At The Ball Game

Mike and I enjoyed a ball game in Mesa yesterday between the Cubs and the Rockies. Arizona is home for the Cubs for their spring training.

I had been worried that the weather would be too hot and that I would have a difficult time walking up to the top of the bleachers, but to my delight and amazement, I walked up the stairs without any problems, and the weather was perfect.

The game ended after the 10th inning with a tie of 4 to 4. During spring training they don't go into overtime to realize a winner.

Everything about the day was perfect, except for one exception. Sitting next to me was a man, wife, and daughter, who ate peanuts and dropped the shells on the bleacher floor. Then, of course they just left with the mess right where they left it.

It really disappointed me to see such a lack of respect for our beautiful world! It also created a health hazard wherein a non suspecting individual could have slipped on the nut shells and could have taken a bad fall.

Shame on people who expect others to clean up their messes!

About Christine and Kenny

Christine is our oldest daughter. She is called Chris most of the time, and was Chrissy during her early years.

She will be here to visit on Saturday. She and David, and baby Lydia, will be here at the same time Kenny is. Kenny will take a few days to drive to St. George to visit his dad though, so they will only be together a few days.

I mentioned in an earlier blog that Kenny is smart. Well, so is Chris.

Both as a matter of fact are genius in certain areas. Both of them have genius in the art of music.

Their talents are different though. Kenny's talent in music is in his head. He plays by ear. And he composes his own music. He should have had the advantage of music lessens since his Grandmother Code was also a musical genius, but it's sort of like the tailors kids not having shoes, Kenny got some lessens from the best, but not enough to really teach him to read music.

Playing by ear can also be a disadvantage! Why would you work to learn theory when it's all ready in your head? Because music is math! That's why. It's a science. And you can't make it up. You can make up your own music as long as you follow the science.

Chris is very accomplished in the science and math of music. She also composes her own music, and has perfect pitch like Kenny's Grandmother Code had.

That last sentence was probably confusing to any reader who doesn't know these people. Kenny is my oldest child, and Chris is Mike's oldest child.

We claim them as our own, and don't like to differentiate that they are step brother and sister.

Did I mention Chris was smart? She is also smart at English, Math, well, I guess all academics in general. The impressive thing about Chris is that she excels at academics, the arts, and sports, of all things! Most people have talents in one area or another. She is quite remarkable!

And most important of all - is that she is way beyond most of us at spiritual things. She loves her Heavenly Father, and is doing everything in her power to be able to be worthy enough to live with him again.

We are so proud of our children, and love them so very much.

About Kenny

I thought I would write something about each of my children, and since Kenny is my oldest, I'll start with him.

I've mentioned in several of my recent blogs that he is coming on Monday, just four short days from now. We are all really excited! All? Mike, Kenny, and me!

Kenny lives in Connecticut and works for a company that makes airplane parts. He is an engineer. He's very smart, and makes a good living.

Previous to moving to Connecticut about four years ago, he lived in the Seattle area, and worked for Boeing.

He loved his work, but they kept moving him from plant to plant. He got a little frustrated with that. Not that he minded really, he just didn't understand why they kept moving him since he was satisfied with the job, and they were satisfied with his work.

By the time he was ready to take the Connecticut job he realized that working at all those Boeing plants had given him a great education! He knew a lot about every part of the trade.

Kenny is a wonderful man! We are so proud of him. He is smart as I mentioned, but he's not just smart at academics. He is also smart about life in general. Good common sense is really more important in getting us through life than academics are.

And real wisdom is even more important. Wisdom is different than knowledge. Wisdom is spiritual! Wisdom is knowing why we are on this earth and knowing what we need to do to live with our Heavenly Father again.

I'm grateful that Kenny is on track with knowing and understanding what we need to do in life to have true happiness!

I'll talk more about Kenny later. He's 45 years old, and I can't begin to introduce you to this person in just a few paragraphs.

Home and Family

We have been working so hard on our home with repairs, remodeling, yard work etc., and we are trying to get it done in the next two days because we have family coming to visit.

Chris and her family, and Kenny. Kenny will be here until the 11th, and we are leaving here on the 13th. We should be working today, but I'm too tired to get out there, and Mike is at the barber.

I know I will get busy as soon as he gets home, but in the meantime I'm just being lazy.

