School's OUT for Summer!

Whooo Hooo! Yesterday was our last day of school. We met for breakfast at the Shilling House and then went to the school to check out. Student's last day was Thursday and they left at about 12:30 that day, then we had a district meeting at the high school in the afternoon and were done about 2:00. It was so nice to be done a little early. I was up at the school until 2:00 in the morning finishing up a ProShow for the last day. I took my pictures and Jane's pictures and anyone else's pictures and made a slide show to loop all morning long on Thursday, the last day of school. It turned out really good and then I sold copies of it for $2.00 with all the proceeds going to Relay for Life. I only made about $30 bucks but every little bit helps I know.

Boy, did I have a time with it though. I put it together on my school computer and then tried to burn it to a disk. Turns out our DVD players are only players and not DVD recorders so I either had to come home and redo it all or use Kris Fackrell's external DVD drive to burn them on. Kris was still at the school burning her play's DVDs for her drama students so when she was done she brought it downstairs and helped me. We rendered it (it takes 40+ minutes to render) and tried to burn it but then realized we had to load the drive's software on my computer first. So the rendering was useless and we had to stop, load the software and re-render it (another 40+ minutes) before we could burn it. We finally had one copy of it by 2:00 a.m. and quit and went home. The next morning I started copying disks and had about fifteen or so of them to sell. It was crazy!

I'm really looking forward to this summer. It should be a pretty good one. We are taking our Teacher Retreat in Enis, Montana this year. We're going to take the four wheelers and do a lot of riding together. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and it's only a two and a half hour drive away instead of a six or seven hour drive like McCall is. It's also Jennifer's birthday while we're there so we're going to go to the Folies there and then the Open Mic Improv after that. I'm really looking forward to it.

Then we come home and leave for Canada less than a week later. We're going to go up and see my folks for a while and then go to Calgary to spend some time with Cyndi and Kevin. We're going to go to Invemere and hang out at their condo riding four wheelers and relaxing by the pool. Sounds great aye? I'm really looking forward to it and to relaxing for a change.

When we get home from Calgary I only have about a week or so before I have surgery for a complete right knee replacement. I'm sure that will be the highlight of my summer! I'll be in the hospital for about four days and then down at home with a hospice nurse for another week or so. I'm in for hours upon hours of physical therapy for the next several months and we'll see how all that works out. For now, I'm just happy to be out of school! We'll see what the rest of it brings!

Derek's Farewell and Lauren's Baptism

This is going to be a fun weekend. Derek, Julie and Doug's second oldest son, is going on a mission to San Jose, California Spanish Speaking and his farewell is this Sunday at 9:00 in the morning. Yeah, early but I'm sure well worth the extra effort it will take to be there on time. I can't believe little Derek is all grown up and ready to go. He's pretty excited and so is all of the family.

My sister Cyndi came down last Wednesday and brought mom and dad with her. We went up to Julie's last night and got to see everyone. Dad has lost a lot of weight and looked a little tired. I worry about him, he takes such good care of mom but it looks like it's wearing on him somewhat. My mom looks good but when you talk to her it becomes quite evident that her health is really failing. Her memory is getting worse and worse and she can't remember things for more than a minute or two at a time. She didn't have any trouble remembering me last night and always knew who I was but had a real hard time keeping track of who Amy was. She asked her many times who she was and whose little girl Alie was. Then she would ask Amy if she was getting married soon or if she had a boyfriend. Amy explained to her a few times that her husband had passed away two years ago and then mom would tell her how sorry she was and ask if there was anything she could do for her. I felt so bad for her. It was heart wrenching to watch.

Then as we would talk she would fade in and out and then ask more questions about things we had just told her. It was hard to see her that way. Dad is so patient with her and would just kindly explain it to her again. She asked us once if her mother knew where she was because she would be upset if she didn't know. I told her that her mother did know and that seemed to satisfy her. She is so sweet, I don't ever want to loose her but know that that is not an option. I am so thankful for my knowledge of life after death and the fact that we, as a family belong together for eternity and that through our faithfulness we will be.

Adam and Brittany came up from Utah for the weekend. I really encouraged them to come so they could see grandma and grandpa. They have never met Andie and I wanted them to at least get to see her. I am so grateful for the effort and sacrifice they made to come. I know it meant a lot to grandma and grandpa and also to me. I love the picture they took with them at Lauren's baptism. Thanks you guys, I love you all so much!

Any way, we got to visit with Cyndi and Kandace as well before they left and came to Blackfoot to have Cyndi do their nails. I'm looking forward to spending some time with Cyndi and Kevin in Calgary next month. I think we'll take the four wheelers with us and just spend some time having fun. It's been a while since we spent some time with them, I'm sure it will be fun. I am so looking forward to a vacation. Cyndi and I talked a little about it yesterday and I'm very excited.

Kendall and Jen came up last night also and we had a really nice visit together. They are building a new home and doing really well. I'm excited for them, they are so happy and so good together. Jen makes him so very happy, I am grateful to her for that. He deserves to be happy. Jordann and her boyfriend came up as well. She is such a sweetie. I hope she is happy, she's had a rough life and deserves to be happy.

With Lauren turning eight this last birthday she is now old enough to be baptized and so her Uncle Logan is going to baptize her on Sunday evening after Derek's farewell. Adam and Brittany are coming from Salt Lake on Saturday and Adam will confirm her Sunday night.

