Another Rough Day

First day of spring break and guess where we spent it? That's right, at the hospital with Alie. She woke us up this morning at 8:30 with a fever of 104.7 degrees. That's the highest fever that I have seen in any of my kids or anybody else's kids for that matter. We spent the morning trying to get her fever down and trying to figure out why she's been running one off and on for the last three weeks. Dr. Gelwix was great and talked to the ENT doctor on call at Primary's but all they came up with was to do another series of rocefin shots by intravenous therapy every day for the next three days and see if all of that will kick start her immune system. It's great though, they left the IV needle in her arm and it's bugging her already. We have two more days of this, like I've said before, patience is a virtue!

(The sign for owie-rotate index fingers back and forth in opposite directions touch tips of fingers.)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23,2009
Now, something about Pam . . .

Pamela Jean was born on November 26, 1963 and is the oldest of the younger three sisters. I remember when our mother brought her home from the hospital, we had dinner all ready for them and I had even set a place for Pam. I know, but I was only six when Pam was born and I was just looking out for my new baby sister. My mother took me aside, so as not to embarrass me in front of my siblings, and told me that our new little baby didn't have any teeth yet and so she couldn't eat the same food we did. I quietly removed Pam's plate from the table and no one ever knew about it. That was one thing my mother always did was go out of her way not to let any of us be embarrassed in front of each other. It helped us to show respect to each other and we never belittled each other to make ourselves look better. We had a very close knit family and the ties that bound us then are even stronger today.

Pam is the daughter that is the most like my mom, only Pam has the most beautiful long, thick, dark head of hair you will ever see. When she was little my mom used to always put it up in those soft, pink sponge rollers that you could sleep in. Pam had to leave them in over night because her hair was so thick that it wouldn't dry in a regular amount of time so her hair always had to be put up over night.

When she was about ten years old she started getting migraine headaches. It was so not fun for her. I remember back then the Dr. would make house calls and Dr. Larsen and Dr. Hollingsworth were regular visitors to our home to treat Pam for headaches. Mom or dad would take her to Lynne Beazer who was a chiropractor and he would work her over but a lot of times it was to no good. She suffered terrible while she was younger. Finally one day, someone asked my mom if she had considered that maybe Pam's hair was so heavy that it was pulling on her head and causing her headaches.

Pam wasn't terrible excited about cutting her hair but agreed that if it would stop the headaches she would give it a shot. My mom braided her hair into two braids and then took her to the beauty shop to have them cut off and her hair shaped and styled. Each of her braids weighed in at over a quarter of a pound and after she was cut and styled it looked pretty cute. It took Pam a while to get used to it but guess what? No more headaches. It was such a blessing to Pam and altho she loved her long hair she learned to love her new style too.

During the time that Pam had to deal with all the headaches there was one time when she decided to treat herself and took a whole bottle of children's aspirin. By the time my parents found her sleeping beside the empty bottle and rushed her to the hospital to have her stomach pumped it was too late to pump her stomach. We just had to wait it out and hope for the best. In those days, it was not uncommon for children to die from an overdose of aspirin and I remember how worried my parents were. My dad gave her a blessing and then they set out to wait out the long night ahead. They nearly lost Pam that night and I know that it was only through the power of the Priesthood that my father bore that took her through the night. Now, that wasn't the only time that we almost lost Pam.

I was married and Kendall was on his mission in Taiwan when this incident happened. My dad was the bishop and the young men and young women had gone sledding out in the countryside around Cardston. It was a perfect winter for sledding with lots and lots of snow. Pam was going done the hill on a toboggan with a couple of other kids. Pam, being the smallest, was in the front, and the heaviest kid was in the back. Now if you know anything about toboggans you know that the more weight in the back you have, the faster you will go. They set off down the hill and had a great run except that they didn't stop where they had been stopping before and continued on for several yards past everyone else. They ran right straight on into a barbed wire fence and with Pam being in the front, she broke the way for the other kids. However, the barbed wire hit her right at her throat and severely cut her, so bad that it almost took her head off. It took several stitches, a Priesthood blessing, a ward fast and the prayers of all who knew and loved her but her life was spared once again.

We all know that Pam is here on Earth for a reason, that is very apparent to us and we know and have witnessed many great things that she has been a part of and accomplished so far in her life. Pam has worked hard all of her life. She has a beautiful family as you can see . . .

