LIFE AT PHILVILLE

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO VISIT?

2009-02-25T09:21:00.002-07:00

Alex is coming to Jeff's in June for a summer visit. We are all so excited. He will be at our Luau and that is going to be so awesome. It just doesn't seem real at the moment. We cannot wait for him to arrive. I know that his brothers and sisters are happy to be able to spend some time with him. It will be a wonderful opportunity for them to all get to know each other. There are cousins a plenty for him to get reacquainted with and to meet for the first time. We are all looking forward to his visit.
We are going to go to Florida for Easter. Hope the weather will be nice. It seems like St. George has been extra rainy and a little colder than usual this year. Looking forward to enjoying some of that famous Florida sunshine.
If all works out we are going to Arizona to visit Joan on Monday. That is if she will have us. Lee is just finalizing the plans through email. Hope the famous Arizona sun will be shining while we are there. I am ready for some really warm weather.
Hope your day is a good one!

IT IS TIME TO BLOG AGAIN

2009-02-17T18:14:00.002-07:00

I guess I got into the face book thing a little more than I thought I would. I have just ignored my blog but my Sis in Law said she had rather I blog a little more and FB a little less. So, here I go.
Can you believe this weather. We have had rain almost from the time we have been in St. George this year. Yuk. Of course, it could be worse we could have snow, Right, Lori?
Lee went golfing this morning and seemed to enjoy getting out and doing something. I just don't like to go outside for very long unless it is 60 or more. Call me crazy, but I don't like to be cold.
I will be glad for next week. The weather is suppose to be back to normal. Maybe, I will even get out and go walking. That would be almost a miracle.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?

2009-01-09T13:14:00.004-07:00

Last night our phone rang and on the other end was Lori(our daughter). There was excitement in her voice, "Oh, my gosh, you won't believe who I am chatting with on facebook. It's Alex. Can you believe it after all these years?" To say the least I was speechless. Alex is our Grandson whom we haven't seen or heard from for 8 years. We had been trying to locate him for the entire 8 years. I can't tell you how many times we have been on people search and I even tried Ancestry.com in hopes of finding something that could lead us to him. I went on facebook for the purpose of trying to find him . So, you cannot imagine the excitement to find out we were hearing from him. So, Alex you have been truly missed. Not a day has gone by that you haven't been in our thoughts. There is this great big, goofy family out here just waiting to tell you and show you how much we love you and that we never want to lose contact with you again. We received a late Christmas Present last night and as far as we are concerned it was a miracle.

WINTER IS HERRREE

2008-12-18T15:39:00.002-07:00

I think that winter is here in all its glory. The ground is completely covered with snow and I am sure that a lot more is on the way. It looks like we are going to have a White Christmas and that is why we came up to Mt. Pleasant for the Holidays.
Hope the weather is better by Monday. Some of the Simonson kiddos are coming down to spend a couple of days before Christmas. We are going to meet them at Thanksgiving Point. I think we might do some Holiday baking and whatever else we can come up with.

We are going to the Finaus on the 29th to spend the New Year. It is our Christmas present from them. I think we will need to make sure we have winter coats and gloves for our visit. We are looking forward to our visit.

We had a nice visit with Travis and Aundrea. We hope they arrived in Texas safe and sound.

Have a great day and stay warm.

FACEBOOK

2008-12-14T12:29:00.002-07:00

Oh, my, gosh, I can't believe I actually signed up on Facebook. I have no idea what I am doing when I go to my page. But maybe I will get comfortable with it after a few times using it. Although, I have found an old friend of mine that I had lost contact with. She and I were friends from 5th grade thru 12th grade and then some. Than I got married and moved out of state and lost touch. Hope we can reconnect and find out what we have been doing all these years.
We woke up to snow and slick roads. We drove to church because it was just too slippery to walk.
We are planning on going up to Salt Lake tomorrow to go to the Body Show. I hope the roads will clear enough so we can go. Lee hates to drive on bad roads so if they are not clear we won't go.
Not much to say today. Hope all have a great day.

CHRISTMAS DECORATING

2008-12-08T18:51:00.003-07:00

I think we are finished with decorating the house for Christmas. At least, the inside is decorated. We were going to decorate the yard but these stupid colds have left us with little or no energy so we are going to wait until next year to do the yard. I really miss not having the yard all lit up but you can only do what you can do at times. If I hadn't left my camera in St. George I would post some pictures. But once again the old age thing has reared its ugly head and I forgot to pack my camera when we came back to Mt. Pleasant.
We have had snow today. It has been cloudy and cold all day. It really feels like Christmas. I am glad we decided to come up to Mt. Pleasant for Christmas this year. Besides we will be able to visit with Travis and Aundrea here in a few days. So, that is another reason we are glad we are up north.
Take care until I get the urge to post again.

A THANKSGIVING FIRST

2008-11-28T13:45:00.003-07:00

This is the first Thanksgiving that we have spent alone since we have been married. What a different experience. We ate out and went home to a house that didn't need a major clean up. Now that was nice. But I did miss being with everyone. There is something to be said about all the noise and hustle and bustle of the traditional Thanksgiving Day. Maybe next year we can have a big celebration in Mt. Pleasant. That would be fun. We did talk to most of the kids by phone. We had a video chat with Travis and Aundrea. That was really fun. We need to have everyone get webcams. It would be so neat to be able to see the Grandkids when we talk to them. So, all you peeps out there get you webcams!
Not much to say at this time. I need to go and have lunch. Later

SICKLY SUNDAY

2008-11-23T16:58:00.002-07:00

Lee has been so kind as to give me his cold. One nice thing though, is that I don't have it as bad as he does. His is in his chest. Mine is just an old fashion head cold. Be glad to feel good again.
Since we have both been under the weather the last couple of weeks I have been neglectful of my blog. Don't have much to say today.
I have been reading everyone elses blogs. Congratulations to Aundrea and Travis for completing the San Antonio half Marathon. That is quite an accomplishment.
Lois and Steve are a Grandma and Grandpa again. Tod and Robbi had a little boy. So congrats to all of them.
We are planning on Steven and family coming over for Thanksgiving. I need to call Jeff tonight and see if they would like to come. It will be a little crowed but it will be fun. It will be good to see the kids and spend some time with them.
Well, I will let you know how it goes so until then have a great day.

TAGGED

2008-11-15T11:03:00.003-07:00

Lori blog tagged me so here goes:

*8 Shows I watch regularly

1. CSI
2. CSI MIAMI
3. CSI NEW YORK
4. NCIS
5. BIG BANG THEORY
6. TWO AND HALF MEN
7. NUMBERS
8. WITHOUT A TRACE

*8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. FIXED WINDOW SHEER
2. DID SUDOKU
3. DID CROSSWORD
4. STEVEN CAME OVER TO USE INTERNET
5. WATCHED TV
6. COVERED KITCHEN CHAIR CUSHIONS
7. WENT TO VIRGIN RIVER BUFFET
8. WENT TO BED

*8 Favorite Places to Eat
1. BAJIO
2. RED LOBSTER
3. CAVILER PIZZA
4. MARKET STREET GRILL
5. CHEESECAKE FACTORY
6. OLIVE GARDEN
7. ANY SMALL OUT OF THE WAY CAFE
8. I'LL TRY ANYTHING ONCE

*8 Things I am Looking Forward to
1. THANKSGIVING
2. CHRISTMAS
3. NEW YEARS
4. ANY NEW CRUISE OR ROAD TRIP
5. THE STOCK MARKET LEVELING OUT
6. SPENDING SOME OF THE HOLIDAYS IN MT. PLEASANT
7. TRAVIS AND AUNDREA'S VISIT
8. OUR YEARLY LUAU

*8 Things on my Wish List
1. TOURING MORE OF EUROPE(PARIS, ENGLAND, AUSTRIA,ETC)
2. ROAD TRIP TO NAUVOO
3. A LOWER BODY WEIGHT(AS IF THAT WILL EVER HAPPEN)
4. OWNING A NEW FORD FLEX
5. SMALL RV FOR ROAD TRIPS
6. ALL MY KIDS LIVING CLOSE TO US AGAIN
7. AN OLD HOME IN ST. GEORGE TO REMODEL
8. FOR SPRING TO COME EARLY

2008-11-09T22:32:00.002-07:00

Guess it is time to blog a little update. I don't know why I have been so neglectful about updating my blog. I haven't been busy at all. Just lazy I guess.
Not much has been going on this week. Lee seems to have some sort of bug. He hasn't felt good most of the weekend. Bought him some theroflu today so hope that helps.
Well, here we are at a very historic time for our country, with the election of Obama. I hope he can help the country come together and get us through these bleak times with our economy.
The Jazz lost today. BYU went down in the rankings. How can you win a game and go down in the rankings? Never have been able to figure out how these college football ranking work.
Lori was down to teach a scrapbook class at an expo here this weekend. The whole family came down so we got to visit with the kids for a while. Enjoyed seeing them and having lunch with them.
Since I didn't post a blog yesterday, I didn't give a shout out to Aundrea on her birthday, so here is a shout out a day late. Sounds like she had a great birthday.
I also didn't post a shout out for Brett on the 4th and Mendy on the 6th. So, a late shout out to them, also. I think all of our November birthdays are over for this year. Now it will be time to start thinking about the December birthdays.

A BLESSING, BLESSING AND BAPTISM

2008-11-04T13:40:00.002-07:00

Well, Jeff and Becky had a busy weekend. Logan was blessed, Lexy was blessed and Krista was baptized. It was really a nice time. Lexy is a pistol. I told Jeff that I am glad they are the ones that get to raise her. Logan is growing like a weed and Krista is the firecracker she has always been. We enjoyed being there for the events. Jeff bore his testimony at Sacrament meeting. That was a wonderful experience for Lee and I. They have come a long way in the past year or so and we know that they will continue to become stronger and stronger in the church.
It looks like we timed our move down to St. George just about right this year. It sounds like the weather is cold and snowy. Glad that we are not in the cold right now. Although, we will probably be up to spend part of the Christmas Holidays. Travis and Aundrea are going to be at Lori's house the 12th to the 18th of December. So, we would like to be able to visit with them.

