Thanksgiving

I'm wondering if I'm actually up before my sister, Charlene, this morning!  I can tell I'm excited about the holiday preparations, because I normally never wake up at this early hour (4:30)

We've had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  In the newspaper, there have been several articles about the importance of gratitude on your physical and emotional health.  I agree.  Anytime there are obstacles in life that seem overwhelming, counting your blessings gives you a new perspective.  I have so much to be grateful for, that I don't even know where to start.   I want to make more of my blog posts "gratitude journal entries."   One thing I'm grateful for is the family I was born into.  I have wonderful memories of feeling loved and secure. 

My niece, Leslie, called me on Wednesday night and asked if I wanted to go through Mom and Dad's house with them the next morning.  We sold that house after Mom and Dad died, and I haven't been in it since (1995).   To give a little background on how we had permission to go through the house:  A few years back, Gary and Lynn were sitting next to a women at a BYU symposium.  As they talked, they realized that she was from their daughter, Leslie's, ward in California.  The woman said she had bought a home up here and lived in it part of the year.    She said it was on Cedar Avenue in Provo.  Gary and Lynn were, of course, familiar with Cedar Avenue, so they asked her what the address was.  They were pretty amazed when she told them it was 1012 Cedar Avenue (our family home from 1962 to 1995).  Small world, isn't it.
So Leslie had gone up to see the house and their friends had said we could come through. Gary and Lynn, along with Leslie and Cory were there. It was very nostalgic. Cory had a video camera going almost the whole time, and we were all sharing memories from the house.







Front of Home

Back of Home

Front room fireplace next to built in shelves and cupboards. Mom and Dad kept our high school senior pictures on that shelf.

Gary, Lynn, Me, Gary

Gary, Lynn Leslie, Cory

Living Room

Mom and Dad's room.  Mom was always sitting in her chair by the window. 
She would crochet, embroidery, and talk on the phone for hours there. 
When anyone visited, they would sit in the chair to the right of it.

Back bedroom that became a TV room once I got married.

Gary and I showed the front door and window that I would stand at while I waited for him to come by. I would stand there and wait for him to pull in to the cul-de-sac right across from the house and give me "the signal" (flashing his car lights right at the house and turning them on and off). If I was home and he could come in, I would flash the porch lights on and off. I usually stood there a long time, as he was usually late!

Front hallway door

Hours spent looking through door window
waiting for "signal" from Gary

Really, the only area that is not recognizable is the basement.  They've totally remodeled the basement.  It now has halls dividing it into 3 bedrooms that is shared with the basement rental area.  The washer and dryer are in the old storage room.  Dad's workshop is a bedroom.   The basement is really not recognizable.


It was fun to reminisce with everyone and remember those good times.  What good times to you remember at Mom and Dad's house?