Pam has always been a good example to me and all those who come in contact with her. She has a strong testimony of the gospel and a very personal relationship with her Heavenly Father. I can remember when she was in high school she was a cheerleader and very popular. Some of her friends were in our ward and would often sneak out the back of the chapel to go down town for a snack. Pam would never go with them. She always stayed in church, even when they would drive by her walking home and call out things that were not so nice to her. She was never afraid to stand up for what she believed in to her friends and classmates. I really admire her for that.

Pam is truly amazing! She's great at what ever undertakes. She has always been an example to me and now she is a great influence to my kids as well. My kids just love her, they look up to her and admire the way she accomplishes her goals and her attitude on life.

What more can I say? She's a sweetheart! I'm so proud of her and proud to say she's my sis, I love ya Pam.

Soooo tired!

I have been so tired today. I didn't write at all over the weekend and now it's 10:30 and past my bedtime. Amy laid down with Alie tonight instead of me and this time she fell asleep with her. I can't wait to give her a hard time like she does me. She went down with Alie at 8:00, so she ought to feel pretty good in the morning. Alie isn't feeling very good though. Her ears are draining like crazy causing her so much pain and pressure that all she does is cry. I feel so bad for her. Her chiropractor appointment is tomorrow at 3:00 and Amy said she would go with us. I took Alie by myself last week and had noone that she would let hold her while I had my appointment so I missed my treatment and oh my gosh! I've missed it. I have been so sore that I'm definately a believer in this kind of therapy. It's amazing and I can't wait until tomorrow! I'll even tell you more about my little sisters next time. We used to call them the three little girls but they're not so little anymore.

Alie's Turn

It's been a long day for all of us, rather exhausting I think but nonetheless a good day. I had lots of computer problems to deal with at school today. With the quarter ending next week and everyone trying to get their grades in it's been a little crazy. One teacher thought she lost all of her grades but she rebooted her computer and wha-laa, there they were. I've been working on hooking up my printer and the Samsung LazerJet printer in our room to Pam's computer. She has put in hours of looking, deleting, re-installing and looking again and hasn't been able to find them anywhere on the network. The crazy thing is - they were just there a week ago. So although I had tried it a time or two myself with no success I decided to tackle it again during fourth hour while our kids were at the choir concert. I had to give up seeing the concert but hey, that's what they pay me the big bucks for right? Yeah right! Finally, frustrated and well into lunch time I called Eric, our district technology specialist, and he told me it was perfectly normal. A few weeks ago they decided to start enforcing a "No-Printer-Sharing" policy the district has had forever but not enforced so no matter how hard we tried we would never get it to print. Wish I'd called a few weeks ago. Anyway, he said he would come over this afternooon or Monday morning and take care of it for us. He is a really good sport and takes good care of us. Especially considering the airhead in our building he has to work with. (That would be me!)

I got home after school just in time for Shellie to pick up Alie Kae. Alie wasn't very happy I guess and was crying pretty hard which in turn made Shellie feel bad and cry too. I told her they would be just fine and Alie will warm up to them again if they just spent some time with her. They haven't been able to take her overnight since she first got sick and had the new tubes put in her ears. It was just the unfamiliarity of the whole thing. I called Zane later tonight and he said Shellie had taken her to a Relief Society thing with her and she was doing super good now. I knew she would. She loves Shellie and Zane and Lucie and Chic. I hope Shellie doesn't have trouble putting her to sleep tonight, Alie tends to make it rough sometimes.

When Shellie brought her back last time she had on a new pair of boots. They are Strawberry Shortcake and alot like Camryn's and Lauren's boots and so of course Alie loves them. When she gets them on she won't take them off. Last night I was getting her ready for bed and after I had taken her out of the bath she spotted her boots in the basket and just had to have them on! I put a diaper on her and then her boots and let her go while I went to get her some pajamas. Then it was a game of catch me if you can! As you can see, she loves those boots.

Amy went up to Rigby to spend some time with Kent and his family tonight. He spent the day with her because she told him she gets go lonely and bored during the day. He's such a nice guy and he treats Amy and Alie so good. We really enjoy spending time with him. I guess I'd better go get ready for bed. Bob took me out to dinner tonight seeing as how it was just me and him for a change. It was so nice to be out together, I could pretend I wasn't so old and that I could walk without any pain in my knees. Life was good, not that it isn't now though. I wouldn't change a thing about my life.

Poor Baby . . .

