It's the Queen's Birthday!!

SUCCESS!! I know my mother too well! I hacked into her blog! (This is Emily, by the way)

Mom doesn't know I'm doing this. She's still in bed waiting for dad to bring her her belgian waffles. In fact she doesn't even know that I'm awake right now.

In case you couldn't tell by the title it is Gena's birthday! She's the queen of the house today! Sadly I wasn't able to get today off of work like Alli did so they'll just have to party without me but we'll be opening presents later tonight.

My mom is the kindest, most thoughtful, random, funny, annoying, beautiful, smartest person I know. I hate watching Jeopardy with her because she'll always be able to answer before me! She is a patient mother of two boys and twin girls and now the mother-in-law of two awesome women! She's always the instigator of mischief (for example: putting glow sticks in the outhouse at girl's camp). I won't tell you how old she is today, you'll have to ask her yourself! But if you know how old Helen is, mom is just exactly 40 years younger! She has always been there for me and I'm so grateful for all the support that I've recieved from her this last year and a half that I haven't been able to go to school. I'd just like to say Happy Birthday mom! I love you!!

Marianne's Surgery

Marianne threatened me, or at least gave me baleful looks, so I didn't take any pictures of her ordeal with carpal tunnel surgery. Okay, I took a few photos and sent them to Dee but I was sworn to NEVER show them to others (got that, Britt?). Let's just say she looked adorable in her disposable Spongebob Squarepants-ish bloomer shorts and inflatable hospital gown (I got her to flash Dee some leg!).

What was really fun was when she became medicated. You know, that initial injection to relax before you are put under? Within 20 seconds she sadly looked over at me and said, "I'm so sorry I kicked you when I was twelve." Good to know. Then, as she was wheeled out of the room, she called out, "I love all of you sooo much!" In retrospect I'm glad I didn't take that as an omen. Creepy.

Her surgery only lasted 30 minutes but I was a little concerned when she didn't come out of recovery as expected. I was reassured by the staff that she would be with me momentarily.  When they finally brought her to me she was very sleepy and the nurse intoned several times, "Deep breaths, Marianne!" I was told to converse with her to help her wake up. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Marianne, I've texted with Dee and everyone. They're all happy you're okay.
Marianne: ... humph...
Me:  You look pretty good. Do you want some Burt's Bees on your chapped lips.
Marianne: ... yesh...

  lip balm is applied gently with finger
 
Marianne:... you are sho good to me...
Monitor: BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...
Me(readjusting pulse ox clip): Marianne! Remember to take deep breaths!

  nurse comes in

Nurse: Marianne! Are you taking deep breaths?
Marianne: (deep sigh, softly) Yes
Me: I have my iPod, do you want me to play some music to help you wake up? I have lots of choices.
Marianne: Uh-huh, what?
Me: Music. Hmm, you like Barry Manilow. Do you want that?
Marianne: (mournfully) Dee doesn't like Barry*
  *editor's note: totally false statement
 Me: Okay.

  volume adjusted strains of "Mandy" drift across the room

Monitor: BEEP, BEEP, BEEP
Me: Marianne, take a deep breath!

   She looks at me quizzically and I demonstrate for her.

Marianne(breathing deeply): All right...Nurse(poking head through curtain): Is she taking deep breaths?

  Marianne takes a few exaggerated breaths.

Nurse: Okay, just keep it up. Do you want some juice?
Marianne: Um-hm.
Nurse: There's some apple here.
Marianne:... grape...
Nurse: I have some. Would you rather have grape.
Marianne: Yes (nurse leaves).
Marianne: F-AH-CK-T!*
  *editor's note: to understand random, extremely distinct vocalization of the word "fact" you must view 'Kid History episode 4 on YouTube (endorsed, very funny)
Me: I think Barry is too mellow, how about some Aerosmith?
Marianne: They're fun.* How about the Beatles?
  *editor's note: does she really think so?

