Karen's Keepers

Blondes have more fun . . ?

2012-01-30T10:24:00.001-08:00

Okay. So, my advice is to never read something while lightening your hair. I tried to hide my dark roots and left the lightener on for a bit longer than I should have. It hadn’t worked too well last time I used it, so I gave it a little more time and I was reading scriptures (of all things!) while I waited. When I washed out my hair, I had overdone it! So, my friend down the street (a hair dresser) will fix it for me, but she can’t get to me for 1 ½ weeks. So, I will be a platinum blonde, on top, for a little while!

And here’s a picture of Ingrid and Kalvin with his walker when they were here a couple of weeks ago. His look is “Mom – it’s easier when you do it for me!!” Pretty cute, huh?

My, Grandma, what big ears you have!!

2012-01-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

The last 3 days have been, shall I say, unusual. Thursday night at about 9:30pm all of our smoke alarms started going off at the same time. We have NINE of them – one in the basement, 3 on the main floor, and 5 upstairs. The noise was deafening. So, Randy went around and started unplugging them. They are all connected by electricity, although 2 of them also had battery back-ups. We thought maybe the batteries needed to be replaced. So, after we got all of them unplugged (the one in our bedroom is on our vaulted ceiling, so this required getting the ladder out of the shed, setting it up, and working off of it to unplug that one), and replaced the 9-volt batteries, the noise finally stopped, and we plugged them all back in.

The next night at approximately 9:30pm we were sitting in the family room watching a DVD and they all started going off again! So, we went through the same routine of unplugging them all, including getting the ladder back out of the shed for the one in our bedroom. This time we decided to leave them all unplugged for the night and install all new ones the next day.

Saturday, after talking to a guy from church that works with fire and smoke alarms, Randy went to Home Depot and bought all new ones. I’m sure the ones in our home had been there for at least 10 years, and that’s when you are supposed to replace them. One of the smoke detectors that he bought was damaged, so he had to drive back down there and exchange it. But, finally, all of the smoke detectors were replaced. Randy could use a chair or a step-ladder to install most of them, but once again, he had to get the ladder out of the shed to do the one in our room.

Everything seemed to be fine when we hit the sack last night, until about 1:30am when the smoke detector in our bedroom started chirping. It didn’t wake Randy – it’s probably at a pitch that he doesn’t hear real well – but it really bothered me. I did not want to wake him, so I finally had to go and lie down on Dylan’s empty bed and close both doors. I tried for over an hour to go to sleep, but I could still hear it. So, I remembered that Randy had some ear plugs (for shooting guns) in his side of the closet. I got those and put them in my ears, but I couldn’t get them to stay in. So, I finally went downstairs to the couch. Since there was only one door closed between the detector and me, I could hear it better than before. I went into the office, closed the door, put the cushions from that loveseat on the floor behind the desk, and lay on them there. I could still hear the chirping, even when the heater came on (I was next to a return vent, so it was louder there). I turned on the desktop computer so that it would make a humming noise. I had to turn off the monitor because it was glowing blue all over the room, but I finally could not hear the chirping and was able to go to sleep. Around 7am I got up and got breakfast for my mother and went upstairs and turned off my alarm that was going off, and went back to the office and got a little more sleep.

I know I don’t hear as well as I used to, but last night I wished I had been deaf.

Puzzles and Disasters

2012-01-05T21:03:00.001-08:00

My daughter, Heidi, gave me 2 puzzles for Christmas. Since I am obsessive/compulsive and also a Finisher, I have been working on one of them in my spare time for the last few weeks. I think I will wait a while to get the other one out!!

Also, while I was at the doctor's office for my follow-up visit after the cortizone shot to my leg joint (it is still doing great), I read an article in Time Magazine about natural disasters in the U.S. It said in the 1980's the number of natural disasters that cost at least $1 billion dollars per year on average was 1. From the year 2000 - 2008 there was an average of 5 of these disasters per year. In 2009-2010 there was an average of 7.5 per year. And in 2011 there were 12 of these disasters. (The article said that was because of La Nina). The prediction for 2012 is that there will be less - but they don't know about prophecy, I guess. "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."

Happy New Year 2012!!

2012-01-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

I am excited that I no longer feel compelled to list what I did for the last month on each blog I write, since I wrote my History and gave copies to my children for Christmas. They are all adults now and can “write” their own from here on out – especially since their lives will inevitably go in different directions. With that said – I will blog about a few things that happened in my life during the last few weeks.

I DID finish my Master’s Degree! I AM SO GLAD. Also, I did get a cortisone shot in my hip and I only have a twinge of pain every once in awhile. It is wonderful. Of course, they say there’s no telling how long it will last – weeks, months, or even years. I’m hoping for ‘years’.

And, we did have lots of company over the holidays. First, Ingrid, Jeff and Kalvin came for 4 days over Christmas weekend. It was so good to visit with them. Ingrid has been working out and is looking great. Jeff was having a bit of pain in his back again (he had surgery last year) so he was trying to take it easy. And Kalvin is just a cutie! He really is a very good baby. They also brought their two dogs.

We talked to Jesse on Christmas (who was staying a little west of Topeka for the holiday) and everything seems to be going well for him and Amanda. We got to Skype with Dylan in Ohio on

Christmas afternoon. It was wonderful. He is growing in his testimony by leaps and bounds, it seems. Heidi was here for the opening of gifts in the morning, but she had to work that afternoon and evening, so she missed the phone call. Tyler, my mom, and my sister Connie got to talk to him, though.

Then, a few days after Christmas the Wood family came for a visit.There was Dan, his wife Naira, 10 year old son Arman, 8 year old daughter Monja, and Naira’s mother. His wife and mother-in-law are from Armenia. They had a lot of fun seeing some sites around Salt Lake and we tagged along for some of it. Originally, they were going to leave Sunday morning, but they decided to leave on Saturday morning and stay in Las Vegas on their way back to L.A. It was a really nice visit and we enjoyed it a lot.

So, for New Year’s Eve we ended up going out to dinner with Ralph and Sandy Edson at Tucano’s Brazilian restaurant. Then we went back to their place and visited and played a game. We were home and in bed by the time midnight rolled around, but we could hear fireworks going off outside.

We really feel like last year ended very well for us – Randy’s Meniere’s disease has gone back into remission after his surgery and subsequent steroids being shot through his eardrum, his work is going well, I finished my Master’s degree and it is all paid for, I no longer limp from the pain when I walk, and all our kids seem to be doing well. We look forward to 2012. Bring it on . . !

I AM OLD

2011-12-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are in the thick of the holidays! In some ways I love it, in some ways I don’t. I’ve got 2 more weeks of school and then I’m done! We have friends from Los Angeles coming to stay for a few days before Christmas, and also Ingrid, Jeff and Kalvin will be here for a few days after that. Something to look forward to! However, I still have shopping to do. And I hate the cold.

At the beginning of November I had to pick up a new hearing aid for my mom – her old one had a tear in it. I also canned tomatoes. ..What?? Yes, I had picked a bunch of tomatoes off the vine when the first frost came and I had them in the window ripening. So, it wasn’t a big batch. I still have 3 tomatoes in the window that are green! One night we went down to Ralph and Sandy Edson’s for dinner in their new house. He used to play guitar in the band that we were in when we lived in Los Angeles. They moved up here after he retired, and have now built a beautiful new house. It was a nice evening.

I have been to a couple of doctor’s this month. I went to the eye doctor – this time an ophthamologist instead of just an optometrist – to have the cataracts in my right eye checked. I guess they aren’t getting much bigger so I can wait awhile for surgery. My prescription hadn’t changed much, either. Then I also went to see the doctor about my hip joint. It has been bothering me for some time, but progressively keeps getting worse. First it started hurting all the time when I was on the treadmill (fast walk – not run), so we got a stationary bicycle for me to ride. That’s been a lot better because I don’t put any weight on my hip during exercise, but my hip has continued to get worse. It’s not too bad if I’m just around the house, but if I have to walk any distance (like into a store) I have a noticeable limp and it really hurts. So, the regular doctor had me get an x-ray. Nothing showed up, so I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon this Friday. I hope they can do something non-evasive for it – cortisone shots, maybe?

We had our Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday night so that Heidi could join us. She had to work on Thursday. Tyler also joined us, so there were 6 of us. It was very simple, but gave us a chance to reflect on all that we have. Tyler stayed that night and helped Randy put up the Christmas lights the next morning. The 3 of us went to see “The Big Year” that day. It is a movie about bird watching. It doesn’t sound too exciting, but the stars are Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. Narration is done by John Cleese, and a few other stars that I recognized were Kevin Pollack, JoBeth Williams, Dianne Weist, Brian Dennehy, Anjelica Huston, and Corbin Bernsen. We loved it. I still keep hearing the ring tone “♪…the bird is the word… ♫” We came back home and had leftovers and pie. It was kind of nice to not have to do Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving!!

For the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving, Randy and I decided to have a “stay-cation.” Friday morning we went to an art gallery downtown called the “Rio Gallery.” They didn’t have much there, but it was enjoyable to walk around and look at the paintings and sculptures that were on display. Following that we were going to go to a much larger art gallery, the “Hope Gallery,” but it was closed for the long weekend. We will definitely have to go there someday, however. They have some pieces from at least 25 different artists, including some of the masters (Rembrandt, Carl Bloch, etc). So, instead we went to the State Capitol building and walked through it. The offices there were also closed, but we could see the paintings, murals, and sculptures that are placed all around the inside. There were also a lot of other displays to see. From there we found a hotel room and then grabbed some lunch. Next we attended a play at the Desert Star Playhouse. It was a satire (as are all their productions) of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It was pretty funny. Then the actors and actresses sang a handful of Christmas carols. It was enjoyable. From there we went to Tepanyaki for dinner and then went back to the hotel for a swim in the pool (Randy only – it was too cold for me) and to sit in the Jacuzzi (both of us).

The following morning we ate breakfast in the hotel lobby (there was also a small-college basketball team there) and then checked out. We drove up to the University and went through their new Natural History Museum. It was beautiful, and quite large. I always get a little put off when they start talking about “millions of years,” but we enjoyed it on the whole.

From there we went to see the movie “The Help” about black families in the South that were no longer slaves, but were basically still treated like they were by the families that they worked for, and how a newspaper reporter writes a book about it. It was excellent. After that, we went to the Living Planet Aquarium and looked at all the underwater life there. It was a pretty good museum, although not too large, and we especially enjoyed watching the penguins. There was glass so that you could see them both above and below the water and they kept chasing each other around and jumping in and out of the water. We then grabbed some dinner at Fazoli’s Italian restaurant (fast food) before going to IKEA. I thought we would just be in and out quickly, but NO. We finally found the exit without getting anything, and left and drove home. It was nice to get away for a couple of days and not think of work or school, but it was also nice to be home and sleep in our own bed!

Finally, I attended a missionary farewell for Clint Hubbard, the youngest son of Connie (Mach) Hubbard. It was nice. It’s hard to believe that everyone around my age has all their children grown – I. AM. OLD!!

Here comes November...!

2011-10-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I continue to be amazed at our incredible weather. I am loving it!! Ends tomorrow, though…

General Conference was the first weekend of October. It was great, as usual. I got to watch all the sessions and I even watched the Priesthood session online after-the-fact. Our November Ensign should be here sometime by the next week and I’ll get to read all of the talks, plus I also get the CD’s so that I can listen to them in the car. Those usually come in a month or so. I am in awe that I live at a time when the words of our modern prophets are so available.

We also had our Stale Conference this last month. On the Saturday evening where adults are invited, the Stake Presidency and all of their wives spoke. That was nice. Then on Sunday morning, it was actually a Regional Stake Conference, so it was broadcast from the Conference Center downtown. We got to hear the General Presidents of the Young Men (David L. Beck) and Young Women (Elaine S. Dalton), a member of the seventy (Craig C. Christensen), and the main speaker was the Apostle David L. Bednar. It was also a really good meeting.

We had the Primary Sacrament Meeting program last month. All of the kids did a great job on their parts, and they sang their hearts out. I have found a few tricks during Primary that gets them to really sing. I have an assortment of silly hats and I bring one every so often. The class that sings the loudest, or the best, gets to have their teacher wear the hat during the next song. I am amazed at how well they do just to see their teacher look ridiculous. The older Primary kids are very competitive. If I have a reward for the half of the room that sings best/loudest they will sing real well, so I try to come up with new ways of doing that. It is wearing me out, but I love to hear them sing!

Jesse and Amanda went on a cruise in the Mediterranean that they really enjoyed. Tyler came over and helped Randy put in storm doors on the French doors off the dining room. (Randy had previously put a storm door on the front door.) Heidi ran in a half marathon for the first time and did real well even though the farthest she had ever run in training was 5 miles. Ingrid and Jeff dressed up as gypsies for a Halloween party with Kalvin as their monkey. And Dylan’s letters from the mission field sound as if he continues doing well and enjoying his service. This picture is from a Zone Conference that he attended. He is the second from the right.

Monday night was Halloween and we had lots of trick-or-treaters come by – not as many as in years past though. Connie handed out the candy again this year. So (big breath) – holidays, here we come…!

Goodbye to fair weather.

2011-10-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I can’t complain about it being October – the weather has been beautiful. It has felt like San Diego for a couple of weeks! The lows at night have been in the high 50’s and the highs during the day have been in the mid 80’s – perfect.

At the beginning of September Randy and I attended a free Billy Dean concert down in Payson. They also had free ice cream, kettle corn and drinks! We have a CD that Billy, Marvin Goldstein and Thurl Bailey performed together on, and we love it. Marvin actually came out and played piano for a few songs at this concert. We didn’t stay for Billy’s second set since it was on a week night, but we really enjoyed what we got to see and hear.

I have been a little reluctant to give blood at blood drives anymore, because I usually don’t feel too good for a few days, but our Stake had one, so I went. They had a hard time keeping my blood flowing because my veins are so small, but I finally filled up the bag (after they messed around with the needle several times) and I actually didn’t feel bad at all afterwards. And, my bruise was small.

We had the sister missionaries over for dinner one night. They have a new challenge where you make a list of non-member friends and pray for them every day for 3 weeks. The sisters will visit them, if possible . The promise is that after this 3-week period one of those individuals will be prepared to receive the missionary lessons. We will start this program as soon as I finish these two classes that I’m in right now. We have had several letters from Dylan since he arrived in Ohio. It sounds like he is loving it and doing great. They were scheduled to have a baptism last week.

An old friend of Randy’s, Gene Vice, visited from Alaska for a few days. He was one of Randy’s best friends when he was growing up in Topeka, but Randy had lost track of him for the last 30 years or so. Thanks to good ole Facebook, he actually found Randy and asked to be his friend! He was down here visiting his kids, so he stayed at our place for a couple of nights and drove around with Randy one day.

We celebrated my mom’s birthday on the Sunday following her 93^rd birthday. We had a lot of family over, so that is always fun. The kids ate their cake and ice cream outside and played on the trampoline. I also provided them with sidewalk chalk this time, and they were able to draw all over the basketball court.

This has been our month to clean church facilities, I guess. One week Randy helped to clean the church, another week I helped to clean the church, and one night I helped to clean the temple. What a blessing to be able to help! Our ward’s contribution to the Day of Service was to clean up around a lake and the trail in the woods behind it at a housing development called “The Cove” (it’s about 4 miles up the canyon from my house), to clean up around a walking trail at another park, and to weed an area near the parking lot at church. While I was picking up trash through the woods, I saw a couple of deer. They were only about 15-20 feet from me and they must have been mule deer because they had such big ears. This actually would be a great park for our reunion if we need it this next summer. It has a covered pavilion, sand volleyball court, and there is fishing and ducks to feed around the small lake. I was only able to help for about one hour, but service always feels good!

The General Relief Society broadcast was the last Saturday of September. It was wonderful, as usual. Pres. Uchtdorf spoke, as well as the General Relief Society presidency. Randy and I were gone that Saturday night, so we recorded it and I watched it the next morning. General Conference is this weekend. I always love that. There are so many great messages and there’s always at least one that really applies to me.

