Ma and Pa Stubz

East Coast Trip Sept 2011 - Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown and some Grandkids!!

2011-10-12T00:36:00.000-07:00

After a long flight, and an even longer drive from Baltimore, Md to Williamsburg, VA - we made it! Due to flooding from Tropical Storm Lee, we had to alter our travel itinerary and go to Colonial Williamsburg first, rather than start out at Jared and Debbie's in Lancaster, PA. Jared's family joined us there, and we all managed to arrive safely into Williamsburg within 5 min of each other. We both got delayed by road closures coming out of Washington, DC. When we got to the hotel, we piled into our beds and got a good night's sleep, before we began our adventures in the Historical Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestowne and Yorktown. The towns were lovely and quaint and the museums were well-done and informative. All Americans should, sometime in their life, make the journey to the earliest settlements of our nation to pay homage to those who settled our great land. This was truly a trip of a lifetime. We saw so much - we're still overwhelmed. I should have journaled daily, because now so much of it's a blur. I broke our trip down into several posts. We've never been gone from home this long - but it was so much fun and it all went so well.
So here goes . . .

Ben was beyond excited to go aboard the Susan Constant sailing ship, but disappointed to find we weren't actually going to set sail. I was relived!

Jamestowne Settlement, VA. The living history site of the original settlement gave a good flavor of what the earliest settlers had to endure. Those folks were made of stronger stuff than me. I can't imagine sailing for 3 months and landing in an unknown/hostile land without a store nearby! Ben didn't mind going inside the huts, but Hannah wasn't too keen about all the animal hides and the smell! Caleb liked grinding some corn!

Grandma and Hannah stroll in the formal gardens of the Governor's Palace, Williamsburg, VA

Having some 17th century lunch at Chownings Tavern, Williamsburg, VA

We got into a bit of trouble in Colonial Williamsburg and had to spend some time in the stocks!

After our few days together in Williamsburg, Jared's family headed back home to Pennsylvania, and we began the DC leg of our trip. Our plan was to then head up to Jared's, after DC, to end our vacation with them. Bud then headed for home and I stayed for a few more days at Jared's, then met up with Emily and Courtney in New York City. I was gone from home almost 3 weeks. Unheard of for this homebody.

Washington DC

2011-10-11T23:22:00.000-07:00

DC was all we hoped it would be. We were so impressed with what our nation has done in the Capitol to represent itself to the world. All the monuments were elegant and graceful. The Capitol Building was all I expected it to be, and more. I think the Library of Congress was my favorite building. Our docent told us about Boris Yeltsin's visit with Pres Clinton, and how overcome he was with the magnificence of the Library of Congress that he said to Clinton "you did all this and you don't even have a Tsar??" It's a world class building. We weren't able to spend near the time there that I would have liked. The metro was easy to figure out, and we rode it all about town. Our hotel had a shuttle that dropped us off daily at Union Station, and then we were off on full days of sightseeing. We even made a trip to Ben's Chili Bowl made famous by Bill Cosby and Pres. Bill Clinton. We asked, and were told that Pres Obama has made only one token visit to the Chili Bowl. The Capitol Mall is much larger than we anticipated. Since no buildings can be taller than the Washington Monument, the skyline does get kind of tiresome to look at with all the low, squat, concrete edifices. Kinda boring. DC is a buzz of activity. We did see the Pres fly in on his helicopter, escorted by 2 other helicopters to the White House. I won't bore you with a bunch of photos of things you can see in any movie, or online, but I will bore you with the sights I found impressive.

As soon as we got to Washington, I wanted to pick out my Christmas present, and found this little gem at the Smithsonian Institution - the Hope Diamond. Loved, loved all the Smithsonian Museums. Could have spent a week just seeing them all. Got a kick out of Julia Child's kitchen, and the Space Capsules. Just nuts to fly back into the earth's atmosphere in those little pods!!

Full moon rising behind the Washington Monument with the World War II Monument in the foreground. I think I was most impressed by the WWII Monument at night. The Korean War Memorial was eerily/ghostly beautiful at night. I won't bore you with photos of everything we saw!

Apotheosis of Washington in the dome of the Capitol. Not quite the Sistine Chapel, but close! It was magnificent.

Freedom Statue in the Capitol Building. The bronze of Freedom is atop the capitol.

Sunrise peeping through the Jefferson Memorial. We were struck by how large all the monuments are. Our nation did a fine job of memorializing those who gave so much towards the birth of our great nation.

The new Martin Luther King Memorial.

Mount Vernon, Monticello, Shenandoah National Park and Harper's Ferry

2011-10-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

Mount Vernon was fabulous. The grounds were beautiful and the estate was an exercise in self-sufficiency. We took a boat ride on the Potomac and saw Mount Vernon from the water. Also saw Fort Washington, and we could even see off in the distance the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac from DC to Alexandria, VA.
Mount Vernon was much more Washington-esque - humble, yet stately than Jefferson's Monticello.

Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello, sits atop some prime real estate. The estate is flawlessly designed. Jefferson was truly a brilliant visionary. With all he accomplished, and all he read/wrote, it makes me wonder if he had a personality disorder, or had difficulty in his personal relationships. I wouldn't mind living at Monticello. Nice house - but only if it included staff.

A view of the beautiful Shenandoah River Valley from along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Shenandoah National Park. We hadn't planned to go this way from Monticello back to Baltimore, but it was worth the few extra hours to see this gorgeous part of our beautiful land.

We made an unscheduled stop at Harper's Ferry - the beginnings of rumblings of Civil War, and underground railroad for Slaves getting to freedom in Maryland. This is at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. 3 States boarder this confluence - West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.

Lancaster, PA, Amish Country, Gettysburg and Philly

2011-10-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

We culminated our almost 2 weeks of sightseeing with a relaxing few days in Lancaster, PA with Jared's family. They were good sports about taking us to see some Amish countryside, and a visit to Gettysburg. We ventured out on our own to Philadelphia to see the birthplace of our nation. It was a great end to a wonderful vacation. We can't wait to go back again.

Our last stop in Maryland before arriving at Jared and Debbie's for the end of our East Coast touristy trip.

Loved visiting Jared, Deb and kids in Pennsylvania. They were wonderful hosts and took such good care of us,

We took an Amish wagon ride through some lovely farmland.

Gorgeous Amish countryside of Intercourse, PA

Hangin out with Abe at the Gettysburg Visitor's Center. Wish we'd had more time. The battlefield was reverent and massive. The loss of life on that battlefield is almost unfathomable.

Yup, that's it - crack and all!

Impressive lifesize bronzes of the signers of Declaration of Independence

Elphreth's Alley, our nations oldest residential street dating to early 1700's

New York, New York

2011-10-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

When Emily asked me to meet up with her in NYC, while she was attending the SheStreams conference, I said "I can't do that!" Then I decided I could, infact, do that. Josh called the next day and inquired about Courtney joining Emily, and when I told him I was thinking of going - it became a done deal. We had a BLAST!! I almost felt like it isn't allowable to have so much fun. After my stay with Jared and his fam, he took me to the train station and I rode the train from Lancaster, PA to NYC. It was so fast, and so relaxing. I got off the train at Penn Station and walked the few blocks to our hotel to meet up with Em. I felt like a giddy schoolgirl walking along 7th Ave in NYC! Courtney showed up shortly after me and we 3 hit the streets running. We took in Times Square, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral and did some shopping, then went back to our hotel to change for a Broadway Musical. We were having so much fun, we didn't care about food! How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) was Outstanding. Our seats were amazing and Radcliffe truly maintained star power. We ended the evening at an Irish Pub near our hotel where I enjoyed Bangers & Mash. Our hotel was literally 1 or 2 blocks in any direction from all the Broadway theaters. Crummy hotel, great location. (we did a bedbug check and pronounced the place "clean").
Next day we took an open double decker bus around downtown, saw most of the iconic NYC buildings, ate in little Italy (cannolis are terrific) and got to see the 9/11 Memorial from the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center. We were glad to be indoors for a bit, cuz we were drenched from a downpour. Em had to leave us to attend her conference, so Courtney and I had lunch at Bubba Gump's in Times Square. We then got on the Uptown tour bus and saw lots more of the iconic NYC buildings around Central Park.
Saturday we toured some more, and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was so cool to hang out with Degas, Renoir, Rembrandt, Monet, and old Egyptian stuff. I found it remarkable how mankind is compelled to record and preserve their existence.
Saturday we shopped some more, saw Statue of Liberty and made an amazing Subway run back to Times Square and theater district to take in another Broadway Musical - Billy Elliot. Not such a great story, music was so,so, but the kids' dancing was truly amazing. Can't believe children have such talent and skill. We ended up our whirlwind few days visiting 5th Ave, FAO Schwarz, and taking a NYC cab to the airport. Thanks for the memories girlz - it was great! You can visit Courtney's blog for a more accurate accounting of how we spent our time. It's all kind of a blur to me now.

Giddy Girlz in Times Square

Filming The Good Wife at Rockefeller Center (this season episode 7)

9/11 Memorial from the World Financial Center Winter Garden

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Daniel Radcliffe came out after the show to sign autographs. He so short!!

Out front of Radio City Music Hall. No Rockettes in sight!

A Baptism 2'fer

2011-08-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

On occasion you get Serendipity. July 30th, two beautiful granddaughters were baptized on the same day into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. One reason Josh's family planned their month-long trek to California, was so we could all take part in Melina's and Gabriella's baptism. Melina turned 8 on July 8th, and Gabby on July 28th, so with much planning and preparation we were able to schedule the baptisms for the same time and place. It took place in the Runyan's Church Building, which is on the same property as the Sacramento Temple - a special place for our family, since our whole family was able to tour the temple 5 years ago during the Open House in 2006. We've added lots more grandchildren since then, but we'll always have special memories of our time in the temple with the whole family.
Congratulations to two beautiful young ladies. You are treasures!

Cory & Gabriella Runyan and Josh & Melina Stubblefield just before the baptism.

Grandma and Grandpa with Melina and Gabby.

The gang on Runyan's play fort. It was great to be with so many of our children and grandchildren, but we sure missed the ones who weren't there.

Be sure to read the following post which tells all about Crazy July.

Summer 2011

2011-08-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

This has been one of the craziest summers we've had in a long time. We started off by celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary - which is crazy that we're old enough to have a 40th anniversary, and crazy that we're still married (or crazy because we're still married??) We took a long weekend trip up to Ashland, OR for the Shakespeare Festival. We went last year and enjoyed it so much we decided to do a repeat. We saw Love's Labors Lost, The Imaginery Invalid, and The Pirates of Penzance. All were superb. It's so lovely to sit outdoors in the Elizabethan Theatre. This year we were wiser and took jackets and blankets. We also did a jetboat trip on the Rogue River, which was fun, beautiful and exhilarating.
When we returned home, we helped the Lyons move to San Ramon. They'd decided a year of being apart was enuf - or they decided a year of living with us was enuf. Either way - they are all together again and Aaron is just 30 min from his school.
Then the crazy stuff really started . . .
The Tripp kids were here for 3 weeks. I was supposed to go to Los Alamos to take care of the crew, while their parents helped chaperone a youth Pioneer Trek, but the week before my departure they were evacuated from their home due to a huge wildfire. So they decided to bring the kids to me. We had a blast swimming and hanging out together.
Also about that time Josh's family arrived in Cali. They stayed in Roseville at Courtney's folks, other than a few nights here and there with us. You can read more about each family's experience on their own blogs.
Just after the 4th of July, my dad had a mild stroke. He went to the hospital a couple of times, then it was determined he would be better cared for and receive intensive therapy if he was placed in a Skilled Nursing Facility for 2 weeks. He did that, and made good improvements which enabled him to return home to his Assisted Living Apartment. He seems to be stable at this time, and can take care of his personal needs.
Mid-July, we took a long planned for trip to Yosemite with our 10 oldest grandchildren. Cory and Andrea tagged along with Amanda, and Megan tagged along with Tyghe and Ada Jane. We spent 2 nights camping outside the park, and one very full day in Yosemite Valley. The kids were all great sports about hiking and looking out for one another. What a treat to spend time like that with the "grands" who were almost 8 and older. They were all tons of fun and we laughed a lot.
Megan and her crew headed back to New Mexico, after being away from home for 4 weeks!
Then Josh's family came to stay with us for the last week of their 4 week vacation.
We are so grateful for our pool - which got used to the max!!
After 2 days to change beds and move a few things around, the Lyon kids came to stay for 3 nights. Emily had a conference in San Diego and I volunteered to watch the kids. It was nice to have the "Reds" back at our house. They do love their new home though.
So here's a few pic to document "July."
Yosemite was spectacular this year. All the falls were going full blast from all the snow this winter.
I will do another post with some photos of the other BIG event in July.

This is Mr. Burned Marshmallow Man. Can you find the image of a face. I was hoping to sell him on Ebay - but he got eaten.