They bought a new Pathfinder so they have to come up to talk to the bank anyway so they'll be able to go to Derek's farewell and also Lauren's baptism. I'm excited about that. I'm also really excited that my folks will get to see little Andie Mae. This might be the last chance my mom will get to see their little family so I'm really glad they'll be here.

I guess I'd better go, still got things to get done this morning. I'll blog more after the weekend. It should be a good one!

Lauren's Birthday

Well, Lauren turned eight today and was so excited for her birthday to finally arrive. We all went over there at 6:30 and had cake and ice cream while she opened presents. She is such a sweet girl and I can't believe that she's already so old. I sure love her and wish her a very happy ninth year. She deserves it, she's the best!

Dance Recital Time!

I love this time of the year . . . dance recital time! This year Lauren, Camryn, and Kennedy all took dance and danced at the recital. They all did an amazing job as you'll see if I can get these video clips to post. It was so fun to watch them. I didn't know it was the night for it until Amy reminded me that it was time to go so for the first time, grandma didn't buy flowers. Luckily their moms were on top of it and were able to buy some roses in the lobby.

Kennedy went first. This was her first year dancing and really did an amazing job. She has an adorable hot pink nightgown with a frilly mask to cover her eyes as her dance was about "waking up" being "hard to do!" For her first year, she was more than terrific! It was great and of course she was the best one out there.



Camryn was next and her dance was about flowers and sunshine so her costume was a cute little outfit with flower petals for a headband. She was good last year but she was awesome this year. She has really learned to dance and you can tell just by looking at her how much she loves it. She too was the very best one out there. These little girls didn't miss a beat and can really dance. They were awesome!



Lauren, all grown up now, was next. Her dress was so dang cute and of course that was because of the gorgeous girl wearing it. She did an amazing job too and boy, you can tell she's been doing this for a while. She truly was the best one our there and danced her little heart out. She was amazing and I loved every minute of all of their dances. It was great!



Lauren's video wondered a little bit in the middle. Camryn was sitting right in front of me and had just got her flowers which she was really excited about. Well if you couldn't tell, she was waving them all around and I had to ask her to stop waving them in front of the camera. I'm sure she didn't even know she was doing it but you can tell something was going on. Sorry about that Lauren, you were great! The camera man needs a little work though don't you think?

I wish Alie could have seen them because she loves to dance too. Unfortunately she was with Shellie that night and the recital was sold out the next night. We'll just have to make sure she's around next year, she would have loved watching them dance as much as I did.

Griffen's Birthday . . .

Can you believe it? Griffen turned two last Sunday, on Mother's Day. It was a fun day . . . Adam, Brittany and Andie were here for the weekend and we had a great time. Mother's Day was really nice and we had all the kids here for dinner. Then Brooke and Kade had to leave and go to Pocatello to Sophie's birthday party and Cyndi and Jamon left to go eat with his family too. Then we all met in at Cyndi and Jamon's for birthday cake and ice cream.

They had bought the kids a new puppy and gave it to them for Griffen's birthday. He's a cute little bugger they named Buddy. We kept him the night before for them and he woke up a couple of times crying because he was lonely or cold. Titus was here and they slept with Maggie in the kitchen. We locked them in there because we didn't want the new puppy peeing on the carpet. Cyndi said he's doing better now, he sleeps in the garage in his dog house and doesn't even cry at night anymore. The kids just love him, especially Lauren. She was so ready for a puppy and I'm grateful to Jamon for allowing them to have one. It teaches them responsibility and to take care of someone else. They really love him and he's a cute little pup.

We gave Griffen a little ride on toy that is battery operated and he had a really good time on it. The girls are too big for it so he's got it all to himself. He seems to have a good time with it. I hope so anyway.

Lauren's birthday is the end of the month on the 24th so I'll write more about it after it happens. I can't believe she's going to be 8 and be baptised. She is such a beautiful young lady and she is such a sweetheart. I just love her so much. I love all my grandkids but she was the first and because of that, will always be extra special.

Finally Done!

Here I am, finally done with ISAT Testing! I didn't think I would ever get done but as of today, even the make up is done. Now manybe I can dedicated more time to other things. Things like this Blog, my family, my students and my lesson plans. While I was out testing, Pam didn't follow anything that I can see. She never has made lesson plans but even the things that I put in folders for her to have students do hasn't been done. But, she's the boss so I will just try to play catch up the best I can.

Rich Woodfin called me a week or so ago, actually about two weeks ago now, and asked me if I was locked in to working with Pam long term. I asked him why, what did he have in mind? He asked me if I would be interested in representing our sixth grade school as the RTI specialist. First of all, I had no idea what RTI even stood for, and second of all, I love working with my kids, in my room. He said that RTI is an intervention program designed to track students on behavioral plans, accademic plans and even attendance plans. He said that it requires someone who knows computers and is not afraid of them. I would no longer work with Pam at all. I wouldn't even have a room to work out of. They would find me somewhere to work and give me lots of training to help with the job.

At first I was really flattered. He said when our school came up I was the first person he thought of. He said I was the best one qualified to do this job and that he would give me a little while to think about it if I wanted to. I was really torn because I would no longer be working in a classroom setting. I would probably work with more students but not teaching them, just following them on their individual plans. I'm not at all sure that's what I want. Kathy Lambson, the coordinating teacher for our district came over today and I asked her about RTI. She already knew about the offer I had recieved from Rich and told me she thought I'd be great at it and that it's the kind of thing she would love, tracking all the different students on different action plans. She affirmed that it doesn't come with a pay raise. Bob thought that if it did, I should definitely do it. But if it didn't I should do what I love and stay in the classroom. I just don't know!