So, I have just a few days left of the two classes that I am taking right now (I took a Final for one class last Friday), and then I only have one class left. YEA!!! I have felt pretty good about most of the classes that I have taken and about the instructors. However, one class that I have had this term (Marketing Research) has really got me mad. I have a research report due at the end of class that will serve as the final. I sent the instructor an email asking him about some requirement that seemed impossible, and about how many pages it was supposed to be. He answered me by asking for clarification and what it was in regards to. I thought I had been very clear, but I further clarified my questions and sent them back. He replied using quotes from the book and using one word totally incorrectly so I still wasn’t sure what he meant. And, he didn’t answer me as far as how long it needed to be. So, I sent another email and asked him again how many pages it needed to be and if we needed a reference list (I couldn’t find anywhere in the book or on the instruction sheet that addressed these two questions). I waited 5 days. School policy states that questions will be answered in 48 hours and his class policy states that all correspondence will be answered in 24 hours. So, I sent another email that told him I had been waiting 5 days for the answers to my questions. He replied with “Please refer to assignment requirements.” (the noise you hear is me sounding exasperated) So, I sent him ANOTHER email saying that I had checked all the requirements and the book and couldn’t find any information. I told him that I would only make it long enough to address those things that were expected and I would have no reference list. I also sent a copy of this email (and all the other ones in this chain) to my advisor so that she would know what was going on in the event that I was marked down for those things. When this teacher saw that I had cc’d the email, I received a reply (within one hour)that I was on the right track, and he wanted to know who this other person was. By the way, his emails showed that he did not have a very good grasp on the English language (he is a foreigner – Shahid Sheikh), and all his comments on my essays seem like they are written by another person (or they’ve gone through a translating machine!!). Anyway, I got a call from the school and I could tell the woman I spoke to was really grossed out by the whole situation. She told me a reference list is ALWAYS required for papers. She wanted me to forward any other emails that I had from him to her. So, I may cause him to lose his job, but he really has no business teaching at this level even though he has a PhD (supposedly). If I end up being killed, you will all know why (seriously).

I was supposed to go to jury duty this past week, but I had to call each evening to see if they needed me on the following day. I called Friday evening for Monday – no go. I called Monday evening for Tuesday – no go. I called Tuesday evening for Wednesday – no go. Mind you – I was told I would be penalized ($1000 and/or 30 days in jail) if I didn’t do this and/or show up when I was called. I called Wednesday evening for Thursday and the recording said that I would not have to do jury duty on either Thursday or Friday. It was a relief since I had a proctored final set up for Friday, but it was a hassle to have to call on a daily basis. I guess I still could be called up at any time, but I should at least have several weeks warning before I have to go through this again.

I am NOT ready for summer to end!

2011-08-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

Wow. August was quite a month! I knew we had done a lot, but I was amazed when I looked at the calendar. I got pictures of a lot of it, so I will include them.

First, Randy had back trouble (along with his usual Meniere’s and neuropathy –feet- problems). So, his doctor had him go to the chiropractor. I guess he has arthritis in his left hip from all those years of roofing, and he had 3 vertebrae that were smashed together. He saw the chiropractor for several weeks, 3 times a week and they decompressed his spine and generally worked him over. He feels much better now, but I’m not sure how long it will last.

We celebrated Heidi’s 27^th birthday on August 4^th. She has turned out to be a beautiful young woman. I gave Mom another perm, and hopefully got everything straightened out with her hearing aid. It was feeding back horribly, but we think we finally got that taken care of.

We went to a wedding reception for the son (Michael) of my visiting teaching partner, Jill Young. She is divorced, but we got to meet Michael’s dad, also. In addition to being my visiting teaching partner, she was my partner when we were ward missionaries for the first three years after I moved here, and she is wonderful.

Ingrid and Kalvin got to come for the whole week when Jesse would be here and Dylan would leave on his mission. Randy was also able to take vacation time for that week. Jeff stayed in Colorado because their female Vizsla dog was pregnant and about to have puppies. Ingrid drove the full

nine hours here by herself – I think she is very brave. It was very nice to visit with her and bond with 4 ½ month old Kalvin. Jesse and Amanda eloped – they got married on Thursday, August 18^th and then got here on Friday evening and we all went out to dinner at Tepanyaki. It was wonderful and we had a great time with all the kids.

On Saturday we all (except Dylan) went up to Ogden where Heidi, Amanda and Ingrid

participated in a mud run for girls (and 3 guys that were dressed up as girls!!). It was fun to watch and they all did great. Jesse and

Tyler got some good pictures, but they misjudged where they were going at the end, so they missed the very last of it.

For Jesse and Amanda’s reception, we borrowed tables and chairs from people in the ward and set them up on the basketball court. We moved the table and chairs around that are usually on the back porch and strung up some white Christmas

lights outside. We put butcher paper on the tables so kids could color with sidewalk chalk if they wanted to. After we had pizza for dinner – it poured outside! Even though it had stopped by the time the reception began, everything outside was soaked. So, we

changed plans and had everything inside. Tyler went out in the rain and retrieved the lights which we hung up inside. Ingrid decorated our family room and dining room with the vases and paper flowers that Amanda h

ad brought. Amanda had frozen all the food and brought it with them, so we set all of that out on the kitchen counter/bar. They had only received a few RSVP’s so they thought it might be real small, but we actually had a large crowd considering it was just family and a few friends, and it was very enjoyable.

On Sunday Dylan and I spoke in church on the 4^th Article of Faith. He did a great job. Jesse and Amanda went, Tyler was there with Lydia, and Ingrid and Kalvin were there. Randy, my mom, Connie, Derek and his wife Rita, my sister Becky, and Connie Hubbard were also there. Heidi had taken the entire weekend off from work and had intended to be there, but she had participated in a motorcycle ride for fallen police officers that was a lot further away than she anticipated and then started an hour later than she thought it would. So, she didn’t arrive here until Sacrament Meeting was over. Even though Dylan is always saying that all his friends are on missions, he had quite a large group of friends there. That afternoon we drove over to the “Up” house. (Heidi let Jesse and Amanda take her motorcycle). It is a duplicate of the house that is in the animated

movie “Up” and is only a little over a mile from our house. It is pretty amazing.

We celebrated Dylan’s 20^th birthday that night - several weeks early since he will be in the MTC on the actual day. Ingrid and Tyler made ‘beach’ cupcakes since

Ingrid remembered (and we found it on video) that Dylan had wanted to go to Ohio for vacation when he was about 7 years old because of all the beaches there! We also played Pictionary Man with the game that Ingrid got Jesse and Amanda for their wedding – it was a lot of fun.

The kids were talking about hiking up Mt. Timpanogos Sunday night into Monday morning.

However, they decided to just do a shorter hike, so Randy, Ingrid, Kalvin and I were able to go along. It was on the back of Mt. Timpanogos and went up to some waterfalls (Stewart Falls). It was beautiful. It was supposed to take about 45 minutes each way, but because we are old and slow, it took Randy and me a while longer than that. I was sore in my calf muscles for days afterwards – sad. Tuesday night we went to watch Heidi play in a championship coed softball game up at the University of Utah and they won! Then we came home and took Dylan over to the Stake

Presidents office so that he could be set apart for his mission. Ingrid was able to join us for that. Tyler was going to come up, but he got stuck being a ‘good Samaritan’ down in Provo! On the way home from that, Ingrid got run into (with only minor damage and no injuries) and Dylan and Randy joined her for about 1 ½ hours until everything was completed by the police officer.

Wednesday morning I helped Dylan pack everything for the MTC after I got back from taking Connie to work. Tyler even went to one of Dylan’s friend’s houses to try and find some things that had been left there, but didn’t have any luck. We all met down at the Italian Place in Orem (Heidi couldn’t come because she was working at the zoo) and had some steak sandwiches. After saying good-byes, Randy and I drove to the MTC with Dylan.

We said good-bye to him and he had a friend that is already in the MTC that was able to meet him there, so our farewells were quick. I am so proud of him for deciding that this is what he should do. Tyler did say that he was able to see Dylan playing volleyball on Saturday morning when Tyler was on his way up to go rock-climbing, and that he looked happy. We finally heard from him on Wednesday (Aug 31) and it sounds like all is well.

Thursday evening I went to a Primary picnic and ate a wonderful pulled-pork sandwich and had some nice visits with other Primary workers. Randy wasn’t able to go. Then on Saturday Randy went to a park where various bands (including his) were playing and I was able to join him around 6pm. While we were there we ran into Kenny and Susie Lovell – small world. We also heard from Jesse that they had trouble with their car’s radiator in Hays, Kansas on the way home. They had to leave the vehicle there and borrow Amanda’s mother’s car. I hope it doesn’t cost them too much to fix!

Ingrid’s dog had her puppies on Tuesday morning, August 30, 2011. She ended up having eight of them, but one puppy was dead and Ingrid said it looked like he had been dead for awhile. Ingrid had to help a lot, but she said that by the time her dog was having the last few, she finally had the hang of what she needed to do. There are four males and three females and about half of them are already spoken for.

Lastly, my tomato plants are giving us really big tomatoes! I don’t know if it is the kind of plant, or what, but they are huge. Randy wants to eat at least one, but I will probably ‘can’ most of them.

♫ Oh, What do You Do In The Summertime? ♫

2011-08-01T09:33:00.001-07:00

I am loving this summer weather – I can’t hardly get enough of it. I am in the middle of 3 weeks off from school, so I am trying to get a lot done. I have still been doing a lot of yard work – both in my yard and service projects. I love it. I have also painted the window-well covers in the back yard (metal grates) and stained the pole on our patio table. While I was working in the back yard I discovered a toad in one of the window wells. I don’t know if he was lounging around the pond and accidentally jumped down there, or what. It’s about a 5 foot drop. Anyway, he seemed to be OK so I rescued him and let him get away while the dogs were in the house.

Randy, Tyler, Dylan and I were able to fly down to Aurora, Colorado and stay with Ingrid, Jeff and Kalvin for a couple of days over the 4^th of July weekend. It was nice to be able to actually interact with and hold Kalvin rather than just see him for a few minutes in the ICU. Jeff’s mother was also there, so we got to know her a little better. That Sunday Kalvin received his baby blessing and all the men got to participate. We all had a nice time. Since 4^th of July celebrations were going on, we just watched a few fireworks from our bedroom window when we got home that night. Heidi participated in a 'dirty girl' run here in Salt Lake that weekend - they run in mud. She seemed to have a lot of fun. Their team was nicknamed “Guns and Garters”. Because there were so many people that signed up for the race and they could not all be accommodated, another race has been scheduled for this month. It is the same weekend that Amanda and Ingrid will be here so Heidi got them signed up to run it that Saturday morning. Hopefully, we’ll be able to go and watch.

We’ve had a lot of work done on our cars lately. Obviously, “when it rains, it pours.” We’ve had to have new brake pads and rotors on the Honda. We also had to have a dampener removed from around the axle because it was making a lot of noise, but didn’t serve any useful purpose. I had been driving around without air conditioning in the Blazer because it was out of coolant. I finally had time to take it into the shop, had them plug the leak, and fill it up with freon. Now it is very comfortable. Of course, then there seemed to be a leak in the radiator, so I replaced the radiator cap. Since that didn’t seem to do anything, I put some stop-leak in and it seems to have done the trick. I’ll have to keep my eye on it for awhile, though. I need to get the oil changed soon, also.

I shampooed the carpets on the main floor and up in the bedrooms. It’s still not looking great, but it’s better than it was. I also rearranged our bedroom – just for a little change. I put new blinds on our French doors (with Randy’s help) since the old ones were falling apart. I also did my best to clean out the garage, but it is rather hopeless!

Connie had a full week to celebrate her 60^th birthday. She took the day off on her birthday which happened to be a Wednesday, then we had the extended family over for cake and ice cream on Sunday evening, and then the following Tuesday Becky Preece took her out to Tucano’s restaurant where she got a free lunch.

Randy and I taught Dylan all 6 of the Temple preparation lessons and we did the same for another young man in the ward that has recently received his mission call. Randy and I went with Dylan to the Jordan River Temple so that he could receive his endowment. It was a wonderful experience. I have had to send $500 to the Cleveland, Ohio mission for a bike, helmet and chain. I guess missionaries there ride bikes. I have started his monthly payments of $400 a month, also, since he reports in 3 weeks. He has started purchasing the clothing and miscellaneous items that he will need on his mission. Tyler is going to let him use the luggage that he used for his mission eight years ago. John Preece just came back from a mission in Hong Kong, and Kenny and Susie Lovell (he’s one of the Bartlesville Boys) just came back from Chile where Kenny was a Mission President. I wasn’t able to attend either of their homecomings.

Finally, I got both the puppies coats trimmed for summer so they wouldn’t be so hot. I think they actually look cuter with more fur, but they are easier to scratch this way, and I’m sure they are a lot happier!

Sunshine - at last!

2011-06-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve been doing lots of weeding and working in the yard this month – and it feels good to be outside working in the dirt and feeling the sun! I’ve been taking care of our yard, but I also weeded another family’s yard for a couple of hours (for service), and I weeded for 3 hours at the temple this week.

We celebrated Tyler’s birthday, honored Randy on Father’s Day, called Jesse on his birthday, and celebrated 32 years of marriage! Dylan got his last booster shot, obtained a copy of his driving record to send to the mission president in Cleveland, and has had half of his temple preparation lessons. We also received a letter telling us that we need to send money for a bike, helmet and lock. He has been working at the zoo showing buses where to park, driving/riding the train, and working at the carousel and front gate.

At the beginning of the month Randy took a trip to Boston for a safety meeting. He got to go around and see a lot of historical places and really enjoyed that. He felt alright during that trip until the last day. He has really had more Meniere’s attacks since the operation on his ear, than he was having before. He even had 4 episodes in one week! One day I drove him to the surgeons and he got a shot in his eardrum – it was also supposed to help, but didn’t seem to do anything.

I only have 2 weeks left in the two classes that I’m enrolled in right now. One of them is Strategic Management and Business Policy which is not too bad, but the other one is on Research Methods and it’s a killer! I cannot wait until it is over!

This July 4 weekend Randy, Tyler, Dylan and I are going down to Colorado for Kalvin’s baby blessing. It’ll be great to see them and will be a nice little getaway. Heidi is running in a mud race – I hate to miss it, but I’m sure she’ll have fun. Their team is called Guns ‘n’ Garters.

June is bursting out all over!

2011-05-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

Every time I went through my front door last month I got to see my tulips and daffodils – it made my heart glad!!

We celebrated my birthday and Mother’s Day on May 8. It was a beautiful day and Tyler and Heidi were able to join us. I received some outdoor flower plants and stands, a laptop holder, and a portable cd player among other things. There were lots of wonderful cut flowers for both my mother and I, and lots of chocolate. What more could a woman want??!!

In the continuing saga of Randy’s Meniere’s disease - he had been having episodes once a week for 3 weeks, and one just 2 weeks before that. He had one episode the morning of my birthday where I had to go pick him up from work. He was laying on the Conference Room floor and couldn’t even sit up because his balance was so bad. We had a couple of men help him out to the car where he layed down in the back seat. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to help him up our stairs to the bed, but we managed. After laying in bed for a few hours he felt better and we were finally able to go back to his work and pick up his truck. The doctor has given him a prescription for a patch that he wears behind his ear. The patch gives him medicine that helps with the nausea, but it also really dries out his mouth. In some ways it seems to be helping, but he’s still had a few more episodes (or near-episodes) since then.

I finished my two classes a few days early so that I wouldn’t have to think about it over my birthday/Mother’s Day weekend. So, that gave me 2 ½ weeks off from school. It was a nice break, and allowed me to concentrate on other things. I repaired 2 of the outdoor chairs (yes, the ones I just recovered last month – some sewing came loose, so I had to reinforce it with stronger thread!), repaired the umbrella that goes with our table outside (the material is really weathered, so I may actually have to replace it – we’ll see) , glued a broken toilet tank top and messed with the toilet’s flusher, but it’s still not working correctly, retiled a

bathroom floor (actually watched Randy do it and gave him what help he needed!), cleaned out the garage, cleaned out the pantry and our wardrobe (I always switch our winter and summer clothes around), and planted tomato plants, radishes, and carrots – plus some flower seeds in our two planters on the back porch. I have now started classes again, and my Research class is going to be a doosey!

Also during my time off I gave my mother a perm and took her to a couple of stores to look for pants. We didn’t find any, but I later found a couple of pair for her at the Deseret Industries that were just what she wanted. All last week I had the stomach flu – but I never threw up, if you know what I mean… I lost 6 pounds, but it is wonderful to be feeling better. Both of my dogs got sick, also (I’m not sure if they had the same thing I did or not??!!) and I have had to put towels on all the couches and I’ve cleaned up several “skid marks” on the rug! I know, too much information.

I went to the dentist and I had 1 cavity – Yuk! So, I have to have that filled. I also saw the doctor about my knee and he said it was most likely bursitis - an inflammation of the fluid-filled sac (bursa) that lies between a tendon and skin, or between a tendon and bone – and can be caused by trauma. (If you look it up on Google images, the pictures there are WAY worse than mine!) Several months ago I had tripped over the gate that I occasionally put up to keep my dogs out of my mom’s room, and I had landed hard on both my knees on a tile floor.(Do I hear moaning??!!) He gave me a prescription for an anti-inflammatory drug that seems to be helping. So, I was off the treadmill for several weeks, but I’m slowly starting it up again.

