Friday, April 5, 2013

I awoke to a text from Trenda Wilhelm at 5:50 am.  She was going to bring her registration form by last night after her mom got home but she says her mom didn't get home until 2 a.m.  I guess I'm just curious but I wonder where Sister Wilhelm was until 2 a.m.
I'm so happy that Trenda woke me up.  If she hadn't I may have missed the 7 elk grazing just outside my bedroom window. 
I just thought I would give an update on James and his "new" truck.  He took it to Erik and Erik did something to it to keep it from shaking every time he hits a bump at high speed.  James also traded in the sports tires that were on it which made a huge difference.  Now he's pretty happy with it except he still sounds like a drag-racing teenager when he starts his engine.  He needs a silencer on his muffler.

I met Sandra Wilehlm and Natalie Soderquist at the church today at 2:15.  Sandra gave me Trenda's Youth Conference registration form and Natalie gave me a blank one for Mary since we never could track down her other one. Sandra also gave me $25 cash for the rest of the registration fee for Trenda.  The stake paid the other $20 per youth.  Next I went into Show Low and met Mary at the Dominoes Pizza.  We filled out her form and she gave me $25 in cash.  I walked down to Baldwin & Jones Accounting and gave both envelopes with the girls names on them to the only person I saw in the office.  I didn't know her but when I told her the envelopes were for Fawne Jones she went in to a room and came back without them.  I called Fawne later on and she said she would be sure and pick them up.  Glad that's done and over with.
I continued with my errands.  I picked up prescriptions at Walgreens and did some grocery shopping at Walmart.  I got stuff to make Pioneer Woman's chicken and noodles and I bought steaks for dinner tomorrow and the ingredients to make crockpot chicken cordon bleu for Sunday.  I went home, put things away, made my chicken and noddles which were quite tasty and sat down to relax. I used a rotisserie chicken I bought at Walmart instead of boiling a chicken. It was the quick and easy choice and was very delicious.  I spent the rest of the evening waiting for Kim, Brian, Joe, and James to arrive.  They all got here at the same time, around 10:30.  Kim, Brian, and Joe came up to watch conference with us.  Now it's time for bed!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

James had a major mishap today.  He lost a load of wire mesh on the freeway.  He ran out into traffic and retrieved all of it but couldn't help but compare when the same thing happened twenty years ago and people were stopping to help him.  He said the only response he got this time were people honking their horns and one guy yelling out his window, "get out of the way."  I guess we can be grateful that's all he yelled.

I read an article in the Ensign today and being self-reliant and how when we are self-reliant we are better able to serve others.  James and I want to become more self-reliant so we can spend more of our time serving in the Church. 

I guess Ben has encountered a bully at school.  He has been acting funny and not wanting to go to school.  Mom to the rescue.  She spoke to the principal who just so happens to be her former PE teacher, Susan Avery.  Ms. Avery said they were aware the boy Ben is referring to is a bully.  She is going to tell him they caught him on school monitors bullying other kids so that way he won't find out Ben said anything.  Ben is especially worried about one of the other boys that this guy bullies.  I can't stand bullies!!

Well after only 2-3 weeks, Wynonna Judd is off Dancing with the Stars.  She wasn't very good but I feel sorry for her partner Tony.  Thank goodness he had a win last year with Melissa Rycroft.  Who knows when it will happen again for him.

I made arrangements today to pick up Mary and Trenda's registration for youth conference tomorrow.  They were suppose to be in by March 30th but I guess better late than never.  I will pick them up tomorrow and take them to the office of Baldwin & Jones Accounting in downtown Show Low where Fawne Jones, our stake young women's president works.  I gave Shelly and Jordyn's registration to her last Wednesday.  Mary gave her registration form to Brother Applegate but it seems to have disappeared.

In world news, Norther Korea is threatening to attack the United States.  Do we take them seriously?  I don't know.

