40 Years is worth a surprise–a surprise that just happened!

One of Lynda Ann’s dearest people in her life just happened to be in Utah on her 40th birthday.  Edwinna Allen Hintze came into our lives somewhere in the 80’s when she married Hal who is the older brother of Raymond.  When Edwinna divorced Hal she asked if she could come and live with Lynda Ann and I until she could get her life squared away and find a home of her own.  I don’t know how long she lived with us, I only know that it was some of the funniest times of our lives.  As we reminisced while looking at photos and eating lunch in Park City, there was much laughter and tears (from laughing so hard).  I could spend the time writing all the things we talked about, but they really wouldn’t mean anything or have the same impact unless you actually experienced them.  I will just headline a few of the stories so that Annie, Dana, Edwinna, Jeff and I will never forget them.

Edwinna thumping the triple lanolin lotion on her hand early in the morning

Dana with Lynda Ann after a funeral asking Annie how she felt and then turning to Lynda Ann and saying, “Feel like shit?”

Edwinna and I breaking into Ray’s office!

Edwinna telling me that Neal would never marry me if he sees my skinny, knobby knees.

The girls trip to Mazatlan with the choir ladies.  Senior Frogs – need I say more?

Lynda Ann and Edwinna staying at Steve’s house, watching scary movies.

Edwinna getting Jeff to help her move, how many times, for $50.00 bucks and a six pack.  (I don’t think I ever knew about the six pack!

The trips to Lake Powell and Yellowstone.

The trip to Boston where Edwinna had to get her own room because Neal snored so loud.

There are so many, I can’t begin to list them all.  I will say that Saturday was one of the highlights of 2011.  One neither Annie or I will forget for a long, long time.  We LOVE you Ed and hope you will find your way back to Utah often!  You will always, always be a part of our heart and family.

The starting of a WONDERFUL day!

Every time we would take a picture, Ed would look at it and say, “Gosh, when did my hair get so white?  Is it really that white?”

9-11 was on our minds and we just had to stop and take a picture of this barn in Park City and take a picture.  We all need to thank our Father In Heaven every day for the freedoms we enjoy is this great land of America.  May we never forget the tragedy of that fateful day in September 11, 2001.

Jeff and Mindy dropped in to give Lynda Ann her very clever birthday present and Ed was still there so we had to have a picture of the four of us.  We missed you Dana!

I couldn’t put all the pictures on my blog that Ed brought, but these three are classics.  The first one if Ed, Dana and I on the back of the Sea Ray.  The next picture is Dana, me and Ed shaving our legs on the back of the houseboat.  Also in the picture is Lynda Ann’s foot.

And last is a picture of Edwinna giving CJ (yup, that is CJ) a bottle while VERY YOUNG father, Jeff looks on.

Our Stake Jubilee Year

Our Stake “Joy In the Jubilee” evening was exciting and for those who participated and those who attended.  The program lasted about an hour and 15 minutes.  The evening was commemorating 50 years as the South Cottonwood Stake.  We had more than 300 people in the cast.  Crawford Gates was in the audience.  He is the composer of Promised Valley and the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  There was also two representatives of the press there, one from Mormon Times and one from the Church News. 

Neal and I had the opportunity to sing and speak in the production.

If you can’t find us, Neal is on the back row, far left (looking at the picture) and I am on the front row, far right.

My next counted cross stitch project–started Sept. 1

This is called the 12 days of Christmas with a sewing twist to it. As you can see by the picture below it shows days four, five and six.  I fell in love with it.  Another one of those “not making it for any one, don’t know what I’m going to do with it when it is done and don’t care.  I just enjoy doing them and they are good therapy for me!  I’ll probably end up framing and hanging it in my sewing room.  I don’t feel so idle when I’m watching TV if I’m at least keeping my hands busy doing something. I have memories of mother always doing some project when she was watching TV.  Usually crocheting or quilting.  Both of which I’ve tried but didn’t enjoy enough to pursue the craft.  The quilting I could do nicely but crocheting was a disaster!  Nope, not my thing.  I’ll stick to embroidery work.

Fall canning–I think I’m finally done!

I bottled some whole tomatoes last night and the smell of the boiled tomatoes brought with it fond memories of the hours and hours spent in mother’s kitchen on Saturdays bottling peaches, tomatoes, pears and apricots.  I don’t bottle near the amount she used to.  Neal and I just don’t eat that much and know one else in the family (and that includes all of you) seem to like bottled fruit.  So there isn’t much point in doing any.  I do use bottled tomatoes for my lasagna and my spaghetti sauce, so I like to have my own tomatoes over the ones bought from the store.  I also did some frozen strawberry and raspberry jam to have when the kids come to dinner, but mostly I need to have it around for Justin and CJ when they hit town.  They always make such a big fuss over my home made jam.

