Jelly Done, Yea!

I just finished the last two batches of jelly from this years harvest of pomegranates. Whew! What a relief until next year, it's such a good feeling. Yesterday was my Moms 85th birthday. We had planned a family ice cream sundae extravaganza for her on Sunday night, but that ended up not happening. My parents live in Scottsdale and because of the Ironman Competition they drove around for forty-five minutes trying to find a way to get across the roads to come to my house. Poor Mom was a nervous wreck wandering around the Reservation trying to get across. So yesterday both my brothers went to see her and my sister and I are taking her to dinner tomorrow night. Sometimes in life things just don't work out the way we think they should. We won't be planning a family party when that's going on again, that's for sure. Who would think you couldn't go anywhere all day because the roads were all blocked off until 6:00 p.m.? And by then she was too upset to come that late. Rich is still in Boston working on Spencer's kitchen. I think it's really going to be beautiful and I hope he appreciates Rich taking a week away from his business to help him. We'll see what kind of problems he will have to deal with next week when he gets home. I've had such a hard time sleeping that finally last night I put some essential oils on and drank some calming herbal tea. It helped a little bit and I slept until 4:00 a.m., so that's better than the last three nights. Jenn was having a few contractions yesterday and goes to the doctor tomorrow, it shouldn't be too much longer, but everyday she keeps them in the better it will be for them. I know she is miserable, I started taking castor oil when I got so miserable I wanted to hurt myself, so I can just imagine how hard it is to have two babies in there. She still looks great and is dealing better than I would. When they get here she is really going to be busy, tired and still miserable.

Still No Babies

This morning I woke up at 5 a.m. and knew I had no chance of going back to sleep. Rich left Friday night late and took a red eye to Boston to help Spencer install his new kitchen. I hate being alone at night, I'm not anxious like I used to be, I just don't ever get into that really deep sleep that makes me feel rested. So by 8:30 this morning I had already washed my sheets, unloaded my dishwasher, fed the dogs and made two batches of jelly. When my Mom called and asked what I was doing, she was so proud of all my accomplishments so early in the morning. Even at 85 she's a "go getter" and can work circles around me still. Yesterday for church we attended the Phoenix Temple Dedication. Dave went in the morning so he could watch Trulie, then Mindi and I took all the rest of the kids in the afternoon. I have to say I think this was one of the best meetings I have been to. The music was beautiful and the talks and prayer were inspiring. Sometimes when I'm down on myself I don't feel worthy to attend the Temple, but these speakers made me realize the importance of the Temples to our happiness. Jenn hasn't had any contractions and hopefully she can survive this pregnancy and delivery of these babies. I'm getting so excited to see what they look like and hold them. Ethan and Dave are running the business while Rich is out of town, so now we have put the "having the babies" on the back burner until the weekend and Rich gets home. Now I need to go take a little nap so I have enough energy to get some more projects done tonight, six more nights of sleeping alone, I can do it.

Spinning My Wheels

Some weeks I just don't feel that productive. I have so much that I want to do and that needs to be done, but sometimes I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. It's been a week already since we juiced all our fruit. I've made four or five batches of jelly and haven't put a dent in my bounteous harvest yet. Yesterday Mindi and I watched Jenn's kids while she went to the doctor. We were hoping she would have these babies by now, but bless her heart she is still hanging in there. As I get older it seems easier to have empathy with people who are struggling because you know where they are. I've never had twins, but I did have an almost ten pound baby and I thought I was going to die. This morning I went to the dermatologist to have two moles cut off my face and arm. I swear if you want to feel young, and beautiful hang out at the dermatologists office because most everyone there was over seventy. I asked the doctor why so many old people have skin issues. He said it was because as we age our immune system gets weaker and that causes lots of skin problems. There's another thing to have to worry about in the next few years. Next week is Mom's 85th birthday so we are all getting together on Sunday night after the Temple Dedication. Then this year everyone is going somewhere else for Thanksgiving so it will just be a few of us getting together to eat. Hopefully we will have the twins here before then but if not the doctor is going to induce her on the Friday after Thanksgiving. So basically we are on baby watch for the next couple of weeks and hoping for a phone call that says they are on their way to the hospital. Until then I guess I'll just keep spinning my wheels.

Juicing Done, Jelly Making Started

Friday morning I was up early trying to get everything ready for our juicing day. It is such a production that I sometimes wonder why I got involved in this tradition. My Aunt Tenna passed this on to us, she had the trees and the juice and taught my Mom and Dad how to do it. This year we were smart. We only picked my friend Sandy's trees and mine. We had a good crew here to help and we were finished by 4:00 in the afternoon. I asked Mindi several times if she was sure that was all the fruit and the answer was always yes. On Friday night when I went out to feed the animals I found a wheel barrow half way full of pomegranates. Dang, that meant I was on my own Saturday morning, where I spent another couple of hours by myself cutting, juicing, straining and cleaning up. It seems like every year it gets harder and harder to do it. My poor parents who at 85 years-old stayed until the very end. They are such an example of hard work and dedication. This was a weird year because none of the younger generation came to help. Usually we have a few of my nieces and daughter-in-laws come and help but Mindi was the only representative of that age group. She is always so good to help her parents and grandparents when the need is there. Trulie played outside for awhile but wanted to go in and watch cartoons. When Mindi went in to check on her, she had poured eight plastic water bottles on the rug in her family room. I don't know if Mindi will live through that girl, she is hard! Now the fun begins as I make jelly from the juice. I'm not making that much this year because when I went in my pantry to pull out all my canning stuff, I found 20 jars of jelly I never gave away from last year. What a waste to throw it away, not only the juice and sugar but also all the time it took me to make it. Oh well, this year I'm going to make sure I give most of it away so it doesn't end up in the garbage.

