The Kids are Back

It has been a busy week.  Seth and Angelica flew in last Wednesday and, after a couple of days of jet lag, they are busily engaged in reactivating their social connections.  It is fun to have them back even as our activity level increases.  Here they are with their Dad in Taiwan, just before returning to us.

All of this means that the summer is just about over.  Do you ever feel like the time is passing at an uncontrollable pace?  Things move along and change, all without my permission.  

Speaking of changes, our grandson, James (son of Reed and Dorothy), has graduated and just started his new job as an Actuary.  He is settling in Seattle, with his wife Alejandra and their son, Alex.  I mention this because James is only 21 years old and has already earned a degree, married, fathered a son and is beginning a very promising career.  He has an amazing ability to concentrate all his efforts in a chosen direction and achieve amazing things in a short period of time.  Wow.  What a guy.  Here he is!

Yesterday was our granddaughter Carmen's birthday.  If she were still with us, she would be 19.  We celebrated her life with Reed and Dorothy yesterday, in addition to processing almost endless numbers of plums from our tree.  It is wonderful to have a productive yard, but it does have its demands.

And so our summer is quickly moving into the demands of a new school year and the fun of Fall.  Gerald and Frances are due to arrive later this week.  I'm so looking forward to that!

Summer Mix-ups and Adventures

Life sometimes gets a little crazy.  Getting older and more forgetful adds to it.  After our family reunion and spill-over family company, I drove the new Jeep to Utah, to visit Bob and Maryanne.  It is always nice to be there.  We had a lovely weekend visit.  While there I contacted my friend, Trudy Ostler, to confirm our plans to visit them a week later.  After talking to her I got the impression that they were expecting us that very week.  "We have tickets to a couple of plays," she said.  I decided that I'd better rush home on that Monday so as to get to their home in St. George by Tuesday.  I called Layne and he quickly got us tickets to fly into Las Vegas that very week.  I told Trudy that we'd be there Tuesday.  They planned to pick us up at the airport and make an extended two hour drive back to their place via Cathedral Gorge State Park, and other interesting spots.  It sounded like a grand adventure.

So I hurried home on Monday, washed and packed clothes, and we left on Tuesday, arriving in Las Vegas, as planned, at 12:30 that afternoon.  I sent a quick text to Trudy to let her know we had arrived and to confirm a meeting place.  "You are here now?" she exclaimed.  "I thought you were coming next week!"  How in the world did this happen?  We originally planned on that next week but I THOUGHT she corrected it to this week.  How did we ever mis-communicate so badly???  Trudy talked to Bill and they decided that they'd hurry to get us anyhow and we would follow our plan a week early.  We waited two hours for their arrival, visiting with a nice couple from China.  While they traveled they changed the dates for the plays we were to see and we finally connected. Wow, that has never happened before.  Thank heavens they had no concrete plans for the earlier week. 

We visited Cathedral Gorge and wound our way to St. George, arriving just about in time to go to bed.   Here is Bill, and Layne below, at the Park.  It was muddy, slippery and impressive.  We wandered through the formations, in spite of the light rain.

Wednesday was our only full day with Bill and Trudy.  We spent it attending two plays; Joseph and His Technicolor Coat was playing at the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City.  It was the best we have seen; full of enthusiastic and magical performances.  That evening we went to the indoor theater at St.George's Tuacahn and saw an interesting musical called A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.  The story involved a likable character who murdered 7 people for power and love.  AND he got away with it!  I can't remember ever seeing a story where the bad guy wins.  But it was all tongue-in-cheek and even a bit of fun.  Here's Trudy and me captured in a selfie as we waited outside the theater.  She is such a good friend even if we don't talk much in between visits.

By Thursday we were on our way back home, as Audrey and Isaiah would arrive on Friday for a weekend visit.  Grandson Chase and Morgan and their babes also came.  We spent the weekend together and enjoyed it so much.  Chase brought his latest toy, a 3-D printer.  He made stuff with it all weekend as we watched the magical process progress ever so slowly.  Here is one of the things he made for us, a red (of course) vase, made of very fine plastic filament.  Lovely.

