Dwight

I do not like Dwight.

One Day Vacation in Beautiful St. David

My husband and I planned to meet up with our children and grandchildren for a day of 4x4ing, visiting and playing. He met up with the boys and I stayed with the girls. On our way home we talked about our days adventures. We came to the conclusion that there is nothing more satisfying than family or more joyful than being loved by family and loving family.David, Pete, Dan (Pete's father in law), Tim and John all went jeeping.

David and Dan tried to talk these guys into jumping in the cold pool. No takers.


Tim at the bottom of Chiva Falls.

A pause in the day. I love jeeps....in town and out. And the men in them.

This is Megan. Or Gogan to her cousin, Bode. She is the ring leader. She will be eight this March and will be baptized. The cousins look to her for plans and schemes.

This is Bode. He has a crush on "Gogan". No that isn't a real hamburger.

Part of the day was spent on the farm with Old Gray. Everyone got a ride. His reward
was a carrot from each child. That's little Parker with the big smile on her face.

More from Bode and Abbey and Parker.

Brittany and the newest baby, DeLaine. Brittany, who is a good seven+ months along was our hostess for the day. Which was a sweet thing to be because we more or less invited ourselves. I talked to Pete, our son last night and he said he told her he was going to get a pizza and they would watch a movie for FHE. She said, "thank you". She treated us to a great day.

Jill and Delaine. When Delaine is grown she will want pictures of her in the arms of her aunts.

Heidi had originally decided not to come because of the drive and new DeLaine. That sounded like the right thing and when she called and said that she and Lee were going to come anyway that sounded even better. It was good to be all together.

This is Megan and Melanie's bedroom. And this is a busy bunch of friends. That is what Abbey called these cousins all day and with great affection. A side note: They played in this room several times yesterday. Megan had them clean it up every time they left. They would do anything to please Megan.

Lunch.....a distraction for sure.

A quiet moment for Abbey. She put on every dress up Megan and Mel own.

Before we went to the Truman's farm Brittany sat the kids down and told them how to behave. This was for their safety and Truman's sanity. She told them she would give any one of them $10 is they could catch one of the sheep. Ha Ha. They gave chase but no cash was exchanged!

Getting the rules down.

Mikey had a good day, too.

Grandma Trish and Paisley

Connie and Old Gray. I wondered if Connie thought this was a good place to live. She was kind but said, "it was a good place to visit". So I told that to Peter and he told me this little story: He read Country Mouse, City Mouse to his girls at the end of the story Megan said, "that's me and my cousins".

Cowgirl Lee. I was glad Lee came with Heidi. So was Heidi. She was fun.

Old Gray's reward. Carrots from the grandchildren!

hello

Yard Sale

When we first moved into this house almost 30 years ago

my sister in law asked me how I could live in a house that somebody

else owned before me.

It never occurred to me that that was a negative. I feel the same about yard sales and second hand stores. I love giving life to old things ~ changing them with paint or soap and water. All of the above things are finds at yard sales or second hand stores. Some are my favorite things. I love our dining table. A friend of mine, Sara Lee, who is an interior designer had a yard sale and took me aside and showed me this table. She really wanted me to buy it. I didn't that morning but called her in the afternoon to see if she still had it. She did but said somebody was coming to look at it so I better hurry. My son in law and husband drove over and picked it up and brought it home and I was just going to see if it looked good here. It looked so good that it just stayed. Even years later I think it makes everything look better.

The only other story that adds drama to my yard sale finds is the story about the wicker furniture on the front porch. These also came from a friend's home. There was a couch and two chairs and a table. So I bought them for around $40.00. Because they were WHITE I decided to paint them red. So....I went to Home Depot and told the paint guys my plan. They said I would need to primer them first because of the deep red paint I was

going to use. So they fixed me a primer with a small amount of red paint in it. It looked maroon. They said they could give it to me cheap if I wanted a dented can of primer. SURE.

I came home threw the bag with paint and brushes on the table and the can fell out of the bag and hit the floor and burst open. Paint soaked my carpet and the back of my couch. I started working frantically to clean it up. David came in and cleaned off the couch and Lee came and helped too. The couch recovered but the carpet was ruined. Eventually, I paid a man to come and replace the bad spot of carpet.....cost $175.00 OK, so I went back and bought more primer and went to work on the wicker. Don't paint wicker by hand. It took forever. So, I went to David and asked if I could buy a paint sprayer to do the red. Since we were going to paint the house he thought that was a good idea. So, I went back to Home Depot and bought a sprayer for about $150. It worked great. Project finished. One Sunday a while later as I sat on the wicker reading the paper my eye caught an advertizement for wicker furniture.....The same four pieces that cost me around $425 used and redone I could have purchased for $150 new.

