Happy Birthday Isaac!
Happy Birthday Michael!
Happy Birthday Kati!
Happy Birthday Haleigh on Wednesday!
Happy Birthday Jackson on Saturday!
I love you all so much! Each on of you has added many wonderful things to my life, and my life is much richer because of you. You are always in my prayers, and always in my heart. With much, much love, Mom
Sunday, February 3, 2008
dad's turn
I am enjoying your blogs, ladies, and Daniel and Spencer's as well, although I haven't figured out Spencer's stuff yet. I look at them every day, and in Kati's case, I listen to them every day. Those are some fine tunes, Kati dear. I enjoy finding out what's going on in your lives, I love the photos, and the creative art work, and learning more about those grandkiddies and those kids in far off Philadelphia. Somehow, I don't see a blog for Keri and Shane, hint, hint. And I'm thinking that we men, meaning me, and Michael and Matt and Shane and Isaac, ought to make maybe a weekly contribution. So that's a challenge for us.
So, to lead out, a few thoughts this week from your old Dad.
1. Please stop praying for snow. We seem to have plenty right now, and, by the way, thank heaven for the old snowblower. We have some three feet on the level and it's piled higher than my head in many places. We hope the roof holds and we hope for no sudden melts, unless it's ham and swiss.
2. We have all felt bad for Sara and Isaac, but we have all admired their courage and determination to have a child. It seems to me the principle of atonement is operative here, that is, we do all we can do, then the Savior of mankind steps in to make up the difference. It looks like they have done all they can do, so it will be interesting to see what happens now.
3. Matt and Kati, I feel your General Motors pain. I put two engines into a G.M. van out there in Madison, the first time by an outfit that installed an engine with two bad cylinders, then the outfit went broke and I was holding the bag. Very expensive, frustrating stuff. I hate to say it, but American made autos are trouble. Maybe they're getting better, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it, if I had a farm.
4. I have been reminded that it is scary business sometimes, this child-raising business. We pray that Aaron is alright, that these seizures will be temporary events, and that this sweet little boy will be A-O.K. Your Mom and I pray daily for all the grandkids, and for all of you, kids, too, just so you know.
5. I, like many of you, loved President Hinckley for his wit and wisdom and humility and kindness, and the entire Church will greatly miss him. I remember the night I saw him at L.D.S. Hospital where he was visiting his dying Marjorie, and the feeling that came into my soul, "There goes the man of God." He has served the Church and the Redeemer his entire life. Surely I ought to do the same, in whatever capacity I can. One day I shall part the veil and return home. I believe it would be best to be prepared for that day.
6. One more thought. This retirement deal is something I'm still sorting through. I have need to repent of some things, namely, my daily scripture study is not what it once was; I get to bed later than I should and so does your mother, shame on her, and I get up later than I should, shame on me, and I think I need more to do. Your Mom and Daniel and I do read the Book of Mormon pretty regularly, so that's good. I am writing, working on a book, with some 450 pages finished, and I do exercise fairly regularly, not that I like it much, and you'll find me in Church on Sunday, which I do like, and I pay my tithes and offerings, and I love my wife and family, and I do my home teaching, and I teach Gospel Doctrine, and I still go fishing . . . but still, I could do better. I could go fishing more often.
So that's a public confession. Anyway, I love you all. May our Father in Heaven smile down upon you and yours.
So, to lead out, a few thoughts this week from your old Dad.
1. Please stop praying for snow. We seem to have plenty right now, and, by the way, thank heaven for the old snowblower. We have some three feet on the level and it's piled higher than my head in many places. We hope the roof holds and we hope for no sudden melts, unless it's ham and swiss.
2. We have all felt bad for Sara and Isaac, but we have all admired their courage and determination to have a child. It seems to me the principle of atonement is operative here, that is, we do all we can do, then the Savior of mankind steps in to make up the difference. It looks like they have done all they can do, so it will be interesting to see what happens now.
