We got to visit with Evanses the end of April!  It was so fun to get to see them all.  How the kids have grown!  It was great to just hang out and watch them do what they do.  The weather was mostly pretty cold and wet so we didn't go anywhere or do anything outside very much.  It was fun to see the little boys play in the rain and water.  They loved to get out in it and Susan was great to let them do it.

Matthew seeing pictures of himself playing in the rain and water outside.

Kids having cocoa and toast after a rainy day at school.  

Serious practice at the piano.  Alice also takes flute and is good at practicing it too.  Robert also takes piano and does very well with his practicing.

We got to take Alice and Robert to the skating rink one day.  They skated and did really well, but then decided they wanted to also play some games with the money Alice had brought.  They played some of them together as she shared her money with Robert, but then she decided that it wasn't worth the money to get what they got as prizes.  

We were glad Alice decided not to spend all her money.  It's pretty painful for us to see her hard won money go down the drain like that.  But you have to try it out once or twice and then decide.  

One day Susan thought it was dry enough for us to try to plant potatoes.  She has the garden in her yard and she also has this piece of ground in a public garden area that she wants to develop.  We dug and dug and planted but then it started to rain again and so we had to stop.  Matthew wasn't very impressed with the gardening.  He and Dad finally went over to the playground to check out the swings and climbing things.  Susan put this barrier around her plot to try to keep out the varmints.  

We loved getting to visit and it was hard to leave.  And we look forward to seeing them all again at the reunion!

When we got home and were at the temple Brother Beaman said he just had some little tortoises hatch!  Well we had to go see them!  Lara and Sarah and Heather and we went over and checked out their new babies.  

They are so little and so cute and perfect!!  They have to keep them in the house and make sure they are kept at the right temperature and get the food and water they need.  It seems strange that they can even survive in nature!  The adult tortoises are about the size of a breadbox and have elephant looking feet.  They aren't turtles, but tortoises.  They have several of them and they are also kept at the right temperature and fed just the right things.  These are eating some romaine that we brought.  

And the latest thing we experienced was dinner out to celebrate Jer's birthday!  He turned 80 yesterday!  He looks pretty tired here because we had served all afternoon at the temple and met the family for dinner at Saltgrass Restaurant at 6.  Heather had gotten there first and got us started with a reservation.  It was to be an hour and a half wait since it was also graduation night and also Saturday night before a three day weekend.  

Finally got a table and finally got to eat.  We had a really good dinner and lots of good company.  Jon treated us all.  Dad had prime rib and took home a piece of cheesecake.  That's all the cake we needed since we are all trying to be careful and maybe lose a little weight to fit into our clothes more comfortably.  And what a treat it was to have Mike call at just the right moment to wish him a happy birthday!  

The bishop came tonight to give Dad his official release from the peanut butter factory so he is free of that now, and we asked if maybe they could use us in the mission home for something.  We could file papers or even inspect the apartments or whatever they may need.  It's good to feel useful.  

I finished bowling this past week too.  It's over for the summer and will start again in August. That last day we played "double tap" which means if the first ball you throw leaves just one pin then it counts as a strike.  I loved that because I got some really good scores!   My best and final score was  168!!  My average is 96.  And they also passed out awards and I got $146 back for one thing and another.  Not too shabby!  It was a fun day.  I told Dad that with that money I plan to buy him a bowling ball and shoes and a bag.  We bowl together on Tuesdays in Humble because it's $2 day and he always picks out a ball from the rack and rents shoes and sometimes he can't find the ball he likes.

So now we have a wedding and a farewell and a reunion to look forward to.  And maybe a baby blessing if we are there at the right time.  We dearly love being with our family!  Thank you for being who you all are.  We love you so much!  

The best thing that has happened lately is that Kathy came to visit!  It was great to have her here.  We talked and talked and did nothing very special but had a good time.  We cooked some different things, making spring rolls and trying out my spiralizer in some different salad recipes.  We visited an art museum and discovered an artist that was very puzzling to me.  The artist was Cy Twombly.  Some of his art is here:

 http://www.theartstory.org/artist-twombly-cy-artworks.htm#pnt_2

We had visited the museum earlier when James and Heidi were here.  I guess they have different visiting displays from time to time.  This wasn't here then.  He had some green and black pictures that Dad and I loved.  They suggested tree boughs hanging thickly over a stream.