Definately a deminished return.

But overall, once I clean things up or fix things that I have picked up second hand they become part of me and our home. And it doesn't bother me one bit that somebody else owned it before me.

How Do I Love Thee. Let Me Count The Ways.

It is a well known fact that I would be the bag lady or the cat lady or some other crazy lady if it weren't for my husband. As Valentine's Day approaches I have to wonder: What did I ever do to deserve this good man? Actually, nothing. He is a Tender Mercy from a loving Father in Heaven who answered the prayers of a 12 year old Beehive. That is when I started praying that "I would marry a good man in the Temple". My advisors started then to give us lessons on Temple Marriage.

My marriage to David is also a confirmation that prayers are answered. I didn't always see the need to marry in the Temple. It was a great dream and a pretty place but I was influenced by others and almost pursuaded that it would be ok to go to the Temple later after a civil marriage. But I always asked in my prayers that I would marry in the Temple.

And I dated alot of boys. Nice boys. I liked one the most. Actually thought I was in love with him and wanted to marry him. So the lion's share of experience with boys was with him. So what I learned or was conditioned to believe about relationships was tainted. You know the song Thank God For Unanswered Prayers applies here. And I do thank God.

I played softball the summer I fell in love with David. One evening my team had a practice in Snowflake. David drove me down. My sister, Lynne, played on the team and her husband, Milo, drove her to the practice. While we practiced David and Milo sat in the back of Milo's pickup and talked. That evening the shortstop was sick. I always played as a fielder but this night my dad, who was our coach, told me to take shortstop. He hit alot of balls at me. (that is a story for another day) I fielded most of them but the ones the I missed usually ended up hitting me...in the neck...in the chest....my shins. I got pretty beat up. I kept thinking this whole time that at any minute now David would get in his truck and leave. I thought this because the above mentioned boyfriend would have done something like that. ("don't embarrass me please") But David just kept on talking to Milo. When practice was over he let me in his truck and we headed home. No mention of my poor showing as a shortstop. As a matter of fact on the way home he made his first attempt at trying to tell me that he thought he loved me.

He said it like this, "Tricia, I really like you....I more than like you." I knew what he was trying to say and it scared me. So I kinda said, "I don't understand". But I understood. Anyway, he said he loved me. He said he didn't need for me to tell him that I loved him. But he wanted to tell me that he loved me. Quite a departure from the high school boy that would have left me stranded on the ball field.

We talked about marriage all summer long but by the fall we both knew he needed to serve a mission. His mom really started liking me alot once she knew it was a mission not marriage in his immediate future. He left in early January. I remember the morning after I said goodbye to him. I woke up thought of him and thought "I don't feel so bad". Then I sat up on the edge of my bed and the tears just starting falling. My best friend had left. Just GONE and gone for TWO years. Needless to say I survived.

By the end of two years I didn't even know him. I did but two years is a long time. He asked me on a date. When I answered the door...there he was....as skinny as I had ever seen him. But it was him. We went to dinner and drove around to see how things had changed and then we went over to my house. We sat on the couch and talked and I had this overwhelming feeling that almost made me cry and it was this: my friend was back. I could speak so freely and express my inner thoughts without fear. I did know him.

But, getting married was huge. Not to be decided lightly. Since we married March 21st of that year, obviously I didn't drag my feet that long but I had a bit of a hard time saying yes. The tipping point came one evening in Sacrament meeting when I sat with David and felt that someone was looking at me. Turns out someone wasn't looking at me.....SHE was looking at David. I had the strong impression that he was ready to get married and if I didn't say yes then he would move on and someone else would. This beautiful red headed girl behind us gave me the push I needed to cement the deal.

We have been married almost 34 years. David's dad said at his and Marian's 50th anniversary party, "anyone who tells you they have never had a bad time or a fight with their spouse is lying." So I won't lie. Not every day has been a good day. But we are in for the long haul. We are still learning and working through stuff. We get older and we hold on more tightly.

I can't even throw a softball right anymore. But you know what.....he doesn't care.....because he more than likes me.

A Happy Valentine ~ Years In The Making.

I was with a friend today. She told me a story about a family member who had been sexually abused as a child. And the consequences through the years. I have thought about her story quite a bit today and then I began to feel so grateful for the men (and the women) in my life. My dad, my husband, my sons, my sons-in-law. As a child I was never put in a position or place where I could have been abused. Thank you, Dad. In my marriage, my husband would die to preserve the virtue of our children. (And, I would add ~ my virtue.) No painful stories to overcome for my children. Thank you, David. My sons and sons-in-law are the protectors of our wonderful grandchildren. I have every confidence in them that they will do all in their power to protect their children. Thank you, Pete, Tim, John and Jeremiah.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HONORABLE MEN.