Hey, it's late so I probably won't last long but I had the most amazing day with Alie today. I had my chiropractor appointment after school today and last time I was there I made an appointment for Alie too but Amy wasn't feeling too good this afternoon so I just took Alie with me. Ya, I know pretty guttsy to take her by myself for that kind of an appointment. When I got home to pick her up she was looking awful, flushed and a little fevered. She was sitting in Amy's lap and wouldn't let anyone else touch her or even come near her. It wasn't easy taking her from her mommy but I did and buckled her into the car and took off. She fell asleep somewhere around the Rose exit but she slept all the way there. When we got there, however, she woke up and was so cranky. She was mad because I took her coat off, she was mad because I sat her on the counter while I filed out the paper work, she was mad when I took her into the play corner because I kept dropping her blanket, she was just plain mad and didn't care who knew it or who heard her screaming. I knew I was in for a treat! They took us back to a room and I tried to get her interested in a book or the things out the window or something to stop her from crying and disturbing the other patients. When Dr. Nelson came in he started to sign to her a little. He had taken the time and the effort to learn a few signs so she wouldn't be so afraid of him.

He had me sit on the table and hold her which wasn't a problem because she wouldn't let me go. She burried her face in my shoulder and screamed every time he touched her. He felt up and down her spine and wiggled her hips a little. Then he felt up around her ears and around her neck and said he was amazed at how swollen and blocked things were in there. He had given her one of his little hammer thumper things to hold and play with and he showed her how it works and that it was soft and wouldn't hurt her. Then he turned it on and thumped up and down her back and you know what? She shut right up! She let him move it all over her back and use it to adjust between her shoulders, her middle back and lower back. I couldn't believe that she had stopped crying that fast. Then he showed her the round vibrating attachment and ran it up and down her back. She kept her head burried but she stopped crying immediately. I was in shock. She went from screaming one minute to total silence the next. He had me move her to the other shoulder and he did the same thing all over again. She loved it but what's not to love right? He moved the hammer adjuster up to her neck and moved it around a little. Then he told me to lay her on the table on her back. He said this might be hard because she may scream again but I said I didn't care as long as it would make her feel better. He took her head in his hands and moved and minipulated it until he had it where he wanted it and then he gave it a quick flick. She stopped crying for a minute and just lay there. Then he signed to her that he was going to give her a bear hug. She was crying again but he went ahead and position her on the table just right and then folded her arms across her body and moved her hips alittle. Then he made an adjustment there and boy did it pop! He asked me if she had balance issues and I explained to him that she didn't walk yet and yes, she definately has balance issues. He moved to the other side of the table and repeated the same thing. Then he told me that her balance should improve immensly with that adjustment. Her hips were totally out of alignment as was her back and shoulders. He said that was enough for today but we should notice a huge change in her. Boy was he ever right! She didn't cry again while we were there. She still wouldn't let me put her down so I had to reschedule my appointment but she was happy and blowing them kisses and waving bye when we left. He also told me as we were leaving not to be surprised if she had big poops today and tomorrow because her tummy had been all tangled up but she should feel better now. It was amazing!

She was sweet and happy all the way home and when we got home she played with Camryn and Griffen so cute. Amy played with her - making her stand up by herself, which she has never done for more than a couple of seconds before, but she did it tonight. Not for really long periods of time but a lot longer than she ever has before. In fact Amy said that she just always sits down becuase she didn't trust herself. Tonight she was reaching for the ceiling while Amy let go and then clapping as she would sit down after standing all by herself. She knew what she was doing and she was loving it. I think even Amy was impressed. I know I'm a believer. I can't wait to take her again on Tuesday but this time I told Amy she had to come so I don't miss my appointment again. He has done so much for my knees. I can walk so much easier now. I felt like I was eighty years old before I started seeing Aaron and I think if I keep doing my exercises and continue with his therapy, I'll be so much better I will be able to wait a few years before having to have knee replacements. That's my goal anyway. I would love to not have to have them done at all but we'll play it by ear and see what happens. It was a great day!

Another day, another pound?

If I can wake up long enough to write something I will but I keep closing my eyes and wishing for my nice, fluffy, comfortable bed to swallow me up and lend me an hour or two nap. The weather has warmed up into the 40's and it really just makes me want to be anywhere but where I am, here at school. Spring break is only a week away so if I can just hold on until then I should be okay.