Voleyball Over, Juicing Begins

It seems like another week when I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels. I have lots to do but not enough energy to get things done. Trisyn's last volleyball game was Tuesday night and they lost, so her season is over. We've picked most of the fruit, except three trees in my backyard I will work on tonight before we start juicing tomorrow. I just got home from exchanging a double stroller for the twins that we bought for the shower. When we got it home we realized that the car seats weren't included, so it took two hours and another $200 to get that straightened out. Then we stopped at the Relief Society pot luck luncheon at Kelli's house which is always fun and yummy. Lately there have been some things that have happened that make me question what's going on in the world. It seems like the older I get the more disenchanted I become by the actions of others around me. I heard once in a Conference talk something to the affect that you can tell the relationship someone has with Christ by the way they treat others. I don't know why that's been running through my mind so much, I guess just because of some of the things I hear and see around me. In a talk in the Priesthood Session by President Uchtdorf he said, "I'm not sure why we are able to diagnose and recommend remedies for other people's ills so well, while we often have difficulty seeing our own." It is hard for us mortals to realize what we do and say affects the self esteem and happiness of those around us. I try and be a good person but there are times that those "not so nice" parts of me come alive, I guess all you can do is just keep trying. Tomorrow we will get together for a juice fest and hopefully we can get them done before dark. It gets harder every year and the older we get the slower we get and the longer it takes for us to get it done. It is fun getting together and doing something hard, we never know when this year will be the last we have the two 85 year-olds with us, so I'm not complaining about this project, not me not ever.

The Best Family Ever

The weekends seem to go by so fast. I wonder how I'm going to get everything done I need to. Friday I finished the quilts for the babies and took some pictures outside on our swing. On Saturday we had a little family shower at Sassy's, a cute little place in Mesa. I took my camera hoping to get some nice pictures but when I went to download them to the computer this morning there was nothing, nada, not one picture. I don't know what happened, hopefully I can figure it out so it doesn't happen again. Jenn got some nice things and the family all pitched in to buy her a twin stroller. I have the best family. This morning I got a call from my dear cousin asking me if Jenn needed more help and if she did to call her. Who does that? Yesterday Rich and I attended the Regional Conference from Salt Lake that all the members in Arizona listened too. I loved the talks and felt they were meant for me. I even took some notes because I wanted to remember what was said. The first talk was about how we need to have an eternal perspective everyday. That is so hard for me when dealing with health and family issues that seem to never end. He gave four simple truths about our lives. They are, (1) We are children of God. (2) Life has an eternal purpose, (3) God has a plan for me, (4) Progression is eternal. When I look back at some of the trials I've had, at times I wasn't thinking about the eternal perspective, that these trials are just a part of life, and they help me learn about me. The speaker said, "Trust in the Lord and his plan for you." It seems like so many things are out of my control that the only thing I can work on controlling is my own thoughts and actions. This week is another busy week  as we are picking and juicing pomegranates. Hopefully the kids can help this year because all of us senior citizens aren't strong enough to carry the heavy loads of fruit. It is a special time though and we have lots of fun when getting together and working. I have the best family.

Grandma's Birthday and Halloween

 I was feeling a little bit nostalgic this morning so I decided I would try and find some pictures of my kids on Halloween. I pulled two boxes full of pictures out and started looking. After spending a couple of hours I gave up. I found report cards, achievement certificates and pictures of everything else. I even found my diploma from ASU, but the  only pictures I found was one of Candi as a clown and one Trick or Treating at one of my dear friend Leonore's house. This one was specials because Leonore passed away this past summer. Today is a special day because it's my Grandma Fern's birthday. She was one of the kindest people I have ever known and one of the "Great Ones" in my life. I did find her funeral program that I've kept since she passed away in 1974 while I was a student at BYU. As I read over the program I saw that she was born in 1898 and passed away one month shy of her 76th birthday. I'm surprised that of all the kids and grandkids born, I don't think there is one that was born on Oct.31st. The baby I miscarried was due around that time, so I always think about her and the chance that I might have had a baby on her birthday. We are having a little family shower for Jenn tomorrow so I've been busy getting the quilts done for the twins. It is an exciting time for our family having two babies born at the same time is something I never imagined would happen to me. I know it is hard carrying two big babies but what a blessing to know they are healthy and growing normally. These next two weeks will be really important to ensure they get here safely, so extra prayers are being said for them. Tristyn just came home from school looking for a costume to wear to volleyball practice. All we could think of was the costume Candi got for me a few years ago. It fit her perfectly so I had to get a picture of her before she left. If I can't find any of my kids I guess I'll have to post some of the grandkids. Happy Halloween to everyone, tomorrow is November thank heavens.

Shopping and Sewing

I spent the weekend cleaning and sewing. I have so many quilts in different stages, that it stresses me out. I think I have a little ADHD because I would rather go in my sewing room and work on a new one before I have all the others finished. I did finally finish one I made for Trent. He turned eleven on the 10th of October so it's not too late. I bought some really colorful material with outer space and planets on it, but when Mindi mentioned it to him, he gave her that look. So I asked him what he wanted and of course it was sports. So I pulled out all my blue and red sport material and whipped him up a quilt. I've also been working on quilts for the twins. We are having a little family shower for Jenn on Saturday, so I've been shopping and sewing. I've been lucky to find two of almost everything and I know she's going to need lots of help. Sometimes I feel guilty that I'm not out there helping her as she struggles with these last few weeks. I've gotten myself in a mess here with all these animals and responsibilities at home, it makes it hard to leave for any amount of time. This week is the end of volleyball season and Halloween and then next week I'll be busy picking and juicing pomegranates. So hopefully she can hang in there so I can go out to help. This is such a busy time of year but it's always so nice when it cools down. I'm not a big fan of Halloween because I'm not good at dressing up and costume wearing. Trulie wanted to be a witch so Mindi made her a cute little shirt, hat and broom. She continues to keep us all on our toes. She was bouncing on the trampoline with one of her brothers and fell on her arm and got a buckle fracture. It's healing well but she keeps taking her brace off and yesterday she was out again jumping with her brothers. I just say a prayer and hope she doesn't break anything else.

