Giving Thanks!

Well, we are back home after a great week with Tammy, Dayle and family! We flew in today, quite early! We nearly missed the plane! What an exciting trip. We had a huge turkey - of 24 pounds! Happily, we got to visit with Dayle's parents; we hadn't seen them for over a year! We each wrote Julie a note to be sent to cheer her for the holiday! She is serving an L.D.S. mission for the next eighteen months. Hope she had a nice dinner! We played quite a few games; shopping, eating, staying up late, watching videos all comprised the activities of the week! Early in November John and I took a little weekend trip to Brigham City and Logan. Stopped to go thru new temple, but "recommend" had expired! Saturday we visited Greg and took him to lunch - at "Firehouse Pizza". Very tasty! We sure love that boy. He is having a great time at college! Glad to be home and anxious to decorate for Christmas! We are planning on having the young McKea's help us! They love to help us put up the tree!

Autumn Leaves

Well, summer is officially over! The leaves are about all off our maple and aspen trees. The yellow, orange, and red colors in the valley of all the different bushes and trees are just striking! Soon the trees will be "bare-naked"! I had a call from Gordon informing me that our handicapped brother, Neil, will have surgery in about three weeks to remove his bladder due to cancer. It will be a challenge for the group home workers to keep him clean. Neil will just not understand what has happened to him. Julie has been out on her mission for a full month and is still a "girl on fire"!! She is so enthusiastic and loves her trainer. I am glad she is doing well; she will be so good for Washington D.C. and it will be good for her! Greg seems to be doing well in Logan. John and I will visit the Brigham City temple and then see Greg next weekend. It will be nice to get out of town. Debbie Spackman and I renewed our Hale Theatre tickets today and then went to lunch. We really enjoy sharing the shows with Mike and Debbie. They have added a lot to our lives. Belana is a senior this year, so she gets to take college entrance tests and apply for scholarships and colleges. Lots of work ahead of her! This December will mark three years that John has spent working in the temple; he seems to really enjoy the work and associations there. I need to get to the temple to see the new things there, but my healing foot has tied me down a bit. Perhaps within the next couple of weeks I can get brave! I guess I must admit that my foot is feeling a tiny bit better. It is sure a slow process. I have decided that only the bathroom and kitchen will get a thorough cleaning this year. Can't do it all, yet. I will use a feather duster to knock out any spider highways along the ceiling, but that will have to do. We have made reservations to fly to Tammy and Dayle's for Thanksgiving. We had credit with Southwest and needed to use it or lose it, so we are leaving town for a week. Happy day!

A Song In My Heart

Time just flies when you're having fun....or when you have limited mobility! My foot is slowly getting stronger, but it is slow. I do hope it is worth it as time goes by! Yesterday, I had my piano students come to our house for a "student recital". They all played well and were proud to share the music they have practiced this summer. I sent them out the door with a little bag of cookies and they left with a smile! Today, Erin left her comfort zone and played the prelude music for her ward sacrament meeting. She played three hymns in the green simplified hymn book, even using the pedal. I about popped my buttons in pride! Here she is just twelve-years-old playing quite confidently; I was fourteen when I first sat on the organ bench. I have high hopes for her! Julie called tonight to say she had received our check for some of her mission expenses; perhaps she can use the funds for a warm winter coat. We will miss not being in Washington State for her farewell address, but she will get lots of support from the other grandparents and her family and friends! She will be a terrific missionary; Washington D.C. will be happy to have her serve there! Yesterday we attended the funeral for Judy Leavitt, a long-time neighbor. She had lived here longer than we have, and we have been here 43 years! Sad to say goodbye. I guess we have left the "new baby", "baptism", "graduation", "marriage" era of our own children; they are now going thru all of the above. We find ourselves seeing old friends at funerals more frequently than at the above-mentioned events! My, but the circle of life turns constantly. We will be having the family here tomorrow for a Labor Day BBQ! We haven't had the Noorda family here for months. Sher is so busy with Young Women and her boys' sports and piano lessons that is has been hard for her to get away. Tomorrow is the day! We will also have the McKea clan come. We will miss Greg now that he is at Utah State for the school year. He has truly entered a new chapter of his life. Well, the summer is slowly fading into fall and the temperatures are gradually dropping. Soon we will be too cold and wishing for a little warmth! Such is the flow of time. May winter be cozy for us all!

It's "Catch-up Time!"