HEADING TO THE RED SAND

2008-10-27T11:59:00.004-06:00

Looks like we will be going down south this Wednesday. I am looking forward to the change. I don't know what we would do if we didn't have a our little place in St. George. It is so nice to have a change of pace and somewhere different to go. I guess if we didn't have our place in St. George we could take turns staying at our kids homes and drive them crazy a little at a time. lol
Jeff is having Logan blessed and Krista is getting Baptized so we will be going down to Overton this weekend for those events. We always enjoy attending events in our Grandkids lives. One thing we miss is having everyone live close together. We have all spread out these past two years. It makes having big family get togethers difficult and I really miss having everyone together, esp. around the Holidays. But that is just the way life is. Maybe there will come a time when we will all live relatively close to each other again. Until then, we will just have to make do with the once a year Luau. That seems to have become our official Family Reunion time.
Well, I have said all I have to say for now. Have a great day!

TGIF

2008-10-24T11:12:00.002-06:00

You know, TGIF doesn't have the meaning to me it once had. It's funny how much you looked forward to Friday when you worked 5 days a week. But now that I have retired, Fridays just aren't that much different from any other day of the week.
We just got back from having lunch with Glen and Anna Healy. Anna came over and invited us to go to Ephraim for lunch with them. Glen is almost 90 years old and only has one eye that he can see out of so I was all for Lee driving. But they had driven their car down from their house and were all excited about taking us. So, I mustered all the courage I could and said a little prayer and got in their car for the drive to lunch. But as you can see we made it there and back in one piece. It was really sweet of them to take us to lunch. I just wish they could find a place here in Mt. Pleasant to have lunch. Ha, Ha.
Not much else to write right now. So, have a great day and here's a shout out to our Niece, Chis, have a Happy Birthday.

OKAY, SO I JUST HAD TO KNOW WHICH PRINCESS I WAS

2008-10-20T16:08:00.000-06:00

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

A NIGHT AT THE PIZZA PLACE

2008-10-18T22:54:00.002-06:00

To night Lee and I were deciding on what to fix for dinner and then the doorbell rang and it was Pat and Dewy. They are up at their cabin and came down to ask us to go to Caviler Pizza. So, glad they come down. It saved me from cooking supper. We had a nice visit. We bored them with some of our pictures from our road trip.
I guess we will be heading back down south around Halloween. Jeff has Krista being baptized and Logan being blessed in November and we will be going to Overton for those events, so we thought we might as well stay for a while. Don't know if we will come back to Mt. Pleasant for Christmas or not. We will make that decision when the time comes.
Here I go on what is driving me crazy. Hold onto your hat. I am soooooo over this political campaign!! I will be sooooooo glad when the election is over. At this point both candidates have really irritated me in one way or another. Of course the news media has already decided for us who we want to elect. I just hope that who ever is elected will be able to get things on track and help us pull out of this economy mess. Although, I really don't think one man can make that much difference. I guess I will just have to wait for the election and then wait for 4 years to see if he can. Here's waiting impatiently for Nov. 4th.

GETTING BACK TO THE OLD ROUTINE

2008-10-13T13:14:00.002-06:00

It seems like it always takes a few days to get back to the old everyday routine after returning from a trip. Don't know if that is because I am old and need time to recover or if it is because I really prefer to be on the go and not in an everyday routine. I hope it is because of the latter and not because I am old. Although, my kids and grandkids would say it is because I am old. For some reason they have me living in the basement of my eldest child's house as a senile old women. lol. Anyway, I think I am back to everyday happenings.(no matter how boring that may be)
The state of the economy has us a little concerned. Sure hope the Stock Market starts to rally and we can earn back some of our retirement income. You can lose money in a hurry in the Market but you can earn it back pretty fast also. Here's hoping all the stuff that is going on in the world to help correct all the bad decisions that were made with mortgage lending will work and the economy can get back to a relatively stable condition.
Greed is very destructive. But the sad thing is we will always have people in this world that will be greedy and never know when enough is enough. That is just a fact and it is one of those negative things we can count on. But in the end they will pay for their greed. It won't be tomorrow but it will happen. That is one other thing we can count on. Enough of my ramblings.
I need to go and bake an Oatmeal Cake for Family Home Evening tonight. We are responsible for the treat tonight. I think that is why most of us attend. You know, for the treat.
Have a great day.

MORE PICS OF OUR ROAD TRIP

2008-10-10T09:58:00.010-06:00

MAILI, KEILA, AND KEONI BEING CREATIVE WITH HOMEMADE PLAY DOUGH

KILISI AND MAILI BEING CRAFTY

LEE'S CATCH OF THE DAY

JIM AND TOM'S CATCH OF THE DAY
SUNSHINE AND SKYLER JUST RELAXING

LENA AND SUNSHINE WORKING ON A 1000 PIECE PUZZLE

SUNSET IN MONTANA(check out the bugs on the windshield)

PHILLIPS COUNTY MONTANA(there is also a town of Phillips)
MARIE, LENA AND TOM'S FOREIGN EXCHANCE STUDENT FROM GERMANY(it was homecoming and they had to wear the school colors, black and orange)

TOM AND LENA'S CABIN IN CANADA

LITTLE GRASSY RIVER(view from the cabin)

THESE LITTLE WHITE CHURCHES WERE ALL OVER MONTANA

VIEW OF THE SUNRISE FROM LENA AND TOM' HOUSE IN COHASSET

WE'RE HOOOMMMME!

2008-10-08T10:02:00.003-06:00

We made it back last night. We crashed Jake's birthday dinner on our way home. He went to Olive Garden. It was really good. Hope he didn't mind that we invited ourselves. It was fun to spend the time with him. Can't believe that he is 11 years old. That must mean I was about 25 when he was born, right?
We had a great trip. We have been entirely across the states of Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota. We have traveled the length of Minnesota and Montana. Traveled through Idaho and even spent a few days in Canada. Whew, what a road trip. We had a great time with the Finaus and the Bischoffs. Thanks for all you did for us. Lee had a great time hunting and fishing with Tom. I have some great pictures that I will post later on.
We are looking forward to going to Krista's Baptism in November and I think Logan's blessing will be the same weekend. So, we will have another little road trip before the year is over.
Hope everyone is doing well. Have a great day.

OUR TRIP TO LANSING, MINNESOTA

2008-10-01T21:04:00.022-06:00

The Lansing water tower

Entering Lansing

There are still dirt roads off the main road

another view entering Lansing

This is a barn by a house that is for sale. We decided we would like to buy it.

Another view of the barn

This is the house. We have always pictured us living in a house like this

Phillips gravestone

Lee's Grandfather

Lee's Grandmother

We have had such a great road trip. First of all, I would like to thank Tami and Brett for asking us to watching their kids while they went to Chicago. Because it gave us the opportunity to do something we have talked about since we were first married. We finally made it to Lansing, Minnesota where Lee's Dad was born and raised. I don't know if we would have ever really made it to Lansing if it weren't for Tami and Brett living in Pierre, SD and Tom and Lena living in Cohasset, Minnesota. We had decided to visit Tom and Lena after Brett and Tami returned from Chicago and we could make it a road trip that took us through Lansing. So, that is exactly what we did.

When we arrived in Austin, Minnesota we weren't sure where to find the little town of Lansing so we stopped by the Chamber of Commerce to ask if they knew where it was and if they could tell us where some cemeteries in the area were. We knew Lee's Grandfather and Grandmother Phillips had been buried in Austin, and we thought it would be interesting to find there burial place. The Chamber Lady was very helpful and gave us directions to Lansing. We took a short drive to the little town. It was charming. I don't think it has changed a great deal from when Lee's Dad lived there. There are still dirt roads and not a retail store in sight. It is still a strong farming community.

As we drove through Austin to get to Lansing we past a cemetery. Lee said he wondered if that was where his Grandparents might be buried because it was on the way to Lansing. As we drove past we saw a large gravestone with the Phillips name on it and decided that we would drive through it when we got back from Lansing. By the time we got back to Austin it was getting later in the day and the sun would soon be going down so we opted to wait until morning to go to the cemetery so we would have plenty of daylight to look for his Grandparents graves.

The next morning we had breakfast and then we to the Oakwood Cemetery. The Phillips gravestone that we had seen from the road was not his Grandparents but we thought they could be relatives. We got back into our car and Lee said he wanted to drive around to see if there were any other Phillips buried there. Well, he drove just a few feet and there was another large gravestone that had the Phillips name and I could see his Grandmothers name, Valeria B. Phillips and his Grandfathers name, Joseph J. Phillips before we got out of the car. We couldn't believe that we had found them. And it had been so easy. We all but drove right to them. I don't think Lee ever thought that he would be standing on the ground where his Grandparents rested. We know so little about the Phillips side of the family and this just made it seem like they really did exist at one time. We found some other Phillips grave sites and feel they are related. So, now we have some names to research and hopefully find out more information about the family.

I posted a few pictures of Lansing and the gravestones of his Grandparents. This has been a trip to remember.

DEADWOOD, SD

2008-09-23T15:37:00.005-06:00

This is at Martin's Cove. It is called the gap. It is where the river goes thru the rock.

These are the buildings at Martin's Cove
Main Street - Deadwood, SD
View from our Hotel Room-Old Railroad Station-Deadwood, SD
Adams Museum, Deadwood, SD

We are in Deadwood, SD today. This is a little western town where Wild Bill Hickok died. We are staying in the Ironhorse Inn which is a sister hotel to the Hickok Hotel. They are across the street from each other. The building is very old and really neat looking on the outside. The hallways are really narrow and would not be up to code in this day and age. Our room is small but it has a view of the old railroad station and the Adams Museum. We are not far from Sturgis,, SD where the Bikers come in August each year for some partying. Tomorrow we will leave and go to Pierre. We are about 2and half hours from there.

We also stopped by Martins Cove that is located south of Casper, Wy. It was interesting to see the area and realize how difficult it was for the pioneers when they were stranded there during the winter when they were coming across the plains to Salt Lake.

All IS GOOD

2008-09-21T13:41:00.002-06:00

Well, the Cougs did it again. 44-0 against Wyoming. Not sure how long this can continue but as a true blue Cougar fan a I will ride the wave as long as it lasts. It was a little scary at the beginning of the game but as you can see they pulled it together for another shut out. Here's hoping the wins can keep coming and if by chance they get to a BCS Bowl, anyone want to go to it with me?