Pierce and Isabelle's 70th Wedding Anniversary

2011-05-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, April 30th was my parents 70th Wedding Anniversary. What a milestone! We held an Open House for them which was attended by some of the family that live close-by and friends from Church. They were pleased to see a few Gridley friends from the time they lived there. They truly enjoyed visiting with those in attendance and felt honored to be recognized for a marriage of such duration - a rarity! The cute little wedding cake topper on the cake is from their original wedding cake. We found it for their 50th anniversary, and I've kept it safeguarded since then.
My parents were married in a 'civil ceremony' at a little chapel in Santa Monica, CA, then the next day they were married in the St. George, Utah temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They are parents of 5 children - 3 still living, 24 grandchildren and 64 Great Grandchildren - last count.
They lived most of their married life in Mar Vista, CA which is where their 5 children were born. They then spent 12 years in Simi Valley, CA, 11 years in Gridley, CA, about 6 years in Yuba City, one of which they were on a mission for the Church to Atlanta, GA. They always wanted to live in Utah, so they did that from 1994-2001. They've spent the last 10 years back in Yuba City, CA. They now reside in a lovely Assisted Living Facility where they are safe and well taken care of, yet still enjoy a degree of independence. They are both still able to attend Church with us every Sunday. I think they are the oldest folks in our ward!
They don't feel like they are old enough to have been married 70 years. In fact, just last week my mom asked me if I couldn't see about getting her a job at the Health Food Store where I work part-time. She thought she would enjoy it. She hasn't mentioned it again, so I haven't inquired at work ;o)
They both use walkers, and my dad has an electric chair he revs up for trips to the near-by Target store for small items (think candy, cheese puffs and soda pop). Their facility takes them on monthly trips to Wal-Mart and occasional lunch outtings or scenic drives. They miss not being able to drive and go where they want, when they want.
We love them and are glad they live near-by.

AZ Jan 2010

2011-01-18T17:17:00.000-08:00

We had a great long weekend in Arizona, visiting Micah and his cute little family. We were able to catch a soccer game of Jackson's where he scored the only goal for his team. He was so pleased, especially because he had prayed he would be able to score, and he did!
If ever a little girl looked like her dolly, this one sure does. It's a shame her big blue eyes don't show up as well in the photo. We got lots of loves and cuddles from Rachelle.

Dad is always happy when he can help out with a small task. The guys were able to hang a new ceiling fan - a must in Arizona. The box said it was a 5 min job. It wasn't - but at least the thing worked when they got done.

And no trip to Gilbert is complete without a trip to Joe's Farm Grill. On our last visit in April the grill had caught fire, and the place was closed down for a few hours, right when we showed up. So we didn't get our famous Fontina Burger. Got it this time, and it didn't disappoint. Also got the sweet potato fries - yum!!

Thanks for having us, Micah and Sarah. Your children are adorable and we love ya tons.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas 2010 in Iowa with Josh's Family. We were fortunate to be able to schedule our newest grandbaby's blessing while we were there. These grandchildren are such a blessing in our life and we are grateful when we can take part in some of these milestone events.
We had a nice visit with Bud's dad in Omaha. He is almost 88 and is doing well. He lives in an Assisted Living facility and is content with life. He has trouble remembering the simple things in life, but he does recognize us when we visit and is always eager to hear how his grandchildren and great-grandchildren are doing.
Josh's kids were tons of fun to be around and we managed to play lots of games and get in a game of bowling at Uncle Buck's Fish Bowl (Bass Pro Shop). As fun as it is to visit family, it's always nice to come home to California's mild weather. We are so spoiled. I don't miss the days of having to bundle up kids just to get into the car.
Our travels to and from Iowa were safe and uneventful - a real blessing when traveling during Christmas Holidays.
We spent a quiet New Years Eve at home with the Lyons -playing games and eating fondue.

New Year's Day was spent at the Sacramento Temple for a Stake Temple Day. What a treat to have my oldest daughter, Andrea, and my youngest daughter, Emily, with me at the temple. Got some nice compliments from others about how beautiful they are. Missed my Megan and my dear daughter in-laws. I'm feeling very verklempt these days about having family spread out across the country. It stinks.
We had fun at the Runyan's after the temple eating good food and playing games. Thanks for sharing your home with us again on New Years, Runyans. I'm grateful we didn't have a repeat this year of the chicken murders :(
Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year. May all your dreams come true and all your needs be met.

Sport Stud

2010-12-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

This was just too good to pass up! He was catching a nap before the BYU game, and Brielle must have decided he needed some companionship.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

Yeah - I am behind, but at least I am Thankful. We had a nice quiet Thanksgiving with the "usual suspects" The Runyans and The Lyons. Unfortunately, my parents were feeling under the weather that day, so they opted not to come. We missed them. The food was great, and the company was entertaining. We decided to start a new tradition this year. We bought a chicken pinata and let the kids stuff it, then whack the heck out of it. The younger ones scrambled for the candy and the older kids scrambled for the cash. Then Sam stuck the chicken on top of his head. He is such a fun guy.
We are looking forward to the Christmas Season and wish all of you the choicest blessings.

I love fall!

2010-10-30T23:30:00.000-07:00

It was a long time coming, but fall has finally arrived. This is my favorite time of year. I love the fall colors and I love the first day I put on shoes and socks, rather than flip flops. I'm sad to see the swimming season end, but it's sure nice to not have to worry about keeping the pool clean and sparkly.
Fall is never truly fall without a trip to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm. It seems not so long ago I accompanied Micah's elementary class on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch, which consisted of - a pumpkin patch, where the children could pick their own pumpkin and a smallish shed with a few crafty items displayed. Nothing like the present day Bishop's Pumpkin Farm which boasts a train, hayride out to the pumpkin fields, corn maze, coyote mountain with slides, petting zoo, bakery and lots of food venues, etc, etc. We avoid the weekends, as it is just too busy with crowds from Sacramento and even the Bay Area. Thanks to the Bishop Family for creating such a lovely place to spend a cool fall afternoon.

This is our first foray into "designer" pumpkin carving. We made the effort in honor of the launch of Micah's new website: www.craftbattles.com
Check it out for future crafty battles/competitions.

Pierce is 90 today!

2010-09-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

My dad turns 90 years old today. We took him and mom out to dinner last night with the Runyans and Lyons. They really enjoy the attention and activity with all the kids. It's amazing these two still have one another after 69 years of marriage.
My dad was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, but moved with his family to So. California when he was 3. His dad had work on the Baldwin Park dam. My dad attended Venice High School, but didn't graduate with his class. He later went back to school and got his GED. He left school for a lucrative job at Paramount Studios making movie sets. Since his father was no longer in the home, it became my dad's responsibility to help support his mom and younger sister. My dad baptized my mom when she was 21, then married her! They had all the same friends in their ward in Mar Vista, CA. Dad continued to work in construction, until he enlisted in the Navy during WWII. He spent most of his Navy years in Santa Rosa, CA working on damaged fighter planes. After the war, he returned to construction. He also spent a few years selling insurance for Prudential. His later years of work, he was a custodian for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and retired from there in 1986. He and my mom served a mission to Atlanta, GA in 1987-88. I think that's been a highlight of their golden years. They've traveled to Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, Scotland, England and the Netherlands. They also took their 5th wheel across the US on an extensive tour.
Dad has served in many callings in the Church. The most memorable to me was his many years as Scoutmaster. I think most of our vacations, in my younger years, included scout camp. I learned all my camping skills from my dad. I recall having to roll, and reroll a sleeping bag numerous times to get it tight enough to satisfy dad.
Dad's always had a dog, and made sure his dog was well trained. He used to love a good practical joke in his younger years.
Happy Birthday, Dad!

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

2010-08-23T23:20:00.000-07:00

We spent a nice long weekend attending the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We've intended to go for many years, and finally did it. On our way up to Oregon, we stopped in Redding and visited the Sundial Bridge. It's pretty cool. The bridge extends over the Sacramento River, and it is actually a sundial. There is a tile band on the ground with times, and when the sun casts a shadow over the band, it should be on the correct time (based on summer solstice).

We took a detour off I-5 and spent our first night in Klamath Falls - just to check it out. Not impressed! We did a little nature hike the next day, and found the "falls" which amounted to a brief section of rapids! At least our hotel was very nice. The drive from Klamath Falls was beautiful as we drove by Upper Klamath Lake. We were lame and forgot our camera, so our few photos are from our cell phone. The pic below is of the "falls."

Our first night in Ashland, OR, we went to a dinner theater and saw I Love You, You're Perfect - Now Change. It was a bit bawdy, but fun and entertaining.

Last day in Ashland we drove around Lithia Park, which is right in the middle of town. Very lovely park. Saw a deer on the side of the road, and stopped to take a pic. She was very cooperative, then up the hillside bounded her fawn which promptly hooked up with mom for a snack. We got a pic of the two of them. We were surprised at the agressiveness of the nursing fawn - almost violent! Mommy Deer was very patient.

Photos were not allowed in the Elizabethan Theater where we saw The Merchant of Venice. The theater was lovely and the play very well done. Had to study up a bit before the play, so I was refreshed about plot. I think some attendees were offended by the anti-semite theme. I just took it as we all need to be more tolerant of others, cuz we never know who we might need to borrow money from, and hopefully they won't require a "pound of flesh" as a guarantee.
All in all, it was a nice weekend getaway.

Summer Fun at Funderland and GrandmaLand

2010-07-29T15:03:00.001-07:00

Stubblefield Family Reunion - July 2010

2010-07-14T22:34:00.001-07:00

Every other year we have a Stubblefield Family Reunion. It is the highlight of my life to have my children and grandchildren all together in one place. Sadly, this year we were missing Jared's family due to their recent move to Pennsylvania. However, we did have 12 adults and 22 of our 26 grandchildren there. Our theme was Firm as the Mountains Around Us with 1Nephi 2:10 - Steadfast and Immovable, as our scriptural reference. When we arrived, each family tye-dyed shirts to distinguish themselves (holding aloft our colors). It was a mess, but fun. The shirts turned out beautifully.
The home we rented was perfect for our needs. It was HUGE, with commanding views of Mt Timpanogas, Heber Valley, and Red Ledges Golf Course. Usually, we have to rent two cabins, but this home allowed us to all be together. It didn't seem crowded at all, and there was plenty of space for everyone to sit at mealtime. We played hard, laughed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed being around one another (speaking for myself). You will have to check out some of the others' blogs for more photos. We took a big family photo, but those pics are on Megan's camera.
Enjoy the photo dump here:
Here is a view of the front of the house we rented in Heber Valley, and some of the kids out front.

Brielle and Amanda looking over the log railing. Ada and Tyghe on the gnarled hunk of wood in the entryway

Some of the family participated in the inaugural Hobbler Half Marathon in Springville, Utah. Megan did a half marathon, while Bud, Micah, Andrea, Kendall, Sara and Caemlyn all did the 5K. Photos of the event are on Megan's camera - so you'll have to wait for those. Here are some of the after effects of the run - oh wait, why is Cory napping? He must be pooped from cheering them on.

Grandpa's homemade Rocket Launcher is always a big hit. The kids fashion their own rocket, and then they launch them over, and over again. Sometimes the rockets need to be retrieved off roofs and out of trees.

We rented a huge Waterslide for a day, and really got our money's worth. The kids and a few adults spent most of the day out on it. The mountain water was very chilly!!

Kids in the Hot Tub. They would use the waterslide until they were half frozen, then go warm up in the Hot Tub.

Grandma and kids in the Media Room. This is where Sam, Zephram, Tristan and Kelman spent a lot of time playing Wii.

Pool in the Rec Room.

Ping Pong in the Rec Room.

A game of Go Fish with grandma.

After Church and lunch, we headed for Emigration Canyon and This is the Place Monument. We also spent some time at Temple Square. Josh's and Micah's Families had already headed for home in Iowa and Arizona respectively.

Last, here are few hot air balloons in Heber Valley the morning of our departure. What a wonderful time we had rekindling our family ties and our love for one another. Thanks to everyone for making the effort to be there and contributing to the festivities. We surely missed Jared's family.

Monterey Bay, Giants Game, San Francisco and Point Reyes

2010-06-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

We decided a long weekend getaway was just what we needed. We met up with the Lyons for a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We hadn't been since our kids were young-uns. It was lovely. The next morning we went for a whale watch cruise, then parted company with the Lyons and headed to San Francisco. We've been many times, but this time we thought we'd take the tourist approach and we signed up for an couple of "walking tours." The first was an Architectural Tour of the financial district in SF. We learned tons of stuff about SF and enjoyed learning about its unique architecture. Although the city was founded in 1840's, all the buildings date from 1906 due to earthquake and 3 days of fire. We then took a Chinatown walking tour. It was so interesting. We learned lots about SF history and the blending of Chinese culture. We went to a fortune cookie factory, modern tea bar, Taoist temple and a herbalist shop. We spent our nights in Novato, and took the ferry into the city for tours and Giants game. Our last day was spent out at Marin Headlands and Point Reyes National Seashore. There was too much to see in a day, but we did our best. It's fascinating that such rugged country is so close to such a fascinating big city. SF is a blend of contrasts.

Life is like a box of chocolates at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Petting bat-rays at the aquarium.

This is a 10 story, 20ft wide 1910 belt, suspender and tie factory wedged between 2 highrise buildings. Owner had a sense of humor. It's now vacant with a tacky Sushi Bar on the bottom floor.

I like this photo cuz it represents the past and future of SF. The glass building is the Crown-Zellerbach building ca 1950's representing new style of glass and steel, while the building reflected in the glass is the 1929 Shell building ending the era of classical stone and pillar construction. It was completed just before stock market crash and there was no new construction in SF until late 1950's due to crash, and wars.