One weekend Becky and Dave came by and visited for a short time. They were up for Jacob’s graduation from college. The following weekend Wendy, Jerry and Courtney came up for a visit. They had a couple of receptions to attend and family business on Jerry’s side. It’s always nice to see family.

The most exciting news of the month is that Dylan got his mission call! He has been called to the Cleveland, Ohio Mission and he reports to the Provo MTC on August 24. He was hoping to go someplace a little warmer, but he’s glad to be going anywhere, really. Jesse and Amanda are getting married sometime in August (they’re eloping) so we will have a reception here in our backyard for family members the Saturday before Dylan reports. Ingrid (and Kalvin, maybe Jeff?) is coming up for that, so we will have our entire family all together – it will be nice. Besides her police work, Heidi is working a few days a week at an outdoor plant nursery and she is loving it! She must be a chip off the old block. ;) Tyler has started school again. He ended up dropping his golf class because it was real frustrating and he felt he just didn’t have time for it because his other 2 classes are pretty demanding.

Well, a few days ago there was snow on the hill behind our house when we got up! The newspaper said there was 10 inches of new snow at some resorts and they are hoping to stay open until July 4^th. Amazing!! I think the weather is finally starting to warm up, though, and I am ready.

Spring - bring it on!

2011-04-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Aahh. May. I hear everyone complaining about snow the last of April (some places got 6” last night!), but we had snow the first week of May last year (I have pictures to prove it!) so I’m not worried. I AM ready for warmer weather, but I know it’s just around the corner. My flower bed is starting to fill up with daffodills and tulips and the grass is turning green. I have planted tomatoe plants and I have seeds for several other varieties of vegetables. I recovered the outside chairs a few weeks ago because the old material was completely rotten and ripping. I looked at buying some new cushions, but everything I saw were real ugly and very expensive. Today I bought a new bathing suit since all of my old ones had no elastic left. And my 2 classes will be over in a little over a week and I’ll have a couple of weeks off from school. Except for a sore throat that won’t go away and a knee that is giving me major trouble - I am feeling good!

Randy has not had any relief from his Meniere’s symptoms even though his ear is completely healed. We’re really hating the fact that the surgery doesn’t seemed to have worked for him. Now he has attacks with no warning. We celebrated his birthday and we got to watch General Conference that same weekend. It was great. I always look forward to receiving the May Ensign magazine so that I can review all the talks.

Probably the most exciting news this last month is that I am now officially a grandmother. Ingrid texted us on Friday, April 8 that she was at the hospital because her water had broken. This was 5 weeks before her due date. She had Kalvin Lee Harris within a few hours – he’s a real cutie, weighed 6 lb 3 oz and was 19” long. He had to have oxygen for the first day because he got some amniotic fluid in one of his lungs. He had an IV and a feeding tube in his nose for several days, also. Randy, Dylan and I drove down there the day after he was born and stayed until Wednesday. They were supposed to be moving that weekend and Jeff had moved the big stuff (with help from the Elders Quorum at church), but we made quite a few trips with whatever would fit in my Blazer. Ingrid came home from the hospital after 2 days, but Kalvin had to stay there for 9 days. They wanted to make sure he was stable and gaining weight. She’s had him home now for almost 2 weeks and he’s doing great. She seems to be thriving on motherhood.

Dylan has all his papers in and has had all his interviews for his mission. Now we just have to wait for the call. He received the Melchizedek Priesthood last week on Easter. Janna (Randy’s sister – the one that almost died) and most of her family were up from Texas for her daughter-in-laws graduation from BYU, so they got to join us for that. Marty and Alex Little joined Randy, Tyler, our Bishop and a few others in ordaining him as an elder. The only lasting effect from all of Janna’s trauma last month is a hoarse voice because they damaged her vocal chords a bit when they were sticking tubes down her throat so fast.

There were some devasting tornadoes that went through the south a few days ago. Hundreds of people were killed and some towns were completely wiped out. As far as I know, no one that we are aquainted with has been affected, but there was a lady from one of the towns by the name of Karen Mundy on the news!

March came in like a lamb, and went out like a …....lamb...… (who’s complaining?)

2011-04-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is what it looked like in the middle of last month. But today the sun is shining and it's expected to get to 70 degrees this weekend!

We are celebrating Randy’s 59^th birthday a day early since this is when Tyler and Heidi can join us. I cannot believe I am married to someone that age! Last month he had to make a trip to Colorado to recertify in one of his safety categories. He drove instead of flying because the altitude wouldn’t be good for his post-surgery healing. He felt pretty bad most the time he was there, but got to stay with Ingrid and Jeff and visit with them. He went in for his 2 week check up after his surgery. The doctor said everything was healing well. However, a few days before his 1 month mark, he had a Meniere’s episode in the middle of the night. He has now gone longer than any of the doctors other patients without seeing a dramatic improvement and has been put on more steroids to try to reduce any swelling that might be remaining. The saga continues…

Mom has seen her regular doctor, had her ears cleaned at the audiologist and has had a physical therapist, occupational therapist and home health care nurse visiting here almost every day. They are all through now, and she has regained all of her strength back that she had a few months ago. She doesn’t anticipate getting any stronger than that, but hopefully she can maintain.

Dylan went to St. George for a few days with several friends. They did a lot of hiking in the mountains and he got a lot of exercise. Then, after coming home he turned around and went back to Las Vegas for a concert. He was only gone 24 hours this time, so he was exhausted when he got home, but he had a good time. He has finished his papers for his mission and sent them in. Once they are all checked and approved, he will have his interviews with the Bishop and Stake President – then we wait another 3 weeks for his call. He has had his interview with the Bishop to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and should have one soon with the Stake President also. (he actually has a 'Jedi' braid that you can't see in this picture - he will cut it before he enters the MTC!)

Jesse quit his hotel job because they weren’t being straight with him. He is still doing some waiter work, but hopes to do some roofing this summer with his uncle and cousin. He and Amanda are planning a wedding for sometime this summer and then they are planning a move to Austin, Texas in October. They hope to have a reception in Utah for all the family that lives here.

Our dog, Brisco, had always been with his mother and brother since birth, consequently I became his new surrogate mom. When I had to go somewhere and couldn’t take him with me, he would either cry forever in his kennel or cry and tear at the shades in the office window if I left him out. When Randy had gotten him, his owner had said that she was trying to get rid of his brother, also, but she didn’t know who would take him since he had a heart murmur. Well, Randy went back and got him – we have named him Bowler. (Brisco County, Jr. had a sidekick named Lord Bowler) I took him to get him groomed after we had had him for a few days – Randy wanted to be able to see his eyes! Within a few weeks he had also gotten the rest of his puppy shots, rabies shot, and gotten neutered. The vet that put him under anesthesia was worried about his heart murmur and also said he had a “galloping” heart. But, he survived. I hope they keep each other company.

I finished our taxes by March 15 and we get a refund from the state so I e-filed that one. However, I will wait a month to e-file our federal taxes since we have to PAY on them – Yuk.

My classes started up again on March 16. I am taking two classes this time- Business Ethics and Strategic Marketing. I have a lot of projects in one class, and a big paper in the other. It looks like I won’t be doing much else for a couple of months! I will be enjoying the weather as much as I can, though!

Of hospitals, rehabilitation centers, outpatient surgery centers, life, death, and miracles…

2011-02-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

You know, I never wanted to be a nurse. But this month I’ve done a lot of nursing. This morning Randy went in for surgery for Meniere’s disease. The doctor had to drill into his skull, carve out the bone, and puncture the sac in his inner ear that fills up with fluid (the fluid build-up is what causes his Meniere’s attacks). He also put a tube in his eardrum so the pressure wouldn’t build up. The doctor said everything went really well, but Randy had a hard time coming out of the anesthesia and had a lot of nausea. I thought we would be home around noon, but it was after 3pm. He has a large cup over his ear that can come off tomorrow. He says his ear really hurts like a bad earache and he gets especially strong pains in it when he belches (from the pressure). If he sneezes, he needs to be sure he keeps his mouth open. He’s got antibiotics and pain pills to take. The doctor said his equilibrium should return within the week, although it could take up to a month.

One Sunday as we went to church, Randy was having pains in his abdomen. Shortly after we sat down, he decided that he needed to get up and walk around. He thought that maybe his bowels just needed to move. After a short time, a friend came in and told me that he was going to take Randy home. I guess things hurt so bad that he ended up throwing up outside. So, our friend took him home and then got another Elder to go and administer to him. I guess Randy was shaking from the pain by then. Dylan went home to help him, and he was trying to decide whether to go to the emergency room or not. Finally, though, he was able to fall asleep and eventually felt better. By that evening he decided that he had probably passed a kidney stone.

On Monday morning, Feb 14 (Valentine’s Day), Randy got a call from a friend of his younger sister Janna – the news was not good. She said Janna was in the hospital because she had a kidney stone and it had gotten infected and the infection had gone through her blood stream – she was septic. All of her organs were trying to shut down. They performed surgery on Monday afternoon and did a bypass for that kidney because the stone was too big to pass. That afternoon and evening she was not doing well at all. I guess they almost lost her that night. She was flat-lining and everybody rushed in her room and started working on her like crazy. One thing they had to do was give her lots of fluids, so she was extremely bloated. The ER guy that is a friend of (her husband) Marty's went up to ICU and took charge and wouldn't let anyone in the room that he didn't trust could help. After they got her going again, the ER guy wasn't very encouraged and told Marty that he'd better get the family around. Then, she had a good night and by morning her vitals were really good. But, her lungs were filling up with the fluids that her body needed. They kept her highly sedated because otherwise she would fight the tube down her throat. They had her on a respirator because she couldn’t breathe by herself. Randy flew to Dallas Tuesday morning and stayed at their place. His 2 brothers, his older sister and her husband, a nephew and 2 of his kids also went down there. All of Janna’s kids that weren’t in town (she still has 2 at home) flew or drove in from where they live. She continued to improve throughout the day and Tuesday night - she even coughed, which was a good sign that she was breathing on her own. The culture showed that it was e-coli so then they were able to give her correct antibiotics. Randy spent 4 days there and ended up flying home on Friday even though she still hadn’t regained consciousness. On Sunday, her 47th birthday, her husband let Randy know that she was awake, eating and talking – although only in a whisper because her throat was raw from having a tube down it for 6 days. It seems that she will be fine with no residual effects, although they still need to get the kidney stone out. She came home last Friday. So, the ER guy saved her life. What’s really cool is that the reason that the ER guy even saw Marty in that part of the hospital is that he came in a different door than he usually does because he was going to check himself into the psych unit because he was having suicidal thoughts. So, Janna also saved HIS life! Two miracles happened that day. What a testimony to the way God works with each of us!!

Becky and Dave were up one weekend to visit his brother that had a kidney removed because it had a cancerous growth in it – all went well with that. They stopped by the rehab center and chatted with mom. I also got to visit with Connie Hubbard for a few hours one morning and catch up on all that’s happening in her life. She is now the Stake Relief Society President in their stake, was diagnosed with 2 stomach ulcers, she talked about her trips to Fresno, CA and to Spain, and about the happenings in Jim’s family since his father passed away.

My mom finally came home from the rehabilitation center last week. She was so glad to leave there, although she had made some friends and really liked the people that worked with her on physical rehabilitation. She will have a nurse, occupational therapist, and a physical therapist come in a few times a week for a short time. Hopefully, she will be able to keep up the exercises that strengthened her. We will have to make some adjustments to the height of her chair and toilet, maybe add some bars to hold onto, etc. because everything has been wearing her out and her knees have really been hurting. I’ll get some recommendations from the therapists.

Then, at the beginning of the month the receptionist at Randy’s work died unexpectedly from an infection. She was in her mid 30’s and had a couple of small children at home. One of her ex-husband’s will raise the children, I guess. Pretty sad.

In other news, Brisco is really becoming a part of our family. He has been to the vet twice to finish up his puppy shots and get his rabies vaccination. I had his hair clipped, although I’m not sure if I like him better this way or not. One Saturday I took him to a clinic to get neutered. While Randy was in Texas, Tyler came over and installed a doggie door in our wash room. It took Brisco a few days to get used to it, but now he can go outside whenever he needs to (I close it up at night though, so we don’t have any strange animals enter through it!). I viewed a video on YouTube that showed a possum coming through someone’s doggie door at night, and I certainly don’t want that to happen. He is really a ‘mama’s boy’ and doesn’t ever want to leave my side. It also takes him a few minutes to get used to strangers – especially men. He barks or growls at them.

Randy’s blues band played several shows in February. One was up in Ogden on Valentine’s weekend and they had a couple hundred people at it, I think. Then they played at one in Murray the following weekend, but the crowd was small. I’m sure the promoters lost money on that one.

I will finish the class that I am on (Managing Information Technology) this week. I have had to do a consultant’s report plus a power point presentation in it, along with all the usual discussion board entries and unit assessments. For the next 3 terms I am doubling up classes and will have 2 every 8 weeks instead of just one. This way, I will be able to graduate by the end of this year with an MBA in Marketing. And finally, we had record-breaking weather this past month that was really mild. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Karen and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad month

2011-02-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

Wow – what a difference a few days can make. Several days after my last post my mom called me down to her room early in the morning (Tuesday). She told me that she hadn’t slept much and could hardly put any weight on her legs. They progressively got worse throughout the day and by that afternoon we met my brother Derek at the doctor’s office. They ran a lot of tests and put her on an antibiotic for a slight bladder infection. The next few days she didn’t regain any strength in her legs and couldn’t get around by herself. By Friday the doctor told us that he couldn’t reach any conclusions for her leg weakness from what he had done, and that we should take her to the emergency room where they could do more tests. So, we took her to the hospital and after awhile, they decided to admit her. They ended up doing an MRI on her brain and one on her lower spine. The results of those were that she had had a small stroke, but LONG ago. She also had a lot of bone growth on the inside of her spine (so it is not really noticeable just to look at her), and that could be pressing against the nerves that go down into her legs. They suggested that she talk to a neurologist about surgery, but at her age she is not interested in that. So, on Monday she was moved to a rehabilitation center where physical therapists are working with her to regain strength in her arms and legs so that she can be mobile again, if possible. I have been stopping by there every day with Connie. She seems to be making slow and steady progress, but she HATES being there.

Randy went to Florida on a business trip at the same time my mom was having all this trouble. Originally I was going to go along and we were going to go to Disney World, but luckily we had decided against it a few months ago. Randy also saw the ear specialist at the beginning of January. He gave him a 6-day dose of medication to take when he feels an episode coming on. Randy had to take it within a week, but it was hard to tell if it really did anything. The doctor gave him another prescription for it and is having him go in for more testing in 2 weeks. They are going to administer the same kind of tests that he had almost 30 years ago when they diagnosed the Menieres disease. The other new medication that he was given tends to make him very sleepy. As far as the surgery goes - sometimes just drilling a hole in the skull behind the ear relieves the pressure, and sometimes they actually have to puncture the sac where the fluid build-up is. Cool.

On the 25^th, Randy needed to drive some supplies down to southern Utah and do an inspection on a job down there. He was a little worried about driving that far alone (in case he started getting sick) so he took Dylan along. He wanted to leave by 8:30am, but getting the supplies took several hours, so it was 10:30am by the time they took off. This was the same morning that I had come out of the temple to slick snow (it was not doing anything when I went in) and almost hit a couple of cars when I slid down a hill in my Blazer. I slid to the left and to the right and my brakes kept locking up. I was able to maneuver into the far right lane and into the cross road, where luckily there was no traffic. For Randy and Dylan there was only snow for the first hour or so. Randy was also going to see about a dog (a Labrador retriever that was being trained for police work, but was too timid) that his friend had left at a non-euthanizing shelter down near Kanab. To make a long story short, after finally finding the shelter, Randy found out that the dog was already taken; the job he was going to inspect was not at all where he thought it was and he didn’t need to drive nearly as far as he did; he finally found the foreman at his hotel so that he could give him the supplies but it was too late to do an inspection; there were lots of deer along the road that made him really nervous because he hoped they wouldn’t jump out into the road; and he got a speeding ticket for going too fast as he was leaving a small town. They didn’t get home until 11pm. At least Randy and Dylan enjoyed their time together and Randy’s ear didn’t give him any trouble.

For Christmas I got a kennel and food dishes for a dog – I just didn’t have a dog yet. I’d been looking at KSL classifieds online and at online shelters for a Yorkshire terrier. I wanted a dog that is small this time and would be a house-dog. Randy answered an ad for a 5 month old schnauzer-poodle mix (schnoodle) and liked it enough to bring him home. We have named him Brisco. He is not house-trained yet, so we are working on that.

