Hayley Anne

Each one of my grandchildren has come to our family with their own unique personality and have each been given special gifts and talents. I enjoy each one and will probably at one time or another write about them. Right now I want to focus on Hayley. Her Uncle Tucker lovingly calls her 'Jeffrina' because she looks just like her dad. Like her dad, she is left handed, has brown eyes, wears glasses and is extremely intelligent. Her mind is going a mile a minute and she doesn't miss much when there is an adult conversation going on. She listens intently and will always have some input if allowed. Her dad, Jeff, called me with a perfect example of what I'm trying to say. I hope I can repeat the story accurately.

Jeff said he had just arrived home from work and was telling Lynda Ann about an incident that had happened and had been on going at work. Apparently a lady (we will call her Ethel) at his office was taking food out of the office refrigerator (that didn't belong to her) and taking it home to her children. This had been going on for a while. There was an email from HR addressing the issue, but not naming names. Jeff told Annie that one of co-workers kept a big bowl of fruit on her desk for the office personnel to help themselves to (kind of like having a candy dish only she preferred fruit). She had witnessed Ethel taking the fruit, when she thought no one was watching, and putting it in her back pack to take home to her kids. Ethel would also grab any food left over from presentations and take it home; even taking a whole pizza that was left over rather than leaving it for the office to share the next day. As Jeff finished telling Annie he noticed that Hayley was sitting there listening and had raised her hand. Jeff smiled and said, "Yes, Hayley, did you have something you wanted to say?" Hayley looked at Jeff and said, "I know how to solve that problem." Jeff just smiled and asked her what she would do. Hayley said, "Well, I think the lady should just just bring her kids to the office to eat the food !" Out of the mouth of babes.

Another darling story about Hayley happened toward the end of the school year. The teacher was lecturing on math. She noticed that Hayley had her hand up the whole time she was talking and finally at the end of her comments she said, "Yes, Hayley, did you have a question?" Hayley said, "No, I just had my hand up in case you asked a question because I knew I would know the answer!" How's that for confidence.

The last and best of all (I think). Hayley came home with some spelling words that she had to use in a sentence. One of her spelling words was 'think'. Jeff had been giving her a bad time about something and teasing her a bit. So she wrote this sentence: "I think my dad is obnockshus." Is that not priceless and phonetically spelled right.

Hayley, you are priceless to me and I love you!

If you look really close you can just see the second rainbow just above the first one. And if you look even closer you will notice the colors in the second one are reversed! Another sign of God's miracles!

I love Rainbows

I absolutely love rainbows! These are pictures taken after a rain storm from our back patio. Can you believe that beautiful view of Mt. Olympus (which I climbed to the top of last year) with that gorgeous rainbow arching over the top. What a magestic picture and evidence of God's work. What I couldn't get a complete picture of was the fact that the rainbow was complete to the other side. My camera just couldn't get the whole rainbow in one shot. There is actually a double rainbow that you can just barely see. How can one look at a rainbow and not acknowlege that there is a God, that he loves us and that he created this beautiful world for us.

Good friends are some of the gems of life

Jim and Midge Frye

Last night we got together with Fryes and had dinner and played bridge. Neal and I love getting together with these two great people. Jim is the kind of person who can always make you laugh. He knows just the right quote or joke for just the right moment. His timing is explicit. Often times when he starts telling a joke, I'm laughing hard before he even gets to the punch line. Midge is the perfect match for Jim. I'm sure she has heard most of his sayings many times over but she always laughs along with the rest of us. She adds her own little tid-bits every now and then. We have been to St. George, Mexico and Scofield with them and numerous evenings of getting together for a light dinner and bridge. They are GREAT friends and we love them!

Ye old tobacco staff!

From left to right: Emily, Chelsea, Brittney, Tiffany, Andrea, Brianna, and me.

Every now and again the group gets together for lunch, to reminise old times, catch up on our lives and renew our friendships. This was one of those rare groups that worked together in an office, shared common values and genuinely loved each other. As we picniced I couldn't help but notice the contrast in age between me and all of them. Probably on the average of 30+ years that I am older. Age is an interesting thing. I used to hear my mother say, "My get up and go has got up and went" or "My mind is still young but my body is old and the two are not agreeing." I'm slowly beginning to understand exactly what she meant. Sitting with all those young girls didn't make me feel older, it made me feel as if I were the same age in body but with the added years of experience and wisdom. I don't feel like I've slowed down at all, but have I? Is aging something so gradual that you don't notice it until all of a sudden you are aware that you can't walk as fast as you used to or you can't take the stairs two at a time, or it is harder to get up and down off the floor? I remember Lynda Ann telling me, a few years back, that Abby (my granddaughter) asked, "I wonder what Gam looked like without any wrinkles?" We laughed about it but I remember going to the mirror and realizing that I do have wrinkles. When did they show up? Sigh . . . But, I am very healthy and I'm so grateful for that. I have a zest and a love for life and even though I may be older in age and even (have to admit) look older, I am still young at heart and feel I have all the energy to keep up with a full time job, my church calling and all my many interests and projects.