BIRTHDAYS OF SEPTEMBER

2008-09-19T11:20:00.003-06:00

Just a shout out to all of our birthdays this month. Alex's was on the 2nd, Lori's was on the 14th, Travis's is today and Meg's is tomorrow. So, we hope you all are having, had or will have a great day.

THE DAY AFTER THE 40TH

2008-09-15T22:52:00.002-06:00

Well, it has been 40 years and a day since Lee and I were married. I honestly don't know where the time has gone. This is when life gets a little scary and you realize that time goes by so quickly that before you know it you are on the downhill side of things. So, I think it is a good time to assess things and decide to make the most of everyday. That is a noble goal but it is one that is difficult to attain. It seems that life's little challenges throw a kink in the attainment of such a worthy goal. But maybe if we would only let the challenges side track us for a very short time and then get back to appreciating our lives we could eventually come out on top. You know, it would be the old take two steps forward and one step back sort of thing. You get to where you are going but not as quickly as you would like. And we probably need to realize that the kinks that get thrown at us are for our growth and to help us learn valuable lessons. All I know is that all and all I have had a great life to this point. I have a wonderful husband, 5 great kids, 19 terrific grand kids and an extended family support system that is the best anyone could have. I have a great deal to be thankful for and I just want to thank all of you for being a part of my life.
Have a wonderful day and make the most of what it brings to you.

MIDDLE OF THE WEEK AGAIN

2008-09-10T10:21:00.002-06:00

Here it is Wednesday again. Not much going on. If weather permits we are having a neighborhood party in our backyard tomorrow. Hope everything turns out okay. If we have to I guess we could have it in our garage if it rains. And right now it looks like that is going to be a strong possibility.
We have some birthdays and an anniversary coming in a very short time. Lori's birthday and our 40th anniversary is the 14th and then Travis's birthday is the 19th and our Meg'sbirthday is the 20th.
We should be leaving for South Dakota sometime around the 21st or 22nd. We are going to drive and just take our time and enjoy the ride. We're looking forward to spending some time with the Finau kiddos. After visiting the Finaus we are planning on taking a few days more and going on up into Minnesota to visit the Bischoffs. It would be fun if we could go through Albert Lea and Lansing to see where Lee's Dad was born and raised.
I guess that is about all for now. Have a great day!

BYU HAS LUCK ON IT'S SIDE

2008-09-06T22:56:00.003-06:00

Today was BYU game day at Washington. I really thought they might not win. After watching the game well into the 2nd quarter I was sure they weren't going to win. Any time BYU plays a team that has a Quarterback that can run the ball BYU is in for a difficult game. I have no idea why that is the case. But it seems like they just have a tough time keeping a good running Quarterback in check. But, today we had one Ref's call that made all the difference. Had it not been for the celebrating penalty against Washington we would have had overtime and who knows what the end result would have been. But isn't that what sports is all about? You win some, you lose some and you have luck on your side at times and you have luck not on your side at times. Anyway, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COUGARS!!!!!!! Here's hoping they have a great year this year and make it to a BCS Bowl.

ANOTHER WEDNESDAY

2008-09-03T19:43:00.005-06:00

Well, actually it is the end of another Wednesday. I don't know what it is about the middle of week but it just seems to be so mediocre. Maybe we should have some kind of Wednesday holiday. You, know, like they have Monday holidays? That way we would look forward to the middle of the week. I don't know how well that would work. It would sort of interrupt the work week but who knows maybe that would be a good thing.

You, know, I have been watching the information that that has been all over the media about Sarah Palin. I can't help but feel so bad for her Daughter and her Daughter's Boyfriend. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to be 17 years old and have a baby on the way, much less have the whole world know of the situation. It seems the Clintons could do most anything and people would excuse them for all wrong doings. But now this relatively unknown family is being crucified in the media. It seems the media feels they have the right to do and say anything because of the first amendment but do they really? I think the media feels they are there to make all of our decisions for us. To tell us how we should think and what we need to do. Maybe it is time that we stop watching all these news channels and go back to thinking for ourselves. What makes it difficult to think for ourselves is that we really have no where to go to just get the facts. And without the facts we have no way of making intelligent decisions. We need to go back to the days when the news just gave us the facts. We can do without petty gossip and mud slinging. As Sgt. Friday used to say on Dragnet, "Just the facts, Maam, just the facts.

HERE I SIT TOO OLD AND LAZY TO DO A THING

2008-08-31T18:21:00.003-06:00

It is a darn shame that vim and vigor is wasted on the young. I can't believe I just wrote that. I used to hate it when some old fart would say it. But, you know, it is kind of true. When you are young, you think you will always have a bounty of energy and ambition. You don't think about growing older and dealing with all the aches and pains that come with age. But that IS a really good thing. It's just by the time you realize you won't always be 18 years old it's too late to stop and appreciate your youth because it is gone. I still see myself as this young thing in High School, ready and willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish lifes goals. And then I go to do something that I use to do and my body suddenly develops a mind of it's own. It just won't co-operate with what my mind wants to do. It goes all spastic on me. My back starts to ache, my knees won't bend right and my legs are wanting to know what in the world I am trying to do. So, I give in to my bodies complaints. Now, that is IS NOT a good thing. If I were any kind of person at all, the minute my body started to complain I would begin a really good exercise program. I would tell my body that time wasn't going to slow me down. I would show it a thing or two. Oh, wait, there I go again thinking I'm that young thing in High School. I think what I need to do is go take a really good nap and those thoughts of an exercise program will be gone by the time I wake up.

IT'S FINISHED

2008-08-28T17:44:00.014-06:00

As promised, pics of our floor

WATCH THAT FIRST STEP

IF ALL ELSE FAILS LEAVE ALL THE CONSTRUCTION TRASH UNDER THE FLOOR.

NEW SUBFLOOR

AT LAST, THE NEW FLOOR UNVEILED

ANOTHER VIEW

(Notice the moulding around the door. It matches the rest of the house now)

YET ANOTHER VIEW

ICE MAKER, ICE MAKER, MAKE ME SOME ICE

2008-08-27T18:01:00.003-06:00

I was so surprised yesterday when UPS delivered a really heavy box. It was from Overstock. Lee had bought something and I had no idea what it was. Well, you will never guess what it was. It was an automatic ice maker. It is so cool.(no pun intended) You just plug it in and in about 7 to 10 minutes you have ice. I love to have my coke in a glass with ice and we had been buying bags of ice but now all I have to do is have our ice maker make some ice, put it in a Ziploc bag and put it in our freezer. We will be able to make ice for the luau and any entertaining we do. Lee said he bought it for me because of how much I enjoy my coke over ice. Now, wasn't that just about the sweetest thing you have ever heard? Our refrigerator can have an ice maker but it would be really difficult to get the water to it. So this portable ice maker is the perfect answer. We can take it out onto the patio and have our ice right at hand. Besides it makes ice much faster than the fridge.

We laid the tile in our entrance way today. It will dry overnight and then we will grout it. Maybe tomorrow I will post pics of it. I think we are really going to like it.

That's about it for now......

THE ENTRANCE WAY FLOOR SAGA CONTINUES

2008-08-26T10:06:00.002-06:00

Let's see, when did Lee start tearing out the floor in the entrance way? Wasn't it Friday or Saturday of last week? I think so. Well, it is still being worked on. Maybe by the time we go back to St. George for the winter it will be finished. Or better yet we could just leave it unfinished and use it as a trap for any burglars that try and break in while we are gone. Seriously, it seems any project that is started around here always takes longer than expected. But, I think that is because of the age of the house. It is getting closer to being finished. We drove up to Provo yesterday and bought some tile for the floor. We decided that tile would be easier to take care of instead of the wood floor that was there. The tile we picked out is really pretty and blends with the color of the floor in the front room, so I think we will really like it once it is down. Here's hoping we can have it finished sometime this week.

We dropped by and visited Lois while we were up north yesterday. We had a nice visit with her.

After reading Lori's blog from yesterday I feel a little older than I did before. Our oldest Grandson is starting his Senior year in High School. Wasn't it just the other day that his Mother was a Senior in High School?

Well, I had better end this for now and see what I can do to help with our little project.

Movie Reviews

2008-08-24T20:01:00.003-06:00

I am not much of a movie going person but my other half really likes to go to the movies. So last night we went to the Drive In. Swing Vote was showing. It is a cute show. Nothing heavy or anything you have to think about. You can just sit back and watch. Although, it does make a point about our politics. So, I guess there is a little something to think about after the movie is over. While we were in Austin last week we went to see Mama Mia with Trav and Aundrea. Now that is an entertaining show. We really enjoyed it. It was at a theater that has a person come around and you can order food and drinks and then they serve it to you. There are mini tables in front of your seats so you can eat, drink and relax. I don't know if we have any theaters like that here in Utah but it would be fun if we did.
We went to Church today. All three meetings. I know, I thought for sure the roof was going to cave in.lol And then, this afternoon we had Home Teachers. I think we can safely say we have had plenty of Sunday in our Sunday.

JUST ANOTHER DAY

2008-08-23T08:06:00.003-06:00

It's Saturday and life is getting back to a normal routine after a very busy summer. It seems we have been on a nonstop run since May. All I can say now, is that it is rather quiet around here. I guess we are never satisfied. Either it is too busy or not busy enough. We should probably take advantage of a little down time because I am sure it won't last for long. In fact, Lee has got our front entrance way floor all torn out. The sub floor(if you can call it that) is all rotten and it was just a matter of time before someone came in the front door and the floor would have collapsed on them. We really don't need a law suit against us at this time so Lee decided he had better dig in and get it fixed. There is always something that has to be done when your home is an older home. It is just part of the charm and personality of the place.
That's about all that is happening right now. So until next time, have a great day.

IF THIS IS AUSTIN

2008-08-19T10:40:00.013-06:00

Davy Crockett

Top of the rotundra @ the Capital

Marriage Certificate arrived in the mail

Capital Building

Congress meeting room

View of the Capital Grounds w/Trav and Aundrea

Trav, Aundrea and Lee @ Slavery Display

Aundrea, Trav and ?