I realized the music was doing the trick when after "Ticket to Ride" her toes began to tap to "Love Me Do."

She really began to wake up gracefully, even managing to eat her pudding without making too much of a mess. I knew she loved me when she let me wipe her hands and face. She must know I love her because I didn't allow her to go home with pudding on her bandaged hand and face.

Post surgery patient is doing extremely well!

ps. Patient shared with me that in recovery when doctors and nurses were trying to wake her up she purposely held her breathe in an act of rebellion towards those people who were not letting her sleep. Bravo!

NOTICE...

Including this post there are seven (SEVEN) new posts. Imagine, me waiting so long to post that I had to have seven entries! I've spent a LONG afternoon with photos and collages and trying to sound coherent (and I would be embarrassed to tell you how many times I've gone over the posts to edit!).

FYI, you can double click on the collages and they will enlarge (not to be patronizing; this is for those among us with not in the know).

Springtime in Colorado...

 

Michael (handsome in his uniform) and his lovely wife Sarah were finally able to live together! Thank you U.S. Army for letting this happen after only 7 months of marriage (snarkily said). Steve was coming home for the weekend,Dean and Renda, brother and sister extraordinaire, brought Helen back to CO from her visit in AZ. It was conference weekend and was so much fun! The intersection of family merited a visit to one of our favorite places, Jack and Grill. Too much good food and not enough good company. Footnote, a week or two later I noticed a bad smell in the car. It was Michael's "doggie bag." Oh, how I missed him at that moment, not!

 

We are enjoying Allison's expanding skill set. Her school had a Mother's Day later in May and she gave Mom and I pedicures. Emily hung out with us until she had to go to work but we couldn't talk her into getting one (still don't know why, it's relaxing and fun...) You can see her lovely face as I captured her getting her highlights, so happy was she that she forgot to smile. I had to take a picture of her waxing Emily's legs. Yes, Emily wanted it! Alli waxed and pulled, Emily grimaced and bit pillows. Allison even had tweezers to try to get the strays that didn't come out. When all was finished we determined we're going to invest in a wax pot so the wax will be thicker and the tweezers won't be necessary. Emily is so thrilled.

 

Okay, the girl's 19th Birthday was pretty laid back. You can tell by Allison hiding behind her hair since she had no make-up on, gasp! Alli's gifts? A triple process hair color and a gift certificate to Sally Beauty Supply (the latter a little selfish on my part since it was to go towards purchasing acrylic nail supplies!). Emily's gifts? A Sony PSP handheld game system and two games, the Kingdom Hearts game being one she had been dying to play. So excited was she her Chinese food dinner flew out of her hands and onto my carpet. Sweetly she cleaned it up immediately and, sweetly, her sister jumped in and helped her. And the last picture? Allison is eating cake out of a grocery bag we had put in the garbage (hey, it was a new bag and the cake was inside, okay?). We ended up with four, FOUR, cakes in our house that weekend (long story) but the one she's noshing on was one her boyfriend made for her (Helen and I found it to be dried out and a little sticky but she wanted just a little bit more).

A Relaxing Lunch

 

This post is out of order but I don't know how to change that! After the newlyweds left Denver for Provo Steve's parents, Tony and Bette, took us all out to dinner at Red Robin. It was SO nice not to cook! We had a terrific time except for the moment Helen found out that her Burnin' Love hamburger had jalapenos on it ;)

A Wedding in Maryland

 

The day before the wedding was wonderful! After attending a morning session at the temple Christina took us on the Metro to Washington D.C.! I had never been! We walked down the Mall, seeing all the monuments. We ended at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I got to see the orignial Star Spangled Banner (!!) and many other wonderful things in American culture. Having grown up watching her cook I had to have my picture taken with Julia. She didn't mind.

 

The Washington D.C. Temple is so beautiful! While we were inside Emily and Allison took some exterior shots. The grounds are gorgeous! And we had to include a photo of the cute updo Allison gave herself that day. I also had to include the photo Em took of the illegally parked car. She just couldn't believe that a temple patron would so blatantly scoff the law!