On our tour of Chinatown, I found this herbalist shop very interesting. For $8.00 a board certified MD will diagnose your maladies, then for another fee the herbalist will customized an herbal concoction to cure your ills.

Us at the Giants game. We enjoyed watching Buster Posey's debut. He did great!

309 steps down to the Point Reyes Lighthouse . . . then back up!

Us overlooking Point Reyes National Seashore. It was breathtaking and is always windy.

Saw this herd of California Happy Cows. They live on prime real estate on Point Reyes, overlooking the Pacific Ocean!

I'll end with this photo and let the words speak for themselves. Contemplating sending to Jay Leno.

Caleb's Blessing Day - G'Baby #26

2010-05-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Caleb Ephraim Stubblefield's Blessing Day. He was very cooperative. Jared and Debbie are the proud parents and Ben & Hannah the proud siblings. The Runyan's came up from Folsom, the Lyon's were there, as well as Caleb's Great Grandparents, Pierce and Isabelle Hawley. Grandpa Hawley was quite pleased to be able to participate. A sister in Jared's ward got all teared up when Bud helped Grandpa up to the front, and Emily overheard her say "how sweet."
Not many babies get to have their almost 90 yr old grandpa stand in the circle. We had a fun potluck at our house afterward. It is always fun to watch the cousins interact and enjoy one another. The Runyan kids are always amazingly sweet to their littler cousins. Check out how tall Sam is!! He's in the back between Aaron and Jared. His voice is changing too.
It was a wonderful day. I'm so grateful for my family and I miss the ones who live so far away.

Married 69 years and going strong

2010-05-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

My parents celebrated their 69th Wedding Anniversary on Friday, April 30th. We took them out to dinner at Cool Hand Luke's and they really seemed to enjoy themselves. They sure don't eat much these days, but they love the attention and conversation. We usually try to take them out to lunch monthly, but it was a hectic day and dinner was the best we could do. They are pretty tired by evening time.
Mom and Dad were married in 1941 in the Little Chapel of the Dawn in Santa Monica, CA. Mom's parents were not members if the LDS Church and they were grateful they could witness their only daughter's wedding. The next day mom and dad drove to St. George, Utah, with my dad's mother, Winnie Hawley, and were married in the St. George, Utah LDS Temple. That doesn't happen these days! Couples married in a civil ceremony must wait a year before being sealed in an LDS Temple. Often, couples have a "ring ceremonies," at a location other than the temple, to afford non-member family members the opportunit to take part in the wedding ceremony.
My mother was also able to obtain special permission to not wait the traditional year after baptism to attend the temple. She had been active in the LDS Church, since she was 12 years old, without the benefit of baptism and I guess she had proven her dedication to the gospel. My dad baptized her the previous November of 1940 on her 21st birthday - the age her parents said she could accept baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They supported her attending the LDS Church for 9 years, but would not let her be baptized until she was "of age" and the respectful daughter that she was, she honored their wishes.
So, I guess it was because of that, she was given special permission to not only be married in the temple prior to a full year of membership, but to have a civil ceremony before her temple marriage. After their temple marriage in St. George, they promptly put grandma Hawley on a bus headed for home! She wasn't invited to the honeymoon. Some Church members in St George were kind enough to invite Pierce and Isabelle to a ward dinner after their temple marriage, and surprisingly, they went!!
They've had many good years and many difficult years during their 69 years of marriage, but through it all, they've remained devoted to one another, and devoted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am grateful to them for their love and example.
Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad.

Our Visit to Arizona, Nebraska and Iowa

2010-04-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

We had a great time visiting our kids, grandkids and Bud's dad last week. We are grateful we could take part in Rachelle's blessing day. What a sweet girl. We were dopes and didn't take a camera this trip, so we relied on other's cameras and our cell phone for a few photos to document the journey.
I must say - if you want a lot of attention on your birthday - travel! I got so many celebrations and 3, yes, 3 birthday cakes (too afraid to get on the scale to see how many birthday pounds those 3 cakes added).
I promised Bud we would go to Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert, AZ and we did, but when we showed up it was temporarily closed due to ventilation problems, so we headed over to Joe's BBQ. It was good, but I was disappointed I couldn't have the Fontina Cheese Burger. Here's some pics of us with our Arizona kids. Lacey like the little chef guy, who was the same size as she. Grandpa enjoyed his snooze with Rachelle. I will do another post of some pics in Des Moines/Omaha.

Newest Grandson - Caleb Ephraim

2010-03-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

We welcomed our newest grandchild on Wednesday night. His proud parents are Jared & Debbie Stubblefield with even prouder siblings, Hannah and Ben. We are so grateful for this new blessing.
Here's grandma with the new little guy.

Proud brother and sister. Caleb won't lack for lots of attention!

Sweet baby - he seems like a real mellow fellow!

Then there are those feet. They are HUGE! Because of all his hair and those big dogs, I think I may call him Sasquatch.

Congratulations to mommy and daddy for a job well done. You can visit their blog to hear more about their at home birth and see a sweet video.

Joe's Farm Grill - Gilbert, AZ

2010-03-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

So . . . here we are at Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert, AZ not far from Schmicah's house. The Fontina Burger was seriously the best burger I've ever had. It boasted Fontina Cheese, roasted red peppers, grilled mushrooms, pesto, fresh tomatoes and arugula - grown at the Farm Agritopia. The fries were pretty tasty too! We will definately go again, the next time we visit Micah and Sarah - unless it is summertime and a bazillion degrees outside! We took a grilled BBQ chicken pizza home to Sarah, and she said it was pretty good too. The Fontina Burger and Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza were featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri.
Here's me with Jackson and Lacey - out front.

There was a cool tree the kiddies could climb on, but it had a warning sign "Beware of Scorpions!"

Micah - the new daddy chowin down. Can you believe this kid has 3 kids now!!

Grandma chowin down. Can you believe this young lady has 25 - soon to be 26 grandchildren (27 come October!)

Welcome to the Family, Rachelle

2010-03-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Our Newest Granddaughter, Rachelle Anita Stubblefield, was born on March 1st. Her parents are Micah and Sarah, with proud brother and sister, Jackson and Lacey. I had a great time visiting them in Arizona. Rachelle is a sweet baby, and well loved by her sibs. While I was in AZ, Micah and I took the kids to Joe's Farm Grill - featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins." The place was packed on a Saturday afternoon, with the order line going out the door. I had the best burger I think I've ever had which was worth the wait. Photos are on my cell phone, and as soon as I get them off, I will post here. I had a great time with the kids and got some nice cuddles with the new baby. Being a grandma is the BEST!

King Cake & Jambalaya

2010-02-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

I keep hoping someone else will get the baby in their slice of King Cake, so I don't have to make it again. At least Bud got it, so maybe I will be the recipient of some fall-out good luck. Maybe next year I'll have more people over to improve the odds of someone else getting the baby. The Jambalaya was yummy. I just don't care for de-veining the shrimp. Whoever thought such ugly little things would be good to eat.
Happy Fat Tuesday to Everyone. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Biblical foundation for this practice comes from Job 42:5-6 "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

The Lyons joined us for Fat Tuesday Celebration.

Snow Days/Los Alamos

2010-02-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Unlike many we know, Snow Days in California consist of rummaging through the garage for old snow gear, collecting beat up sleds, maybe even wrapping your feet in baggies and then putting on your shoes, then heading for the mountains for a few hours in the snow. We "go" to the snow, rather than it coming, and coming, and coming to us. Chili and Hot Chocolate are usually involved at some point, as well. We spent an afternoon at LaPorte with the Lyons - kind of a preview day for the upcoming Church Mutual activity. The kids had a great time.
Then last weekend we traveled to Los Alamos, NM to visit the Tripps. They live in one of those places where the snow comes to them! On Saturday, we spent an hour or so sledding at a local park with a nice little hill. It was great fun! The one nice thing about living close to the snow, or in it, is once you are cold, you hop in the car and drive a few blocks home. Where we live, there are winding roads involved - but oh the views!
We reminisced about the "K-Mart Hill" that was behind our house when we lived in Iowa many years ago. I think it was more of a ditch than a hill, but our kids sure had lots of fun there with their sleds.
We sure enjoyed our weekend at the Tripps. When we visit our family across the country, we usually like to see at least one thing of interest in their locale. I recently read about these statues placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution, across the USA. They were done in the late 1920's and are mostly along the old route 66 and I-40 and are intended to pay tribute to the pioneer women who sacrificed so much to settle the west. There are 12 Madonna of the Trail statues from Bethesda, Maryland to Upland, California. This one is in downtown Albuquerque, so we stopped to see it on our way to the airport.

Me and My Meat

2010-01-17T14:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'll admit it - I've gone rogue. Sarah Palin has inspired me. If men can pose with the meat they have hunted down and killed, then surely I can pose with the good deals I've hunted down and scored on.
Actually, my daughter, Emily, is my inspiration. She is a champion couponer. The best I've ever done with coupons is to cut them out and watch them disintegrate in the bottom of my purse. When I do remember to dig them out, alas, they've expired.
Well, not this time! I bought 10 Healthy Choice meals with a $5.00 off coupon at Bel Air. At that time, as a "thank you", ConAgra generated two $3.00 off cash register coupons. I saved those puppies in a safe place, then waited for another good deal to present itself. One week later, Bel Air/Raleys was offering a $5.00 coupon off $20.00 of Black Angus Beef - for two days only (one being Sunday, so Saturday was my "hunting" day).
Yesterday, I went to Bel Air armed with my $5.00 store coupon (must register at Raleys.com) and my two $3.00 off ConAgra coupons. I scored $20.00 of fine Black Angus Beef for $9.00.
Too bad I am a Vegetarian!! Not really, but we do eat very little beef.
Today for dinner we had Chef's Choice Filet of Beef from Walmart that cost only $.68. Emily told me about the online printable coupon for $3.00 off these little guys. They were yummy!
Thanks to my husband for humoring me and taking my pic with my meat. At least he didn't have to take me on a helicopter with an expensive rifle to shoot these suckers. Or, I suppose we could have gone with Weezer into the wild and let her scare up some meat. I prefer hunting deals shrink wrapped in cellophane and gleaming under fluorescent lighting.

A Fowl Folly

2010-01-05T21:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry - this is a long post, without any photos. Sit back, relax and read-on.
New Year's Day was eventful for us. We spent New Years Eve at the Runyan’s, making use of their home, while they were in Colorado. Our stake had a Stake Temple Day on New Year’s Day. What a great way to begin the New Year! We scheduled to be Ordinance Workers for the day, kind of bittersweet, as this was our last shift before our release. We thought it would be most convenient to be near the temple for our early arrival. The Lyons, and Jared came along too. Jared was kind enough to tend the Lyon’s kids, while they were at the temple (Debbie was not feeling well and stayed home with her critters).
We had been tending Gump for the Runyans – he is their 12 year old Dachshund. He was a perfect gentleman the whole time. We can’t say the same for our Weiner Dog, Weezer. She is a relentless pest. Gump was kind and patient with her.
We took the dogs to Folsom with us, for fear fireworks on New Years Eve would have them out of sorts while we were away.
The Runyans have two chickens – Cindy and JoJo! You may have read about JoJo a while back on Runyan’s blog. She is the chicken who swallowed a shoelace, causing some embarrassment and a big Vet bill for the Runyans.
We enjoyed pizza, snacks and games on New Years Eve, while sadly missing Debbie and the kids. We left early in the morning for the temple and the Lyons soon followed, leaving Jared in charge of 3 wild boys, one cute baby girl, two dogs and two chickens! He is amazing with the kids. Thanks Jared!
Jared got really frustrated with our annoying dog, as she kept going out the doggie door and pestering the chickens, safely fenced inside their coop, – a new thing for her. Gump got used to the chickens long ago!
Finally, Jared had to lock the doggie door and keep Weezer inside. At the appointed time, Jared loaded up the kids and met Emily and Aaron at the temple, as they came out and he went in. When Emily got back to the house, she saw the locked doggie door, and quickly opened it, fearing doggie accidents. Later on, they picked Jared up at the temple to take him back to Runyan's house. We still had a couple of hours to go on our shift.
When Jared got in the car, he found out Emily had let Weezer outside. She had no idea Weezer had been pestering the chickens. They debated who would win in a chicken/dog fight. Jared’s money was on the chickens – as Weezer is only a 7 lb dachshund. Emily figured there was no way Weezer could get the coop opened up.
When they got back to Runyan's they immediately went outside to find - no chickens in the coop and no Weezer in sight. They called for Weezer and she soon came around a corner – with feathers stuck to her face. Jared then found JoJo, the black and white chicken, dead in the side yard. Emily was horrified when she saw Jared standing there silently with both hands over his mouth, peering at the dead chicken. Emily didn't know whether to laugh, cry or vomit as she cried, “Oh No, Oh No, Oh No.” They looked for Cindy and found her hiding under the chicken coop. No way was she going to come out with a rabid weiner dog lurking about.
The Lyons figured they better get their kids out of there before they saw anything and they left for home, while Jared waited for us. When we got there, we all stood there mortified at the carnage and disgusted by our little dog! Obviously, Jared would have lost money had the bet been for real.
We managed to coax Cindy out of hiding, and I bravely picked her up and put her back in the coop. When I did, I noticed she was bleeding, and we found a good size chunk of her tail end missing. We were able to get a hold of Andrea and she advised us to “put her down.” Andrea was in the car with Megan, who also harbors chickens. I won’t explain their reaction here.
Unlike Weezer, Bud and Jared don’t have the killer instinct. They spent about 10 minutes debating the best technique for the surviving chicken’s demise. Neither wanted blood on their hands or clothes! I heard "ax, neck wringing, hoe, sledgehammer, etc, but upon seeing the tetherball in the backyard, I suggested garroting the poor thing. We looked for wire, but found a piece of rope instead.
Bud got a hold of Cindy by the neck and Jared attempted to get a rope around – no dice. In the frenzy of the moment, Bud just choked the poor chicken. He thought she looked pretty dead. I got a plastic garbage bag, and they put her inside. Bud stomped on the bag for good measure. Then they went to get the other chicken and toss her in the bag. Just when Bud tossed her in, out came flying Cindy! I was inside and heard Jared hollering hysterically – kind of a cross between revulsion and laughter. They let Weezer back outside, thinking she was better skilled to end things. I yelled at them to not let her do it – I didn’t want to further encourage her killer instinct. Finally, Bud got a hold of Cindy and held on to her neck for a good long time – til he was sure she had met the same fate as JoJo! Both chickens were then transported in the black plastic bag to a nearby dumpster – I found out later it was at the nearby Kindercare! Men have no regard for what is appropriate.
Needless to say – we are so very sorry Runyans! I apologized over and over. I had planned to have a big pot of chicken soup waiting in the fridge when they got home from Colorado, as a “thank you” for letting us use/abuse their home. I thought better of it! Maybe I should offer them Roy – our ceramic rooster who’s been sitting on our kitchen counter for 10+ years. I would, except I have him listed in our will for Micah. Micah would you consider donating Roy to the Runyans?