We did have a day off yesterday when we went to a ball game between the Cubs and the Rockies.

It was a good day to get away. The weather was beautiful! We really enjoyed ourselves.

Well, enough of this writing. I need to get to work.

Buttercup

This isn't Buttercup, but rather a cute dog named Casie. I chose her because she resembles our Buttercup.

Our little dog Buttercup will forever be our friend. She has been gone from this world since 1981, and we still talk about her.

Last week my niece Robyn mentioned her to me which brought back a myriad of memories.

I decided to write about our sweet little friend. First of all the word "little" is not being used lightly. She was only about 8 inches long, and weighed a little more than 2 pounds. You may have guessed by now that she is a "deer chihuahua."

She lived 12 years with us and we loved every minute of it.

She was born in the kitchen of our Sunset, Utah home, while my sister Sharon, Kenny, Mike, Cari, and I watched.

Sharon was living with us at the time, and her even smaller Chihuahua named Baby was mother to Buttercup and one other pup.

Buttercup was the larger of the two pups, but she was so cute I choose her. As full grown dogs, she ended up being the smaller of the two.

Buttercup was born September 1969, when Kim was 6 months old. Kim and Buttercup literally grew up together.

"Butter" was given that name because of her coloring. She was light yellow to shades of tan. I have lots of pictures of her in our albums in Utah.

In April I will put her picture on the blog.

When she was two months old, I came into the living room and saw Kenny asleep on the couch with her curled up in his arms.

It only took a few minutes to realize Kenny was crying not sleeping. When I asked him what the problem was, he admitted that he had disciplined her because she had piddled on the carpet.

Immediately, I noticed there was something wrong with our little dog. Her head was turned and it lay on her back. Each time she tried to turn it - it just flipped back into that position.

We got her to the vet as soon as possible, consoled Kenny, and was told that Buttercup had had a stroke! I don't know what Dr. Pontius in Roy did to save her, but by the time we brought her home she was already recovering.

This happened around Thanksgiving time, and Ken (Kenny's dad) who insisted he didn't like dogs, kept sneaking turkey to her.

He also brought her up to our room and made a little bed for her at the side of our bed. It was amazing that in that condition during the night, she climbed up the bedding, and crawled into bed with us.

Dogs are so forgiving. They never hold grudges like humans do.

Another piece of bad luck on her part was that I closed the door while her tail was in it. To the day she died the tip of her tail was crooked where it broke. (They don't put a splint on broken tails for dogs.)

One day I was holding Buttercup and realized that every time I held her I itched. I also thought I saw some bugs on her. Dr. Pontius told me that she had mange. And there was no cure, and that she would probably die. I insisted that he give her some medicine and that she was going to live!

He did! The medicine did help, but I guess she had mange until she died of old age.

Another funny thing about Buttercup was when we went to visit my mother in Bountiful.

Buttercup would be asleep in my lap, but every time we got to a certain intersection a mile west of Mother's home, buttercup would awaken, and jump for joy.

She knew we were going to Grandma's house. Now, Buttercup loved Grandma, but Grandma insisted (Like Ken) that she didn't like dogs.

She tolerated Buttercup as she climbed into her lap, and the funny part was that she would pet the dog by starting at the back and running her hand to the dog's head. Butter was so little that her back legs came up, and her head went down.

She looked like those fake birds that tip their heads, to get their beaks into water. I guess you would have to see it to appreciate it. Buttercup never minded a bit. She just loved Grandma.

The worst experience of all happened when we were in the process of moving from Sunset to Riverdale.

We moved our food storage and other items to the house, and we left Buttercup!

Unfortunately, no one took notice of her missing until that evening. We immediately drove back to Riverdale hoping to find her, but to no avail.

We were horrified the next morning as we quizzed neighbors and discovered that the kids played with her by putting her into their mailboxes and such.

Bottom line is they didn't know who she belonged to and just left her on her own when they were through with her.

We put an in the newspaper asking for help in retrieving our dear little dog.

It was a week later when I received a phone call. The lady was hoping beyond hope that the little dog she was holding wasn't the one we were looking for.

Buttercup had a very distinctive marking that resembled a collar around her neck. Except that it didn't go all all the way around. My description of her along with the natural collar was enough to convince her that this was our dog.