3. Matt and Kati, I feel your General Motors pain. I put two engines into a G.M. van out there in Madison, the first time by an outfit that installed an engine with two bad cylinders, then the outfit went broke and I was holding the bag. Very expensive, frustrating stuff. I hate to say it, but American made autos are trouble. Maybe they're getting better, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it, if I had a farm.
4. I have been reminded that it is scary business sometimes, this child-raising business. We pray that Aaron is alright, that these seizures will be temporary events, and that this sweet little boy will be A-O.K. Your Mom and I pray daily for all the grandkids, and for all of you, kids, too, just so you know.
5. I, like many of you, loved President Hinckley for his wit and wisdom and humility and kindness, and the entire Church will greatly miss him. I remember the night I saw him at L.D.S. Hospital where he was visiting his dying Marjorie, and the feeling that came into my soul, "There goes the man of God." He has served the Church and the Redeemer his entire life. Surely I ought to do the same, in whatever capacity I can. One day I shall part the veil and return home. I believe it would be best to be prepared for that day.
6. One more thought. This retirement deal is something I'm still sorting through. I have need to repent of some things, namely, my daily scripture study is not what it once was; I get to bed later than I should and so does your mother, shame on her, and I get up later than I should, shame on me, and I think I need more to do. Your Mom and Daniel and I do read the Book of Mormon pretty regularly, so that's good. I am writing, working on a book, with some 450 pages finished, and I do exercise fairly regularly, not that I like it much, and you'll find me in Church on Sunday, which I do like, and I pay my tithes and offerings, and I love my wife and family, and I do my home teaching, and I teach Gospel Doctrine, and I still go fishing . . . but still, I could do better. I could go fishing more often.
So that's a public confession. Anyway, I love you all. May our Father in Heaven smile down upon you and yours.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
SNOW - SNOW - and MORE SNOW!
Three Sundays ago we had 8 1/2 inches of snow. I thought that was a lot! Then the next Wed. we had 19 inches of snow. Now that was a lot! We've had a couple of inches since then, and we'll see if we actually get any in this next storm tonight and tomorrow. It seems that whenever they predict a big storm, we don't get much; and when they don't predict it---we get hit hard! The day of the huge storm, it didn't even show up on the radar on the weather page! So here are a lot of pictures of a lot of snow...
It's hard to get pictures that actually show how deep it is, but look at the branches at the right of the front porch.
That's the light post in the front yard, with a yardstick barely sticking out of the pile.
Tom out by the light post. We actually got another 7 inches after this picture was taken!
When we opened the garage, this is what we saw. That's Tom looking out, wondering what he was going to do! We had about 12 inches at this point. That's Dan's car.
All he could do was try--the snow was up to the top of the snow blower.
The storm is finally over! It ended about 6pm, so this is the next day.
This is at the end of the driveway. That pile of snow was taller than I am.
I'm walking down the sidewalk at the side of our house, going over to the Hartman's. You can see how much snow there is everywhere!
This is the sidewalk in front of our house.
Our front door. I don't know if the trees are going to ever stand up straight again.
That was definitely the most snow we have had since we moved here, 9 1/2 years ago. The worst part for Tom and Daniel was trying to get all that snow off the deck, because it had to be lifted up over the railing. It's a snowstorm we won't forget!
It's hard to get pictures that actually show how deep it is, but look at the branches at the right of the front porch.
That's the light post in the front yard, with a yardstick barely sticking out of the pile.
Tom out by the light post. We actually got another 7 inches after this picture was taken!
When we opened the garage, this is what we saw. That's Tom looking out, wondering what he was going to do! We had about 12 inches at this point. That's Dan's car.
All he could do was try--the snow was up to the top of the snow blower.
The storm is finally over! It ended about 6pm, so this is the next day.
This is at the end of the driveway. That pile of snow was taller than I am.
I'm walking down the sidewalk at the side of our house, going over to the Hartman's. You can see how much snow there is everywhere!
This is the sidewalk in front of our house.
Our front door. I don't know if the trees are going to ever stand up straight again.