Grandma got Nerfed

2009-12-28T22:23:00.000-08:00

Ben got a Nerf Gun from Santa - and Grandma was a target. Grandpa has a collection of Nerf Guns, and now the 4 and under guys have their own. The war is on!

The usual suspects (Lyons, Runyans, Jared's Fam and G-Ma & G-Pa Hawley)came for Christmas Dinner. We had a great time, but missed the rest of the fam.

This was one of my favorite shots of Christmas - the sign of a "real" man. Aaron is doing dishes, armed with a disposable diaper in his back pocket.
This was the first Christmas Eve in about 37 years that we spent the night at home without any kids in the house. We got up early and went over to Lyons to unwrap presents with them. It was kind of odd going to bed on Christmas Eve without any children in the house, but also kind of peaceful!! And, because we did all the unwrapping at someone else's home, we were spared all the extra wrapping paper mess. First time I can recall our garbage can was not overflowing the day after Christmas.
We had the traditional Chinese Food on Christmas Eve, with our Nativity Story re-enactment. Those photos must be on Emily's camera. She will have to blog those. Then we did the traditional breakfast at Emily's house, and Dinner at our house. It made for a very nice Christmas Day. We feel so very blessed in every way imaginable.

Thanksgiving, 5K Turkey Trot & Family Reunion

2009-12-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

We started off the long weekend with our traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. Not all of the family were there, as Josh and Courtney spent the day with Courtney's family and Megan was enroute from New Mexico - leaving her family behind (sad face). We had great food, and great company.

We kicked off the Family Reunion with a "No Chickens Allowed" 5K Turkey Trot on Friday morning, after Thanksgiving. It was a good way to burn off the additional calories from the Thanksgiving over-indulgences. It was a beautiful morning to run, after a much needed rain. The kids did a 1.4 mile run, while the adults did a 5K. We all ended up at Emily Lyon's home for juice and bagels. Aaron Lyon came in first, and I came in last - woohoo - at least I was there, and I finished.

Yes, we had the Family Reunion to celebrate my mom's 90th birthday. There were 72 in attendance. We had wonderful time. It was so great to see my parents enjoy greeting their children, many grandchildren (15 of 24) and numerous great-grandchildren
(38 of 60?). We played a Jeopardy game with questions about Grandma & Grandpa, we had many photo ops with each family, then each family put together a scrapbook page. We presented the album at the end of the evening. We ate dinner, had a variety show, and then had cake and Hot Fudge Sundaes, per Isabelle's request. It was a perfect evening. Thanks to all who made the trek to Cali. The grandchildren came from as far as Minnesota, Iowa, New Mexico, Arizona, Washington, Nevada and Utah. I know it was a sacrifice for many, but Grandma and Grandpa are still floating on clouds over the magnitude of the event.

Sister Act + One Grandma

2009-12-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

Here is our contribution to the Family Reunion Variety Show. We celebrated my mom's 90th Birthday with a gathering of about 70 family members. It was a wonderful time to see everyone and renew family ties.
Emily roped us girls into doing this parody from Saturday Night live that my granddaughter, Sara, had shown us. I made the snazzy aprons and Emily chose to be the "odd" sister. We are in order from left, Emily, Andrea, Laurie and Megan. And that is a pillow filling out my apron front! Anything for a laugh!
I will be posting more photos of our fun filled Thanksgiving, 5K, and Family Reunion soon.
Enjoy!

Isabelle turns 90!

2009-11-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

First, I think it is fitting to show a photo of Thistles taken at Apple Hill a few weeks ago. Thistles are the flower of Scotland - a fitting tribute to my mother.
She turned 90 years old today. We will have a bigger celebration in a few weeks, but for today we took her and my dad to Chili's for lunch. We had a great time and she got to laugh a lot.

Me and my mom. She is pretty spry for a 90 yr old.

Me, my mom and Hannah & Ben (Jared's kids)

Great Grandma, Grandma, Mommy - Emily and Brielle. Great Grandma Isabelle was very pleased to have 4 generations there. Grandpa looked on with a tear in his eye.

It is such a blessing to have my parents live close-by and be able to share these times together. They are both blessed to have one another, even after 68 years together.
We are anxiously looking forward to our family reunion in a few weeks to celebrate my mom's 90 years. It will be wonderful to renew family ties with siblings and nieces and nephews.
A reminder to all ya'll to work on your VARIETY SHOW entry. We will also be making scrapbook pages, so if you are not attending, you can send me a 12" X 12" page with family photos(thanks Jenni for getting yours in). You may also send a 5 min or less DVD with your birthday greeting (thanks Mike H. for getting yours in).
She and grandpa still get around fairly well with their walkers. They seem to like their living conditions at The Courtyard Assisted Living. They go to Church with me every Sunday, unless one or the other is sick, which is not very often. They tire easily and are not as sharp as they used to be, but everyone who visits them from the ward comments on how fun they are to talk to, and what a great sense of humor they both have. Yesterday, the kind ladies from our Relief Society Day-Time Stitchers Group brought them both lovely lap quilts. Both quilts are works of art, made by loving hands. Thank you, dear friends.
If you'd like to leave a birthday greeting here, I will print them up and show them to Isabelle/Grandma/Great-Grandma.

Annual Bishop's Pumpkin Patch Trip

2009-10-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

What a great place to spend the afternoon with grandkids. This place used to be one shack and a patch of pumpkins, when our kids were little. Now it has grown to several buildings, petting zoo, train ride, hay trampoline, railcar, 3 story treehouse, lots of things to explore, corn maze and yummy food. The Walnut Pumpkin Pie was amazing. We had a great time - albeit some puking in the car on the way there :( (poor Carter) Fortunately, we had a bag in the car, and some of the chocolate milk barf made it into the bag. The rest landed on me and Carter.
Enjoy the photos.

Labor Day Fun!

2009-09-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Micah, Sarah and the kids visited for Labor Day weekend, and we had a fun filled few days with them and the local kids and their fams. Here are some of the highlights.
Woo Hoo - bowling shoes!

Lacey was not about to let the big boys have all the fun!

Thomas the Train is a favorite with the under 4 guys

The sand table is a new favorite.

And, of course, Schwimmin is always a hit - with Weezer on duty as Lifeguard. Jackson and Lacey have some awesome swimming skills.

Thanks for coming, Micah & Sarah. We loved it!

Happy Birthday, Shmicah!

2009-08-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

My birthday wish to Micah - keeper of all the family videos! Since he has custody of the videos, I couldn't get one of him for embarrassment. But I did find this gem of a photo. Too cool for words. Leave Micah a birthday wish. I hope he still has the knit pants!

And I did find this little snippet of Micah with Big Bertha out at Southridge.

Fun at Grandma's

2009-08-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

The Lyon kids were teaching Ben and Hannah the fine art of "Timmmmbbbberrrr" on grandma's bed. It worked well when there were just 4 abreast. 5 was too many. Watch Brechin on the far left. He fell a little deeper in the forest. Do you think this is AFHV worthy?

Camping at Fort Bragg

2009-08-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

We had a great time camping at Mackerricher State Park at Fort Bragg, CA a week or so ago. The Runyans invited us to come along with them. We actually went a couple of days before them, stayed in a motel, rode the Skunk Train and then set up camp. We enjoyed the kids, both laughing at them and with them. It was great to cool off at the coast. Camping is always fun, but it is nice to get home, shower, sleep in a raised bed, and be rid of the smokey smell. We have this infamous camping box we've been working on for a few years. It is actually a toolbox on wheels. We joke that EVERYTHING you'd need for camping is in the box. It also serves as our 72 hour kit. It is nice to not have to pack up the kitchen for camping - everything is already in the box! We made dutch oven carnitas with cornbread on top - YUMMY! The silverish looking sluglike things on the rocks in the 3rd picture are sea lions.

A Birthday Tribute to Josh - Stayin Alive

2009-07-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

This video says it all. Josh was such a fun kid to have around - never a dull moment. He could really bust-a-move. Feel free to leave Josh a Happy Birthday message. Thanks to Micah for having the video clip accessible.

Josh Clowning Around from Micah Stubblefield on Vimeo.

Charleston, SC, Graduation and Myrtle Beach

2009-06-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip to take part in Jared's graduation from Chiropractic School. It was a long haul for their family, but they did it, and now they are here in California. Jared will do an externship with his dad, while he awaits board results and licensing. On our visits to South Carolina we have managed to get in some sightseeing. We have seen lots of great stuff we never would have, had they not been out there. We've been to the Smokey Mountains; Revolutionary and Civil War battlefields; Biltmore Mansion; Outer Banks of North Carolina; one of the largest gatherings of the Scottish Clans and Highland Games at Grandfather Mountain, NC; Norfolk, VA Naval Base, home of most of our aircraft carriers; and now this trip we went to Charleston, SC and Myrtle Beach, SC.
Here are some photos of our travels this trip. I will leave the graduation posts for Jared and Debbie to do.

Porch Rockers at Holiday Inn Charleston, SC. This was a great hotel in the heart of the historic district of Charleston. If you ever go - stay here. The concierge was super at getting us on the right tours and to the best restaurant. Yummiest seafood I have ever had!

We took a boat ride out to Fort Sumter where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. I love visiting historical places. We saw dolphins on our ride back to the mainland. We also went on a dolphin watch boat excursion at Myrtle Beach, but I won't post photos - but it was tons of fun!

The cobblestone street of the Old Slave Market in Charleston.

A Gullah woman making a Sweetgrass Basket. These baskets have been made for over 300 years in America by the Gullahs of West Africa. I asked the woman if I could take her photo because some won't allow it (believe it takes part of their soul). She said "yes," if I bought one of her baskets. I took the photo, then looked at the prices of the baskets! I was suckered, but it was worth it!
A way cool cemetary with very old gravestones and cool Spanish Moss.

The best headstone in the cemetary - check out the scar on the forehead of the skull!

From the upper story looking out onto the courtyard of the Pink House, a tavern/brothel. It's one of the oldest buildings in Charleston - built in the late 1600's.

An awesome storm coming at Huntington Beach State Park at Myrtle Beach, SC. I love the oat grass on the barrier dunes. Loggerhead turtles come ashore here and bury their eggs. Then after they hatch, the baby turtles have to make their way down the beach and into the sea.

Mr.Gator - at the marshes natural habitat. He was only about 6 feet from us, with only large rocks as a barrier to keep him from gobbling us up

Cape Fear Harbor, NC. One of the oldest harbors in America. First named in early 1600's, just before the first ship sailed up to Roanoke, VA. I am fascinated by historical harbors.
Okay - that's it. I am done.
I have a movie of Bud hooding Jared, but can't seem to get it to upload to Blogger. I will do some research and keep trying.