Randy and I went to an art showing of Carl Bloch paintings at BYU. The exhibit was free, but we were really glad that we rented the ipads because they gave you so much more information about the pieces of art and had some interviews included. We grabbed lunch (steak sandwiches) at an Italian Place in Orem. We really like the food, but it also reminds us of when we were dating and we used to get those sandwiches with coupons in the BYU paper for 2 for 1. While we were there Frank and Stormy Draney came in. They were in town (from Evanston, WY) to celebrate Franks birthday. They also stopped for lunch at the Italian Place because of nostalgia from college. We talked to them for awhile and caught up on things.

We had Stake Conference last weekend – it was great, as usual. Randy had to sit out in the foyer Saturday night (because of his ear – the noise drives him up the wall) and he could only stay for the first hour on Sunday morning because there wasn’t a place to sit in the foyers that didn’t have crying babies. I HOPE the surgery fixes things.

Ingrid came to visit for a few days. Her husband Jeff has family visiting for an annual ski trip and she didn’t want to sit in the lodge all day (she can’t ski because she is pregnant.) Heidi gave her a baby shower where she invited family members and a few old friends. It was nice.

Ingrid brought her two dogs (Vizslas) and the first night Brisco was kind of intimated and real protective of his territory. He has relaxed, though, and gets along with them great now. He will really miss them when Ingrid leaves.

And so it begins.

2011-01-01T09:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2011. Last year ended the way years always end. Busy. But every year I think I do a little better with making our celebration smaller and focusing more on the Savior’s birth and what that can mean to all of us. Even with just a basic understanding of the Atonement, I am overwhelmed with the infinite goodness of the Plan.

Next week Dylan gets another booster shot, Randy sees the ear specialist (we’re probably looking at surgery soon), driving Connie back and forth to work begins again, and I start another class. But for this weekend I will take a few deep breaths and try to mentally make it through the rest of winter. Happy New Year!!

♪ ...and a partidge in a pear tree. ♪

2011-01-01T07:53:00.001-08:00

For Christmas Jesse sent us all a little cash and gave us an assignment, or "mission - if we chose to accept it". We were to buy something with the money, take a picture of unwrapping it, a picture close-up of what it is exactly, and then one last picture of how it turned out.

Randy says "Just what I've always wanted - Noise Canceling Headphones!!"

I got hair products and cleaning supplies. They may not seem to go together, but Dang! I look good while I'm cleaning my stove! :o)

Tyler was so excited to get mma gloves. I feel bad for him, though. I'm not sure he knows exactly what they are for... although he does seem to be dreaming about them. Maybe this is part of his workout.

Heidi got a jewelry box. I'm afraid she may be too tired to enjoy it, though.

Ingrid said: As you can see there is a sweater and a striped long sleeved shirt which are very nice because they fit over my ever growing belly. But the special part of my gift is the water bottle. It has been wonderful considering I can never quench my thirst......and it was even more wonderful when I overdid it with the water (letting it skip my mind that I no longer have the bladder control I had say 5 months ago....)

Dylan got a Mr T chia pet, but when he watered it- his own hair turned red and his face got all swollen. Go figure.

What did you get, Jesse?

There's something wrong with this picture....

2010-11-30T15:09:00.000-08:00

This was taken the last week of November. Our yard should not have this much snow until January! The grass is still green under the trampoline. There are still flowers on our rose bushes. There is easily 12” of it – and my daughter says she got 2 feet! I hope we get November weather in February…

The first week of November Randy had some training that he needed to go to in Nashville, TN. Normally, this would have been a great trip for him because he was staying at the house of the guy who used to be our music producer when we lived there, Fred Vail. And we have so many friends there that he could have contacted. However, his Meniere’s disease started up again and he spent most of his free time laying down or in bed! First, let me give a little history on this – Almost 2 years after we were married, we had moved in with my parents in San Diego because the guy in Utah that Randy had been working for could not pay us the thousands of dollars that he owed us and we had no other options. After about a month, my parents sold their house and we moved them up to Lakewood, CA and were still living with them because Randy had no job. Did I mention that we were expecting our first child and additionally we had no insurance? Anyway, one day he answered the phone, but couldn’t hear out of one ear – not too good for a musician. Soon he got a job and after we had enough money, we moved into an apartment shortly before our first son was born, but the ear problems continued. It wasn’t just that he couldn’t hear, but he would have ringing in it, and eventually it got so bad that the room would start spinning and he would start throwing up. I would have to get him a pitcher of water to set by his bed, he would drink something so that he had something in his stomach to puke, and finally after hours he would fall asleep from exhaustion and sleep for about 24 hours. He would be kind of groggy for a day, and then he would feel normal again for a few weeks. Several times I actually had to go pick him up from work and take him to the hospital where they would shoot Dramamine into his veins – which actually did nothing. He was tested and found that he had a build-up of fluid in the inner ear called Meniere’s disease (named after a French doctor). Did I also mention that there’s no cure for it and that one cause might be stress?

Anyway, he ended up losing at least one job because of it. Then he was called as a counselor in the Bishopric in our ward. He explained his health problem to the Stake President, who along with the Bishop gave him a blessing. His Meniere’s disease went into remission. Fast forward about 23 years. The same day that he moved to Utah to start a new job, it started up again. (Leaving me and the two kids (still at home) in Topeka for a few months to finish school, seminary, sell the house, etc – stress??!!)For the first 3 years after this move, he had intermittent problems with it. Then, it had not given him any problems for about 6 months, but started up again a month ago. He was really sick while he was in Nashville and he has had episodes several times a week ever since. I had to go to his office once to pick him up, and once I had to go to a parking lot to pick him up since he was too sick to drive. The day before Thanksgiving he had an episode while teaching a safety class and because he couldn’t reach me by phone a couple of guys from work drove him home. He had a bi-annual safety inspection from the insurance company out of Connecticut today – luckily he made it through without any Meniere’s attacks, but it probably wasn't good enough for us to get the money we should. Anyway, this has been our life lately.

My sister, Becky came up from Las Vegas for a few days to visit my mother and other sister, Connie. Randy and I were going to go out of town for a couple of those days, but Randy was too sick. His new calling, by the way, is one of the two Gospel Doctrine teachers. Because he didn’t know who to call as a substitute, he made it for class one week. (The Sunday School president is going to get him a list of those people willing to sub.) And last week he didn’t make it at all.

We had tickets (that were not inexpensive) to go to the play “The Drowsy Chaperone” on the same night that the weather reports were telling everyone to stay home because a blizzard was coming in. The theatre is about 30 minutes from our home. I called the theatre and they said that all they could do for us if we couldn’t make it would be to switch our tickets for another night at 5pm to see “A Christmas Carol”. I wasn’t real excited to see that play, plus I would have to make extra arrangements to get there at that time. Randy did not want to lose the money we had spent for the tickets. So, we decided we would go for it and have a snow adventure! Besides, we have life insurance on both of us :o) The visibility was supposed to only be one half mile, but we could see much farther than that. We did have to drive about 25 mph in a 60mph zone because of the snow and ice, and we saw quite a few stopped cars and emergency vehicles, but we got to the theatre about 5 minutes before it started. I lost a lense out of my glasses at one point (I found it), Randy lost the nose guard from his glasses and also got them caught in his sweater (so he had to go without them until intermission), one wiper came off and had to be put back on, and we almost ran out of gas. The drive home was much better. It had quit snowing and even though there had been about 3” at the theatre, there was only about 1” at our house. (They had been expecting 10”) Oh – how was the play? It was well acted, funny, there were things and people coming down from above, people and things coming up from below, marvelous costumes, etc. We really enjoyed it, but it’s not a play I need to see again!

Well, our family Christmas card will be arriving in a few weeks. Tyler is working on it, but he is also trying to finish classes for the semester. We always have a lot of fun doing those, so I’ll try to post it online.

The Holidays are starting . . .

2010-10-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

General Conference was wonderful, as usual. The General Authorities that speak always say just what we need to hear. Pres. Boyd K. Packer’s talk (where he mentioned homosexuality) had turned out to be quite controversial for a week or so, but I guess that’s part of the signs of the times. The news release by the Church about our stand on all of this was great.

We finally took Heidi out for her birthday dinner – 2 months late. We went to Tepanyaki Japanese Steak House where they cook the food in front of you and it was great as usual. Heidi had a headache, so I’m not sure how much she was able to enjoy it, though. She gave us a tour through her new place – it looks like it is just perfect for her. She was in an Honor Guard recently – that’s what this picture is from.

They have been reseeding the hillside where the fire took place. I guess these first seeds sprout and grow quickly to help stop mudslides. Then the regular vegetation can take over in the next few years. Helicopters have dropped a lot of seeds near the top, but they have used volunteers to spread them on the lower parts. I was signed up to help on a Thursday and Friday morning. However, I had had a sore throat for a week that got a little worse each day although I was gargling and doing everything I knew to do for it. So, I went to the doctor on Wednesday and found out that I had strep. He gave me an antibiotic and I figured I would be better (and not contagious) within 24 hours, so I told them I wouldn’t make it Thursday but probably could on Friday. However, this particular antibiotic (V pak) did NOTHING for me. My throat got sorer and my Eustachian tube hurt all the way into my ear. I couldn’t even swallow. I had to take Lortab every 4-5 hours just so I could function and I didn’t get much sleep at night. I talked to the doctor Friday morning and got a different antibiotic and some steroid to reduce the swelling. I obviously missed the reseeding on Friday, also. I slept all afternoon and some of the evening on Friday. By Friday night the swelling had gone down a lot so I was actually able to swallow some ice cream to soothe my throat. Another thing I noticed – I usually put my head down and shake it up and down or swing it sideways in circles to get my hair dry – but on Saturday after all this throat stuff when I did that, I could feel major tingling in my hands and forearms! I figure the swelling in my throat, ear and neck must have pressed against a nerve. Pretty weird. I lost several pounds since I couldn’t eat (and then regained them back, of course), but this is not a diet that I would recommend to anyone! And one more interesting side note: The doctor I saw was Dr. Daynes – nephew to Bro. Daynes that my brother Derek and his wife Rita worked for at his jewelry store in San Diego. Small world.

Well, since Dylan turned 19 years old and is not a full-time student, he is no longer covered under Randy’s health insurance. Luckily he’d already seen the dentist, but he still has to get 4 wisdom teeth pulled and have his check-up and shots from a regular doctor. I am NOT looking forward to paying full price for any of that! He is on a list to be in a trial for a new procedure where they pull your wisdom teeth (you have to be watched for 2 days in a hospital?)and they actually pay YOU, but there’s no telling when his name will come up. He is working 40+ hours a week setting up displays for a flooring supply company now, but I’m not sure if they offer health insurance or not. We’ll have to check into that.

We went to see “Arsenic and Old Lace” in Lehi one night. Our friend Dave Wayt had a small part as the minister and Glen Meigs (he plays drums in Randy’s blues band) also had a small part as the head of a retirement home – the last guy the two old women poison. Dave’s daughter, Krystal, and her husband Ryan had more substantial parts, and Glen’s son, Jeff, also had a small part. It was enjoyable to watch. Dave’s dad died on a Friday and the funeral was the following week – the same week as the play, but he proved that ‘the show must go on!”

We finished the vinyl fence around the backyard (see before and after pictures). The neighbors actually had a chain link fence between the yards on the west side, but their two little yappy dogs would always bark at us when we were in our own backyard – which was kind of annoying. And we needed to have something between the shed and the back deck – the neighbor’s cat would come through there and poop on my grass and hide behind the pond/waterfall and wait for birds to land. Randy put some steps going down to the backyard from that deck so that we can get to the front from that side also. But most of all, I just wanted a private backyard – and now I have it! I can die happy.

I got a new calling last month. I got released as a ward missionary and also as the chorister for Sacrament Meeting (Ward Music Chairman). My new calling is as the Primary Chorister. This actually will be a lot like teaching seminary in that I have to keep the kids attention while trying to teach them about gospel principles. The main differences are that this is only once a week, there are a lot more kids, they are much younger, and it is all done through music. Plus – I’m a lot older than last time I had this calling! I hope I have the energy for this!! Randy also got released as 1^st Assistant in the High Priest group. He doesn’t have a new calling yet. (Nursery??!!)

I have started another class – this one is International Business. There is no Final for this class, but I will have three papers to write. At least they don’t have to be very long.

All the trees and bushes are starting to change colors down here in the valley. They have already changed up in the mountains, although we haven’t had time to drive up there together. Randy was in Park City for inspections a couple of weeks ago, and said the colors were amazing. We had been having nice, dry, warm weather for a long time. Finally this last week we had rain, cold, and snow in the valleys (briefly) and the mountains. I am not looking forward to any of this, but I do love the holiday seasons. I have found that I don’t mind Halloween too much now that I don’t have to come up with costumes for my kids! I just have to make sure that I have candy to hand out and I’m good!

Slowly Sliding Into Fall

2010-10-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to say that I am LOVING this weather! It’s the first day of October and it’s been in the high 80’s – low 90’s all last week and is supposed to last a few more days. I’m OK with Fall holding off a while longer!

On Labor Day Randy and I took a long walk around the lake at a housing development and community near here called Daybreak. There are a lot of areas that still need to be developed (I think the problems with the economy really slowed things down there), but it is still very peaceful and lovely.The Oquirrh Mountain Temple that we attend is near there.

We celebrated Dylan’s 19^th birthday one night early so that Heidi and Tyler could both join us. It’s hard to believe that my youngest child is that old. One more year and I won’t have any more kids in their teens! He got to go with some friends down to Lake Powell for 5 days and stayed on a houseboat. He had a lot of fun waterskiing, surfing behind the boat, and cliff jumping. The weather was perfect and so was the water temperature. He especially liked the fact that he had 3 meals a day prepared for him – plus snacks! (back to the real world now of Mom making only dinner!) He came back really tan. He got a full-time job setting up displays of floor products (carpeting, linoleum, wood, etc) all over the state and into Idaho and Colorado. He says it’s the best job he has ever had!

Randy’s band played at a park again – this time the audience was only half as big as last time, but he said they did well and he still had fun.

Heidi moved out of her apartment and into the upper level of a house (another woman lives in the basement). It is only 5 minutes from the campus where she works, so already she has really enjoyed that. She said it is so much nicer to get off work at 2am and NOT have to drive for a half hour just to get home. It has 2 bedrooms and a lot of cupboard space.

My mother turned 92 on the 15^th. We celebrated her birthday on the following Sunday evening so that more people could come, and that’s typically a better day for me to host something like that. We had over 30 people here for it. I had taken her to get her temple recommend renewed earlier in the afternoon and we had noticed there was a fire on the far side of the hill behind us. Someone said it was just a brush fire. We found out later that it had been started by a machine-gun training exercise of the Utah National Guard and they tried, but couldn’t put it out. They should never have been doing that when conditions were so dry and it was so windy, and they have since apologized for it and are taking full responsibility. By the time we were having my mother’s birthday party it was obvious the fire was getting bigger, and before long the flames were coming over the top of the hill. By that evening there were over 1,400 houses that were being evacuated. The evacuation area ended only a few blocks from us. The fire continued to burn all that night and fire crews concentrated on keeping houses safe. There was an article in the local newspaper about a man that used his bulldozer to plow a fire line that was directly responsible for saving 32 homes. By the next morning we discovered that only 3 houses had burned down and 1 was partially burnt – it was a miracle that no other homes were damaged. They hoped to have the last of the fire and hot spots put out by Tuesday morning, but the wind kicked up again. (photo by Mike Day) On Wednesday morning I rode my bike on my usual route and I could still see smoke rising from the ashes. We had rain, hail, and thunder storms that day, and the rain helped put out the fire – but then they were worried about mudslides! (The city has already started planting seedlings to help prevent that next year.) The last of the people that had been evacuated were finally let back into their homes by Wednesday night. My heart really goes out to those that lost their homes, but this awful situation showed that miracles DO happen and caused a lot of people to focus on what is really important.

Speaking of bike riding – My left hip had been hurting, with pain going down my leg sometimes. So, I went a week without any treadmill or biking. When I got back on the treadmill I was OK, but I only went 6.5 miles (instead of 10.5) on the bike and it was hurting again. I guess I’ll have to work at strengthening that joint muscle with weights this fall and winter. I hate getting old….

One Saturday late in the month, Randy and I went to the Hogle Zoo. Heidi works there sometimes as a security guard, so she was able to get us in for free. We were able to see just about everything in 2 ½ hours – just about the right amount of time for us and it felt good to be in the sun all afternoon. We didn’t quite time it right to see the bird show, but we caught the end of the elephant show. They have a big area that they are working on that will have all kinds of water exhibits – large mammals, otters, sea lions, etc – that will open in 1 ½ years.

I have finished everything for my class on Organizations and just have to wait for my grade. I am SO glad to be done with it! From reading comments from the other students in class, it sounds like most of them have also had negative feelings about it. I know I will have more research papers to write in other classes, but I’m glad to be done for now.