Kathy is on a strict diet that was really good for me to see in action.  She drinks a healthy fruit and kale smoothy in the morning and then has different veggie salads for lunch and dinner.  I did it with her and felt great and nourished.  The difference between hers and my usual diet is that she allows no animal products.  I have been having pastas, eggs and milk products but maybe I will cut those down and enjoy the delights of more veggies.  Can't hurt and could make me feel even better.  I love beans in all forms for protein.

Dry eyes
I sneezed really hard while we were in Utah and a black spot appeared in my right eye along with some fuzzy stuff along the edge of my vision.  I made an appointment with Heather's new boss and checked it out.  It's nothing to worry about, just a natural benefit of growing older, but what a doctor!!  I was very impressed with his thoroughness and kindness.  He discovered why my eyes have been dry for years.  No other doctor has ever suggested what he said, just offered me drops.  What's happening with my eyes is this:  our eyes produce 3 different fluids to coat them as tears; they are water, mucus, and oil.  My little oil ducts haven't been working for years.  So if you have dry eyes you can help them out by bathing them, putting a warm compress on them for a few minutes and then massaging the eyelids gently after that.  The oil ducts could be plugged and need to be softened and unplugged.  Or if you are like me and have had the condition for years they could have atrophied and may never produce again.  I am still trying the compresses and massaging.  I can always hope.


Back pain
One morning when I got out of bed I felt a twinge in my left lower side that steadily grew and grew till I could hardly walk.  It lasted for days, sometimes getting better as the day wore on, arriving again the next morning.  I went to our regular temple shift on Wednesday expecting/hoping that the pain would diminish as the day progressed, but, alas, it only increased.  Even before our prayer meeting before our shift I decided that I needed to leave.  The temple president is a doctor and came to visit with me about it and suggested ibuprofen.  He said it was an inflammation and that was the best thing for that.  I never thought of it as inflammation, only as a pinched nerve, and I have never had any use for ibuprofen.  Extra Strength Excedrin is our go to med.  But that was useless this time.  So I drove home and stopped at the Walgreens on the way.  I hobbled in to the store and bought some, took it and went to bed.  I couldn't believe the effect!!  What a miracle.  I guess you just have to use the right thing for the problem!  So if you ever have back pain, try some ibuprofen.  I bet you all knew that already, but I just learned something very useful and was SO grateful.

Dad is still working at the tax place and enjoying helping people get their returns. He says the people coming now are the ones that have to pay so that's not as much fun as before, but he still likes to be useful.  He is the only volunteer where he goes along with one guy who is an employee.  The other guy doesn't speak Spanish so Dad gets to help all the Spanish speakers.  What a useful thing it is to know Spanish!  I had hoped to go Spanish speaking so I could learn it when we applied for our mission years ago, but we had a good experience anyway where we went.

He is also still at the peanut butter factory.  He has an easy time on Thursdays when they produce the peanut butter.  He stands there and watches the pot fill up and empty and keeps the peanut butter at a safe level so it doesn't overflow or run dry.  But on Tuesdays he helps clean all the equipment with a power sprayer in the parking lot and it's pretty hard work.  He comes home tired.  He is supposed to be finished with his year the end of August, but with all the trips we are taking he will be gone much of the summer so they are getting a replacement for him to take over soon.  I think he will be finished the end of May.  It won't be too soon for him.  Then we will get another stay at home mission like maybe the bishop's storehouse, or the mission home.  There are lots of things to do and it would be fun to do them together.  I think it's so wonderful that we can still be useful as old as we are.

And now Kathy is gone, but we are looking forward to seeing everyone again in a few weeks for Jared's wedding and the missionary farewell for the Collinses.  What a summer!  So good to see you all when we can.  We love you with all that is in us and pray for your happiness every day.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Seems like a lot longer than a month since I wrote, but a lot has happened, I guess.  Not here.  We are going along pretty much as usual, Jer at taxes, us at the temple, Heather and me preparing our primary lessons and teaching.