We met in a parking lot in Roy, and you should have seen Buttercup. She took one look at us and jumped all over that car trying to get out, and over to us.

She jumped all over me, and gave my face a good kissing. Then she took turns at each one of the children, jumping and kissing them.

There was no doubt in this ladies mind that Buttercup belonged to us.

I offered her a reward, but she flatly refused. She was still sad to lose the dog she hoped to have, but was very happy for us and the dog.

During that week, Buttercup somehow with her built-in radar, knew her way home! She had walked a block north, which is the wrong direction, but strangely enough, if she had gone south she would never have made it.

Going south would have put her eventually on Riverdale Road, one of the busiest streets in all of Utah, and was known as the street that had more accidents in the state than any other street.

She had walked north a block to 4400 So., then walked between 2 and 3 miles east, which was the right direction. She had to cross at least 3 busy streets to arrive at 1900 W. in Roy, the busiest street in Roy!

But she was at a better place to cross, than if she had gotten over to Riverdale Road and tried to cross.

I've never stopped to realize this situation until I starting writing this down. It truly would have been impossible for her to have survived the trip if she had gone the other way.

The walk from there is 4 to 6 miles. And there were at least 6 busy streets to cross before turning west to our home, which was another 3 quarters of a mile.

The lady found her in the vicinity of the same parking lot where we met to get her.

The angels were truly watching over our little dog, and we felt very blessed in getting her back safely!

She lived 6 more years after that with us in Riverdale. She grew old and we loved her. When it came time for her to be put to sleep Ken took her to the vet.

As I said, he insisted he hated dogs, well, I loved this dog and didn't think I could do it. Ken came home with red tear-filled eyes, and told me never to ask him to do anything like that again. He did love the dog after all.

Cari never forgave us for putting our dog to sleep! We all loved her so much, and we always will!

Cubs and Rockies

Mike and I are going to a spring-training Cub/Rockies game today. We have worked so hard on our home remodeling it will be fun to get away and do something fun.

I was worried yesterday about the weather because it was a toasty 80+ degrees. I was on the south side of the house painting and it wasn't too bad because there was a slight cool breeze.

Later that afternoon it really cooled off because the breeze turned into a strong breeze. By evening it was very windy and the result: today the weather is a very comfortable 70 high.

We will be sitting in the nose bleed section, but you can see well from all levels. I'm taking the sunscreen and a visor. I hope the top of my head doesn't burn. I hate that!

My niece Robyn lives in Chicago and I instant emailed her and told her we were going to a cub game - here not there. It would be fun to see a Cub game in Chicago, but I'm in Arizona and it will still be fun.

Soon Returning To Utah

We only have a few weeks left here to enjoy our Arizona Home. Of course we'll be back and forth, and then here again in the fall for six months.

We've worked hard to get the home ready before we leave. And, we need to get things done this week because Chris and her husband and baby are coming on Saturday, and Kenny is coming on Monday. We want to spend quality time with them and not have to worry about the house.

We're not done with the painting yet, but it should be done within an hour's work. Which is what I need to get to.

I'm going around and doing the touch-up that got missed, and doing some clean-up work. I should have been out there before now, because I've been blogging all day, and it's probably in the high 80's by now.

I also need lunch before I get started. I think I will quit writing and get started!

Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Suddenly, I know many people who are suffering from sleep apnea and didn't know it.

A person can die from this problem. Basically, they do stop breathing for several seconds!

I've wondered if my own husband Mike is one of these people.

Our former daughter-in-law Ardis, who we still consider our daughter, is the one who brought this to our attention.

She found out that she and her husband have it. They both sleep in quite a contraption that looks extremely uncomfortable to me, but she claims it's worth it because she's never had such a good nights sleep.

And, the risks are just not worth not doing what's best for you.

Sleep apnea is very dangerous. People fall asleep in their cars. (Ardis did) There is a risk of not waking up at all.

It causes depression, and they are just not working on all 8 cylinders during the day.

Another advantage about getting help for sleep apnea is that you can actually lose weight! I was amazed when Ardis told me that. She is quite over-weight and has been since I met her at age 21. She especially carries weight around her neck.

Prior to going to the doctor she was falling asleep during the daytime, in the most precarious places.