The work place

I work at the Salt Lake County Environmental Health Division in the Water Quality/ Hazardous Waste Bureau. It is a wonderful place to work and I love my job. That said, the other day one of our supervisors, Kevin, made the comment that a new employee needed to be fitted with a hard hat. One of the secretaries said, "We don't have hard hats." Kevin very innocently said, "Well you're just support staff and you don't need them." Well, that little word "just" got him into a lot of grief and teasing. Of course he tried to back track but to no avail. After a couple of days he brought each of the secretaries a little steel toed boot (that is another required item for our inspectors) with a cute little saying attached to it to say he was sorry about his use of words. (He did admit that his wife helped him with the idea and the note.) We all had a good laugh. We still have to give him a bad time every now and then.

Never ending sewing projects

And cute Peyton chose blue and pink. She couldn't decide on just one color. The light purple trimming was much more flattering than the blue or pink so I am hoping she is OK with the purple trim.

Lexi chose tourquois. I think her skirt is my favorite.

Jordyn Lyn chose red. I wonder if she really likes red or chooses red because her dad LOVES red! Humm, wonder if that has something to do with "Go Utes?!"

Hayley chose purple and couldn't believe that I even had to ask because purple is her color! I thought it was orange. Silly me.

Abby chose pink
It is certainly my favorite color.


I always manage to have a couple of projects waiting as I'm finishing one. I have a good friend, Sally, who loves to do projects like I do and what she doesn't come up with, I do. She called me last Friday night all excited about some darling skirts she had just made for her two granddaughters and was sure that when I saw them, I would want to make some. Well, she was right. I went to the fabric store and bought enough material to make five of them. One for the following granddaughters: Abby, Hayley, Jordyn Lyn, Lexi and Peyton. They are specifically designed for little girls so that eliminates the older granddaughters. I made two on Saturday and made the other three tonight. I need to put the elastic in the top of three of them and I'm waiting for my daughter-in-law to send me their waist measurements so I can finish them. Sally wants to show them this Sunday to the sisters in the ward and see if there is any interest for the craft day coming up in October.

I love to read

I have loved to read ever since I can remember. I think my great love for reading was taught to me by my sister, Lila Mae. I would stay with her every summer and she always had me reading. My very favorite books were, "A Wagon To A Star", "Polly What's Her Name", "Daddy Long Legs" and of course, "Anne of Green Gables". The biggest problem with me reading is when I get my nose in a good book, I can't put it down. The world spins around me and I am oblivious. Then when the last page is read I have to play 'catch up' on my house work and other projects that have been set aside. I've just finished re-reading two great books that come in a series of three. The third one is due to hit the book stores next week. I wanted to re-read the first two so that I would be reminded of the characters and the happenings as the second book ended. The book is called "The Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire". If you want a really good, fast reading book grab this one off the book shelf or at the library and plan on spending the next 12 hours reading. It is absolutely a page turner.

My daughter-in-law Mindy

My daughter-in-law, Mindy, is a classic. I really do love her. She can make me laugh no matter what mood I happen to be in. She teaches students who have violated school rules for things such as drugs and/or weapons. The schools send them to her and she tries to help them get an education and hopefully get back in to the school they were expelled from. Every once in a while she will send me an email that usually puts me on the floor, I'm laughing so hard. I keep telling her that she needs to write a book of her experiences. Here is a little glimps into one of her emails:

"I’ve got a classroom full of thugs and pot heads right now. They are mostly 9th graders, and a couple of 10th graders. It makes me laugh how they try to lie to me the first couple of days. Like I’m stupid and I’ve never done this before. Sheesh. And I already have two questions on my top 10 list of stupid questions this year…

I handed a girl her work and she looked up and me and said, “So…um… do I have to do this, like, right now?” No sweetheart, why don’t you wait until you’re locked up in DT? That sounds good, huh?

I was talking to a boy about his work and noticed that he had skipped about 20 pages, so I told him to go back and do the pages he hadn’t yet done. He said, “So, I can’t skip pages?” Hmmm… All I can do is shake my head sometimes.

Talk to you later!
Hugs,
Mindy"

I love her emails. They are always so descriptive of what she is dealing with on a day to day basis. Thanks Mindy for always making my day a 'laughing' one. Remember the song from Brear Rabbit and the Tar Baby? Brear Rabbit sings, "Everybody's got a laughing place." Well, you are my laughing place!