 

Christopher and Christina Faria, blissfully happy newlyweds! It didn't matter that the weather was quickly cooling or that the wind had come up. We were all thrilled to be there sharing this sacred moment with them.

 

Christina had worked at an Italian restaurant in a lovely old neighborhood D.C. and they were more than happy to have her wedding dinner there. It was just across the street from a Metro stop and I must tell you as a snazzily dressed wedding party we drew a lot of attention on the train. It was a beautiful end to a beautiful day!

Mother's Day 2011

 

We were traveling home from Baltimore to Denver. Arrived at the airport, turned in the rental car, made it through security and decided it was time for breakfast. I saw Panda Express but Allison wanted a doughnut. Puh-leaze!

As we left our seats in search of food on the terminal the girls asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day. I told them a new iTouch as my 8gb was full. 16gb or 32gb would be fine with me! I was just less than half serious. As we stepped off the carpet onto the main terminal walkway we were immediately faced with a Best Buy vending machine! Best Buy! Vending Machine! ipod Touch! 8, 16 AND 32 gb! Weird!

Then Allison reminded me that she still wanted doughnuts. I said I didn't know if there were any on the terminal. Looking ahead a noticed the side of a rounded sign for Baskin Robbins. Thinking they'd have a cookie substitute for her craving we approached. It was a Dunkin' Donuts! Excitedly I told the girls I had changed my mind, I wanted a sweet vintage '68 Mustang for Mother's Day. Turning around I had to sigh deeply. I had used up all my luck :{

postscript: I did get my Panda for breakfast and it was marvelous!

Fun Friday the 13th (May)

 

Left to Right, Top to Bottom:
Yes, they love gummies! Organizing by color was not only a fun OCD kind of thing to do but was also deemed a fun way to see personality by color choice (hey, Chris is a psychology major!)...
My good friend, Lisa, made many chocolate covered pretzel rods...
The beautiful quilt made by Grandma Helen...
Michael and Sarah were at the open house on Chris' phone...
Table decor was pictures of the newlyweds...
Sarah was enjoying the playlist. Don't let Chris fool you. He saw the camera and stopped dancing to make a face...
Alex, Alli and Em, the indentured servers for the night...
Trees of cupcakes!...
Beautiful photos!..
I'm missing pictures! Between my camera, the external hard drive and Picasa I need to find them!!!

Memorial Day With the Hadleys

 

Pancakes, butter eating, getting the dog to do tricks, cuddling and watching movies. Cory, Annie, Trace, Kena, Jax, Mason and Livvy... thank you for making our Memorial Day weekend so much fun!

Good Grief! It's MAY 16th!

I finally have a day off where I'm not a chicken with my head cut off (a rare phenomenon in our family, as anyone spending time around me in the last 2 years can attest to). As I sat to update my blog I wondered what to say. As I pondered I decided to wander to my loved ones blogs. Reading them made my heart so full. As I read them I had many stories and anecdotes flood my mind and I want to share them so badly.

Here we go again...

I started composing that blog entry on April 14th. That was a month ago! You know what I hate? That I'm still that chicken with it's head cut off and I'm tired of my blog reflecting that. There is so much that happens in all our lives. If I'm so busy and don't blog then why do I feel compelled to write all about it? Maybe it's guilt. I feel badly that I haven't kept this up, or that I haven't been clever (I like to think of myself as a clever person). Business isn't conducive to cleverness.

So I'll try to be better and share more. School's out in two weeks. I think that will help. Let's face it, I'm typing this entry on a school laptop in a Home Ec. room in a Middle School.

Previews of things to come or not... Finishing a bathroom remodel before Christopher's wedding, finally getting to see Washington D.C., the actual wedding and the parties that followed and, last but not least, fun with hair coloring

PS. To my new daughter Christina, I love you. Thank you for making my son so happy AND I'm trying to watch my usage and punctuation. Yes, you've inspired me!