Ode to my Mom

2009-05-10T22:32:00.001-07:00

I thought it fitting to pay tribute to my mother, on this Mother's Day. My mom will be 90 years old in November. She still gets around pretty good, still has dark hair -not all gray and even makes it to Church with me every Sunday. She and dad live in a lovely assisted living facility. They don't complain about it, although, I know it has been a huge adjustment for them. Mom has kept her sense of humor and is always optimistic about life. She is always eager to participate in family gatherings and likes to be part of the conversation. I often have to remind her that she is not able to continue to do the things her mind tells her she can still do.
A few weeks ago, our bishop and his wife reported to us that they saw my folks trucking across the Home Depot parking lot with their walkers - mom with her rollator and dad with his Jazzy electric scooter. They had called Dial-A-Ride and hitched a ride to Jack In the Box (they had a hankering for a fast food burger), then they decided to walk across the parking lot to Marshall's and do some shopping.
This is a big shopping complex parking lot - Home Depot, Marshalls, Petco, WalMart, Bed Bath and Beyond etc. It didn't occur to them that it might be too far to walk. I called to make sure they had gotten home okay. They were pooped, but enjoyed their little outing.
Not being able to drive, and enjoy their independence has been the hardest part of the aging process for them.
I am grateful they live close-by where I can keep an eye on them!
I love you, Mom and I am grateful for your humor and optimism.

New Mexico and back!

2009-03-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Last week I spent time with the Tripp Family in Los Alamos, NM. I had a great time and got to do some fun things with my grandkids. I even got treated to a spring snowfall. Fortunately, it wasn't the 2-3 feet predicted, but only a few inches - enough for Justin to build a snowman for Ada and Tyghe. Mr. Snowman toppled before the big kids got home from school.

The littles got to sled in their own backyard. They have the perfect little hill for them.

I like to take a craft to do with the grandkids when I visit, so we made hand puppets and pretzel rod candy molds. The kids were very good at doing things on their own, without much direction. And then they treated me to a puppet show in their newly constructed (by Meg and Justin), awesome puppet theatre.
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Friday night is Pizza and Movie night, so while mom and dad went out to dinner and a movie, the kids made a Mickey Mouse shaped pizza and we watched Nightmare Before Christmas. They really enjoyed the movie, but even more, I think they enjoyed seeing how the movie was made in the bonus features

On my return trip to the airport, Meg and Justin got in a temple session, while the kids and I went to McDonald's Playland. Then we all went to Old Town Albuquerque and visited the Rattlesnake Museum. I am wearing my souvenier shirt in the photo with all the kids. I never knew there were so many kinds of rattlesnakes! EWWWWW!

Thanks to the girls for letting me bunk with you. Sorry I snored ;(
I had a great time with all of you.

Fat Tuesday - or I am such a dork!

2009-02-17T19:55:00.000-08:00

I knew the missionaries were on the calendar for the day before Fat Tuesday. So I woke up Monday and thought "Man, I have to make a King Cake and Jambalaya for the Elders" We started the tradition of having a King Cake on Fat Tuesday a couple of years ago. We hide a little plastic baby in the cake and whoever gets the piece with the baby inside has good luck for the coming year, and also gets to host the next King Cake Party. Never having made Jambalaya, I wanted to give it a try this year (I even peeled and de-turded fresh shrimp).
I spent all afternoon in the kitchen, invited the Lyons over to enjoy the feast and waited for the Elders to show up. No Elders! Then I went online to read more about Mardi Gras, and low and behold - looked at the calendar and realized I was a week early! Sheesh. We had a good meal, enjoyed the cake, and we all snickered at my senior moment. The leftover jambalaya is in the freezer for next Monday when the missionaries are really supposed to come, and I will make a new batch of dirty rice and a new King Cake - maybe.
Brechin was the recipient of the baby in the cake. He can have next year's party. I will come!

Chilly Days in Iowa

2009-02-04T17:28:00.000-08:00

We really can't complain about the weather on our recent trip to Iowa. The first day in Omaha was cold, but then things warmed up once we got to Des Moines. We had a good visit with Grandpa Stubblefield and took him out to dinner. I doubt he recalled we were there, but at least we got to check up on him and extend our love.
We did some interesting things, while visiting Josh and Courtney. Grant Wood's painting "American Gothic" was on loan to the Des Moines Art Center, so we made a trip there and got to see the original work of art. There were some other great paintings on temporary display depicting rural life in Iowa. I really liked it! Saturday we went to Tristan's swim meet in Pella. Pella is a quaint dutch community about an hour drive from Des Moines. It is a lovely little town and boasts Pella Window factory. We visited a few cute shops in between Tristan's races and had a big lunch at the Pizza Ranch. Sunday, of course, was Delaney's blessing day. She cooperated great for the actual blessing, but was not happy when it was time for photos. We also went to Jordan Creek Mall, and they have a great play area for kids. Thanks to Josh and Courtney for being such wonderful hosts. And thanks to Asher for letting us bunk with him. He wasn't feeling well our last 2 nights, so I kicked us downstairs, so Grandpa's snoring wouldn't bother him. As you can see - Asher and Grandpa were best buddies and took a Sunday snooze together. From the minute he saw us in his room the first morning, he called grandpa "daddy." He even hung outside the bathroom door when grandpa showered and called for "Daddy." And, of course, Dacia was so excited to see us, and reverts to bad behavior when Grandma is around. I am a bad influence on her!

Grandma braves a slide at Monkey Joes

2009-01-24T22:50:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I did the big slide at Monkey Joes. It was tons of fun. Wouldn't have done it without Hannah to hold on to. Ben was enamoured with Monkey Joe and wanted to dance and hang out with him. Hannah was too cool to care about a Big Purple Monkey.Sorry about the middle part of the video. New camera, first video.

Call it!

2009-01-24T22:27:00.000-08:00

While visiting South Carolina this past week, Jared and Debbie took me to the famous Beacon Burger where you can get a heartattack on a plate. Beacon Burger is famous for visits from Pres Bush, Mitt Romney and other political hopefuls. You place your order with CJ and he yells it out to the cooks in jargon not understandable to the likes of a California girl like me. When the order is complete he yells "Caaawwwllll et!" CJ was kind enough to allow us a photo op. There are billboards around town proclaiming CJ's fame. Ben likes to say "call it," as well. Take note, also, that when ordering a side of slaw and chili, the slaw and chili are IN the burger!
I also learned the locals refer to shopping carts as buggies. "Honey, would ya'll get me a buggy for these here groceries?"

Sorry the "it" is cut off.

We also made a trip to Monkey Joes, a bounce house place and a trip to the snow for some tubing. It was a great trip and I appreciate J & D hosting me. Thanks to Hannah and Ben for all the cuddles and kisses.

Christmas Eve Outtakes

2009-01-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

I thought you might like to see what happens when you let a 3 year old take charge of the camera. This is Carter's artistic interpretation of Christmas Eve Festivities

Christmas Eve

2009-01-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Chinese for Christmas Eve

2009-01-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

We have a time honored tradition of having Chinese Take-Out for Christmas Eve dinner. The idea was born out of exhaustion about 25 years ago when my sister and I were too exhausted from cooking goodies all day to even consider what to feed our family for dinner. Ergo - Chinese Take-Out. The idea has stuck and the kids love it.
We told the kids the chicken drumsticks were pigeon legs - didn't keep them from eating them!
I save the big fortune cookie boxes the food comes in, to store my nativity collection. Serendipity! Click on the fullscreen at bottom to see pics. I messed up somehow!

Sam n' Me

2008-12-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

This is Sam and Me. Sam just turned 11. He is a swell guy. The best thing about Sam is his giggly sense of humor. He is a very mellow fellow and he is just plain fun to have around. He is very good at putting things together. Last night he showed me and grandpa his Hot Wheels track - that he has no problem assembling. He also had an awesome KNex thingy assembled in his room. His mom says he routinely spends time working Legos. I think he's an engineer in the making. He's also an avid reader. Sam does very well in school and everyone likes Sam. Tenderhearted Sam is a wonderful brother to his 4 sisters.
Happy Birthday, Sam.

Stake Creche Festival

2008-12-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

Our stake has been putting on a Christmas Creche Festival for at least 10 years. Over 600 nativity scenes are on display. Most are from members of the Church, but about 30% are from non-members in the community. It runs for 4 days and several musical groups from the community perform. I have displayed my collection each year and usually find one to add each year. This year I added a handmade, crocheted nativity from my daughter, Megan. Thanks Meg, it is beautiful.
Here are a couple photos of the whole cultural hall. They go to great lengths to decorate beautifully and create a lovely environment for the displays.

Here's a photo of my nativities. The Boyd's Bears nativity is always a favorite, and it is the only one of its kind on display. My oldest nativity is an Olive Wood from the Holy Land. My brother brought it back from one of his visits to Israel. I've had it for at least 20 years (I think). I also have one from Spain and Ukrainian nesting dolls from Josh and Courtney's trip to Europe, the Philippines from Jared's mission, 2 from Ecuador from Micah's mission service, two from our trip to Alaska, one from Sarah's trip to New Zealand, a German Pyramid, a triptych, pottery from New Mexico, and several ornaments I did not display this year. I cherish each of these nativities, as each has special meaning to me. There are others in the photo which do not belong to me, but were in too close proximity to keep them out of the photo.

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Thanskgiving 2008 Arizona

2008-12-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

A Big Thank You to Micah and Sarah for allowing us to spend Thanksgiving with them. They were the perfect hosts. They made us all feel so welcomed and at home. Dinner was terrific - even if it was their first attempt at cooking a turkey! It was perfect.
The boys enjoyed having their own table. The reds got up and ran around, but Jackson stayed vigilant over his plate. I think it he was kind of amazed at the constant movement of his cousins.
Lacey loved her mommy's carrot casserole and the sweet potatoes. She is the most pleasant baby. I don't think she ever cried while we were there.
We had some good dogpiles! Jackson has dog piling down to an artform. I think he kind of enjoyed having so many guys just his size to hang out with.

Emily and Aaron enjoyed lounging on the comfy sofa.

And we had a great time seeing all the lights at the Phoenix Zoo, while all the animals were tucked into bed. We could smell them, but we couldn't see them. The light show was amazingly entertaining.
I won't talk about the drive home on I-5. Suffice it to say the 12 hour drive took 18 hrs. The kids were real troopers. We would have stopped and got a motel, if it wasn't for dad having to work in the morning.

Grandma & Grandpa Hawley

2008-11-23T22:30:00.000-08:00

We had Grandma & Grandpa Hawley over for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner, since we will not be here to celebrate with them.
I've told them about blogs, but they didn't really get it, so I decided to show them. They had a great time viewing every one's blogs and seeing your current news. I also showed them the "comment" portion of blogging and they got a kick out of it. I asked them if they had anything they would like to include on this post and they said they would like to set the record straight about my behavior as a pre-schooler. They said if I was a bit too precocious, it was only because my brothers were mean to me. I told them I wasn't going to say that, but grandpa/dad made me promise.
They loved seeing a goodly portion of their great-grands, and wish all their grandchildren had blogs to look at.
They seem to be doing well, but have their good days and bad. All in all, they are doing well for an 88 & 89 yr old. They still go to church every Sunday, but don't always make it for the full block. Grandpa's legs are getting very weak and he has trouble walking. They both use walkers. Grandma is not nearly as sharp as she used to be, but still likes to know what is going on with people - even if you have to repeat it several times.
She got stuck in the bathroom at church today. It is too hard to explain how the stall doors got stuck, but she was in there a long time. Their previous bishop noticed her walker had been there outside the restroom for a long time, so he sent someone in to check on her. She said she was about ready to crawl under the stall door to get out. That would have been a sight!!
They send their love to all.

Prop 8 Backlash

2008-11-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

It seems we have not heard the end of Prop 8. Even though Californians "again" voted to keep gay marriage out of the state, the opponents are not going to be satisfied. Now they want to boycott any who donated funds to the proposition. All names of donators are public information. We also read in the newspaper today that a suspicious white powder was received in an envelope at both the Los Angeles and SLC temples. Hazmat confirmed the powder was not toxic. It is shameful that those who work selflessly and without compensation at the temples have to fear for their safety.
Bud received the following letter in the mail at his office on Wednesday from a group called KickingALion.wordpress.com

To whom it may concern,

We are writing in regards to your company's support of California's Proposition 8. While we appreciate every citizens right to freedom of speech and freedom of belief, Proposition 8 singles out a group of people for discrimination. It undermines our basic freedoms.

As a result I am sure you will understand why, in these difficult economic times, we will be notifying the gay community of your opposition to our civil rights, and will be encouraging them to boycott your company. Seeing as you do not believe gay citizens to be equal, I am certain that you will find our money inferior too.

Sincerely,
A Billings

The letter was postmarked from Los Angeles.

Any of Bud's patients who are gay would already know his position regarding Prop 8, as he had yard signs, flyers and door hangers available at his office. If they were offended, they did not say.

This group must obviously be identifying themselves with Lions, and using that as a metaphor to not kick a lion. How interesting they would choose this animal who is known as the King of the Jungle and lives with only females for the purpose of producing offspring. In no other animal species do we see homosexuality, (some my wish to debate this) other than humans.

The gay community will not rest until they feel they belong equally in the "marriage club." Even Elton John says they should be content with Civil Unions - that marriage is for heterosexuals. Some in the gay community think the post election tactics of angry gays are taking them back 20 years in their quest for equality.

It also looks like the argument will continue in the courts, and we may again lose the power of a majority vote. Just when you thought your vote counted for something!!! Arghhh!!!

