Being Ernest

With the 4th of July weekend ahead of us, I decided to visit dad a day early. I was hoping for a little chat. I watched him sleep instead.

Holidays for us have been about inviting and gathering family.... all the extended family included. But, with kids getting older, life getting busier,  and yards& homes  under renovation,  these family gatherings have been suffering.  They have been different too, with dad gone. Perhaps, we need to make certain sacrifices and bring him home for a few hours.

Dad continues to sleep and I can't help but notice how much he looks like himself in this state. He is relaxed. No confused looks on his face.  No fidgeting with his clothes. Just peaceful. He awakened briefly and all the tension returned, melting away as he fell back into his peaceful slumber. I decided to go  and leave him in his good state.

Happy 4th of July,  Dad.

Being Ernest

I bought dad a car magazine before our visit today.
He happily accepted my gift and started to thumb through its pages.
The first four pages to be exact.
While he was awake, he browsed through those four pagers, over and over again.
While he napped, I colored Easter Eggs with some of the staff and residents.

As we were finishing up the eggs, I was talking to one of the caregivers who shared this with me…
On Sunday, Dad was taken from his room to Church services in the lobby.
He sang the Hymns, in his own way, using his own words.
He partook of the Sacrament.

I think that his soul rejoiced in these familiar surroundings.
My hope, is that our souls do the same.

3 things 2015

January
Consuelo passed away from complications that followed a fall that broke her hip.
Her three children put together a beautiful tribute to her life.
With President Cooke’s permission, we were able to place a special call to Kylee just after Consuelo passed.

February
The reality of Kylee returning home set in.
We received the travel itinerary from the Mission Home.
We made plans for her arrival and homecoming.

March
Kylee’s return date finally arrived.
Taylor went through the temple to receive her endowment.
As a family, we returned to Washington DC for a memorable visit.

April
General Conference and wonderful food.
Dad fell and became a member of the assisted walker club
We tore down the big tree in the front yard

May
Payson Temple open house
Warming up enough for morning walks outside
Memorial Day rock climbing

June
Sat with Dad so Mom could attend a granddaughters High School graduation
Payson Temple was dedicated
Got the boat out early this year

July
Fireworks at home on the 4th
Started a project in the backyard that is still incomplete
Fireworks and mishaps on the 24th

August
Newport Beach temple with the family
Disneyland
Taylor was in a car accident on the first day of school

September
Shrimp Boil for Labor day… a new tradition
Road trip to Afton, WY for nephews Eagle Court of Honor
Sang Nearer My God to Thee in the Paris, Idaho tabernacle

October
General Conference again… always uplifting!
Sunday drives to see the changing of the leaves
Thriller with the girls

November
28 year wedding anniversary
Thanksgiving with family… always a favorite time
Chester raided the pantry (again)

December
We moved dad into a Memory Care Center
Hot Chocolate Bar…Neighborhood fund raiser for dear friends
100 Enchiladas on Christmas Day

the recovery

[part two]

As expected, the surgery lasted an hour. We received the news at 1:15 AM that it was a success. A rod and two pins were holding her delicate hip in place. I went home to catch a couple of hours of sleep before heading into work. Evan stayed by his mothers side. He wanted to be there when she came out of the anesthesia. He paced a lot. He worried constantly. He napped as mush as he could. When she awakened, he was relieved... she was a survivor. She was taken to her temporary home, Room 408. Her pain level was relatively low, she was groggy but aware. Evan was able to break away long enough to go home, shower and pack his briefcase so he could work from the hospital.

I went straight to the hospital after work. Recovery was going along as best as we could hope for. A physical therapist was already working with her, helping her sit up and even stand. We were asked to select a rehabilitation center as they anticipated transitioning her there on Christmas eve. We chose one close to home for the sake of convenience. They had a bed and reserved it for her. Denise and Alan came down from Wyoming  and he daughter spent the second night at her side.  Connie was still in a fog and tired very easily. She slept a lot and ate very little.  There were concerns about her progress with the physical therapist. It was decided to keep her in the hospital through Christmas in hopes that she would become more alert and gain more strength.

Something kept gnawing at me about our rehab center choice, so I did some research online. I was prompted for a reason. Our first choice did not have very desirable reviews and very low health grades. I did some more research and found two other centers nearby that met our high criteria. I called Evan and shared with him my concerns and had him check for rooms at the other centers. Our first choice had a room and would be ready for her on Friday.