The end of summer

2010-08-31T14:25:00.001-07:00

I don’t hardly know where to begin! We have really crammed a lot into the last month. The first weekend we held the Richard K. Preece family reunion. About 11 people played FREE golf that Friday morning at the course where Derek has his office, and that evening my mother, her kids and grandkids met at Golden Corral for dinner. There were around 34 people there for that. From our immediate family, everyone except Jesse was there – Ingrid and Jeff drove up from Colorado, and Heidi had that weekend off of work, so she was able to join us. Saturday we had a picnic at a park near our home for everyone – this time including great-grandkids. We ate hogie sandwiches and played volleyball. The kids climbed on the jungle gym and drew with sidewalk chalk. My mother was able to be at that for a couple of hours. That evening we had dinner at our

house for my siblings, their spouses and my mom. We brought an extra table over from church so we could all sit together, and then after dinner we went through the collection of church books that my parents had and everyone took what they wanted.

Heidi turned 26 on August 5 and we celebrated it on Sunday evening, August 8. That Sunday turned out to be quite busy – I substituted as the Gospel Doctrine teacher, and also took dinner over to a sister that I visit teach and her family because she had just had surgery on her knee.

There was a Relief Society night at the temple that my sister Connie and I attended. Connie only worked for half a day that day. The sisters met at someone’s home for refreshments afterwards, but we did not go to that. Randy and I attended a sealing session at the temple on another night, also.

I started a new course at school – it's on Organizational Theory, Design and Structure. Yes – it is as exciting as it sounds! I still have a couple of chapters to read every week in the textbook with 10 multiple choice questions to answer, 2 essay questions pertaining to the reading, and 2 entries on the Discussion Board with other class members. But this time, instead of having a final with 50 multiple choice questions, I have had to write a 2-page article critique and I have a 10-page research paper due at the end of the course. Fun.

Randy’s blues band played a gig at a park in Midway one night. I didn’t get to go, but he said it went really well and the promoters only had good things to say. There were about 550 people in the audience and they sold CD’s and posters afterwards and did a lot of autograph signing. The following day, Connie only worked a half day again, and Randy & I met up with Jim & Connie Hubbard and drove to Evanston, Wyoming to have dinner with Frank & Stormy Draney. The food was wonderful and the company was great – so we had a really good time.

I took my mother and sister Connie down to Orem for blood tests one week, and then took them down there the following week for their regular doctor’s visits. I also drove Connie down on one other day so that she could visit her periodontist. I took my mother to the hearing aid doctor a couple of times. She has decided to keep the new hearing aids and the doctor gave her some more advice about cleaning her ears and also ideas about cleaning the new aids. I also had to get new frames for my mother’s eyeglasses because her old ones had broken and lost a spring. Luckily she didn’t have to go with me, and they were able to find some that her lenses fit into without having to trim them down and the cost was minimal.

The Honda that Dylan drives passed the emissions inspection, but did not pass the safety inspection that is required before we can register it for the next year. So I had to get a new tie rod, a new front wheel bearing, plus adjustments, get the battery secured, and get 2 new tires. So, with registration, it cost me about $875 just so that we can keep driving it! YUK.

Our nephew Richie (Terry’s son) got married on Aug 17 in the Salt Lake Temple. Connie, Randy and I made it to the wedding, and Randy & I went to the reception that evening. It was nice. We saw my cousin Sande there and found out that she was attending the “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington DC on Aug 28. Tyler was also planning to attend the rally and visit with some friends that live out in that area of the country now. I also found out later that my niece, Nicki, attended, as did some friends of ours from Tennessee. I heard from all of them that it was fantastic.

On August 19 we had some pretty wicked weather roll through here. There was thunder, lightning, rain, hail, wind and flooding.

It was on the news, in the newspaper and on the internet – although it was nothing compared to weather problems in other parts of the world. Today I read in the paper about a volcano in Indonesia erupting after 400 years and they had to evacuate 30,000 people. We’ve also had 3 police officers shot (one fatal) here in Salt Lake in just 48 hours! It’s getting depressing to follow the news.

Dylan went with a group of friends to climb Mt. Timpanogos for his 2^nd time. They climb at night so that they can see the sunrise when they get to the top. He and his buddy went in their old scout uniforms! His friend got altitude sickness when they were only about 45 minutes into the climb, so he went back down to the parking lot with him. Neither of them had driven there and they didn’t have keys to their friend’s cars, so they ended up spending 8 hours in the cold – trying to sleep on the ground while his friend occasionally threw up. What a horrible experience – but what a true friend he is! Thankfully, he went camping with some other friends in American Fork canyon a few days later and had a really good time. He has started to fill out his mission papers and has already gone to the dentist for it. He has to get all 4 wisdom teeth removed.

The last weekend of the month Randy, Dylan and I flew to Kansas for the Mundy family reunion. We were able to stay at the Ramada Inn in Topeka for a really good price because Jesse is the head night auditor there. It’s very nice with an indoor and outdoor pool, a hot tub, a game room with pool table, a war museum that we quickly went through one day, and a free hot breakfast each morning. Ingrid and Jeff also stayed there for two nights since they allow people with pets in a specific section. Ingrid and Jeff brought their 1 year old dog, plus the new puppy that they got last week. They are Vizslas, and they will breed them when they get older. We took Jesse and Dylan to dinner to celebrate their birthdays. We ate at a Chinese restaurant and Jesse’s girlfriend, Amanda, joined us. On Friday we swam in his brother Danny’s pool and he barbequed hamburgers, hotdogs, and made sloppy joes to eat. On Saturday there were about 16 people that went and played golf. That evening we joined everyone at Randy’s brother Tom’s in Burlingame for barbecued chicken and brisket. Randy’s sister, Janna, and her family were able to come up from Texas to join in. They had a water balloon toss, line dancing and relays before we got there.

There was a band playing and Randy performed a few numbers on his harmonica with their guitar player. A bunch of the guys played football, we did a lot of visiting, and some of us visited the cemetery where Randy’s mom and dad and a lot of his relatives are buried to see the new stones for his brother that died at birth and his sister that died in infancy.

On Sunday we attended church in our old ward – it felt just like coming home. I am able to keep up with a lot of those old friends through Facebook, so it seems like we had never left! After we said goodbye to everyone and dropped Dylan off at his friends (he is flying back to Utah in a few days), we headed toward the airport. We intended to go by the site where they are building the new Kansas City Temple, but we ran out of time. We flew home and arrived at the house around 9:30pm.

I am hoping that this month is much quieter and things slow down a bit.... Only 98 shopping days left until Christmas (I don’t shop on Sundays) – but who’s counting??

On to August -

2010-08-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

AAARRRGGGHHH. Summer is going by too fast! July is gone. We had a barbeque on July 4 and didn’t go to watch the fireworks that night, but we saw a few on Monday night. Since Randy had Monday off from work, he and I and Dylan drove up to Temple Square and walked around the Church History Museum and the Visitor Centers. We got to see the model of the Salt Lake Temple that they have there with its cut-away sides. You only get to see ½ of the inside of the temple rooms, but there is also a kiosk with interactive media that shows some inside rooms. It was nice to take a weekend to think about what a blessing it is to live in this country and the religious freedoms we enjoy!

My mom got a new phone that has speaker-phone capability so that she can hear the caller well enough to have a conversation on it. I’ve called her and she seems to be able to hear me OK when she knows that I am testing it. She still struggles with it when she gets an unexpected call. We’ll keep working at it, though – “practice makes perfect!” The “jury is still out” on her new hearing aids, also. She’s not sure that they are enough better than her old ones to make it worth the expense.

On Saturday, July 10, we attended a community play of “Hello, Dolly” at an outdoor theater in Herriman. It was OK. I had never seen the movie, so I wasn’t familiar with the story line. So, we checked out the movie with Barbra Streisand from the library and watched it a few weeks later. (Randy is NOT a fan of Barbra). I could understand the dialogue much better on that. It’s not something I need to see again, but I’m glad I know what it’s about.

On Sunday, July 11, we had the family party to celebrate Connie’s birthday. There were about 35 people here for it and we had a nice time. That evening she went home with Terry and Becky to spend a couple days with them. Becky took her shopping, sight-seeing and to lunch. She had fun. We took her to Tucano’s again for her free birthday dinner. This time we went to the one in Salt Lake – it’s actually closer, and a lot less crowded. It was yummy, as usual.

We needed to replace the front roller bar on the treadmill that my brother, Derek, gave us. There was nothing wrong with the bar, but the plastic covering for it was extremely brittle and was falling apart. I guess they use a special kind of paint instead of plastic on the newer ones. Anyway, since there was no serial number anywhere on the treadmill, we had to just go by the model when ordering the part, and the one they sent us was 3/8” too long! So, we had to have a different part sent out. The treadmill was out of commission during this time, so I started riding a bike that I got at the Deseret Industries. I ride it up the hill until I get to Rosecrest Blvd. which is pretty flat, then I can go back and forth on it. I rode 6 ½ miles last time I went. Randy has fixed the treadmill now, but I will probably continue to ride the bike several times a week until the weather gets bad.

I have finished another class at Columbia Southern University, and my next class starts August 11. It will be “Organizational Research and Theory”. Doesn’t sound too interesting, and it might even be more challenging than the ones I have done so far. I’ll see…

A new car wash has opened up just a few signals north of us off Bangerter Hwy. They have been letting people wash and vacuum for free for a week. I drove through yesterday. Instead of driving the car into the bay, putting it in park, and the wash rags, rinse spray, etc. moving around me – I had to put both my left front and back tires on a conveyor belt and put my car in neutral. Then I moved through the wash, rinse, dry, etc. steps as the car was pulled forward on the belt. It was quick, but rather scary since I couldn’t see in front of me while I was moving! Then, there is free vacuuming. Wow. I have never used such a high power vacuum! I’m glad I had no small children with me….! They might have been sucked up the tube!

I, unbelievably, have another cold! I think I’ve had more of them since moving to Utah, than I had the whole time we were in Kansas. August is a busy month, so hopefully this won’t last very long.

July - bring it on!!

2010-07-01T13:10:00.001-07:00

June (last month) is always a busy time of year for us because it seems like there is always something going on. At the beginning of the month we had some pretty wicked weather – typical for spring. One evening Dylan was out on the trampoline reading a book, when the clouds became dark and streaks of lightening started to appear. Since it wasn’t raining, he decided to stay out there. Randy and I were just inside watching something on the DVR. Suddenly there was a flash of lightening outside and a big burst of light in our family room. The electricity stayed on – the lights and TV didn’t even blink – but we stopped and just looked at each other. .. Dylan came in the back door white as a ghost. He said he thought at first that he had been struck! He said that even his hair stood up on end for a fraction of a second from the electricity in the air. Then it started to hail – about the size of grapes – and then our sprinklers came on by themselves! Luckily, Dylan was NOT hit and the only damage that we noticed the next morning was that our DVR was not working correctly, so we had it replaced. One block over, our neighbors were not so lucky. They also had a lightning strike, but it took out their TV, computer, freezer and automatic garage opener!

Randy and I celebrated our 31st anniversary a few days ago. It’s hard to believe we have been married that long! Sometimes it seems like only yesterday that we just got married. We attended our Stake Conference last weekend. A member of the Seventy was the visiting General Authority (can’t remember his name!). The meetings were all very good.

Jesse had his 29th birthday – I cannot believe I have a child that old! He had to work that evening and spent that whole weekend making a super-hero movie for a film contest that he entered. Tyler had his 27th birthday and celebrated it with friends at a party where they dressed up like ‘old folks’ and played Bingo and wrote rhyming obituaries! We were able to take him out for his birthday dinner this week. Heidi has been able to get quite a few days off from the university, although she is also working at the zoo for the summer. One evening she was able to go rock-climbing with a large group and really enjoyed that. Ingrid has lost around 20 pounds using Herbal Life and is helping Jeff with his remodeling jobs (she quit her job at the daycare). She also had a great missionary experience where she talked to a friend from the daycare about the church, didn’t see her for awhile, but then heard about her baptism and was able to attend it. Dylan has been spending his time playing a lot of volleyball and learning to do a bunch of acrobatic moves -including flips off walls. He hasn’t been getting a lot of hours at work, so he is looking for another job.

Last year our home teachers gave my mom and Connie small rose bushes. I planted them by the pond and they are growing like crazy! We love having our new fence on the east side and we’re hoping to finish it on the west side of our backyard soon. When I think that our backyard was mostly dirt, weeds, and ant hills when we moved in here 3 years ago, I can’t hardly believe it. I wish I’d taken ‘before’ pictures! We’ve added a shed and cement base for it, air conditioning (to replace the swamp cooler), a pond with waterfall, doubled the amount of cement in our basketball area, planted grass, added automatic sprinklers, added a small raised area for tomato and strawberry plants, and planted trees. I love to go outside and just sit and listen to the running water – it’s so peaceful.

I just finished reading the Book of Mormon again. Each year I like to read it from cover to cover between April 5 and June 30 – that’s the length of time it took Joseph Smith to dictate the translation to Oliver Cowdery. The rest of the year I usually study it by topic. My testimony increases each year. I also read a few verses in Psalms 41:1-2 this morning where it says that he who considers the poor (ex:fast offerings) will be delivered in time of trouble. I know that this is true. Years ago I heard a speaker challenge everyone to double their fast offerings – I did. Within a year, I heard another speaker give the same challenge. I did this again – hoping to not hear another speaker on this subject for a long time! We have been able to increase our offerings over the years and I can truly say that we have received many more blessings than I could imagine! This life is a test, so we should not expect to go for very long without challenges or we would never grow. But, we have been given a way to be sure that we will always be delivered, through our payment of fast offerings. Cool.

June - FINALLY!

2010-06-01T12:03:00.001-07:00

Let me just say that I am SO glad that it is June and that I don’t have to wear a coat outside every time I go somewhere! The temperatures are still a bit lower than normal, but at least they are bearable.

Last month was my birthday month, along with Mother‘s Day. We don’t usually have a very big celebration for either. My kids came over for cake and gave me wonderful gifts for my birthday, and Mother’s Day was also a nice get-together, although Heidi had to work so she couldn’t be here. ‘Family’ is definitely where it is at! We went to a restaurant called Archibald’s for my birthday dinner (mine was free – YEA) and we really liked it. I guess Archibald Gardner came to the Salt Lake valley the first year that the saints came here and he eventually had a bunch of flour mills. This restaurant is built in one of the old silos from one of his mills and has pictures of all of his eleven wives – one at each booth. Anyway, the food was great.

Randy’s blues band played for a stake in Lehi for a benefit concert – everyone that attended brought food for a shelter. It was nice. Randy has been back to the Dr. trying to figure out what is going on with the prickliness in his feet. He saw another specialist that put him on a different medication. It seems to help somewhat and he can get some sleep, but he wakes up feeling real woozy – if that’s a word! He was in Houston for a few days for work and he didn’t take the medication with him – so he didn’t get much sleep. I guess it’s a trade-off.

For Memorial Weekend we got to go away for a mini-family vacation. My sister Becky and her husband Dave were coming up from Las Vegas so that Dave could help his brother put a roof on his house. So, they stayed at our house with my mom and sister, and we got to take off for a day. Tyler and Dylan joined us – Heidi had to work. We drove up into Logan Canyon and stayed at the Beaver Creek Lodge. It’s a pretty simple place – clean and rustic. It was overcast, but dry, on Friday night. While we were eating breakfast on Saturday morning it started raining, and then it turned to snow. After we ate, we rode horses for about one hour in light snow flurries. Tyler didn’t have a coat and Dylan had just brought a windbreaker. I let Tyler wear my hoodie, and they layered up their clothing – including Dylan wearing a blanket on his head and shoulders. I used a snowsuit that they use at the lodge for snowboarding during the winter. After the horseback riding, we drove down the canyon to Logan and ate some lunch. We drove by the Logan Temple, but didn't go inside.

We were going to hike up to a cave, but it was raining pretty hard by then. We decided to just drive back to Salt Lake and went to see the movie “Prince of Persia, Sands of Time” - it was great. It was a fun get-away for just one day. Saturday night I attended a reception for the son of a friend from Topeka – Randy stayed home because he was sick. It was nice to visit with them. Randy and I have both had colds and sore throats, and being out in the cold weather on Saturday has just made us feel worse.

On Memorial Day Randy put some of the posts in the ground for our fence. We’re finishing it off on the east side of the house and east side of the back yard. Heidi came over for a barbeque that evening and she helped put some of the slats in. He’s going to work on it some more tonight.