The Austin motto is "Keep Austin Wierd"

We made it back from Austin last night about 10:30. We arrived at SLC Airport around 8:30PM. Our flight was delayed about an hour. But that seems to be the way it goes with us when we fly. Our flight to Austin was right on time and even arrived at the airport a little early. That was a little freaky for us, because we never leave on any flight on time, much less arrive early. It just seems to be the Phillips way. So we knew that our flight home would have to have some kinks in it. But all and all it was a good flight and we only arrived about 40 minutes later than we were scheduled. We made up time in the air.

Aundrea's baptism was really nice. We were so glad that we could be there. She had a lot of friends attend and the entire Bishopric was there. Her Mom and Dad were there and we went out to Dinner with them afterward. We had good food and a great time.

Before the Baptism Travis and Aundrea took us on a short tour of Austin. It is a pretty city. We went to the State Capitol Building. Lee had visited it when he was stationed at Ft. Hood, TX in the Army about 40 years ago. It is a beautiful building.

On Sunday we visited Aundrea's parents in Belton, Tx. and saw the old building downtown that they are redoing. They are going to open a consignment shop in it. They have done a lot of work in the building and it is looking really good. We wish them luck with their business.

I was going to post some pics of the Baptism but you can view them on Aundrea's blog. She beat me to it. But as you can see I posted a few of our Austin pictures. Enjoy.

HERE'S THE PICS

2008-08-14T19:41:00.007-06:00

Proud GrandpaThe Motely Crew
Logan Fox Phillips, Future Sportscaster

With a name like Fox what else could he be?

Be sure and read my blog below. The pictures took so long to post I had to make a new post just for them.

OUR NEWEST ADDITION

2008-08-14T18:32:00.006-06:00

We drove Jeff and Becky's van back to them Monday. And may I say it was quite an experience. You see, it doesn't have air conditioning. As I drove past the city building in Overton, NV the tempature was 106 and rose to 111 before the day was over. I was thrilled to get to an air conditioned house.

Becky had fainted at work in Las Vegas so Lee rode down with Jeff to pick her up so he could drive back a car so it wouldn't have to stay in Vegas. I had plenty of time to spoil our newest Grandbaby. He is a cutie. Becky seemed to be fine by the time she got home. So, we hope everything was back to normal for them today.

We just got back to Mt. Pleasant. We brought back our boat and truck. Maybe we will get to go out on the boat a few times before the weather turns cold. I hope so.

We will be leaving for Texas tomorrow around 1:30pm. Can't wait to go to Aundrea's baptism and conformation. We are very excited and happy for her.

I tried to download some pics of Logan but for some reason my blog doesn't want to let that happen right now. I will try the pics later.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

2008-08-08T09:12:00.003-06:00

Looks like we will be heading for St. George Monday or Tuesday. Lee has Bank Board Meeting on Thursday and we want to go down to Overton to see the newest edition to the family. I believe his name is Logan Fox Phillips. Can't wait to see him. Also, Krista's birthday was on the 3rd and Robert's is the 15th so we need to give them their birthday money. Becky's birthday is on the 30th so we will owe her some money, too. Keoni's is the 16th and Sunshine's is on the 27th. Whew, I think we have enough August birthdays.

We will leave Friday the 15th and go to Austin. Aundrea will be baptized on the 16th and confirmed on the 17th and then we will come back home Monday evening. We didn't think we were going to be able to make her baptism but they changed the date from Aug 9th so we were able to get a flight and now we will be able to celebrate the big event with her and Travis.

We will be home for a few weeks and then it will be off to South Dakota to watch the Finau Kids while their parents go to Chicago for a recognition event that is work related for Brett. I think we might make it a road trip and maybe head up to Minnesota to visit Tom and Lena. We would really like to see their home since they have completed the renovation because of the flood from a water pipe breaking while they were in Australia. After visiting with them I wouldn't mind coming home the long way and go through Colorado and see my brothers and families. Don't know if that will happen. It will depend on how well two old people can hold up to that much traveling.

Hope everyone is doing well. Until later......

CAN YOU SAY, "THE PARTY'S OVER"?

2008-08-03T21:34:00.009-06:00

I can't believe we made it through the whole thing! Everything really turned out very nice. I don't know if there could have been a prettier setting for a Wedding. I was too busy to take pictures so I hope everyone else got some great shots. I know Bob S. must have. I think he ended up with more than 800 pictures. Can't wait to see them. I see that Lori has posted some on her blog so maybe I can get her to make me a CD of the ones that she took. We had a wonderful time and was so very excited for all the people that came to celebrate with us. We are so happy for Travis and Aundrea. They seem extremely happy together and we wish them all the best.
Luke had the most outstanding Baptism. He had people there from South Dakota, Minnesota, Texas and everywhere from St. George to Layton, Utah. We were really thrilled that he could be Baptized and Confirmed in Mt. Pleasant. His Mother was blessed in Mt. Pleasant as an infant so it was only fitting for him to have his Baptism here.
I don't think our Day could have been any better. I told Lee, it seems like the Universe is back in it's correct order now. It was a real joy to see Travis and his friends relate to each other like they did when they were growing up.
Thanks to all of you, and you know who you are, for making our Luau/Wedding/Baptism the best it could be. See you all at the Luau next year. How about a Temple Wedding/Luau? Just something to think about.

STARTING THE DOWN HILL SIDE

2008-07-30T09:24:00.008-06:00

It is Wednesday and we are starting to feel Saturday is a little too close for comfort. It seems no matter how much we have completed at this time it isn't enough and everything we have left to do doesn't feel like it will get done. But I think that is how it would be even if we still had weeks before the big Luau/Wedding/Baptism. All we can do is keep completing task until the time arrives for the events and what has been done is done and what needs to be done never will get done. And, you know what the funny thing is? Anything that didn't get done will never be noticed by anyone. So, here we are looking forward to a great celebration of some of the good things that happen in our lives. We can't wait to see everyone and share the joy that each event will bring.

ANOTHER SUNDAY

2008-07-28T08:23:00.002-06:00

We went to Church and then took the kids up above the Power Plant to have lunch. ( We have Skyler, Sunshine and Jake here with us.) They seemed to enjoy hiking the short distance to the waterfall. It seems to be one of the Grandkids favorite places. They made a small dam at the bottom of the waterfall so the deer would have plenty to drink and it would be easier for them to drink. After that engineering project Grandpa decided that it was time to clean out the ol' truck. So he had the kids take the cup holders and floor mats over to the stream and give them a good washing while he cleaned out all the trash and swept out the inside of the truck. I was amazed how clean they got the skate(nickname for the truck). When the truck had been cleaned it was time to police the camping area and leave it cleaner than what we found it. You can take the boy out of scout but you can't the scout out of the boy. Lee said he was always taught by his scout leader to leave your camping sight cleaner than you found it. So, we ended up with a lot of trash to take off the mountain. It was pretty obvious other people don't follow that philosophy.
When we got back home the kids played in the backyard until almost dark. All in all it was a very nice day. Now it is back to getting the yard ready for the big event on Saturday. Hope we are able to accomplish everything we need to so that all goes well for the Wedding/Luau.
I'd better go and see what we need to do today.

IT'S JULY 24TH

2008-07-24T20:05:00.002-06:00

Pioneer Day is here. We haven't really done anything much today. Steven and Mendy came up yesterday and the kids stayed up all hours of the night so no one got up in time for the parade in Fairview. But we might go see if they are having Fireworks this year. They've had them in all the past Pioneer Days so they probably will tonight.
Well, it is just over a week and then the Luau/Wedding/Baptism day will be here. I think we will be a little busy come Friday evening and Saturday morning. But it will be fun and worth all the work when it is over.
Since things aren't too exciting right now and there isn't anything to write about I will go until later.

BBQ MONDAY

2008-07-21T21:55:00.002-06:00

Pat and Dewey came down tonight and we BBQ'd hamburgers. We had a really nice visit. We are going up to their cabin Friday and have dinner with them. It is a good thing to have them have their cabin so close to us. It gives us a chance to get together and catch up on things.
We are trying to get the yard ready for the Luau/Wedding. We have a couple of areas to clean up and then I think we will call it good.
Do you ever wonder what life would be like if we didn't have stuff to look forward to? I think it would be pretty sad and boring. There are times when I think that I would just like to sit around with nothing to do. But than I wonder if that would be so great. I bet there are a lot of people out there in this ol' world that would give anything to have something to look forward to or something that needed to be accomplished. Isn't that what living life is all about? Creating memories is so very important. Because when all is said and done it isn't the monetary things in life that makes life worth living, it's the memories we make and the times we spend with those that are important to us. I hope I never lose the desire to do whatever it takes to help those around me make the most out of the times we have together to make those ever so important memories.

SATURDAY IS A SPECIAL DAY

2008-07-19T18:07:00.005-06:00

Here it is Saturday and another week is biting the dust. Skyler and Sunshine are here and they are keeping us plenty busy. Isn't that what Grandkids are for?
Travis called today so we could talk about the wedding. He had Aundrea and her Mother there with him so we had a little speaker phone conversation. We all seem to be taking everything in stride. Things always seem to work out for the best whether you worry and fret or whether you just go with the flow. I learned a long time ago going with the flow is much easy than worrying. I know it will all be good, because Travis and Aundrea deserve to have a memorable event.
Lee just finished making a permanent roasting pit in our backyard so we won't have to dig one every year. It turned out really nice. We just need to find a grate for it so we don't have everyone falling into it. Ha
We are looking forward to seeing everyone this year. It is really nice to have an event once a year where family, friends and relatives get together to visit and have fun. Hope to see everyone on Aug 2..
Until my next blog

A BUSY LUAU THIS YEAR

2008-07-14T09:02:00.003-06:00

We received a call from our son, Travis, Saturday night. He had some important news for us. He and Aundrea are getting married. Guess when? That's right, during the luau this year. It is going to be a very eventful day. If all goes well Luke will be baptized that day and so will Aundrea. Whew! That's just typical of us Phillips. We seem to able to fit more things into one event than any one else I know. But that is what makes life so fun and interesting.

Well, Aundrea, hold on to whatever you have to hold on to and get ready for the ride. Soon you will be a part of this crazy family and all I can say is we are really happy and excited for you and Travis. We welcome you with open arms and only want the best for the two of you.

