I Love the UPS Man

Signed, sealed...delivered.
Going to see Josh Groban.
Going to be the longest three months until November 13th.
Worth the wait.

Pinch Me! I Must Be Dreaming!!

 Today is our 31st wedding anniversary.  I have been married to the most wonderful man in the world for 31 years now - and today, it actually crossed my mind that I was grateful to the other man I loved, that he didn't marry me and left me available to marry the man I was supposed to marry.  Small favors, for which I am now eternally grateful.
We have had a great 31 years.  Full of adventure, fun, heartache, worry, laughter etc etc...every single emotion and experience you can think of has been ours to have.  And it's not even close to over, but just starting in so many different ways.  Del is such a good man.  I am so lucky to have him and for him to love me.  I adore him...and cherish him.
And as always, he gave me a wonderful gift.  He KNOWS I love Josh Groban, a musical performer that has the most gorgeous voice.  Josh is in concert in November - in Dallas - and we now have tickets to go - together.  It's going to be wonderful.  The concert isn't until November, right before Del's birthday, but it will be an experience well worth the wait.  What a thoughtful and kind gift.  I am beyond thrilled!!!

'OUCH'. That Hurt!

Del and I have been feeling some aches and pains lately - even more than the usual soreness from working outside or in the garden.  We both feel it in our shoulders, elbows and hands.  Yeah, I think it's arthritis.
Tonight, we went to the temple and on our way out to the car, we were commenting on all of our body parts that were hurting, aching, and over all, just slowing us down.  The conversation continued as we arrived at Taco Bell to grab a bite to eat.  We ordered our meal and as Del paid, I went over to get my drink from the soda fountain.  When Del joined me seconds later, he was laughing and said 'Hey look.  They gave us a discount!'.
I would have laughed, but even THAT hurt!!!

She Looks Good

I didn't go to family reunion, but I have been able to see some of the pictures taken by those whom were there.  These were taken of my mother.
She looks happy huh?  I love that she looks sooo happy.
My mother isn't one that gets lonely, or feels sad.  I know she misses my dad, but she will be okay.  She really looks happy in these pictures...don't you think?

Open Door Policy

When you have a dog, you have to have a doggy door.
And the doggy door has to be left open so that the doggy can come and go as it needs to.
For ten years, we have had a doggy door; and the door has stayed open as Lacey would come and go all throughout the day to do her business.
But since Monday night, the door has been closed.  No need to have it open anymore.
That's the only thing that has made me cry. I don't LIKE the door closed.
Over the past four days, we (Del, Kathryn and I), have felt the loss of Lacey's presence.  We miss her.  We are used to having her greet us each day at the door as we come home from work. I am used to her snoring on the floor by me side of the bed and each morning, shaking her ears back and forth as she wakes up and stands for the first time of the day.  When Del would go to the bathroom first thing in the morning, Lacey would come and stand in front of him, insisting Del pet and scratch her ears as he sat there.  Then she would anxiously wait for him to dress, so that he could take her for their daily walk...every day...for ten years.  When we would eat ice cream, Lacey would patiently wait for the final spoon scraping the bottom of the bowl; at which time, she knew we would put the bowl down for her to lick clean.  No matter where she was in the house, she would hear that spoon and come running.
When we sat to watch t.v, Del would put his feet up on the ottoman and Lacey would climb up and lay by the side of his leg and sleep until Del got up to do something else.  In the morning, when Del would go into his office to do his scripture reading and studying, Lacey would go in and sit on Del's feet under the desk. Del was continually having to watch for Lacey under his feet - he's mentioned several times since Monday night, that he has caught himself looking for her underfoot as he goes from room to room.  he even got teary eyed as he shared some thoughts of her yesterday.
What a sweet dog.
The door is closed now.  We'll keep the doggy door, just because we can't afford to change it out.  It will stay, as a reminder of the sweet ten years we had of a really beautiful, loving, playful, devoted and loyal friend that we extended the 'Open Door Policy' to, with much love.