She had gotten out of her car, picked up her groceries, and immediately fell to the ground asleep.

This was happening to her in different situations, way too often, and when she explained to the doctor the circumstances he noticed her neck, and told her she was suffering from sleep apnea.

And so the program for help got started.

Oh, I was talking about losing weight! After she started using her sleeping gear she began losing weight. Last I talked to her she had lost 90 pounds! I'm sure she has lost more now, that was a while ago.

I don't know which device she uses.

My brother-in-law Dale uses a sleep apnea device, and I don't know which one he uses either.

Ardis was worried about my husband Mike as I said earlier.

She made him promise that he would be checked out. He promised!

And in fact, she made him promise twice. He did. But he has no memory of it now.

I would insist that he get checked out, but actually he is doing better. I will keep a close watch on him though.

Stocks

Kenny has been helping me buy better stocks. He's done a good job and now I am the proud owner of seven new stocks that I can be proud of. Previously, I only had one that I could say I was proud of.

My portfolio has increased by three hundred dollars in just a few weeks, and I haven't had to watch them, or worry about day-trading like I did for years. I made lots of money trading, and turned around and gave it right back to them. Really dumb!

When I first started trading it was so easy to make money that I didn't respect it! I made $2400 first thing one morning, $800 another, and that was how my day went. Except, that when something comes to easy, we get complacent and careless. Which is exactly what happened to me.

I don't have the time to spend sitting at the computer watching stocks like I used to do. And, I am loving the new freedom of seeing my portfolio increase without me watching or worrying about it.

Banquet Night

It's our High Priest Banquet Dinner tonight, except I think it's more like a picnic.

It's pot luck, and their serving ham, that's all I know. It cost me about $15 for the ingredients to make a salad. It's getting too expensive to eat today! It will be fun though. I'm looking forward to it.

We went to the clubhouse to play pool but there were 8 guys over there. We'll just have to do it another day I guess. We really didn't have time to play anyway. We would have been late for the dinner, because I only have an hour to get the salad and me ready.

Mike is insisting on painting a little today. He has been going to get at it, but things keep coming up. He wants to do a little of it in the next hour, so there will less to do tomorrow. I think he's hoping to be finished with this painting project tomorrow so sure.

It really looks nice! I love it more every time I see it!

We got our new camera today from UPS, and now we can take pictures of the house and get them on the blog so people can see what we've been doing.

Preventing Skin Infections!

Nothing I like better to blog about than my family, and how to keep them safe.

Some months ago my granddaugher Kelsie had a problem with her hands. They were red, chapped, and sore.

I asked my daughter Kim why Kelsie's hands were red and sore and she answered that the schools were taking extra steps in teaching the kids about keeping their hands clean.

They were encouraging the students to wash their hands often, and they were trying out new antibacterial soaps in the schools.

I like all these ideas! So, wherein lies the problem? She was overdoing it!!! She was washing so often that she was scrubbing her skin off!

I really do like the suggestions offered on the web in keeping us safe from germs. As if you can ever really do that completely. But, we need a fighting chance at it anyway.

My niece Robyn was sent samples of their products and loves them! She recommended that I buy some of the products at Walgreen's just around the corner of us. She guaranteed that I would love them!

Pool!

Mike and I have been saying all morning that we were going to go over to the clubhouse and play pool, but we haven't made it yet.

It's been raining the last two days. Today is bright and sunny and then rains a little. It looks like it's over though.

We should be out painting the back of our home, but I have been reading blogs and writing blogs and paid posts.

He just said a few minutes ago, "Lets go in a minute". Well, too late, I found another paid post to write.

Time for a quiet day

It's been raining most of the day, and Mike and I are just relaxing.

Mike is taking a much needed nap after painting everyday this week. We have been spending a lot of time in the yard and working on the outside of the house. Today, he said, "let's work inside today, since it's raining."

I think his work is to nap and play catch-up. What ever his plans were for the day, I'm glad he's taking it easy. He needs it.

I'm very glad rain hasn't come into our Arizona screened room. We always worry about that and so far haven't had any trouble. We intend to put up windows someday, but that's in the future.

Before we go back to Utah we plan to put some kind of plastic around the windows to keep out the rain and dust. I hope we can find something that will work. It wouldn't be good to come back and find everything a mess.