Jaden’s first football game of the fall.

Jaden had a football game this morning.  He had to be at the field at 8:00 a.m., but the game didn’t start until 9:00 a.m. so Maren called and asked if they could come hang out until the game started.  She brought breakfast with her, delicious cinnamon rolls that were to die for.  I don’t know where she bought them, but they would give any home made ones a run for the money.

After the kids had eaten, we headed to Jaden’s game.  Jaden is a good player.  He is aggressive and tackled the quarter back more than once.  Neal and I were proud of him.  He was a little bummed that they lost so didn’t have much to say after the game.  However, he called just a bit ago and thanked me for coming to his game. 

Another exciting game today.  BYU at Old Miss.  Should be a fight to the finish.  Sure hope BYU has what it takes to win lots of games this season.  Of course, the most important one is in a couple of weeks against Utah.  Hummm, what will Tucker and I do to each other this year?  That remains a mystery for now.

Picking up River from Kindergarten

Lyndsy asked me if I could pick up River each Friday at 11:00 from school and take him over to his baby sitters.  That works out perfect as River is going to Twin Peaks Elementary which is about 4 blocks away from my work and the baby sitters is just another 1/2 mile away.  I picked him up for the first time yesterday.  It took all of 15 minutes to pick him up, drop him off and back to work. 

River came out the door, spotted me and came running over to tell me, “Gam, my hair is spiked!”  I couldn’t get him to tell me anything about school, he was more excited about his hair than anything that happened in school that day. 

I love to read!

I think my love for reading began when I was in grade school.  Every summer and holiday I would go to Midway to stay with Lila Mae.  She, like my mother, always had a book that she had her nose in.  The first book that she introduced me to was, “Wagon to a Star” then “Polly What’s Her Name” and from there to " Anne of Green Gables” and the list goes on and on.  I can read and just let the world go by. 

When we went to Mexico, I wanted a couple of good books to read while traveling and while at the pool.  I had heard about the book “The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  When I was getting the book the sale clerk said that if I were going to read The Glass Castle that I had to read Half Broke Horses by the same author.  Then she suggested another book called Unbroken.  So, on her word, I ended up buying all three books and what fabulous books they were.  I know that Jeff H. and Jeff G. will both love the book Unbroken.

Right now I’m knee deep in the book Shantaram, which I also think the both Jeff’s will enjoy.  Of course, I have to say that I’m working my way through the Bible.  I don’t think in all my life I have read the Bible from cover to cover.  That is my goal.  However, no time limit is placed on that particular goal!  Have you read the Old Testament?  My goodness, kind of naughty in places.  The tribes of Israel certainly struggled with following the commandments.  But then, I guess, they are much different than we are.   

August 31? Wow

Seriously, what happened to the summer?  I have a hard time believing that the end of the summer is here and all the grandchildren are back in school.  Even River is beginning his schooling at Twin Peaks Elementary.  Hard to believe that he is in Kindergarten.  Lyndsy says that he loves it and the first day came home and told his mom and dad everything the teacher had told them – that he could remember.  And from what Lyndsy said, it was quite a lengthy explanation of his first day. 

It is still plenty warm outside.  A few subtle hints that fall is coming but when I walk Bella at 4 in the afternoon and it is above 90, I am reminded that we still have the summer heat.  The nights are getting cooler.  They’ve left the 80’s and are moving down into the 70’s and I guess by the end of this week will be in the 60’s.  Those are the nights I love.  To open the windows and have that cool night air come through the house.

All the flowers in the gardens are at their full peek of blooming as you witnessed by the pictures I posted the other day.  The vibrant colors of nature that show themselves in the summer are an artist love.  Did I ever tell you that Grandma Ross (my mother) was quite an artist.  Mother had a lot of talents.  Had she been born later in life or in different circumstances, I think she could have been a writer or an artist.  But, when I look at her life and what she accomplished by raising six children entirely on her own – I would say that  her notoriety may not have been to the world but to the most important people in her life – her children and her posterity.  She was and is a great example to me.  I miss her greatly.

I just had to post this picture of Bella patiently waiting at the door for Neal to come in. She is determined to sit there until Neal comes through the door.