Speeches and Hubble

2010-05-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

I don’t usually write a blog except at the beginning of the month as part of my personal history – so that someday I can go back and remember the events of my life and maybe write it out. ☺ But, I just thought I’d mention something in the middle of the month. I try to fast-walk on the treadmill several times a week. While I am doing this, I usually watch BYU devotionals. Today I watched one by Neal A. Maxwell from February 1990 entitled “The Children of Christ.” http://www.byub.org/talks/Talk.aspx?id=670 He is deceased now, but he was quite a scholar when he was alive. It is really good, and I would definitely recommend viewing it. He mentioned a few things about the universe, which reminded me of a documentary that Randy and I saw last week. It is entitled “Hubble” and we saw it in 3-D at the planetarium downtown. It tells of the Hubble telescope being launched into orbit around the earth, and of the repairs they had to conduct several times. Those parts were really interesting, but what I liked the best were the pictures that were shown that had been taken by the telescope. I was in awe of how beautiful everything is out in space and of the organization that exists out there. It reaffirmed to me that there is a grand design to all this and that there is Someone in charge. What a wonderful thing to think that someday long, long in the future, we might be able to actually take part in the creation of universes, solar systems, planets, and people. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ”. Romans 8:16,17 Awesome in the true sense of the word.

April ALSO went out like a lion...

2010-05-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

We had about 3 inches of snow at our house yesterday morning – unbelieveable! I know we really need the moisture, but I am SO ready for warm weather. Thank goodness it is now May, and winter is behind us!

We had a busy month again – aren’t they all? We started off with Randy’s birthday on the 2^nd and we went out to dinner that evening. Then Tyler and Heidi came over Sunday morning and we celebrated with the family then. (Heidi works afternoons and evenings on the weekends, so we did it in the middle of the day before she had to leave.) That same weekend was General Conference, which we always thoroughly enjoy. What a blessing to have living prophets on the earth – especially in these ‘perilous times’.

On the 5^th I started my classes for my Master’s degree. One course only lasted 3 weeks – it was an Orientation class that guided me through the different pages and areas of help that are available on the school website. It covered such things as communication with your professors and Student Services, essay and paper writing, student resources, plagiarism (it’s a lot easier to check for that when you submit papers online), and how to join in on the discussion board since that is part of the grade. This was taken consecutively with my first regular course, Human Resource Management, which is 8 weeks long – as are all the rest of my courses, which I will probably take one at a time. I have 2 chapters of reading each week, 10 multiple choice questions, 2 essays and at least 2 postings on the discussion board. I try to have everything completed and turned in by Friday so that I don’t have to think about it over the weekend.

Randy was out of town for work a couple of times last month. He spent one week in Topeka re-certifying as a Supervisor for Asbestos Abatement through a company that he used to teach for when we lived there. Then yesterday he taught a half-day class up in Spokane, WA on the Nebraska Asbestos Regulations (a company up there has a roofing job in Nebraska). While he was in Topeka he got to see a lot of his family (he was actually there on his brother’s birthday) and he spent some time hanging out with Jesse, who seems to be doing well. Ingrid and Jeff just happened to be going through there that week on their way back from Florida, so he got to see them, also.

Heidi and Tyler are through with their classes for the semester. I think Heidi is taking the summer off – she works a lot of overtime at the zoo as an armed security officer. But, Tyler will continue through the summer with his college courses. He was planning on going camping this weekend – but I’m not sure if he did or not. Ingrid got to ride along with a couple of women from her ward in Colorado that were coming up for Women’s Conference, so she visited with us for a couple of days. That was really nice. Dylan got his Patriarchal blessing – it was wonderful. He’s been getting more hours at work, but a lot of early mornings, which he’s not fond of.

I advertized our tennis wall online for free to whoever wanted to come and get it, and I got a couple of phone calls in the first hour! We are going to finish off our fence on that side, and it was in the way. I cleaned out my pond, refilled it, and got the waterfall and fountain going again. I love the green grass, tulips, daffodils, and blossoms. I realize that the seasons are necessary, and are symbolic and teach us many things, but I could live in spring and summer indefinitely!

Life is still good, even with lots of obstacles...

2010-04-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

WARNING – this blog contains a lot of rants and raves. Proceed at your own discretion…

I am really glad that March is over. And not just because April is finally, really, spring – March just wasn’t a real good month for me! And it is going out like a lion –it has been snowing since Wednesday morning with a total of 3-5 inches of snow expected. At least temperatures have been warm enough lately that I know it won’t last long.

Last month I visited the dentist 5 times in 3 weeks. The first visit was just a regular check up. No cavities – YEA! But, I had knocked the corner off of one of my molars that already had some filler-stuff all over it. So, the dentist decided that it would need a crown. So, I went in one week later to get everything drilled smooth and prepped for my crown (1 hour office visit). It’s really hard to get me numb, so I had to get a shot 3 times, and once the dentist accidently poked my lip with the needle. He was mortified. They took a mold and put a temporary crown on it. Just 3 days later they called and needed me to come in to get ANOTHER mold done for the dental technician (30 minute visit). Eight days after I got my temporary one on, it came off (Saturday night) and I waited until Monday morning to go back in and have it re-glued (15 minute visit). It came off again on Thursday night, but since I was going in the next morning, I didn’t worry about it. So, I went back in that Friday to get my permanent crown put on. The dentist STILL had to drill a little bit off of my tooth to make the crown fit right, so I had to get numbed up again (30 minute visit). My crown seems good, but my jaw has been getting caught and popping since then. It does this every once in awhile, but it’s been doing this several times a day! UGH! I really like this dentist, but I have had enough for awhile!

Let me preface the next few items by saying I HATE talking on the phone... A week and a half ago I was helping my mother on some New Family Search stuff – she was on her laptop, and I was on mine. I tried to see the names I had ready for Temple work, but for some reason, it wouldn’t come up. Within a few hours, I found that there were a lot of things that wouldn’t work. I brought up my anti-virus information and in red letters it said that I had a virus warning that needed to be taken care of. I tried to click on the “FIX” button, but it wouldn’t let me. After messing with it for awhile, I finally called the number for customer service at my anti-virus company (Deluxe Shield – don’t EVER get this!!) and was on hold for 20+ minutes, and then as I was talking to someone, got cut off and I realized it was 8:30pm in the eastern time zone and they were closed! Did I mention that he had a very thick accent and I could hardly understand him? I was pretty grossed out, and I just didn’t have time to mess with it on Sunday (they have shorter hours then), so I tackled it again on Monday. Meanwhile, my poor laptop that I’ve only had for less than 6 months wouldn’t come up at all. I figured out how to go in to where it let me go back a few days and recover it from that point. I was pretty glad that I could do that and it worked just fine for everything. But, unfortunately, I still had the virus (trojan fake-something) and by the evening it was back to not coming up at all. I tried to recover it by going back a few days even earlier, but it wouldn’t work this time. So, on Tuesday I called the anti-virus company again. After going over everything, he finally decided that all my files were corrupted and I could recover it back to like it was when I bought it, but I needed to have recovery discs which didn’t come with my computer and I hadn’t burned any. So, I called several computer stores in town and nobody had them. I finally brought up the Hewlett Packard website and got their phone number. I tried calling them, but got cut off 3 times before I could even talk to a person. Out of desperation I finally decided to order online, although there are so many products that I wasn’t positive that I ordered the right discs. Instead of standard shipping, I chose the shipping that would get here in 3-4 days.

A few days later my discs arrived and I called the anti-virus company back. They could not find my name or email information, so there was no record of my problem or our previous conversations, so I had to start at the very beginning. (sounds like a song…) After explaining everything again and trying all the things that he tried to get me to do to it, the guy I was talking to put me on hold and when he came back he told me he had to inform me that there would be a charge for what we would do. I said No, their anti-virus software (which I have paid for) had let the virus onto my computer and I was not going to pay them to take it off. After a few seconds the line went dead – he had hung up on me!

So, I called Hewlitt Packard again and this time I did NOT get cut off. I talked to a lady that had an accent, but I could understand her most of the time and she didn’t have her repeat herself too much. I told her my predicament and because my laptop is still under warranty, she could help me out. She told me it would really be better to do this from the computer and not discs because they may not be the right ones. :o( She was able to get me back to the recovery part and even to save most of my files. This took a lot longer than was expected (over 5 hours, not just minutes), so I asked her a few questions about what to do once the files were all recovered and then got off the phone. It took me a lot of time to get everything back to how I want it, but my laptop is in working order again and I only lost a few files. Obviously, this time I have put different anti-virus software on it…!

The book for my first class (Human Resource Management) has arrived and I have read the first 3 chapters – it’s pretty much like Greek to me. My class doesn’t start until Monday, but I can go online and see that I have a discussion board (answering a question with info that leads to more questions and answering another question, etc) or an assessment (?) every week, and take the final exam (which I have to have a proctor for). ...Pray for me! I also got an email telling me I needed to go to the website for my school loan lender and log in to see new information. I went to the website, but it wouldn’t let me log in – I couldn’t remember if I had a user ID or password. I usually write them down, and I didn’t have any information, so I’m not even sure I had an account set up. So, I had to call them and once again, I got someone with an accent! Plus, we just didn’t communicate at all. Finally, after a long time, I thanked her for her help, declined to answer survey questions, and I got my user ID and set up a (new?) password. When I went in to see the information, it said that my loan was already approved (which I already knew), but the amount that they are sending the school is more than twice what I need. So, I called them back and found out I needed to talk to someone at my school because they are the ones that let them know how much money to send. So, I called the school, got an answering machine, and left a message. Several hours later I got a call back and eventually got it straightened out. They were going to send me extra living expense money that I would have to pay interest on – no thanks.

My car is making a stange noise in the front axle-area and I can feel vibrations in the floorboard, so I’ll have to take it in again tomorrow and see if my mechanic can figure out what is going on…

And finally, something positive - Randy and I went to the play “Dirty Rotten Soundrels” Tuesday night in Orem at the Hale Center Theater. The script was very close to the movie, although this production was a musical. We thoroughly enjoyed it – the story, music, and actors were all really good. This theater is quite small, in the round, and we were on the front row. I actually got my foot touched by one of the actors – that’s how close it was. We’re going out to dinner for his birthday tomorrow night and the kids are coming over Sunday between Conference sessions so that we can celebrate.

The rest of my family is doing pretty good – Randy’s website (music and sculptures at randymundy.com) is up (thanks, Amanda!), Jesse has plenty of work hours and found his lost dog, Tyler is finishing up another semester at school this month, Heidi is getting some physical therapy for her back problems, it doesn’t look like Ingrid actually has a hernia although she IS allergic to her dog, Jeff has extra remodeling jobs, and Dylan has been getting a lot more hours at work and has an appointment to get his Patriarchal Blessing.

I am super excited to listen to and watch the prophet and apostles at General Conference this weekend. What a great opportunity this is. Our world is good - :o)

In like a lion?

2010-03-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

The weather on this first day of March is wonderful and spring-like. Doesn't that mean that the end of the month will be horrible?

I’ve had a cold since Tuesday. It started out with a sore throat for a couple of days, then I got really congested. I had a really hard time breathing a couple of nights – even with Nyquil. But, I got to lay in bed most of Saturday and I took it easy Sunday, so I think I’m on the downhill side of it. I’m still coughing, I might be developing a sinus infection, and my voice is an octave lower than normal, but I’m starting to feel better! I shouldn’t complain, though, because I’m healthy most of the time.

I mailed our tax returns in 3 weeks ago – next year I think I’ll send them online – I’m just a little slow with new technology! But, we will be getting refunds on both federal and state (if I did it right!) and we’ll put the money in the bank for Dylan’s mission fund. I’m finally paying my monthly bills online, although I don’t have them automatically deducted from our bank account – I have to keep SOME control!

We had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and both Randy and Tyler got me flowers – Yea! I love having fresh flowers around the house. When I get them in February, it helps me look towards spring.

Saturday night we went to see a 4-piece group (violin, guitar, clarinet and accordian) playing tango and opera pieces. They were all really good musicians. There were also 4 dancers that did the tango on about 5 or 6 songs. I’m sorry – but I think Randy and I could have done it. They were just really dramatic and the women kicked their legs sometimes – But, the music was great.

I made a doctor’s appointment for last week to get my hand-trembling looked at, but they had a problem with our insurance, so I had to cancel and I’ll have to find another doctor that accepts our insurance. It’s been trembling for the last couple of years whenever I try to write (seriously, you’d think I was 100 years old to look at my writing!), so I’ve finally gotten fed up with it and I hope there is something that can be done.

The kids are all doing good – Jesse is kept pretty busy with work, in fact he’s probably going to quit the job at Bosco’s because it’s interfering with his other work, and he thinks he can easily get 40 hours a week between Ramada Inn and The Row House restaurant. Ingrid has not been feeling well lately, but has still been able to go to work. She went to the doctor today and will get results from all the tests, but she DID find out she has an umbilical hernia from lifting one of the kids at the daycare last week! We're talking surgery within the next 3 weeks. Tyler, Heidi and Dylan have gotten together several times to watch the Jazz games on TV. I love that my kids are such good friends as adults!! Tyler and Heidi keep busy with work and school and Dylan has been getting more hours at work, although he’s talking about finding a second job. I got him some beginner piano books at the D.I. and he’s been reviewing what he learned in band about music theory and teaching himself some piano. Heidi got her foot run over and had to deal with a crazy lady at work – read about it on her blog. www.adelheide414.blogspot.com Tyler has been checking out reports about the earthquake in Chile – he filled a mission in Santiago, so he’s familiar with a lot of the areas that got damaged. I hear the temple in Santiago is OK, but the angel Moroni lost his trumpet! www.kcsg.com/news/local/85731387.html

I haven’t started a master’s program yet because I need to use federal funds and the program I was interested in is too new – it takes about 2 years for a new program to get FAFSA approval. So, I have switched to an MBA with emphasis in marketing. Not exactly what I wanted, but hopefully I can learn how to market Randy’s sculptures so that he can actually make money from them. (He's currently in the process of making a mold for his George Washington.) I start April 4 and it’s all online so I can do it from home.

Guess that’s it for this month – hope you all enjoy St. Patrick’s Day – if that’s even a holiday that you celebrate!

Six more weeks of winter?

2010-02-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

So, I heard something about PETA wanting to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robot for Groundhog Day – amazing.

We’ve had snow on the ground all winter, but it doesn’t seem to be as overwhelming as it was last year. Maybe it’s just that the sun has been out a lot more, but I seem to be surviving so far. Only 6 more weeks of winter – Yea!

Randy got all the tests back that the specialist had done to find out what’s going on with his kidneys. Diagnosis – everything looks OK, but he should see the specialist a couple of times a year just to be sure!! What??!! So, he still doesn’t know why his feet and hands tingle and feel like pins and needles are poking him, but this doctor still wants to see him, just to be sure. Ugh.

Jesse has a new job at a Ramada Inn in downtown Topeka. He’s working the graveyard shift a couple of nights a week. He’s at the front desk running reports as the night auditor. Tyler has started a new semester of school working towards his graphic art degree. His work is the same, and I imagine installing satellite dishes for internet connection is pretty cold this time of year. Heidi has also started a new semester towards her 2^nd degree – this one a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science. This semester she is working the swing shift at the U of U. Dylan just dropped his Badmitten class at SLCC today. There weren’t very many people in the class, and no one near his expertise level, so he wasn’t learning anything and certainly wasn’t being challenged at all. His permanent retainer is giving him some trouble, so he has to see the orthodontist this week.

Ingrid and Jeff just refinanced their duplex in Florida, so they will have much smaller payments and will be able to save a lot of money. Heavenly Father always blesses us when we are doing our best - their interest rate is lower than when they started this long process! We got to visit them last month and it was wonderful. Randy had some safety meetings in Denver, so I went along.

Once we got out of Salt Lake, we left the yucky inversion that was making the valley really smoggy and the view of the mountains was great.

We spent a couple of nights with them at their place and attended their church meetings.

Then we also spent a couple of nights in a downtown hotel, since Randy’s work was paying for it.

It had a great view, except for all the buildings that were in the way!

We spent a lot of time getting to know their dog, Ginger – she’s real cute. OK - she looks like Jar-Jar Binks to me... but cuter.

Their Durango wouldn’t start one day, so Jeff had to take it apart. It started right up when he was finished.

I attended an ICS (Incident Command Sytem) meeting a week ago and there will be one this month, also. These are in preparation for an earthquake disaster drill in March for the City of Herriman (our neighborhood is involved in this even though the city limit is 2 blocks from us). A representative from Utah Task Force One will be coordinating it.

I finally got around to doing something with our bathroom that is on the main floor. I wallpapered the walls and put a border at the top.

Randy put a new towel rack and tp holder on the walls. I hope to replace the faucet sometime in the future. I’m still looking for a picture for one wall, but my Book of Mormon Timeline is there for now. People can read it if they have to spend a long time in there!