But good things were happening in Utah!  We went to see Mari get married and fulfill her dream of years.  She and Ladd were married at a barn with rustic surroundings and I was a little surprised till I realized her love for horses and all that surrounds them.  She was married in a beautiful gown and cowboy boots.

It was all very nice.  The only thing missing was her mom.  It would have been good for her to have been there too but hopefully the day will come when Mari realizes how much Kathy means to her and welcomes her into her life again.

And the next wonderful thing there was that Jared asked a great girl to marry him!  Her name is Jo Holbrook.  They met at a Young Adult activity and hit it off right away.  What makes it special is that Kristin and Sean heard her speak at a stake conference and were very impressed with her.  They said to each other, we need to get Jared introduced to this girl!  But he beat them to it.

This is a picture Kristin sent showing their damaged hands when they were out ice skating and he ran over her fingers.  I think.  Have to ask them when we see them again.  He proposed at the cabin and then their families got together to discuss the arrangements.  They will be married June 1, 2017.  They want to make it fast before Sean and Kristin and Scott leave for Arizona, and before Rachael leaves for as yet unknown parts.  Should find out her mission field this week!!  We expect to be in Utah a couple times in June for the important events.

While there we got to visit with most everyone.  We saw Heidi and James when we got into town and they took us to dinner.  Heidi's ankle seems to be much better.  She can walk without pain and I think that's a great improvement.

Then we went to Kristin and Sean's and they let us sleep there and hang out and see their kids as they came to the house.  There are lots of things they are having to do to prepare for their mission.  Selling the house is a big concern and they had just staged it for pictures.  Kristin felt it was so bare, but it looked fine to us.  They are on an interesting diet that their doctor recommended.  It's a high fat, low carb diet that is giving them lots of success. We met Jo and got to hear about Rachael's mission interview with her bishop.

The  next day we went to the wedding and met most all the Langstons.  after the reception we visited Brian at Domino's Pizza where he is working for a little while in the evenings to learn the art of food delivery.  I guess maybe he is thinking of delivering from Costa Vida.  That would be awesome!!

Thursday we did some shopping and then had lunch with Erin and got caught up with her activities.  She is getting ready for her future plans.

In the evening we had dinner with Mike and Raylyn and got to hear what's going on with them and their kids.  Aubrey is still going strong in soccer, Ella loves clogging and is very good at it and Henry is strong and healthy and caring,  It's a joy to visit with them all.  Raylyn is still very busy with Relief Society and Mike looks so different from the latest picture I have!  I didn't recognize him when I first saw him.  He has grown a beard and lost a lot of weight.  He looks great and sounds like he is feeling great too.  He wouldn't let me take a picture.  I had told Erin how he has changed and she asked for a picture, but he refused.

Friday we got to have breakfast with Grace and hear about her classes and plans.  She is so beautiful!  And successfully negotiating her classes so she can get her associate's degree from UVU.  Her dream is getting her flying license.  She will surely do it.  Grace said she invited Colin to come have breakfast with us too and he said it was too early.  We will have to plan a time while we are out next to get together later in the day and see him.

Then we met Kristin at the Provo City Center Temple and did some ordinances for several family members.  We managed to seal seven children to their parents in the most beautiful surroundings that I have been in for a long time.  I am so happy that the Church stayed true to the period of that building.  It is truly magnificent.  And I would like to think that family felt at home there.

Friday evening we visited with Kathy and Lisa and had dinner.  Lisa is recovering from some serious back surgery and is still trying to heal properly.  She has had back trouble for a long time and hopefully this will take care of it when it heals completely.  They are looking forward to the reunion in California and Kathy will be visiting us the first of next month.

Saturday morning we got to have breakfast with Tyler and catch up on what he's up to.  He has lots of interesting plans.  We are sorry he won't be able to be at the reunion, but he says there's a slight chance he can make it.  We hope so.

We had an uneventful trip out and back. We thought winter was mostly over but when we got up in Albuquerque it was 18 degrees and it was COLD!  We were surprised by the snow at Soldier's Summit.