I went back on LA Weightloss yesterday. Ugh! I hate doing Take Off. That stuff is truly disgusting, well not really. It just tastes like pineapple juice, it's the diet I have to follow with it that I truly hate. I have to be honest, I was so tired that I just opened up a diet Pepsi. I need caffeine! and then when I was getting a pop out of the fridge I just happen to see the pumpkin bread I had left there on Monday so I just had to have a piece. I was still down a pound from yesterday when I weighed in at noon so we'll see how it's going in the morning when I weigh myself. School's almost over for the day so I'm about to head home. I'll try to write some more tonight.

Here I am, just waiting on Amy to put Alie to sleep so I can go to bed. She didn't have a very good nap today so she was tired and went down quite well at about 9:00 but she's awake now and acting like she's not wanting to go back to sleep. Amy's good with her though, she'll get her down again.

Luke Harris was here for a visit when I got home from school today. It was a pleasant surprise to see him again. He looks good and we had a nice visit for a couple of hours. He's living in American Fork and wanted to stop and see Adam on his way home tonight. They used to be pretty good friends the summers we would spend more time up in Calgary. It didn't matter if it was just Adam and Jeffrey, Luke was there too, which was great. He's such a good kid, we would not have been dissapointed if he had ended up a part of our family, but the time was never right. I guess we could have tried harder but we didn't really try. He was just always so much fun and such an easy kid to love. It was good to see him.

Cyndi Lynne and her kids came back out to have dinner with us. Cyndi had to go in to the salon for an appointment. She's back on LA too so she really wasn't looking forward to fixing something for her kids and then for her. She good inspiration for me. She's determined to be thin again and she's trying to drag me along kicking and screaming if need be. She got so thin once, I was afraid for her health but she's doing it right this time. I always want things to happen too fast and am upset when it takes a little longer. What can I expect though, I'm old!

One more day . . .

Today has been a crazy day. I had a chiropractic apptointment at 8:00 this morning in Idaho Falls and this time change is still kicking my butt. I barely made it there on time and then it was hurry, hurry back to school. I was back by 9:30 which was great but then I shook my printer's toner cartridge to make it print a little better and got ink all over the front of me so I had to run home and change my clothes. It didn't seem like I was even there this morning at all. Alie is still sick and running a fever off and on. Amy asked the doctor what they found in the culture from Alie's ear and he said it tested positive for strep and something else. That can't be good. She takes her back on Thursday and he'd better take care of it once and for all. Poor little thing. She just digs and pulls on those ears all day and all night long. I just feel so bad for her. She's still been pretty good natured though. She really is a sweetheart!

Gotta Breathe!

Man are things hectic today. I guess it's from daylight savings time switching this past weekend. I just wasn't ready to spring forward quite yet and I'm really feeling that hour we lost. Alie's feeling a little bit better. She slept better last night anyway. She has her appointments with the Occupational Therapist and the Physical Therapist today so I'm really glad she's feeling better. I'm sure Amy is too! It's hard on her to be home alone all day and when Alie's not feeling well, it's even worse. Cyndi went out to spend the day with them today and Camryn always plays so good with Alie, she's really gentle with her and treats her like a little sister. I really appreciate her for that. She's such a sweetie! She's into everything but still, she's a sweetie. She reminds me sometimes of Cherri, my youngest sister. Camryn is so sure of herself and has all the self confidence in the world. She doesn't have a problem telling you that your wrong and you need to get a grip. She's been talking since she was a year old and I don't mean little words or phrases but big, long sentences. She will tell you so matter of factly and she can't possible be wrong. You know, a little like Cherri was in her younger years.

Being the youngest, Cherri was spoiled just a little bit. Though she will never admit to it. She was only about six or seven when I left for college so I don't remember alot about her childhood. What I do remember was her cheerleading and being tossed in the air like she was a feather. She weighed about the same. I loved going home during Christmas break and going to the Raymond Holiday Basketball Tournament and watching their cheer squad. She definately's got talent. I think Apryl and I were the only girls that didn't cheerlead. I don't know about Apryl but I lacked the courage and the self esteem to ever perform in front of a croud of people let alone a croud of my peers. When Cherri was in elementary school I was home from college for the summer and was offered a job student teaching at the elementary school. The class I was assigned to just happened to be Cherri's second grade class. I remember the day I had to teach liquid measurement and Canada had just converted to the metric system. Holy crap! was I ever lost. It's pretty bad when the kids are teaching the teacher a new (or supposedly new) concept. Those kids knew their stuff. I loved having Cherri in my classes. It gave me a chance to get to know her better seeing that I left for college when she was only six years old. Boy does that make me feel really old!