I took the Blazer into the shop this morning (Monday). It was squeaking so loud in the front end that people could hear me coming from a block away! They were able to fix it by the time I picked Connie up. I guess they had to replace a ball joint. I’ve had to have a few things fixed lately, but I’m amazed at how well it runs even with all the mileage I put on it.

Lastly - CSU has finally received my college transcripts and graduation information, so I can start graduate classes as soon as I secure a school loan and send them the money! I'm excited.

I guess that’s it for this month. I hope all the sweeties have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

2010 Here We Come.....

2010-01-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in over 2 months, but now that the holidays are behind us, I guess it's time. Last month was busy, as usual for December. I cleaned the church, gave my Mom a perm, had Randy put some body in my limp hair, attended our ward's Christmas brunch, attended Randy's work Christmas party, sang at our Stake's Christmas Night of Music, had the car worked on, took special treats around to the neighbors, visiting teachees, and home teaching families, attended the temple several times, sent most of our Christmas cards by email and the rest by regular mail, finished Christmas shopping (I had MOST of it done in November!), attended a Christmas party at a friends, and sent birthday, wedding and anniversary greetings to several people! Even with all the busyness, we were able to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and we were amazed at all the blessings in our lives. Randy even had several weeks of really bad Meniere's disease symptoms, but was still able to join in most of the festivities.

This Saturday Randy and I are flying to Denver. He has Safety meetings and we will get to visit with Ingrid and Jeff for a few days. My wonderful family members are going to make sure that things go smoothly for my mom and sister while we're gone. I'll try to remember to take lots of pictures!

One Holiday down, two to go...

2009-11-01T10:30:00.000-08:00

Well, Halloween is over and we have Thanksgiving and Christmas to look forward to. I really enjoy the holidays and the holiday spirit, and hopefully this year I'll stay on top of all of it!

Last month seemed just as busy as always, but it seems like there's not as much to write about - I don't know why. Anyway, General Conference was great as usual and I can't wait to get the Conference edition of the Ensign so that I can go over all the talks. I realize that they are published on the internet already, but I'm old, so I don't like to read online! I like to be able to highlight and mark them.

I finished my CERT class and got my certificate in the mail. I can now legally assist emergency personnel during an emergency - in fact, I'm expected to. We are to take care of things at home first, though.

We attended our nephew Jacob's wedding and luncheon one Saturday, which were very nice. That night Randy played at an arts festival with his blues band.

We attended a dinner for the High Priests in our Stake and the speaker that they had afterwards was great. He is one of the counselors at the new temple, and he was so funny. He could have been a professional comedian if he had chosen another route in life. Funny, yet spiritual - wonderful qualities.

I took a tour of the new hospital that is about 5-10 minutes from our house. It is beautiful. It opens for public use tomorrow. That's where we will go now for emergencies - although, hopefully we won't have any!

Randy attended our Stake Conference Priesthood session downtown in the Conference Center. Our Stake was invited to attend there at the Conference Center for our Sunday morning meeting, but we elected to just go to a meeting house broadcast near here instead of fight the crowds. It was enjoyable. That afternoon Randy and I drove up the canyon to see the changing fall colors and I snapped a few pictures.

Guess that's all for now. Happy Birthday to Kaitlyn! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! We have SO much to be thankful for that it is hard to know where to begin counting blessings.

Aaahhh. . . Autumn

2009-10-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well, the last day of September brought us only the 4th measureable snowfall in that month since records have been kept here in Utah. It stayed mostly in the mountains, although it snowed at our house but didn’t stick. The weather is supposed to warm up a bit again after today, but we are definitely into Fall.

At the beginning of the month we celebrated Dylan’s 18th birthday! I have no more children – they’re all adults now. That must be some kind of milestone.

Then we celebrated Mom’s 91st birthday in the middle of the month.

Randy has completed his sculpture-mold class and has cast 2 statues of Christ from his mold. He painted one white and the other has a bronze-look. He will take them to display at an art festival on Oct 10th where his blues band is playing. Hopefully he will be able to start selling them. He’s doing one of Joseph Smith, and he already has George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and John Lennon. He wanted to do a whole line of music icons, but they have to have been dead over 75 years or so in order to not have to pay exorbitant fees for making a profit on their ‘likeness’.

I have been attending a CERT (community emergency response team) class that is taught by representatives of the fire department. It lasts for 7 weeks and upon completion I will be certified to assist emergency personnel in an emergency. So far, we have had an overview of the CERT program, learned fire safety, and had 2 classes on medical operations. Over the next 3 weeks we will cover light search and rescue operations, disaster and terrorism psychology, and have a disaster simulation where we will use all the skills that we have learned.

I helped Randy build a brick mailbox to replace our old one (green - on left). Neither of us are brick masons, but I think it turned out pretty good. I didn’t protect my fingers at first, though, so I have raw skin on a few of them – ouch.
The capstone was so heavy that it took Randy, Dylan, and two of his friends to move it and place it on top.

My clothes dryer has stopped heating and the heating element and thermostat are both good – so we may have to call in a repairman – ugh.

Jesse has started working at a downtown restaurant called “Row House” that is the nicest restaurant in Topeka, along with his other job. We hope this goes well for him. Tyler is still plugging away at work and school. Heidi moved into an apartment that is halfway between our house and the University of Utah to cut down on her drive-time. She will get a roommate down the line, but is enjoying all the space for now. Ingrid and Jeff are doing the same except that Ingrid got a raise - YEA! Dylan is still trying to find work – he thought he was going to do painting here in town, but he may end up moving to Topeka and doing roofing for his uncle for awhile.

During the last month I also cleaned the church building, cleaned the temple, attended 3 wedding receptions, weeded a few yards for friends, gave Mom a perm, took part in an emergency drill for our city, had the sister missionaries over for dinner, attended the temple several times, and watched the General Relief Society broadcast.

I am excited to watch the General Conference broadcast this weekend. I am always thrilled to listen to the inspired words of our prophet and other leaders, and I feel that there is nothing else in the world that I could be doing during the Conference broadcast that would be better for me or is more important. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I am so thankful for the restoration! (PS - after Sunday - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk will blow you away!!)

Happy Birthday this month to Jacob, Zach, Adam, Paige, Ethan, Becky Parry, Jared and Jason! Happy Halloween to all!!

The end of summer. . .

2009-09-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I can tell it’s the end of summer because so many things have been accomplished and now I find myself digging my heels into the ground and not wanting Fall to arrive. It’s not that I don’t like that season, but I love Summer and I hate what comes after Fall – Winter. Oh, well . . .

Randy has been attending a class on Saturday mornings to learn to make molds for his sculptures. This is one of Christ after it has several layers of purple plastic– I know it looks like he has a Mohawk, but that’s where he will cut it apart!

When it’s done, he can then either pour a finished sculpture out of resin, bronze, or other materials. Bronze is very expensive, so he will do the first one, at least, out of resin. It can always be painted to look like bronze! He is also working on a website where he can sell his recordings.

Not much has changed in Jesse’s life – we talked to him for a long time this last week, but I can’t remember a lot of news. He’s enjoying his work at the restaurant and he really likes the owner/manager. But the manager is going to be gone (he’s in the service) and Jesse’s not sure he will like the manager that will replace him. Jesse’s got a puppy now – the dog and the cat basically stay away from each other – a mutual toleration. Tyler is back at school along with working, so he’s pretty busy. He’s taking 12 hours this semester on 2 long days, and works the other 3. Since he has moved, he is in a different ward and his new bishop is Bishop Michael Parry – one of Dave’s brothers - small world. Heidi celebrated her 25th birthday and Dylan wrote her a great poem!

She had a “gang” conference in St. George, so she also got to visit with friends down there and had a good time. She got braces on her teeth AGAIN – which is NOT such a good time. She has started back at school – 11 hours. Ingrid and Jeff are doing well. Ingrid is sick of her job at the daycare because she is always having to do the work of the people that are being paid a lot more, while they just do nothing. But, she will hang onto it until she finds something else. Dylan still hasn’t found a job. He and his friend were supposed to go to Idaho and do scaffolding, but he found out he has to be 18 years old, and his birthday isn’t for another eight days. So, he’s been filling out applications, but is still hoping to go up there in a few weeks. Randy thinks he can get him a job doing roofing as a laborer, also, once he turns 18 – but that would be a terrible environment. I don’t know if the surroundings at the scaffolding job will be much better…

Tyler helped Randy build a shed for us and Dylan also helped a bit. We moved a lot of garden and lawn stuff out there, along with a bunch of tools.

Now we can actually get around the universal gym and weight bench in our garage and maybe they will get some use!

We have several hummingbirds that visit our nectar-feeder each day. It's just off our front porch, so I can see it from the desk in the office. I took some still shots, and then I actually took some video of one. (This was accidental because I had my camera set wrong - but oh, well...!!)

Randy got me a laptop last month. My desktop computer is real old and SO slow! But, I still use it some because I haven’t got Word on the laptop yet. I started to download some free word programs from the web, but either they aren’t actually free (yearly and monthly fees) or they try to add-on all kinds of things to your computer. But, I should be set soon.

I admit it - I am an organization-freak. I put organizers in my bathroom drawers and the excitement took days to wear off! Pretty sad.

I also re-painted the front door and front light fixtures because they were looking pretty bad. Please ignore the big dents in the door – they were here when we moved in!

I got some frozen

strawberries to make smoothies and some frozen cherries for pies. These were from a special order that a lady in our Stake organized. I also got ¾ bushel of peaches from another woman in the Stake that I have since canned, along with about 11 quarts of tomatoes – with more growing outside on my plants.

I am trying to perfect my homemade wheat bread so that I can use up some of my stored wheat. I’m afraid I’m turning domesticated!

We attended the Oquirrh Mountain temple dedication. It was wonderful. I’m so excited to start attending there. Our Stake is now on the New Family Search and we have found a lot of names on Randy’s line that need work done. My brother will also let us know when he has more work for us to do on my side of the family. This is certainly a wonderful time to be alive!

We also attended our nephew, Richie Preece’s homecoming talk. He just completed a mission to Oklahoma. It was great. And Dylan and I attended a fireside for all those who went on Trek this summer. They filmed the experience and made a wonderful DVD and each participant got a copy.

Happy Birthday this month to Dylan and Mom! And Happy Labor Day to all!

Summer Activities Galore!

2009-08-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the end of the summer! It seems to go faster every year. Last month Randy flew back to Topeka for his brother’s baptism. He said it was a really spiritual meeting and it was good to see his family again. Here's a picture of Dan and his daughter, Shiloh, who lives here in SLC.

Jesse got a job serving lunch at another restaurant. He’s still looking for something to do in the evenings. Randy got to visit with him when he was in Topeka. Tyler went river rafting with his roommate, Luke, and had fun, but was extremely tired because of all the unexpected events in their adventure. They went dressed as Indians – need I say more?
He has spent this last week moving into a new place. Heidi has been able to return to work now that her thumb is mostly healed. It still hurts sometimes, depending on what she has to use it for. She is looking for a house to buy before the end of November so that she can take advantage of the government’s $8000 incentive. Ingrid and Jeff got to come up to visit and attend the family reunion.

It was wonderful to see them – I wish they lived closer. Jeff’s back is really bothering him, so he’d gotten it checked out and will probably have surgery soon. Sitting in a truck for long hours only exasperates the problem. Dylan enjoyed the Utah trek in Wyoming, but not as much as the one in Kansas. They didn’t have any rain and it was extremely hot. One night they slept among the cow pies –YUK. He was asked to give a 5 minute talk on a gospel principle that he learned there, and he spoke on service and did a great job.

I got to see my friend from Nashville, Lisa Larsson, a few weeks back. Her family was in our branch the last 3 years before we moved to Kansas. Her husband is from Sweden, and that is where they live now. They are going to the temple next month to be sealed as a family – I’m so excited for her!

Connie earned a free dinner at Tucano’s restaurant because she tutored some associates at work (from Africa and the Philippines) in English. So, Randy and I took her there for dinner a few weeks back. It was yummy!

I went on a “fieldtrip” to the Church Welfare Square and the Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake. I went with my missionary partner Jill, Natalie- the lady from the ward that we are teaching, and Esther- from the ward that is her good friend. (Esther also happens to be the granddaughter of Rhea and Eldon Gale from the ward we grew up in). It was wonderful to see how the Church blesses the lives of so many people throughout the world.

Dylan and Randy got to supervise parking at the new temple for the Open House a few weeks ago. Then they went through the temple for the Open House. I got to serve again last Friday – this time in Hospitality, serving cookies and bottled water. The gentleman that was in charge of our group (Bro. Wayne, I think) told us a few interesting stories. First, he talked about the day that lightening struck (the last time I was serving). He said that the Angel Moroni is supposed to be a lightning rod (see last month’s picture) and that there is metal going all the way from his head down into the basement of the temple. This statue saved many lives that day, because otherwise anyone in the temple touching metal (stairway railings, for example) probably would have gotten zapped. On August 10 they will have 2 cranes there – one to take the old Angel Moroni down, and one to put a new one up (it is not quite finished, but should be by that date). The old one will have to be refurbished (he said there is really quite a lot of damage to it) and then will end up on another temple somewhere in the world. Another story he told was about a group of Hindu’s that went through a few weeks ago. They were at Temple Square in Salt Lake and were very disappointed that they could not go into that temple. They were told that they could tour the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, however. So, arrangements were made even though all the tours were full. They were taken into the General Authorities room instead of an outdoor tent to see the 10 minute temple movie at the beginning of the tour. They were visibly moved and some had tears in their eyes. He led them through the various rooms and had to explain some of it to them, although they understood a lot. When they got to the Celestial Room, he told them that this is God’s Living Room and he just allowed them to meditate there for awhile. Then he showed them one of the sealing rooms just off the Celestial Room and he said that not one of them had a dry eye. The head Hindu asked him to explain about forever families and then Bro. Wayne promised to have the missionaries visit him. He received an email the next day asking if he had made a request for missionaries yet because the Hindu was so anxious, said it was the most spiritual experience he had ever had, and he was excited that he had been able to experience it with his whole family. Bro. Wayne also told about the head Catholic bishop in this area going through and being so impressed that he has had most of the Catholic leaders from Utah go through it now. We’re excited to attend the dedication of the Oquirrh Mountain temple at the end of this month.

We had our extended Otis Preece family reunion last weekend. Thursday night there was a dinner at my cousin Pat’s house and a great-great-great-grandson of Joseph Smith and his wife were speakers. It was very interesting and we received a free book about Emma Smith from a name drawing, and then purchased the DVD “Emma Smith – My Story”. My mother actually got to attend that evening and I think she had an enjoyable time seeing everyone, although she had a hard time hearing. Then there was another adult dinner on Friday night with a slide show of pictures from everyone’s lives – aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.

On Saturday there was an all-day picnic at

my cousin’s house again. There was food, volleyball, tennis, swimming pool, etc.

We didn’t get there until after lunchtime, but we stayed for several hours. It was a lot of fun. Dylan had his friend, Ashton, with him and they played tennis against each other and also played doubles with a few of my cousins. They did some pretty crazy dives into the pool.

The most exciting thing to happen lately is that we have put sprinklers in! When I say we, I mean mostly Randy. It has taken us over 2 weeks and we have had a little help from some guys in the ward, but Randy has done the majority of the work. Tyler came over one Saturday and helped Randy dig trenches with a trench-digger.

We had to dig them by hand (using shovels, of course!) when the trench was within 2 feet of any gas lines or underground cable, which seemed to be everywhere. Dylan also helped some and they are finally in.

We still need to finish filling up some of the trenches with dirt and planting new grass seed in the back. I am SO looking forward to not having to drag the sprinklers around the yard for a couple hours each day.

Finally - my tomato plants are growing like crazy! I will need to start doing some canning next week.

Well, I guess that’s all for now. Happy Birthday to Jerry, Heidi, Richie, Wendy, Dustin and Lex!! We’re excited to hear Richie talk the last week of this month after he comes home from his 2-year mission in Oklahoma.

30 years of marriage and counting...

2009-07-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

Well, June is gone and we’ve hardly had any really hot weather. I wonder what July will be like? I can tell it’s summer, though, because there is so much going on that we hardly have time to breathe! We celebrated Tyler’s birthday, Jesse’s birthday, and our 30th anniversary along with everything else.

Early in the month, Randy flew to Philadelphia for a conference for work. He wishes he had been there a little longer, so he could have seen some sights. He has had some weird skin problems, so he went to the doctor. He had one “bump” taken off his back and it turned out to be skin cancer, but they say they got it all. He also had a bump on his jaw, so the doctor sent him to a dermatologist for that one. The one on his jaw turns out to not be cancerous, but they are going to freeze the area so that it won’t grow back.