I would also be working with Title One students in the afternoon with Ruth downstairs in her classroom in the basement. I know I wouldn't like working out of the basement. There are no windows down there and I would hate that. I would also hate the stairs! and I would be going up and down them all the time. Jane says it sounds like I've already made up my mind. I guess maybe I have. I should just do what Bob said and pray about it now. And that will be the end of that!

Too, too long.

I know I haven't written anything for the past week or so and I promise to do better. I have to take my camera to work tomorrow, rather today, so I will download what's on it and make a new post with some pictures. I just couldn't sleep, my legs hurt so bad, so I'm here reading other blogs instead of spending any time on my own. I promise to do better. I promise!

Another Late Night!

I'm afraid it's going to be another late one. I had just written a big long entry and moved just right and ooops, there went my computer plug. My battery won't charge anymore so when it unplugged it shut down . . . and there went my blog. Talk about drive me crazy! I've got to get a new computer.

Bob's already gone to bed and here I am - still up. I hate this insomnia thing I've got going on. It really sucks! Maybe when Amy gets home tomorrow night I'll be able to sleep better. I miss her and I oh, so miss Alie Kae. I talked to Shellie this morning and she said she's doing super. She cried when Shellie left this morning but Skyler took care of her today and she'll spend tomorrow with Sherma until she's out of school. Sherma will take her to Shellie and then I'll pick her up from her after school. I'm looking forward to it. I miss her so much. I'm sure Amy has missed her too. She called the other day and said that she would be ready to come home, she misses us all but mostly Alie. She also said that she didn't want to move to Phoenix anymore. It's hard to live in the big city after you've lived here. Amy has lived a sheltered life here and I hope she always stays close. I worry about her and she definitely has her problems but I am also hoping she gets over them. She knows we would do anything to help her and Alie. I love them both so much.

We just had Easter weekend. I missed little Alie so much. Amy felt really bad when she realized she would be gone over Easter Sunday. I'm sure she had a great Easter though with Shellie and their family. I know they had their own Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma Sherma's and they always treat her so great. I'm sure Alie loved it.



We start ISAT testing on Wednesday. I spent the day setting up all the laptops in the small gym. It took JoAnne and I a couple of hours to get it all right. I'm so glad that Brian Kress, out old principal, came over and helped us. Brandon, our current principal, was gone to a meeting and got back just as we were finishing up. He wasn't a whole lot of help. Then I was there until 7:20 tonight trying to get all the students put into Excel so tomorrow I can set up a schedule to get them all tested. Maybe that's why I can't sleep yet. It doesn't seem as late as it really is because I didn't get home until almost 8:00.

Adam and Brittany are moving this weekend so Bob and I are headed down to help them. I just wish they weren't moving from a third floor apartment to a third floor condo. I hate the stairs but I love my family and wouldn't miss the opportunity to spend some time with my beautiful granddaughter, little Andie Mae, and oh ya - with Adam
and Brittany too.

Well, I'm headed to bed. It's almost midnight and it about killed me getting up so early this morning. I've got to go in early in the morning too because I didn't get everything graded today. I spent too much time on other projects. Catch ya later!

Can't Sleep . . .

Well here I am, 4:00 in the morning and not able to sleep. I wrote a few notes on another blog and then started reading back what I had written on this blog and well, here I am still. Bob went to bed hours ago and I was only going to be a minute, that was a nice thought.

It's been a quiet weekend. Amy has gone to Phoenix to visit Daven until Tuesday and Alie is spending the weekend at Shellie and Zane's. Amy flew out of Salt Lake on Thursday night after missing her flight by five minutes and having to wait six hours for another one. I worry about that girl sometimes. I just wish she knew how much. She called last night at 3:00 in the morning and said that they had been mistaken for a car that had been involved in a heated altercation with another car in which guns had been flashed and threatened. The cops stopped them and surrounded their car with guns drawn and then proceeded to hold the guns in their faces while they searched everyone and everything. Amy told them that they had seen the cars that had been fighting with each other but they decided it was not a good situation to be around and got out of there as fast as they could. She was pretty shaken up and said she just needed to talk to us for a minute. I told her she wasn't in Idaho anymore and that she was in the big city. She said she didn't think she liked it very much and certainly didn't like the experience she had been through. I know she doesn't want to move to Arizona but I think this just helped re-affirm the fact.

Alie is doing great with Shellie. I called today to check on her and Shellie said they were having a great time. I can't believe how much I miss her. I cleaned my house Thursday night and it's amazing how long it has stayed clean. I didn't have school yesterday, it was a trade day for doing registration last fall, and Bob didn't have to work because it's also Easter weekend. It has been nice to have the place to ourselves again. I can honestly say I rather enjoy his company. We went to IF to a movie yesterday afternoon and today spent the afternoon down at the river riding the four wheelers. It was a beautiful day! Then we watched a movie tonight and just had a very nice, quiet evening at home. Now he's in bed sleeping and I'm here wishing I was.