Tending the four Gertsons

 

Jeff and Annie were invited by some friends to go the the Homestead in Midway and spend a day of free golfing and a free room.  Annie called and asked if I would be willing to watch the kids.  She dropped the kids off about 4:30 p.m.  Emmi stayed home because she had her first Youth Council on Sunday morning as the newly set apart Mia Maid President. 

The four younger ones decided they wanted to go swimming.  They swam in the pool from 5:00 until 7:00 when I finally had to get them out so I could feed them and get them settle down for the evening.  Andrew wanted to play with the dominoes and if you look close you can see that he was creating a question mark!  Hayley wanted to read the reunion books. Those books are continually looked at every time the grandchildren and/or adults come over to the house.  You did a wonderful job on them Lyndsy.  Thank you for creating them.  Abby and Mallory played cards and from there to scrabble to see if they could beat me.   

Bed time was interesting.  At first, Abby was going to sleep in the bed downstairs and Hayley and Andrew on the couches.  Mallory was going to sleep in the trundle bed upstairs.  Mallory went right to bed and the three younger ones went downstairs to watch Mulan.  When it ended, Abby changed her mind and decided to sleep in the bottom trundle.  Hayley and Andrew settled down on the couches.  It couldn’t have been longer than 10 minutes when Hayley and Andrew came up to my room and said that they were too scared and wanted to sleep in my room.  So we hauled all the bedding upstairs and finally got them settle down.  Andrew between the desk and TV and Hayley to the side.  They went right to sleep and everyone was safe from the boogie men downstairs!

Jeff and Annie picked them up Sunday morning about 11:00 a.m.

Neal’s patio flowers

Hayley Anne

Lynda Ann just called me to tell me about the kids first days of school.  All seems well and everyone seems happy with where they are. 

She usually has a funny story about Hayley and this call was no exception.  Lynda Ann said that last year there was a boy named Gabriel in Hayley’s class that Hayley had talked quite a bit about.  When she and Hayley went to the school to check out the class list for this new school year, Hayley noticed that Gabriel was on the list.  Her comment, “Oh no, he is in my class again.”  Annie said that Gabriel’s farther is a doctor at the hospital where Annie works.  She saw Gabriel come in to visit his dad and Annie went up to him and asked him if he knew Hayley Gertson.  He told her he did.  Annie then asked him if he like her.  The little boy said, “Well, I wouldn’t say I liked her.”  Annie asked him why and he said, “Well, every time the teacher asks a question and I’m going to raise my hand, I look across the room and Hayley already has her hand up.”  These two kids may be in an intellectual challenging scenario.

Lynda said that Hayley noticed there were some twins in her class that she knew from last year and said that they didn’t look like twins because they didn’t look alike.  Annie told her that not all twins were identical.  Hayley said, “Oh I know that.  Twins that aren’t identical are called fraternal.  Where did an 8 year old come up with that word or even know what it meant.  Kids seem so much smarter at their young age than my generation at the same age.

Rosarito–our favorite place!

I took these pictures of a typical bakery shop.  All of the pastries our out on shelves and you take a tray and some tongs and go around and take what you want.  I will add here that as we were in the shop an Indian family came in.  A mother with three children.  As we were choosing our pastries I noticed this little family go over the cookies and she picked one for the little one year old, walked over to the counter and put down her peso.  As they started to leave I was very aware that the other two children didn’t get a cookie.  They left the bakery.  It nearly broke my heart.  I mentioned to Neal what had happened and he and Ron bought some more cookies for the other two children.  Neal also gave the mother a $10.00 bill. 

We left Monday morning at 4 a.m. hoping to not have a long wait at the border.  As we neared the border crossing at San Diego we saw miles of cars and policemen waving us to a different crossing that was about 10 minutes further away.  When we arrived there, we found the same problem, hundreds and hundreds of cars waiting to cross the border.  We ended up waiting for 4 1/2 hours.  When we finally arrived at the gate the ‘short lady guard’ decided that we needed to be searched!  We had to pull around to the back area where we waiting for another 45 minutes for them to find that the only thing we had that they said we couldn’t bring into the states was – are you ready?  An ONION and three LIMES!  Seriously!! 

Because of the delay at the border and stopping to shop in Primm and Las Vegas at the outlet stores, we didn’t arrive home until 3:30 a.m.  This is a picture of Neal with all of our stuff piled in the kitchen.  I didn’t put one thing away and fell in bed.  Wonderful times and a wonderful trip.

A few more pictures of Rocky Point. It really is an oasis out in the middle of the desert. Hot, windy and sandy.