2008-07-13T15:15:00.000-06:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! Peace and Quiet

2008-07-11T17:17:00.002-06:00

Here I sit at 5:20pm and only the sound of an annoying fly. How can that be? We have two of our Grandsons here and a dog. Maybe I have finally started to lose my hearing. Oh, that's right Grandpa just took the boys fishing up Fairview Canyon. I am going to take advantage of this moment alone and catch up on my blog and reading everyone elses. Although, Tami and Travis have been somewhat neglectful of their blogs lately.( Esp. Tami) Come on guys when I finally get around to reading blogs I would like some new ones to read. Remember, I know the Blog Nazi and when she is finished moving I am going to sic her on you.
We have been having a good time with the boys. (Luke and Brady) Luke was a tad upset Tuesday but has settled down and is patiently waiting to go to his new house. I think the move may be affecting him more than we know. But before long he will be in his house and will have made new friends and be as happy there as he was in St. George. It is funny how change always has a way of working itself out.
We are getting excited for two more of our Grandkids to visit us. Skyler and Sunshine will be coming next week. We can't wait to see them. We hope to be able to do some fun and exciting things while they are here.
Better go for now. Until later

SOMETHING NEW IN MT. PLEASANT

2008-07-08T20:12:00.004-06:00

On the 4th of July Mt. Pleasant dedicated this painting that is on the South wall of the old National Guard Building. It is really incredible. It looks 3 dimensional but it was painted by airbrush and a crew of talented Artist. It has made a huge difference to the old building. It just shows what a lot of talent, patience and time can do. Click on the picture to see a larger version. I am proud that our little City would go to such an effort to honor those who lost their lifes to help us keep our freedom.

THIS LITTLE GIRL HAD A BIRTHDAY

2008-07-07T23:18:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday, Lois.

We just got back from Mapleton. It was Lois' birthday and they had a party for her at Tod's house. It was fun. I think Lois had a good time and enjoyed being with everyone.

Tod has this great dog by the name of Winston. It is a Bull Mastif. It's a huge dog but it is sooo gentle. Our grandson Brady went with us to Mapleton and I think he would have brought that dog back to Mt. Pleasant if he could have slyly got him in the car. Anyway, he is a super dog.

We worked in the yard today. We are trying to get some flowers planted and do some detail work. The poor yard is really in need for some sprucing up. It seems that this year was so cold way into the spring that flowers would have gotten frost bite. I sure hope we can get some things going so the yard will look nice for the Luau. There are so many things that need to be done and no matter how hard I try I cannot figure out how to put more than 24 hours in a day. If someone can figure out how to do that please let me know. I could use about 8 more hours a day so that things will get done.

Well, it is getting late and I need to get to bed so I can get an early start on things in the morning so I had better go for now.

OKAY, YOU ALREADY KNOW I'M CRAZY SO I MIGHT AS WELL TELL YOU THIS

2008-07-05T18:38:00.003-06:00

You know how you are always getting those pesky little emails that say send it to 1000 other people and something wonderful will happen? Well, let me tell you my creepy experience with one yesterday. Let me start from the beginning.
I have had some rather unsettling pain in my intestines for the last Month or so. It hurt to even take a deep breath. I had decided that this must come with age so I was resigned to live with it. It just so happens that yesterday had been a really uncomfortable day. No matter what I did the stupid pain got in the way. On top of the pain I have had no energy. None, nadda!(Once again I attributed the lose of energy to age.) I had been trying to get our patio cleaned up so we could enjoy it the rest of the summer. Of course, Lee was doing all the work because I wasn't moving around with too much vigor.

It was time for one of my many breaks that I had taken through out the day so I came in the house and decided I would check my emails. Lo and behold I had received one of those pass it along emails from my nephew Paul. It was an angel, (which by the way, there was no picture of )that was suppose to give me something that I had wanted for a long time within 8 minutes if I sent it to 8 people. So, I took a deep breath(which hurt like !@#$%) and sent the email to 8 really fortunate people, which included sending it back to Paul. Well, the darnedest thing happened. About 8 to 10 minutes later as I sat at my computer I had this weird sensation in my intestines. It felt like something moving and voila, no more pain.

Today I got up, helped finish cleaning the Patio, planted flowers and now, (I know this one will be really hard to believe) I am going to cook us some supper. Did one of these pesky emails cure me? Can it be? I am not sure. But, I do know I am feeling like myself again. So, here's a shout out to Paul, thanks, Kiddo, for sending me that pesky little email. It might not have been the email that helped me. It could have been a million other things that I have been doing to get rid of the pain. But, for now, I am going to believe that pesky little emails can help. So the next time you open your in box and find a forward to everybody email, maybe you should think twice before deleting it. After all, you have one very reliable testimonial from someone you can trust. ?

FIREWORKS DAY

2008-07-04T00:09:00.001-06:00

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT DAY AND CELEBRATES SAFELY.

JULY 4TH EVE

2008-07-03T12:11:00.003-06:00

I guess we will be having a quiet July 4th around here this year. Why is it that a Holiday just doesn't seem like a Holiday unless there is a large group of people hanging out around the house? We will probably go to the City Park for an early morning breakfast and maybe watch the Parade and then in the evening we will watch the fireworks. Mt. Pleasant has always had a great fireworks show. We can see most of them from our front yard but who knows maybe we will be really ambitious and go to the cemetery to watch them this year. It has always seemed a little strange that you sit in the city cemetery to watch fireworks but that is the way it is here. (Some times I wonder if they are trying to wake the dead. haha)

HERE ARE SOME PICS

2008-07-02T22:32:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Sorry, our pictures at the Finaus turned out blurry. Next time we will have more Fianu pics.

IT'S JULY, OH MY GOSH, WHERE'S THE SUMMER GOING?

2008-07-01T14:02:00.003-06:00

We are back from South Dakota and all is well at the home front. We had a great time at the Finaus. Although some of us worked harder than others while we were there. I being one of the ones that did very little. Although, I did go out for a boat ride or two.
We hope Kam had a good time on his trip with the two old senile people. We went to Devils Tower , drove through Yellowstone and Teton National Parks on the way back from South Dakota. It was a long day but I think well worth it. Needless to say we were pretty worn out when we got back to Mt. Pleasant. I will post some pictures on my next blog. I am too lazy to get my camera and up load them right at this moment.
Not sure what the rest of the Summer holds for us but if it goes by as fast as the first part the end of Summer will be here tomorrow.
I'll go for now and hopefully by tomorrow I will have some pictures to post.

WEDNESDAY--GOOD OL' HUMP DAY

2008-06-18T09:35:00.003-06:00

Let me see, I think it is June 18, 2008. The days have just been clicking by and I really have to stop and think to know what day it is. We have had a very eventful couple of months. In May we were on our trip and then when we returned we had to head to St. George for Roberts and Aingeals Baptisms and to meet Travis' friend Aundrea. We went to Las Vegas and had lunch with Aundrea's parents and had a wonderful time. They are really super people. Then it was back to Mt. Pleasant and Chris and her family came out to Utah to bring Paul to EFY at BYU. We also had four of Lori's kids and all of Jeff's kids here while Chris and familly were here. The kids all had a great time. They all got along so well and seemed to enjoy each others company. Jeff and Bryan had business meetings in SLC that week and spouses attended so that is why the kids were here. Last but not least some people Jeff knows needed a place to spend the night last night after attending the Manti Pageant and Jeff volunteered our house. Now, tomorrow or Friday we will be taking Kam to visit Tami and Brett in South Dakota. I think that pretty much brings things up to date. We have some wonderful events happening in July and August but I will write about them as they happen.
We are having a busy summer but it is the kind of summer we like, filled with lots to do and many people to visit with.

THIS LITTLE BOY HAS A BIRTHDAY

2008-06-15T15:35:00.002-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRADY!!!!! Hope you have a good one.

And a Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there.

A FEW PICS OF OUR TRIP

2008-06-03T22:48:00.008-06:00

Spanish steps in RomePillars at the Vatican

The Vatican, St Peters Basilica

The Colosium

Arch in Rome

Colosium

Miramis, Turkey
Tuscan village

Leaning Tower of PisaOne of the many pilar ruins in Olympia, Greece

Blue Mosiac in Turkey

Ephesis, Turkey House where the Virgin Mary died Pompei, Italy

Olive tree in Sarento, Italy Park in Florence, Italy

Gondola ride in Venice, Italy Venice, Italy Arena in Verona, ItalySwiss Alps Monument in SwitzerlandTemple in Bern, SwitzerlandSmall village in Switzerland

Saturday

2008-05-31T13:10:00.004-06:00

CONGRATULATIONS ROBERT!!!!!

We went to Overton yesterday for Robert's baptism. It was nice. I think Robert was excited to get his new set of Scriptures. He seemed to like the fact that they had his name on them. I guess Krista will be turning 8 yrs old in August so we should be going to her Baptism in September.

We are looking forward to seeing Travis and Aundrea. They should be coming late Wednesday. It sounds like we will be having a BBQ at Lori's house next Saturday. It will be fun to get together. We haven't done that for quite sometime.

THURSDAY

2008-05-29T11:53:00.002-06:00

We will be leaving for St. George either tonight or tomorrow morning. Robert is being baptized Friday evening and we are very excited. We will be going down to Overton for his big day and then we will stay in St. George until Travis comes for his visit. We will return to Mt. Pleasant on the 7th or 8th. I haven't even planted any flowers yet. It has been so cold I didn't want to risk them being frost bit. Maybe by the time we get back it will be warm enough to plant some petunias. Don't think the yard will win any landscaping awards this year. With our trip taking almost the entire month of May and with our side trip to St. George this week we won't have a very big window of opportunity to do much with the yard this year. Oh, well, there is always next year, right? Besides, sometimes there are things more important than having a perfect yard.
Guess I had better finish a few things around here so we can get ready to get on the road again.

WE ARE FINALLY HOME

2008-05-25T18:21:00.002-06:00

We are back and we had a wonderful time. I can't believe we have been gone for 24 days. A little jet lag is lingering but that will soon be over and life will be back to normal. Lori and Bryan and the kids were here when we got in last night. They are taking Meg and some of her friends to BYU for EFY tomorrow. Then, I think it is on June 9th Chris will be bringing Paul out for his EFY experience. So, there will be a lot of EFYing around here. Ha, Ha.
Sometime when I have enough energy I will post a few pictures of our trip and bore everyone. I can't believe we saw the things we did and how much we enjoyed experiencing the atmosphere but when all is said and done there is no where in this world that can compare to the good old USA and sleeping in your own bed.