Well, here it is August and I haven't written a thing about June! I guess it's time to "catch up"! Our big adventure in June was joining Mike and Debbie for a road trip to Mt. Rushmore! We travelled about 1600 miles in five days. We got to visit Martin's Cove, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument. We had a great time; John even got lucky and found a rock shop to check out. I had a couple of Summer School Piano Sessions; we learned how to conduct music in 3/4 and 4/4 time. We all had a great time! Also, just for fun I have taken 2-3 piano students to the chapel to learn about the organ. Everyone mastered one hymn on the organ. A great experience for them. I had another surgery....a third one on my right foot. Another titanium screw. I sure hope it holds fast. I don't want to do this again. John has been a jewel to help me these past 6 weeks! Lots of washing, ironing, cooking, shopping, cleaning, etc. I really do appreciate him! Our eldest grand-daughter received her mission call to the "Washington D.C. South Mission". She reports to the M.T.C. on September 18th. Her cousin, Greg, is headed to Utah State for his Freshman year there. Lots of changes for our extended family. We wish them well!! I guess I should mention our family reunion at the Davis Cabin in Brian Head. We have been so blessed to be able to have our whole family under one roof for four days! Lots of 4-wheeling, Dutch Oven cooking, "Minute-to-win-it" games, good food and great company. I learned something about pioneers from this weekend together! John's garden looks fantastic! Looks like lots of potatoes and tomatoes are coming! Can't wait for potato salad, salsa, and bacon-tomato sandwiches! It's six weeks since my surgery and I was happy to be able to finally drive myself to the store today. My foot feels as if it's healing well, but the doctor reminds me to be careful and patient. Guess I have my "walking orders"! :-)

Here We Go Again!

Well, we celebrated our 46th anniversary at the Homestead in Midway, Utah. Such a peaceful, restful and cozy place it is! We loved our trip to Mt. Rushmore with Mike and Debbie; this was the first trip there for each and every one of us! Many miles were driven in a comfy Honda and the company was just great! It is so impressive to see such grand artwork done in the rock! Crazy Horse Monument was awesome, as was Devil's Tower. Martin's Cove gave us cause for reflection....on the dedication of early pioneers. I have worked like crazy to have the flowerbeds planted, the house cleaned, the laundry all caught up, and all of the ironing current and in closets! Why, you ask? Well, I am once again having surgery on my right ankle! Therefore, this entry is "Here We Go Again!". I am now four days post-op. I have yet to feel any pain at all. The worst part of the whole ordeal was the "block" that was put in behind my right knee....very, very painful. A bit like liquid fire shooting into my leg. It did its job and kept me numb for 8-9 hours after surgery. I guess my foot was quite a mess inside with a lot of fluid, a fatty-tissue cyst, a bone chip, a floating stay-peg, and a screw in the wrong location. The doctor assured John that I had plenty of good reason to be experiencing so much pain! My great hope is that I will be glad to have gone under the knife for the seventh time for my crazy feet! Stay tuned and I'll try to report on my progress. I must say that as thankful as I am for my recliner, I'm sure tired of sleeping and sitting all day in the thing! Tonight John is going to take me for a ride in the car....yeah! I missed being with my little Sunbeams, but Carolyn brought me such cute "letters" and posters! Sure cheered me today!

Things Are A-changing

Well, where to begin with all of the recent changes....the sprinkling system works! That has been just a wonderful change for our home. John and I really appreciate all of the hard work given by our family and dear friends! Our eldest grandson graduated from Seminary this past Sunday - so congratulations to Greg! He will graduate from Springville High School this coming Thursday! It appears that he will be heading to Utah State this fall. Julie is working hard and preparing to put in her mission papers - good luck, Julie! Sam turned twelve-years-old today and will be ordained a deacon next Sunday - we are proud of you, Sam! Mike will be having a birthday at the end of May, so we wish him a happy year ahead! Nick has had a great season of cross-country and seems to love to run! Nick, Jason, and Dayle, Jr. are all proud holders of learner's permits; I guess this summer we will have three new drivers in the family! Our water heater broke on Saturday, so John and Mike are busy installing a new one. It's lucky that I have been a good camper over the years, because I don't mind heating water to wash dishes, have a 'sponge bath', or wash hands. It will be a real treat to have hot water though! I wonder who will sneak in the first hot shower??! Erin is loving Young Women and I believe all three McKea girls are enjoying piano lessons...I might be wrong; I'd be the last one to know...hee, hee. Rachel is so excited to learn how to use the sustaining pedal, Jenna has proudly memorized "Clowns", and I just gave Erin a simplified copy of Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #2" and saw a huge smile on her face! It is a song my mother used to play and Erin and I love to hear it on a CD while riding in the car. John and I are happy and reasonably healthy, but we are beginning to feel the effects of being in our seventh decade! We are slower and recover from hard work more slowly, as well. It's hard to complain though, so I won't. Life is good. It is filled with wonderful people and great friends. This brings me to another change or two: long-time friends Pat and Richard Evans have sold their home! We have both been in this neighborhood for over 43 years! We will sure miss them! I have a new calling at church; I get to teach in Primary - Sunbeams, I believe. Well, that's it for now...I told you things are a'changin!!