Pam and Joan

We had a wonderful time with Pam and Joan here. We didn't have to do anything to have fun.

Just sitting around talking was fine with us, however, we were very busy. One day we went to the Chandler mall. We didn't buy much but had a great lunch!

I want to take Mike there sometime on a date.

We went to the Arizona Opry. They enjoyed that.

Afterwards, we came home and Mike got out his trombone and played for them. We put on the Opry cd and listened to George Starkel. He is amazing!

Mike and I danced to Glenn Miller's "In The Mood." Joan and Pam thought that was great, even though we can't dance worth a darn.

We went down to the Mesa Temple and drove around and saw the grounds. We drove down town and saw the statues on the corners that we love.

One day we went to the Canyon Lake. There is a museum at Tortilla Flats and we bought a few souvenirs.

All in all the week went much too fast. We will get together when we get to Utah in April.

It's Raining Cats and Dogs! Mesa Temple

The Beautiful Mesa, Arizona Temple

It isn't even the monsoon season yet, but it feels like it! It's raining cats and dogs out there. We'll not really, but it's coming down in sheets.

We went to the temple this morning. We had a very nice day there. I made a mistake and gave Mike a card that wasn't quite ready. Luckily I had another card that was ready in my locker. Bad part was that we had to wait an extra half hour, but that's okay.

It was actually a good thing to be late because Mike was in a position to help someone.

A handicapped lady was stuck in the rain and couldn't get out of her scooter. She needed to put her scooter in her van, but couldn't get out of it because every time she tried her crutches slipped in the rain.

Mike of course ran to help her. I was as just about as grateful for him as she was.

I am very grateful to be married to a wonderful husband.

Our Home Looks Great!

We've spent the past few weeks doing landscaping, painting the outside of our home, and putting up fake windows.

Last September when we bought the home I decided to put windows on the outside of the home because there were none on one side. That's not unusual except the side of our home that didn't have windows just happens to face the street. We are the only house out of over 300 homes in our park that didn't have windows facing the street.

I had something in mind to do, but when it came to actually doing it - I got really concerned that it would turn out tacky and unprofessional. It turned out great!

The neighbors were all anxious to see what it was going to look like, and a few didn't say they were concerned, but they looked concerned!

It turned out really nice, and so far all the neighbors have said it looks good. Tom, next door seemed a little sceptical, but made a nice comment to Mike after we got started that it looked nice. That made me feel better.

Mike painted the carport trim this morning and is now working on the back. We had completed two sides of the home. The east side that faces the street, and the south side which is the front of the home.

I think we'll be done with all of it in about two days.

I was also worried about the colors we chose. But I like the colors more and more everyday. They kind of grow on you.

Condo

Mary, the president of our condo association called and said that a light had been left on in the condo.

I don't know if that was us when we were there, or if our son Mike left it on while he was there. I hate to ask Mike to go in just to turn off a light, but we don't need it on, and don't need to bill it will create.

We have a lot of work to do on the condo when we get home. We have to patch the walls, and re-paint. It's so sad because it was freshly painted when we rented it.

Ryan only lived there 6 months. But that was plenty of time for him to destroy the place.

Commissary Day

This is our third trip to the commissary.

We don't go that often because it takes an hour to get there, an hour and a half in the store, and an hour to get home. It's an all day excursion.

We spent more than we usually do, $185.00. Normal for us is $130.00 or so. We haven't been since Christmas time, and we were out of a lot of stuff.

We bought extra to make sure we have lots of snacks and stuff for our company Pam, and Joan, who are coming next week.

They don't eat that much, but we want to make sure we have enough.

What doesn't get eaten by them will undoubtably be eaten by Mike, or Kenny who is coming a month later.

Fake Windows

This is the before and after pictures.









The second blind only took 30 minutes. I was probably right that the first one took 45. We are getting to be pros at this.

Next, Mike has to drill holes and go out our do some measuring to see exactly where to put the windows. I can't believe it. We're almost there!

For those who don't know what we're doing - we are putting fake windows on the side of our home.

Large modular homes go onto the lot sideways, so the end of the home faces the road. Everyone in our park, except us have windows on the side of the home that faces the road.

The home was plain and I thought very unsightly. I almost didn't buy it because of that.