PPS. To my other new daughter Sarah. Love you too! You are inspiring me to be a better blogger by your cleverness and sweetness.

PPPS. Just to let you all know Emily is an avid reader of all your blogs. She's always asking me the "have you read...?" questions. Maybe I should make her a co-contributor on my blog. Hmm, not a bad idea.

Don't Wish Your Life Away

In our RS lesson on Sunday our teacher shared that her Mother always said, of life, "Why wish it was Friday? Don't wish your life away!"

I used to wish when my children were little that they were older. Got my wish. I don't miss homework, school projects, teen drama and early morning seminary. But I do miss my babies, sweet little hugs and kisses, easy Christmas shopping, Easter dresses, Junk Food Friday nights, road trips singing to The Beatles, everyone agreeing on what video to watch and having them think I was the smartest, wisest person in the world (although I am and they're beginning to realize it again).

I used to wish I would be older and have more time on my hands. Older. Don't mind it. I kind of really like it, but still don't have that time. According to my 88 year old mother I will never find that time. Oh, well, at least I won't have to wish for it anymore! Win!

I used to wish life would be easier. Can't lie, I still wish this. I guess we're never done learning and growing, even when it's annoying and painful. The bumps in the road give me a clarity on my real blessings that I wouldn't have without them. Even with the cracked and sinking cement slab in the garage I must remind myself I still have a home (an older one that needs a lot of work, but...).

I used to wish church meetings would go by faster. Okay, still wish this one too. I sat through two mind numbing travel log testimonies on Sunday, each taking 10-15 minutes. At the end of the meeting a sweet little girl and her Grandfather got up. She gave 3 sentences expressing gratitude for her family. He stated simply his love for the Savior, the love of our Father in Heaven and his blessings without telling long stories. Brother Brown, you made sitting through that meeting worth every minute.

Resolution made. Not wishing life away. Well, maybe during certain teaching assignments? Please?

Warning, long post alert...

I think I'm back in Colorado. I can tell by the dishes I have to wash, the luggage to unpack, the laundry to do and the million little tasks I can see around my house. Sigh. I've been sitting here trying to improve my blogging. New, prettier look for Spring? Check. Photos on computer? Check. Wait, problem... I forgot the cool website Kami told me she uses for her cool collages on her blog. Help me, Kami!!!

It was one wild and crazy time. I think I'm going to blog in bullets to simplify things. Ammunition at the ready, go!