LAST BLOG UNTIL WE RETURN

2008-04-27T21:10:00.032-06:00

Geneva, Switzerland

Athens, Greece-------------------------------- Rome, Italy---------------- Istanbul, Turkey

HOW LUCKY CAN TWO PEOPLE BE? WE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT OUR TRIP. BLOG YOU ALL WHEN WE GET BACK TOWARD THE END OF MAY. STAY HAPPY, STAY WELL, AND MOST OF ALL STAY SAFE.

THE DAY AFTER

2008-04-27T14:16:00.007-06:00

What do you know, the Jazz pulled another rabbit out of their hats! It was a close one but they won their 3rd game in the playoffs. Now, all they have to do is go down to Houston and win on the court of the opposition. I hope they can surprise us all and launch the Rockets right out of the tournament. We are keeping everything crossed at this point. Let's go Jazz. Put 'em away in the first quarter. Find that killer instinct. Without it you can't go all the way.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

2008-04-26T19:31:00.003-06:00

Today we went to the Manti Temple for the 2:30 PM session. Surprise, Surprise. Lois called yesterday and asked if we wanted to go. Jed (Tod's Son) was going through for the first time because he has been called on a Mission. So, we said sure we would love to go. It was a small session so it moved right along. It only took one hour and forty five minutes. I really enjoyed it. Thanks, Lois for asking.

Now we are sitting here waiting for it to be 8:30 PM so we can see if the Jazz show up for the playoff game. Heaven knows they weren't sure if they were playing the game last thursday or not. I think we can safely say they didn't show up. But that is what makes the Jazz so interesting to watch. You never know what will happen. When they play the worst teams in the NBA they tend to lose and when they play the best teams they seem to find some kind of magic, pull it altogether and win. Let's hope there is a little magic tonight.

GO JAZZ ! ! ! !

SOME MORMONS ARE

2008-04-24T16:17:00.002-06:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Thanks, Lori, for the email. I took a few liberties with it, but just had to add it to my blog.

HOW IGNORANT CAN PEOPLE BE?????????

2008-04-23T00:02:00.008-06:00

Sometimes I wonder how stupid people can get. I don't know how many times that it has been on the News that the LDS Church is not, may I repeat NOT the same as the FLDS. They are no more the same religion then are the Catholics and the Lutherans. If I am not mistaken the founder of the Lutheran Church was a Monk and just because he broke away from the Catholic church to form the Lutheran Church does not make Lutherans Catholic or Catholic Lutherrans. So, why is it so difficult for people to understand that is the same thing with the LDS and the FLDS. There were people who broke away from the LDS and formed the FLDS church. The LDS church does not believe the same way the FLDS church believes. There are soooooo many differences it is pathetic. Get with it people! Use the brains that God has given you and put an end to this confusion. I can't believe that people are targeting LDS Church members and painting all sorts of hateful things on their homes and property. I thought we had become a society of political correctness to a fault. But, I guess that political correctness only deals with certain subjects. It must be selective political correctioness. We seem to have many people in our society that just sit around and wait for something or someone they can persecute. Isn't it sad that we all human beings, that we all have short comings and yet we have no tolerance for anyone but ourselves. I don't believe in polygamy. I certainly think that marrying off children is unforgivable but lumping people into a group where they do not belong is as wrong as what these FLDS people are doing.
Sorry, but I had to get this off my chest. Not that this will even be read by any of those ignorant people out there, it's just that I have had it with the whole thing.

IT'S SUNDAY

2008-04-20T22:05:00.002-06:00

It is Sunday, again. Since we have been retired Sunday seems to roll around every other day. Ha,Ha. We went to Church.(All 3 meetings) I put a Turkey Breast in the roaster so when we got home our Sunday Dinner was ready. We had Turkey, Stuffing and peas. yum, yum. Well, so much for our exciting Sunday.
Lee is getting ready to finish up the sheet rock in the basement. Then we will texture, paint, put the carpet squares down and finally, we will be able to organize our storage one last time. Yippee! It has taken a very l o n g time to get the basement in shape. Poor, Lee, he has had to do most of it himself. There isn't much room to move around in the furnace room and my mammoth size can't fit in the room to help him. I hope I will be able to help with the painting and I will for sure lay the carpet squares. Here's hoping this will be completed before the end of the week.
I have rambled on for long enough. Hope everyone is doing well. Bye for now.

AINGEAL'S BIRTDAY

2008-04-18T14:38:00.007-06:00

It's Aingeal's birthday and we want to wish her a Happy One . So here's a

SHOUT OUT TO AINGEAL

Hope you have a Happy One.

Have fun at the Concert!!!

A TRAVELING WE WILL GO!

2008-04-16T19:22:00.004-06:00

We received our travel information and tickets. So May 2nd we will be on our way to Switzerland, Italy, Greece and Turkey. We went over the agenda today and I think we are going to do and see many things that I have dreamed about since I was a young child. I can hardly wait.
Well, it looks like Pleasant Bay Pontoons has sold their first load of boats, motors and trailers, thanks to Steven. I hope he can keep up the hustle and make us all multi-millionares. We have our demo boat on the lot of the Dealer who purchased the pontoons and if it sells we are going to get a Tri-toon. I hope it sells by the time we get back from our trip. I want it for the summer. This year we want to be out on the Lakes and do some serious fishing. That is if summer weather ever gets here.

A CHAMPION IN THE FAMILY

2008-04-15T00:53:00.003-06:00

We have the Overton, NV Mutton Busting Champion in our Family. Krista Lynn Phillips won the Mutton Busting Championship yesterday in Overton. CONGRATULATIONS, KRISTA!!!!!!!

She won $45 and a huge belt buckle with Mutton Busting Champion on it.

WAY TO GO GIRL!

SUNDAY, DAY OF REST

2008-04-13T14:07:00.002-06:00

Lori, Bryan and family just left. Lori and the Kids are heading back to St. George and Bryan is going to Salt Lake. Meghan had a volleyball tournament in Salt Lake and it was Kam's birthday so they all made the trip up. The three younger boys, Brady, Jake and Luke stayed with us in Mt. Pleasant while the rest went to the Volleyball thing. They took Kam to dinner Friday night for his birthday and then watched Meg play volleyball. They came down late last night after Meg was finished with her tournament. We had Sunday Dinner and then they were all on their way. Lee is now cleaning up after the dinner and I am sitting here wishing I had the energy to do some of the work. I don't know why but today I have been so tired. Or maybe it is all psychological. I think that is it. I think am just plain lazy. But let's keep that under wraps for now. It can just be our little secret. Until next time.

MAILI'S BIRTHDAY

2008-04-11T22:50:00.002-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SMILEY. HAVE A GREAT DAY!

I know your birthday is the 12th but I wanted to post it tonight so I wouldn't forget to do it tomorrow. Grandma and Grandpa miss you and love you very much.

TODAY IS KAM'S BIRTHDAY

2008-04-11T15:32:00.002-06:00

HAPPY, HAPPY, BIRTHDAY, KAM

2008-04-10T16:31:00.002-06:00

Seems like it is the same old, same old, around here. Lee is down in the basement trying to finish sheet rocking the furnace room. As soon as it is sheet rocked and painted I will lay the carpet squares. Then it will be time to organize and put everything in its place. Hooray! Maybe we will be able to clean the house and not have dust everywhere all the time. Also, we just might have a place for everything and have everything in its place. Wouldn't that be loverly?

Jeff called last night. They found out they are having a Boy. So, we will have one more Phillips out there to carry on the name. I know that would have made Grandma Glenna happy. She always worried that there would be no one to carry on Lee's Dad's line. No worries, Glenna! We have all taken care of that problem.

The weather looks like it is going to start to warm up for the Weekend. Thank goodness. I say it is time.

APRIL 9TH AND IT IS SNOWING, OH MY GOSH!!!

2008-04-09T14:21:00.003-06:00

Can you believe it? It is snowing flakes the size of cornflakes right now. I am about ready to pull up stakes and head back to St. George. I went for a walk yesterday and it was chilly but bearable. Wanted to go for a walk today but not dedicated enough to get out in this stuff. I thought the saying was "April SHOWERS bring May flowers" not "April SNOWS bring May flowers". Oh, well, what can you do? We can't control Mother Nature. And someone needs to let Al Gore know that the Global Warming thing isn't happening here!

On the brighter side we will be leaving for our trip the first part of May. Hope that the weather will be descent over in Europe. I need to check on the internet and see what is predicted so I won't be surprised if the weather is bad. We will be on a cruise ship for about half of our trip so maybe the weather won't play a very important part. Unless of course we have some bad storms at Sea. It will still be a great experience no matter what happens. Sometimes its the wierd things that happen that make the most memorable events.

We have some April Birthdays coming up: Kam, Maili, Aingeal Joan and Tom. Here's a shout out to all of you. Hope you all have Happy Birthdays.

Take care everyone.

GENERAL CONFERENCE

2008-04-06T19:00:00.002-06:00

Today was the first General Conference of the Church with President Monson presiding as the Prophet. It was a spiritual event and I certainly know more about President Monson than I did before today. There is no doubt that the Lord prepares the leaders of the Church. They are groomed and taught what they need to know to be able to step up and do what is needed for the Church to move forward and never miss a beat. If I didn't already know the Church was true I would have known by the of Conference today.
It doesn't look like the weather is going be springlike here until maybe next weekend. Hopefully it will be 60 degrees by than. Maybe I can finally do some work in the yard.
Travis just called. We had tried to call him earlier. He sounds like he is doing well. He is going to visit in June for Luke's baptism. It will be good to see him.
I think I have rambled long enough for today.

A SHORT TRIP TO PROVO

2008-04-03T13:52:00.003-06:00

We went to Provo today. Lee needed some plywood to finish the furnace room. We can get two sheets for the price of one at Home Depot compared to the hardware store down here.
We had lunch at Sizzler and then onto Home Depot. ( Well, actually we went to Draper first. We had to pay for our on shore excursions that we are going to take on our cruise.) I sat in the truck while Lee went in and purchased the plywood. Someone came up and looked in the window at me. I thought, who in the world is that nervy? I took a second look and it was Stephanie. We had a nice talk. You never know who you will run into when your in Happy Valley.
We are back in Mt. Pleasant. It is sort of a nice day. The temperature is around 50 degrees and the sun is shining. We are suppose to have a descent weekend but maybe some snow by late Sunday.
Lee is taking a nap so we will probably get to work on the basement when he wakes up. Maybe this would be a good time to get a short nap myself.