But the price was good for the sq footage, and I quickly realized that we could do something to dress up that side.

I have been talking about fake windows since last September. Most people look at me like I'm crazy. Others ask why not real windows. Why? First of all it would cost a small fortune to put in two large windows, and secondly: that part of the home is our master bed room and master bath. We already have windows in both rooms on the other sides, and we don't want more windows in those rooms.

Actually, I would love it, but Mike really doesn't want more windows, and neither of us want the extra expense.

All the windows on our street are covered with sunscreens (these are special screens that hold out the sun.) and you can't see into the windows. You can't even tell if there are windows there at all. If you look closely, you can see the blinds behind the sunscreens, but I mean you really have to look.

Basically, we are nailing mini blinds to the house, covering them with sunscreens we made ourselves, then there are boards that surround the screens, with shutters at the side.
There will be a sunburst at the top of each window, that will really dress it up.

Tomorrow will be the day to see if I am crazy or just plain genius!

It's Hot!

We had the coldest winter in twenty years. We just barely finished using the furnace and now it's hot!

It was funny yesterday when I was watching the news being reported in New York City, and the reporter was bundled up like she was going skiing. I actually thought to myself, "Why is she dressed like that?" It is so warm here that I tend to think it's this way everywhere.

I always say that Utah is either hot or cold, now I'm thinking the same thing of Arizona. Except we had many perfect days between October and December this last fall and winter, and it has been very nice through February and March.

We are using the air conditioner because the temperature is in the 90's already. It's above normal, and the 70's and 80's were short lived. It will drop back into those temps soon I think.

It is very nice here though. If you don't like the weather one day, just wait a day or two and it's nice again. That doesn't go for the summer of course, when it stays above 105 degrees for 3 to 4 months.

Slave Driver

He's not really! But, he does want me to get out of this chair and go help him put our screen together.

We did one of the windows yesterday, and now we have to do the big one. It took a good 45 minutes it seemed like anyway. I think I will time this one. It wasn't very fun, I will say that for sure.

After that he needs to drill holes in the the blinds, shutters, and eight boards, so we have start hammering. That will be fun!

It will be exciting to see the finished product. I have been waiting since last September for this day. Actually, we won't get the windows done until tomorrow, but it will be nice to get the grunt work done.

Sunday A Day Of Rest.

Well, it's supposed to be a day of rest anyway. I was too exhausted to go to church, but in the inside of our home was so messed up from all the home improvement business that I'm afraid we have done too much for a Sunday.

Mike went to sacrament meeting which is first, and then came home. He should be exhausted. He worked late last night, couldn't sleep, got up at 2 AM and painted more boards until 5. It didn't take him three hours to paint, he worked on other things too.

He's done a lot to help in the house today. I think he'll be crashing down for a nap very soon. I'd love to do the same, but I can't nap, no matter how tired I am.

Chandler Mall

Pam, Joan, and I spent the day driving out to Chandler to see the mall and other things. I have been all over the valley for the past 28 years, but have never been to Chandler. Pam was there last year visiting family and loved it.

We decided last September when we bought this home that she and Joan would come here to visit me, and we would go out to the mall and visit the area. We had a good time driving around somewhat lost, but mostly not.

We had lunch at a wonderful Mexican restaurant at the mall. It was pricey for a mall lunch, but was only $10 and was a wonderful meal. We strolled though the mall and bought a few lotions and trinkets at Bath and Body Works.

We stopped at several Lowe's and Home Depots, looking for sun screens for our windows. We finally found what we were looking for at Home Depot in Queen Creek.

We're pretty tired. Pam and Joan are in my Arizona screened room reading, and I'm writing on my blog.

This looks like a paid blog for Bath and Body Works, but this is not a paid blog.

Stocks!

I love stocks! It has been a hobby of mine for years.

I encouraged my children to get into stocks and real estate. Mike is heavy into real estate, and Kenny is heavy into stocks. We talk stocks almost everyday.

I do lots of research and have tracked a penny stock CIEN since $2.25. (Any stock under $5.00 a share is considered a penny stock.) CIEN was $1.00 in 05, and $2.00 last August when we started getting ready to move. Unfortunately, while I was moving from Utah to Arizona, and not paying attention to stocks, CIEN was on the move also.

