Famly Get Together's

Today I am so grateful for my family.  I held my annual christmas Party and we just had such a lovely wonderful time.  We started off meeting to have a late lunch or early dinner at Golden Corral.  The kids weren't eating much.  They must have done some eating at Home.  But they did enjoy the rolls and desserts.  I saw Ashlyn eating lots of carrot sticks and cucumbers.

After dinner we headed to my house for games, presents and more dessert.

This is my favorite game.  We have done it for years, but I think this was the best year.  We still teamed up so there were 4 teams and a photographer (that is me).  Each team builds the reindeer by putting balloons into the pantyhose legs and whoever gets 6 balloons on each side first, wins.  Sara and Jaxon won this year.  They were so fast.

We also have the santa beard game.  Two people put vaseline on their face run down dip their face into the cotton balls and see who has the best Santa Beard.

This year I added in the money gun game.  I shot money (fake 100 dollar bills within some really 1, 5 and 10 dollars).  It was a hit.  The looks on the faces pretty much says it all.  It was quite fun to watch.

They had to catch the money  before it hit the floor and it was tougher than you might think.

Then there is the Cheeto game.  I don't ever get many pictures but today I traded  spots so the cheeto's were thrown at Ambur instead of me.  It was fun to watch and I got some great pictures.  Kinsley got the most which was 10, not that many but they all sure had fun.

What a wonderful time and how lucky I am to have a wonderful family.  It sure can get chaotic, but mostly I just feel so blessed that I am their mother, mother in law, grandma and whatever else they call me.  I love them all and I go to bed tonight feeling happy and blessed and oh yes, tired.

Crawling things

 I was walking out of work tonight and it had been a sort of boring day, nothing to really write about.  I saw the beautiful mountains, the glistening sun coming through to the orchard on the Paiute land and I saw some ravens enjoying some worms or something on the ground.  The sunshine brought joy to my heart as always.  I was walking along and looked down and there on the ground was some type of crawler.  It was moving as fast as it could. I watched for a minute as every time my shadow went above it, it just moved faster and faster as if it was on the journey to save his life.  I just watched as I went along and then I realized that is what I am grateful for today.  Heavenly Father once again guides my mind to the world around me which I love and shows me something totally unexpected that again brings me to a totally new thought process.

The stinger on this new crawling friend looks so sharp.  I wanted to see if it was sharp or dull, but I didn't want to touch it and scare it even more than my shadow was already doing.

I tried to do a little research and find out what this little crawler is, even put a picture in an app that identifies crawling things, it came back with no match.  So this sighting really was just for me, and now I will look for them a little closer.  I really want to know what it is now.  A great way to end a slow day, and I am grateful for it.

Family Near and Far

Today I am grateful for family and the love of family.  One of my husbands siblings, Ruth, has been so kind to me since my husband passed away.  I only met her once in the years we were married, but she was a go to person for me.  Kind and non judgmental.  She adopted one of our surprise puppies so she always sent me updated on the condition.  She sends me a birthday wish, a thinking of you wish on anniversary of our marriage and always something on the anniversary of his death.  She is one of the kindest most sincere people you will ever meet.

A few months ago, Ruth alerted friends and family on Facebook that her son, Michael had a bump on his arm and it turned out to be a rare form of cancer that is very aggressive.  So he had gone in for surgery.  There have been a few updates on his condition and then 3 weeks or so ago a notice that he had gone home from the hospital on hospice care with a very short time left in this earthly journey expected.

Ruth asked for us to send a message on video in remembrance of his life or memories and to email it to her before November.  I have thought about it and thought about it.  I don't really know Michael, don't have a lot of memories--really not any, and I remember only one time Kelly speaking of him and he said Ruth is a really good mother to her children.  And then the notice of his death. On October 2nd.

