Life goes on.....

It has been a week and a half since Spencer entered the MTC. He seems to be doing well. We have received one email and two notes in the mail. He sounds like he is doing fine. I have had a few hard days but for the most part I am able to make it through the day without crying. It has been odd as we move on to a life with just Avery home. We are still trying to make adjustments in that area. He has been making himself and his needs known. I guess he doesn’t want us to forget he is here. Who could forget him!

Yesterday Ken and Avery spent 7 hours working on a kayak. The teachers and priest quorums are all making their own kayaks for a trip to Yellowstone. Ken and Avery both came home sunburned. It is amazing what a nice day Saturday was considering all of the rain that has been falling in Utah.

Nathaniel Jack turned 25 years old yesterday. He and McKell spent the day together, stopping by here to change their oil together. It really was quite a sight. Amanda talked everyone into coming here for dinner tonight to celebrate. It was fun having everyone here except for Spencer. Our family has changed a lot in the last year. The kids all got along well and we watched some of our family videos. It is good to remind them how much they loved each other when they were young!

We have been blessed as a family over the past almost 29 years. That is an amazing number to me. One day you feel like you were just dating and then you have your own children getting married and making their own traditions. They are all wonderful, beautiful and successful people. I love them so...much!

A blog to follow.....

I have added blogs that I follow, to my blog. There is one in particular that has impacted me the most. It is called Sunshine Promises. It is the story of a sweet family in our ward that lost their young son Bennett a few short months ago. Although it is a sad story, Amanda, Bennett’s mom is taking us on a journey to experience the high’s and low’s associated with the loss of a child.

She is sharing her faith in Jesus Christ, with her belief as well as mine, that they will have the opportunity to be with Bennett again. The belief that families are forever. The belief that when this life is over, and we have each left this earth, that we will live again as families in heaven with our Heavenly Father.

I invite you to follow along on that journey. The journey to learn of our Heavenly Father, to follow Him and learn of His teachings! I am thankful for her faith and her ability to share her feeling in such a way, that I can feel of Heavenly Fathers love for her and her family.

The veil between this life and the next is very thin. I know that Heavenly Father has prepared and provided a way for us to live with Him again. May you and I grow and learn of His love and plan for us, as we take this journey together. I pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sarah’s married....

It has been a few weeks to get to this point but I didn’t want to go too long without blogging about Sarah’s wedding. On January 8th we took both Sarah and Spencer to the Bountiful Temple to receive their own endowment. It was a wonderful day and one I never want to forget. Spencer received his mission call to the Florida, Orlando, Spanish speaking mission, just three days prior. I took some family names that we did and later took those that stayed and we did sealings. The sealer called up Josh and Sarah. He told them that this was just a dry run. After the first sealing he said, “Now you two understand that I did not just seal you? You will have to wait til next week for that!” We all laughed. Spencer was called up to be a son, with Sarah and Josh, as mom and dad. Ken and I did some sealings with Josh’s dad, Duane as a child. Brandi Devey stayed and did some daughters, one of which she did the endowment for. Her first name was Gracie, just like her and Darin’s youngest, named Grace. Nate and McKell also did some couples sealings. Later we went to the cafeteria for lunch. We were in the Temple for a total of 6 hours. It was a beautiful, wonderful, uplifting and satisfying day!

When we got home Sarah and I only had a 1/2 hour before we needed to be at a shower being thrown for Sarah. We rested for a minute or two and then went to a shower that Stacy Smoot and Jeri Dabling put on and invited ward ladies. It was very enjoyable and the ladies we so kind and giving. Sarah has received so many nice things from the showers that she had. When we got home we both pretty much crashed!

January 15th was the day of their Sealing. It was fun going early with Sarah and getting the opportunity to help her dress for her wedding day. The sealer did a fantastic job and it was a special treat to have Milo and Jackie there with us. They have lived in our home since September 17th, 2010. After the sealing we went out for pictures. It was a nice day because there was no snow, but it still was cold. Our neighbor LuAnn Anderson let us borrow a cape for Sarah to wear outside. It made a big difference for Sarah. It helped her to stay warm!