• Dog injured before trip. Minor surgery involved (I pay for a doctor for the dog when I haven't been myself? Really?). Now had to give dog pain killers and antibiotics.
• Due to lack of sleep was driven to paranoid heights by "warning" signs along the side of the road (see previous post). Learned CO has many more dangers than NM and AZ put together. Maybe that's because I'm driving through muy mucho mountains?
• Was able to spend a lovely evening with Dean and Renda in NM before leaving early the next day for AZ.
• Reached the intersection of Gilbert Road and Southern (yeah, like 3 miles from Richard's house) when I realized my purse with driver's license, debit card, checkbook, cell phone, reading glasses and, LIP GLOSS (my favorite, magic lip gloss, sniff) was still in Dean and Renda's kitchen.
• The Merry Go Round Effect in Communication. Before I explain this I just want to say to my mother, I love you. During conversation the whole time I was gone Mom would go off on the most random tangents. It reminded me of being on a fast moving merry go round and she would just let go. Wheeeee! Kept us on our toes following her. Again, I love you Mom!
• Got to see my Aunt Shirley and meet my cousin Babs for the first time ever! Babs, if you read this, I love you too. Poor Babs! Trying to navigate in a strange city with her Mom sitting next to her (I can really relate to the "with you Mom sitting next to her" part). Thank heavens for cell phones.
• GRRRRR!!! Forgot to take my camera to Tyler's house when all the Dean Ellsworth children gathered. SO sad! It was so fun! Cookies! Brownies! Lots of "great" and great-nieces and nephews! Time on the trampoline? Fun, until I couldn't escape. Yeah, five 9-13 year old girls zipped the enclosure shut and effectively trapped me. Kind of funny until I was on my stomach with KT straddling me, then I really had to go to the ladies room! My thanks to Macy and Emily for enabling my dismount even if it wasn't graceful.
• Loved going to Costco with Richard and Sherri. It was fun making good food with them. They made it possible for me to find awesome cupcake displays for Chris and Christina's open house. Sad  footnote: I still have a lump on the back of my head from a chance encounter with the freezer door in the garage while putting groceries away.
• Fun BBQ at Bryan and Lyndsey's house with the Richard Ellsworths. Loved, loved, LOVED meeting Kami and her parents Jim and Nancy!! Hope I didn't scare them. Who would have thought playing trampoline dodge ball, with 2 balls being thrown at us, on a tramp without a screened enclosure felt safer than facing my 5 awesome great nieces the night before at Tyler's? Note to Lyndsey: Tell Ella I will show no more mercy... cling to me during dodge ball and I will not care for your safety (I still have a bruise from the ball I took for you girl! Love you).
• Took Emily on a whirlwind tour of Mesa. She was driven past my childhood home, the little house it only cost Mom and Dad $8,500 to build in the 50's and the Mesa Temple. We had a nice interlude at the Mesa City Cemetery visiting Dad's grave. In keeping with the general skewed weekend there happened to be a Cubs game that afternoon (for those of you who don't know, the Cubs spring stadium is directly across the street from the main entrance of the cemetery). It was still peaceful but we found the front gates chained shut as we went to leave! I found later the cemetery has had problems with some fans cutting through there to get to the game faster. Twisted, no?
• Looking for a specific movie in AZ? Forget it. After two WalMarts, a Target and Best Buy no luck! It's not even an old movie people! Em and I declared, warm and tired, "Gilbert sucks." Will not be sharing what the movie title was due to someone in AZ thinking of gifting it to another said Arizonian.
• Leaving town was fun? Poor Sherri couldn't find her car keys so Em and I felt good that I was moving slowly and we were able to take her to work that morning. Got almost out of town and realized I still needed to fill the car with gas. Shell stations have an agreement with Kroger stores up here to get the same discounts on gas that you would at the store. YES! I received a discount!
• What is the East Valley Sertoma Club? I felt the mile of highway they cleaned might be contagious.
• Decided that if Emily or I wanted to jump and roll from our moving vehicle we really needed to be careful of cactus.
• Decided that bicyclists in CO are way more serious than bicyclists in AZ. In CO there is a surfeit of spandex, aerodynamic helmets and goggles. All cyclists we saw in AZ were dressed, well, kind of homeless and walked their bikes a lot. Hmmm, maybe they've been in the sun too long.
• Surrounded by cars I missed the turn from Gilbert Road to the Beeline Highway (if that's what it's called, I just know it by the road I take to get to Payson). I drove straight into the Landfill and tried to a)find a way to turn around and b)figure out why I missed the turn. Aha! Turned to my sleepy daughter and declared "I didn't take my pills this morning!" She jerked into a tense posture and exclaimed "Really!! WHY!?!?" and she dove into the luggage to help me. I suspect she was a little worried about herself as well.
• Dean and Renda were SO sweet to me. They had even overnighted my wallet to me so I wasn't driving illegally. They were ready to play cards with us. Dean and I were gracious enough to let Renda and Emily beat us by a measly 4,000 points. Now that's love. Know what else is love? Dog proofing your house so your sister's separation anxiety ridden dog wouldn't hurt anything as we were gone for a little bit. All doors closed except the pantry door and it swings inward! Dragging the love seat to the kitchen seemed the only option. It worked.
• Emily gained serious experience driving the last leg of the trip from NM to CO, all 7 hours of it. I became really concerned for a 50 mile stretch of high mountain highway where the winds were upwards of 50 mph, constant, and we knew a stretch of road ahead had been closed earlier for blowing snow and several serious accidents. She forged ahead, even through patches of whiteout blowing snow. They only lasted a few seconds but they were even scaring the dog!