I’M BACK!

My posts here have been few and far between here lately.
My time has been [well] spent elsewhere…
as I have focused on serving in my Church,
keeping up my missionary’s blog,
and playing with my youngest daughter
[after she moved back home to finish her studies at the U].

Yesterday in church, our Young Single Adult Stake
launched it’s digital mission / blog and I resolved to
reconnect with my own blog more frequently.
I have very few followers, but that is OK.
I can share my life, my beliefs, and my testimony
here for them, and for my posterity.

Today is Labor Day.
It has been tradition for me to host a gathering here at our home.
In fact, I have hosted many holidays here it the past.
My absence has extended itself into that arena as well.
Our backyard is a neglected mess, my children have been gone,
and I lost my desire and will. With the summer ending,
I find myself missing these events.
I made a promise to myself… it won’t happen again.

Hope your thanksgiving was great!

Ours was…

2013

This year started off without much hoopla,
yet it was one of the most memorable New Years Eve
we have had in a long time.

1] the whole family was together
2] we were home from the festivities before 10PM
3] we spent the evening playing with 4 nieces and a nephew

Here is a taste of one of the most exciting moments of the night…

Christmas joys

1. Shopping online and avoiding the lines. (Not so joyous, the 2 shipments that are yet to be received.)
2. San Diego with the family. ( Evan wanted to go to the Poinsettia Bowl and bribed his girls with Disneyland if we tag along.
3. Disneyland at Christmas time. (We avoided the lines at the mall, but found them here…. 10 fold!)
4. Disney food, treats, holiday lights, music and snow. (Painful knees and hips to boot.)
5. Home in time for Christmas Eve Dinner, Sister In-Law as the great hostess. (A family tradition we refused to miss. We all got up at 4:30 AM to make an early flight home.)
6. Candlelight dinner. Remembering the Savior, highlighting the past year. (More traditions we look forward too!)
7. Home to prepare for Christmas day. (Traditional breakfast, another must.)
8. Sleeping until 9, waking up the family. (Lets get this party started!)
9. Family prayer before opening our gifts. (Chester finds joy in shredding the discarded wrapping paper.)
10. Christmas music in the background. (Hardly noticeable with the excitement of a few surprises.)
11. Family arrivals for dinner. (We moved the location from my parents home to our home for the first time this year. I still let mom do most of the work, I just put out the paper dishes and set a table or two.)
12. Gag gifts for nieces. (This time we threw Rachel and Becca in the mix with their Uncle Ev.)

Gadgets are a girls best friend

I am not a big “bling” kinda gal.
Multipack earrings from Claire’s are right down my alley.
When asked, I can never think of a want.
It is easy to understand why my family names me as
the person most difficult to gift.

We all shout for joy when a new (affordable) gadget
catches my eye and peaks my interest.
This year, was such a year.

Thanks to Kylee’s great editing skills,
she put together the great video from a
recent outing to see the lights at the SLC Temple,
where we had the opportunity to put this
great gadget to the test.

HERE is a link to her great video.
(Thanks to Neale for letting us tag along!)

Abundance

I cannot remember a time when we had a small crowd for Thanksgiving dinner.
This year however, marked such a day.

No out of town guests.
Extended family scheduled visits in the other directions.
Our total number was 8 for the day.

As usual. I carefully planned what to prepare,
when to prepare it, and how to present it.

A month of planning, two days of cooking.
It was going to be as perfect as it could be
with 20 missing family members.

We ordered a turkey 10 pounds lighter
and scaled down the size of remaining entree's.

Then, the winds changed.
Two unexpected phone calls made me a very happy hostess.
1] My brother in law and his family had to cancel their travel plans &
2] My husbands cousin Sip, needed a party to crash.

My 8 quickly became 15!

Fortunately, I am an over-planner,
and a recipient of a tender mercy.
Our 15 pound pre-ordered turkey
was 20 pounds when the butcher handed it over.

Needless to say…
We had an abundance of food
and a house full of loved ones.
Just the way we like it!

Happy New Year!

Annually

It is not quite a tradition, YET.

For the 2nd year in a row, we have picked out pumpkins and carved them together as a family.
This year, however, we had a guest carver.
Kylee’s friend Luke joined us in the apples with dip, chili with cheese and humans with knives event.
Evan opted out of the carving…BYU was playing and he was stair climbing between parties.