The luncheon was held at the 10th Ward building of the Salt Lake Park Stake, located on 400 S. and 800 E. It was so....nice to be able to relax and visit with family. I wasn’t worried at all about setting up for a Reception. Josh’s family did a great job on the luncheon. We were able to invite all of our family members who wanted to come. We did not exclude anyone. It was fun to have the neices and nephews there.

The Reception was held on January 22nd at the Salt Lake Park Stake Center. Our neighbor Sara Dickes did the decorations! She did a fabulous job. Lots of ward members from the 31st Ward were awestruck with the beauty. Many of them said that they had never seen the building look so beautiful! It was fun to see ward members from both wards. We did live in the 31st Ward for the first 7 years of our marriage, so it was fun to see old friends! For the treats, we had cake, eclairs, punch, lemon water and Temple mints. Mandy and Lucine helped me to make 500 mints for the reception. I still have lots if you would like any for a treat at the end of a lesson.

Sarah loved the reception. She was excited when she saw the Stake Center being decorated earlier in the day. Sarah and Josh made their own cake, that day. I think that was a little stressful for Sarah, but they wanted to make their own cake! I couldn’t believe the support from our ward. The Smith family mentioned how many people came from our ward and how few came from their ward. I was grateful for the support!

The only bad part of the day was that earlier in the day, a darling little boy, Bennett from our ward, passed away in his sleep the night before. They did not find out until later in the morning. I was devastated! I cried for several hours and then had to pull myself together to pull of a reception. Bennett Wilkinson was 20 months old. Just the Sunday before, he spent about a 1/2 hour of Sacrament Meeting on my lap. I talked with him, brush his eyebrows, held his cute little hands and colored with him. I have been holding Bennett since he was a baby. Everyone who know me knows how much I love children, especially babies. Every chance I get, I have held Bennett, putting him to sleep more than once. His spirit was strong and beautiful. He leaves behind a loving mother and adoring father, two sisters and one brother who will all miss him terribly. After the autopsy still no reason for his death. Heavenly Father must have needed him badly. I will miss Bennett. It was hard to see his family at church without him on Sunday! I miss baby Bennett!

On January 23rd, Sarah and Josh opened gifts. They only invited Josh’s mom and me. We took all their gifts to their apartment since they had already been on a short honeymoon. They were blessed with many wonderful gifts! Sarah and Josh seem to be enjoying being out on their own! We have already seen her and Josh more since they have been married, than we have seen Nate and McKell. They got married August 10th, 2010. We now have two married children, one preparing for a mission, and one living in Ogden, two 86 year olds and a 15 year old, living with us!

Interesting....

I have been sitting at my computer for a while catching up and listening to Milo try to remind Jackie of times they’ve had. When you spend a lot of time with people you figure out, how they really are. I found a note in the door of their house in Murray and brought it home. They have spent the last 1/2 hour trying to figure out who the note could be from. Even though they signed it with the husbands and the wife’s name and their last name, neither one of them has any idea of who it could be.

Milo talked about some renters that they had a Murray several years ago. I remember Jackie talking about them quite a bit. Milo brought up them as a possibility of the senders of the note. Jackie has no memory of the renters ever living there. When I brought in the mail today, I sorted it. Once I had given them their mail and sat down to look at ours, Jackie said that with the pile of mail I had, some of it must be theirs. I also gave them a check that my son brought by on Saturday. Next thing I know Jackie is upset that I opened their mail and took out this check. Again, this is a check that Nate brought over Saturday. Sometimes I don’t know how to defend myself against non issues!

Today was the first day back at work. It has been nice to have the last two weeks off! I have enjoyed it and gotten some wedding stuff done. I still have plenty to do. This is a busy week and I hope I can keep up. We are hoping Spencer’s mission call comes this Wednesday, then we will have two children needing to go through the Temple.