YC Sikh Parade

2008-11-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

Yes, it was time for the annual Sikh Parade in Yubaville. It is nothing like it was when we first moved here. The parade route is longer - from their temple on Tierra Buena Road, down to the stake center, around Civic Center and back to their temple. The influx of out of town Sikhs is huge - 80,000 attendees! The parade brings in millions in revenues from all the additional people. The parade route is lined with Ben Toilets, food vendors, and other vendors of Indian trinkets. It takes some maneuvering to get to the church from our home.
I am somewhat saddened by the many changes the local Sikh people have undergone, since we have lived here. I believe it is indicative of what we, as a people, face daily from the onslaught of worldly values. The Sikhs in our community used to adhere closely to their religion and family values. Now we see them embracing western ways. Very few Sikh men in our area continue to wear the turban. I would say only those men and women over 50 continue with the traditional dress. Of course, today at the parade, traditional dress was resplendently abundant. I think their culture in our society is falling prey to moral relativism - they are losing their family values, and religious values as they embrace western ways. Maybe I am feeling so strongly about this as we approach the vote on Prop 8, and the vote on who will lead our country for the next four years. Will Californians, and all Americans cave to what the minority deems is right? Have we become too afraid to stand for morality and integrity? Enough of my soapbox - here is a taste of the parade. It was a good excuse to cut out of Sunday School class :)
I apologize for video quality. We used our regular digital camera.

Dad/Bud's 8

2008-10-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

I had to twist the guy's arm to give me some answers. I didn't twist too hard, since it was his birthday. I will forego the rules, since he refused to tag anyone else - "I don't have a blog, so why should I tag people."

8 favorite TV shows
1. Monday Night Football
2. Thursday Night Football
3. Friday Night Football
4. Saturday College Football
5. Amazing Race
6. NCIS
7. Quantum Leap
8. Jag

8 Things I did yesterday
1. Showered
2. Shaved
3. Dressed
4. Read the paper
5. Ate
6. Went to Stake Conference and wrestled with the redheads.
7. Had dinner with Lyons and Runyans
8. Blew out candles on my cake

8 Things I look forward to
1. Taking off my shoes
2. A vacation
3. Going to bed
4. Working in the temple
5. Going on a mission
6. Spring
7. Fall
8. Next Family Reunion

8 Favorite Restaurants
Applebees
Red Robin
Costa Vida
Casa Lupe
In & Out
Claim Jumper
Marie Callendar's
El Torito

8 Things on my wish list
1. Out of Debt
2. Retirement
3. Go on a mission
4. Bigger TV
5. Lose Weight
6. More time
7. a 2 week vacation
8. All my kids to live within 100 miles

Tagged Again!

2008-10-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

My niece, Jamie, tagged me. This one is called 8 things about me - in 6 questions.
Here are the rules:
1) Post the rules on your blog.
2) Answer the six "8" items.
3) Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

8 Favorite TV shows (which is difficult, since I have about given up on TV)
1. Amazing Race
2. Grey's Anatomy (I know it is smutty and I am about to give it up)
3. ER (I am a diehard)
4. House
5. Chuck
6. Journeyman - but they cancelled it
7. The Office (but I rarely get to watch it due to the time slot)
8. NCIS

8 Things I did yesterday
1. Helped a Young Single Adult in my ward finish her tote bag sewing project.
2. Bought Dannon Smoothies for my sick parents
3. Bought food for pre-birthday celebration on Sunday for Bud/Dad
4. Went to Target with Emily to buy a Wedding shower gift.
5. Went to Wedding Shower for Kersina Miller.
6. Bought a Spice Cream Cheese cake at Sam's
7. Put on my PJ's
8. Babysat Lyon kids while Emily, Aaron and Bud/Dad went to Adult session of Stake Conf. (Emily is new Stake Music Coordinator and she had to lead the music)

8 Things I look forward to
1. Putting on my Pajamas each day - it should be a law that everyone gets to put on PJ's by 4 in the afternoon.
2. Serving a mission with Dad/Bud
3. The first day cold enuf to wear shoes and socks.
4. The first day warm enuf to wear flip flops.
5. Visits to or from my kids and grandkids.
6. My next trip out of the country or a cruise - whenever that will be!
7. Meeting the Savior.
8. Meeting Minnie Levi

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Does In and Out count as a restaurant?
2. Casa Lupe
3. Applebees - only cuz it is close-by
4. Red Robin
5. Costa Vida
6. Claim Jumper
7. Olive Garden
8. The Oaks in Moline, IL
(we have very limited restaurant pickins in YC)

8 Things on my Wish List
1. Learn to Sail (Rowing used to be here, but I got that wish - thanks!)
2. World Peace
3. Pay off mortgage
4. Pay off kids' mortgages
5. A cruise or travel abroad once per year
6. No lying (this would clear up most of the corruption and immorality in the world)
7. Continued good physical and mental health (to die before my mind or bladder goes)
8. To have a missionary experience

8 People to Tag
1. Andrea
2. Megan
3. Josh
4. Jared
5. Micah
6. Emily
7. Sara Evans
8. Jenni Smith

Been Tagged!

2008-10-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Our photo files are a mess. It was hard to tell which was the fourth file. We need someone to come organize our photo files for us. Anyway - this photo is the closest I could select to fourth photo of fourth file. Besides - I liked it. Brings back such fond memories of our 2002 trip to Ecualand to retrieve Micah from his mission. Bud was so nervous to go, and I told him I would go without him. I think he believed me, so he caved. Micah was the perfect host and personal translator. Every moment of the trip was perfect. Micah wore us out in Manta - taking us to all of his mission contacts. They all fed us and gave us beverages. We told Micah we couldn't handle another glass of watermelon juice, but he told us to "suck it up," cuz he'd been doing it for 2 years and we could surely handle it for one day. Everyone was so gracious.
The photo is a scenic overlook up near Quito. Quito was not in his mission, but we had permission to take him up there to see the sights (Volcano Alley) before his release. Flying into Quito was quite an adventure. We flew out of Guayaquil, and got up to a decent altitude and then landed - no descent! Quito is at 9,400 feet. We tried lots of different foods, and met wonderful people. I regret not being able to pick Josh and Jared up from their missions. I think we should go to Argentina with Josh & Courtney sometime. And we should visit the Philippines/Oklahoma with Jared & Debbie. Let's go!!
I think most everyone who reads my blog has been tagged. If not, then I tag Dennis, Ritchie, Josh, and any blurker out there who reads, and doesn't leave comments.

Temple Turkeys, Deer and Teeth

2008-10-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

There is a herd/flock of Turkeys that long inhabited the grounds where the Sacramento Temple was built. They continue to have the temple grounds serve as their abode. It is a joy to see them when we go weekly for our shift as Ordinance Workers. One time, Bud had to go back inside, before we left, and the whole flock was exiting from inside the gates at the front entrance. He had to wait for them. There must have been at least 25 turkeys. It was rather comical.

There are also many deer who live near the temple. This week they were feeding just outside the fenced part of the temple grounds - amongst the turkeys. They all seemed to get along well. There was one good sized buck, several doe and some youngish fawns (probably from this spring).

Bye, Bye Invisalign!! Well, not really, but at least the correction portion is done. Dr/Bishop Reading took impressions this week for my permanent retainer for the top, and permanent wire for the bottom. I will have to continue to wear the retainer for a few more weeks - 24/7 and then reduce it to just at night. I opted for an Invisalign Retainer, as I never did get used the the Hawley Retainer (yes, Hawley), when I was completing bottom correction before my refinement treatment (which was almost as long as the first session). Correction has taken a year.
I am pleased with the results, but not totally happy about the continued retention. I guess I didn't think that part through. All in all, it hasn't been too bad, just inconvenient at times. I would never have done it, if I'd have had wires. I could wear the Invisalign and no one noticed. The only inconvenient part was brushing after eating - even if it was just a bite of something! It always hurt the first few days after I put in new aligners (every two weeks), but Tylenol helped. Now I just need my teef whitened.

Fat Gal in a Little Boat

2008-09-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yup - that's me in a little boat! I finally took my basic rowing class - or sculling, which refers to a boat where rowers each have two oars. So in other words - I have both oars in the water. Ha!

The hardest part was getting in and out of the boat. This was the part I dreaded most. I really didn't want to make a spectacle of myself and dump right by the dock. We had to perform a swim check the first evening. Water was cold, but refreshing. My swimming skills are far superior to my rowing skills.

There were four of us in the class - 4 nights for 2 hours. There was so much terminology to learn. I was ready to quit after the second night and switch to kayaking - which is waaaaayyy easier. But I stuck it out and have the bruises and sore muscles to prove it (bruises from oars hitting my stomach, and carrying the boat). There is a ton of finesse to stroking the oars - when to "feather" (blades flat on the surface), when to "catch" (the actual stroke when the blade is squared in the water), how to "check it down" (blades flat in the water after a stroke to stop the boat), and how to "wain-nuff" (stopping and resting with blades flat on the surface of water). There is a whole rowing language all by itself.
It was a fun experience and totally delightful to be out on Lake Natoma - dammed part of American river just before Nimbus Dam. The weather was perfect and the scenery beautiful. Our last evening, we rowed out about 1km upriver and there were geese flying overhead - one landed on the water, just a few yards from me. Sunset was gorgeous. Rowing is an odd sensation, once you learn to use the seat, and roll forward. You have the feeling you are not moving on the water, until you look at the landscape going by. I will definately go out again, but I need someone to go with me, so it will be more fun (Andrea?).
Oh yeah - I came up with lots of spiritual analogies while rowing. You are facing backwards and can't see what is ahead, so you have to select a spot on the horizon to focus on, to keep a straight course. The slightest deviation from that course will put you in harm's way ( buoys, shoals, other boats). And . . . did you know there are traffic lanes on lakes and rivers?
A Big Thank You to all my fam who contributed to my lessons! I like knowing I now have a skill none of you possess-hehe!

Meet Roy the Rooster

2008-09-14T23:23:00.000-07:00

By special request, I am introducing Roy the Rooster to the world. Some of his friends have asked to be included, as well - they are named after Roy - Royene, Royale, Royette, Roydon and Roymona. Roy holds a special place in our home; he is the heart of the kitchen. As mentioned by Micah, he is the guardian of keys, cell phones, sunglasses and other loose items commonly found about the kitchen. If someone despairs over a lost item, they are told to check with Roy. I must also say, there is no kitsch in my kitchen, nor is there a strand of raffia to be found. There are no rooster potholders, nor rooster dishtowels. Having such items would be an affront to Roy. He reins supreme. Roy is a lovely fellow with luscious plumage. He has never swallowed a shoelace, nor been to a tropical bird vet (see Runyan post July 13th). He did have his cockscomb broken once, but bravely tolerated a hasty repair. I have friends who often inquire as to Roy's well-being. He has made our home his domicile for over 10 years. He is welcome to roost with us for as long as he wishes. Feel free to leave a comment and send Roy your best wishes.

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I Was Born on A Farm Down In Iow-ay

2008-09-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

I was born on a farm down in Ioway

A Flamin youth, so I had to have my way.

I packed my bags and I took my Saxophone, phone

A Rooty Toot Toot!

Yes, we spent some time in Iowa with Josh and his fam, and we took his saxophone to him, since he's got a big new house now. I suppose he will begin having some weekend band gigs now, rather than moonlighting at country hospitals.

We also spent a day with Bud's dad in Omaha. He is well taken care of, content, and in good health, but life in a nursing home is pretty dismal.

We had a great time, and enjoyed the peaceful life of Iowa. It was semi-muggy the last day we were there - just the reminder we needed for why we live in CA. Bud got out of the shower one morning and said to me before I took my shower, "good luck drying off! I forgot about this part."

We did lots of fun stuff while we were there, and even took a scenic drive to the Bridges of Madison County. The rolling green hills of Iowa are lovely.

Thanks to Josh and Courtney for being such good hosts. And congrats on finishing the long haul of med school and residency. You surely deserve to enjoy the fruits of your labors (ie nice home, big yard, the good life).

Proposition 8 in California

2008-08-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

Today, I would like to give a big "Shout Out" to Yuba City, specifically Tierra Buena, which truly lived up to it name - Good Earth. We were out walking our neighborhood, as we've been asked, to inform voters about the Protection of Marriage Initiative on the November ballot. We had overwhelming support, as we talked to folks at their doors. It seems that voters are fed up with their votes being negated by a few Supreme Court Justices. It was a pleasant surprise to be so warmly received at the door. The majority of our neighbors thanked us for getting out and knocking on doors. Only a few were undecided, and only one, on Saturday, wouldn't accept our brochure and said she felt as long as folks had a good relationship that was what mattered. We still have several more streets and a few more hours to go, before we are done with our routes.
Last night, Wally Herger, our congressman who is also LDS, spoke at a fireside at our stake center. It was well attended. He gave a good speech, as he talked about the foundations of our great nation. He spoke about the Capitol Building in D.C. and how much of the artwork depicts a nation founded on moral, and Christian principles. He said, as you stand on the congressional floor you have the Ten Commandments displayed behind you, and a painting of Moses with our founding fathers in front of you. Yet, we have Supreme Court Justices removing God and Christian principles from our daily lives.
The California State Supreme Court voted in March, by a margin of 4 to 3, to overturn a law passed in 2000 by 61% of the people which stated, only a marriage between a man and a woman is legal and valid in California. I am enraged that 4 Justices, whom I could not vote for, have overturned a law passed by the majority of the voters in the state. It almost doesn't matter to me what the law is about. I am furious they have the power to invalidate what the voters want.
Those of you who read my blog and are not Californians, take heed, as you will also be soon forced to recognize the marriages performed in California, should those persons move to your state. Many folks are coming from out of state to be married in California. The problem will be on your home turf all too soon.
Congressman Wally Herger said we can't know all the legal ramifications of same sex marriages, but he did speak about some of the statistics in a few European countries which have legalized same sex marriages, since the 90's. For one thing, only 2 % of same sex couples have had marriages performed. That is surprising, but what is more shocking is the number of children born out of wedlock, since the legalization of same sex marriage - 71% !!! And for first time mothers, the number is 80% of children born out of wedlock. To me, that speaks of the demise of marriage and the total breakdown of the traditional family unit.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has asked its members to give of their time and means to support Proposition 8. Facts prove that, all things considered, children do better when they come from a home with both a father and a mother. We owe it to our children to give them our very best effort when we bring them into the world.
Again, I want to applaud Yuba City. I get frustrated at times at our backwardness, or should I say our lack of forwardness. I mean, sheesh, we can't even get an Olive Garden (but we do now have an In and Out Burger). We are a strong, family oriented, conservative community. I was nervous about knocking on doors, but overall, it has been a wonderful, positive experience. I do not envy our Church members who are going door to door in more liberal communities. They will be in our prayers.
Vote Yes on Prop 8!!