We were both signed up to help as volunteers at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House, but Randy stayed home so that I could go. While I was there we had a terrible lightning and thunder storm and the Angel Moroni on top of the temple actually got hit by lightning! I think they are going to have it re-gilded on his face, arm and trumpet where it turned black. You can see the lightning rod coming out of his head in this picture - but I guess it missed!

We have a few more chances to help at the Open House, so hopefully Randy will get to volunteer during July. My sister, Becky, came and visited with my mom and Connie while we were gone. My mother, Heidi, Becky and I got to do the tour through the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House one day – it is beautiful! Our nephew, Alex Little, stayed a few nights with us and a few with Tyler while he was visiting friends and family up here. It was good to see him.

Jesse quit his job at the bar-b-que restaurant because he had major conflicts with the new assistant manager. He enjoys working in the food industry, so he is going to try and find another job at another restaurant. Meanwhile, he says he will do some work for his Uncle Danny doing roofing when there’s work. Tyler has started school again. He is working 3 LONG days a week and going to school on the other 2 days. He is taking a larger school load than he has in the past. Heidi broke her thumb playing on the softball team from work. Because she injured it off the job, they are making her take sick days, comp days and vacation days instead of putting her on light-duty. She goes back to the doctor today and he will determine what needs to be done next (it’s in a splint now). Ingrid is doing well and working lots of hours at the daycare. She teaches the Sunbeams at church. She has posted on Facebook some pictures of rock climbing that she and Jeff did recently. Dylan flew to Kansas and went on a pioneer trek with our old Stake, so he got to see a lot of his old friends. It rained most the time and things got pretty muddy, but he enjoyed it. He also got to hang out with friends for the next 9 days or so until we brought him back home.

We’ve been traveling a lot the last week or so. Here’s a quick rundown of what we did: We drove to Aurora, Colorado on Friday and went to dinner with Ingrid, Jeff and his family. His father, mother, brothers and sisters all got to come from the different states that they live in, so we got to meet them. They are a great group of people. On Saturday Ingrid and Jeff had their Open House at a lake not too far from their apartment. The weather did not cooperate, however, and it was cold, windy, and tried to rain a few times.

They had family pictures taken down by the water where there was a wind-block of trees, so that was not too bad. (Here's a picture of all the kids and their spouses or girlfriends.) It got a little warmer as it got later in the afternoon and some people even ventured out on the jet skis.

We left from there and headed toward Kansas. We stayed in Salina, Kansas that night and drove straight to church in the morning and attended the ward that we used to live in. It was a lot of fun to see so many of our old friends. We also attended the Spanish branch Sacrament Meeting so that Randy could see people there. That afternoon we drove down to Burlingame, Kansas to join family members for a bar-b-que for Father’s Day. It was nice and relaxing to just sit and talk for several hours.

We drove by our old house and noticed the changes that the new owners have made. They have done a number of things that we had always hoped to do (larger back deck, enclosed the carport into a garage), but it does not look nearly as neat as we kept it! Here are a few before and after pictures:

BeforeAfter

Before

After

We stayed at Randy's brother Danny’s place that night.

Monday was pretty uneventful in the morning, but in the afternoon we picked up Dylan and joined Jesse and Amanda for a movie. Then we all went to dinner together. We stayed at Danny’s place again that night. Dylan stayed at his friend’s Scott’s house again (he’d been staying there the last few nights) and we picked the two of them up in the morning and headed back toward Colorado. This is what most of Kansas and eastern Colorado look like mile after mile after mile (disregard the chip and all the dead bugs splattered on the windshield!).

Tuesday evening Jeff and Ingrid cooked us a wonderful steak dinner and then we all went swimming in the pool there at the apartments. Randy and I just stayed in the water a short time, but the rest of them swam for a couple of hours. In the morning we drove by the Denver Temple and snapped a picture.

Then we headed off for Utah, arriving here early in the evening. It was a quick trip, but we got to see a lot of family, friends and beautiful scenery, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. In the end - family is what really matters.

We were home for one day on Thursday, and then on that Friday Randy and I took off to St. George, Utah for a 30th anniversary “get-away”. We arrived there about 4:30, found a hotel room and went to a session at the temple, which I had never been in before. We were in a room with a mural on one wall, which was not too impressive, but the Celestial Room was beautiful!

We then went to dinner at a steak restaurant in town.

The next morning we drove to Manti, Utah. We saw an accident on the way that looked horrible, but I don't think anyone was hurt.

We also had to stop for a herd of sheep at one point.

We were also able to attend a session in this temple. They still do “live” sessions in the Manti temple and don’t have a movie, so we got to see all the rooms and the murals on the walls. They have wooden benches instead of individual chairs, which Randy actually liked better, but I found a bit uncomfortable. I loved all the dark woodwork and the terrestrial and celestial rooms were breathtaking.

From there, we headed home and arrived back in Riverton about 5 pm on Saturday.

Monday Dylan left for a pioneer trek with our Stake here that lasts until Thursday. It’s going to be a lot hotter this week, with no rain in the forecast. It will be interesting to see what the difference is, if any, between the two treks.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Mom and Connie are doing great. Happy Birthday to Alicia, Connie, Terry, Michael Parry and Cadence! Happy 4th and 24th of July to all!!

Have you really graduated if....?

2009-06-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty busy, so I'm getting this posted a little late. Randy leaves tomorrow for Philadelphia for a couple days. He had the inspection last week from the insurance company at work. He felt like everything went really well. So, we should find out the results within a week or so, and if they passed with over an 85, we will get our "incentive" money. We are hoping to get sprinklers, finish our fence and get a shed. Randy also had a foreman from some Idaho jobs call him and tell him that because of Randy's safety efforts up there, they had an OSHA inspection where they were praised for going above and beyond what was expected. This foreman was going to let Randy's bosses know - YEA.

We are sending a CD for an audition to sing the National Anthem for Mormon night at the Los Angeles Dodger game on August 6. We have no expectations of winning it, but at least we will have tried! We also attended the temple to see our niece Shiloh and her family get sealed. They ended up having to push everything back an hour, so I missed it, but Randy got to stay and see their ceremony. I hear that it was precious with their two small children joining them for the sealing. This week I got to help serve lunch at a missionary zone conference in Sandy. That was fun, and I even met one missionary that thinks he knows Dylan from Riverton High School. He actually was assigned to a New York mission, but has to finish serving here because of a brain tumor. He had it operated on, but it may be growing back.

Jesse is doing about the same. We will get to visit with him when we are in Topeka this month and celebrate his 28th birthday. Tyler is also doing about the same. He had a really fun trip to California last month. He has posted pictures on Facebook. We are celebrating his 26th birthday tonight. Heidi ran 1 1/2 miles in the Law Enforcement Torch Run that benefitted Special Olympics and was briefly on TV. She had fun in Louisiana visiting her friend and has played in one softball game - the other one got cancelled because of lightning. She and Dylan are signed up to play on the same Ultimate Frisbee team starting in a couple of weeks. We are traveling to Colorado in a couple of weeks to join Ingrid and Jeff at their Open House and meet all of Jeff's family. Ingrid says she saw a friend of our family that has moved to Colorado from Kansas, Libby Hendry, at the temple yesterday and that it was fun to talk to her.

Dylan has probably had the most eventful month. He finally got the last of his braces (the bottoms) off yesterday - hurray for NO more ortho visits! His teeth look great. He attended a special fireside for graduating seminary students 2 weeks ago and had his seminary graduation last Sunday evening. Imagine our surprise when we looked at the list of graduates and his name was listed as "Dill Mundy"! And that's how his name is listed on his seminary graduation diploma. So, we should not have been surprised when, at his high school graduation, the announcer read his name differently than we were expecting. The graduates are not in any particular order (weird, huh?) so we didn't know exactly when his name would be read. And because there wasn't stadium seating, but all the seats were on one level, we couldn't see him. The graduates were quite far away from us and when they went to the stage they looked small, but there were 2 big screen TV's set up on either side of the stage, (although the one in front of us had a pillar smack in the middle of our view). Finally we heard the announcer say "Dylan" and we got our cameras ready to snap a shot. Then he said a middle name that wasn't his, so we put our cameras down. Then he said the last name of "Mundy". We were in total shock and kept looking at each other (Randy, Tyler, Heidi and I) in disbelief. Did he say "Voltron" as the middle name??!! Yes, he said Dylan Voltron Mundy. So, we missed taking pictures, missed seeing him on stage, and missed seeing him on the big screen TVs. At least his High School diploma has his middle name correct. He is flying to Kansas on Tuesday for their Stake trek, and will be gone until we pick him up on June 23. Then, he goes on a trek with our Stake. I will let you know how all that goes next month.

I guess the big news for me is that I won't be teaching seminary. After 2 semester classes and my 10-day teaching stint, they have decided they don't want me. So, I will have to explore other avenues. But, I had an experience just one day before I learned this news that reminded me that Heavenly Father is aware of each of us and what we are going through, and that He cares about our experiences and our feelings. I had been a real jerk in 7th grade and made fun of a really backwards boy - just to make my friends laugh. After I graduated from high school I felt bad about my behavior, but when I saw this young man at my 10-year high school reunion, I still didn't apologize. So, this has bothered me ever since. I have wondered how I could ever tell him how sorry I am when it's been 40 years and I live in Utah. Well, I had a "friend request" on Facebook from a woman that I couldn't remember. I finally looked through her friend list to see if I recognized anyone. Imagine my surprise at seeing this man there - the same boy I had ridiculed! So, I sent him a note telling him how sorry I feel for my junior high behavior and that I hope he has a good life now. Within 30 minutes I had received a reply. He ALSO couldn't remember this woman (I found out that we had gone to high school with her), but had accepted her friend request anyway. He has 2 children and 3 grand children and he says his life is good. We are now friends on Facebook! Heavenly Father knows us personally and is involved in our lives!

Mom is doing so much better since getting her bladder infection cleared up. She even let me give her a hair-permanent this week. She looks great! She really enjoyed a visit by Wendy, Jerry and Courtney a few weeks ago, and one from Becky and Dave this weekend. Connie is looking forward to visiting with friends at the Provo Deseret Industries in a few weeks after I take her to a periodontist appointment in Orem. She has been tutoring some foreign-speaking people at work in English and will receive a gift certificate for Tucano's restaurant for her efforts.

Happy Birthday to Jacqui, Dave, Tyler, Amber, Rita, Michael, and Jesse! I hope all the fathers have a great Father's Day!

April showers bring May flowers...

2009-05-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

We all seem to be doing well NOW - we had major sickness earlier in the week, however. Dylan came down with the stomach flu Saturday night (he was on a date for MORP) and lost 9 pounds the first 24 hours! (we're talking coming out both ends - sorry) Connie and I came down with it on Monday night and we each stayed in bed the next few days (except for when I went to teach Seminary!). I was kind of grossed out that I only lost 1 or 2 pounds, but I'm glad I only threw up twice. Dylan was feeling better by Friday, but still having some symptoms.

Randy missed the flu bug and his ears (Meniere's disease) have not been giving him any trouble for the last couple weeks - so that is good news. We celebrated his birthday on April 5, General Conference Sunday. He is going to Philadelphia in a month for a safety conference for work.

I finished my '10-day', teaching seminary last Tuesday. For the most part, it went well. I taught a class with 32 kids. I was sick the last couple of days and just wanted to be done! The head of seminaries in Salt Lake loved my class and is ready to sign me up right away. His assistant, my Institute teacher, seems a lot more hesitant and kept telling me "You know, we don't necessarily hire all the good teachers". I meet with him this next Monday morning to go over the evaluations from the students in the class, but if it were up to him, I don't think they would hire me. I'm not sure why...

We haven't heard from Jesse lately, so I don't know what's new with him. Tyler is through with this semester, and looking forward to taking more classes next semester. He is going to California some time this month, I think. Heidi is SO excited to have her credit card bills all paid and her hospital bill shouldn't take more than a month or 2 to pay off. She was looking forward to moving out, but may stay a little longer and actually buy a house rather than rent - she's not sure. She is going to Louisiana in a week and a half to visit one of her best friend's from high school that lives there now. She's going to be on a softball team at work and may also look into some kind of Frisbee league. Ingrid and Jeff will be here this next week. Jeff's best friend is getting married, so they will attend that and it'll be fun to see them. I think they are planning on having an Open House next month - and if so, we will try to go down to Colorado for that. Dylan has only about a month left of school before he graduates. He's through with tennis and only has a day or so left of volleyball. He would like to visit friends in Kansas next month and wants to join an Ultimate Frisbee team this summer. We are just hoping he can find a job! We had to postpone his ortho appointment because of tennis, so he still has bottom braces.

Mom got her hearing aids back and it is so much better for her. I did end up taking her in to the audiologist to get her ear canals cleaned since one of her hearing aids seemed to be doing a lot of feeding-back. It's much better now. She thought she had a kidney/bladder infection, so we took her to a lab for tests. They've got her on an antibiotic and extra potassium now. She said it was better at first, but is bad again, so I will call the doctor on Monday. They want her to have more lab work done, anyway, so we'll see what we need to do. Connie is doing better after having the stomach flu and is back at work. She had to postpone her dental work since she was sick, so we will take care of that in a couple of weeks. The results of her mammogram and ultrasound are negative, they just want to keep an eye on it.

I can't think of anything else. I hope everyone has a great Mother's Day! Happy Birthday to Becky Preece, Audrey, Jeff, Courtney, Broderick and Whitney!

Love, Karen

OK - I've joined the blog craze...

2009-04-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

So, I've decided that posting my Newsletter each month will be simpler if I just put it on a blog and anyone can go to it, if they want. That way, I still write one for my future personal history (that I will write some day when I'm old!), but I don't have to post it on the Family website, or send it out on email.

Randy is finally finished with the musical that he was in. That took alot of time. Hopefully I can get him to use even half his free time now on productive stuff around the house! He helped me get the pond and waterfall going, got the lawnmower tuned up, is cleaning up the music room, and he's re-caulking our shower today. I love spring! We are going to see David Wayt in a high school play (I think his daughter is in it) tonight called "Children of Eden". Dave plays God. We went to the Draper temple dedication a few weeks ago. Since it is a temple where you have to make appointments, we haven't been able to attend there yet.

Since I am a ward missionary, we have been teaching a lady in our ward for the last month. She actually got baptized when she was 8 years old, but was only active for a year or so, and doesn't really know anything about the church. She wasn't even sure if we were Christians! Her daughter has been attending our ward's young women's and wants to get baptized, so this lady decided she should find out about the Church. It has been a good experience for me, since I never went on a full-time mission. I am starting my 10-day teaching experience for seminary this Wednesday at the middle school down the hill. I will find out by the end of May if they want me to do student teaching next year or not.

Riverton, Herriman and Bluffdale are involved in a trial emergency neighborhood plan. Randy and I are block captains for 6 houses at this end of our street. They had a mock drill a few weeks ago. They will get more intense every 6 months, until FEMA will actually come and watch it in a year and a half. This will be a model for the whole country if all goes well.

Jesse is still working at the bar-b-que restaurant in Topeka. Randy got to visit with him when he was in Topeka on business last month. Jesse wants to marry his girlfriend, Amanda, but she insists that he get his debts paid off first - smart girl! Tyler is finishing up this semester at UVU and plans on taking more classes next semester and only working part-time. He's seeing a girl that he's known for several years. Heidi will be finishing up her night shift by the middle of May and starts working days again. She is really looking forward to that! She has started running again to get ready for the 5K run that she's doing next month. Ingrid has a full-time job now at a day care that is owned by someone in her ward. She says she is really enjoying it. She drove over to Topeka last month to visit friends while Jeff was on one of his runs to Texas, and had to drive back in a horrible ice/snow storm. Dylan got his top braces off last week and will get the bottom ones off in a couple of weeks. He is #1 on the Riverton tennis team, and therefore has had some really tough opponents at matches. He is also playing volleyball on his school's team. He decided not to do track.

Mom is anxiously awaiting the return of her hearing aids! She's been without them for 1 1/2 weeks. They told me it would take 2 weeks to get them fixed, so we're hoping they're ready by Tuesday. She will be SO glad to be able to hear everyone again! I took her to see her regular doctor last Tuesday, and everything seems to be fine, although he did change the prescription on her blood pressure medication slightly. I also took Connie to the dentist. She has to go back to him in 3 weeks and have a filling or rootcanal done. Connie has made friends with another lady in the ward and went to visit with her a couple weeks ago. She wasn't available this last Tuesday, but hopefully she can go over there next Tuesday afternoon. She has a mammogram and ultrasound in the morning.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Everyone have a wonderful Easter tomorrow! I love celebrating the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ! Happy Birthday to Logan, Randy, Daniel, Nicole, Janette and Chloe! Tomorrow is not only Easter, it would have been dad's (Grandpa Preece's) 90th birthday!!

Love, Karen