Homecoming and Twins

Last Thursday I got a call from Ethan asking me if I could go with Jenn to her ultrasound appointment again because he couldn't take time off from work. I'm so lucky to have a sweet daughter-in-law that would want me to be with her again. When she picked me up she was in pain and I was worried we may be heading to the hospital instead, but the pain was just the fact that she's got two big babies in there. As I looked at those precious spirits moving around, their hearts beating, I wondered how anyone could deny they are from God and these children are so loved by him. When the technician told us that Baby A is already 6 pounds and Baby B 5.4, I thought Jenn was going to faint on the table. No wonder she is having pains, she has over twelve pounds of babies and then when you add in the placentas and the extra blood, it's amazing she can even get around. I am so excited to see these little guys and get to know them. We still don't know if they are identical or just fraternal but either way we'll take them. On Saturday night Tristyn went to her first high school dance. It was Homecoming and even though she played in a volleyball tournament all day Friday and Saturday, she was still able to get ready and go. I wanted to take some pictures of her but her date was late arriving and I had hungry animals outside. By the time I finally got in they had come and gone but Mindi and Dave took some cute pictures of her. She is a typical teenager but has a really sweet spirit about her. I hope so much that she won't get caught up in all the drama when dealing with "mean girls" at school. It's been a long time since I was sixteen but I sure wish I could go back and have a do over. I wouldn't worry about what anyone thought about me and I would study harder and be more teachable. I was weird in high school and never really felt that I fit in. Maybe that's what everyone goes through during that awkward age. Anyway, we only get one chance at this mortal life and so I'm trying to make the best of it, even when it gets a little hard.

Keeping It Real

For the last couple of weeks I've been in a black hole. I've felt unloved and unappreciated. I think everyone goes through ups and downs in our lives even in the most perfect situations. This weekend in one of our discussions Rich told me again how negative I am. This isn't something new, I can be a Debbie Downer that's for sure. When he told me he has been asked many times how he deals with someone so negative I was hurt. He won't tell me who asked him but said, "maybe it's someone who reads your blog." I've been stewing about it all weekend and then this morning I decided I needed to write about my feelings. I started writing on this blog six years ago when Kamber drowned in the backyard pool of the dream home Ethan built by himself for his family. After that happened, the economy took a nose dive and we are lucky to save what we did and stay married due to the stress. The statistics of marriages lasting after the death of a child is very low and at times the grief has been so bad I would rather walk away than stay and fight it. Yesterday in church we had a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy give a really good talk. The thing that impressed me the most was his story on how much time we waste on things that don't matter. I could relate to the time I spend being mad at family members and retaliating against them. Then we got in to Relief Society and the lesson was how we need to LOVE everyone! That we need to pray for our enemies and those who we have a hard time with. That totally applies to me too. I love it when I go to church and can see myself in the lessons. Anyway, I have never been a good faker. I don't blow smoke and I tell it like it is. That gets me in trouble sometimes but it's part of me that needs some polishing. When I write on my blog I know sometimes I keep it too real. Maybe I share too much of my sadness and struggles. I know when I read back some of my posts it makes me feel so sad that I felt that way that day. So I'm asking anyone who reads my blog and is offended because of my honesty to please stop reading. Go to lds.org and read conference talks or listen to uplifting music. If what I write is too much negativity for you find someone else's blog to read. Those people who truly know me and love me understand what I'm going through and hopefully won't judge. So if you don't like what I write, please read something more uplifting.

Somewhere Far Away Someday

It seems like the last few months have been really hard for me. Besides fighting the oppressive heat, I feel like I've been fighting myself. I don't know if it's just normal as I age to become a little bit more confused about life, or just the way my life seems to be heading. I look back and try to find a place where it started. Was it my miscarriage, raising naughty teenagers, Kamber's passing or hip and knee surgeries? Whatever the reason, I guess it doesn't really matter. Life just seems to be one adversity after another. I was told recently that I'm such a negative person, it's a wonder anyone can deal with me. I think I live in reality, but maybe it is a constant state of negativity. I need to work on that and maybe reading some suggested Conference talks will help. A couple of days ago Mindi and I took the puppies and my two old labs to the vet. The puppies needed their first shots before we can send them to their new homes and my male needed his rabies vaccination and the female is having a hard time walking. The vet is always so nice and after giving the shots and some needed medication, we left.  I felt like I had been in a fight after getting those dogs home and back out to Ethan and Jenn's house. Candi, B.J. and the kids have been on a trip since Oct. 2. They will be coming home on Saturday and I can't wait to hear about their trip. I'm also missing Spencer and his family a lot. It's been almost a year since they have been here. I'm hoping that someday they will move closer so I can spend some time with them. Maybe they will take me on a trip with them, somewhere far away where it's nice and cool and happy. Then maybe the negativity will leave and I can see myself as the Savior does.

No More Funnel Cakes Please

Last weekend was such a doozy that I went to bed at 9:00 o'clock both nights, I was so tired. We had Troy's baptism on Saturday morning and then a carnival for the boys who each had a birthday last week. Mindi can't just do a simple birthday party, she has to go all out. She had booths for the kids to throw bean bags and rings, a jump house that looked like a castle and yummy food. I ate so much funnel cakes and Bahama Bucks that I was sick the rest of the day. During the baptism my cousin Barb and I were talking about how lucky Troy was to not only have his grandfather there, but also his great-grandfather. When we were growing up we didn't know either of our grandfathers because they had died before we were even born. I was so relieved that the weekend was over that I decided to make cinnamon rolls on Sunday. I know it's a day of rest, but I really felt with the cooler weather, I wanted to smell something that reminded me of Fall. It seems like every day there is another challenge. Today we are taking the puppies in for their shots and vet check, plus I have an old lab that needs his Rabies shot before he can get licensed. Another one is having a hard time walking so she needs to be seen too. Sometimes I wonder if all this stress and worry is worth it. I try and be a good person but obviously not good enough. I've been wondering lately at what point do you throw in the towel and give up? Anyway, life continues to prove this mortal life is kicking my backside, but someday it will be over and hopefully I can rest then.

