Family & Services

This weekend has been spent with Randy's family. We were able to have Sunday dinner with his parents & all of his siblings before attending Grandpa's viewing. I don't want to be morbid, but I couldn't help but notice how peaceful he looked in his casket.

This morning was Grandpa's graveside services. He didn't want a funeral. The services were very nice & it reminded me of what a great man he was & the great character he possessed. Like he did with Grandma C., Randy was able to dedicate his Grandpa's grave...what an honor. Despite that sadness of Grandpa's passing, I am so grateful for the hope that there is in the gospel of Christ!

Grandpa C.

Early yesterday morning, Randy's grandpa passed away. I'm sure he had a wonderful reunion with his wife, who passed away 2 years ago this month. I'm sure Randy could give a much better tribute to him, but I wanted to post something. Here are the a memories I have of him.

*Celebrating his 90th birthday earlier this year.
*He was hard of hearing, but loved to have one-on-one conversations with me...or anyone else, I'm sure.
*The year that grandma died, he called me on my birthday. :) That meant a lot to me. Grandma had always been the one to send out cards.
*He was a very hard worker. It was difficult for him to accept his aging body. He still wanted to be climbing up on the roof to fix things long after he shouldn't have been!
*He loved to golf. Randy could always find a supply of golf balls in his garage that he had collected while at the course.
*He came to our costume party last Halloween!
*A little over a year ago, we went to a (mine & the girls' first) family reunion with Grandpa's family. It was neat to get to meet more of Randy's extended family, most of whom he doesn't even know.
*He didn't like war. At all. He lost a son (MIA) in Vietnam the day after Christmas in 1972. I know it still pained him greatly.
*Grandpa had lived in the same house since the 1940's, I believe. He has always lived in AF.
*He was born during the middle of a snowstorm. Someone had to send for the doctor, who came in a buggy to deliver him.

Farewell, Grandpa. We will miss you!

Idaho

I think I might have mentioned that we went to Idaho a few weekends ago. As usual, we took our camera, but didn't take any pictures. (What is wrong with us?!) So, thanks, Dixie, for the pirated pictures.

Sydney rode up to Idaho with Grandma & Grandpa. See that pink/orange/black thing? It's a caterpillar that Grandpa bought for her...He sure is a softie in his old age! Sydney played so hard with Jake & Lander. She and Lander are best buds. She even got to have a slumber party with them!

We were in Idaho for Jake's baptism. It was a cold, snowy day, but we were so glad to be there for him.

Randy, Keri, Dad, Mom, Alan (brother), Heather, Josh, Dixie (sister)--and Jenna at the very bottom

Thanks for the hospitality, Josh & Dix! You know I will never pass up the chance to visit Idaho. I love that place!

Gaming Girls

Jenna & Sydney are playing "video games".

Shhh...don't tell them their parents are nerds and those are really graphing calculators!

Sydney's the one with a very creative imagination.

And Jenna likes to be just like Sydney. Aren't they cute?!

Gratitude

I have so much to be grateful for today:

*This morning, my mom & brother, Mike, were in a car accident. They hit a deer while driving about 72 mph, somewhere between Kanab, UT & Page, AZ. Mike's car may be totaled, but neither of them were hurt. Chad & Tiff (brother-in-law & sister) were able to bring them a car from St. George so they could make it to NM. I'm so grateful that they weren't hurt!!! I have a fear of losing someone I love in a car accident, so I'm glad that wasn't realized today.

*I was stressed this morning as I was trying to get myself and the girls ready for church, prepare dinner, and make dessert for a neighborhood gathering. Sydney was assigned to give a talk in Primary & I hadn't even given it any thought. While I showered, Randy got Sydney & put a talk together for her. It was so sweet to hear them discussing it when I stepped out of the shower. :)

*And lastly, still on the topic of Sydney's talk...she did so wonderfully! The Primary was practicing their presentation in the chapel, so Sydney gave her talk in there. She did just as Randy had instructed her by walking up to the podium with her arms folded. After Randy repeated a line to her, she spoke clearly into the microphone. It was so precious! Knowing that her dad had asked for her input in preparing it, and that it was partially her words she was speaking made my heart melt.

What do you have to be grateful for today?

