A thought for the week

"William Shakespeare wrote, "This above all to thine ownself be true."  Boy did he nail it on the head!
A lot of us go through phases where we think we have to be, act, and look like everyone else in order to fit in.  I tried it and it didn't work.  Now I realize God doesn't want an orchestra of identical instruments all playing the same tune, so I let go of the status quo and decided to just be me.  Besides, pretending to be a normal person day after day is exhausting!"

I read the above quote and laughed and laughed because it was funny but even more it was so very true.  It is important that we all learn to just be ourselves.  I happen to have a t-shirt on right now that says "Be You". 

Today is coming to a close on a good Sunday.  Went to a meeting out in Day Break to hear Pres. and Sister (John and Chris) speak in their new ward.  Both left a beautiful and very spiritual message.   We were glad to be there to support them. 

When we got home, we changed and I read for a while and Neal went home teaching.  When he got back we went to Ron and Judy's for dinner and to plan our calendar for the next couple months. 

On the way home, Annie called and said that they had arrived back in Salt Lake safe and sound from Wyoming.  Said they had a good time and that Andrew tried to ski.  Annie said he gave it four tries before he gave up.  I'm proud of him and glad that he at least gave it a try.  Good for you Andrew.

Time to say 'good night' and call it a day. 

A Visit with Taylor at Primary Children's Hospital

Neal and I went up to Primary Children's Hospital to see Taylor.  She had been transferred from IHC to Primary's on Tuesday.  There was such a change in Taylor.  We saw a happy, talkative and very positive patient.  Taylor said the she is so much happier at Primarys and it was easy to tell.  She is doing therapy twice a day.  She goes in the morning and again in the afternoon.  She is learning little by little what she is capable of.  She says her goal is to be at school the first day.  She knows this probably won't happen but that is her goal.  She totally understands that her life is changed and she has accepted that.  It was such a wonderful visit, full of hope and witnessing many prayers answered in Taylor's behalf. 
It was interesting today.  I went to Michaels and the girl who checked me out was in a wheelchair and I teared up and thought of Taylor.  The young lady looked high school or college age and was employed just like everyone else.  Taylor's journey is certainly different that she or her parents or any of us expected it to be, but it will be her journey and with Taylor's determination and if she stays close to the gospel principles and her Father in Heaven, she will be able to accomplish all she was supposed to here on this earth.  We all love you Taylor and are your biggest cheerleaders!

This is a picture of the bands they are selling at the high school to raise money for Taylors needs..  You notice it says Judy instead of Taylor.  All her friends call her Judy.  That must make her Grandmother Judy very happy.

Annie's still got it!

Lynda Ann sent this picture of her water skiing.  She was so excited that she could get up and ski.  I was excited to see the picture of her skiing.  Way to go Annie!

More pictures of Scofield

A couple more pictures of the Scofield weekend.  We are out on the porch barbequing hamburgers.  They were so delicious.

Scofield Weekend

We had been invited to go to Scofield during the weekend that Taylor was still at IHC dealing with her accident and trying to gain her energy back.  We went up Thursday late afternoon.  Ron and Judy were already at the cabin waiting for us.  We golfed Friday and on the 11th hole the Heavens opened and the lightening came along with huge rain drops and hail.  Judy and I headed back to the club house immediately and waited for Neal and Ron to come along.  We knew that when the hail hit they would not be far behind us.  Sure enough they rounded the corner of the club house and drove over to the Jeep where they quickly unloaded the golf clubs and put them back in the Jeep and we headed back to the cabin.  We did get a rain check for 9 holes.  Judy fixed us a wonderful dinner and then we played Bridge and watched a couple episodes of Criminal Minds.  Saturday we left about 1:00 and headed back to Salt Lake to see how Taylor was doing.  Neal spent most of the afternoon correcting papers, while I did the laundry and some house cleaning.  We went back to the hospital that evening and then home.  Sunday we attended Sacrament Meeting and then headed back up to the cabin.  We stayed Saturday night and all day Sunday and came back down late Sunday evening.  It was a fun trip even though we were coming and going.  Neal relaxing and reading the paper. 

One of our delicious dinners.  We had tacos.  The person on the couch is Rod who works at the bridge center for Ron and Judy.  He is not is good health and has no family so they invited him up to the cabin for the weekend. 

Obviously Judy preparing the last of the dinner. 

 Judy has wanted a storage shed behind their cabin to put extra stuff in.  She has one side and Ron the other.  It was really nice.  Not yet completely finished but getting close.

Taylor's story in my words and from what I've put together:

Taylor and another friend decided to go up Butterfield Canyon late Monday evening.  They left the canyon around 10:00 p.m.  Taylor was driving and she, for what ever reason, made the choice to not put on her seat belt.  Thank goodness her friend buckled up.  They were coming down the canyon at a high rate of speed, exceeding 60 mph.  Taylor was not able to make a curve in the road and tried to correct and the car went out of control, rolling at least three times through two fences and eventually slamming into a tree.  Taylor's girl friend was able to climb out of the window and flag down someone for help.  The ambulance came and took both girls to IHC.  I understand the people that were flagged down were both experienced in medicine and were able to carefully get Taylor out of the car and stabilize her until the ambulance got there. 