Rest In Peace

May 16, 1991 - October 10, 2024

It is this kind of family interaction that I am grateful for.  I am glad Ruth could include me in the updates and what was happening and I feel so grateful for her love and I am sure Michael is his mother's boy for sure since he has decided to donate his body to further research of the horrible type of cancer that he had.  He is, I am sure, on the other side of the ever thinning veil where he will be able to see family member, my husband included, and start a new journey there.  For my sister in law, her journey will be a lonely one with her son, but one that she will be strong for, I am sure.  

 

Excitement

 For most of my life, Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays.  When my kids were young we did Halloween on 71st street in Tempe Arizona where we lived.  I loved it.  It started with a hay wagon ride and the kids would jump off and each house on the street.  There was chili bake offs, musical chairs, all kinds of games.  There was much more to it than that, it was service, fun and just spectacular.

When my husband died, holidays have been difficult for me, especially Halloween because it was one of his favorites and sometimes the great memories seem to also bring a small sense of sadness to me and so I avoid it.  But this year I am excited for Halloween.  We have our weekly dinner the 2nd Sunday (well this time it will be on Saturday so Sara said she could join us) and so I am planning a very full, fun night.  We are going to start off with decorating the house.  I have gotten a bunch of decorations and incorporated them into games and making dinner.  I am also going to make rootbeer which I have not done for many years.

I was looking online for some things to make for dinner that are Halloween themed and these are the final things I deciding from to make.

I decided to nix the deviled eggs.  I would love them, but I don't know if Blaines family will eat them so I decided not to include them.

I really wanted to do this meatball sandwich it looks so cute and it would mean some burgers and some hotdogs all looking very halloweenish and scrumptious.  In the long run, they didn't come to be.  Time got the best of me so I think maybe next year they will be on the menu.

I am excited to do the 7-layer dip with the rest of the fixings for a great time.  I think my prizes are going to go along very well with all the fun baking things.

All of the rest I am going to put to use.  The kids will be doing a decoration in the house and then making them all up and plating them and then they will get a prize and by the time we are finished we will have a great dinner and a wonderfully decorated house.  I am going to have Ashlyn hang the lights she did such a great job with the Christmas lights.

I love to plan for events that I have not shared with my Grandkiddos and this will be one for the books. I get so excited with the planning that it seems like when I get all done with the planning, my mind seems to somehow move on to the next exciting event.  I hope it might even be the event that heals my hesitation and allows Halloween to be an event that is celebrated from now on.

Once the dinner night comes, I will hope to get a bunch of pictures.  I am very excited.  I feel very blessed that I am able to experience these feelings.  Ups and downs are regular for me, but the excitement is in the air with the planning of a great family dinner.

Surprise-Rebecca

 Today I had a surprise text.  I had to read it a couple of times to see for sure who it said had left a message.  I have had and continue to have many people in my life named Rebecca. So, in my phone, I label them so I know which Rebecca is contacting me.

Today at work, my phone showed, Rebecca Sister.  I haven't spoken to her for some time with the exception of a text when her husband died.  It is really very interesting how people change and what brings on changes.  

We have certainly had some roller coaster emotions between us.  Her husband recently passed away and so when I saw her  name I thought maybe she wanted to talk of that.  I sent a return text and we spoke of life after our husbands are gone, what we are doing, and I guess just getting to know one another again.  I am glad she reached out to me and I hope it is not the only time we will talk.  It was comforting to hear from her that she is doing well and is in good financial shape. I was very pleasantly surprised and grateful for her contact.

In reference to some other 'Rebecca's, I have a co-worker that has the name and she works in our administration.

My former direct supervisor and friend is also Rebecca and she lives in St. George and fortunately she is still a very important person in my life and I am grateful for our friendship. She has suffered for a couple of years with cancer and stayed with Ambur and I in Las Vegas many times and I am grateful I could be of a little help to someone who is not good at taking help at all.  She has influenced my life in so many ways and has always built or at least tried to build my self confidence which is often low.  I think she is a great parent and gives amazingly to her children.  She will help anyone at anytime and she is a great problem solver. 