I've only seen a 3-D printer once before, at Peyton's school.  Perhaps you've not seen one either.  Just in case you find it interesting, here is a picture of Chase's printer.  He says it is a budget version and he'd love to have a more sophisticated one.  "Buy me one Grandma, and I'll make you whatever you want," he promises.  Hum.  Maybe.

Our little great-granddaughter, Hazel, is now prospering.  She is responsive and pleasant.  She especially loves her older brother, Hunter, who loves to make her laugh.

Here is a shot that captures some of our weekend visitors.  Reed and Dorothy and kids came on Sunday too.  Left to right:  Dorothy's mom, Linda, Dorothy, Reed, Vincent, Morgan, Isaiah, Audrey with Hazel (hands only), Chase's legs.  Note the floor, filled with toys.  Hunter makes the usual messes, BUT, he picks them up!

Everyone left early Monday morning.  We have had the week to ourselves.  Mostly I've been sleeping as I'm feeling unusually tired.  But we did have a meeting with our Refugee Teachers, to prepare and plan for our upcoming year of teaching, which begins in September.

On Tuesday Seth and Angelica return.  Their folks will follow a couple of weeks later.  That signals the ending of summer and beginning of a new school year.  Wow, the last two months have flown by!

The Family Bond of the Year

Life goes quickly by.  As I look back on my 76 years, I remember my girlhood dreams looking forward, and what I hoped to accomplish with my life.  Now, as I review what has actually taken place, my greatest joy and accomplishment is producing a family.  I think of them every day and pray for them every night.  I want, more than anything, to be able to report to Heaven that we are all ready to return.  Is this an unreasonable dream?  Perhaps. 

One of the ways we hope to keep family connected is with regular Family Reunions.  We have been good at holding them every year for awhile now.  Our children and we take turns being in charge.  This year Layne and I planned it, and rented a lodge in Island Park, Idaho. 

Here is a view of the South View Lodge, in Island Park.

The morning of July 9th we left for Island Park.  Chris and Jessica; Reed and Dorothy followed.  Its pretty nice having Reed and his family now living very close to us.  I'm still getting used to having some family in Idaho.  I love it!

We were the first to arrive at the Lodge and were pleasantly surprised at all it had to offer.  The inside was beautiful and full of amenities, including lots of sleeping space and fun stuff for the kids to do.  We loved it right away.  The outside was also a happy surprise.  There was a zip line and train for the kids.  Wow.  We were pretty sure the family would love it.  And they did. All agreed that this place deserves a return visit.  The only downside:  no internet.  Wait, as it turns out, it was not a downside at all; it increased the family bonding without the usual distraction.  Sweet.

We had a wonderful time, visiting Yellowstone, attending the musical, Joseph and His Technicolor Coat at the local theater in West Yellowstone, touring some of the local sights, floating down a local shallow river and generally hanging out at the lodge.  It was all such fun, with a loving spirit attending us throughout our stay.  I believe it was our best reunion yet.  Everyone except Gerald and his family were there.  My heart is full.

Here are some of us, gathered in the main room at the Lodge.

Meal time at the Lodge kitchen.  Buffet style works well with our crowd.

We visited the Galbraith cabin, built by Layne and his family when he was young.  His twin, Lynn, and family has worked to improve it.  It is too small for own crowd of some 30 but we enjoyed visiting it and getting reacquainted with Lynn and Camille's youngest son, Curtis, and his family, who were staying there for the week.

 Here's Reed and our Jessica, in front of John Sach's cabin in Island Park.  It is a fun place to tour.

Here is the train, located near the Lodge, which the kids loved.  

Three days passes pretty quickly.  Soon we were on our way back home.  Ben and family followed and spent the weekend with us, along with Chris and Jessica.  We had lots of fun with the BJ kids for a few days.  

Here's Abigail, Alexis and Jacqueline (on the grass), in our back yard.

After Jessica (Ben's) left with the kids, they spent some time with Reed and Dorothy, and I drove to Utah (in the new jeep!), where I've been enjoying the company of Bob and Maryanne. Guess what we have spent our time on?  Family History, naturally!