That was definitely the most snow we have had since we moved here, 9 1/2 years ago. The worst part for Tom and Daniel was trying to get all that snow off the deck, because it had to be lifted up over the railing. It's a snowstorm we won't forget!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I finally got my blog to work again. I somehow clicked the "edit Html" tab, and everything was coming out in long streams of letters that made no sense, but Sara knew how to solve the problem, so I'm up and running!
We had a wonderful time on New Year's Day with those of you who were able to come. We missed Sara and Isaac, Matt and Kati and kids, and Spencer. I think the kids had fun at the sledding hill not too far from here.
Keri and Shane took the boys cross-country skiing before Mike's kids arrived, which I think was semi-successful. That's Keri with her skis, and maybe David, and Michael and Aaron. I, of course, was standing at the top of the hill, away from the action.
The climb back up the hill was the worst part!
Josh had a new snowboard that he was practicing on. He did really great.
The racers are getting ready for the big competition! Michael has Aaron on the sled with him.
On your mark, get set.......
Go....................
That's Michael and Aaron out in front!
We had a lot of fun, and enjoyed having everyone back at the house for Honey Baked ham and turkey, and lots of other stuff. A great way to start the New Year!
We had a wonderful time on New Year's Day with those of you who were able to come. We missed Sara and Isaac, Matt and Kati and kids, and Spencer. I think the kids had fun at the sledding hill not too far from here.
Keri and Shane took the boys cross-country skiing before Mike's kids arrived, which I think was semi-successful. That's Keri with her skis, and maybe David, and Michael and Aaron. I, of course, was standing at the top of the hill, away from the action.
The climb back up the hill was the worst part!
Josh had a new snowboard that he was practicing on. He did really great.
The racers are getting ready for the big competition! Michael has Aaron on the sled with him.On your mark, get set.......
Go....................
That's Michael and Aaron out in front!
We had a lot of fun, and enjoyed having everyone back at the house for Honey Baked ham and turkey, and lots of other stuff. A great way to start the New Year!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
CHRISTMAS 2007
It sure seems like a long time ago! We went to Keri's on Christmas Eve, in the afternoon, and had lunch at Appleby's. We got back to Keri's before the big storm hit with lots of wind and snow. It was just what Santa needed, and the boys got up at 6am to see what he brought!
There tree was in the front entry room, so they would carry their presents into the living room so we could watch from the comfort of the couches.
Dan was real excited to be up at 6 am!
Cam's pictures all turned out blurry---maybe he just didn't stop moving! There was so much to see!
All three boys got these cute tents for their stuffed animals, but of course they had to try it out for themselves!
Clean-up is half the fun---ha, ha!
After spending the morning with David, Nathan, and Cameron, Dad and I headed for Matt and Kati's. Dan went back to bed.
At Matt and Kati's, Jackson and Ryan were having fun with some of their new things, wearing their new matching pj's. Haleigh wasn't too sure who we were.
But it didn't take her long to decide that she liked Grandpa!
We were so glad when Matt and Kati asked if we wanted something to eat! They started hauling all kinds of goodies out, including a Honey-Baked Ham. Everything was delicious.
In this picture Jackson looks like he's half asleep--which he probably was! Matt said he was sure Jackson must have set his alarm to get up early.
Ryan loved this flying dragon fly. It was really something!
And those eyes are really something, too!
Haleigh enjoyed lunch as much as we did! We stayed for a couple of hours, and then headed for Michael's. Michael had called earlier to say that Michelle had the stomach flu so we didn't want to go visit, but we had presents for all their kids, so we parked in the driveway, and Michael came out to get the presents, while the kids cheered from the front window.
Except for not being able to spend time with Mike and Michelle and their kids, we had a wonderful Christmas. We certainly did miss Sara and Isaac, and Spencer, who had gone skiing with Nicky. I must confess that it was nice to come home to a clean, quiet home!
There tree was in the front entry room, so they would carry their presents into the living room so we could watch from the comfort of the couches.
Dan was real excited to be up at 6 am!
Cam's pictures all turned out blurry---maybe he just didn't stop moving! There was so much to see!
All three boys got these cute tents for their stuffed animals, but of course they had to try it out for themselves!
