Farewell to a Family Member

It is with bitter sweet memories that we said goodbye to you today. Bitter because we made one heck of a lot of family memories together, and sweet because I GET MY GARAGE BACK! We've thought of you as one of the family and please know, it was very difficult to finally make the big decision. YOU, our big, red 1989 Ford Aerostar Extended Cab Van had to go.

You resided with us for 20 years and provided us with over 207,071 miles of rides. You drove us to California, Nevada, Arizona and all over Utah numerous times. You even took us to Craters of the Moon in Idaho once. Do you remember the time Grandpa J and I decided to take a trip to St. George and extended it to Las Vegas? It was during that trip that the kids got worried about us and called the cops. They put an APB out on you and Grandpa J and me. It's funny we drove all over the southern end of Utah in you, this huge red box, and NOT ONCE did the cops stop us.

You helped us make one of the most memorable trips when Grandpa J made us go to Lehman Caves one afternoon. He promised we'd only be gone a couple of hours. We rode the whole way grouchier than heck with you and ended up laughing our heads off. We made it home after 3 a.m.! The kids each have their own version of that little outing and it's fun to tell that story over and over again.

You were rear-ended once and you slammed me and my friend backwards into a telephone pole too. You always made my heart skip a dozen beats when you showed off by turning 360s on the ice in the middle of busy intersections and in mall parking lots.

You went camping in the Uintas and at Duck Creek. You took us to the Manti Pageant and hauled zillions of scouts to camp. You took us to Swiss Days and the Roberts' Family Reunion. You took us to church every Sunday and to all our meetings during the week, and you took me to work.

We slept in you. You helped us move. We laughed and cried with you. We fought in you. You hauled weeds, stuff for wedding receptions, and full sheets of plywood and sheet rock. You worked like a TRUCK!

The kids learned to drive with you even though you were a five-speed. That was hard!

You roasted us when your air conditioner refused to work for years and we froze to death when your heater finally gave up the ghost.

You stranded us coming back from Goblin Valley when the radiator overheated. That's when my life played before my eyes. I thought we were "GONNERS" when a Hippi-looking, motorcycle-riding, knife-wielding, scarey dude came to our rescue. I remember you quit on me and left me stranded in the middle of State Street on a hot summer day during rush hour. You left the oldest son stranded at a ski resort when he went skiing and you got stuck. How come you did all that to us, anyway?

We paid you back when we spilled a crock pot full of chili beans in the back end taking a corner a might bit too fast. WHEW! I still remember you stinking for years after that! And, speaking of stinking, because you were so big, more than once a gallon of milk slid from the back end and hid under one of those seats of yours until it turned to yogurt in the hot summer heat. I always wondered if you were playing games with our minds when we didn't get home with all the groceries.

Yes, farewell old and faithful family member! It hardly seems fair we got $150 for you after so many years of faithful service. But it should be okay. You should enjoy your new home with Senor Sanchez. He searched you out on Craig's list and called us within 2 hours. He must have wanted you badly. Maybe we'll see you around. May you serve him as faithfully as you served us!

Who Needs a GPS Anyway?

On the way home from California yesterday, we sat at the Costco in Reno discussing lunch. SOMEONE in the backseat piped up and requested Subway. Grandpa J stated he didn't know where any were.

I, with my trusty new phone, whipped it out and said, "I can find one!" So, I checked out Google Maps and found about seven or eight or so in the Reno/Sparks area. Not knowing the area at all, I asked Grandpa J to take a look and figure out which Subway was closest to where we were. He took one look at it and then SCREWED it all up with his big fingers. Maps zoomed in and out and addresses appeared and disappeared, and then he gave it back saying my phone was too little to read. Well, buddy, open your eyes! So, I pouted a bit and just sat there. I put my cool new phone away.

ANOTHER someone in the backseat piped up and said, "Why don't you check out the GPS?" So, Grandpa J started pushing buttons. By this time, he was pushing not only the GPS buttons, but mine also. Well, he'd been pushing assorted buttons on his GPS all the way to Reno anyway and kept messing it up. He had it on phone connection. Which, by the way, keeps popping up some annoying message every 3 seconds saying there is no phone connection. Duh. . .we're in the car. We're not on the phone. Well, he got all confused as to what category he should look up Subway. So, I gently took the GPS and found, AGAIN, several Subways in the area–two or three within 1.2 or 1.3 miles from where we were at Costco. Do you think we could go to one of them? Heaven's NO. That was BACKTRACKING! Got to find one on the way.