Family.  What a blessing to have some in Heaven, and some on earth.  

Early Summer Days

Awhile ago I told Layne that when the time came that we needed to replace our Envoy that I'd like a yellow jeep.  The yellow is because I dislike the neutral colors that almost all cars come in.  The jeep is because I think it would be fun to have a car that can go anywhere and still work for everyday use.  A couple of weeks ago Layne said to me, "Let's go and get you a jeep."  Wow.  I was surprised.  Our Envoy, given to us by Mother when she was staying with us, was getting old and beginning to need major work.  So Layne decided that it was time to give her up.  So off we went to look at jeeps. 

Jeeps come in all sorts of vibrant colors.  I love that.  As we looked at the options, I noticed the green jeeps and decided that I liked that color better than the yellow.  Layne agreed.  So we took a test drive and found it easy to maneuver and generally pleasant.  Soon the deal was sealed and, after waiting a week for our jeep to arrive from Utah, we became the owners of a new, green jeep.  We traded in the Envoy.  That was a little hard as it served us well, it represented a piece of Mom, and I loved it.  We've been having fun taking turns driving the jeep all over town since that time.

Audrey came for a visit the weekend that we got the jeep.  It was fun having her with us on this new car adventure.  The jeep is only the second new car we have ever owned.  Mostly we drive used cars until they absolutely die.  So this is a special treat.  Audrey shared in our excitement and that made it more fun.  I so appreciate this special daughter and her efforts to spend time with us.  She often makes the effort to visit over weekends. 

Our deliciously open time this month has been spent with various projects and obligations.  I've noticed that it is harder to get things done when there is no need to fit them in between commitments.  I need to be disciplined to get the things done that I have on my to do list.  In spite of open time, things and events arise that make leaving home for any length of time difficult.  Somehow I've got to get myself organized better to make these important connections with the people I love.

It is beautiful here right now.  Here's a scene from one of my recent early morning walks around the neighborhood.  Note the full moon!

It is amazing to think that we are now old.  Layne and I have been married for 53 years now.  It seems a very short time in my mind.  I feel as I have always felt.  It is only when I look in the mirror that I'm reminded that, yes, I'm old.  So far I don't mind.  Here's Layne and me on our anniversary day, at Boise's Botanical Gardens.

Just to show how old we really are, here's a snapshot of our newest great grandchild, Hazel.  She was born early and struggled at first but look at her now!

That leads me to include this latest picture of grandson Seth, taken in Taiwan.  Doesn't he look yummy, and so happy!

Empty Nesters...Again

I take some pleasure in being willing to adapt to the ever-changing personal world I live in.  Even though most of us, most of the time, resist change, it comes anyhow.  Totally without our permission most of the time.  It is up to us to adapt to it, and modify it, if necessary.  One of the changes forced upon me is becoming old.  With that comes a somewhat different view of the world and a definite tendency to be content simply to conquer the world of just my immediate space.  I'm pretty happy with that.  But often I encounter the challenge of reaching beyond that.  Again.

Having Seth and Angelica live with us has pressed me to remember how I was at their age; where I was and how I felt.  They have challenged me to, once again, become involved in youthful pursuits.  Those pursuits have filled our May days.  We've gone to concerts, recitals, delivered kids to parties and get-togethers.  It has been a wild ride at the end of this school year.  The kids are more involved with friends and activities than they were last year.  They are maturing and changing so quickly.  It has been fun to have them so close to us, living in our personal space.  They have rattled my world, but in good ways.