All Dogs Go To Heaven

In 2002, we moved to Texas, leaving behind a lot of wonderful memories and love in Utah.
Kylie had always wanted a dog, so for the Christmas, the following year, Santa (Jordan), delivered Kylie's Christmas present to her; wrapped adorably in a Christmas stocking.
That's when Lacey arrived in our lives.  And so, for the past ten years, we have watched this adorable puppy turn into the most wonderful and loving pet you could ever hope for.
But Lacey left us yesterday after a very painful and difficult weekend.  On Saturday evening, as Del and I were outside working on the lights in the front yard, Lacey was struck by a car in the road.  She had been across the street in the neighbors yard and I had called for her to come home.  Neither Lacey, nor the driver saw each other and the car hit her, crushing her pelvis and breaking her hip.  Del and I took her to the ER vet clinic where xrays confirmed the break and pain she was in.  It was heart breaking.  We hoped that keeping her stabilized and still would allow her to heal, but Sunday night and Monday, she started bleeding internally and by last night, it was obvious she was in dreadful pain.
The conflict for the family came with the discussion of how we wanted Lacey's life to end.  Del, raised on a farm where animals were just that...animals...no loss, no special care for them and no emotional attachment, wanted to take Lacey out into our back forest and shoot her, then bury her on our land.  Of course, that thought sent the girls in the family ballistic!!!  We wanted to take her to the vet who would give her an injection and let her go to sleep peacefully...humanely.  At a cost.
I won't go into details of how the decision was finally resolved, but last night, Jordan stopped by on his way home from work and Mike and Kylie were already there.  Kathryn did not want to be present.  Del offered a family prayer and blessing upon us all before he, Jordan and Kylie went to the back forest, shot Lacey and buried her.  Tears all the way around, but the moment was special and the experience was spiritual.  All conflict had been resolved and the ending was peaceful.
Lacey is missed already.  No-one to lick our ice cream bowl - no-one to greet us at the door when we come home - no-one to beg for food,  no-one to walk with Del in the morning...no-one to snore by my bedside at night...and it's very very quiet around here.
We're all sad.  But the memories are wonderful of our sweet Lacey.

A Near Death Experience

Homemade peanut clusters.
After I had eaten my third or fourth one, Del looks over his glasses at me and asks,
"are these included in your new diet?'
PMS week, just spent 3 hours canning tomatoes, hot, tired....and I wanted chocolate???
Not one of Del's more brilliant moments in our almost 31 year marriage.

Tomatoes

Probably more than anything else in the garden, I looked forward to home grown tomatoes.  I love tomatoes.  I eat them just like I would an apple, but only if they are fresh from the garden.  I planted 16 tomato plants...and got three tomatoes total.  I was devastated.
Sister Lewis knew how disappointed I was.  She also had problems with her garden this year, but not nearly as sad as ours.  But Saturday, while I was at work, she went out into her garden, picked all the remaining tomatoes she had on her 25 plants, and brought them over to my house in two large 25 gallon buckets.  One of the sweetest gestures EVER.
So tonight, I canned them.  And I am thrilled to have canned tomatoes from a garden.  Not MY garden, mind you, but better.  From a garden that was filled with much love.
I will cherish each quart I use.
Thank you Sister Lewis.

A Rare Friday Night Date

Since getting my new job, our Friday Night Dates have become non-existent.  Friday is the busiest day at the bank and we work until 6:30 p.m which usually doesn't get me home until right after 7:00 at night...and then I am exhausted!!!  So our Friday night dates have piddled away to nothing.
But last Friday, I had to take the 'early shift' of the day....meaning, I needed to OPEN the bank instead of 'closing' the bank, so I was at work at 6:30 a.m.  That, in it's self, made for a very tiring day.  I was supposed to be off by 4:00, but that's right when a whole slew of people came to the bank to cash their pay checks and for the next hour and a half, I was cashing pay checks. Finally, I was able to leave at 5:30.  I came home early, which was a surprise to Del, and we spent the next two hours making the above, YUMMY dinner...cheese stuffed chicken and jumbo shrimp, asparagus and salad...and then we just relaxed the whole rest of the evening.  It was nice...and much needed after I had come home several nights last week really irritable and grouchy from working such long days under difficult circumstances.  I tend to give my all at work and bring home the 'left over' good mood to my husband.  He gets 'what's left', which isn't much at all.  So I am trying to work on that.