When we got home the front yard was a field of weeds.  The weather had been warm and wet and the broadleaf plants took over the grass.  But they were still green so while the man was subbing for a brother at the temple I mowed and it all looks great now.  :o)  From a distance it's green and manicured.  The next day we trimmed the edges and weeded around the bushes so now it looks like someone lives here again.  When Jer drove in from the temple he said he was really hoping I had mowed and not the neighbor who got tired of looking at the mess.  But no, it was just me and no worries.

Our poor bouganvillea was really and truly dead.  So sad!!  I mourned it because it was so robust and healthy!  But one Saturday I got in the car and found a beautiful little guy to replace him.  We mourned and then rejoiced.

Isn't that the prettiest and healthiest little bouganvillea you have ever seen?

And he seems to be happy here.  We promise to take better care of him and cover him when the temperature drops.  We failed our last one but will do better this time.  It was just one night below freezing and then the temperature rose again.  I love the color and how it blends with my pretty gazing ball.  It makes me happy to see it out the back door when we have breakfast.

We are looking forward to having Kathy visit during her Spring break and then later in the month flying out to Illinois to visit with Evanses. And there's General Conference and Easter too.  What a fun month to look forward to!

Thank you all for being so welcoming and generous with your time and favors.  We love you all so much!  You are the light of our lives.

Just a little update.  The man got his computer, (a gaming computer!!) and has started to get it running with all the stuff you have to do before it will actually work in your own house.  It's an MSI gaming series one with a cool little red dragon on the lid.  And the keyboard has underlit keys in different colors.  It's very pretty!  We had to get a gaming one so that he could run his airplane flying practice thing on it.  He tried on the desktop and it couldn't handle the graphics.  So now we look forward to having it to play on.  :o)

And it really works!!  But it's still pretty hard to do.  We will need lots of practice.

Heather's job is going wonderfully.  She comes home every day saying I love my job!!  I just love being there!  What a complete 180 degree difference in work places!  We are thrilled for her and hope that nothing goes wrong.  It just seems too good to be true.

To celebrate her wonderful blessing we went out to dinner at PF Changs.  We found one about 45 minutes away.  We had some wonderful food.  They have french fried green beans ( I know, it sounds weird) that came with a dipping sauce that was out of this world!  I brought home what was left and put it on whatever I could find in the fridge.  The food was fantastic, but the restaurant was frigid.  Heather here is wearing my sweatshirt that says, Alcatraz Psych Ward, Outpatient Unit.  I got it at DI.  I am wearing my black one.

Earlier this week we got a notice about a recall on the Subaru.  Apparently the passenger's side airbag will go off randomly and knock out the person sitting there.  And there was something about the brakes too.  So we took it in to get it fixed.  We had an appointment so they took it in right away, but it took a while because they had to take off the whole dash to get at the airbag.  So about 4 hours later it was done and we were home.  (Driving home took an hour.)  At least they had comfy chairs and hot chocolate.  Dad took his tablet and finished his book and I read a Good Housekeeping magazine.  I know why I don't read magazines now.  They make you want stuff and be dissatisfied with what you have and are doing.  There is always something or someone better.  Then I wandered around and saw the new cars.

Dad is gone today to do taxes again and Heather is at her dream job, and I am here at home getting ready to delve into family history.  I love doing family history, especially with the files available now on Family Search.  It's like an awesome treasure hunt with little gems placed here and there for us to find.

See you Utah family soon!  We love you all with all our hearts!!

Heather got another job at a place that she feels very encouraged about.  The atmosphere seems very warm and pleasant, the flow is much slower with the doctor taking lots of time with each patient and he encourages the girls to take their time with them too and give them what they need.  She will start on Tuesday.  She spent a few hours there when she went for the interview and liked everything she saw and apparently they liked what they saw in her too.  She won't get the hours she wants just yet, till the one employee leaves whose place she will be taking, but then she is assured that she will have what she needs.  We are very happy for her and hope it will work out well.

Right now she is at a fireside for single adults.  There is a nice sister in our ward that is supporting her in her activity there.  We are happy she has decided to attend.

