Graduation Day!!

Well, John and I were invited to Julie's high school graduation, so we decided to hop in the car and make the drive to Washington State. We were so happy to be there; it was nice to visit with the other grandparents, as well. The Sunday evening after high school graduation was graduation from seminary....the early-morning variety. I take my hat off to those dedicated students and the parents who arose in the wee hours to drive their students to study the gospel on a daily basis. We entered Olympia accompanied by a downpour. One never can guess what the weather will be in the Northwest!! Luckily, we had 2-3 days of sunshine. The rhododendrons were just brilliant!! I love them...and azeleas, too!! The green was so intense and the colors just lively. Tammy has her yard looking very pretty. She even has a chickadee family's nest in one of her hanging baskets on her deck!! Three little blue eggs will soon hatch and there will be a family of five living there. I must admit that the 16-hour drive is a challenge, but it is nice to see the countryside. Flying has its advantages, but it is a lot of work, too. We were able to stop and stay with Patty in Boise. Stacy was out of town, so we'll have to see him on another trip. We tried out a couple of motels and agree that there truly is "no place like home". We enjoyed a night at Seaside, Oregon. Our drive to Cannon Beach revealed to us that our favorite bakery is not longer in business; we had hoped to buy a loaf of "Haystack Bread". I guess that, too, is history! We turned the watering, mowing and watchcare of our yard over to Erin and a couple of neighbors. It was good to see that the yard survived the hot summer days of our eight-day vacation!! In the fall we hope to drive down to Provo and take our grand-daughter Julie to dinner. I am sure she will make fabulous friends and have a wonderful year for her first year of college!!

Forth-five Years and Counting!!

John and I celebrated our 45th anniversary this past week!! How does time go so quickly?? We are four children, plus four spouses and twelve grand-children richer than when we began this journey!! What blessings they are to us!! We could not have imagined how our lives would unfold! We have had our challenges like anyone else, but my, we have been so blessed,too!! We spent a day in Midway at the Zermatt Hotel! What an amazing place! We had a pizza dinner and took a tour of the place! The pool was a bit too far a walk to do it multiple times in order to take in a swim, so we passed. On our drive home we stopped at a Heber Valley Cheese Store. Great fun! We drove home less than 24 hours later and attended a ward BBQ dinner. It was tons of fun! We took a Potato Salad, and then sampled many delicious salads and desserts! Many great cooks in this ward. I must say in passing, that our good friends Pat and Richard Evans will be returning from the Manilla Temple Mission next Tuesday. We have been friends for over 40 years and have missed them a great deal. We are excited to be able to party again!! My foot surgery is doing well. We went to Hill Air Force Base last weekend to see the Thunderbirds fly, but we were disappointed to have about 4 hours of terrific thunderstorms and tons of rain! With about an hour left the planes flew around the sky, but we saw no fantastic formation-flying. Good day spent with the family though...Mike and Katie's little group are always fun to be with. Had dinner at a BBQ place; everyone was hungry and happy to eat. I have felt "punk" the past few months, along with a surgery and a couple of illnesses. I have deduced that it must be my medication. I have switched from Metformin back to Actos....praying I don't get bladder cancer. The reports are discouraging, but feeling tired and nauseous was no fun, either. I hope all goes well. I may later have to try Januvia. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband. He is so kind and thoughtful toward me. He even surprised me with some lovely sapphire/diamond jewelry!! I will wear it with a lot of love in my heart!