When Nate got married a couple of months ago, he didn’t have any siblings at his sealing. Sarah will be able to have two of her brothers there. She may not realize it at the time, but that will be a true blessing! I look forward to that day!

Having fun with Grandma!

It has been a couple of weeks now since my husbands parents moved in with us. Yes, there have been adjustments for all but the blessings are sweet. We have also made some changes to the house to make it more easily accessible and comfortable for them. We made our office into their bedroom. So, the office furniture was moved into storage and or the living room. The piano came into the living room from the dining room and the table went into the storage room downstairs. We made the dining room into their family room. It is right off the kitchen and it puts Jackie right in the middle of the action. For the most part I think she enjoys that except for when the area fills up with noisy bodies.

We also cleared out the play room that I had for my nephews and nieces. We put the toys in storage and I have my file cabinet down there, where I can still access it. I cleared out my desk and put it in there for Milo to use for himself. It is the same desk that he built for Kenneth when he was a boy. He has his computer there and his trainer and his bike. He goes down there at least once a day to ride his bike. The only bad part of it is the stairs for him. His hip and knees have been bothering him but he still goes up and down.

We opened up the wall from the bathroom to their bedroom. It makes it so several of us can be in that same space at the same time. It has proven to be convenient. We got a curtain up there this week and added towel racks and several hand rods for Jackie to hold onto while she is in there. We were lucky to have a small sample of carpet left from a couple of years ago from when the carpet went in the upstairs. That carpet is no longer available. A carpet guy came and tore off the backing and pieced it together and put it in where the wall once was and it looks real good. He was amazing.

In the front we had a wheelchair ramp built. It was finished yesterday. Ken took Jackie out for her maiden voyage. Before, it took three of us to carry her down the stairs in the wheelchair, so this is a true blessing. It will make it easier to get her in and our of the house and give us the opportunity to get her out more often. I have been taking her out on the back deck each day to get her warmed up by the sun. She enjoys sitting out there. With the heat as of late, 5 minutes is the maximum. Who would have thought that October 1st in Salt Lake could get up to 90 degrees?

I am grateful for the opportunity that we have to have there here in our home. Transitions have been hard for everyone but we are settling into a routine and feel like it is working. I have been blessed with extra strength and health. I myself have been amazed at the strength of my back. I have had many problems for most of my life with my back but I am strong and able to do more with Jackie than Milo can. I usually am the one to get her out of bed in the morning and to the bathroom. I get her in the wheelchair and to the small table for breakfast. If Spencer is still here, he helps get her on the couch, if not Milo is on his own. When I get home from work, Milo and I get her to the bathroom and I take her outside to enjoy the warmth and fresh air. We visit and I take her around the house with me for a change of scenery. Once Ken gets home in the evening, he finishes up the evening and puts her to bed every night. The Lord has blessed us and we are thankful for the peace and joy that having them here has brought. Jackie is grateful to not be in the nursing home. Milo is still adjusting and shows signs of him settling in a little more each day.

One down...four to go!

On Tuesday August 10, 2010 we had our first wedding. Nate (also know as Jack, his middle name) married McKell Allen. Today was the first day since the wedding day that I actually got up and ready and out running errands. The day after the wedding I never even bothered getting dressed because I spent so much time in bed.

The day before was windy and I was worried about the weather because their reception was in McKell’s grandma Connie’s backyard. The day of the wedding everything settled down and the weather was great. Nate and McKell were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. I dream of one day being in the temple with all my children with me. I hope for that day! McKell received her endowment on Saturday afternoon in the Logan Temple.

The reception was in Brigham City. We had guests at the reception before we got there, or the bride and groom got there. Nate and McKell got there about the same time as we did. Since the sealing was at 3:00 it made it hard to get to Brigham City on time. The line moved well and it was fun to see friends, family and neighbors. Not too many neighbors made the trip. I counted 12 total. I knew it would be a small number because of the distance.

Nate and McKell are still on their honeymoon. They flew to San Diego!

Dove - Evolution Commercial (higher quality)

Just a reminder that everything is not always as it seems. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes! You are beautiful to me!