My legs and my knees have really been bothering me lately. I toss and turn in bed and just can't seem to get comfortable so rather than keep Bob awake all night too, I end up getting up and laying on the couch watching t.v. or reading my book. One night last week I didn't sleep at all. I finally got ready and went in to school early to get some things done there. I know! It's crazy and I hate not being able to sleep. I'm afraid I am definitely going to have my right knee replaced this summer. Hopefully it can wait until July. We go to McCall the third week in June and then I want to spend a week or so in Canada. It's been a long time since we've been there. Amy and I went up to Cardston last year over Spring Break but we didn't get to Calgary. It's probably been two or three years since we've been there.

I got a really nice birthday card from my sister Cyndi. She is such a sweetheart. I know the Lord blessed me when He sent her to be my sister. I couldn't ask for a better friend. I love her and her family so much and I miss her a ton. She is such a good example to me and so much support. I know I can talk to her about anything and the advice she gives me is always the best. She is an amazing woman!

We are going to Salt Lake next weekend to help Adam and Brittany move into their new condo. I'm excited to see my little Andie Mae. Her smile is so sweet and I miss her so much. Don't get me wrong, I miss her parents too but I can't wait to see that little girl. Adam says she's finally crawling and pulls herself up on everything. She'll be walking before you know it and the only good thing about that is that soon it will be time for a new baby. I mean hey, when you get it so perfect the first time you have to repeat and repeat right? I'm always up for another grandbaby. I'm so proud of Adam and Brittany and for the lives that they live. I'm proud of all of my children, they are my everything . . . and my grandkids, don't get me started, I'll never get to bed. I am truly blessed!

I guess now that it's almost 4:00 I'd better give it another try and crawl in bed. We have church at 11:00 tomorrow, thankfully it's not at 9:00 although I do like that schedule better. For obvious reasons I'm just glad it's not that time tomorrow.

Continued from Friday . . .

I didn't get a chance to finish my post from last Friday. Bob had dropped me off at school and came to pick me up earlier than I expected him to so I just closed out of it mid-sentence. Poor Barb, bless your heart - I think you're the only one who ever reads my blog, was left hanging thinking I was still in pain and about to pass out in the hallway at school on my way to my car. Well, I did make it to the car and seeing as how I still had the papers I had to drop off at the district office and it's only a block away, I sat there for a minute trying to breathe before I took them over. When I got there I could hardly manage to get out of the car and take them in and by the time I got back to the car I was crying big time. I've had that little pain before but nothing ever that bad.

I called Bob who immediately wanted to know what was wrong as there was no hiding it. The pain had intensified to the point that I couldn't breathe and there was pressure building up in my jaw. I've heard that's nothing to mess with, even though the pain never reached my arm. It did scare me. Bob told me to call an ambulance but I wasn't sure that I needed one and was sure the pain would stop any minute or at least lesson enough to drive home and lie down. Besides that the hospital is only a few blocks away and if I ended up needing serious help, I could surely drive those few blocks. I contemplated going over to the clinic to be seen there but I remember when I used to work there and someone with chest pains came in, all the nurses would whisper under their breath to send them to the hospital. And seriously, I was a little worried that if I went there and they couldn't help me, they wouldn't let me drive then. They would call an ambulance anyway and I'd have to take that little ride that I so didn't want to take.

I told Bob I would just drive over to the hospital and have them check me out. He still wanted me to call an ambulance but I drove anyways. I just walked into the emergency entrance and told them that I needed to be seen and that I had a huge pain in my chest and was having trouble breathing. Needless to say, they didn't like it. The whipped me into a room and threw a gown on me. The started an IV and hooked me up to and EKG machine. The took blood from my IV to run some tests and gave me a shot of deloted. (However you spell it.) I had called Amy on my way to the hospital and by this time she and Cyndi and Brooke had all arrived. The EKG was okay so they sent me to x-ray after giving me yet another shot of deloted. It was bad, I couldn't get rid of the pain in my upper chest.

After the x-rays, they took me for an ultrasound thinking that maybe it was my gallbladder and I had gallstones. Bob had got there by the time I got back from that. While we waited for the results they gave me a shot of morphine and tried to make me rest. Ya, right! I couldn't believe that the pain was still there after all of that but it was. Kade was there too now and he and Bob gave me a blessing. It was one of the first annointings that Kade had ever administered since receiving his priesthood last month. I am so grateful to him and to Bob for the comfort they blessed me with, that comfort that comes from the Holy Spirit.

I told them all along that I thought it was just stress and that I'd had a somewhat stressful day at school. Finally, they listened to me and brought me an ativan and told me to put it under my tongue. I did and I guess it helped a little bit, at least it took the edge off finally. They gave me another shot of morphine and said that they wanted to admit me so they could keep on top of the pain if it got worse again. I told them all I wanted to do was go home. They called my regular doctor and after talking with him, decided that I could go home as long as Bob was going to be there with me. Before I left they gave me another shot of deloted and then I was on my way.

Bob brought me home and made me some Cream of Wheat to eat and I went to bed. I had to check with my doctor the next morning but I felt a lot better when I got up.

I stopped by the clinic thinking it would only be a quick check up but Doug wanted to redo the blood work and the EKG to make sure that nothing had changed since the night before. Since everything looked good, he said he wanted me to have this Nuclear Medicine EKG that would make sure that everything was good and eliminate any questions about my heart. I talked to Bob about it and he said that the doctors in the ER said that my heart had looked good through the whole ordeal and since I don't have any history of heart disease in my family, we decided I didn't need that expensive of a test. If anything changes then we'll do it right away but for now I think I'm safe.