Years later after I was married and had a kid or two of my own I remember being home for a visit. Cherri was in High School, I don't remember which grade but one morning while we were there she came saundering upstairs at about 9:30, well past the time school started. I asked her why she was still home and she just said that she hadn't got her homework done the night before so she was going to stay home to get it done and go turn it in sometime that afternoon. I looked at my mother and said, "What the hey?" and she just simply shrugged her shoulders. When I stated that I would never have got away with that when I was in high school she just said, "What can I say, you mellow with age." What? I couldn't believe it. She had actually given her permission to skip school because her homework wasn't done. I would never do that for my kids, well at the time I didn't think I would, but guess what?

Cherri did a lot of great things after she graduated from high school. She went to BYU and spent a semester in Isreal studying not only her major courses but also about the life of our savior. She actually walked where he walked and sat where he taught his sermons. What an awesome opportunity. I remember her telling the story of getting lost after they had been given permission to wonder alittle on the Hill of Calvary. At the time there was alot of unrest in Isreal and many soldiers lined the borders with large guns and ammunition. She tells about the day coming to a close and knowing that they were to meet again before it started to get dark. They had to be back within the walls of their compound before dark or they were not let back in until morning. She started to panick when she realized how lost she was and how far she had wondered away from the others. She knelt down to offer a little prayer and then quietly listened for the help she so badly needed. Off in the distance she could hear the popping of guns and the blazing of explosions but as she listened more closely she could hear singing. She hurried to the sound of the voices and as she rounded the top of a little hill she could see a line of students hand in hand walking towards her. They were singing primary songs and she says the tears flowed freely as she joined with them and lent her voice to the chorus. She had been lost, but they came for her. I'm so glad that she is my sister. We tease her a lot about being somewhat of an airhead, she is blond you know, but she is an awesome mom and an amazing young woman. She has taught me many things over the years and I thank her for that.

Got a minute?

Well, it's Sunday and if there's a day I should have a minute it's today, but guess what? It's been crazy today. Alie is still sick, last Sunday we had her in the emergency room at 5:00 on Sunday morning with a temp of 104.5. She had a new set of tubes put in her ears about two weeks ago but we just can't get the gunk to drain out and she's cranky and ornery like you wouldn't believe.

Between Amy and I, we're swinging from the last thread of that rope with the noose tied at the end and believe me - we're about ready to let go! She's such a cute little bugger that we've all been giving her what she wants while she's sick and now she thinks that's the way it should always be. She doesn't want to share her mom or gramma or any of her toys, nothing! I keep telling myself this won't last forever and yes, tomorrow is Monday and I get to go back to work. (Sorry Amy, it's all yours!)

Now I'll tell you about my brother, Kendall . . .

Kendall is my only brother, the only boy growing up with six sisters. He was a pretty good target in the early years but as he grew he also earned our respect. We were all so excited to have a brother, all except Apryl maybe because Kendall was born on her eighth birthday which meant that her birthday party was postponed and her mother, who always made birthdays special, wouldn't be there for her special day. She didn't care that she got a baby brother for her birthday. She was down right mad! I remember the story that my mother always told. She said that after Kendall was born my dad said that it was a good place to stop because they finally had a little boy. Mom told him that surely he didn't want to raise one boy with three girls and dad said, "Better to raise one boy with three girls than one boy and six girls." I think he jinxed them because that was exactly what they had. Three more girls.

Anyway, Kendall was always pretty little and so it was easy to make him do whatever it was you wanted him to do. Then I remember the day he stood up to me and sent me running to the bathroom to lock the door and find safety. I was cleaning and I had asked him to take stuff downstairs about ten times and he was tired of running things back and forth. I told him to do it and he told me to do it myself. I was about sixteen which would have made him about twelve or thirteen.

I tried to push him down the stairs with the end of the broom (I know, not nice) but he grabbed it and proceeded to chase me to the bathroom with every intention of returning my favor. From then on I looked at Kendall in a whole new light. He didn't take anymore crap from me and so I just stopped trying to lay it on him.

I think my parents felt sorry for Kendall being the only boy so when he was approaching his teenage years they sponsored an Indian Placement Student through the church. His name was Stewart and he was a pretty good kid. I admire my folks for doing that. It wasn't easy for them and raising a big family was just as hard if not harder back then as it is now. Stewart stayed with us for two or three years during the school year. It was getting harder every fall for his parents to let him come back so after a few years he stayed on the reservation in Saskatchewan to go to school. It was a good experience for all of us but especially for Kendall. He learned that he had to share his things just like we girls had to. He and Stewart got along really quite well. It was a good learning experience for all of us.