I gently suggested one about 2 miles ahead. So, Grandpa J followed the GPS. We got off the freeway and the GPS said there was a Subway on the left. Hmmm. . . no Subway in sight. Grandpa J wandered around, made an illegal U-turn, and drove in and out of parking lots and started to get frustrated. Any wife of almost 35 years knows all about those signals a frustrated husband gives off when highly stressed.

I gently suggested another Subway. We got off the freeway as the GPS suggested. The Subway was only 2 minutes away. That seemed reasonable to me, but NO, the GPS didn't know anything and was taking us off in a direction Grandpa J didn't want to go. He made sure we all knew that this GPS didn't know anything! Another illegal U-turn and we were back on the freeway. Grandpa J said he could find a Subway better than that "blankety-blank" GPS could!

By this time, everybody was in the game. The backseat kept suggesting that Wendy's or Jack-in-the-Box or Taco Bell would do. NO WAY! I wanted a Subway. I got all in the mood for Subway, so just because Grandpa was so darned stubborn, I was going to have a SUBWAY! And, Subway it was going to be or ELSE! More than once, I stuck my tongue out at Grandpa J.

Needless to say, Grandpa J wandered on and off the freeway, down different roads and couldn't find a Subway. I got my handy, dandy trusty phone out AGAIN to check to see if we had run out of Subways by now. There were still a couple left. I zoomed in on one, but since I was deprived of my homing pigeon skills from the day I was born, (I can get lost in Walmart) SOMEONE in the back seat volunteered to figure out what direction we were going. THEN, after all that time had passed, and what had to have been an hour later, we FINALLY found a Subway! And once again, we continue to live HAPPILY EVER AFTER!


P.S. In all fairness, you should know Grandpa J has his own version of this story. I volunteered to share it with you, but he respectfully declined. You see, secretly I think he knows when to drop it.

Toilet Paper Bride

Today I went to my niece's bridal shower. I was so glad I could go while we were on our quick trip to California. My, how the time flies when you're having so much fun! It was great to see my sister and visit a bit with her.

We played some fun games that I'd never played before. Just imagine trying to figure out how many safety pins there are in a bowl of rice when you can't look in the bowl. Who ever thought safety pins and long grain rice feel ALMOST exactly the same! Try it! It's harder than you think!

The highlight of the afternoon was the wedding dress design competition. The object? My mother and my daughter-in-law had to design a dress on ME out of TOILET PAPER! I tried to convince everyone we should forego the competition and just give Krystal all the toilet paper for her future food storage. But, nobody liked that idea. The result? I looked more like a NUN than a bride!

Please do not make any comments about the broad view of the backside! This shot was intended so you could see the back of the DRESS and appreciate the full talents of my mother and daughter-in-law! Oh, and we won the "Used-the-Most-Toilet Paper" award!

My Mother-In-Law

I have the best mother-in-law. Today, we celebrated her 81st birthday. During the past few weeks, I've been reflecting on some of my fondest memories of her.

When we were first married, I loved her cooking. She always made the best chocolate chip oatmeal bar cookies. Sometimes she made the whole batch for me and let me eat them all myself. Maybe I can blame my pudginess on her. I also loved the meatballs she made and the monkeybread she baked.

I remember when she called my first-born son a "little spitfire." At first I was horrified that she would call my "darling son" a name like that! I took it as an insult, but found out over the years, it was just one of her terms of endearment.

She grew up in a one-room cabin during the Depression years and I think that's why she was always so frugal. I thought it was pretty funny to rinse out plastic bread bags and reuse them. I laughed when she saved empty cottage cheese cartons. I believe Grandpa J is a spin-off from her for sure. You see, he has the same tendencies; that is, he saves the cottage cheese cartons just like his mom, but there is no way we are going to recycle bread bags!

I loved that she gave me knee-high nylons when they were too little for her. I loved the pot scrubbers she made out of empty plastic milk jugs and nylon netting. She sewed potholders and gave me lots. I use them all the time! And, with a labor of love, she made me and everyone of my children and grandchildren a hand-tied or quilted blanket for all the births and marriages.