Today is Wednesday, July 19 and Taylor and her parents have been told the sad truth that Taylor is paralyzed from the chest down.  She can breath on her own and has use of her arms and hands. 

The family was saddened by the news and literally mourned the loss of Taylor's use of her lower limbs but celebrated that we still had her with us and that there were no brain injuries.  I remember thinking, as I looked at Taylor lying so still in her hospital bed, that Maren must have gotten the "mother's curse" at some point . . . . you know the one . . . "I hope someday you have a child just like you!"  One thing I learned as a mother is that God doesn't want me to fix everyone's problems for them.  He expects them to have these terrible experiences because it is part of his plan.  The struggle is the thing that makes us strong . . so long as we keep our faith.  It is the trial of our faith that is the purpose of this mortal existence.  I've heard lot's of people say that life He never gives us more than we can handle, but I'm not so sure about this one.  I'm not even sure that He designs each trial or difficulty for us as much as He knows that we will be subject to them like we are the weather.  While I believe He can send the whirlwind, I don't think He sends it so much as He knows it will eventually come to all of us if we live in this sphere.  Whether we are prepared or not is up to us, to some extent.

It is a long and difficult journey ahead for Taylor, her parents and her brothers.  Taylor is strong and will hopefully use that strength to do good and live a full life - just very different from what we all thought it would be.

Here are some pictures of the car and Taylor:

27 Years

July 17, 2017 brought about two events.  One a celebration and the other a sadness mixed with blessings.  The first event was the celebration of our 27 years together.  What a journey this has been.  I'm blessed with good memories and struggles that have made me stronger and continue to show me the strengths I have.  Neal and I still love each other very much and continue to work together to be the best matriarch and patriarch of this family that is possible.  Neal was teaching a morning class and an evening class today so surprised me by coming back to Salt Lake between classes and taking me to lunch at - yes you guessed - Market Street Grill.  We do love that place and will continue to visit it often during the year and especially each year on our anniversary.

After lunch it was back to work for both of us.  After work I went to the gym and walked for an hour and then home to wait for Neal to get home from class.  It was about 10:30 and we were just settling in when my phone rang.  It was Maren and she was on her way to the IHC Hospital here on 5600 S and State Street.  She told me that Taylor had been in a serious accident and would Neal and I come quickly.  We immediately dressed and found ourselves waiting in the ER at 10:45 p.m.  A nurse came out looking for us and took us back in the emergency room where we would wait for the doctors to finish testing Taylor to find out what care she needed.  They finally sent us to the 5th floor waiting room.  About midnight the nurse came and escorted us to the room where they had Taylor.  It was hard to see her hooked up to all kinds of tubes and to have her so quiet and still.  The doctor came in and told us that she had broken her spine in two places and that she had a blood clot that ran the length of her spine.  At 3:00 a.m. they took her to surgery.  Greg anointed the blessing and Neal gave the blessing just before she was wheeled down the hall.  The surgeon said the surgery would be about 3 hours long.  So Neal and I went home to try and get a few hours of sleep.  We were back to the hospital at 8:00 and found out that Taylor had come through the surgery with flying colors.  Here is a picture of her spine with the two rods running along both sides of her spine. 

Taylor's story continued . . . .

A beautiful temple day in Logan

Mallory decided that she wanted to take out her endowments in the Logan Temple.  We left today at 10:30 and met at the Smith's in Bountiful and rode up with Jeff and Annie, Mallory and Emmi.  The day was beautiful and perfect in every way.  The temple session was beautiful and it was exciting to all meet in the celestial room.  Thanks Mallory for inviting us to be a part of it. 

It was beautiful to see Annie sitting between Emmi and Mallory on the front row of the temple.  A beautiful sight and one that brought tears to their grandmother/ mother.

After we left the temple we drove to a boutique called Roolee where I found two dresses and Mallory found one.  Lynda Ann didn't have any luck.

From there we hoped to eat at Maddox but when we got there it was an hour wait so we left there and went to Coasta Vida and had a delicious lunch. 

From there we headed home.  It was a beautiful spiritual day!  Annie had family names that Emmi and I were able to take through the session.  So thankful for Mallory.  She is a beautiful girl with a beautiful soul.  She will make an incredible missionary.  We love you so much, Mallory and thank you for inviting us to be with you on this very special day.

Love, Gam

A new project

I was so excited when I found this counted cross stitch of Tennessee.  I ordered it and am going to do it for Mallory.  I thought it would be neat to have it framed along with her mission call. 

Having a rough day.