Another Rebecca that I have had (not currently) in my life's journey that I am grateful for is Rebecca Hernandez, a former supervisor at a clinic I worked at.  She was very keen at running the clinic and I loved working for and with her.  She had a way of making you feel a big part of the team.  She was smart, experienced and kind.  She treated patients the way she would treat family members and she was a great negotiator when there were problems.  I was blessed to know her.

I am lucky to have powerful, successful women in my life from family member to co-worker to Director, I am grateful for each and every one of them, each sent to my life for a very specific reason.

Chimes

In my bedroom window I don't hang curtains, I hang Chimes, and special things that I have been gifted.  I love the sounds they make when the wind blows and lately I have been able to keep my window open to hear the beautiful sounds every minute that the wind blows.  

Tonight when I went into the room one of the chimes, red cardinals, was all lit up.  It was pretty special.  I have had them light just a bit before, but tonight they were just all lit up and as they swirled around and around with the wind, the red lights of the cardinals flew around my room on the walls in shadows.  What a marvelous little gift I got tonight.

I put nothing to chance so I know that I have received one more Tender Mercy from Heavenly Father and what a wonderful thing it is.  I laid all night hardly sleeping and just listening to the calming, peaceful sound and sights of the beautiful chimes in my window.  My gratitude runs over.

 

The Wall of Fame

Some years ago, I invited friends and family members to draw a picture, paint, craft just any contribution to a big long wall in my house which I put a 3000 piece puzzle of the ocean on.  I wanted to have a place, a Happy Place to go and see the love from family members and experience it over and over.  I got a bunch of contributions.  It was just great.  

When we moved, I didn't have a wall big enough so I practically filled the whole 3rd bedroom with the puzzle and items.  Some of the items didn't make it through the move and got torn or just plain ruined.  That made me very sad.  But for the ones that made it through, the walls were decorated.

Now fast forward to present day and when my sisters visited they brought a gift, or a contribution from my great niece, Lucy, and I love it.  I wasn't sure how or where I would put them, but today I got it figured out and they are up and around the puzzle.  She crocheted them all and they are just wonderful.  My favorite is the jellyfish of course.

I felt loved and cared for when I saw them.  How sweet and they all just added happiness to my peaceful relaxing wall of fame.  I am blessed.
 

Conference is Coming

Conference is almost here and for me that means reading the last Conference session addresses before it arrives again. I managed to do it and I just can't begin to express the good feelings it leaves me with.  It fills my very soul with comfort and joy to read the words of our wonderful leaders, those who Heavenly father put in our pathways, in my pathway, for a purpose.  Here are some quotes from some of my favorites, but really they are all just wonderful.

One need say no more about President Nelson's speech.  He is such an amazing man to watch, study and learn from.  The Temple was a grand theme in many of the addresses.

Elder Stevenson is one of my favorite speakers.  Answering the question is a lifesaver for anyone who believes.  The conference addresses keep my spirits up when I get low and it is up to me to build my pathway to Heaven and to put into action the words of all of our wonderful leaders.

The addresses all were wonderful.  The ones that I felt applied mostly to my life--the ones where it feels like they were meant for me--were many and listed below:

Motions of a Hidden Fire: President Jeffrey R Holland

Covenant Confidence through Jesus Christ: Elder Ulisses Soares

My very favorite was "Be still and Know That I Am God: Elder David A. Bednar

All Things for our Good: Elder Gerrit W Gong.

Well, I could just list them all!  I love each of them and am so grateful for the Conference of April 2024 and now I am ready for Conference Fall of 2024.

I feel so blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I really need to do some real soul searching and change anything in my life that takes me away from the gospel plan.
 

