Ruby is a Good Cat

Jonathan thought he would have some fun with Ruby. He is such a gentle cat and will let Jonathan do anything to him. So Jonathan wrapped his head up with Britney's scarf (sorry Jared). Ruby just sat there and then let us even take pictures of him. To take it further he put the hat on Ruby. He still just sat there. I think he liked the attention. I have never seen a cat that will put up with so much.

Draper Temple

Last night we had the opportunity to attend the Draper Temple open house. Britney came up from BYU to go with us. It was a fun and spiritual experience. We drove into our designated parking lot (RED) and proceeded into the waiting area. We were then ushered into the chapel to watch a video about the temple. Then back to the cultural hall to the bus waiting area. Before long we were on the bus headed up to the temple. It seemed like a long ride that wound around before it dropped us off at the white tents leading to the temple. I wasn't able to get any good pictures of the temple because we were never able to see it from the outside. It is a beautiful building done in what I would consider a mission motif. There was alot of cherry or mahogany with straight lines and slight curves. They also used travertine throughout. We liked the style. It would be nice to update our living room with a couch and chairs similar to the style that was used in the temple. It was fun for the girls to see the brides dressing room. They were surprised that the grooms don't get a special dressing room. We even got to tour through the men's dressing room. The Celestial Room was stunning and the kids especially liked the large chandelier. After finishing the tour we went out through another tent to a church building. We walked into the church and had "light refreshment" which consisted of Costco waters and cookies. Then it was back on the red bus to our chapel and back home. It turned out to be a rather long evening where we headed out at 6:15 and weren't home until almost 10:00.

Spring - Are We There Yet?

I received one of my gardening catalogs in the mail today. As I browsed through page after page of beautiful flowers I became very anxious for spring to arrive. With nobody skiing this year and the snowmachines out of commission I haven't really enjoyed winter like I usually do. I have spent it cooped up in the house watching too much television. I went outside and saw the daffodils starting to come up through the soil and few other cold hardy souls are putting up little blossoms. I put in a lot of flowers last summer and so I am excited to see them come back up. They should be bigger and carry more flowers this year. I think I will put some trees in the yard this year also. I am hoping that my twisted flowering cherry survived the winter. With a few more warm days I might see it starting to bud. I am taken by the many colors of echinesia and will probably work on increasing my collection of them. They blossom so profusely and the flowers last for a long time. Last year we had quite a number of volunteer rudbeckias. I took the seeds and spread them around the yard. I am hoping that I will have a good crop of those also since they are a beautiful yellow/red/orange flower and the blossoms last for weeks. The snow is almost off the front yard and I can see my back patio so maybe spring isn't so far off.

The Great American Medical System

So I finally went into the doctor yesterday (and yes, we actually do have physicians in Tooele). I have a case of strep throat and a sinus infection. I had to pay to have a doctor confirm what I already knew. I also had to wait in the exam room for almost an hour after my appointment time. I'll have to remember that for the next time I'm late to their office. I did get my prescription for penicillan. And according to the doctor I should be feeling better in about 3-4 days. This morning I got up to go to work and by the time I was half way out here I decided that it wasn't such a good idea to try and go into work. However, it was just as far home and is was finishing the driver here. So I am sitting at my desk feeling miserable again. Now along with the headache and chills I have an upset stomach from the medication. On the upside I should be better by Valentines Day.

Nine Months

It is hard to believe that Jared has already been in the mission field for 9 months. He has been out approximately 274 days which equates to 38% completion. But then who's counting. To celebrate this milestone he was transferred to Gadsden, Alabama. I don't know much about Gadsden other than it is about an hour east of Cullmen and has four missionaries working in it. Depending on your internet connection and computer capability there is a video tour available.