As the year has progressed, the kids have mentioned more and more often how they miss Taiwanese food.  At first I tried to provide them with meals as close to what they know and love from home as possible.  But, having failed at that, I soon returned to my usual American cooking.  Seth especially mourned the food he loved, yet he can eat an amazing amount of whatever food is available.  The most common sentence for him is, "what is there to eat"?  He can inhale more food in a day that we normally eat in a week.  I suppose that is what has fed his rapid growth.  He is now taller than his Grandfather. That makes him 6'3" at least.  All that food is pushing him up but definitely not out as he is still as trim as can be.  Who knows where it will end?  Here is a perfect description of our boy:

Grandson Scott and his Jessica came for a weekend in May.  They didn't stay with us though.  Now that their mom, Dorothy, is here, their stay moved to her house.  They came for dinner one Sunday though.  It was fun to have a bunch of us for Sunday dinner, and gospel study following.  I shared my 10 Commandment pictures, which are useful for remembering those commandments, along with stories that go with them.  Grandson Bruce loved them!  "Grandma," he said, "can I have those cards?"  I was excited that he like them so much.  So I'll make him some.  Here's a sample of two of the cards.

 

Here is some of our Sunday gang:  Jessica (#3), Scott, Bruce, Dorothy, her mom Linda.

We made our usual visit to a Veteran's display of flags at a local park on Memorial Day.  The area is filled with flags.  People can buy as many as they wish in the names of those who have served in the military.  We bought three; one each for Layne, my Dad and my Grandfather Knox. All served in the military during various wars.  Those three flags are now displayed in front of our house, until Labor Day, when we will store them for the winter.  There is such a tender feeling that accompanies posting those flags when each represents our own family men.  

Here's a view of all three flags in front of the house.

Here's Layne at the Park.

Last Sunday was the kid's last day with us.  Audrey and Cliff were with us, along with Allegra, Bruce and Linda.  Allegra had been taking care of them while Dorothy made a trip back to California.  Audrey and Cliff were on their way back home, after a trip to Pocatello to see granddaughter Hazel blessed.  Here is Hazel with her family, Chase, Morgan and Hunter, on her special blessing day.

Monday morning Audrey and Cliff left very early.  We were off early too, to take Seth and Angelica to the airport.  We got them safely off and they arrived safely back to Taiwan by the next day.  I'm glad we were able to return them in good shape. Here they are, about to depart from the Boise Airport.

It's been pretty quiet here since their departure.  I've spent the last week fighting an extremely stiff neck and accompanying headache.  Pain is exhausting.  I slept most of the week away.  Perhaps all the activity of the past few months has tired out this old lady.  But I'm just about back to normal now. My usual plans for great productivity have filled my planner, even if they don't always fill my days.

Mother's Day and Other Things

May is a lovely time this year.  Our English and singing commitments are over.  That brings a little more relaxing time.  A little.  The end of the school year brings lots of kid events.  Seth and Angelica sang in their last concert of the year this past week.  It was great.  As usual, at the end of the performance we waited...and waited...and waited while the kids bonded and said their goodbyes for the year.  I'm working on being patient with such things.  But it doesn't come easily.  Layne, on the other hand, is patient with waiting, and other things too.  I love that about him.

Here's Seth and Angelica, dressed in informal concert wear.  Seth's expression is the closest he will come to a smile for the camera. 

This coming week there will be a dance and piano recital for Angelica.  Then I think we will be through with kid's events for the school year.  In two weeks Seth and Angelica fly home for the summer.  The time has rushed by but with that time the kids have changed quite a bit.  They are becoming more independent, mature and comfortable with American ways.  I will miss them this summer even though their absence will give us more opportunities to do things on our own. 

Audrey and Allegra drove here for Mother's Day weekend.  It was lovely to have them here.  I love to have family with me.  My secret fantasy is to have them all living around me in a big circle, with the middle yard being full of all sorts of pleasures.  Perhaps that is what heaven will be like.  We celebrated Mother's Day with Audrey, Allegra, Dorothy, Bruce and Dorothy's mom, Linda.  It was fun to be together.  Soon Reed will be here too with the boys.  So now there is a little taste of family here in Idaho with us.   Here's Allegra, Audrey and Angelica in back, with Dorothy, Linda and me in front.  Linda has a hard time smiling now.

Here's my sweet guy Layne doing dishes for me on Mom's Day.  It is only fair since, this year, I cooked my own Mother's Day dinner!

Our little great-granddaughter, Hazel, is doing very well at last.  After a rough start, she is approaching newborn size and finally thriving with her Mom, Dad and big brother, Hunter, at home.  She's pretty cute!