Christmas in April

Well, we are now the proud owners of a new sprinkling system, thanks to our children, their spouses and their children! Plus, we had some great friends/in-laws help out, too. A couple of kind friends even brought us some special treats! What a huge, three-day job! Yet, with everyone working so hard and long, the job was completed as hoped! Jeff, our Project Manager, did a great job of planning and all were amazing at executing the job! So, thanks to: Jeff, Sherry, Greg, Nick, Jason, Sam, Mike, Katie, Erin, Jenna, Rachel, Matt, Joe, Andy, Dan, Annie, Tammy, Julie. We appreciate and love you all!! Now to get the 'wrinkles ironed out' and a few adjustments made....we will be entering a whole new era! I'm sure John will miss dragging that long water hose all over the yard!! I will try extra hard to make that adjustment myself! :-) It was so amazing to watch everyone help, assist, dig, rake, carry, or adjust without complaint! Truly a special group of people. So, to one and all, many thanks for a wonderful Christmas Present! Hugs and Kisses!!

Another Year Older!

Well, February and March are about ready for the history books! We have had a good time the past eight weeks! Many in our family have added another year to their age....March is "birthday month" around here! I feel pretty much the same as I did a couple of weeks ago....I guess that's good; at least I don't feel any older! John and I drove to Provo in early February and attended a wonderful concert in which Julie sang. The B.Y.U. music staff does a wonderful job! We just loved the concert and are so happy that Julie is having such good musical experiences. We took Erin and Rachel downtown to dinner at JB's and to a choral concert; they seemed to really enjoy the evening. A night at Hale Theater completed our cultural feast; that is always a delightful evening. How they manage to do so many interesting things on stage is beyond me; "Chitty, Chitty Bang, Bang" was fantastic! I got new orthotics for my shoes and hope they helps me. My foot is feeling better all the time. I've had a stint with a strained muscle, but I believe that spring is full of hope and better legs and feet! We look forward to a flight to visit Tammy and her family, so it will be great to feel better. We celebrated three birthdays at the Noorda home last weekend. Mike, Katie and family joined us and Sherry made two wonderful cakes! How to decide between a triple-chocolate and a raspberry-lemon is beyond me. Yum!! After dessert we had pizza in the evening and were joined by Jarom. Super-fun day filled with family!! I anxiously await the delivery of a new twin bed. I have some new sheets to try out and hope I feel like a princess! I sure love and appreciate my family....hugs to all!!

Welcome New Year!

Well, we survived the holidays with flying colors! We really enjoyed our activites with family members and friends. We were so fortunate to go with Sherry, Jeff, Mike, Katie, Jim, Rhonda, Tammy, Dayle, Julie and Brendan to the annual Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert! Many thanks to the new Choir President for helping us get suffient tickets to attend! The program was wonderful, as always, and brought back memories to us of participating for a number of years in these special concerts. How blessed we are! We were amazed that Tammy and Dayle drove all the way out and back in just three days total!! Christmas Eve was fun, too. Breakfast at Mike and Katie's with the opening of a most generous gift to us from our children! It appears that we will be getting a much-needed sprinkling system installed this year. What a wonderful surprise! Once again, I'm feeling blessed...such thoughtful children. Christmas Day found us at Sherry and Jeff's for dinner after a viewing of a movie "The Hobbit". Nice relaxing day and yummy dinner! I scheduled a piano recital for December 29th, so that was another highlight of the month of December. Everyone was so well-prepared and we had 100% of students and parents in attendance. This was a great reward to me after working with 16 students in the previous months! Here we are at the beginning of a new year. It will be interesting to see how the months unfold. We are so grateful for our wonderful, talented, loving, faithful family; they bring us more joy than they can imagine!! We feel blessed to have good health and a good attitude. The latter is necessary as the years add up; we don't do as many things as quickly as we used to do. We are gaining a keen appreciation for the efforts of each of our mothers over the past years and miss them both. Some days I would like to be able to give them each a phone call! Each mother was a tremendous influence of goodness, patience, and devotion. In closing, I must reiterate....we are so blessed!! Happy New Year!