Veggie Tales

2008-08-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

Summer has been busy and crazy, and along with all the busy and crazy our trees and garden continue to produce. There is no scheduling when stuff ripens, so we have to deal with it in the middle of busy and crazy. Since we don't have anything exciting going on right now, my excitement consists making salsa and spaghetti sauce. We planted several varieties of tomatoes this year, to see which we prefer most. Needless to say, we have kept the neighborhood, family and ourselves abundantly supplied. In June, I bottled 9 quarts of plum juice. I made a couple batches of plum syrup, and some jelly - all of which has been given away. The bottled juice will be turned into more jelly and syrup at a convenient time. Our strawberries did well this year, and I have a couple of frozen bags of whole berries in the freezer and made freezer jam. Also not pictured are the blackberries we ate in cobblers and the few bags of frozen berries waiting to be made into cobblers. We only planted one zucchini plant this year, but from that we've had plenty for the table, some for grating and freezing and I put some in the salsa and spaghetti sauce. The salsa ingredients came exclusively from the garden - tomatoes, red onions, green peppers and jalapenos. Jared enjoyed fresh jalapenos on his eggs when they were here in June. This was my first attempt at spaghetti sauce. It was easy, but takes a long time to boil down. The house smells so yummy while it is cooking - imaginings of visiting Tuscany. Fresh spaghetti sauce is almost too good for words. I ate what I couldn't fit into the freezer containers on a piece of bread - Man O' Man! Now you would be really impressed if I told you it was fresh French Bread from the oven, but it would be a falsehood. I haven't done this much canning/freezing for years, and I probably haven't made french bread in even longer or ever! Reminds me of the many years my sister and I would can peaches for an entire day - 96 quarts one time. It was exhausting, but gratifying to see the 'fruits of our labors.'
Tomorrow we are having bacon and tomato sandwiches for dinner. Come on by and we will share. And no - the bacon isn't from our pig. We are city folk!

Big Family Photo

2008-07-14T19:30:00.001-07:00

Here is a photo of the whole gang in the loft of one of the cabins, and one of Grandma and Grandpa and all the kids. We are soooo blessed!!

Ah! The Family Reunion

2008-07-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

WOW! We had a great time. Let's do it again next week. Soda Springs is awesome. The cabins were great (except we had to be split apart into two houses). The view fantastic. It was so cool to just walk out the back door and hop in a canoe or kayak! We loved the talent show - Tripps singing, Micah's debut on ukelele with Sarah singing, Runyans making us laugh with funny legs and torsos, Jared and Debbie with the Lyons in their rendition of Cotton Eyed Joe, Josh's family sharing their talents via PowerPoint and popping their surprise on us (Josh you totally lied to me when I asked you earlier). The rocket launch was a hit. You guys are the best.
The food was delicious - thanks everyone for pitching in. The kids were all adorable and well behaved. Looking down on the fireworks display at Donner Lake was totally memorable. First time I have ever been "above" the fireworks - even if watching atop granite boulders at 7600 feet was a bit scary. I am sad it is all over! What will dad and I do for the rest of the summer?? Oh yeah - maybe relax a bit :)
I don't know if I can wait another 2 years
for a reunion. I have an idea - let's do Disneyland next year? Who's up for it?
We sure love all ya'll. You are the best. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for our family. What a team!!

Peeps Anyone?

2008-06-26T23:37:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this blog and thought how I was an unfortunate child to never have enjoyed the pleasure of Peeps - along with Rice Krispie treats. Rice Krispie Treats were not considered a true dessert by my mother. Heaven forbid if someone brought them to a ward dinner, or similar function. Anyhoo . . . while working on my degree in my early 40's, I had one evening course where we sat around and discussed plays we were made to attend. One young woman in the class would eat a whole pkg of peeps during the class (it was springtime). I thought to myself "does she know something I don't know? How can that be, I am much older than she?" I wanted to know what she knew, so I threw caution to the wind and surreptitiously purchased my first pkg of Peeps. Now, I make certain to buy them each season they are available - which is increasing each year. I soon expect to see Shamrock Peeps, Passover Peeps, and maybe even Ramadan Peeps (only consumed after dark).
Enjoy this ode to Peeps.
www.peepsofmormon.blogspot.com

A Tribute to Dad

2008-06-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

I thought it fitting to pay tribute to my great husband. We will celebrate our 37th anniversary in 10 days. We've had plenty of bumps in our road of marriage, but we've had one another to rely on. He is the rock of our family. He's always set a good example, but mostly he has helped us all solve our problems. Families naturally face many obstacles, but with Bud, he helps us work the problem and find the best course to take. I appreciate him more and more with the passing years. I love watching him in his role as grandparent. Yes, he gives the grandkids more drinks of soda than he should, and he isn't always careful about what is on the TV when they are around, but he plays hard with them and they adore him. He has changed many more diapers as a grandparent than he ever did as a parent. He has always honored his priesthood, and been there as our spiritual advisor. I look forward to the coming years, as we have much more to accomplish. He is my best friend and confidant.

Grandpa and Hannah training for circus stunts.

Grandpa and the Father's Day crowd.

Please feel free to add you own comments about the leader of our clan.

2008-06-09T00:06:00.000-07:00

These photos were left off the previous post.

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"Thank You" Isn't Enough!

2008-06-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

The outpouring of love and concern extended to our family during this time of sorrow is too much for words. Grieving becomes nearly impossible, when you are buoyed by others. Each of my children has played an integral part of support during this whole process. They've each done what they do best - exactly the right thing, at the right time. As the days unfold, we realize just how many miracles, and tender mercies the Lord has manifested in our lives. That we got to have Gianna for 2 days was a miracle.
Her memorial service was perfect. The music was tender, the words comforting and the setting idyllic. As we sang the final verse of the Primary song "Where Love Is" we felt a cool breeze waft through us and knew Gianna had soared. Where love is, there God is also. And with Him we want to be. Show us the way and guide us tenderly that we may dwell with Him eternally.
I found a poem for Emily, which was put to music for the memorial service. It describes her feelings.

My Butterfly

I long to feel the soft weight of you
To welcome you home with kisses
On silky round cheeks.
Instead my arms ache with the
Weight of your absence,
The empty places that were meant for you
To grow into.
My love for you will last an eternity
My hopes and dreams now carried
On the fragile wings of each butterfly
passing
Compelling me to pause,
To savor each moment,
Each flutter in my heart-
Your wings.

Kimberly de Montbrun

Thanks to Megan for the beautiful photos. My favorite is the one of some of the grandkids playing on a nearby headstone. As you can see, my almost 88 & 89 yr old parents were there to bid farewell to their 51st (I think?) great-grandchild.

We are sad!

2008-06-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

This will be a difficult post, but I know some of you want to hear about our experience with an angel. Gianna Rae Lyon, our 22nd grandchild came to us on Thursday. She was 10 weeks early and she had a multitude of physical disabilities. She remained with us for 2 days when her mommy and daddy decided to take her off the ventilator and let her go peacefully. We were able to spend about an hour with her before she passed, and got to hold her and kiss her and cherish her. Emily is home from the hospital now, and recuperating at our house. She and Aaron have been so brave, but they are truly feeling the loss of their little girl. Emily's in-laws are at her house holding down the fort with the boys. She will go home in a couple of days when she is stronger and more fit to be around her beautiful little boys. We will have a simple memorial service for Gianna on Thursday.
We are so grateful for this precious little angel, and it was hard to let her go. We are confidant she is in our Savior's loving care now. We are also grateful for the many prayers and outpouring of love and support from friends and family. Megan will put together a pictorial montage in the coming days.
We prayed for a miracle, and we didn't get the one we hoped for, but the Lord gave us many other miracles, as He extended his hand in tender mercies to make the passing bearable.

My Name Game Meme

2008-05-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

Sara had this on her blog, so I decided to copy it and post. Come join the fun!

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Sugar Sienna
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Mint Chip Chocolate Chip
3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
L Stu
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Red Puppy
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) –
Louise Santa Monica
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
StuLa
7. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Taupe Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Gilbert James
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names )
Strachan Pierce
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Slutski Sacramento
12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Fall Gardenia
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y
Apple Jammies
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Granola Bar Redwood
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + "Tour")
The Quilting Rain Storm

Sprinkler Fun

2008-05-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

Today was our first warm day, so the Lyon kids had some fun in the sprinkler grandpa bought. I am posting this so Emily can see her kids, since she is having a spa day/week at Sutter Memorial Hospital.

Of course, Weezer had to get in on the action. She thinks the new sprinkler is just for her. Kelman laughed pretty hard at her biting the water.

The twins were skeptical at first, but once they realized they could squirt one another, they had a great time. They were good and worn out for naptime.

A BLESSED WEEKEND

2008-05-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

We had one fine weekend in Phoenix. It is always wise to visit Arizona before June and after September!! The weather was wonderful. Lacey's blessing was sweet and it was so nice to see Micah & Sarah in action in their ward.

We had a blast with Jackson. He is one cool dude. Grandma even got to sneak in a swim. I never met a pool I didn't like.

We capped the visit off meeting up with Jessica and Bon. Jessica and I caught up on family stuff and Bon chatted computer stuff with Micah. Jackson was a model citizen in restaurant behavior. Pei Wei was tasteeee. We thought it appropriate to have Chinese on Cinco De Mayo!

Ahhhh Chocolate!!

2008-04-14T21:49:00.001-07:00

There are some benefits to growing older - chocolate. I consider it an antioxidant now, not an indulgence. I had a great birthday. Got to share it with some family, BBQ'd, ate outside on the deck, and got gifts and lots of phone calls. It was pretty much a perfect day.
Then things got even better today with some more favorable news for Emily. Her baby's heart defect is not as serious as she was first told. The peds cardiologist says it will be quite repairable. Now we will continue to pray her brain development will improve and supposed structural defects will disappear. We have truly felt the great power of prayer. We are so very blessed with a loving, caring family.
I am trying to finish the New Testament (leftover from last year), and found great comfort from a scripture in Philippians 4:6-7. "Be careful for nothing [unduly concerned]; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ."
I take this to mean we should not be overly concerned about things, but we can surely ask for God's help. Then, if we place our trust in Jesus Christ, and place Him as central in our thoughts and deeds, all will be made right.

Farewell Dacia

2008-04-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

It is time for Dacia to return to Iowa. We've had many adventures with her. Some fun, some interesting and some - well let's just say she loves to chew. Her latest task is to rip off the fence boards and escape. Not to give her all the credit, but Weezer gets her worked up, and feeds her information on how to escape the yard. Josh and his family made the trek from Iowa to fetch Dacia. She was so glad to see them and surely will enjoy a more youthful home life. We had a great visit with the grandkids. The Runyans came up for a day, and played with their cousins. Grandpa took the whole gang, including the Lyons, to our new McDonalds. Someone asked if they were all his grandchildren, and he said "yes," but this was only half of them!!

Annual Easter Egg Hunt #2

2008-04-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

I guess I should have done a slideshow of all the Easter photos, but I am too lazy to sit here and figure it all out - so you will have to see them in 2 installments . Here are Kelman, Sara, Carter and Brechin

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

2008-04-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

The annual Easter Egg Hunt at our house was loads of fun. We are happy to include anyone who shows up around Easter time. The weather was wonderful, the food was tasty, and the kids made off with some nice cash. I think Sam was the big time winner, finding one egg with a 10 spot inside. Sorry, Kendall, I didn't get a pic of you. Were you being shy? Here is Aaron supervising one of the twins, another twin finding an egg by the trampoline, Gabby, and Sam

Grandbaby #21, Lacey Beth

2008-04-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

I am way behind on posting, so now I will play catch-up. My visit with Micah and his cute little family was wonderful. Thanks to Sarah for putting up with a Mother In-Law, so soon after coming home from the hospital. Lacey Beth was a model baby. Of course, I wasn't the one getting up for middle of the night feedings. Jackson and I had a swell time playing outside, going for walks, and even a little shopping. He said "hello" to all the ladies shopping in Coldwater Creek clothing store, and most everyone at Costco. The weather in Gilbert was wonderful, and Micah & Sarah's new home is lovely. I borrowed a book from Micah for the plane trip home - Follow the River, about a woman abducted by Indians in 1755 who returns to her home by walking 800 miles along the Ohio and New Rivers. I was surely glad I was on an airplane and not walking home.