"We Make Things So Complicated Now"

Every week I think will be a little bit easier but that never happens. Yesterday my sister and I went to Scottsdale to pick up my parents to go to lunch for her birthday today. She had to run a quick errand and when I got into the area where I grew up, I had such weird thoughts and feelings. I have been gone from there for almost forty years but sometimes I can still feel the feelings I felt as a child and teenager growing up there. It's hard to explain but it was real. We are so thankful that our parents can still live in their home and take care of each other and even drive themselves to places they need to go. I know how I feel at sixty-one, so I can only imagine how tired they are at eighty-five. Mindi has been driving herself crazy this week planning a baptism and birthday party tomorrow. As I talked to my Dad on the phone he said, "we sure make things complicated out of things that used so be so simple, but important. We did it and it was over, we never had a luncheon or party after being baptized and I can't ever remember even having a birthday party." It does seem like things have become way bigger than when even I was a kid. Tristyn had a volleyball game last night even though it was fall break. Jenn brought her kids to support her and it is was fun to see all the cousins playing together. They weren't that interested in the game and mainly just ate treats from the concession stand and played. Jenn looks great for expecting twins in six weeks. Hopefully she will be able to keep them in until they are healthy enough to breath on their own and not have to stay in the hospital. Today is Trent's birthday and he turned eleven. My grandkids are growing up way to fast and it's sad to think Tristyn will be leaving for college in two years. She's going to Homecoming next week so this coming week will be another stressful week. I'm ready for a vacation, a trip to the beach or somewhere I can get more than six hours of sleep. I hate that I'm turning into an old person, but I guess the other option is to die and I'm not quite ready for that yet, I hope.

"His Mercy is the Mighty Healer"

The weekend went by way to fast and now we are enjoying the kids home for Fall Break. It has actually been really nice to have them home to help me a little bit. By 8:00 a.m. I already had the animals fed and my aquariums cleaned out. When you have three boys to help, it sure is easier. It seems like listening to Conference makes me have a let down every time. I enjoy listening to the words of wisdom but at some point it does make me feel like I'm sure not hitting the mark most of the time. If I could understand one Gospel principle better it would be the Atonement. I still can't comprehend how the Savior can make everything better. I have struggled for a long time with feelings of not being good enough and some family members make sure they remind me often. Sometimes when I feel like I've had enough, I still don't know how to repent, forgive, and move on. When I heard President Packer say, "HIS mercy is the mighty healer," I wondered why the death of Kamber is still so painful. The hole in my heart hasn't been repaired and probably never will. Last night as I struggled to fall asleep I heard a voice that said, "Just do the best you can and that's good enough." Maybe that was just a thought that went in to my mind but after that I fell asleep for a few hours. One thing I did learn from the talks is that this mortal life wasn't suppose to be easy and we shouted for joy when we heard we were coming down to get our body and be tested. Sometimes I wonder why I was so excited for that, living in this mortal body hasn't been a cake walk for me. Anyway, the sun will come up tomorrow and my quilts will still be there to work on. I also have two birthdays and a baptism this week, so I need to get myself together and have hope for the future.

Enjoying Life Alone

It's already Friday again and I wonder where the days have gone. Rich left for Utah yesterday to spend some time with his family and attend his missionary reunion. Candi, B.J. and their boys left for a trip back East, seeing the historical sights and will be gone for over two weeks. Little old me is staying home enjoying a quiet home and empty bed. I have gone with Rich a few times to Utah but when you travel with him it feels more like the "Amazing Race" instead of a vacation, so I prefer staying home. I eat and do whatever I want and spend whatever I can get my hands on. I try and spend what I think his trip costs, isn't that fair? I can buy a lot of clothes, chocolate and fabric for the cost of an airline ticket. We usually treat ourselves to Outback Steak, just to celebrate the occasion. This next week is Fall Break for the kids and we are hopefully going to make some progress in the mowing and cleaning up department. We also have a family get together on Saturday to celebrate the Baptism of Troy who turned eight on October 1st. Sometimes I can get myself so riled up about the future. It seems like from here on out until after the holidays life is so busy. I've finally got the box ready to send to Spencer for his kids for Dane's birthday and some things for the kids for Halloween. I'm also trying to collect items Jenn will need for the twins. Just thinking about that is overwhelming and I'm not the one doing all the work, I'm just the grandma. I am looking forward to listening to Conference all weekend, even though sometimes it is overwhelming I love feeling the spirit when I listen to the talks and music. It's going to be a good weekend.

Monsoon Over, Welcome October

The end of another month is fast approaching and I can't believe how busy the next few months are going to be. It seems like every week I have a list of things that I need to do, or projects I need to get done. This is also a month with five birthdays I need to celebrate, so it's crazy around here. A couple of months ago Kylie let me know she needed a new quilt. It wasn't just my normal quilt but one I hadn't ever made before. She wanted a Chevron pattern made out of blue and yellow material. I had some in my stash but needed to pick up a few more to get the affect I wanted. I literally spent hours and hours on this quilt. I have often been asked why I don't sell my quilts. For one thing they aren't perfectly made and I could never charge enough to cover the cost of the material and the hours spent sewing them. The only reason I do it is because I enjoy it, it lets me create something that others love. The last few days I've been working on a project for someone who has been very kind to me. I also cut out the strips and started the quilts for the twins. Wow! Trying to find two of everything is hard. I've been picking up sleepers and outfits but have a hard time finding two of the same size exactly alike. I've felt a little bit overwhelmed by the thought of these two little guys and pray that Jenn will be able to handle the stress and strain having twins is causing to her mind and body. The other night when someone suggested that Rich and I become foster parents I felt physically sick. I know there are so many children who need a home and I wish I had the patience and ability to help all the children with no families. I also feel horrible when I hear of all the animals that need homes and if not adopted are euthanized. I feel at sixty-one that part of my life is over. I just want to have enough energy to make a difference in my grandchildren's lives. On Friday night we went out to the Ethan's for a party for Kylie. She turned twelve on the 23rd and that's a big birthday in our culture. They had lots of fun things for the kids to do and had a carnival theme. It was a lot of fun but lots of work too. Tomorrow is Troy and my niece Alishia's birthdays, then Rich leaves for Conference on Thursday and the week is over. At least it's cooling off a little bit and the fall decorations are coming out. Today is the end of the monsoon season for us too. This has been one of the wettest seasons we have had and we are so thankful for the rain but the mosquitoes have been horrible. I guess we have to take the good with the bad. At least that's what I've finally figured out.