He gave me a prescription for some stress relieving happy pills and told me to go home and eliminate the stress from my life. I need to learn how to relax and not try to take so much on all at once. Okay! We'll see how that goes.

I've had a couple more incidents where I start to feel the tightening coming up in my chest and I try really hard not to have to take anything. You really can relieve stress by sitting completely still and tuning things out! I've found that fresh air helps too so I'm sure there are lots of things I can do when I feel it coming on. Who knows, I think I need a massage again. I'll have to remember to call in the morning. I know that's always good!

Gosh, It's Been Forever!

It's been so long since I've posted anything. Life flies by so quickly . . . it seems I barely have time to breathe some days. I had a little episode about a week or so ago, I was just leaving school and was about three steps away from the outside door when I got a pain in my chest that about knocked me over. I had to drop some purchase orders for some technology equipment off at the district office which is just a block away from my school, so I hurried to the car and sat there for a minute taking in some deeep breaths hoping it would pass. I've had this pain before and it usually goes away after a minute or so. I've always just chalked it up to stress.

Super, Super Bowl

Well, all the goodies are laid out ready for consumption and the table is over-flowing. It's mostly good, non-fattening foods - Chips and dips, vegies and dip, chips and salsa, wings and wienies. I camped myself closest to the wings and vegies but still I ate too much and ended up, throwing up, in the bathroom. I hate that feeling of too much. I know it was the diet Pepsi on top of it all that made me feel this way. Got to be more careful with that one, I know when it's going to happen so I've got to learn to deal with it in advance and slow down.

Anyway, should be a good game. Cyndi and the kids are coming out to watch the game. That will help entertain Alie for the afternoon. Amy left last Thursday on the shuttle to Salt Lake. She spent the night with Misty and then on Friday she flew out to Phoenix. She went to spend some time with Davin and his friends. She'll be home late, late tomorrow night on the shuttle from Salt Lake. She was really worried about how Alie would do but she has done amazing. I picked her up Thursday after pre-school and took her back to school with me. She asked me that night where her mom was and I told her that she would be back in a few minutes. I told her she had gone on an airplane and she seemed to understand. Bob watched her on Friday and she did super. She only asked for her mom once and then motioned that she was on a plane and would be back in a minute. I tried to make her understand that it would be several minutes but she just motions just a minute so I guess whatever. Amy called me yesterday to check on Alie and said that she probably wouldn't be able to call again till Monday afternoon because they were headed to spend the weekend in Mexico at Davin's girlfriends parents condo. I hope she has a good time.

I took tomorrow off to stay home with Alie. I don't think she would do as well if she isn't with Bob or me. Shellie came and got her yesterday afternoon and kept her for a few hours. She said that Alie did just fine but was still worried about keeping her overnight for fear she would want her mom. While she was gone Bob and I went to a movie in Pocatello and took care of a couple of errands. Then when we were on our way home Shellie called and asked if she could bring Alie back around 6:00 as they were going to go to a movie that night. I'm glad Alie wanted to go with her, it does so much for Shellie when she wants to go with her. Alie had a bit of a rough night last night waking up a few times screaming. I think she was having a bad dream or something. We only have one more night though so we're almost done. She woke up pretty early this morning so about 11:00 I'd had enough whining and we went and had a nap. She really was tired, she slept for almost two hours and has been happy the rest of the afternoon.

It was Alie's third birthday on the 12th and she had a great time. Sherma had a party for her and we all went. We had a nice dinner and enjoyed each other's company while Alie opened presents. Since she is started school the day after her birthday, she had to have a bookbag. I found this little Dora bookbag in Idaho Falls and she absolutely loves it.

She got a lot of really nice gifts, clothes for school and lots and lots of toys.







Cyndi had a Barbie Doll cake made for her and it was great. When she pulled the doll out though, Alie was really worried because one, she was dirty and two, she was naked. We had to hurry and clean her off and put her clothes on her. It was pretty cute.

She has become a little shadow to her mommy. She follows her everywhere. It's kind of funny but Amy doesn't think so. She's getting rather tired of it I think but it's as it should be!

I guess I'd better go change the laundry, I had mine done early this morning but I decided to do Amy's too and it's going to take me the rest of today and probably tomorrow to get all of hers and Alie's done. Again, there are clothes in the hamper that haven't even been worn, some of them folded still. That twenty-three year old girl can be such a kid sometimes. She keeps telling me that she's twenty-three and can take care of herself. She should see the movie we saw yesterday, "Taken". It shows what can happen to young naive girls who think they can handle any situation. I couldn't help thinking about Amy and how trusting she is. I worry about her continually. I guess it's only because I love her so much. She'll never understand I guess, but that doesn't stop me from worrying.

Well it's almost half time and I don't want to miss the half time show so I'll close for now. I need to clean up some stuff and change the laundry. Later!