Bella

I have to admit that I love dogs. I don't remember a time in my life when we didn't have a dog. Two vivid memories come to mind. One was when we lived in Seattle and I was around the age of 5 or 6. We had a huge black lab. He would come in and lay right between the archway of the dinning room and the living room. I would get one of my picture books and lay on my back with my head on his tummy and read for what seemed like hours. He was very gentle and didn't mind me using his tummy as a pillow.

The other memory was of a little black dog named Cubby. When we moved to Provo, the first thing we did was find some stray dog to call our own. Growing up, I slept in an upstairs bedroom with no heat and in the winter months and believe me, it was really cold. I would fill a hot water bottle full of hot water and put it under the sheets at the bottom of my bed, kneel down and say my prayers (probably the fastest prayers ever) and quickly jump into bed to get warm. Cubby would jump up on the bed and cuddle right next to my back. Between the hot water bottle and Cubby, I slept quite comfortably. I don't know why she always chose to follow me up to that cold room when there were two warm bedrooms downstairs. Maybe she knew I needed her to stay warm.

Now we have Bella and what a delight she is. All dogs have their own little personalities that endear their owners to them. Bella has certainly endeared herself to Neal and I. I caught her sleeping on the bed the other day and just had to take a picture of her. Notice that her head is on the little pillow.

Shopping

It always seems like yesterday when I go shopping with Lynda Ann and Emmi for clothes. I so clearly remember taking Lynda Ann shopping for school clothes and it was always a trying experience. She didn't like anything that was girlie, which includes ribbons, bows, lace, frills of any kind and especially not PINK!! Well, the apple didn't fall far from the tree with her first. In fact it fell right at the base of the tree. Emmi wants everything plain and that means all of the above mentioned items along with no mixed colors to speak of. She mostly likes blue and white and some gray. Try buying school clothes with her limitations and taste. It is a real challenge. I'm just glad I was along for the ride and to giggle every now and then at Lynda Ann's frustration with Emmi. It did end up being a successful trip to the outlet stores in Park City. Emmi got some pants, tops and even a pair of shoes. We pretty much wandered the outlet stores from North to South and then at the end stopped for lunch at Panda Express. The worst and funniest part was going in a langerie shop to buy some girlie items. I won't write more because I don't want to embarrass Emmi, but I will say that it was like Lynda Ann all over again. Emmi, you are priceless and I promise you that you will make it through these painful years from childhood to womanhood.

I LOVE Summer!

Notice the pot. All his pots are from Mexico. He buys one or two every time we go there. It has almost become an obsession so we've had to tell him that he can't go 'pot' hunting anymore!

One of Neal's beautiful planters.

I was so tempted to go grab a Mason Jar and capture this busy little bee, but adulthood and wisdom has me catching him on film.

I absolutely love summer. I was just out in the back yard admiring Neal's planters and noticed hundreds of bees gathering nector. The scene took me clear back in my childhood to summers spent in Midway with my sister, Lila Mae and her family. Every summer as soon as school ended, I packed my bags and moved to Midway. Lila Mae lived on a farm which made the freedom to wander a reality and the probability of fantisies endless. One of my favorite things to do was to catch bees in a Mason Jar. I would pick just the right leaves and flowers to put in the jar, making a wonderful home for my bumble bees. Lila would punch holes in the lid with a screw driver so the bees would have plenty of oxegyn. I was sure they would live comfortably and forever in their carefully prepared home.

Neal needed a new car too!

My new Grand Cherokee Jeep! Don't you just love it!!!

This is how I shall always remember my mother.

There is a scripture in Alma Chap. 40 verse12: "And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow." I always think of this scripture when I get really lonely for mother and it brings peace to me and takes away the 'missing you' just a little bit. I love you mother.

This is a picture of my mother and I that appeared in the Provo newspaper. She was teaching me how to make an apple pie. I was a freshman at Brigham Young University.






I'm 66 years young and serving as the Stake Relief Society President. I'm learning much about caring, reaching out to others (out of my usual comfort zone) and service. This morning I visited one of our rest homes (or care centers as they now call them), for their monthly relief society meeting. Every time I go I have such mixed feelings. I'm happy to be there, to greet them, to give them a hug, to hold their hand etc. but I don't want to end up there when I get old. I remember my sweet mother living with Neal and I for two years and then finding it necessary to have her admitted to a care center. How hard it is to watch someone that you love so much, physically and mentally and rather slowly deteriorate before your eyes. It is a helpless feeling. I clearly remember helping mother with her bath one day and she looked up at me and said, "I took care of you when you were little and needed me and now you are taking care of me when I'm old and needing you." I miss her greatly. I miss jumping in the car and running to Provo to sit at her kitchen table and just talk. I miss playing cribbage with her. (I never beat her. Not even one time.) I miss looking into her beautiful blue eyes and feeling her love for me. I certainly miss her always sage advice.