Clean-up is half the fun---ha, ha!After spending the morning with David, Nathan, and Cameron, Dad and I headed for Matt and Kati's. Dan went back to bed.
At Matt and Kati's, Jackson and Ryan were having fun with some of their new things, wearing their new matching pj's. Haleigh wasn't too sure who we were.
But it didn't take her long to decide that she liked Grandpa!
We were so glad when Matt and Kati asked if we wanted something to eat! They started hauling all kinds of goodies out, including a Honey-Baked Ham. Everything was delicious.
In this picture Jackson looks like he's half asleep--which he probably was! Matt said he was sure Jackson must have set his alarm to get up early.
Ryan loved this flying dragon fly. It was really something!
And those eyes are really something, too!
Haleigh enjoyed lunch as much as we did! We stayed for a couple of hours, and then headed for Michael's. Michael had called earlier to say that Michelle had the stomach flu so we didn't want to go visit, but we had presents for all their kids, so we parked in the driveway, and Michael came out to get the presents, while the kids cheered from the front window.
Except for not being able to spend time with Mike and Michelle and their kids, we had a wonderful Christmas. We certainly did miss Sara and Isaac, and Spencer, who had gone skiing with Nicky. I must confess that it was nice to come home to a clean, quiet home!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Lead Poisoning?
My friend, Karen, called this morning to tell me that her husband had gone to the fair grounds to get their plates tested for lead. It was a free service the county was providing because a young child had been diagnosed with lead poisoning, and it was discovered that the source of the lead was the plate she was eating from. Well, I hadn't heard anything about it, but since I was going to go run errands anyway, I decided to take some dishes in. There was a limit of 5 things that could be tested. I stood in line for about 1 1/2 hours, but this is what I found out.
The EPA considers any reading over 600 ppm unacceptable. The "gun" they use to test the items cannot measure the potential for lead leaching from your dinnerware into food, just how much lead is actually there.
The first item tested was a dinner plate that was Mom's. It tested 40. The others were unbelievable. The results are below each picture.
21,400
18,900
57,900
83,500
I just couldn't believe what they were telling me. These are things we use daily. Dan uses the first one every night for dinner. We use the white one every day for cereal. Except for the one that Dan uses, they are from Pier One. And we bought them in the last couple of years. They were all made in China.
So Dan has an appointment next week to get his blood tested for lead. I have an appointment in 2 weeks for a check-up, and I'll have my blood tested also. Needless to say, we won't be using them again. So if you hear of a free testing clinic anywhere close to where you live, please take your plates or toys in to have them tested. I will let you know the results of the blood tests. It may be that we are just fine, that none of the lead leached out into our food, but that's what we need to find out.
Just as I got to the end of the line, a reporter and cameraman from Channel 4 came to cover the story. They interviewed me, I think, because my plates were so high, and they were relatively new, and from a name brand store--Pier One. They took pictures of the back of the plates with Pier One highly visible. So I may be on the news tonight at 10pm. Wouldn't you know it, I had just washed my hair this morning, and was wearing my scrunchy curly hair-do instead of looking nice for my TV premier! Maybe they won't use me! See, you should never leave the house unless you're looking good enough to go on TV!
The EPA considers any reading over 600 ppm unacceptable. The "gun" they use to test the items cannot measure the potential for lead leaching from your dinnerware into food, just how much lead is actually there.
The first item tested was a dinner plate that was Mom's. It tested 40. The others were unbelievable. The results are below each picture.
21,400
18,900
57,900
83,500I was astounded!
I just couldn't believe what they were telling me. These are things we use daily. Dan uses the first one every night for dinner. We use the white one every day for cereal. Except for the one that Dan uses, they are from Pier One. And we bought them in the last couple of years. They were all made in China.
So Dan has an appointment next week to get his blood tested for lead. I have an appointment in 2 weeks for a check-up, and I'll have my blood tested also. Needless to say, we won't be using them again. So if you hear of a free testing clinic anywhere close to where you live, please take your plates or toys in to have them tested. I will let you know the results of the blood tests. It may be that we are just fine, that none of the lead leached out into our food, but that's what we need to find out.