A New Year

Well, here it is . . . 2009! and already a week has flown by. Time goes so quickly now. I remember how slow time went when I was a child but holy cow, time flies now. Just when you want it to slow down, Bam! another week is gone. It seems as though I have hurried my whole life along. Get up, hurry to get to school, hurry the day along so I can go home, then I'm so tired that I hurry the hours away until I can go to bed, and then start all over again in the morning. Hurry the school year along, hurry my summer away, just hurry, hurry, hurry! One of my resolutions this year is to slow down. Enjoy the things that come along in my life. Stop hurrying! I will have to start to get up earlier so that I have some time to myself in the morning. Time to read and ponder the scriptures, time to plan and review my schedule for the day, time to not hurry! Life is too short and the older I get the more I realize this. I'm going to slow down and enjoy things more - after all, life is meant to be savored, shared and enjoyed, not hurried away. I'm going to embrace each day as it comes and live my life to the fullest! There now, that feels better already.

Merry Christmas

Dear Family and Friends,

I can't believe how fast this year is drawing to a close. Before we know it, it will be 2009 and another year will have slipped quietly away. We are thankful for the many blessings that have been ours and for those of you who have touched our lives in one way or another and made us better this past year. We will be ever grateful.

Brooke and Kade are doing very well. They are planning a trip to the temple this winter and we are all excited about that. They have such an adorable little family. Treyson started kindergarten this year and at parent-teacher conference a week ago all his teacher could say was how lucky she was to have him in her class. She complimented Brooke on how very respectful he is and how good he is at helping others in his class. It's always nice to get reports like that. He is also wrestling again this year and is taking after his dad, a high school state champion wrestler. He loves to take them down and pin'em to the mat. Kennedy is three and started dance this past fall. She is loving all the pink feathers and frills that come with that and is quite the little ballerina. She is such a beautiful little girl, the very image of her mother. I love the big hugs and little kisses I get everytime they visit. Brooke does a lot of substitute teaching and I love the days she gets to spend with me. I enjoy her so much. Kade is a great dad and is active in all of the sports Treyson plays. He and Treyson enjoy many fishing trips together and they just got back from Salmon where they did some steelhead fishing. They had a great time and have lots of good fish tales to tell. We love their little family so much and are blessed to have them living close by.

Cyndi and Jamon are still in Blackfoot and doing great. Their little family is growing up so fast. Griffen is into everything as little boys should be and loves to follow his daddy everywhere. He is such a happy little boy and such a joy to have around. He loves his Papa Bob and gets so excited every time he sees him. Camryn is as grown up as ever for all of her three (four next month) years, and what a cutie. She steals your heart with her blond hair and blue eyes. She too is dancing and was the star of her recital calling out to all of us but especially Kennedy, "Hay Kenndedy, we dancin'!" She is also attending pre-school this year and loves it. She just can't wait to tell you everything she did there. She is definity a sweetheart. Lauren is seven and as beautiful as ever. When I look at her it makes me wonder where the time has gone. She is an awesome young lady and grandma's best friend. She is also involved in dance and is an incredible little dancer. She played softball this past summer on a team that her Aunt Amy coached. She loved playing ball and we loved watching her. Jamon will graduate from ISU this spring with a double major. We are proud of him and all his hard work. Cyndi is such a good mom. She is loving being back at the Villa doing nails. Her clients love her and are so good to her. She does an amazing job and has got so good and so fast that she only has to work three days a week. We love her and her family and all that they bring to our family.

Adam and Brittany are still living in Salt Lake where Adam is attending the Art Institute of Salt Lake City. He is majoring in Industrial and Interior Design and is so good at what he does, his professor has adopted him and has him present to the class on a regular basis. They have had an exciting addition to their family this year. Little Andie Mae was born on July 14th and is the most beautiful baby you have ever seen. Honest, no lie, she is! Her mother's blond hair and her daddy's blue eyes make for a future beauty queen. She is such a good baby and so happy all the time. She even smiles for her crazy Grandma Dori. She is such a sweet addition to our family. We just love her. Brittany is now able to stay home with Andie as Adam, as well as going to school, has a good job with A.T.&T Mobile. She still will work at the Dental Office when they need her. Then Adam gets to babysit. It's a nice break for both of them and Adam absolutley loves spending time with little Andie. If does our hearts good to watch him with her. He is so loving and patient, he's a great little dad. Brittany's an amazing little mommy and takes such good care of both Andie and Adam. We are grateful to have her in our family. We love them so much and are glad we get to see them as often as we do.

Amy is doing well. She and Alie are living with us again and we love having them. Little Alie has struggled with many ear infections and after having her adenoids removed and then her tonsils, the doctor removed the tubes and low and behold, her infections cleared up. Apparently she had been having a reaction to the material that the tubes were made of and so thankfully she has remained, for the most part, infection free for the past six months. We had to have her cochlear turned way back down so she is starting all over again. It's a slow process but with patience she should get to where she can hear. We are all very hopeful. She doesn't much like it though. She will go in the other room, take it off and hide it so Amy can't put it back on her. The only way we find it is that it beeps when it's not attached to her head. She keeps us on our toes and is so sweet, she is the light of all of our lives. Her signing is amazing! I love to watch her little hands as they talk and help her communicate what she wants. Amy's signing is coming along nicely and it's great to watch her communicate with Alie. Mine is slow but I keep working on it. Amy is so good with her. I am proud of the mom she has become, she is so caring and thoughtful of Alie's needs. It's hard to be a single parent and Amy struggles every day with missing Shay. I don't think she will ever get over loosing him. He was so good to her and Alie. We all miss him very much. Alie will turn three next month on Grandpa Bob's birthday and will start attending a special pre-school at the Elementary school. It will be hard for Amy to put her on that little bus but I know she can do it. She amazes me everyday with the things that she can do. We sure love her and Alie and are glad they are able to be with us.