Farewell to my garden :(

Last Thursday and Friday, I mourned the impeding loss of my garden. A hard frost was predicted for the weekend, and we would be out of town with no way to offer protection. So, I did the only things I knew to do: picked what I could & took pictures. Surprisingly, some of our plants survived the several nights of freezing temperatures, but the zucchini, cucumber, and cantaloupe were completely killed. And I was just plain sick of the green beans. So, last night, Randy and I tore those plants out. We'll dispose of more as space in our garbage allows. In memorium of the wonderful garden that we had, here are some of my favorite farewell pictures, which are just a small portion of our garden. Enjoy.

'Detroit Supreme' beets

'Mr. Big' peas

Pole beans--can't remember the variety

'Anaheim' chile

To great friends...

...thanks for making my day a little better today. I'm feeling like I can face the world again. Let's hope for the same tomorrow. :)

What is wrong with me??!!

Ever have one of those days where you think the world would be better off if you weren't here? I've had one of those weekends. We went out of town & spent time with family, which was nice, but I can't seem to be happy or shake being grumpy. Okay, being "grumpy" is quite the understatement--I could rip someone's head off! (And I don't need my extended family to attest to it, please.) I so wish I could change it. I don't know what's wrong with me. I wondering if I'm too stressed. How is it that others can function so well & I fall apart so easily, though? I want to crawl into bed & never come out. However, this week I at least need to: can applesauce, meet with some friends/fellow preschool moms, start my girls' Halloween costumes (?), finish making visiting teaching appointments & go VT, attend the temple, take my girls to the library (?), tear out my dead garden, work on my yard before it gets colder, and possibly attend court with Randy. I'm really, really hoping that I don't have to go to court. I actually think the whole eviction process we're going through (we're evicting someone, not the other way around) is the straw that is breaking my back. It has been extremely stressful to me, for some reason. Geez... I just pray my family doesn't run away before I can get a handle on myself!

Advice

What to do? Does anyone else think I have a lot of links? I just finished looking over my Google Analytics report and noticed that there are several people who have linked to my blog for whom I haven't returned the favor. And it's not because I don't like them/you. I also have more and more friendly blogs that often I come across. I think about adding them as a link, but then look at how many I already have. So, my question is, where do I draw the line on linking to blogs? I have so many already, but I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or make them think they are any less important that an others. Okay, a few are more important, but you get the drift. :) Soo...what would all of you suggest? I already use an RSS feed to read all of the non-private blogs, so the only time I actually use the links are when I want to leave a comment, which is becoming more and more rare these days...not because I don't like you all--just because. So give me some feedback, please. I need your help.

Fire Station #3

Sydney's preschool class took a field trip to a fire station today.

They learned about fire safety,

were treated to popcorn,

and watched a live demonstration of the firefighters putting out a propane fire.

Sydney ran to me in fear as the fire got bigger, louder & hotter.

Jenna watched & was amazed at the fire hoses spraying water,

and Sydney actually tried her hand at it. Thanks, Orem FD!

Conference Weekend

This past weekend has been full of family. My parents, my brother (Grant), and a family friend came up for General Conference. Because they live nearby, Kelsey and Cedric also spent time here with everyone. Here are the highlights:

*Grocery shopping with Mom, courtesy of her
*Enchilada dinner with Spanish rice & beans
*Dad paying for a babysitter & sending us women out to shop for new outfits, courtesy of him, while the men went to the Priesthood session
*Playing "Pounce" late into the night...we're now on the lookout for 2 or 3 couples to play with us!
*All but Mom, Sydney, Jenna & I going to the Sunday afternoon session of conference
*Mom, the girls & I visiting with Uncle EJ & Aunt Debra in their new home while everyone else was in SLC
*Having dinner with everyone before they headed back to NM

Thanks for a great weekend, Mom & Dad & everyone else!

Little Friends

Jenna and our neighbor, Carson, tend to have a love/hate relationship. They are only 3 months apart in age, but Carson still likes to beat up on Jenna from time to time. However, one morning last week, they had a great time playing. They were both selecting kitchen items and were pretending to eat. It was so precious to discover and see! (By the way, you need to read what Jenna's shirt says. It's so true!!)

Sister Bonding

My sister, Kelsey, and I have weekly temple dates. It has been such a joy going to the temple with her. I think it gives us both much needed time away & time with each other. I love it, and I think she does, too! Thanks for being such a great sister, Kelsey. (And thanks for the pirated picture from your blog.)