Just as I got to the end of the line, a reporter and cameraman from Channel 4 came to cover the story. They interviewed me, I think, because my plates were so high, and they were relatively new, and from a name brand store--Pier One. They took pictures of the back of the plates with Pier One highly visible. So I may be on the news tonight at 10pm. Wouldn't you know it, I had just washed my hair this morning, and was wearing my scrunchy curly hair-do instead of looking nice for my TV premier! Maybe they won't use me! See, you should never leave the house unless you're looking good enough to go on TV!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
California Here We Come......(at least for a few days!)
We had a wonderful trip to California to see John and Jackie, and to be there for John's Surprise Birthday Party. He turned 65, and is planning to retire on March 1.
We left after Church, and drove to St. George to stay with Sue and Read Gilgen, who moved from Madison this past September. Sue had a wonderful meal waiting for our arrival, and we had such an enjoyable evening visiting. In the morning, we had another great meal, and left around 9 am. One of our favorite spots on the trip is the Virgin River Gorge. It is quite a picturesque ride, although you can't really tell by this picture. I mostly have to take pictures through the front windshield as we're driving by. Tom would stop if I really begged him to, but we'd never get to our destination if he had to stop every time I saw something I wanted a picture of!
We got to John and Jackie's new home around 3:30. It's beautiful, with about 3500 sq. feet of space. Needless to say, it was lovely. The only thing is that there is about about 8 feet between your exterior wall and the neighbor's. They have done a beautiful job with landscaping the back yard.
You can see a little of how close all the houses are to each other.
Jackie still had things to do to get ready for the surprise party, so we all had to do a lot of telling fibs about what we were doing during the day while John was at work. Tuesday, Tom and I got to walk around Balboa Island and Peninsula while Jackie was making a picture board for the party. It was a beautiful day, and there were very few people around.
On Thursday, John took the day off work, and we all went to San Diego to tour the Midway, and aircraft carrier that's been turned into a museum. This is a picture of me and Jackie, and her friend Bonnie who got us in for free.
You cannot believe how huge this thing is until you actually start walking around on it and in it.
We spent a lot of time up on the flight deck. They can carry 80 to 85 jets on this thing. There are 3 cables strung from side to side, and the pilot tries to snag the 2nd one with a hook under the jet. As soon as he touches down, he has to put it to full throttle in case he missed the cable, so he had enough power to take off again. If he is successful, someone signals him to cut the power, and the cable extends to the end of the runway before it actually stops him. As he's coming in, he has to compensate for the sideways pitch and front to back pitch of the carrier. There's a special signal that tells him if he's coming in too high or too low. John did a simulator, and he crashed every time! I don't know how they ever succeed in real life!
When they take off, they are attached to a catapult that actually throws them off the carrier at a speed faster than the jet can go on it's own power. So there's a moment when the jet takes over that the speed slows down before it pick up again, and one of the pilots said that you never get used to that, especially at night when it's pitch black and you can't see where the ocean is, and where you are. It's crazy! I think all the tour guides we talked to on the flight deck were retired pilots. It was amazing.
This center thing is called the Island
This is looking out of the Island control tower. This part of the landing strip is where they take off. That jet is attached to the catapult, and that's all the space there is before the carrier ends, and the water begins, and they have to reach enough speed for lift-off.
We took a lunch break and walked by this beautiful harbor to get to a place with several restaurants.
Here's John and Jackie after lunch, as we were walking back to the aircraft carrier.
By the Midway is a park with a huge statue of the famous picture that was taken of a sailor returning after World War I. So we each took our turn at posing in imitation. Our picture didn't turn out, but John and Jackie's did.