Bob and I are doing great. Bob is still at the site and as busy as ever. He helped move his parents to Utah this past summer where they bought a home close to his sister Shirley. We miss having them just up the road but I know they are enjoying Utah's milder climate and all the BYU sports! as well as being close to Shirley. I'm still teaching 6th grade at the Blackfoot 6th Grade School and loving what I do. It can be challenging at times but the rewards far out-weigh the challenges. We love keeping busy and our grandkids help us do just that. We love them all so much.

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. We hope our paths will cross somewhere, sometime in 2009. Happy Holidays!

Much Love, Bob & Dori

It Really Is About Time!

I know, what can I say? It's been almost three weeks since I wrote anything and then it was only a promise to write something. So here I am, I have lots of pictures to post and plenty of catching up to do. I'll try to get it all done today.

Adam and Brittany's little Andie is growing like a weed and getting more beautiful by the day. Adam and Brittany left her with Janell, Brittany's mom, while they went to a Bengals/Cowboys football game in Dallas with Cheyenne and Lisa. They had an amazingly good time, even though Adam's Bengals lost terribly. Andie survived, I think even better than her mom and dad did, and I'm sure Gramma Janell had a great time. Adam is doing really well in work at AT&T. Brittany is still getting out every once in awhile to work a morning or an afternoon.

It's About Time . . .

Well, I don't even have a good excuse, I've just been so busy enjoying my family and getting back into school that I haven't written for a long time. I try to keep up on my lap band blog because I hope someday I'll be able to read and feel some satisfaction.

. . . and now our little Andie Mae!

I promised pictures weeks ago and have been a very negligent grandma. Now, to introduce you to our newest granddaughter, little Andie Mae.

I've already told you when she was born, on July14th, and that she weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. and that she's the cutest thing you could imagine but now I've got pictures to prove it.

This is one very proud papa . . . he just can't get enough of her. It's so fun to watch him with her and she seems to love just laying and sleeping on his chest. He's also a very good papa!

He gave Andie her very first bath and he was amazing. Of course Andie was pretty awesome in her own right. The nurse was great, just stood back and let Adam do it all himself. I guess that's how you learn, aye?

Long time . . . no excuse!

It's been a while since I've blogged anything, and so much has happened in the last two or three weeks. Last Sunday was the anniversary of Shay's death. It wasn't fun to relive that whole weekend ordeal. I'm grateful for the love and support that our family shows to each other. The weekend would have been much harder without it. We love you Shay and remember you always.

That in itself has been cause enough to have a bad week, but to add to that Shay's little sister, Lucie, was killed in a terrible car accident just two days before that on Friday. She was born two days before Shay and died two days before him. She was a beautiful, young (just fifteen years old) and talented girl and we will miss her so much.

Amy has had a rough time with the whole thing. She was really close to Lucie and had just taken her shopping the week before the accident. Alie loved Lucie so much. I don't know if she even understands what has happened but she will miss her immensely.

Shellie and Zane picked Alie up this morning and are taking her with them to fly to Denver tomorrow. It was good of Amy to let her go, I just hope she doesn't get too homesick for her. She's going to be gone until Thursday which is a pretty long time. Amy said that Zane and Shellie need Alie and she has to think of them right now.

I know she's right but Amy has been needing Alie this past week too. I thought that was really understanding and unselfish of Amy. I'm proud of the way she has dealt with the whole thing. I know it has been hard on her. She has been through so much herself in her young life.

I don't know how you deal with loosing two children just one year apart. Shellie and Zane are going to have a really hard time with this. They are strong people and we love them and their family so much. I wish there was something that we could do for them but everyone says that only time will heal the holes left in their hearts. Our prayers are with them.

Too Sad To Even Talk About!

So much has happened that I don't even know where to start. Last Sunday was the anniversary of Shay's death and it was more than a hard week. Just two days before that his sister, Lucie, was in a horrible car accident which took her young, fifteen year old life. She was born just two days before Shay and died just two days before Shay did. She was a beautiful, young lady with so much of life ahead of her. We will miss her and her sweet smile.

My heart goes out to Shellie and Zane, her parents. I don't know how you deal with loosing two children just a year apart. They are strong, I think stronger than they even think. We love you guys.

"Thirty-Onederful" Years!

Today's the day, my thirty-first wedding anniversary and I just want to say that it has been an amazing and joyful ride. I have been blessed to have lived these past thirty-one years with my best and dearest friend Bob.

He is my soul mate, my sun and my moon, my day and my night; and I will love him forever, thankfully yes forever and ever.

Little Andie Mae

What can I say, I'm the luckiest grandma in the world. I have seven, yes - count them, seven beautiful grandchildren. Little Andie Mae, born July 14th, makes seven! (pictures and more to come.)

Here Comes the 4th of July!

Hey, I can't believe it's July already and the 4th is just around the corner. This year Bob and I are going to spend it in Utah seeing that his dad's birthday is on Saturday and we can celebrate it with him on the 4th.

It will be good to see grandma and grandpa again. We miss them being just up the road. It's weird driving past their house and not seeing grandpa on the mower or grandma's clothes hanging on the line. I hope they are doing well in Utah. We're excited to visit with Shirley and Keith too this weekend. Maybe with mom and dad and Adam and Brittany down there now we'll get to see Keith and Shirley more often. We alway enjoy their company and have such a great time when we're there.