HUMP DAY

2008-04-02T13:29:00.002-06:00

Made it through April 1st. I don't care for days like April Fool's or St. Patrick's day. Even when I was a kid they were just a real pain. I would never remember to wear green and I couldn't come up with something clever on April Fool's. It seems I was the one always falling for someone Else's stupid joke. Oh, well, I am sure there are plenty of people out there that enjoy them.
I can't say that we are having the most beautiful day here today. It just seems like spring doesn't want to happen this year. I love to work in the yard but not when it is cold or even a little chilly. So, here's hoping things will be more springlike soon.
I am still having problems with this withdrawal thing. It is amazing to me how medications can mess up our systems. I will be glad when mine is back to normal. Even if Normal for me is a little off center.
Hope everyone is doing well. Have a wonderful day.

THE DAY AFTER SUNDAY

2008-03-31T22:44:00.003-06:00

It snowed here yesterday. It even stuck to the ground and it was cold. This morning it looked warm outside but it was bitter. I think I miss St. George. It has been in the 70's down there. Oh, well, we will just have to make the best of it. Oh, by the way the power went out last night for about 3 hours. It wasn't so bad not having lights but it can get a little cold without the furnace. If the power had been off much longer I think we could have gotten a little too chilly.

Tom and Lena called tonight. They are planning on coming to the Luau this year. They are going to go to Alaska two weeks before the Luau and we will watch Sky and Sunshine while they are in Alaska. We are really looking forward to having Sky and Sunshine stay with us. We will arrange for cousins to come and visit at the same time and they can all have a fun time. Who knows we might bring out the pontoon and go out on the Lake. Or maybe we will go up on the mountain and roast hot dogs and marshmellows. No telling what we will do. We just want everyone to have fun and enjoy being together. I think the days we spend with our cousins when we are young are the days we remember the most when we are grown. I think the more memories we can make at an early age the better are elder years can be.

Have a great day and make some memories.

BACK IN MT. PLEASANT

2008-03-27T18:02:00.002-06:00

We are back in Mt. Pleasant for the summer. I am sure we will take it easy today and then start tomorrow with some work on the basement. We have a little work left down there and then it will be finished.
I can't wait to start working out in the yard. Hope the weather will be nice next week so we can start some clean up and get flower gardens ready to plant. I really want to find a place for a small garden this year. I might try some grow boxes. I have to be careful that I don't plant things too soon up here. People are already picking certain items from their gardens in St. George and I need to remember we are a little behind them here. But, I do need to plant my tomatoes before we leave on our trip. I will probably need to cover them but last year I planted them way too late and we didn't have any tomatoes until frost. Needless to say we only had a few fresh tomatoes before they were dead from the cold.
Well, enough of all my planting woes. Have a great day.

HAPPY EASTER

2008-03-23T15:42:00.002-06:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Some more pictures of our trip. Enjoy

2008-03-21T22:19:00.001-06:00

If you click on the individual pictures they will go to full screen. That allows you to see them better. We enjoyed our nature walk. This is an island in the middle of the Missouri River.

A WALK ON FARM ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA

2008-03-21T22:03:00.010-06:00

BACK IN ST. GEORGE

2008-03-20T14:00:00.002-06:00

We are back from South Dakota. We had a nice time. Keila seemed to enjoy having everyone come for her Baptism. Aunt Marci, her two kids and Grandma Finua were there along with Lee and I. I think Keila felt special and it will be a day she will remember.
Our Plane was suppose to leave at 6:55pm but didn't take off until 8:30pm. So we didn't get home until around 1:OOam. It made for a long day. Oh, well, we made it back safe and sound and that's all that counts.
We are going back to Mt. Pleasant next week for the Spring and Summer. We will probably be up there until November or December. Of course we will make short trips to St. George during that time. I am looking forward to going back. We have a few odds and ends to finish up before we head out on our trip in May.
Lee is trying to get our tax info together so he can take it to our Accountant. We could probably do our own taxes but I just hate messing with it sooooo much. We always end up owing some money and Lee doesn't deal with that very well. I would rather have him upset with the accountant instead of me.
I was really lucky and brought back a good old fashioned cold. My head hurts, my nose is stuffy and I have a really great cough. It seems like when I fly I sometimes get some kind of bug. I don't know how true it is but they say the air that recirculates can carry germs from others on the plane and you can catch a cold or flu from it. Anyway, I am looking forward to getting over this cold.
I finally seem to be feeling normal after quitting my wonderful mind altering drug, Cymbalta. Don't think I will ever want to take any anti-anxiety drugs again. They just alter your brain chemicals too much.
Well, everyone have a great day.

SACRAMENT MEETING TALKS, UGH!!!!!!!!

2008-03-09T17:01:00.004-06:00

We had to speak in Sacrament Meeting today. I don't care how many times you do it you still get nervous, nervous, nervous. I am glad it is over. Lee always does such a great job. I know not all will be lost if I am speaking with him. Ralph and Marie came to our meeting and Pauline was there. It is always nice to have a little support. Pauline, Lee, and I are going over to Ralph and Marie's for dinner tonight.

Well, my oldest Daughter finally got to reveal her big secret. Of course her Dad had already figured it out. And by the way, so did her brother Steven. I'm sure the kids will adjust. It can be exciting to be the "new kid" if you go in with the right attitude. The only really downside is getting their house sold quickly. But, things always have a way of working out the way they are suppose to. I think that is how Lee and I have always led our lives. We never try to force anything to happen. We just let things work out the way they should. After all you can spend your whole life trying to fix everything or you can chose to sit back and enjoy life the way it is dealt. It is a lot easier to let it ride. You can never fix everything no matter how hard you try. It just becomes a waste of time. Not to mention exhausting.

We will be getting ready to go to South Dakota Wednesday. We are looking forward to getting away for a while. Sometimes a change in scenery is good for what ails you. Watch out Finaus, The ol'Grandma is off her meds. It could be a bumpy ride.

Till next time.

Insanity Runs In The Family

2008-03-04T10:53:00.002-07:00

I have no idea what my oldest child is up to in her life right now, but I do hope she knows what is going on. Insanity runs in our Family and I thought it might have skipped a generation---no such luck. I hate someone to have a secret and not know what it is. Come on, Lori, spill the beans. We all want to know what is going on. If this is a way to just get more people to read your Blog and leave comments you are not only insane you are sick, sick, sick. We need more hints. Come on, give us some more hints. Okay, I have to stop obsessing over this. Can you tell which side of the Family the insanity comes from?
I have been under the weather a little but right now I am feeling great. Hope I can keep going in this positive direction. Just want everyone to know if you ever need to take medication for anxiety DO NOT TAKE CYMBALTA. It works great at first but than your side effects get pretty difficult to live with and than it doesn't work so you get a larger dose, than the side effects get worse and than it doesn't work so you get a larger dose and so on and so on and so on. Finally, you get smart and stop taking the stuff. AND THAN THE FUN BEGINS W I T H D R A W A L. I don't think I could wish it on my worse ememies. The first two weeks seem to be the worse. I am now in my third week and actually have time during the day that I feel like myself.(I would say I feel normal, but I have never had a normal day in my life)
There are some people out there that take up to 6 months or more to get this drug completely out of their system. Anywho, I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel. But for the next few weeks if I seem angry, weepy, withdrawn or behaving in extremes please understand it's the withdrawal. Or at least, it will be a good excuse for a while. Wonder how long I can milk the withdrawal thing?
Until next time.

Sunday

2008-03-02T12:22:00.004-07:00

We are back at the park model after watching Lori's kids and Lexy. Everything went well. Except for the fact that I didn't feel all that great the entire time. A little word of advice, if you ever need to take an anti-depressant, do not take cymbalta. It works for a while and then it stops. Then you have to stop taking it and the fun begins. I have never had withdrawal from anything but Coke and let me tell you withdrawal from cybalta is no picnic. It has been over two weeks since I stopped taking it and it seems I still have no idea what the next day will bring. Oh, well, we all have our challenges and this is one of mine. Things will get better and I will be glad that I quit this drug after it is all over.
The weather has been just beautiful down here. You couldn't ask for bluer skies or redder hills. This time of year can be so great in St. George. We are getting ready to speak in Sacrament Meeting next week and then we will be off to Pierre for KK's baptism. We haven't seen the Finau's since last August. It will be fun to see them and spend about a week out there in the land of winter. Hopefully, the weather will be nice.
I'll go for now.

DAY BEFORE MONDAY

2008-02-24T12:37:00.002-07:00

Well, we are getting our minds and bodies ready to go back to St. George sometime tomorrow. Hope the weather will be good for driving. Today there are suppose to be high winds from about Beaver thru St. George. I think it can be as bad to drive in really high winds as it can to drive in snow.
Anywho, we will be watching Lori's kids starting Tuesday evening and Jeff is bringing Lexy up for us to watch. He and Lori have to go to the same meeting in Salt Lake. Becky's mom is going to watch Robert and Krista but she broke her wrist so taking care of Lexy would be difficult for her.
I am really hoping the weather in St. George will be nice. We have had some beautiful days up here but the snow has been so deep you really can't get outside very much. The days have actually been pleasant but it will be nice to be able to get outside once we are back in St. George.
Time is going by fast. It won't be long before we will be going to South Dakota to see the Finaus. We haven't seen them since last August. Keoni sounds so grown up when he talks to us on the phone. Hey, KK, are you thinking about what we are going to get you for your birthday? Can't wait to go shopping with you.
Time to go for now. Hope everyone is doing well.

IT'S SNOWING

2008-02-20T11:12:00.004-07:00

It is snowing outside not much but enough. Thanks, Lori, for letting me know that the weather in St. George is so nice. Hope it stays that way. We should be back down there Sunday or Monday.
We visited with Lois, yesterday. She is doing really well since having her knee replaced a week ago. We couldn't believe how straight her leg was when she walked. I think she looks 10 years younger. Hope she continues to do well.
I hear the Simonson dog is a hit. We will be watching the kids next week so we will get to know Pele than. It will be interesting to see how much he has grown since we saw him last Thursday.
Well, I am going to go and watch the snow fall.