I spoke in Sacrament meeting today.  I was surprised to be asked as we haven't been involved in the ward for a few years.  We've been doing local missions instead.  It seems to me that older folk are not used much in wards.  Perhaps that is a good thing as it gives younger people opportunities to learn and grow.  But without missions I would feel pretty un-useful.  So speaking in Sacrament meeting was an unusual opportunity.  I spoke on repentance.  I was worried about it right up to the presentation, but I got lots of compliments afterward so now I feel good about it.  Public speaking is fun if I can get excited about the material.  I worked at this one until I did.

Layne is swallowed up in yard work these days.  The long, warm days are coming upon us and he is coming alive with outdoor projects.  Nature nurtures you know.  He feels it and so do I. 

Easter and Beyond

I was so excited about Easter this year.  Maybe because I read the Bible story a little more carefully.  Or maybe because I decided to set aside a wall space to feature the Savior.  Or maybe because I was just thinking about it more.  So I put up pictures and scriptures for each day of Christ's last week and we read about what He did each day.  Were the kids excited about it?  Was Layne?  Well...not as much as I was hoping for.  Definitely not that.  But I was excited and that should count for something.  Of course some people would say that I am the excitable kind and need to make space for others not to be so.  OK.  I'll try for that, but I always picture excitement somehow.

Our Treble Clef singing marathon began right after Easter.  We sang in 18 different retirement homes over three weeks.  It was exhausting but so uplifting too.  We are paid for singing.  So it has become a cycle of sweet things.  We have the fun of forming friendships, singing together, bringing pleasure to many audiences and donating money earned to a wonderful cause--fixing cleft palates in struggling countries.  It is a win-win-win.  Layne sang with us after all.  In case you may not recall, he vowed not to sing with us again after our last concert series.  Our leader, Bonnie, insists that we memorize all songs and Layne has a hard time with that.  He wants his music in front of him.  Bonnie relented and begged his return, promising him his music.  So he is back with us.  He has a great bass voice that brings much pleasure to those who hear him.  We just finished our last performance last night, to friends and family.  Of course the only family we have here at the moment is Seth and Angelica who successfully found reasons not to go.  But we have enough friends here now to make the connections last night very fun indeed.

Here I am with Cheole.  We shared narration.

Here's Layne, happy to have his music!

Reed and Dorothy bought a home about 12 minutes from our house!  I believe I mentioned this earlier.  Layne and I have been trying to get some things in order there for their arrival.  Things like installing a garage heater (for Idaho winters), a washer and dryer, special locks and other errands Dorothy needed done from here.  As of yesterday afternoon, Dorothy, son Bruce and mom Linda are moved into the house.  Well, they are physically there.  We are excited!  There is family here!  Reed and boys will follow after school is out in June.  Family in Idaho.  Imagine it!

Our English teaching is ended for the summer.  We had a fun last meeting with our refugees.  They are such lovely people; we have fallen totally in love with them.  In spite of all they have been through, they are happy optimistic people.  They are affectionate too.  Almost all of them hugged me on their way home from class.  I will miss them, as classes will not start again until September.  That's four months without English.  We challenged all of them to listen to English for an hour a day until we meet again.  I wonder how many will actually do that.

So Singing and Teaching are now over for awhile.  I feel a little relieved and excited about the time that will now open up for me.  I've got plans!  Yes indeed, plans.

Layne is a new man now that Spring is here.  He spends most of his days outside.  There is a garden to plant, weeds to conquer and lawn to once again mow.  With spring rains, all is lovely and full of life outside.  It is good for the soul to be amidst it all and feel the exploding life that fills our sight. There is such a smell of life in abundance.

For our kitty, Cherry, Layne is her man.  Here she is, seeking a little attention from her favorite human.

The kids have one more month of school, then home to Taiwan for the summer.  Here is Angelica, all decked out in her ballet recital costume.  It is that time of year.

 

Life is about to change for us quite dramatically.  Kids soon gone, Reed's family here,  summer warmth, singing and teaching over.  What summer adventures await?