Cyndi Lynne's birthday is Sunday so we will come home on Saturday to celebrate her birthday with her.
(Finally, a new pic!) Cyndi is such a sweetheart, my life is blessed because of her. She is such a hard worker and tries so hard to make everybody happy. We had the opportunity to watch her kids on Friday and Saturday last weekend and it was such a pleasure. Jamon had gone to Boston with his mom and brother so Cyndi stayed with us for a couple of nights. It was great fun! The kids were so good and considerate to each other. Even little Camryn was sweet and caring to her baby brother. Sometimes a little too much so. Lauren was such a help and pretty much takes care of herself. Cyndi is a great little mom and works hard to help support their family. Jamon is a great dad and the kids love him so much. It will be nice when he's finished with school, it's been a long, hard road for him. They are such a sweet little family and I am grateful to have them in my life!

(Picture is from summer of 07; I know, I need a new one?) Brooke and I got to spend some time together shopping just before I went to McCall, what a time we had. Kade kept the kids so it was just her and me. We got our shopping done and enjoyed each other's company so much. She is such a sweetheart, so caring and giving and so, so talented. I wish I could say that she gets it from me but I'm afraid she has come by it in her own right! Kade is so good to his little family. I appreciate him and his hard work. Treyson is so sweet and watches out for his little sister so well. He shares with Lauren even when he's not asked to, it's just his sweet nature, I enjoy having him around. Kennedy had her third birthday last week. I can't believe she's actually that old. She never leaves but she runs to find me and give me a hug and a kiss. I just love them all so much.

(Fairly recent pic!) Amy is doing great. She's happy and it's so good to see her happy after such a long time. I miss her every day. I don't think she even knows how much I miss her. She doesn't think that I miss her and Alie that much but she's wrong. I love them both so much. Stetson has been a blessing in Amy's life. He treats her so good and takes such good care of her. Alie loves him too which is always a good sign. She runs to him whenever he's in the room. It was so good to have Alie and Amy here on Sunday even though it was only for a short time.

(As you can see, old pic again! I've definitely got to upload some new photos to this computer.) I wish Adam and Brittany lived closer. I miss them so much, it's just not fair. Now with a new baby on the way, I'm going to miss them all the more. I can't wait for her to arrive. Adam is doing very well in school and is working two jobs to help make ends meet. I know it never seems like you make ends meet but I think they are doing alright. Brittany is still working, for a few more days at least. She's been good for Adam and taught him some valuable lessons. He's learning the value of saving and having something for a rainy day. Adam too has been good for Brittany. He's teaching her how to relax and enjoy life as it comes. Together they make a great team and I'm excited to see them both this weekend.

(Finally, not so old pic.) I guess I've blogged about everyone now except my Bob. What can I say, he is my best friend, my confidant, and my soul mate. I don't know what I'd do without him keeping me on the right track. I've teased him these past few weeks about being the food police to my lapband diet but he always takes good care of me, probably better than I deserve. It would be sad to spend these (I refuse to say "golden") years with someone you didn't like. I love him with all my heart and love spending time with him.

A Great Week in McCall

I just got back last Thursday night from my annual trip to McCall with my teacher friends. We always have such a great time! This year we rented a cabin right on the Payette River, it was a brand new "cabin" and was the nicest one we've stayed in yet. This was hardly a cabin though, it was probably worth somewhere around $500,000.00 and everything still smelled brand new.

We didn't rent a pontoon boat this year because "Cheap Thrills" doesn't bring their boats up to where we were staying which was about 15 miles from McCall but it was fun anyways. The mosquitoes were pretty bad so we didn't spend a lot of time outside but we still made our annual trip to the ceramic shop in McCall to paint our pieces. I enjoy this part of our trip but I know it stresses some of the ladies out just a little bit, right Jeannie?

We played some Cranium which was hilarious and watched more than our share of movies. We read books and took naps and just had a real relaxing time. Jeannie brought a puzzle with her this year, a really hard one at that but several of them worked on that. I'm not a puzzle person, in fact they drive me insane! I just don't have the patience.

Instead of renting the pontoon boat we took the money we would have spent on it and went to a really nice restaurant called The Mill. Since I was just barely to be starting on pureed foods I only had a baked potato and some sauteed mushrooms. I thought that the mushrooms would be sliced and just a few on the side but no, there was a huge plate of whole sauteed mushrooms. It was way more than I could eat so I shared them with everyone at the table. My bill only came to around ten bucks which I thought was incredibly inexpensive for the meal and the atmosphere we enjoyed there. We just sat around and laughed. It was great!

Some of the girls fished from the dock behind our cabin. Jennifer mostly caught trash fish that she threw back but Jeannie caught a nice little trout and some really ugly catfish which she let take her line after it got caught in the trees. Poor thing, she probably scared it to death with all that screaming. They sure are ugly!

We went and ate at Homestead when we got back to Blackfoot and visited one last time before going home to face the real world again. Everyone is supposed to send me their pictures so that I can add them to our ProShow presentation. I'll just keep adding more and more from year after year. Then after Jeannie has picked up our ceramic pieces we'll get together for a back yard bar-b-que and watch a presentation of all of the pictures from all of our great summer retreats.

It's a fun week and it really helps build great friendships. This in turn makes us better teachers and easier to work with when we get back to school. It's fun to get to know little bits about each other every year. It helps us to appreciate each other more and more.