Kendall dated Alanna Pack in the early dating years. Actually he dated her right up until he left for his mission. Back then we decided that we, his sisters needed to teach him some proper dating etiquette and how to greet Alanna's parents when he went to pick her up for a date. We had so much fun, telling him all the wrong things to do and watching him try them out because that's what we told him he had to do just in case he made a mistake. We had him turning inside out and upside down trying to do it right until finally we were all laughing so hard, including Kendall that we let him off the hook and let him do it his way.

Probably my favorite memory of Kendall was the Christmas that Cyndi and I sabotaged his sleep. I was a senior in high school I think and it was a little embarrassing because I was always the first one awake on Christmas morning (still am). I had been laying in bed next to Cyndi for what seemed like an hour and couldn't take not know what time it was anymore so I quietly slipped out of bed and went out into the hallway at the bottom of the stairs to turn the light on and check my watch. It was only 5:30 so I quietly slipped back into bed resigning myself to two more hours of laying awake waiting for a younger sibling to wake up. I guess I wasn't quiet enough because Cyndi rolled over and asked me what time it was. I told her I didn't know and she started to push me out of bed until I would tell her what time it was. Then the two of us laid there unable to sleep wondering how we could wake up the younger kids, specifically Kendall since his room was next to ours, and make one of them get up. This would make someone else the bad guy for waking the whole house so we snuck into Kendall's room and set his alarm for fifteen minutes.

He was such a sound sleeper and he worked at the local stock yards feeding cattle in the winter so when his alarm went off he just kind of went into auto mode and got up and got ready for work. We laid there in bed waiting for his alarm to go off wondering why we had set it so far ahead. As we laid there we made more plans to really get him going. We went in again and took his work clothes and laid them on the stairs so as he went up he would automatically get dressed thinking he had to go to work. Again, we lay in bed quietly waiting and waiting. Then we decided to unscrew the light bulb from his lamp so he would have to get up and go out of his room to check the time. As we were doing this however, Kendall woke up and sat straight up in his sleep. He looked directly at us and asked what was wrong. Cyndi, being the quick thinker that she is, said that it was nothing. She said she was just looking for a pair of her socks and thought they were in his room. We ran back to bed and lay there again waiting to be discovered but nothing happened so we decided we probably still had time to tie his feet together. This way when he climbed out of bed he would fall and really wake himself up. We gently lifted his covers back and oh my gosh! his feet were so far apart it was going to be impossible. Then for no reason, he pulled his feet together and laid one on top of the other just perfect. We wiggled the only thing we could find to use as rope, a red piece of yarn, gently sliding it under his toes and tied his feet together. Mission accomplished. We had barely got back in our bed when his alarm went off. It was so loud I'm sure it woke the neighbors. He started to cuss and scream as he fell out of bed and banged his head on his night stand. He burst into our room yelling at us but we just pretended to be asleep, just waking up to his little tantrum. He went upstairs and sure enough, woke mom and dad and the younger girls so my parents gave in, it was now 6:30, and let us get up an hour earlier than usual. It wasn't so bad until Cyndi and Kendall called me back downstairs for something and then bound and gagged me, threw me in a closet and left me there while they went upstairs to open gifts. It didn't take me long to get loose and join them but every Christmas we remember that night with fondness, laugh and give thanks that we have memories like this to bind and hold us together.

Kendall has always been a pretty good sport. He's had it a little rough in his life but has now found true happiness with his beautiful new wife Jen.

He says that he never knew someone could be loved so much by another person. Jen gives him the love, the support and the confidence to live a rich, full life. I thank Jen and love her for being the love of his life. If I could only have one brother I'm glad I have Kendall. He's the best of the best!

Only Got a Minute!

Let Me Tell You About Apryl . . .

It's my prep hour and I've only got a couple of minutes but thought I would start here and maybe finish up tonight after supper. I want to tell you a little about my siblings.

I'll start by telling you about my older sister, Apryl who is just five years older than I am. When I was born, I don't think I was Apryl's immediate best friend. It would be hard for a new baby to come along after five years and take the spotlight away from a beautiful five year old.

Some of my best memories of Apryl was when I was about eight years old and we moved into our new house. She, being the oldest, got a room to herself which is only fair I guess. She is an amazing artist and with our parents permission, drew murals all over her walls with washable markers.