But most important of all, we knew she loved us. I loved that we could always count on her to make a special effort to attend and be there for the important things in life: the baptisms, missionary farewells and homecomings and temple marriages.

Thanks Grandma for being such a great mother-in-law! I love you! Happy Birthday!

We Finally Arrived!

It was a very long day, but Mercedes did pretty good the whole ride.  She was very happy to reach our destination finally at Great Grandma and Grandpa P's!  Next challenge:  let's see how Mercedes handles a different bed!

Sawing Logs

Mercedes finally got her tummy full and the effects of Grandma J's Diet Pepsi wore off.  So, after a very long day of riding and being afraid she might miss something, Mercedes lost the battle.  Zzzzzzz. . .zzzzz. . .zzzzz. . .

Being Spoiled

Mercedes got really, really hungry.  She cried and cried for an In and Out Burger since she can't get one in Utah.  Being the nice grandma that I am, we stopped to get a hamburger just for Mercedes.  Who can resist those eyes?  Mercedes promises after she got what she wanted that she'll eat her dinner tonight!

Learning From Grandma

Mercedes really likes to travel.  She eats her baby food while strapped in her car seat.  It sure is the pits to have to be in a semi-straight jacket strapped down so tight she can hardly move.  But, we want Mercedes to be safe.  When she starts to cry, Grandma J can't hardly handle it.  Grandma J thinks Mercedes can learn a lot of very valuable things from her grandma while on this trip.  Grandma J found something that helps make Mercedes happy!

Just Ridin' Along!

Mercedes likes to ride in the car.  She goos and babbles and fusses a bit.  After all, it can get a bit boring staring at the ceiling of the car.  She really wishes she could see the sage brush and the big three-trailer FedEx trucks as they pass by at mach one speeds.  But most of all, she sure wishes she could see the SNOW that's coming down on us!

Pit Stop

Mercedes needed a pit stop.  So, we stopped at Smith's and filled up.  Mercedes loves to help Grandpa J pump gas!

Breakfast at McDonald's

Mercedes is hungry so we stopped at McDonald's for breakfast.  She really wanted a hamburger, but they don't make them so early.  So, she settled for an Egg McMuffin.

Mercedes' First Road Trip With Grandma J

We got up this morning around 3:30 am for a quick trip to see Great Grandma J for her birthday.  We're all pretty pooped and yawning.  All but Mercedes!  She's WIDE AWAKE!  She likes Grandma J and is pretty excited to ride in the back seat in her car seat squished between her parents! 

If It Ain't Broke. . .

I learned something today. . .if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Maybe that idea doesn't quite apply. You see, I fixed it alright and now there's a mess!

A co-worker wanted a Diet Coke. Personally, I prefer a Diet Pepsi. Anyway, she went to the machine on the third floor to buy a nice, ice cold soda. You may recall how I previously mentioned it was wisest to just buy the soda out of the machine. Right? You remember that, don't you?

The machine ate her money without giving her the Diet Coke. Now, we've all had that experience, right?

She came back to the office and made her complaint to all us. Of course, who wouldn't? There's something about being cheated out of 60 cents by an inanimate object. You can't do anything about it. Besides, there's a sign right on the front of the machine that says you better not shake or rattle this machine or ELSE!

Being the nice, kind person that I am, I volunteered to give her another 60 cents. Well, she traded me a quarter for a nickel so I got the raw end of the deal. I volunteered to go back with her to the third floor to check the machine out. Of course, I could also be a witness to the fact the machine ate her hard-earned money. In my line of business, it never hurts to have a witness.

She put in the money, turned the knob (this machine isn't the most turn of the century machine anyhow) and. . .NOTHING! The machine ate her money AGAIN!

Being the fix-it type of person that I am, I poked my pen in the little doorway to see if the cans were stuck. I thought by giving a gentle nudge, the cans would roll on their way and out the trap door. Nope, didn't work. We turned the knobs again and put our hand to our chins and said, "Hummph!" I got up close and peered into the machine to try to figure the problem out and then. . . I gave the can another "little" nudge with my pen. I PROMISE, it really was a "LITTLE" nudge!