Last Thursday, which would have been August 12, Neal had a catarac removed and a permanent lens put in is right eye.

My first day at work from my vacation and I was greeted with this happy birthday sign. They know I like pink!

When we got home from our vacation, there was a present on the door step from Tucker, Jamie and the girls. I had commented to Jamie that I loved her Bees Lotion. She remembered and sent me some along with this sweet birthday message that I posted sideways and don't know how to turn it right side up! I'm still trying to get the hang of this blogging!

Rosarito, Mexico Trip

There is nothing more beautiful than coming out of Nephi and see the skyline of Mt. Timpanogas.
This is a picture of the statue I refered to. You can see how big it is in comparison to the two story house below it. Someone made a map to Ron and Judy's condo with the note, "It is 2 miles past Jesus."

Rod, Neal and Ron washing all their found golf balls for the week. I think somewhere in the neighborhood of close to 200! Neal says he found at least 100 of them!

Right after getting our toes done at the price of $12.00 a piece. No wonder everyone in San Diego goes across the border to have the toes done!

Whose toes?

Scenic picture walking along the pathway to Ron and Judy's condo.

Golf balls found in just one day!

My birthday present from Ron and Judy. Of course PINK!

My birthday dinner. Judy fixed shrimp coctails with steak and all the trimmings ending with her delicious bread pudding! What a wonderful 66th birthday!

This is shrimp to buy at the grocery store. Everyone just digs in and helps themselves.

Chicken sits out all day!

Grocery shopping. Neal, Ron, Judy and Rod.

Neal and Ron hunting for golf balls.

Just played 9 and ready to go again. Notice Judy will always have a diet coke in hand.

Eating lunch between 18 holes of golf. Neal, Judy, Ron and Rod.

Neal getting ready to do his very favorite thing!

This is what we do when we are not playing golf, shopping or getting our toes done. Bridge is the game and Judy and Rod are the experts!

We teased Judy every day about this expensive very small water mellon from Green River. She says any price you pay is worth it to have a Green River Watermellon.

Picture of the statue. It is huge! Some man started building it and when he died his son took over the project. It was finally finished a couple of years ago. It has a beacon light at the top, it is so tall.

Having a light lunch after church at our favorite roadside taco stand.

Ready to order.

Neal, me, Judy and Ron just going into Sacrament Meeting. Ron is sporting his new shirt that Neal gave him.

Neal's favorite store in the whole wide world!!!

After shopping in his favorite store in the whole wide world. We always stop in Primm to shop. Neal goes right in to Tommy Bahamas and the rest of us go around the rest of the mall. We usually set a time limit of 1 1/2 hours or 2. When we come back and meet at the designated time, Neal will still be in Tommy Bahamas, never having left the store while the three of us will have been all around the mall!

Posing with the actress and actor from Tarzan

Judy and Ron

Rod, Neal and Jeannine

Neal and I have the wonderful opportunity to be invited to go to Mexico a couple of times a year by our friends, Ron and Judy Stanfield. They have a home in Rosarito about 45 minutes over the San Diego border. I've never had a camera along until this year so I've taken lots of fun pictures of our trip.

In the car headed and on our way.

We started out Friday, July 29th about 1 p.m. We met Ron and Judy in St. George, where they have a condo. We went to the stage production of Tarzan, which was fabulous. Then spent the night and left Saturday morning about 9:30. Of course, we had to stop in Vegas at the outlet mall and then again in Primm at Neal's favorite store in the whole world - Tommy Bahama. We all bought stuff we didn't need but had a wonderful time. Neal bought me some birthday presents - shoes, skirt and some pants.

At the Tuacan Outdoor Theater









We arrived in Rosarito about 10:00 p.m. We spent the week golfing, sun tanning, eating fabulous tacos at a road side place, and even found some time to do some shopping for a few souveniers to bring back to the grandchildren. Of course, there was many hours playing bridge.
We had a wonderful week and was able to attend Sacrament meeting with the Saints in Mexico. We don't always understand what is being said, but we always understand the feeling we get from the spirit of the meeting.

I celebrated my birthday on Tuesday. I turned 66! Judy fixed a dinner of shrimp cocktails and steak with all the trimmings. She and Ron gave me a golf glove and golf balls (pink of course) that said, "Life Is Good". I love that logo.

There is a huge (enormous) statue that some guy erected up on a hill. It is kind of a land mark for those going through Rosarito. One evening I was looking for a pair of scissors and I came across a note pad that had some directions on it to get to Judy and Rons place. The note ended with "Just go 2 miles past Jesus". Of course we all knew what the note meant and we laughed and laughed and laughed.

We headed for home, August 8th. We left at 4:30 a.m. so that we could miss some of the heavy traffic trying to cross the border. We also lose an hour coming back to Utah - thus the early leave schedule. We arrived home around 7 p.m. Nice to be back.