Another Day - Another Dollar

Maybe that is a hopeful title. I try not to focus too much on money or finance these days - too easy to get down in the dumps. We've had a few beautiful days in Tooele and I am starting to see the end of winter. The kids didn't want ski passes this season (well, the ones at home - I'm sure Jordan would have gone for one, but now that he is a college student they aren't cheap anymore). Without anyone going skiing, and not being able to ride the snow machines (one broke last season and I have yet to find a replacement part) the winter seems longer. But with the last few days of sun, the snow is receding and I am seeing my ever hopeful perennials pushing up through the sun-warmed soil. I even had a few flowers blooming (the pansies never give up). I am anxious to finish up the landscaping on my backyard this spring. I think I am anxious just to get out of the house. I've been sick for so long this winter (yes, I am still trying to recover), that I haven't worked on my indoor projects. I have some flooring and tiling projects to do, but I really need to set up on the front driveway to do them, or create a real mess inside of the house. Sherrie has stayed busy creating her quilts. It really amazes me how quickly she can design and then put together a quilt top. And she has done this whilst continuing to work on her graduate classes. She has been buzzing through this latest class so she decided to double up and finish the classes for her certificate this term. I don't know where she finds all the energy (although her short nap yesterday was longer than mine). Well, the end of my lunch break is quickly approaching so I had better end get back to earning that ever elusive dollar...

Was it a SUPER Bowl?

I watch professional football at most, once a year. That is because Sherrie makes snacks and we all settle in as a family to become professional football critics, coaches and officials (I still don't think he had both toes on the ground). It was fun as always - well, at least the second half I watched after my nap. I had a few snacks before the game began. I took Jonathan around to collect fast offerings and then I was so tired I needed a nap. I awoke in time to watch the so so half time show. I never was a great fan of the Boss. It seems that the half-time shows have become less and less over the years. I did enjoy the second half of the game. It was great to see the Cardinals come back from behind. I was disappointed to see them lose (not that I even knew who they were before today). Poor Jonathan was so engrossed in the game he had to get up and pace back and forth when it looked like the Steelers were going to win. After the Cardinals made their last touchdown and were ahead he calmed down. Only to be disappointed in the end. I usually enjoy the commercials. However, this year, it didn't look like much was put into creative or entertaining commercials (another sign of the bad economy). Well, with the infusion of stimulus cash maybe we will get better commercials next year. I mean if the banking and investment industry is going to pay its employees bonuses in such an awful year, at least we should have some decent Superbowl commercials. I've probably skated to far into political posturing with that last statement. At least the President's team won, so maybe I can take that as an omen of more good to come...

Family Picture

Before Jared left on his mission we were able to get a great family picture taken. Derek Smith, who was in our Ward, and was also the photography teacher for Jordan and Sarah took the pictures up Settlement Canyon. We were so grateful to have him take the pictures because he and his family were in the process of moving to St. George. We finally decided on a picture and had it enlarged. We thought we were getting a 16x20 and ended up with a 24x36. We liked the size so much for the room, we just went and bought a larger frame. Next time we have a family portrait taken, we will have to go to St. George.

The Quilt Rack

For Christmas I made Sherrie a quilt rack to display her creations. I designed it to have a shabby chic, rustic look and painted it with real white milk paint that I mixed up myself. Yes, it is made with milk. And, no, it doesn't smell like sour milk. (I still need to paint the rod - I was in a hurry to get it up on the wall.) Sherrie has designed beautiful quilts for the holidays and seasons and I think that they needed a beautiful display mechanism.