Guess what? I GOT MY FACE WASHED! Man, they sure do make aluminum pop cans cheap these days! Probably made in China. . .

Want my advice? GIVE UP CAFFEINE!

A Tribute to Dallin on His Birthday!

Dallin was my happy child. From the day he was born, he always displayed a big happy smile on his face. So much so, that we called him "Smiley." I remember, too, he never cried much. It's a wonder I didn't just forget about him some days because he never made much of a fuss.

I call him my "la--la--la" kid. He's the type that "moseys" through life oblivious to most things I always thought were important to worry about. I think his theme song should have been "Feelin' Groovey" or perhaps "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Because he didn't worry, I worried. I worried enough for the BOTH of us as he grew up. But that's what mothers do.

I worried whether he would catch some unknown disease in his very messy bedroom. I feared that whenever he DID get around to cleaning his room it would be like it is when they clear the rain forests: some new dreaded "epizoodic" pops up out of nowhere.

I worried about whether or not he would flunk kindergarten and then, the sixth grade. I was nearly a basket case wondering if he would actually graduate from high school!

I worried whether or not his homework was done and deadlines met and theme papers turned in on time, and whether or not it was a good idea to always be talking to complete strangers. He could learn the most interesting things and get the best bargains for free because of his ability to talk their leg off!

I worried about his "dumpster diving" for some great and wonderful treasure, and whether or not the garbage truck would come along and haul him off while he was head first in some stinking can. The list goes on and on and on. . . Good grief, sounds like I must have been a NEUROTIC mom!

Over the years I have pondered the neurotic-ness of MY life and can take a heap of learnin' from this child on how to enjoy life. He just skips through life with a "la-la" attitude which keeps him happy and carefree. You see, he loves life.

NOW HE'S ALL GROWN UP! Where did the time go? Now that I reflect back, I think maybe he was just a typical boy!

It doesn't matter much now that his room was such a mess all the time. He has a home of his own and he is working hard at getting it fixed up.

It doesn't matter that it was TWO days before graduation that we knew for sure whether or not he would really graduate from high school. He FINALLY graduated with his college degree. (Just because I'm the MOM, I think I should be able to hang the certificate on MY wall. After all, it was ME who "gently persuaded" him to do it. Wasn't it? And yes, I'll be the first to take the credit.)

It doesn't matter now that he talked to complete strangers because now he can carry on conversations with anyone. I am soooo glad I didn't stifle that talent of his!

It doesn't matter now that he used to be late coming home from school every day because he had to stop along the way and investigate everybody's trash can. His pockets were always full of "stuff." He still brings "stuff" home. In fact, my basement is FULL of it, but he can assemble all sorts of parts into something that will compute.

It doesn't matter now that he took a pomegranate to school when he was little and sold the little pomegranate seeds for a nickel a piece. I've got to hand it to the kid. . .that was actually quite ingenious and quite entrepreneurial. Now he is figuring out how to make a go of his own business. I have no doubt he will make it someday, but for the time being he has a great new job. He's a smart kid.

What DOES MATTER now is that he has turned out to be a good husband and a proud daddy. He is kind, loving, considerate and never complains, and he still always has that happy smile. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DALLIN! We love you!

P.S. After a while the music can get obnoxious, you know, the kind that sticks in your head. It never turns off. Click on the little speaker button at the top of the video to turn the sound off.

A Date at the Texas Roadhouse

I worked hard today and played the martyr by not taking a lunch. Of course, it's MY fault...I exercised my fantastic managerial skills and "managed" to let nearly everyone go to lunch at the same time or home early for the day. Whoops!

Grandpa J, being the nice guy that he is, took me to dinner. I was starved! We went to HIS (but I like it too) favorite place, the Texas Roadhouse.

When we arrived, the place was already crowded. That's the first hint this place is good! So, we plowed through people, lots of 'em, to get a number. I really do hate crowds and this place is a crowd! You know the type of crowd I'm talking about. You stand shoulder to shoulder, body to body and hip to hip with weird people intruding in your personal space. You wonder what kind of cooties you're picking up and whether you need to stop by Walgreens and buy a bottle of Rid on the way home. A couple of times I mentioned to Grandpa J that I sure hoped he was the one feeling my leg, but being as deaf as he is and the place being as noisy as it was, he never answered me. Who knows?