Home again, home again, jiggity jig!

Beware, BEWARE!!

I had a wonderful time this past week. Steve was able to come home from Idaho for 5 days! It was just like a honeymoon. Well, a honeymoon with my mother, two daughters and a dog. I am going through "honey withdrawal" big time but I must soldier on!

Currently I'm on a road trip taking Mom to Arizona with Emily. And the dog. Does anyone else find that in preparing to leave home there are so many things to take care of but there may be just as many things pop up that need your attention before you can take care of the things you needed to take care of in the first place? Sigh. Since Allison couldn't take time from school she didn't get to come with us. All things taken care of, hopefully, we're on our pit stop in New Mexico with Dean and Renda, finishing the drive tomorrow to Arizona.

I am SO glad we made it here in one piece. The Colorado Department of Transportation has scared me to death! My eyes were glued to the road as I scanned for all the dangers they saw fit to warn me of with their bright yellow signs. Falling rocks! Leaping deer! Bighorn sheep! Larger deer with large antlers! Fire trucks! Farmers on tractors! Hikers! More deer! More falling rocks!  AAAaaaaaa...!

My paranoia has peaked. I am now weary enough to relax. Until I see what the New Mexico and Arizona DOT have planned for me tomorrow.

PS.  Allison! Please remember to take out the trash tomorrow night!  Thanks, honey!

A Good Heart Is Better Than All The Heads In The World... or is it?

Allison started school on Monday! I'm already jonesing for her to be able to cut my hair, give me highlights and do my nails! And she's still working as many hours as she can at King Sooper's (I know, right? It reminds me of all the young mothers today who want to have unique spelling for all their kids names, taking attendance is a nightmare!). So her first day of school, on Valentine's Day, she went to school from 9:00 to 3:30 and went straight to her store and worked until 11:00. She called me and said she wanted me to help her label her school supplies when she got home. I groaned! I'd been to the school with her. I knew how much she would be bringing home. I was so tired but I am Mom, so...

Here's her stuff. I thought it really nice that part of her things were duffel and a rolling supply "kit" to take around with her. Sharpies were wielded and where Sharpie wouldn't work silver nail polish was employed. Alli has all the curlers, clips, pins, clippers, scissors, shears and razors. There are textbooks and spray bottles and combs and brushes. We see curling irons, flat irons, blow dryers and a color kit with brushes and bowls and hair extensions in many colors and lengths. There is also a kit with manicure, pedicure, facial and nail filling supplies But the supplies that kind of creep people out are "the heads."

From left to right meet Tiffany, Angel, Courtney, Kevin and Destiny. Tiffany has already had her hair colored by Allison. Kevin is cool because he's so "hippy." He even has eyebrows and nose and ear hair! By the time Alli graduates he'll have a clean shaven face and a crew cut, and less hair in his ears and nose. Destiny will help her learn to deal with heavily textured hair. The school makes their own mannequins and the hairs are inserted to lay as if there were on a human head. And, this is what makes people shudder, it's all real, human hair. Why does that make people cringe? It's pretty funny to see friends say, "oh, how cool" and then draw back their hands in horror as you tell them the hair is real. But for all that reaction this is what creeped me out...

... unpacking all these realistic looking heads from the box. Now that's creepy.

If She Plays Her Cards Right...

Emily works customer service at a local supermarket and has the joy of working at the store's fuel center. Her shift has been, unwaveringly, 1:45-10:15 p.m. She's my little veal in a stall (after a few of us had said that to her we explained what it meant, she laughed!).

(The cute necklace she's wearing is her "panic button" to summon immediate police assistance. It can provide material for another blog entry which could be titled "Did She Really Have To Use It", a.k.a. "Are The Arvada Police Officers As Cute As The Arvada Firemen?" which can be another blog entry...).