Trip to North Carolina's Outer Banks

2008-02-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time visiting the Outer Banks in North Carolina. The lighthouses are beautiful. I particularly like this photo with the sun behind the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. It was cold and windy on the Outerbanks, and mostly deserted. It had the eerie feeling that all the residents had left suddenly. Most businesses were closed, and row after row of enormous beachhouses were left vacant. We were assured that the Outer Banks are a buzz with activity from Spring Break to Labor Day.
We also enjoyed our brief day in Norfolk, VA. It was closer to fly out of Norfolk from OBX (as the locals call the Outer Banks), than drive back to Raleigh, NC. While in Norfolk we toured a retired Navy Battleship, and took a bus tour of Norfolk Naval Station - home of the Atlantic Fleet. 3 Aircraft carriers were in port. We could only view them from a distance, and could not step off our tour bus while on base. Sadly, we did not have time to check out the Chesapeake Bay bridge.
Of course, we had a wonderful time visiting Jared and family. It was delightful to share the circus with them.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-02-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was able to watch the funeral proceedings for President Hinckley. I was moved by the loving tributes and touched by the doctrines taught. All that was said reaffirmed my testimony, and gave me pause to feel deep gratitude for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We were at a fireside when we first heard of President Hinckley's passing . My instant feelings were joy for him, that he was once again reunited with his dear wife. At the end of the funeral yesterday, when the choir sang the final song, and photos of President Hinckley were shown, I was overcome with the grief I had not felt all week. I will miss him. He has touched my life profoundly.
Dad and I commented that we can think of no other person in our lifetime who has accomplished what President Hinckley has. I can think of no world leader, CEO, educator or religious leader who has impacted, for good, the many lives he has. In one of the documentaries we watched on Saturday, I heard President Hinckley comment to an interviewer when asked what he might have been, had he not been a Church leader. He said with a chuckle, "an architect?" He was more right than maybe he imagined. Not only was he an architect of many marvelous temples, Church buildings, and Proclamations, but he was an architect of lives.

When I think of defining and cherished moments of my life, of course, my own temple marriage is at the top of the list, closely followed by the temple marriages of all my children. These were the sweetest moments imaginable. Another defining moment was September 2006 when I attended the dedication of the Sacramento Temple. Taking part in the Open House tours of the Sacramento Temple was indeed an honor and privilege, but receiving tickets to attend a dedication session in the temple was beyond thrilling. My joy was overwhelming when I learned our tickets were for the celestial room in President Hinckley's presence. It was a sacred experience to hear his dedicatory prayer, and feel the sure knowledge he was a prophet of God. The memory will be etched in my mind for eternity.

President Hinckley's daughter, Virginia Pearce, summed up my feelings when she said "he was adorable." I think she meant it in many senses of the word. He was adorable because of his brilliance, cuteness, humor, and love for all mankind, but also because he was adored.

New Jammies 2007

2008-01-17T22:19:00.000-08:00

View Album

Get your own

I think my most favorite part of Christmas is the Christmas Jammie exchange with cousins. I could easily do away with all the other traditions - well, maybe not Chinese Food, but the Jammie exchange is by far the best. I love to see the carefully selected jammies, and I love to see all the grandkids in their Christmas Jammies when I visit them throughout the year, and even handed down to younger siblings in later years. This year Ada insisted on wearing her Christmas Jammies several nights in a row. We had to fish them out of the dirty clothes basket one night, and wash them the next day for her to wear again. It is a small gesture which I hope will help keep the cousins close.

Christmas Eve 2007

2008-01-17T22:08:00.000-08:00

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Get your own

Christmas Eve is not complete without a reinactment of the Nativity. It is always special when we have a new baby as a stand-in for baby Jesus. At dad's request, each family had to contribute a presentation. The Runyan's shared music with Kendall at the piano and Sam on cello. The Tripps shared a reinactment of Samuel the Lamanite foretelling the birth of our Savior. The Runyan's second floor made a nice setting for Samuel on the wall. Grandpa had a secret weapon and surprised Zeph with Nerf arrows. The Lyons shared a song, but had a hard time getting all their boys to cooperate at one time. I shared a reading of Micah's famous "T'was the night before Christmas Ball" poem and we won't mention what Grandpa shared. Every year brings something new and special. Our Christmas Eves are cherished moments.

Gingerbread Men Christmas Eve 2007

2008-01-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

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Get your own

Thanks to Kendall, the grandkids had a wonderful time creating their own Gingerbread Men. Zeph is not pictured, as he was competing with Grandpa on the Wii. What wonderful grandkids we have. We sure missed those who could not be with us.

We spent a couple hours this afternoon navigating our way through Picasa and we are still trying to figure things out. I thought we would be able to click on each photo in the collage, but it doesn't seem to work that way. Next we are going to try to figure out how to do a slide show. I know we are dorks about this - but not as bad as we could be. We took Grandma and Grandpa out to lunch today and talked about our blog, but first we had to explain what a blog was. I asked Grandpa what he thought a firewall was, and he said it was a structural thing. All this computer stuff is mind boggling for them. Grandpa was quite disturbed afterward. He said he felt stupid. We reassured him he wasn't, but just on the wrong end of the computer age. It makes me wonder what will be cutting edge when we are their age - if we make it that far.

Pineapple Express

2008-01-05T15:01:00.000-08:00

We got hit by a major storm system with high winds and lots of rain. It was kind of frightening for a short time, but all is good now. There was a ton of power outtages in the north state. We are finally back on, after being without power for about 18 hours. Comcast service has been out since mid-morning Fri. I actually like not hearing the phone ring, and knew if it was my cell ringing, it was people I actually wanted to talk to.
Here are some photos of the damage in our neighborhood. The city came out quickly to cut up and chip the tree laying across the road. The photo of our driveway shows the pile of debris I cleared from our walkways. There are still lots of branches on our roof we need get off.

Dorky Dacia

2007-12-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

Thought you all might like to see a short clip of the dorky dog living with us.
Courtney was kind enough to send Dacia a new bed today. I put it outside on the patio for her, and she immediately decided it was a new toy to chew. She has eaten every other bed she's had, so I supposed she figured we gave her new chewing fodder.
Enjoy!!

Thankful Month

2007-12-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

We have a lot to be thankful for, since our last post. First, Mom got to witness the birth of Amanda Jean Runyan. She is a beautiful little girl, and we are happy to welcome grandbaby #20 to the family. Her older brother and sisters got to watch the birth, as well. It was fun to see their reactions. Kendall was still in school, so she had to come up later. Gabby just wanted to know "when is mom going to put her pants back on."

Then we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Runyans, Lyons, Aaron's Parents, and Grandma and Grandpa Hawley.

At the end of the month, we got together with the Lyons, Runyans and Stubblefields to celebrate Emily's birthday and have a fun night of Bunco. The cousins had a great time playing together.

We look forward to the Tripps visit at Christmas and hope to have more family photos to post.

Waterhole

2007-11-03T15:23:00.001-07:00

I took these cool pics when we went to Six Flags, and I wanted you all to see. I just never thought of the hole in water when a large object falls in.

Bedazzled

2007-11-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Dad and I don't often take pics of one another. I guess you will have to settle for pics of whoever happens to be visiting us or pics of the dogs. Weezer had to stay home from the ward Trunk or Treat, but Dacia got to go. Weezer gets Dacia too worked up, so we decided to let Dacia go out alone. All the kids enjoyed petting her. She was a good doggy for the event.
I am in charge of costumes for our ward Roadshow. I am going to see if I can "bedazzle" some T-shirts for one of the scenes. If it works out, we can do something during our Fam Reunion with the Bedazzler.
Tomorrow is the Sikh parade. I wanted to go to the open house today for free food, but dad wouldn't do it. Chicken!! Emily went and she brought me a Samosa. The town is awash with turbans this weekend. Bill and Hillary were scheduled to come, but were told not to, so they wouldn't be a distraction from the real purpose of the event. I will take a picture tomorrow, so you can all feel badly you are missing this special hometown event. It is WAY bigger than when you were all kids.

Dog cuddle

2007-10-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

I am still trying to figure out how to format this blog thing, so for now I will just have to do another post to get all the pics on that I wanted.
Jared got in a good lap cuddle from Dacia. She just climbed right on.

Fall is here!!

2007-10-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

Fall is definately in the air, which confirms it is my favorite time of year. I don't know if it is because of the fall colors, cool crisp air, socks and shoes or just that the hottest part of the year is over, but I love fall. I also love the first day I can break out the flip flops and let my feet go naked. Go figure!!
We had a great visit from Jared, Debbie and kids. What a treat to hang with Hannah, and get to know Ben a bit better. We met up with Runyans at Bishops Pumpkin Patch and had a great time. Thanks to the Runyan kids for being so kind and warm with their little cuzzies. They always make sure they are having fun and being safe.
Micah, Sarah and Jackson came at the end of the week and we all went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. We had a great time. There were 6 grandkids under 4, with Hannie being the only girl in the bunch.
We all got together again Sunday night after General Conference. The house was loud, but full of love. The only missing part was Meg and Family and Josh and Family.
I am into week 4 with Invisalign. Each week gets easier. They are still bothersome, but I can handle it. The hardest part is brushing after eating. The grossest place I have brushed in so far would be Movies 8. Nasty!! I am sure I grossed a lady out at Costa Vida. The sink wouldn't drain and she was waiting for me to finish, so she could wash her hands. Sorry Lady!!

2007-09-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

The first few days with Invisalign was a real challenge. My teeth hurt with initial movement, and I felt badly that I probably wasn't as sympathetic with my children who wore braces. Sorry! I had to resort to getting acrylic nails put on, as my nails were short and became bruised under the nail bed in my efforts to remove the trays. The new nails helped, and now I can remove the trays quite easily. Then the next few days by evening time I was ready to scream out with tooth claustrophobia. My teef just felt like they needed to breathe and break free. Now that I am in my second week, I am adjusting. No between meal snacking, unless I want to remove the trays, and brush. I had to get sensitive tooth paste, cuz my mouth was raw from constant brushing. So . . . I survived, and now I will just have to repeat the tooth pain, when I get my new set of trays on Thurs.
I spoke in Church today, and am glad it is over. I should be good for another couple years. Spoke on "by their fruits, ye shall know them." Don't know if my talk inspired anyone else, but I felt some nice spiritual feelings in the preparation of the talk. It was a good week for those feelings. I shared with all of you the tender mercies of the Lord in helping me find Jason. I just had a long conversation with his mom, Joyce, and we plan to meet in Sac when I take Grandpa next week for some skin cancer treatment. She was wonderful to talk to and harbors no ill will towards anyone in the family. Lots of things were cleared up for me. Jason is in Uncle Denny's stake, and Denny will be calling him.
Joyce is a labor and delivery nurse at Sutter Memorial Hospital. She has been alone for 21 years. She has had a difficult life, but rose above the challenges and made a life for herself and her children.
Talking to her helped fill a hole I have always felt in my life.
Jared, Deb & Kids arrive tomorrow, and we are looking forward to some fun times - a trip to the Pumpkin Patch, and Marine World. I will post some photos real soon

Togetherness

2007-09-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

I am joining the blogger world in a feeble attempt at family togetherness. The phone is great, but I find the information stream gets stuck, and I don't have the memory to keep track of who I told what. So, I will try blogging.
I have something new to wear these days - Invisalign!! I got my first trays today. Dr. Reading now does Invisalign, and he offered me a good deal - so I took him up on it. He said I was a good candidate. The correction time is fairly short. I will need a total of 8 trays for the top - 16 week treatment and 17 trays for the bottom. I am pretty sore today, but he said it will get better. I can only take them off to eat, and have to brush before I put them back on. I guess that will cut down on between meal snacking! It takes some skill and pressure to get them off. I am sure I will get better at it, as time goes on. I won't know what to think of my smile without my front tooth sticking out. Surpisingly, it will correct more quickly than the bottom crowding.
We had a lovely rain last evening. Everything is all fresh and clean now. I am glad for fall to be here, but disappointed I didn't get in another swim in the pool. We had a short swim season this year, and I missed out on a lot of it, since I was gone so much. The new pool liner made taking care of the pool much easier.
Grandma and Grandpa are settle in at The Courtyard. No complaints about the food. Today they went on a group outting to the Oroville Fish Hatchery. I am glad this new place offers monthly outtings, as well as trips to Movies 8, and WalMart. I am hoping my errand runs for them will lessen. They are much closer to fetch for Church, too.
I got a chair massage at the mall today. It was WONDERFUL. Those guys really put some muscle into it. Eventhough there was a ton of pressure, it wasn't painful. I love Clarice, but I will have to agree with Jared, as he terms her massage a "professional tickle." It is lovely and relaxing, but not deep tissue.
Okay, Jared, Megan and Andrea, we just need to get you two on board with the whole blogging thing.