I Survied Another Bump In The Road

In the middle of the night I woke up feeling sick. I felt nauseated and didn't know what was causing it. I knew I had an appointment this morning to have oral surgery to put an implant in the hole left when he pulled my tooth last January. Was that what was bothering me? When I finally woke up this morning I was exhausted. I'm so tired of going through life tired. I can list a hundred things I'm tired of but that wouldn't change anything. When I was a kid I was so terrified of the dentist, they would have to sedate me to do anything in my mouth. I'm an adult now but that little girl is still terrified inside. When I was getting ready to leave for my appointment I was almost in tears. I went in my closet to get a shirt and started thinking about some of the trials I've had in my life. I remember a time when I was talking to Ethan about something and he said, "I've already been through the hardest thing you could possibly go through, so anything else doesn't bother me." So I tried telling myself that I've already been through hell, so how hard can a little implant be anyway? When they were taking me back to have the procedure done Mindi said, "Come on Mom, gird up your loins," that was my go to saying as we were planning Kamber's viewing and funeral. Anyway, I survived this little bump in the road and will spend the rest of the day eating soft foods and resting. I love my surgeon and hope he forgives me for being such an anxiety filled patient. I prayed that I would survive something that is very hard for me to do and am aware their are many family and friends that are struggling with their own trials, especially Jenn who is caring twins. We pray for her and these babies all the time. During my implant procedure everyone left the room for a minute. I started getting scared so I pulled out my phone and took some pictures of my mouth on the screen. It reminded me of a scary witch at Halloween, so I started laughing. I'm just happy to be home and can't wait until the numbness wears off so I can feel my lips and tongue and hopefully won't be in too much pain. I survived!

I'm Not Feeling Young Today

This morning when I got my morning wake up call from my Mom, I was telling her how tired I was. All she said was, "you are so young, just wait until you're eighty-five." The way I'm feeling today I don't think I'll live to be that old. On Thursday I went with Jenn to have a sonogram to check on the twins. It was so fun to see their little bodies and we even got a shot of their faces. Boy was it confusing to keep track of them and all they are known by is Baby A and Baby B. I was a little confused but excited that they are both doing well and growing. They are both about three pounds already and in the 97th percentile, so no wonder Jenn is feeling large. She looks great but I know she is slowing down a little bit. Yesterday I spent all day working on my project for Fabulous Friday that we had last night at the church. It's always so fun to get together as women and do fun crafts. I stayed as late as I could but they were still working on projects after ten o'clock and I wasn't feeling well. So I helped clean up the food and came home. What dedication it takes to serve in the church, it's such a good thing we have so many willing and talented women to step in and help, it was a very successful activity. Now today I'm cleaning and going to Tristyn's volleyball tournament. Everywhere I look there is something that needs to be done, but I'm sure tired and it's not even nap time yet. I have to keep reminding myself how young I am, my Mom says I am anyway.

Pep Talk From Mom

It's no secret that when Rich and I decided to get married he was hoping and thinking he was getting a carbon copy of my Mom. She is a wonderful person who is kind and loving and doesn't have a mean bone in her lean little body. What Rich got was a female version of my Dad, who is an honorable man, full of faith and love but just not as cultured or refined as Mom, and I might add he is a grudge holder like me. Anyway, this week has been extremely stressful running errands to buy supplies for our Relief Society activity on Friday night. I also had two fillings fixed in preparation for oral surgery next week to put an implant in the hole in my mouth. Anyway, I had an opportunity to try and help one of my children who is struggling in lots of areas of their life. As the conversation went on and tears started flowing, I found myself giving the same pep talk my Mom has given me for sixty-one years. When did I turn in to my Mom? I never thought she really knew what she was talking about because she was so old, things had changed in the world and she couldn't possibly know how to help me. It is so hard being a parent to adult children and watching them struggle. I wish I could take away all their problems and challenges. I wish they had the perfect lives with perfect children and no stress. But unfortunately I have learned by experience that only through these challenges do we grow. I hate adversity! Sometimes I get so sick of struggling with the same old things day in and day out that I just want to scream. Why does life just seem so hard sometimes with things we are asked to do? Hopefully things will quiet down and life will become peaceful and calm, but I'm not counting on that with the holidays coming and the twins. Oh yea, TWINS. It may be awhile before I will be able to sit in the rocking chair and relax, but I'm not giving up on that idea at some point in the future.

Who Really Cares?

Last night when I went to bed I felt kind of bad about my ranting post earlier in the day. Sometimes it seems like I'm swimming upstream with no way to get out of the river. I went to the oral surgeon to see about getting an implant so I can have a tooth put in the hole left behind when I had a tooth pulled in January. I was complaining about how I can't keep my stupid tongue from wanting to move in and out of it. After he listened a minute and looked in my mouth he said, "you are the easiest patient I have today. I have seen two people with cancer and some with other problems, I can help you with this." I started thinking about all the suffering in the world. How easy it is to get into the "feel sorry for Teri" mood. So what if my house is hot, water is leaking out of my ceiling and my pools turning green, who really even cares? At least I have a house to live in. Last night was the last night of Bunco for this cycle. I looked around at the amazing women that were there. We have so much fun laughing over a stupid little dice game. We have all had some hard times and difficult trials but for a couple of hours we seem to forget everything that's going on and just laugh and have fun. We also eat way too many sweets but who really cares about that either? I feel bad that I won't be able to play next year. With Jenn expecting twins, I feel it is important that I be available to help her. I don't know how much help this old granny can be not driving and having a hard time walking, but I think I can still do laundry and help a little bit around the house and with the little kids. These two babies will be our 18th and 19th grandchildren. I called Spencer the other day and put the pressure on him to make it an even 20. I think everyone else is done and twenty sounds better than nineteen. All he said was, "Ma, you don't need anymore grandkids, you have enough." So this may be it for us, we are kind of getting where it costs a lot for birthdays and Christmas, but we feel so blessed for the posterity we have and thankful for each and every one of them, especially our angel girl in Heaven.