Sunshine (again)

We are having an exceptional season of weather.  It has just been wonderful, even a little on the hot side. It was such a wonderful weekend when my sister's came for a visit and then it got a little hotter, all the way up to 89 (this is about 5 degrees too hot for me).  But the Sunshine has just be wonderful.  It really helps my mood and I just love it. Some years ago I realized that I need sunshine, when the sun doesn't shine my soul is sad and I have a lack of energy.  I think maybe that is why I have lived in places where it is sunny more than not.  The weather here isn't perfect--wind is around 90% of the time, but I will take the wind with sunshine I enjoy so much.

 I am so grateful that Heavenly provides us with such wonderful days and seemingly knows just what we need.  I need the sunshine and I am so thankful for it.  I am blessed.

Snow Geese and More

Today I am grateful for many things.  I will focus on Delta, Utah and the Snow Geese migration resting place.  A week or so ago, my daughter, Ambur, saw some pictures of just hundreds of geese and showed it to me.  Now, anyone who knows me well, knows that I love birds.  Well, I found out that this weekend is the main days for the migration to take place and it is the Snow Geese festival in Delta, Utah.  So I decided I was going.  And of course Ambur is always game to go along even if she doesn't always get to see everything.  I try as much as possible to describe things to her and she and I always have some good laughs.

We headed out at about 6 this morning and off we went to the Gunnison Bend Reservoir which was about 2 1/2 hours drive.  It was dark when we headed out but the moon was just amazingly beautiful.

The sun was coming up and I tried to get a picture of it, but that didn't work out as well as I had hoped. We saw a rabbit in the middle of the road while it was still pretty dark and it is possible I might have hit it--I hope not, but it didn't seem to move out of the road fast enough.

As the sun brought more and more light to our day, we kept seeing the big black raven's in the road, all over the road, across the entire road and as we drove we realized they were eating what is left of a rabbit that had been hit.  These birds were about every 100 feet or so and there were no other cars anywhere to be seen so I did stop and get a picture before we got to them.  To my GREAT surprise, what should appear in the group but.....

This beautiful eagle who's meal I interrupted.  He just sat there watching me and I thought I was going to have a heart attack he was so close and beautiful.  It wasn't long before he flew off and went to the trees still watching so he could go back and finish his meal (I think).  What a treasure to see.

As we went along we saw a little town called Deseret.  Who knew?  Not me for sure.  Before the town came along, we saw Fort Deseret and of course I had to stop to see what it was all about.  It was a great little surprise.  I love the history of Utah and even though some of it is not the greatest achievements, or actions, I love reading and seeing historical information.

This is the hole in the fort wall where the occupants would be on the lookout for the indians that were supposedly angry -- they never showed up and there was never any confrontation at the fort

The reservoir was not to far from Deseret and the information suggested that the flying from the fields to the water would likely be taking place between 9 and 10 am.  We got there just about 850 or so and there was literally about 5 people there.  I was really surprised.  We sat down for a minute and then a very nice man came and told us that the geese were all in a field not to far away.  He told us how to get there and so off we went to take a look.

There were cars parked all along the street so it wasn't hard to find the geese.  We got a good parking spot and I started taking the pictures.  When I use my big lens, I never really know how good the pictures will be and I usually have to take 2 - 10 for a good one to show up.  So there were a ton of pictures taken and a lot that I really liked so I am forewarning that there are quite a few here even though I narrowed them down.

We were watching as a few geese would fly up and move all the way to the other end of the line.  You would be watching and then suddenly the geese would start talking and then a few would fly.  All of a sudden this truck hauling hay drives by (way too fast) and hay is spinning around our heads and even went into the car and he lays on his horn as though he thinks someone will be moving--no one moved he had plenty of room to get by and after all he should know it is the Snow Geese Migration day.  But he sure did make a rukus.

I can hardly be grateful for Geese alone on this beautiful day.  Seeing an eagle and hawks was just phenomenal and seeing these beautiful geese with the snow covered mountains in the background was just so beautiful.  As you zoom in on the pictures, you may see some landing or flying into the crows in the field.  There couldn't be a better backdrop and it was just beautiful.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the day.  There are a few geese flying in and they line up literally with the snow level on the mountain and they are just beautiful birds.