Snow Report Sunday 08 February 2009

Crappy. With more to come.

Checking on the sick ones.

Little Parker had a little procedure done on Thursday. We thought it was ok

not to be there. But Friday morning came and we really felt like we

needed to make a visit to her and her baby sister, who also made

a visit to her heart doctor on Thursday. I know this picture of Parker looks

like she is a recovering angel. But believe me, when we came through

the door she was bouncing off the walls. This is after she finally crashed.

We were happy to find her full of it. And to find Paisley happy and content.

Aunt Lee and Paisley.

Jim Bolton and Family

I made a post earlier about Jim Bolton. He was here in August to see his brother who

had lung cancer. He told us he would be back when Rob passed away. Well, rob passed away earlier last week and Jim came with his family. We invited them to eat breakfast with us on Sat. morning. We were so glad they had the time to come and visit with us.

Jim is with his beautiful wife, Becky, and sons Steve and Tyler. Nicest people.

Jim has been a Bishop and Becky has been the Stake YW President for 5 years.

I think they are really a big part of the strength in the church in Modesto. Jim moved to Show Low and started the 8th grade there. I remember the

boys talking about the new kids. There were a couple of new boys and they

were giving their opinions about them. I remember very well that they

said, "the one named Jim was cool". He was. He was fun. He laughed

easily and he always made me feel like I had a friend. So it has been

so nice to get acquainted with his family and re-acquainted with him.

We give him our sympathies in the loss of Rob.

Blueberries and such.

Safeway had (has) Blueberries on sale. I bought 30 baskets full

yesterday and saved $118.00. I have never canned blueberries before

but a friend in my ward told me about the price and said they

were sooo easy to do. They are! They are on sale through Feb 10 Tuesday 09.

I had never canned sweet potatoes before, either. They

weren't that hard. I got them at Wal-Mart for so cheap.

I only post these two things to encourage my family to keep canning.

I know what I am here for.

Well, Rick and I are parting ways. Not in purpose but beliefs. And, in honesty, I

want to spend my limited reading time in books that strengthen my beliefs. I was

spending too much time comparing our two beliefs. The biggest thing that I seemed at odds with

in the first several chapters was the obvious difference in our creation. He thinks it all starts

here. I believe we lived with God in a preexistence. We both believe we are here for a

purpose. I believe in the Plan of Salvation.

The older I get the more I believe. It is an eternal thing.

It is all about Christ....everything else is just details. Christ has made my

salvation possible. He is my Savior and my Redeemer.

Trying to be like him is my purpose here.

I do think that Rick Warren is a good man and has brought so many

people to Christ. But I want to read from the scriptures

and from a prophet and the apostles.

So, anyone want to borrow my book?

SCARY TIRE

A couple of weeks ago David took a load of wood to St. David with his

old trailer. On the way the rubber peeled off. Scary. He made it safely

but had to leave the trailer. We went back down on this past Saturday

to put new wheels and tires on the trailer and bring it home. (there is a

story behind the wheels and tires....but it is boring.) Pete and Brittany invited us on a picnic on the San Pedro. We loved it.

It was sunny and WARM!
Megan and Melanie in a Mesquite tree.

Pete is always looking for reasons to use his jeep.
Like father like son.

Then we had to meet Old Gray. he has a mind of his own but he was sweet.

Megan is getting good with the bridle and can do some riding on her own.

I wish I had a horse.

These rock formations in Texas Canyon always fascinate me.

WE ARE DAUGHTERS OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER

This caught my eye the other night. We have these plaques honoring Eagle Scouts and

Young Women's Personal Progress. There are about 15 girls names on there

since Heidi's name was put up. Lee's name is the last on there right now.

I liked that.....Heidi's first.....Lee's last. Jill had left home before our ward was divided but she

earned her Medallion also. Now women in their own right they have

lived up to these values for Young Women.

WHAT WAS OLD IS NEW.

A couple of Saturday's ago Carol Gardner called and wanted to hit

the second hand stores and asked me if I wanted to go. YES!!

This is what I found. Two lanterns. I already had one red one.

We walked into this one store and I could smell these lanterns.

The owner was so happy that I wanted them. They were all black

and stinky. I cleaned them up and I love them....especially the yellow one.Not that this is note worthy but a friend in our ward asked me if I wanted

these dishes. She was getting rid of them because the soup bowls are huge and

her children fill them to the top with cereal. If I had seen them in a store

I wouldn't have wanted them but I really like them. So , note worthy

or not here are my new dishes. Thanks, Heather!!!