It is trading now for a whooping $26.90! I could have afforded 1000 shares, which means I would have about $30,000 right now. Oh well, that's the way it goes.

This is not a paid blog.

From the Bountiful Temple to the Rexburg Temple

This is the Gorgeous Bountiful Temple where my son Mike worked for three years!



My son Mike is one of the engineers in the Bountiful Temple, in Bountiful, Utah.

He received a call a few days ago inquiring if he would consider a position as the head engineer at the Rexburg, IdahoTemple.

He immediately replied yes, and Mike and Susan will hear next week whether he is the one chosen or not.

The Rexburg Temple is still under construction. If Mike is accepted for the position, he will work there while it is being built.

He applied for the position of head engineer at the Atlanta temple last year, and that offer just didn't feel right with any of us. I've always told my kids they could move anywhere within a 12 hour driving time.

That of course if ridiculous! If they want to move farther, that's up to them. But, I like it as a rule of thumb. I want to be able to get to them within a days drive. If I can get them to stick to it, what's the harm.

Mike (Husband) and I feel good about this choice for them. It is within the 12 hours driving time, in fact, it's less than 3 hours from Ogden.

We actually, feel good about this place for the whole family. He applied for several temples around the world in the last few years, and this choice is the best one.

Another advantage for them is that they would be within 45 minutes of Billy and Connie, her parents, who are keeping their fingers crossed. Their words, not mine. I think I would be doing more than that.

Mike and I have been praying that if the call is right, they will be chosen to go.

We would miss them very much! They are only 15 minutes from us in Ogden. We plan to make some trips there to see them.

12 Hours and Counting!

We worked 12 hours so far today, and we're not done. We both painted until after dark, working by the light of the moon, and with the help of house lights coming through the windows.

We still need to tape and paint around edges that got touched with the wrong color paint, and we have some clean-up to take care of.

Mike is in the kitchen painting boards that will go around the windows. I have been right by his side the whole time helping and doing my part, but I am exhausted, lying on the couch, and down for the count!

We're Exhausted!

We have been painting all day long and haven't even begun to begin. We started with washing the dirt off, then sanding, then primed the bare spots.

We had quite a bit of priming to do because the trim around the top on one side of the home, is metal. It was painted pink, and we changed it to coral. Next we painted the white that is under the eves.

We finished the South side of the house, which is the front of the home, and the largest side. And, we got it completed on the east side of the house, which is the part of the home that faces the street.

All the trim is done on the east side. Well, that's as far as we got. We might go out and do more tonight, but I don't know, we're very tired. The trim was the hardest part. Tomorrow we will roll the paint on the major part of the home, hopefully, getting both the south and east done.

We're not going to paint the west and north for a week.

We really want to get our fake windows done tomorrow or Saturday.

Pam and Joan will be here Monday, and we want at least these two sides done.

Painting Our home

Bougainvillea


Mike and I spent 3 hours in Lowe's today buying paint to paint the outside of our home. Oh, what a job that will be! We also bought sun screens and shutters to dress up the side of our home that faces the street. We've spent two weeks working in the yard.

First, we trimmed three large trees. Mike and a friend with a truck hauled off the branches etc., to the land fill that is just a few miles away. Second, we planted a Pigmy palm, four bougainvillea's, a yellow lantana, a cactus, and two gardenia plants. Actually, we're still working on the second gardenia plant. It is very large and Mike is digging to China.

We will take pictures of the house when we get it done, and post before and after pictures on the blog.

Remodeling Our Home And Yard

Mike and I have been busy since started remodeling our home. We arrived here early November and painted the house the very day we moved in.

We hired two young men to paint while we moved furniture into the shed and Arizona room.

The only things I brought into the home were things that could be put directly away in closets, drawers, and rooms we weren't painting that day. Like the kitchen, pantry and mudroom. We don't plan to paint the mudroom. We intended to paint on the kitchen and bathrooms ourselves. We didn't want any paint dropped on the floor or cabinets. We finished the painting during the next three days.

We moved in on Saturday and new carpet was installed the following Tuesday. Three of our friends and brother came and moved the furniture in from the Arizona room.

Now, after four months it is finally warm enough to work on the outside of our home. We have been busy planting new plants, and are getting ready this week to paint the outside of the home.

Whew! It's a lot of work. But very rewarding!