Dad is still working at the taxes.  This is the busiest time of the year and he is having a good experience doing that.  He comes home happy and feeling fulfilled.  He has also figured out how to download library books to his tablet and is happily reading a lot of the time.  He likes John J Nance, Robin Cook, and some others like that.

He decided to buy the airplane video so he can practice controlling his radio controlled plane before actually taking it out.  He wants to get accustomed to the controls before risking the plane again.  We are happy for him to do it because it looks like fun and we all can do it without damaging anything.  With our tax refund we bought a laptop that is game worthy and we will get it this week, maybe.  Then we will hook it up to the tv and have a good time!

I am still bowling on Thursdays and getting better acquainted with my cousins and the nice ladies that we play with.  Heather has been attending with me till she got her job and the ladies have enjoyed her.  She made brownies for them last week and they loved them.  I really like these people.  And this last week Mary Jean, another cousin, came to hang out and visit while we played and then we went to lunch together.

These are cousins at our lunch.  David, Cynthia, Gloria, Karen, Mary Jean, me and Heather.  David, Cynthia and Karen are Gloria and Juan's children and Mary Jean is Gene and Mary Helen's youngest.  Juan and Gene are Claude and Amy's two sons.  It makes me happy to reconnect to family.  After lunch we followed Cynthia home and she showed us her home on Lake Conroe.  It was a lovely home that made us think of Kristin and Sean when they come home from their mission.  They are talking about downsizing, but they will still want a beautiful place that is near fun things.

And in the center here is Gloria's first daughter, Linda.  I remember these women as little girls that would attend church with Aunt Amy and me when I would go visit and attend with her.  They were tiny and beautiful and sweet.  This was taken at Cynthia's son's wedding.

We are looking forward to seeing you Utah family soon in March for Mari's wedding and then the first part of June for the farewells.  Brian says they are hoping to do their baby's blessing close to that time too, so we hope to stay a little while then for it all.  We are happy and fulfilled with opportunities to do good things.  We love being here and wish you all were here with us.  But we will take who we can get when we can get you.   We love you all so much and hope that all is going well for you. Please plan to come see us!

Christmas and New Year's Day have come and gone and January 2017 is more than half gone already. It has been a sweet time for us.  We have Heather and Lara and her family to share in the holidays with us and we got to see Erin after New Year's Day for a few days.    We didn't do anything special, but had a wonderful time visiting.

James and Atticus during the Utah Christmas.  Atticus is making a snow angel, I think, and James making the driveway passable.  Look how deep that snow is!

Our backyard during the Texas Christmas.  Pleasant and refreshing.  I remember as a child in Texas wondering why all the songs were about winter wonderland, let it snow, etc, when it looked like this where I lived.  

We had great weather for Christmas, and then after Christmas we had an actual freeze.  Our poor bouganvillea got frostbite and looks pretty sad right now.  I hope it will recover.  It was full and green and gorgeous before that, thriving in the sunshine.  We will leave it and see what will come in the spring.

Now, again, the weather is great.  We had a few days of real rain, and today the sun is shining and just warm enough.

We are going along pretty much as before, reading and working at our callings.  I am really enjoying Primary!  It surprises me a little since I always dreaded it before.  The five year olds are delightful and are really responding well to positive reinforcement.  "I'm so sorry you didn't get the pretzel, but I know next time you will be able to listen and raise your hand and will surely get one."  I couldn't believe how they were absolutely quiet and still while I told them a story this past week.  I gave them each two pretzels!!  And then, of course, it was their turn to talk and tell their stories.

We have had sadness in our ward family with one of the matriarchs passing on.  She was probably the oldest in the ward, just one year older than I, but she had physical problems that her body couldn't overcome and finally had to leave.  She was a dynamic lady, full of life and love for everyone.  I had the privilege of helping dress her at the end and of course it made me think about our time here.  Every day we wake up we are glad to be alive and together.

Heather finally just couldn't stand her work environment anymore.  She was going to have a nervous breakdown, always worrying and stressing that she would be yelled at about something that happened days before.  She gave her notice and her last day was this past Tuesday.  We are very happy for her.  And it wasn't just her.  The manager was really biting and critical to all the girls except her two friends.  One girl finally said, I don't make enough money here to be talked to like that!  But she is still staying to get her year's experience so she can move on.  Heather has had a couple interviews since and we will see how they turn out.  There is plenty of work here in this area and she is experienced and skilled at what she does.