Now remember it was the sixties back then and teenagers were just starting to rebel a little and fight for their own little niche in the world. Apryl was no different, although I don't remember her rebeling so much as fighting for her niche. The murals she would draw were unbelievable! Cyndi and I used to sneak into her room to admire them. You could be lost forever in some of those drawings. We had to sneak because noone was ever allowed in her room. Her room was always very neat and clean. Her bed was always made and you would never find her clothes anywhere but hung up or put in their proper place. We loved Apryl's room and I know at least I used to lay on her bed when she wasn't home and secretly wish that it could be my room. It was so perfect, so just right and I loved the grown up feeling I got when I laid there pretending to be her. Boy did I run if I heard her come home though. I'd have to straighten her bed and quietly close her door and hurry to be doing something in my room so as not to be discovered. I'm not sure she even knows to this day how much I loved pretending to be as cool as her.

In those days she was the queen of cool in my eyes. I think it was about 1966 or so and oh, those were some crazy days in the world! When I got to be in Jr. High School I was still in awe of her artistic abilities and wanting to be a part of it, coaxed her into drawing with pen and ink all over my legs. Still not quite sure why my parents allowed it but did I ever think I was cool. By the time she was done I looked like I had a tattoo all over my legs. I loved it! Sadly, all her hard work only last a day or two. Do you know how hard it is to shower or bathe and not get your legs wet? Ya - not easy, so I would coax and promise and make deals until I could talk her into doing it again. Sometimes I would bleed alittle and it's amazing that I didn't get blood poisoning. I think it was her way of trying to make me not want her to do it again but it didn't work, not for a while anyway.
















Apryl got married when she was eighteen and moved to Lethbridge. Even though Cyndi and I took turns getting to have her room, it wasn't the same. I don't think that room was ever "cool" again but the memory of it's coolness lived on for many years.

Apryl had a baby girl, Barb, while they lived in Lethbridge. A few months later she moved to Picture Butte with her husband in the nicest trailer I had ever seen. Again I was a little envious of what I perceived as her living the perfect little life.

I loved the weekends I got to go and spend with them and babysit Barb. One summer Apryl cut her hand while washing dishes and couldn't diaper or bath the baby anymore because of the many stitches she had so I got to spend a week or so with them. We went to a movie in Lethbridge one night and on the way home her husband asked me if I wanted to drive. I was only fourteen and didn't quite have my learner's permit so what do you think? Of course, I thought this was great. They had a "cool" red Maverick but unfortunately it was a stick shift and at the time I didn't even know what that meant. I climbed behind the wheel on the highway to Picture Butte and let her rip. Literally, I thought I had dropped the clutch on the road behind us. I could not get the feel for that standard transmission and we jerked and lurched all the way home. I have to say though that it was great fun for me. Weeks later when my friends and I were taking turns trying to drive Ron Schow's volkswagon up on the back roads of the east hill I at least could drive. I'm not saying it didn't jerk and lurch a ton, but at least I didn't kill it every time I let out the clutch like everyone else did.

Apryl has always been someone I looked up to. I got to go stay with her when she was living in Rexburg going to college. I had the most amazing time.

I fell in love with all of her family home evening brothers (I think I was all of 14 years old) and loved sitting in on some of her classes with her. I felt so grown up! We went shopping and hung out at her apartment and I just pretended like I belonged. Ya, I didn't looked like I was in college but nevertheless Apryl made me feel like I belonged and I think it was that week that made me decide to follow in her footsteps and go to school in Rexburg. I'll never forget that week though I'm not sure Apryl remembers it much but I had a blast!

Apryl has always been amazing to me. She is an amazing woman and a great example of what being a grandma is all about. She has worked her whole life, sometimes two jobs at a time to take care of her family and make things a little nicer for her family. Everything she touches becomes a work of art and I envy her for that.

Now she lives so very far away in Edmonton and I miss her. She has always been supportive and loving to me and my family and I love her for that. We don't get to see each other only maybe once or twice a year but we try to make the best of it when we do get together.

My wish for her is that she will find the happiness she deserves because she does, she deserves the best. I love ya sis!

Where to start?

I guess I'll begin at the beginning, at least as much as I can remember. I'll give you a brief history of who I am and where I come from. I was born on April 3, 1957 (yah, I know I'm old) in Cardston, Alberta Canada to Glen William and Geniel Olsen Cameron.

I am the second oldest of seven children, six girls and one boy. Growing up in a small town definately has it's advantages. You know everyone in your entire school by name, and you have a reputation by the time you're four or five. That reputation can be hard to live up to or on the other hand to live down. I guess that depends on a lot of things. I loved growing up in a large family and wouldn't trade it for anything, not ever.