Friday finally came, as we continued to lie through our teeth. John had to spend the day at a meeting, and we had to come up with a story about what we were going to do for the day, and the evening. He and Jackie had been invited to dinner by some friends, and he would have canceled with them if he thought there was any way we could be together for the evening, since we were planning to leave on Saturday. Of course, we couldn't allow him to cancel, because that was going to be how they would get John to the party! So we said we were going to San Diego to go through the Temple, and then I had called a mutual old friend, Mark Haslam, and we were going to have dinner with him and his wife. And then we had to come up with details of what we were going to do between the time we went to the Temple and dinner---John just kept asking us questions! So as soon as he left on Friday morning, we took off with Jackie in our car, doing last minute things. And wouldn't you know it--it was pouring rain the whole day! I think it was the first rain in about a year! We had to get the table decorations and take them to the Country Club, then back to Balboa Island to get the picture board, and then back to the Country Club. I think Jackie had invited about 55 people, and it cost $100 a plate. They were going to charge her $50 for each table decoration, so she and a friend made them. She wanted to have bowls of mixed nuts on the tables, and they were going to charge an additional $3.50 per person to have nuts, so we put little bowls of M & Ms on the tables. We finally got everything done, and went back to the house to change for the party. But we were afraid to stay there, in case John decided to come home instead of going to the office after the meeting, so we had a couple of hours of just waiting. Everyone was to be at the Country Club at 6:00 pm for hors d'oeuvres and wine, then John and Jackie were coming "to dinner" with a friend. When they opened to door to the room we were in, John just stood there with a shocked look on his face. He said he would recognize someone in the crowd, and then wonder what they were doing there, and then he'd recognize someone else, and then wonder why they were there. He just couldn't figure it out!
It was a great party, and everyone was so friendly, and spoke of how they considered John a great friend and colleague.
This was after we got home, in their kitchen. John just couldn't quit talking about how wonderful everything was!
The next morning, Jackie had invited some of the people who had traveled a long way to come to the party over for breakfast, and once again, we had a wonderful time visiting with their friends. We had decided the day before that we would stay until Sunday morning, which was a good decision. We were too tired to leave! In the afternoon we went to their office, and loaded up our car with some of Aunt Sarah's furniture that they had been saving for me. That night we played Dominoes for the 2nd night, and Jackie totally slaughtered the rest of us. We played Mexican Train, and it was a lot of fun.
Sunday morning around 10, we took off for St. George. We got caught in a one hour delay outside of Vegas where they had to close the freeway down completely because of a car accident. When we got to St. George, we went to dinner and then to our room. It was terrible! It was dirty, with spots on the toilet that hadn't been cleaned. We promptly left, got a refund, and went across town to the Hampton Inn. It was 100% better!
Monday we drove home. It was good to be back, but we have wonderful memories of a great trip. Next time, we fly.
We left after Church, and drove to St. George to stay with Sue and Read Gilgen, who moved from Madison this past September. Sue had a wonderful meal waiting for our arrival, and we had such an enjoyable evening visiting. In the morning, we had another great meal, and left around 9 am. One of our favorite spots on the trip is the Virgin River Gorge. It is quite a picturesque ride, although you can't really tell by this picture. I mostly have to take pictures through the front windshield as we're driving by. Tom would stop if I really begged him to, but we'd never get to our destination if he had to stop every time I saw something I wanted a picture of!
We got to John and Jackie's new home around 3:30. It's beautiful, with about 3500 sq. feet of space. Needless to say, it was lovely. The only thing is that there is about about 8 feet between your exterior wall and the neighbor's. They have done a beautiful job with landscaping the back yard.
You can see a little of how close all the houses are to each other.
Jackie still had things to do to get ready for the surprise party, so we all had to do a lot of telling fibs about what we were doing during the day while John was at work. Tuesday, Tom and I got to walk around Balboa Island and Peninsula while Jackie was making a picture board for the party. It was a beautiful day, and there were very few people around.
On Thursday, John took the day off work, and we all went to San Diego to tour the Midway, and aircraft carrier that's been turned into a museum. This is a picture of me and Jackie, and her friend Bonnie who got us in for free.
You cannot believe how huge this thing is until you actually start walking around on it and in it.
We spent a lot of time up on the flight deck. They can carry 80 to 85 jets on this thing. There are 3 cables strung from side to side, and the pilot tries to snag the 2nd one with a hook under the jet. As soon as he touches down, he has to put it to full throttle in case he missed the cable, so he had enough power to take off again. If he is successful, someone signals him to cut the power, and the cable extends to the end of the runway before it actually stops him. As he's coming in, he has to compensate for the sideways pitch and front to back pitch of the carrier. There's a special signal that tells him if he's coming in too high or too low. John did a simulator, and he crashed every time! I don't know how they ever succeed in real life!