I was having a rough day and sharing some of my feelings and frustrations with Mindy.  I had lunch with Lyndsy and she made a couple comments that devastated me.  As I talked with Mindy she was able to get me centered and recognize and remember the issues that Lyndsy has.  When I got home from work, there on the front porch was a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a note from Mindy.  Amazing what an unexpected bouquet of flowers with an "I love you" attached, can lift the spirits.

Thanks Mindy for the beautiful flowers from Tulip Tree Floral.  They are gorgeous and made me feel happy all over.

Look alikes!

Judy and I usually don't wear the same colors or styles but we have shopped enough together to know what each other likes.  She came by the office last week to see if I would do some typing for her and she noticed that we had the very same shoes on!  We laughed and laughed and I had to take a picture.

Cleaning and purging

I finally got Neal to spend some time with me cleaning out the garage.  It badly needed some attention.  We spent over 3 hours going through box after box after box.  We filled the garbage can and even had to save a bag full to go in someone elses garbage can.  It was amazing.  We swept every corner of the garage and it felt so good when all was done.  We treated ourselves to a Roxbury smoothie and it was delicious.

I love things clean and organized.  Now, every time I drive in the garage I have to smile.  I hauled a huge load to D.I. and smiled all the way :-)

Last 4th of July at Lila's old home

Lila Mae sold all her property and put the money into a new home.  So this was our last 4th of July celebration at the home she has lived in for 65+ years.  It was a little different this year because Jeff and Neal didn't go golfing until 2 p.m.  We decided to do sandwiches instead of grilling so everyone could eat when hungry.  I brought cut up fruit and Annie brought the pinwheel red, white and blue cookies.  Susan had bingo ready to go and everyone played and got prizes and piggy banks with nickels.  What a fun day topped off with the fire works right across the street atop Memorial Hill.  I forgot to say that Lynda Ann had to work and so did Emmi so they left Midway about 3:00 and missed out on most of the fun.  We missed them.

 This is a picture of Neal trying to decide what prize to pick from the prize bingo table. 

 God Bless America.  Land that I LOVE.  Stand beside her and guide her . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Home - a beautiful quote that I love

Home is not simply a mark on the map, anymore than a river is just water.
It is the place at the center of a compass from which every arrow radiates and where the heart is fixed.
It is a place that forever draws us back to home.
Where the home is, there lies hope and the future waits and everything is possible.

Trip to Scofield for the 4th Celebration

We were invited to Scofield to experience the 4th of July celebration in the little town of Scofield.  We left late Friday night and arrived at the cabin about midnight.  It takes about one and a half hours to get to the cabin from Salt Lake.  Judy and Ron and Neal and I had been invited to a bridge party at some friends so left as soon as the game ended.  That is why we got there so late.

Saturday morning we drove into the little town of Scofield and lined up with thousands of people to watch this little and I mean little home town parade.  It was so fun.  Every single float and truck and car decorated for the parade through candy as they drove the parade route.  Here are some pictures to give you a flavor of the little parade.

 Neal bought 4 tickets for the Duck Contest.  The Kiwanis Club sells tickets for $5.00 for each duck.  They number the plastic ducks, load them up and go to the top of the river and dump all in at once.  They give a prize for the first, second and third place duck.  I think it was a $1,000 for the winning duck.  Very fun.  That is why I had to take a picture of Neal with the duck.

 Yes, Tucker, I had to stand by this Utah dinning fly.  This was all of Judy's brothers family.  I didn't stand under it, just off to the side :-)

 This was the only band they had and it was a very, very small little band but their hearts were in it.

Bag pipers from Salt Lake.  They were great.

 Had to get a picture of the local fire department.

After the parade we wandered around all the booths at the park.  Kind of like a very, very small  Swiss Days.  Judy and I stopped at the lipstick booth and ended up buying lipstick that stays on your lips all day.  Yup, it really works.  And, yes, we had to take a picture of Judy by the sign, Never Trust a Skinny Cook!  Judy is a gourmet cook.

Judy getting her lipstick on. 

The next day was Sunday and we went to Sacrament Meeting.  There were over 600 people at the little church that Sunday.  Nice to see that people go to church even when they are on vacation.  After church we went back to the cabin, changed and Judy wanted to do some Dutch oven cooking for our dinner.  We had stuffed pork chops, spare ribs, potatoes and chocolate cherry cake.  All done in the Dutch ovens.  It was a delicious dinner!  Ron fixed up a place to cook that was not right on the ground.  And he put up an umbrella to it wouldn't get so hot.  Very clever.

 We walked to the top of the hill behind the cabin so that we could get and make some phone calls and do some texting.  No service at the cabin so we walk up the hill.

 Top of the hill looking out over the reservoir.  It is a beautiful little lake.

Neal and I left Monday night the 3rd so that we could be ready to go up to Midway on the 4th for out annual family celebration and to play bingo and watch the fireworks!  More pictures of the 4th on my next blog.  Happy 4th of July everyone!!!