Twenty to Lose - AGAIN!!!

It's taken longer than a moment - it's taken a year, but I have gained back about 10 pounds from my great weight loss a few years ago.  But this time, it's 10 pounds in actual weight, but twenty pounds in inches.  And it's got to come back off.
No time like the present.  I keep fluctuating by about 3-4 pounds...but I just love food - and too much of it.  And I've completely quit exercising....not like I ever really did, except for walk.  But I don't even do that anymore.  So, if I go to the doctor the end of this year like I am right now, my doctor is going to pronounce a death sentence on me.  And I don't want that.
So, back to walking...cutting back on my portions and eliminating junk food.
AFTER I go make a batch of cookies.

Mr. Anderson (Agent)

Supposedly, there has been an actor on t.v. that the kids have thought Del looked like.  The actor has starred in several rolls, but is most famously known in a role where he plays a 'Mr. Anderson', a man that wears a suit, tie and always has on dark sunglasses.  I had never been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this character until a few weeks ago, when I happened to be watching t.v. and a commercial came on with Mr. Anderson.  OMG!!!!!  I gave a little squeal and called for Del to come in the room.  He came in and I asked him, 'Is this you???'  Sure enough, Del looked VERY much like the Mr. Anderson on tv.  The kids were right.   I see the resemblance.

Celebrating the 4th of July

The holiday fell on a Thursday this year which made for a really awkward weekend.
But we started the fun on Wednesday night, when everyone came over to the house to have a sleep over.  Kylie had Mike set up a tent outside where she planned on camping out with Preston.  Jordan and Lexi were set up in the guest bedroom and then the rest of us had our already designated beds.  We had a big dinner and barbeque and had Preston play outside in the tent, but he decided late at night that sleeping outside was not what he really wanted to do, so Kylie brought everything inside and set it up on the floor of the front room.  That's where they were to be found early the next morning. Mike and Madi had gone home to sleep in the comfort of their own beds but came over early the next morning.
The morning of the 4th was spent making a big pancake breakfast and salad for the activity we were going to.  We have some great friends in the ward that had invited us to go boating with them at the lake - so off we were in our bathing suits and ready for some fun.  The pictures tell it all.
A great and exhausting day was had by us all.

The Bishop Has Had ENOUGH

The garden is....gone.  No more.
It had been failing for days; even weeks.
Del tried to revive it...save it and even resurrect it.  But it was not to be.
So one day this past week, I came home from work to find this.....Del had mowed down the corn, and was roto-tilling up the rest of the garden, except the strawberries, grapes and raspberries.  Those, he still cannot part with and sees hope.
But the rest of the garden is gone.  Del didn't want to spend the time, money, water or energy on it anymore when he knew it wouldn't work.
So, he now claims it as an expensive learning experience.  I claim it as my 'lost furniture'.
And from that experience, Del received HUNDREDS of chigger bites and the scars to prove it.
But we'll know better what to do for this next year, maybe even this Fall.

Pinterest: Keep Out of the Reach of Children

Kathryn is ADHD - I know she is.
She gets bored soooo easily - has to always be finding something new to do, experiment with; try.
Her latest thing?
Pinterest.
One night, I'm on the computer looking at facebook, and she comes in to the kitchen asking me...'do we have peroxide?'  'do we have tissue paper?' 'how do you separate egg whites?'  ETC ETC.
I knew SOMETHING was up...but what??
A few minutes later, she emerges from her bathroom looking like the picture below.
This supposedly removes blackheads...along with about three layers of skin.  I heard it all from the other room.  I couldn't help but laugh my head off as she peeled the tissue from her face screaming in discomfort.  But she swears it worked!!!



A few days later, I see a new can of Maxwell House coffee on the counter in the kitchen.
Well, considering we don't drink coffee, I'm wondering what possible adventure Kathryn is up to THIS time.
Apparently, coffee grinds remove unwanted facial hair.
Kathryn claims her face is as 'soft as a baby's bottom'.
Nice.