The Washburn Family

I found an email address for one of the Washburn children that we were closed to so many years ago.  I sent Linda an email, hoping it was the right email and it was.  She responded almost the same day and sent me some pictures.  These pictures won’t mean anything to 5 of our children but the two older children will remember the Washburns.  Jeff and Annie, this is all the kids from oldest on the right to youngest.  There is Berk, Ann, Allen, Linda, Andy, Hugh Dean, Ruth, Sam, Sarah, Joseph and Danny.  If you remember, the 12th child was Cathy who died in 2009 of Sugar Diabetes and other problems.  From children from Sam on down were adopted.  What wonderful memories of this great family.  I’m hoping that Linda has some pictures of us and them.  I’ll have to ask her.  Jeff and Annie, how well do you remember them?

Monday–a holiday and a fun day!

Abby called me Sunday night and wanted to know if she came in on the bus Monday morning if I would pick her up and take her to the mall.  Neal and Jeff G. had planned on golfing on Monday and so she knew that I could bring her back home.  Her main purpose for coming into Salt Lake was to get her ears pierced.  I picked her up at 8:45 in front of the Church Office Building and from there we drove to Mimi’s where we had breakfast and visited about school and her up coming registration for high school.  I can hardly believe another grandchild will be in high school next year!

After breakfast we headed to Fashion Place Mall where Abby got her ear pierced.  She picked out pretty pink earrings and made the comment that her ears hurt more after the piercing than during the actual piercing. 

When we were finished we went back to the house and picked up Neal and headed out to Stansbury.  Neal and Jeff went golfing along with Hayley who rode in the golf cart with them.  Annie and I ran a couple of errands and then picked up Andrew and his ‘little friend’ Anika.  When we drove up to the house Andrew jumped out of the car and went to the door to get his friend.  Apparently this is a friendship that developed a couple years ago.  They were darling together.  I must say, it was fun to watch them interacting with each other.  Annie bought 4 loaves of cheap bread and we drove to the park to feed the ducks. 

After feeding the ducks we went home and tried to do project but didn’t get very far with Maggie who wanted to sit on everything we were doing!

Just another cute picture of Andrew and Anika who were sitting at the table to do some wood project.  She kind of looks like Andrew, don’t you think?

 

 

 

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After a fun day Neal and I headed home to greet the home teachers at 6:30 and then off to his study group meeting at 7:30.  A fun day and a busy one.

A funny story from Tucker

Tucker and I have been playing a game called Trivia Crack.  It is really fun and I love it.  Oh, yes, Tucker, I have to admit that I’ve had to ask dad to help me with some of the sports questions and science questions.  I don’t want to seem totally stupid!  Anyway, we were playing back and forth Saturday night and Tucker text me and said that he got in trouble with Jamie.  It must have been late, they were in bed, Jamie was asleep or almost asleep and Tucker was involved in answering Trivia questions.  Well, apparently he missed a question and this is what he text me, “So fun!!!  I just got in trouble for hitting the sheets for missing a crown question.”  He said that Jamie was not happy that he yelled out “dang it” and slapped their bed really, really hard in the quiet of the night.  I showed the text to Neal and we laughed until we couldn’t breathe.  Sorry Jamie, but it just totally struck Neal and I funny.  I’m sure it wasn’t funny to you.  Love this crazy game.

Sunday Evening

It has been a busy two weeks.  I didn’t post anything last week.  I don’t think it was because I didn’t have anything to post, I just didn’t get to the computer.  A poor excuse, but an excuse.  This will be a random post with a little bit of everything.  First of all I had to take a picture of Neal snuggled under the Hawaiian quilt that Lynda Ann made for Neal for Christmas.  She took the material from the table decorations at his 70th birthday party and made him a quilt.  He loves it and it will be well used.  It is either over him on the bed or over him if he is sitting in his chair.  

After we had cleaned up Christmas and put everything away I decided that I wanted to change the furniture in the front room, so we switched things around just a bit.  It isn’t my favorite way to have the furniture but it is different and I needed a change.  We also brought Neal’s plant back downstairs and changed out the cabinet.

I had to take a picture of my Christmas Cactus.  I was sure it wouldn’t bloom this year.  It just didn’t seem healthy and there were so many times that I would grab one of Neal’s glasses thinking it had a little bit of water in it and dump it in the cactus only to realize that it was left over milk!  I was sure I had killed it.  Not so, it bloomed in spite of me!  I don’t know, maybe milk is good for plants!  NOT

Last night we went out to dinner with some friends.  We met at Market Street and Neal saw this wood statue and wanted to have his picture taken with it.  He thought it looked like him.  What do you think?  I don’t see it.

Our ward conferences have being.  My speaking schedule was actually kind of funny.  I had to prepare a talk on “Finding a Refuge in Gospel Principles” (for ward conferences that began today).  I was also supposed to speak in a sacrament meeting this morning with a member of the High Council.  I turned that assignment over to my second counselor when I found out that Neal was speaking in another sacrament meeting at the same time.  Then to top the whole thing off I get a call from the Stake President telling me that the visiting authority to our stake conference wants me to speak in the main session!  Seriously?  So, that would be three talks that I would have been scrambling to prepare. 

I gave my talk at our first ward conference this morning and am in the process of preparing my talk for Stake Conference.  I’m speaking on “I Am A Child of God”.  I’ve asked Maren, Mindy, Jamie and Lynda Ann to asked their kids this question.  “How do you know that you are a child of God?”  I probably won’t be able to use all their responses in my talk because of time but I thought it would be fun to record what they said.

Peyton said, “Because He is always there for me.”

Jordyn Lyn said, “Because he has given me the ability to dance.”

Lexi said, “Because I am able to be nice and a good friend.”

Abby said, “He treats us with extreme love and he cares so much about you.  He gives you trials to make you better.  Like your parents, He gives you a second chance and He cares for you like your own parents care for you.”

Hayley said, “Well, Gam, it’s like going in to my bedroom that is usually dark and cold and feeling warm knowing He is there.  It’s like you don’t need to know how, you just know you are warm.”

Andrew said, “I am a child of God and I know that because I don’t remember but I know that I once lived with Heavenly Father and everybody is a child of God and I love him and he loves me so that is how I know I am a Child of God.”

Maddie said, “I know I am a child of God because all of my trials have helped me grow.  I know He loves me because of the blessings I have received.”

Thanks dear grandchildren for responding.  I haven’t heard back from Maren yet but when I do, I will post their responses as well.

So, that has been my life for the last little while.  I like having to prepare talks.  I have to pray and study and it helps keep me aligned with the Gospel of Jesus Christ – which I will add that I KNOW is true and I LOVE it!