Merry Christmas

Where has the year gone? 2010 is fast approaching and Christmas will be here, ready or not, in just more than a week. Again we are thankful for the blessings that have been ours and the love that has been shown to us. A special thank you to those of you who have influenced us and touched our hearts this past year. We love you guys!

Brooke and Kade and their family are doing well. Kade has taken over running the farm for his dad and loves it. Brooke continues to substitute teach and take care of their family. We are blessed that they live close enough to enjoy them and their beautiful children on a regular basis. They are such a blessing in our lives.

Cyndi and Jamon are still in Blackfoot and doing well. Cyndi continues to work at The Villa doing nails which she enjoys. Jamon graduated from Idaho State University this past spring and continues to put a lot of time into his job at the radio station on campus. We are very proud of them and their beautiful family. It's always a joy to have them around.

Adam and Brittany are still living in Salt Lake with Adam attending the Art Institute of Salt Lake City. He's doing incredibly well and should graduate within the next year. He also works full time at AT&T Mobile so Brittany can stay home and take care of little Andie Mae. They are going to have a new baby girl the end of January and we are all very excited about that. Although we don't get to see them very often, we love the time we get to spend with them.

Amy and Alie are still living with us and we love having them close. Amy is doing well and substitute teaches to fill her time. Alie is as incredible as ever. She goes to preschool at the elementary school two mornings a week and to Hippo Therapy three afternoons a week. She is making good progress with her cochlear implant but is still not crazy about it. She makes more and more progress everyday. We are grateful for all of those who work so diligently with her and love her like we do. It is a challenge but we love it and we've learned to just take things one day at a time.

Bob and I are doing great. Bob is still at the site and as busy as ever. I'm still teaching 6th grade at the Blackfoot 6th Grade School and loving what I do. The older we get the more we seem to enjoy spending time together. It's a little crazy but totally awesome!

At this holiday season we feel blessed to have you, our friends and family, in our lives and want you all to know how much we love and appreciate you and your examples. We pray that this Christmas season will be joyous and your New Year filled with love and peace. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving 2009

I can't believe that it's been two months since I posted anything here on my blog. I've become a facebook junkie and as a result I have really neglected my blog which really is my first love. This is definitely the easiest way to keep a journal. Problem is . . . you have to write in it too.

Thanksgiving came and went and what a great time we had. Bob and I traveled to Calgary and visited with family there. We stayed at Cyndi and Kevin's even though Cyndi was in Hawaii with Kandice furnishing the new condo. Kevin and Brett took good care of us and were great hosts. Thanks to them for that. Their new house is going to be amazing. They always do such a great job when they build or remodel. I can't wait to see the finished product.

One evening while Kevin was at a dinner meeting we went to dinner with Pam, Cherri and Mike. We had a great time at Smugglers and laughed until I thought I was gonna be sick! I sure love my family. Someone once asked me if I'm close with all my sisters and brother and I'm so happy that I can say that they are more than my family, they are my very best friends.

Then we went down to Cardston to surprise my dad and spend his 80th birthday with him. He was surprised and we spend four great days with him and my mom.

Mom is living in the Care Center at the hospital and is finally settling in. She has a wonderful roommate finally and now she worries, not of not being able to leave and stay at home again, but rather how long she will be gone when we check her out because she doesn't want her roommate to get lonely. I am so grateful that she is happy there. It was so, so hard for my dad to take care of her and they both look better than I've seen them look in a really long time. We did check her out everyday, and everyday she was thrilled and surprised that we were there. It's hard to see her not remembering things from one minute to the next but at least she always recognized me this time which was nice.

I gave my dad a DVD with a slide show of his life from his birth to this latest great-grand child and also a scrapbook with most of the pictures (all 487 of them) in it. I thought it would be easier for my mom to look at and it was but about every half an hour she would notice it again and ask what it was and where it came from. Somethings are easier for her but this wasn't one of them. Cherri and Pam and their families came down from Calgary on Friday for dad's birthday and we cooked our Thanksgiving turkey to celebrate with them. It was so nice to have that many of us together. I have such a great time when I am home.

It was hard to say goodbye and I think I cried till we were well across the border. Every time I say goodbye to either one of my parents could be the last time I do. I hugged my mother a long, long time and kissed her check again and again. I told her how much I love her and watched her carefully as she put on her coat and went out the door with my dad to go back to the care center. I know that I need to embed those memories deep into my soul so that I can find comfort in it when the time comes that I need it. A teacher at school was saying just the other day that her birthday is on Saturday and she had to hurry and order her mother some flowers. I asked her why she was sending her mother flowers on HER birthday instead of her mother sending her some. She said she always does and has for many, many years because if it wasn't for her mother, she wouldn't be here. I thought that was such a neat idea and it made me sad that my birthday isn't until April so I could do that for my mom too. Then I realized you don't need a special occasion to tell someone how you feel. Everyday is the day to tell them you love them.

My dad stood in the kitchen window waving goodbye as we drove away the next morning. That is also a memory I mentally and emotionally put right here in my heart so it too is easy to recall. I just couldn't hug him enough before we left. He is such an amazing man. I remember when I was in high school and college and my mom would always tell my sisters and me that we should look for a man just like our dad when we look for a husband and that we should be so lucky to find a man exactly like our dad. When you're sixteen or even twenty, you don't think of that but I am so grateful. When my dad first met Bob he turned to my mom and told her that he had known that young man before and that they were very good friends. How blessed I am! I love you dad, thank you for all you do!