Suddenly we hear a lot of geese chatter. It got louder and louder and I couldn't see where they were but suddenly there they were.  Three different groups were taking flight.  It wasn't any huge amount, but it was very cool.  They got closer and closer and then they were right overhead and I couldn't snap fast enough on the camera.  I ended up with a few good ones.

Then we went back to just watching those left in the field with anticipation there are a lot of them and with those groups flying off, we kept thinking (as did everyone there) that any minute the whole field would take off.  But after about 5 minutes or so with no geese talk being heard  we decided to go to the water and see if we could see the ones that took off.  There were still some being added to the group in the field.  Or possibly not being added, but moving locations/positions.

There they were on the water, but on the far side so we couldn't really see them very well.  We decided to drive to the other side and see if we could get a better view.

This little poochie was walking around and stopped by to say hello.

There were many, many more people at the water this time.

Off we drove to the other side and sure enough as soon as we got around the bend, there they were!  I pulled over as fast as I could so I could get a couple of pictures before I couldn't see them any longer.

These two were a little too tired to make it to the water.

What a great site and wonderful sound.  When Ambur and I lived in South Salt Lake we used to have geese flyover regularly and I loved hearing them.  Some times I would hear them talking and I would shout out, "THE GEESE, THE GEESE", run and get my camera and out I would go to get some pictures.  One time, one of the geese was so close to me as I got outside he dropped a special plop right on my head.  It was hilarious and gross all at the same time.  Today I wish the Snow Geese had been close enough to drop a plop on my head.  I would have probably cried with joy and disgust at the same time.

As I looked at my pictures I found a couple that I liked and they are not of the geese but show some of the beauty surrounding our visit.

After the thrill of the geese sighting, we headed into town to eat.  Signs all over about the festival and we ate at a place called the Ranchers Cafe and it was delicious.    As we left, we saw a bunch of food trucks in the parking lot and looked around to see if there were any great desserts, and sure enough Ambur found a german food truck that had spaghetti ice which is something she loves and we decided to buy one to share and we got up to the ordering window and they were out of supplies.  Bummer for Ambur.  

We then went to the ToPaz Museum.  This was so informative to me.  Ambur is well versed being a lover of history she knew much about it.  What a sad time in our country's history and reading and seeing the artifacts and pictures was very interesting.

This movie camera belonged to one of the internee's.  They were not supposed to have cameras and the story of how he got his camera can be seen on YouTube, it is one of only two home movies in the Library of Congress films.  It is called Topaz and if you want to see it, I highly recommend it, just enter Topaz home Video and it should come up for you. 

We picked up a bunch of brochures that told about other things to see in the area and as we were on our way back home there was a sign for one of those places and we decided to take the six mile detour and see it.

This fenced off area has some petroglyphs on the rocks---but I think there is also some graffiti on the rock as well, it was sort of hard to decipher.

This is the 'Great StoneFace'.  I have never heard of this place, but as we read about it, the native americans believe it to represent the first prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints, Joseph Smith.  I got as close as possible to take the pictures, I think even if I were sitting on it, it would not look like Joseph Smith but we can say we have been there now.

The windmill, geothermal plant, just outside of Milford, was hard at work.  Of course you can't see them going round and round but they sure were and that mountain backdrop is so beautiful.

It was really fun seeing this sign as Ambur and I have seen many of the people mentioned at the Days of 47 rodeo in past years on July 24th and they are just great.  I think it is really nice the the town honors them with this lovely sign.

 So very much to be grateful for.  I love being able to do a day trip and see so much and feel so blessed.  I am grateful to be able to experience the Geese and feel the sorrow of Topaz and the strength in building the Fort at Deseret.  Just a really beautiful day of gratitude.