FRIDAY, YIPEE

2008-02-15T17:01:00.002-07:00

We are in Mt. Pleasant. Boy, there is alot of snow. We have great neighbors. They have kept our driveway clear so it was easy to get into the house.
Lois had knee surgery, but should be going home today. Here's a shout out to her. Hope she is doing well. We hope to go up and see her next week.
Wouldn't you know we would come to Mt. Pleasant when it is going to be in the sixties in St. George. But we really needed to come up. We had a note from the post office that our mail was going to be sent back to sender if we didn't get it picked up by Feb. 17th. Next time we leave we will need to have our neighbor get it for us. But we weren't going to be away for so long this time. Things just kept coming up and we weren't able to come back up until today.
Well, we saw the Simonson's dog last night. It is so cute and so sweet. I couldn't believe how much at home he seemed. He made sure he got aquainted with everyone. It will be fun to watch him grow. He is soooooo tiny. It's amazing an animal can be that small and so big on personality.

So, long for now

RUBY TUESDAY

2008-02-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

It looks as though we are going to have some new neighbors here in our little Temple View RV Park. Lois and Steve are buying a park model and it will be fun to have them be able to come down and spend some time in God's country. I really like the one they bought. It is in really good condition and ready for occupancy. We are looking forward to them coming down.

I will be so glad when all the politics are done. I am so tired of all the bickering and mud slinging. I think it would be a good thing to pass a law that politicians could only state how and why they would change things and what qualifies them for the job. It would state that they couldn't mention their competion in a negative way. I wonder if that would make any difference in how their campaigns are run? Maybe it would take away all the personal bickering and concentrate on what our Country's needs. I don't think we really have any great choices this time. It makes me wonder if I should vote. Since I wouldn't be voting for someone I feel is really right to be the President of our country, maybe it would be better to refrain from voting. What are your thoughts about this situation?

DOG AT THE SIMONSONS AGAIN

2008-02-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well, after reading Lori's blog about getting a new Dog, I was wondering if anyone would like to get in the pool I am starting, "How Long Will This Dog Last At the Simonson House?" I think I will say 11 months 9 days. Now, the dog, hasn't arrived yet, so we will have to mark down the actual date of possession and count from there. There could be some money made on this little bet. So, if there are any takers give me a holler.

HOW ABOUT THOSE GIANTS

2008-02-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

I was hoping the Giants would win the Super Bowl but thought it wouldn't happen. It was a really good game. One of the best Super Bowls I've seen. It brought back the memories of when Lee and I were able to go to Super Bowl XXXX. It was a once in a life time experience. Well, at least for us. I can't believe what the tickets cost. We were fortunate that Wells Fargo gave the tickets to us. I have been a football fan for as long as I can remember so it is something I will always remember.
Have a great day. Here's hoping the weather starts to warm up.

IT'S KK'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

2008-02-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today is KK's Birthday. She is 8 years old. I can't believe it. How did she get to be so old so fast. She is growing up and Grandma and Grandpa can't watch her grow on a day to day basis because she lives so far away. But we will be visiting for a very special occassion. KK will be getting Baptized in March. We are so excited we can hardly wait.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR KK AND MAY IT BE VERY HAPPY WITH LOTS OF FUN THINGS TO DO AND LOTS AND LOTS OF PRESENTS.

'LOST' IS BACK!

2008-01-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it but "LOST" is back. I watched last night so I could be caught up for the new one tonight. This show gets more confusing as it goes. I wonder what will happen when the writers strike is over. I wonder if they will continue the show. It is one of those shows that might not continue because of how confusing it is. Oh, well, at least I can enjoy the new ones they have left. Now there are to be no emergencies or favors or phone calls or any interruptions tonight between 7:00pm and 9:00pm.
Have a great day.

MONDAY THOUGHTS

2008-01-28T09:49:00.001-07:00

Last night we were watching TV and the program was interrupted to let the public know that President Hinckley had passed away. My first reaction was sadness. He has been such a great leader. His love for people could come across even when he was on Television. Also, his sense of humor was so refreshing. My next reaction was that of joy. How happy he must be to be reunited with his wife and all those close to him who have passed on before. I wonder what it would be like to have lived the kind of life that when you pass away you can be sure that you can say "I gave it my best"? I don't think I will ever get to that point. But I guess the whole point is to keep trying. Even if you fail, you just keep trying and maybe someday there will be some success. At least I certainly hope so. It is something to think about.

IT'S SUNDAY AGAIN

2008-01-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Since Lee retired it seems like Sunday comes around much faster. But I guess that just means we have enough to do and aren't bored with life.
Lois and Steve came down Wednesday. We had a really nice visit. They looked at some park models that are for sale. It would be nice if they bought one. But it is a big decision. It's something you don't do over night.
Jeff was here in St. George for meetings and stayed with us Thursday night. We went out to dinner with Lois and Steve. Jeff was able to come with us. We had a fun time and ate way too much.
Travis, how are you doing? Keeping busy, I suppose. Would be nice to have an update now and then. But, I understand. You are very much like your Father.
Have a nice Sunday.

BRRRRRRRRRR IT'S COLD HERE IN DIXIE

2008-01-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

For Heaven's sakes doesn't the weather person know that this is Dixie and we aren't suppose to get this cold? Someone needs to give them a heads up and get this weather back on the right track. Although, I wouldn't want to be up North in those frrreeeezing temperatures. I can't remember what it was like to have to put on gloves, hat, coat and boots just to go to the store or to run errands. It was always a pain to dress the kids to go out and play just to have them come back in after only a few minutes and take everything off right at the front entrance. I can honestly say I don't miss that!
Everyone have a great day and if things go well tomorrow will be more like our normal Dixie. Here's hoping.

Okay, I read Lori's blog and took the test. My color is orange. Read all about me. Wow, how I wish I was this person.

PATIENT OR NO PATIENCE ---HUMOR OR SERIOUS????

2008-01-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Here's it is Monday again. It's been a week since Lee had his surgery. He is doing well. It is amazing how fast he was up and about. The medical profession doesn't allow us to lay around very long any more. But I think that is a good thing.
Roger and Maureen came over Saturday and we had a nice visit. They were down from Salt Lake to get away from the cold and snow.
I have been thinking about aging and why some of us age with a sense of humor and added patients and some us age and become overly serious and grouchy. I had an experience at Church yesterday that brought this to mind. It seems some Seniors feel the whole world revolves around them. Making sure they are never inconvenienced and all their needs are met. Others are very sweet and humble. Just wanting to live the rest of their lives the best they can. What makes the difference? I think that would make a great psychological study. All I know is I hope as I age I don't become the one that is full of themselves. I hope that we have the ability to choose who we are becoming or at least change what we are becoming if we find we are becoming a big pain in the neck. What is your view on this subject?

OFF WE GO TO BREAKFAST AND A FREE NECKLACE

2008-01-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

We just had to go to Mesquite this morning! After all I had a postcard for a free necklace at the Eureka. My, gosh, it was a $50.00 value. How could I pass that up? After all, it is a good excuse to have breakfast out. And that $50.00 dollar free necklace probably cost us no more than $100 after we paid for gas and earned the 25 points necessary to get the free necklace. Lee is just toooo understanding and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Speaking of Lee, he is doing really, really good. He does get tired but that is to be expected. He walked yesterday for a few minutes and went to the mail box to get our mail. So he is getting back into the swing of things.(I think my free necklace adventure wore him out, though.)
You know someone has to keep us a little unbalanced or life would be just sooooo dull.
Till next time.

RECUPERATING AT HOME

2008-01-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

Lee is home and resting. I think he is doing really great. I just hope he doesn't overdo. We are glad that the surgery and hospital stay is behind us. We were glad that everything was relative simple and it wasn't something serious. Before we know it things will be back to normal. Or at least as normal as it gets around here.
Have a great day.

A LONG LONG SUNDAY

2008-01-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

Our Sunday began at 2:00am. Lee had been having abdominal pain for the last three days and of course he said it would pass. I could tell he was really in pain and tried to get him to go get it checked out. Well, being a typical man, he was bound and determined that it would go away on its own. Then this morning at 2:00 he decided that enough was enough and he asked me to take him to the hospital.
We were in the emergency room until about 8:00am. Because there were a lot of test run on Lee to see what was causing the pain. Finally, they said he was going to have to have surgery and have his appendix removed. He was in and out of surgery by 10:30 am.
Everything is going great and Lee says he feels better than he has in quite some time.
Things like this make us realize how we take our health for granite. I guess it is good to have to deal with a little emergency now and then to make us appreciate how much we have.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008

2008-01-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

We made it through another year and it seems we are none the worse for wear. We could sit back and look at all the negative things about 2007 or we can concentrate on the all the positive things and be much happier and content. We can be thankful for all we have instead of thinking about all the things we don't have. We can plan to make 2008 the best year yet or we can just let it go by and be just another year that has passed. So many things that happen in this old World are beyond our control. So we can either worry about everything we can't control or we can take control of those things we can change or effect in some way. In other words we can live life as a bystander or we can stand up and be counted. It has always been a goal of mine to make a difference somehow or someway. As I look back on my 59 years I cannot say that I have accomplished that goal as of yet. But I can either tell myself that I have failed or I can start to conscientiously make an effort to ask myself each and everyday, "Did I do something to make a difference today?" If the answer is no than try again tomorrow. If the answer is yes than try again tomorrow. It seems for some unknown reason we are trained to dwell on our failures instead of on our success. I don't know if that has something to do with a warped since of humility or if it is just easier to see the negative instead of the positive. In my opinion, we need to train ourselves to see the positive in ourselves. When we can do that we would easily be able to see the positive in others and in the World. I wonder what it would be like to have conversations that uplifted others instead of tearing down? I wonder what would happen if we refused to hear negative comments or could always come back with something positive when we do hear something negative? It isn't an easy thing to do and it could never happen over night but it is possible. I have always been taught that if it isn't easy, it is always worth it.
Just a few ramblings today. Maybe it will give us something to think about. And if it made a little difference in your life today, I can say to myself,"Try again tomorrow".