The Dark Cloud of 9/11

Last night on the way home from Tristyn's volleyball game I became so irritated. It's funny how I can deal with lots of stress until I finally feel that dark cloud of despair come over me. Even though I'm in my sixties I still am so competitive it makes me crazy when I watch my kids or grandkids play sports and lose. Maybe I'll just stay home instead of putting myself through the agony of watching none skilled players play with coaches that don't coach to win. Rant over! Rich didn't get home until after 8 p.m. after he'd worked a fifteen hour day, done his scouting church job and helped set up the risers for the Primary Program. I had to let him know that having no air conditioning in my kitchen and laundry room all summer, water dripping into a bucket in the hall for a month, and having my pool pump sparking is not acceptable. I guess you could say I didn't go to bed very happy last night. I'm thinking the one bedroom condo with no yard work, and no animals is the way to go. The problem is that by the time we got rid of all our stuff and fixed everything that is either worn out or broken there wouldn't be a reason to move. Maybe my bad mood is because it is 9/11 today. I remember watching the t.v. for days feeling so sad and out of sorts. It was Spencer's senior year of high school and his final year of football. I can still feel those feelings of fear and despair I had for the families and what those people must have gone through in the planes and the buildings they hit. Lots of our first responders were killed also on that terrible day. Life goes on and I know we have had lots of growth in our family these last thirteen years. We've have some really good times and some that have changed who we are mentally and spiritually. I know someday the cloud will lift and things will get better, they always do, but until that happens I'll just live under that dark cloud and enjoy it.

"Life is Hard, but Simple"

For the last few days we have been hearing about this monster storm that is going to hit us from the remnants of a Hurricane down in Mexico. Living in the desert we will take every drop of rain we can get. Anyway, as I was getting ready for bed last night I was complaining to Rich about how the weather forecasters must be idiots because a lot of times they say we are going to get storms that never come our way. When I woke up this morning and looked out we are flooded. It looks like it does when we have three hours of irrigation. So of course all we are hearing about is the rain. First it was enough rain to call it a fifty year flood and now it may be 100 years, who knows. I know some parts of Phoenix have gotten between five and six inches of rain and it's still raining. I love the rain, it makes me happy, it cools the temperatures down and smells so good. Too bad it's going to get back up into the 100's by the weekend. A couple of weeks ago Len and Julie had a General Authority come stay with them for the weekend. He was one of the Presidents of the Seventy, so he's a special person. Anyway, they invited us down to meet him and have a little discussion. It was just Mary and her husband, Josh and his wife and me and Rich. Len asked him an interesting question. He said, "Teri and Rich have lost a granddaughter to drowning. Mary lost her husband last year to an illness. And we have had our own challenges. What would you say to would help us get through these trials." After thinking for a minute all he said is, "Life is hard, we just have to keep going and do the best we can when facing these challenges." He then went on to tell a little story about his own daughter and how she was still grieving after the loss of her baby. Yesterday in Sunday School we talked about Job. Have any of us suffered as much as Job did? And did he ever blame God? I have been trying really hard to receive some inspiration on what to do about my knee and hip. I have come to realize that someday soon I will get my answer. It just might not be the right time to make a decision, or maybe I will just be healed. I do know that our Heavenly Father knows each one of us and wants us to be happy. As they taught in the lesson yesterday, "Life is Hard, but it is so Simple." I'm going to spend the day inside working on some quilts and hopefully at some point it will stop raining so I can get out and feed my hungry critters.

Family Reunion 2014

I spent two days last weekend at a family reunion up north in Eagar and feel like I've been trying to catch up all week. It was so nice to be where there was a cool breeze and temps between 59 and 77 degrees. The White Mountains are where I spent every summer visiting my grandparents and learning the country life. I learned how to fish with a bobber at the lakes and creeks, and was introduced to  caring for farm animals like chickens, rabbits, horses and cows. It's like going back in time for me when I visit the property and now that my parents are getting old, I realize that someday it will belong to me and my siblings. We got there Friday afternoon and spent the rest of the night cleaning up, getting ready for the party on Saturday and having a nice dinner. My nephew Jeremy, who was just made the Bishop a week ago, was such a big help. He mowed the lawns and did everything we asked him to do. He is really a good person, he even made a late night run to Dairy Queen for us. On Saturday we fixed breakfast and then Len and Julie came, they left early in the morning from Gilbert. I was hoping Rich would ride up with them but he is so busy with work and needs to go up in a couple of weeks to drain the water out of the cabin and get it ready for winter. So I had to forgive him for not coming, none of my family came. Mindi and Dave are busy with their kids with volleyball and football. Candi had to work both days, Ethan and Jenn are expecting twins and he's as busy as Rich is with work. And then Spencer is in Boston so I knew he would be a "no show" they did surprise me last year coming from Denver. My nephew Joshua and his wife Amy came with their five kids. They are super musical and played us some music on their string instruments. Amy is an accomplished violinist and has taught her kids how to play. I could tell my Dad really enjoyed that, he came from a musical family too. I could tell this trip was really hard on my parents. My Dad had a hard time sleeping and would work a few minutes and then come in to rest. It's hard to see your parents get old and slow down. They both are such good examples of faithful service and to have their family there with them was so special. It gets harder and harder as we get more and more people to find a time to have a reunion. Dad says he's done with the farming. When we pulled up the corn field looked like it was a failure. But the corn was delicious and was just enough for the few people who came. My Aunt Nadine and her son Mackey and his wife Kim came over and had lunch with us. I'm so sad we haven't kept in touch with them over the years. We left late in the afternoon and Len drove my parents home in their truck and I came with Julie. It was fun to visit with her I don't think I've ever spent four hours just talking to her. She is an amazing person and I admire her spirit and service. I'm glad I went, and it was good to get home in my own bed. Now if we could just get some cooler temperatures to move in it will be perfect. I'm ready for Fall!

I Hate The Heat!