We had so much fun - whether it was ganging up on Kendall, my brother, by teaching him how to ask a girl out or shelling peas in the hot afternoon sun so we could go swimming with our friends who were either waiting patiently or glad that they got to help. I think some days they ate more than they shelled but still the same, it's a memory builder. My sister Cyndi and I are only fifteen months apart and so as you can guess we often kept our mother on her toes.

Cyndi and I were also the best of friends and the worst of enemies. Somehow we survived the scrapes and falls without any series damage and remain close to this day. If I needed anything I know Cyndi would bend over backwards (she really can bend over backwards) to help me. Now don't get me wrong, I know all my sisters and my brother would do that for me too but with Cyndi, it's like our hearts can talk to each other without saying a word and our souls understand each other without any explanations.

To this day she is an amazing woman, wife, mother and grandmother and I learn from her continually. I am so grateful for her and I love being her sister.

Cyndi was always getting away with something when we were kids. She was just so dang cute that all she had to do is bat her long eyelashes and smile that sweet little smile and I knew I was going to take the fall for both of us.

One Sunday afternoon in church she and I were being so naughty but we were avoiding our father's eye contact thinking that if we didn't look at him, he couldn't see us. At church my dad sat on the stand for several years either as the ward clerk or a member of the bishopric or even the bishop himself. If we gave our mother a hard time we knew the consequences. We either got a spanking that definately was not a little tap on the butt or we went to bed immediately without any supper. I can remember thinking and talking this over with Cyndi, who I'm sure was the problem in the first place (ha, ha) and deciding that going to bed without supper would hurt for a long time but a spanking would only last for a minute and then it would all be over except the crying.

I had to go first, always, age before beauty you know. So I was brave and took mine like a true whimp, but at least it was over - for that week. Then it was Cyndi's turn. My dad turned her over his knee and wacked her a good one but his hand hit metal and stung a bit. He looked in her pants and started to snicker. She had placed a pie tin stratigically over her cute little buns so that they wouldn't get hurt and the worst part about it was that they didn't. By this time my dad was chuckling so hard he simple sent her to her room and told her to stay there while they discussed what to do with her.

I can remember standing on the bathroom sink looking at my sore bottom in the mirror while my mom and dad laughed in the next room about how clever she was. Needless to say she got a way without the spanking, as a matter of fact so did Kendall because he had been naughty too and girls always went before boys. Still can't figure that one out, wouldn't it be more polite to let the girls go last? Oh well, I think she stayed in her room for a few minutes and then came out and laughed along with them while I cried and sobbed and complained about how unfair it all was. Her punishment was no more "I Love Lucy" that week, big deal eh?











It wasn't always easy being Cyndi's big sister. She was just so dang cute and I always thought she was perfect in every way. There wasn't anything she couldn't do. She has the voice of an angel, decided one day to teach herself how to play the guitar and did, was an amazing athlete and the best cheerleader any high school in the area had every seen.

It was hard growing up in her shadow, but that was just the way I perceived it. Now when we talk about our youth and I admit my insecurities she tells me I was wrong. She seemed to have all the confidence in the world and don't get me wrong, I was and still am so very proud of her. I didn't realize how hard she had to work at those things she accomplished and realize now that maybe if I'd have had the guts to try something new, I might just have surprised myself.

I remember the first year I was away at college. I got so homesick all the time it was awful. I missed my family and would have given anything to be able to go home more often. That year was tough and I learned a lot about myself back then.

The next year was Cyndi's first year and thankfully my parents managed to send us both to school. It had to be hard for them with tuition and housing and the allowance they sent us each month. I will be ever grateful to them for their sacrifice for us. The morning that mom and dad dropped us off at the Hart building for registration was incredibly hard. Dad gave us both a blessing at their hotel early that morning and then dropped us off to register.

I remember watching them drive away and waving goodbye. It was so hard. I have always hated goodbyes, and maybe that's why. Any way, I remember turning my head away so that Cyndi couldn't see the tears in my eyes, I had to be strong for her you know. After all I was the big sister.

I so enjoyed having her right across the courtyard from me. I wish she was still that close. We had an incredible year.

I love her so much! Cyndi is special to me in so many ways. She is a never ending example to me and I cherish and value her friendship. I'm so glad the Lord made us sisters. Friends will come and go but I know Cyndi will always be there for me. She's my hero, she's my little sis!