Price - Another Great Utah Town

Yesterday I continued my tour of Utah towns that you are glad you don't live in. Well, as it turned out, I had already visited this particular town several years back. I had a training class in Price, Utah (no offense to anyone who finds Price an inviting community as apparently there are college students who chose to attend Eastern) yesterday. It was put on by the Rural Water Association of Utah so I guess the name says it all. They offer the training in rural towns (we have a rural water system at the plant). As I drove into town I remembered that coming back from Sherrie's grandmother's funeral we had stopped and spent the night in Price. Fortunately the weather was accommodating and drive over Soldier Summit was not bad except for a bit of snow blowing across the road near the summit. I ate lunch at a local chinese restaurant which proved to be a bad choice. I still have an upset stomach almost 24 hours later. The training was interesting. The drive home was really long. I opted to go through Lehi and take the back route to Tooele since they were describing traffic delays through SLC. As it turned out, the delay getting from I-15 to Eagle Mountain was probably worse than what I would have encountered in SLC. I don't know how the people who live west of Lehi put up with that traffic every day. With a little excess speed I was home in time to watch American Idol. That show is our family time (like the Wonderful World of Disney used to be on Sunday nights when I was young). Although instead of gathering around the TV to watch a cut mountain lion cub save a young boy lost in the woods, we critique the singers and judges (so it it much more interactive). We do have a good time together. I basically lounged on the couch for the whole program. I am still trying to get over this nasty flu that I have. My head cleared up for a while yesterday so I thought I was nearing the end. Then is came back with a vengeance last night. I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning and I still feel really lousy. I am beginning to think that this will be yet another weekend where I accomplish nothing.

Rock On Jordan

Jordan, as you can see from the pictures, is enjoying SUU. It is my understanding that he is also doing well in his classes.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

I received this funny email and thought it would be fun to post on the blog.

We had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, 'Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, 'NO, it's not.' Four is larger than two..'

We haven't used Sears repair since.


My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, 'you gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.' She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're sorry but they could not do that kind of thing.' The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and
75 cents in change..

Do not confuse the clerks at McD's.

I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: 'Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.'

From Kingman , KS

My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg lettuce.

From Kansas City

I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, 'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?' To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?' He smiled knowingly and nodded,
'That's why we ask.'

Happened in Birmingham , Ala. (One for Jared aka Elder Gibby)

The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, 'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!'

She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS

At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to 'downsizing.' Our manager commented cheerfully, 'This is fun. We should do this more often.' Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.

This was a lunch at Texas Instruments.

I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on.

A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office, no less.

When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'its open!' His reply, 'I know. I already got that side.'

This was at the Ford dealership in Canton , MS

STAY ALERT!
They walk among us... and they VOTE and they REPRODUCE

It Must Be the FLU

I am starting on my upteenth day of being sick (as in ill). I had a headache and body aches. Then I started coughing. I coughed until I though my lungs would come out. I went to the doctor and she said that I had bronchitis and it would clear up in a week or so. Well, the cough subsided after a week on prescription cough syrup (and we all know what that has in it). I was then back to body aches and chills. Then I started coughing again for a couple of days. Then is was back to malaise (sleeping 14 hours a day). Then back to coughing and head congestion. Now I have head congestion, a headache, backache and my throat is swollen up. I thought about going back to the doctor again, but I'll just have to pay another copayment to be told that I have a virus and it will run its course. In Knoxville, I had the actual influenza virus and it took about 2 months to get better. I am well into a month with this one and have given in to the realization that I probably won't feel much better until the snow melts. I have all this projects for the house in the queue, but they just aren't going to happen in the near term. I thought about painting the bedroom (I have just a small area to finish) this Saturday, but it only took a moment to decide that I really just wanted to lay on the couch. I am driving Sherrie crazy by watching movies, but that is about all I feel up to. I get to lay on the couch (moving about every 10 minutes to prevent the muscles from getting to sore) and the movie distracts me from how lousy I actually feel. Well, with some of that whining out of my system, I think I might feel a little better. Now I will hopefully have enough energy to make it up the stairs...

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Another Valentines Day draws near with more memories to create.

20th Birthday Remembered

With Jared recently celebrating his 20th birthday in the mission field, I thought it would be fun to look back at my own 20th birthday celebration in Guatemala. I was serving in Tiquisate, Guatemala. The branch through me a birthday party with a pinata and, if I remember correctly, seven cakes. It was a blast. The Sister missionaries also came over and we baked a cake and ate it. I think my mother sent the cake mix in the mail. It was certainly a birthday to remember.