This is the time of year when I feel I'm losing what few marbles I have left in my brain. We are on the energy saving plan to help defray the extremely high energy costs by turning off everything at 3:00 in the afternoon. By 5:00 I felt like I was having heatstroke. I had stripped down to just my underwear and still was about to die. So I put my suit on and got in the pool. I'm just now starting to feel a little bit better, I really don't know how much longer I can take this. It doesn't help that the air conditioner is broken that cools my kitchen and dining area and the one in my family room keeps shutting off at different times during the day. I'm starting to lose patience with my contractor husband and think maybe I will just hire someone to come fix it and he can pay the bill. All he says is "go outside where it's 110 and then 86 feels pretty good." He' NOT funny! This weekend my Dad is having a little family reunion up in Eagar like we did last year. The little cabin was perfect twenty years ago but with all the grandkids and great grandkids we just don't fit anymore. Plus I like my king size bed and the little twin and full beds don't fit us plus size adults. I started a quilt last year to raffle off but never finished it, so I thought about finishing it this year. Then I lost interest again until my sister reminded me that I had promised it last year. So today was the day to put a huge dent in it. I've got it all together, tied, and the binding on. I was blind hemming the binding when I started having heatstroke so maybe tonight when my house cools down I will be able to work on it some more. Hopefully it will be cool in the mountains because I've about had it with the heat. I swear next year I'm going somewhere away from the desert until it cools off, or maybe I just won't come back this weekend.

New Bishops Times Two

For the last two Sundays I have attended church where new Bishoprics have been sustained. Last week it was in my home ward and yesterday was in Chandler where my nephew was put in as the Bishop of his ward. The meetings were similar but because of the family ties, yesterday was extremely sweet. My nephew, Jeremy is the oldest of the grandchildren and the first baby to make me an aunt. I remember taking him to the zoo and having fun with him before I had my own children. He has been an honorable kid, who served a mission in Canada and has served with two Bishops and on the High Council for two years. He and his wife adopted two small children who needed a home because of choices their birth mother made. He has a great personality and his sense of humor makes him so fun to be around, we love when he comes to the family parties. I know he will do a great job and know the Lord will bless his family while he serves. In his talk he spoke about his favorite song being, "As I Have Loved You." That's one of my favorite songs also. He told the people in his ward that he wanted them to "love themselves like he knows the Savior loves them." I felt he was talking to me, because sometimes I feel so unworthy of love that I sink into a dark abyss. Last evening we went out to Ethan and Jen's for dinner. It's always fun to see the kids and be together. Jen is feeling and looking pregnant but I think she still looks great. I know having twins is going to be a hard challenge for her but if anyone can do it, she can. We are thankful the babies are healthy and normal so far and pray she can get through this without complications. Changes are coming within our wards and in families and that's what we can be sure of, things never stay the same.

Next Week Will Be Better I Hope

The end of another week is approaching and each week I think the next will be better, less busy and more fun. Sure! This week has gone by so fast with appointments at the dentist, the doctor and I got my B-12 shot this morning, so I should have more energy soon. Tomorrow I will be heading over to EVDI to have my bone scan to see what's up with my hip and knee. I have had a lot of "stupor of thought" lately, with ideas swirling around in my head about my future. I was talking to my friend about it and wondering what the answer is to my inability to walk normally, and my doubts about doing surgery again. What are my fears, really? As we talked, he made me realize that I know what my future will be without doing anything. I'm living that reality, but I really don't know what will happen if I go back in and let them try and fix it. Candi has a client who had a knee replacement and ended up with an amputation. EEK! That is a concern to me, but would that happen, it could? So I tell myself scary stories about what can go wrong and wanting some help from above. I guess the answer is to gather all the information, get as many opinions as I can and then pray about it until I feel good about my answer. I trust my family, especially my parents who I know have my best interests and want me to be happy, don't we all want our children to have a happy life? Tomorrow morning I have to be at the imaging place at 9:30 to get a shot. Then I'm coming home for three hours and work on my Fabulous Friday RS project before I head back for the scan. I've had one of these before and hopefully I can keep my anxiety in check, it doesn't hurt, just time consuming. Then I'm sure next week I will be able to put a dent in my quilting, I'm tired of having all these unfinished projects, next week has to be better, Right?

Bone Scan and Quilting

As the summer finally starts to wind down it's good to know the cooler weather will gradually come. We have had a few good monsoon storms the last two weeks and between those and irrigation we are pretty much a mud bog out back. The temperatures have gone down a little but the humidity has been so high, it's seems hotter than ever. I have heard lots of people say they can't wait for August to be over. I finally have the date for my bone scan which will be done on Friday. I called to leave a message with my knee surgeon to talk about my options, I'm anxious to see what he thinks I should do. On Sunday while sitting in church I got this overwhelming feeling that something needed to change in my life. I can't put my finger on what's bothering me. I have had these feelings before where I don't feel I'm doing what I'm suppose to be doing, or living where I'm suppose to be living. Maybe it's just a phase in life when you get over 60 and hopefully it will pass soon, or maybe a change is coming I don't know about yet.  I've been working on some really cute quilts lately. My granddaughter has requested not only what pattern of quilt she wants but also the color of fabrics she wants. Her birthday is in late September so hopefully I can get it done. I'm also working on one that I started last year to take to our reunion in the White Mountains on Labor Day weekend. I'm still trying to figure out how to finish it, so that has me worried. Then of course I need double of everything for the twins coming in the Fall. Making and buying two of everything is getting expensive and time consuming but I'm so excited to see what these two babies look like. I never in a million years thought I would be the grandmother to twins. We don't have any twins in our family that I know of, so this has to be from Jenn's posterity. Right now everything is going well and the babies are healthy and look normal, we are thankful for that.

I'm Still Debbie Downer I Guess

I wanted to write on my blog today but as the day went on, my mood started to change and I hate writing when I'm irritated, especially when I don't even know why. I think a lot of it is because I'm not getting enough sleep. Rich gets up really early to work in his office before he puts in his 10 plus hours on jobs and if I get woken up it's really hard for me to get back to sleep. I'm ready for fall and winter to come when the sun doesn't come up at 5:00 a.m.. Last night I was up late at a planning meeting for a Relief Society activity. This year we are doing a Fabulous Friday instead of Super Saturday, so we needed to brainstorm on some projects to make. Some of the ladies have small children so they don't start the meeting until 8:00 p.m., the time I am usually winding down for bed. Anyway, as the night got later and later I could tell my attitude was getting more and more negative. I've attended almost forty years of these activities, so it's hard for me to find something that I haven't either done, or that I know has been done before in our ward. It's also hard to find projects that don't cost a lot and that appeal to all the different needs of the sisters. I should have just kept my mouth shut, because if I end up having knee surgery, I won't even be able to help with it. I've been told by some people close to me that I'm so "negative" that I only see what can go wrong instead of having a positive "I can do it" thought process. I've even been compared to Debbie Downer from Saturday Night Live, who always sees what is wrong with every situation. I like to think that maybe I'm in reality a little bit more than some of those closest to me, but they view it as negative thinking. At what point do you quit trying to change and just accept the way you are, guts, feathers and all? As we were leaving the meeting my friend asked me at what point you think you've done enough service and you don't want to do it anymore. I know we are taught that we never stop serving and we try and make a difference in the lives of others through service. Maybe if I could get a good nights sleep my attitude would get better and I could come up with some good ideas for Fabulous Friday and think of ways to serve and be grateful. More sleep, that sounds wonderful, I'm going to try it tonight.

