August 26, 1977

 

Gary

Has been uploading all the photos and data from his computer so he can get it re imaged.  As he has done that it has been fun to look at pictures from 5 years ago. 5 years makes a big difference in a child's life (and has also added more than a few pounds in mine)

Luncienne

turns 7 today.  How I love that girl!  My very first blog entry was when I was waiting for her birth.

Here are her answers to the questions I asked at her interview in December.

Lucienne during interview in December 2014

What is your favorite thing in the world to do?   Swim
What do you want to be when you grow up?  Animal Dr.
What is your favorite animal:  Monkey
What do you like to do with your cousins?  Play
Favorite Christmas gift:  Marker Makers
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?  Florida and see alligators.
Favorite Candy:  Ring Pops
Favorite Food:  Crepes (of course with Nutella)
Favorite color:  Green
Favorite Dessert:  Brownies
What love about Mommy:  Love and snuggles
What love about Daddy:  Eat cereal with him
What love about Grandma and Grandpa:  Snuggles
What like to do with family:  Family night about not bullying.
Favorite school subject:  Art
Last favorite school subject:  Math.
What do you like to do at recess:  Monkey bars and hang on stuff
What love about Eliza?  Snuggles when Mom and Dad are gone.
What love about Ashton?  Play Ninja
What love about Annie?  Playing with her

Here are pictures Tiffany took of her birthday celebration (it was held earlier in the week because Tiffany was going to be gone on a youth Temple excursion today)

We love Luci!

My friend's

son passed away the first part of August.  He was in his 40's and his death was totally unexpected.  He had passed through a lot of sorrow the last few years as he dealt with a divorce and the issues involved with that.

My friend's heart is broken.  My heart is broken for her.  One thing that I love most about her is that she is totally honest in sharing her feelings.  Every since I have known her, she has said that if people don't know what you are going through or feeling, they can't pray for you or help you.   That is so true, yet sometimes I am too proud to acknowledge hurt or hardships.  She is a great example to me.

My friend, Dru, and I visit teach her, and on our first visit after his funeral, she had some fresh baked cookies for us when we came.  Here she is grieving, and she wanted to serve us.  I loved the cookies, and told her I would like the recipe.  

So yesterday, as I was driving home from Ogden, I was thinking about what I could make for my Primary meeting that night.   I thought of those cookies and wished I already had the recipe.  Amazingly, when I got home, there in the mail was a thank you note from her with this beautifully written recipe card enclosed.

I made them, and they are my new favorite cookie.  The unusual ingredients, that you don't really identify but that add to the flavor, are rum flavoring and toffee chips.

Sharing is what it is all about.

It's been

quite a day for someone (me) who is not good with driving, following maps, or with directions.  My cousin on my Mom's side (Hall), Robin, passed away on Sunday from cancer.  Her funeral was today in Ogden.   I picked Gary and Richard up and Charlene and Greg met us there.  

We have all had a very close relationship with our Hall cousins, and just about all of us were there today. It is really quite amazing that until Robin, only one other cousin, Wally, has passed away.   The oldest of us is in his early eighties and the youngest is close to 60.  Of the 24 grandchildren of Edward Owen and Pearl Averett Hall, there were 21 of us there. There is a lot of love shared.

Something else almost all of us share is extreme hearing loss.  There is obviously a very genetic component about it.  Two of my cousins have had cochlear implants in the last 10 years and most all of us wear hearing aids.  My hearing loss was evident from childhood, but most of them started needing hearing aids later in their 30's and 40's.  I was chuckling today, as I was driving Gary and Richard (who also have hearing aids), that it was a little bit like the deaf leading the deaf (as opposed to the blind leading the blind).  For me, trying to hear what they were saying as we discussed where to go and such, was pretty much impossible. I rely so much on reading lips, which is a little difficult when you are driving and the background noise in a car. I'm just so grateful that I live in this time of amazing hearing aids that allow us to connect with each other.

After the funeral and luncheon I dropped Richard off in Salt Lake and my brother Gary off at home and picked up Lynn and Gary (husband) to go to the Springville cemetery for the burial.

 I feel so blessed by family.

15 seconds of fame

that Gary would rather not have had to deal with.  Front page news of the Herald.

"Water Leak Soaks School"

This will definitely need to go on his Wall of Fame (shown in the background of his room)

The ceremony . . .

brings back so many happy memories.  I love everyone who was there to share the day with us.   And I just have to share all the pictures.   The luncheon and reception will be another day, as I can't not show all of them.