We finally got a seat in what I call the "peanut waiting room." That's where you squeeze between all manner of characters and sit on benches and eat peanuts waiting for your number. I like to observe all the people "being connected." Everybody is sitting there, passing the time away looking at their cell phones, talking on their cell phones, playing games and whatever else they do on cell phones. So, I have to be part of 'em too. I WHIP out my phone and catch up on all my favorite blogs. Grandpa J plays his favorite game on his phone and so we sit there for an hour playing on our phones and not saying one word to each other. Wow! Now there's a great date! I secretly wonder if I'm addicted. I tried several times to put my phone back in my pocket. But, you know, it kept creeping out every time I put it back. I couldn't quit looking at it! I suppose that's a story for some other time!

Once they sit us at the table, we YELL at each other 'cause we can't hear anything through the noise. But, that's okay, it's all part of the atmosphere. Since I was starved, I snarfed two rolls, downed a diet Coke and ate all of my salad within three minutes. By the time they brought my steak, I was ready to POP, so I asked for a box and I thought I'd have to ROLL home. I told Grandpa J it would be fun and show our sense of humor to stuff our coats in our shirts and then take a picture to put on my blog. That would get the idea over that we were stuffed! He said no. I dropped it and didn't ask twice. SOME PARTY POOPER HE IS! Sooooo, you get to see just regular pictures.

The Hot Rolls, Green Salad and Diet Coke I Ate in a Hurry


Can't Even Take a Picture of the Both of Us on a Date

It's Really Spring?

Look at what we woke up to this morning!  These are the trees along my driveway which were starting to bloom.  Maybe Grandpa J should have kept his beard since it sure looks like Christmas out there!

Not Much to Blog

There's not much to blog about today. So, I'm going to take the night off and kick back a little. I figured out how to mobile blog. That's being connected for sure!

I gotta say too, Grandpa J shaved his beard off Monday morning first thing. I guess I won that little battle and I didn't even have to say much.

Today it snowed a good two or three inches. Of course, all of my daffodils are now bent to the ground.

Seemed like nearly everyone I was around today either had PMS and was grouchy, or they had menopausal forgetfulness, including myself! 'Nuff said about that.

Oh, and may I just express my wish to have been a participant in one of those tea parties going on around today, but I had to work. I HATE TAXES! Grandpa J informed me I have to wait another FEW WEEKS to get a new DVD player!

A Beard Story

Grandpa J and I are having a small tiff. Not a big one, ‘cause I'm not saying much. I figure the best way to win this is to let him see why he SHOULDN'T have a beard!

I think this notion cropped up a couple of weeks ago, when we looked at some old pictures and there was one of Grandpa J (although he was not a grandpa at that time) with a beard. It's really hard to see in the picture, but when his daughter exclaimed, "Look, Dad, you have a beard in that picture!" I think the idea began to germinate like seeds in the springtime. You see, no one paid much attention to his 80's look because we were looking at how goofy the rest of us looked in that picture; namely, the aforementioned daughter in her "lovely" outfit.

I think that's what started the "OLD" cogs moving. I noticed one night after he came home from a meeting that he had a bit of a "white glow" around his cheeks and jaw bone. I casually mentioned, "Oh, looks like you forgot to shave today."

A couple of days later when the glow was becoming to the point where I needed sunglasses, I said, "Are you GROWING a BEARD?" Who needs a Santa Claus at Easter? A very quiet timid voice answered, "Yeh." I asked him, "Why?" His reply, again very quietly, "I don't know. . .see if I can." I think he thought he was going to be in big trouble. Okay, the best way to combat this thing is to let him just go through this phase.

Yesterday, I secretly noticed him scratching at it. I asked what was going on? He confided that it was itching him to death. Ah-ha! I'm beginning to creep ahead to the winning line. A few hours later he made a comment, "Gee, this thing makes me look older than heck!" Of course, it makes you look older than heck, it's pure white! I'm pulling out way ahead now. At church, one of the neighbors ("Bless the out-spoken, for I shall never regret, for once, that she opened her mouth!") told Grandpa J that she bet Grandma J didn't like that new look. How right she is, but I didn't say anything. . .I can see the finish line up ahead!