Last night, being Saturday, was very slow at the gas station. I received a text from her. "I'm making tiny playing cards, I'm so bored! And I can't remember what a club or a spade looks like." I know, hard to believe in our card playing family that she could so easily forget. Guess her mind was a little numb.


Here's what she created, a complete deck of 2 inch playing cards.

The beautiful part was that they were cards on one side and puzzles on the other. Recycling cigarette cartons, she's so green!

The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated...

... or maybe not. In spite of the fact that I lost my way on the blogging path I have set foot upon said path once more. I've always felt badly that my attention to my blog fell through the cracks in my life. My Mother is always asking, "Have you read Marianne's latest blog?" and I get to say, "No, I don't think I've read any blogs for almost a year." After looking it turns out I was right. Where did the year go? Strike that, I know where it went and it's been a long, bumpy ride. Annoying piquant moments accentuated by the good.

Haven't looked at Marianne's blog yet but I'm pretty sure she said something about Michael and Sarah's wedding last September. It was anticipated, planned, put on hold at the Army's whim and pulled off in a week. It was perfect. The temple ceremony was beautiful. Contrary to everything I was told I would/should feel I really didn't feel a loss. I knew is was a natural and correct flow of life, content that Michael and Sarah were so right for each other, in love, and blissfully happy. My only threat of tears was when the officiator told the Mom's to be the first to hug the newlyweds. I was so happy for them.

Christopher started school this Fall after a good working summer. He had found a great place to live and work was looking good, especially when he met a cute babe. She told him she didn't date co-workers so he asked if they should just hang out. They developed a fast friendship and I knew the bachelorhood was in jeopardy when he told me how they watched "Anastasia" and sang along with the songs, both of them knowing all the words. Chris made plans to visit with her family in Maryland at the beginning of the Christmas break. He brought the lovely Christina to our home for Thanksgiving. They had just come back from Rexburg, visiting her sister, Rachel. While they were there Rachel (an amazing talent) took their engagement pictures. Yeah, no questions needed to be asked but the official referring to them as "fiance and fiancee" waited until Chris spoke to her father and proposed at the Washington D,C Temple while the Padilla family was there to see the Christmas lights. The wedding will be there on Saturday, May 7th. Now, I can explain why I called Christina a "cute babe." She and Chris call each other "babe" all the time. They danced and sang all through the fixing of Thanksgiving dinner and, true to unspoken form, Chris took her down to the floor with a botched dance move. They're perfect for each other.

About my sons and their women? West coast girls may be hip but there's something about those girls from the East. I like them and apparently so did Michael and Chris.

Allison and Emily had a real world experience with disappointment. After getting all installed at UNC and ready to go they found out the state of CO had pulled about $5,000 in funding from each of them. We brought them home and they've worked to save money and take their next steps. Allison is starting her career at the Empire Beauty Institute next Monday. She's thrilled! It was kind of what she wanted to do but was going to give college a year to make sure (more for her parent's I think than for her). And Emily needs to get her application for BYU resubmitted! They accepted her for last Fall so I feel pretty confident they'll want her back.

In April 2010 Steve's unemployment came to an end with a bump. The contract he was given was for a company in Carlsbad, NM. He took it and lived for the next six months down there. It was so hard to have him gone. I was reminded of all the men during the Great Depression who left their homes for work. Now it's happening all over again in America. Most men at his level in their profession are now mainly contract workers, companies too cheap to keep them on their payroll but will bring them in when things are going toe up to get everything set straight. He came home in September. He received another contract with a company in Idaho Falls two weeks ago. Yep, he's gone again but this time it's winter and running back and forth is more than a challenge with the weather the way it is. I'll get to see him again at the end of the month.

I'm still substitue teaching. My dreams of my own classroom went with the wind of the economy. We'll see what next year brings.

Now you know I am still alive. But no kicking. I'm too tired from shoveling snow for kicking.