Jer started his first day at doing taxes yesterday.  He says it went well and he is glad to be started doing something helpful again.  It feels good knowing that the people aren't getting gouged for his service like they were when he was with Jackson Hewitt.  

We are hoping to come to Utah to visit at least a couple times starting in the spring through the first of summer.  We will wait till we have more definite dates from the involved parties and will let you know as we know.  And we would be very happy to have visitors here anytime.  :o)

We love and treasure each one of you and pray for your happiness and welfare every day.

Well the Christmas presents are all mailed and I feel relief and joy.

We got the angels up for the season.  It's so good to see them again.  I love my angel children!  It makes me happy to look at you there.

And the stockings for the man, me, Heather and Sasha to match the angels.  Brings back happy memories.  :o)

Now we can relax and really enjoy the sweet Spirit of the season.  We had a fun Relief Society party Thursday and there was a picture booth that Lara helped set up.  Sarah went to help and had her picture taken too, before the start of the party.

I love it!

And Mary was finished with school so she could also attend.  It was fun to see her visit and catch up with some of her friends and ladies that love her.  

After the RS party and cleaning up, I went with Lara and Mary to the midnight showing of Rogue One.  I liked it a lot.  We went to a movie tavern that serves food at the movie, but I was too full to enjoy that part.  Mary said the rogue had to die to make the movie authentic and I was hoping she would survive.  It was a fitting ending just the way it played out.  

I have given my last lesson to Da.  She will be leaving for Oman the middle of January.  I told the library person in charge that I didn't want to do anymore tutoring but said if there is some one person that you really need me for I will be available.  I want to help, but it's very stressful for me for some reason.  Other tutors really love it and enjoy the flexibility of the whole process.  I wish I did.  Sometimes in the classes one student comes, sometimes 6 come, new ones join in the middle of the semester, always in flux, different levels of understanding, and so on. 

I have received my new position in the Primary.  I am going to teach 5 year olds this year.  I got a fever blister a couple weeks ago when I was asked to teach Sunbeams and it finally went away and last night after receiving my materials for the 5 year olds I got a new one.   I talked to Heavenly Father about it and He assured me that He loves me and that I will enjoy it.  I trust Him and so I will work hard at making it a good class for the kids.  Heather did get Sunbeams.  She originally said she really wanted Sunbeams because they are so fresh and enthusiastic, and then she got to really enjoy the 9 year olds.  But she is happy now to have the little ones.  The church isn't about comfort zones.  

Heather is having a hard time at work now.  Her supervisor is a witch.  She and the girl who is supposed to train her treat her like anathema.  They actively are nasty to her.  We can't understand it but it's very uncomfortable for her.  Every time she makes a mistake (she has been there two months and is still learning the system) they act like it's the worst.  She is growing and has learned to brush it off as much as possible, but she dreads going to work now.  She was told by one of the other friendly workers that she won't be fired; they just make you so miserable that you quit.  It's what has happened to other girls.  We will see how she does.  There are plenty of other places that she can work if it doesn't work out there.  

The man has finished his classes for preparing tax returns for the community.  He got perfect scores on his tests.  He is looking forward to doing it starting in January.  It will be free for people who make less than $58,000/year.  It's well supervised and controlled so that there is little chance of doing harm to the people.  Lots of checks and balances so that the people will get the best help.  He doesn't want to work for money anymore.  The place he worked for last year charged so much he couldn't do it with a good conscience.  He began telling the people that they should go somewhere else.  So now he can be happy to help them and not worry about that.  

And bowling I got two more scores over 100!!  I don't know what I do differently to do well, but somehow sometimes I can.  I just need to keep on trying, I guess.  Everyone has good days and bad days.  I see that with my teammates.  So I guess I'm no different from most people.  But it sure is fun to do well!  

We will be at Lara's for dinner on Christmas day.  Don't know what we will bring yet.  But we expect a nice quiet peaceful happy Christmas day.  :o)  And we wish you all the same.  We love you!!