When they take off, they are attached to a catapult that actually throws them off the carrier at a speed faster than the jet can go on it's own power. So there's a moment when the jet takes over that the speed slows down before it pick up again, and one of the pilots said that you never get used to that, especially at night when it's pitch black and you can't see where the ocean is, and where you are. It's crazy! I think all the tour guides we talked to on the flight deck were retired pilots. It was amazing.
This center thing is called the Island
This is looking out of the Island control tower. This part of the landing strip is where they take off. That jet is attached to the catapult, and that's all the space there is before the carrier ends, and the water begins, and they have to reach enough speed for lift-off.
We took a lunch break and walked by this beautiful harbor to get to a place with several restaurants.
Here's John and Jackie after lunch, as we were walking back to the aircraft carrier.
By the Midway is a park with a huge statue of the famous picture that was taken of a sailor returning after World War I. So we each took our turn at posing in imitation. Our picture didn't turn out, but John and Jackie's did.
Friday finally came, as we continued to lie through our teeth. John had to spend the day at a meeting, and we had to come up with a story about what we were going to do for the day, and the evening. He and Jackie had been invited to dinner by some friends, and he would have canceled with them if he thought there was any way we could be together for the evening, since we were planning to leave on Saturday. Of course, we couldn't allow him to cancel, because that was going to be how they would get John to the party! So we said we were going to San Diego to go through the Temple, and then I had called a mutual old friend, Mark Haslam, and we were going to have dinner with him and his wife. And then we had to come up with details of what we were going to do between the time we went to the Temple and dinner---John just kept asking us questions! So as soon as he left on Friday morning, we took off with Jackie in our car, doing last minute things. And wouldn't you know it--it was pouring rain the whole day! I think it was the first rain in about a year! We had to get the table decorations and take them to the Country Club, then back to Balboa Island to get the picture board, and then back to the Country Club. I think Jackie had invited about 55 people, and it cost $100 a plate. They were going to charge her $50 for each table decoration, so she and a friend made them. She wanted to have bowls of mixed nuts on the tables, and they were going to charge an additional $3.50 per person to have nuts, so we put little bowls of M & Ms on the tables. We finally got everything done, and went back to the house to change for the party. But we were afraid to stay there, in case John decided to come home instead of going to the office after the meeting, so we had a couple of hours of just waiting. Everyone was to be at the Country Club at 6:00 pm for hors d'oeuvres and wine, then John and Jackie were coming "to dinner" with a friend. When they opened to door to the room we were in, John just stood there with a shocked look on his face. He said he would recognize someone in the crowd, and then wonder what they were doing there, and then he'd recognize someone else, and then wonder why they were there. He just couldn't figure it out!
It was a great party, and everyone was so friendly, and spoke of how they considered John a great friend and colleague.
This was after we got home, in their kitchen. John just couldn't quit talking about how wonderful everything was!
The next morning, Jackie had invited some of the people who had traveled a long way to come to the party over for breakfast, and once again, we had a wonderful time visiting with their friends. We had decided the day before that we would stay until Sunday morning, which was a good decision. We were too tired to leave! In the afternoon we went to their office, and loaded up our car with some of Aunt Sarah's furniture that they had been saving for me. That night we played Dominoes for the 2nd night, and Jackie totally slaughtered the rest of us. We played Mexican Train, and it was a lot of fun.
Sunday morning around 10, we took off for St. George. We got caught in a one hour delay outside of Vegas where they had to close the freeway down completely because of a car accident. When we got to St. George, we went to dinner and then to our room. It was terrible! It was dirty, with spots on the toilet that hadn't been cleaned. We promptly left, got a refund, and went across town to the Hampton Inn. It was 100% better!
Monday we drove home. It was good to be back, but we have wonderful memories of a great trip. Next time, we fly.
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