I convinced Grandpa J to take a picture with me so I could secretly show the world what the beard looks like. I thought the peer pressure would work better than me nagging at him. I told a little white lie (it matches his beard). . . I wanted to blog something about the two of us and show the world how much we love each other. That part is not the little white lie. Well, this picture does not tell a thousand words. . . YOU CAN'T SEE HIS BEARD OR THE WHITE GLOW IN THE PICTURE! I've failed in my quest! And, what you can see is that I am smiling because his beard is "poinking" me in the lips!

Happy Birthday Dad Today!

I prepared this little tribute for you last night and saved it to publish today. But do to my lack of knowledge of all this new fangled techno stuff, it shows yesterday's date. I really do know your birthday is today! Have a great day!

Happy Birthday to My Dad!

Happy birthday Dad! I wish I could be there to help you eat your birthday cake and sing to you, although that might not be so good since I still have a bit of a croak to my voice. Just want to send you some long distance hugs--some big, some little. You know the kind. Thanks for being the best Dad in the whole wide world. No daughter could have ever been luckier than to have someone like you for a dad while growing up. So here's hoping for the best day ever with greetings from Texas, Utah and Nevada. We all love you and send you lots of those hugs.

A Sure Way to Eventually Get Your Floor Mopped

1. First thing in the morning, when you are in a hurry. . .stand at the fridge and attempt to load a can of warm Diet Pepsi so that it will be cool at lunch time.

2. Promptly drop from shoulder-height the last Diet Pepsi you are loading.

3. Notice how the Diet Pepsi sprays all over the the entire floor including under the fridge, under the pantry door and across the room to the other side of the bar. Notice the added benefit of coverage on the cupboards and fridge door, inside and out.

4. Because you are in a hurry, be sure to use Bounty paper towels ("the quicker-picker-up" towels) and spread liberally all over the entire floor. Be sure to remember to shove some under the fridge and under the pantry door. Quickly make some swipes on the cupboards and in the fridge.

5. Leave the residue to dry because you are in a hurry. When you finally arrive home at 6 p.m. because you didn't get a lunch and you are so tired from putting out fires all day, notice how dang sticky the floor is!!!

6. At this point, you have two choices: (1) Drag out the mop and bucket and clean it up; or (2) say, "What the heck, it can wait til Saturday or, better yet, maybe a couple of weeks." If you choose option (2) walk around on the floor very carefully. By this time, the floor is so sticky your shoes will permanently bond (better than Gorilla Glue) to the floor and you will trip on your face.

7. Want my advice? Buy a cold Diet Pepsi out of the machine!

Rainy Days and Mondays Get Me Down

No blogging for today. Mondays are the worst day of the week for me. I spent the whole day putting out fires that kept spontaneously re-igniting.

You know those guys that dance on the street corner with their I-pod in their ears holding a big sign trying to get you to buy a house down the road or a hot-baked pizza? Well, today I accused a co-worker of doing that doing her lunch hour. The place was a mad house and to any outsider it appeared we had a sale going on for discounted traffic tickets. I think she was out on the corner of Main Street dancing her little jig convincing people to come in for some good deal. Nearly everyone who came in was pretty upset we didn't give any discounts.

Finally It's Spring in Utah!

It's about time spring has arrived! There are no leaves on the trees, no flowers blooming except a few daffodils here and there. How do I know spring has arrived? There are plenty of "Utah Cone Flowers" popping up their lovely orange heads everywhere. These beautiful orange cone flowers are "blooming" down the middle and edges of more and more roads. I have dubbed these Utah's new state flower. Everywhere you turn, there is road construction and orange cones! My usual drive from home to work is three miles, but now after a dozen or so road-blocked signs, detour signs, men-working signs, road-work-ahead signs, barriers, orange barrels and cones, I zig and zag an additional four miles! I swear, every road I take has some sort of road construction. Aargh! Oh yes, spring is soooo much my favorite time of the year!

Back to the 80s

This past weekend we went to California to visit Grandpa J's mother who is very ill. Seeing her reminded me how precious and short life really is. I reflected on some of the fun memories our family has had with Grandpa J's mother and, in the process, it made me think of fond memories we have with our own four children. I went digging through some old photos from the 80s at my mother's and found myself laughing a little and crying a little. I want to give my dad a special thanks for adding the special effects. I'm so glad my family is forever!