To cap off the evening, Luke shared some mission pictures.
It was inspiring to see such an amazing response to the Gospel in Kenya.

Also a tradition… lighting up the pumpkins for photos.

As an interesting side note to the evening….
My daughter brought home a boy that I felt it was important for me to impress.
I found myself reverting back to my awkward adolescence.

I am sure I said stupid things. I know I said things that I shouldn’t have.
I think I should have done something different with my hair. (Yeah, right!)
There were times when I should have said something, but didn’t.
The house could have been cleaner.

I guess, we can always find something to be insecure about.
My hope is, that everyone else’s insecurities makes them blind to most of mine…
I usually don’t see theirs!

4th of July

City Festivals and Carnivals
Badminton and Horseshoes
new K-9 cousin
Burgers & Dogs (hot off the grill)
Backyard FULL of family

More badminton
Fire & S’Mores
Backyard FULL of friends
Noisy fireworks past midnight!

I love summer holidays!!

Kicking off a 3 day weekend…

After a spontaneous decision, Kylee packed her bags
and took off to Portland with some friends.
Determined to have some fun of our own,
the rest of us kicked off the weekend with a bang.
(Literally!)

We started our day with a movie…
Transformers at the new Cinemark down the street.
Followed by few errands that we had to get out of the way,
especially if we wanted to eat!

Later, we threw some chairs in the back of the truck,
packed a small cooler with some water,
grabbed the camera and the dog,
and headed west to Riverton for some fireworks!

Good Bye 2010

With a few exceptions,
it has been a fairly uneventful year.

We saw Lion King in Vegas.
Brian Regan at Abravanel Hall.
Kylee changed her major.
A couple of trips to Lake Powell.
Kylee had her best semester at the U.
Taylor kept busy with 2 choirs.
Taylor was accepted to BYU Idaho.

As for bringing in the New Year…

Kylee is out tonight with friends.
Evan is home alone, keeping Chester company.
I am spending the night with Taylor at a suite at PCMC.
(Her surgery went VERY well!)

I am looking forward a New Year
and all the events it brings.

Breaking the fast

As a matter of convenience, we met at my mothers house after church.
Several loud grumbly tummies included.
We broke our fast with a prayer and then gave Taylor a Priesthood blessing
preparatory to her surgery later this week.

It was beautiful.

The leftovers from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
were set out and we devoured them in a matter of minutes.
Followed by the remains of dessert.

It was delicious.

An hour or so, gathered around the cleared table, talking and laughing.
(One of my favorite pastimes.)

I am so blessed.

Christmas Highlights

Slept in until 7 AM.
(I am usually too excited to sleep past 4).

Disappointed and worried because the pull-aparts did not raise overnight.
(Started the speed-raise method.)

Showered while waiting for the family to wake up.
(Something I have time to do every year.)

Woke the rest of the family up after 8:30.
(Danced to Christmas music while I waited...)

Put the Christmas Casserole in the oven.
(It bakes while we open gifts.)

Had family prayer near the Christmas Tree.
(Gave thanks for the gift of our Savior.)

Opened gifts.
(Relished in the surprises I was able to pull off.)

Played Ping-Pong.
(Laughed with the family… one of my favorite parts of the day!!!)

Prepared Potato Casserole.
(My Christmas buffet contribution.)

Made a vinyl “No Soliciting” sign for the front door.
(I got what I wanted for Christmas.)

Went to mom and dads.
(Helped set up for the buffet.)

Family gift exchange.
(Including the traditional gag gifts.)

Yummy food & great company!
(I LOVE having so much family around!!!)

Family Prayer with EVERYONE to start the Family Fast.
(The other favorite part of the day!)

Winding down and relaxing at home.
(Another PERFECT Christmas!)

Temple Square - A Three Day Tour

Bright and early Tuesday morning,
Taylor and her HS Choir
sang for him...

then, on Wednesday they sang here

 

then here
(I was lucky enough to join them as a chaperone.)

 

Tonight, they sang here
(Date night with Evan!)

It has been a fantastic week.

Christmas Lights

Tonight, we took some time to enjoy the Christmas Lights.
This time, with a little twist...

Festive lights,
Christmas music,
Reptiles & Wild Cats

Hot Chocolate & McDonalds french fries.
A pretty great evening with family and friends.