"I Love You Anyway."

I'm amazed at how fast the weeks are passing by. This has been a busy and emotional week for me. We had a fun river trip to celebrate Tristyn's birthday and then the kids went back to school, which is always stressful but welcomed. Yesterday I had an appointment with my hip surgeon to discuss my inability to walk normally. After looking at the x-rays he talked about the decision to put in a metal on metal hip three years ago. I guess they thought it would be best because it is stronger and lasts forever. The problem is that some patients don't do well with the metal. They still have pain and complications, Me! I mentioned to him that I just had knee surgery in May, so he had the tech shoot an x-ray of my knee. I knew it was a gamble when my knee collapsed on me, but I was hopeful. I guess the x-ray shows bone on bone and my knee isn't even aligned right together. He thinks it might be best to do a knee replacement first and then work on the hip later. As we left I was a mess. We got in the car and I started crying. I told my sister I needed help, I need an angel to come tell me what to do. If not an angel then maybe my Grandma Fern or Aunt Tenna would do. I would even take some help from Kamber, that's if she is aware of my troubles. After I had a good cry my sister said, "what did you expect the doctor to tell you?" I told her how I felt, that even though I knew what he was going to say, until I actually heard the words out of his mouth, I was still hopeful something could be done without surgery again. I'm not afraid to do surgery and I know I can survive the pain, but it's not knowing what the outcome will be that makes me so sad. If I knew my life would be better and I could be mobile again, I would endure anything no matter how hard. I just don't know if I have enough faith to step into the dark again. All this stress has caused me to tank out in the toilet. Sometimes I get scared at some of my thoughts. I get down on myself and beat myself up over lots of things. I ran across a saying somewhere this week as I was reading. It said, "At the end of the day, tell yourself gently; I love you, you did the best you could today and even if you didn't accomplish all you had planned, I love you anyway." So before I go take a little nap I'm going to tell myself that "I love you anyway."

River Trip 2014

On Tuesday we decided to go floating down the Salt River for Tristyn's sixteenth birthday. The summer is almost over and school was starting, so that was really the last day to make the trip. After taking her to lunch and finding a life jacket for Miss Trulie, we were on our way. We piled in the cars with drinks and tubes and off we went. After airing up the tubes and walking down to the river, it was around four o'clock, perfect timing. We pretty much had the whole river to ourselves. Candi, B.J. and their boys were tied together, Mindi, Tristyn and I were together and Dave and the boys were all tied up too. B.J. had called up to see what the floating conditions were and they warned us it was running pretty slow. We spent a lot of the time skimming our butts along the rocks but the water was cool and the sun was shining and we were all together. I remember as a teenager floating with friends and church activities. One of the worst sunburns I ever had was floating down the river, I'm older and smarter now. I took my old crappy camera to take some pictures in case it got wet or fell in the river so my pictures aren't that great. Trace and Troy had a blast looking under the water for fish and they was determined to find something of value. Poor Trent was upset the whole time, in tears and had anxiety so bad. We kept asking him why he was so upset. He finally shared that he was afraid his little brother was going to drown because he kept getting off his tube and looking under the water, poor Trent. On the way up we were talking about when a boy in our ward drowned at the river. They had gone up for Family Home Evening and his shoelace got caught on some rebar at the bridge. His brothers tried desperately to save him but the river was running so fast they couldn't save him. It was a sad time for everyone in our ward. He was my son Ethan's age and it impacted all of us so much that when Kamber drowned, it brought up lots of bad memories for us. But, life goes on and we try and do everything we can to be safe and then pray nothing tragic will happen. I'm so thankful for my family. They were so kind to me getting me in and out of a tube was hard. Walking up the path to the car was hard with my bad hip and knees but Dave and B.J. were so kind to get me up and out. Today I have an appointment with my hip surgeon to see about why I'm still having such a hard time walking. I really need some inspiration or revelation on this one. Do I take a chance at another surgery in hope is will get better? Or do I just carry on the way it is using a cane and at some point being in a wheelchair? Life has a cruel way of teaching us to be humble and prayerful.

Three Birthdays and School Starting

The last couple of weeks have gone by so fast. We have been busy trying to get the kids ready to go back to school, plus plan for Tristyn's blowout 16th birthday party last Saturday night. I still can't believe my oldest grandchild is going to be sixteen tomorrow, how did that happen? I was thinking about the day she was born just yesterday. What a fun thing to be a grandma, but a lot of responsibility too. We had all the kids and grandkids that were in town come before the party for dinner before all her friends came to dance. We celebrated Major, Tristyn and Jenn's birthdays at the Shenandoah Mill reception center and it ended up being a lot of fun. When the kids started coming to dance, Rich and I brought all the younger ones home and that was fine with me. You know you're getting old when the loud music gives you a headache and you feel like jumping out the window. I ended up watching the kids until the adults got home around midnight. I thought I was doing a good job until Trulie came in and she had mascara all over her eyes and hands. I'm too old and tired to take care of a three year old after eleven at night. As I was washing her off, she kept telling me I was hurting her. She's just lucky I didn't spank her because if she was my child, she probably would have gotten a swat on the butt, that's another good thing about being a grandma, no spanking. This week is going to be busy, we are floating down the river tomorrow and school starts on Wednesday. We will be doing the "happy dance" around here when the school bus pulls out, but then we still have this three year old to deal with, until she starts pre-school. I don't know which is more scary a naughty three year old, or a sixteen year old starting to date and drive. Yea, I do know what's more scary, so I will try and not think about it, or then I will jump out a window.