Wednesday, April 3, 2012

James made me an appointment at Brake Masters today.  The guy said he didn't have any openings but would work me in and be done by noon if I brought my car in at 7:30.  I wanted to leave home before noon so I declined and we rescheduled for next Friday morning, the 12th.
Well I loaded up 12 boxes from downstairs and went to Sam's Club to get gas.  My card was declined.  We need to renew our membership.  I guess I'll put that on my To Do List for next week. I got my gas at Quick Trip instead.  The price was the same as Sam's Club, $3.79 for high octane.  Now for my big decision, which way to go home.  My stomach tells me the Globe way so I can stop at Burger House for one of their delicious green chili burros.  My stomach wins although I really don't like the drive nearly as well as the Payson way.
I passed a "flock of snowbirds" heading north for the summer.  What I really mean is I passed so many Minnesota and a few Michigan motorhomes headed home.  Once spring training is over, that's it, they are outta here.  Monday was the opening day of the regular baseball season.  The D-Backs were sold out.
I got home at 1:30 in the afternoon.  I unpacked and took a short nap.  I made handouts for the young women to remind them of General Conference.  On a can of grape Fanta I put a label that said: Be a Fan of General Conference.  Darn!  I thought I took a picture but I can't find it.
After my nap I got up and took a shower and got ready for tonight's Young Women meeting.  I had to be at the church at 5.  We are leaving at 5:15 for the stake center in Show Low to attend a dinner and then a rebroadcast of Saturday nights General Young Women Broadcast.
Kaeli Nicoll and I both drove.  Natalie Soderquist, our president, did not attend.  Kilee and Jordyn rode with Kaeli and Shelly and LeeAnn rode with me.  Trenda was not with us.  She is being inducted into the National Honor Society this evening.  Way to go Trenda!  Mary stayed in town after school and met us at the stake center.  She now has her own car.  A pretty little white Pontiac TransAm just like Darrel used to have.
The broadcast was wonderful.  We heard from all of the General Young Women's Presidency: Ann Dibbs, the second counselor, Mary N. Cook, the second counselor, and Elain S. Dalton the General Young Women's President.  We also heard from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  He told about escaping from East Germany into West Germany with his Mom.
After the broadcast Kilee and LeeAnn rode home with me.  We stopped at Maverick for a snack.  As we were headed for Vernon I remembered that I had forgotten to give the girls in Kaeli's car their Fantas.  I called Kaeli and she was a ways ahead but said they would wait for us at the church.  The speed limit most of the way between Show Low and Vernon is 65.  It was my belief that you could go ten over and not be stopped so although I normally go 70 i bumped it up to 75.  Big mistake.  When a car stopped on the side of the road turned and began following me I knew I was in trouble.  Sure enough I got stopped.  How embarrassing!  What an example for Kilee and LeeAnn.  After checking my record, he was gone a long time, the officer came back and just gave me a warning.  How lucky can you get.  The moral of the story: don't go 10 over the speed limit and if you do you better have a good driving record on file.
We met up with Kaeli, Shelly and Jordyn.  We all had a good laugh and I gave everyone their Fantas and told them to watch General Conference.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

I read from my Book of Mormon and then went out to water plants and grass.  I am afraid I got to much Weed & Feed on the lawn and it is going to have the opposite effect.  Instead of greening up the grass I wonder if it will kill it.  I hope not.
Today I had a doctor's appointment with Dr. Sam Walters in Scottsdale.  He prescribes my thyroid pills and my hormone creams.  I go to him once a year for a checkup.  I don't look forward to it.  He is not on my insurance and it is very costly.  He is always very complementary and tells me I look beautiful but I am quite sure he does that to all of his women patients.  He asks some pretty personal questions.  I feel like saying that is privileged information but then I realize he is only trying to help me.  Since I began going to him in 2003 my overall health has improved quite dramatically!  Just ask James.
On the way home I went by Power Toyota to see Erik.  He was suppose to fix my brakes but when I got there he said he could not longer do side jobs as of this morning.  He help me get a discount on some brake pads and then told me to make an appointment with Brake Masters. 
When I got home James was there.  He is worried about Zaki who is in the hospital with two bulging disks.  They are going to do surgery one him very soon. 
We called Darrel and ask if we could come and see him and the kids.  Trina is at work.  Of course the kids had to show us their baby chicks.  There are six of them, two for each kid, and they all have names but I can't for the life of me remember them.

Right now the chicks are in a box in the garage under a warming lamp.  Trina's Dad is going to build them a coop.
Rowan still has his tortoise and he also got some sea monkeys for Easter that he had to show us.  Ruby and Rowan were in a playful mood while Addy was busy doing her homework.

Something about guessing how many pennies can fit in a container.

Rowan had to show me his frog puppet head.

Addy finished her homework and cried when we said we were leaving.  We stayed a little longer so she could play with grandpa too.

A funny story about Evan today.  I was sitting in the dining room at home eating some cinnamon stix Jolly Ranchers.  Max tried them and said they were too hot.  Evan tried one and loved it.  He came back for 2 or 3 more!  A kid that has my taste in candy.

I went to Walmart today and the guard was a large blonde tough looking guy with a ponytail and a shirt that said Asset Protection.  At least I thought he was tough looking until I saw him from the front and he had makeup on.  Really??

On the way home from Darrel's we stopped at Taco Bell for dinner.  When we got home we got to see Jared Ammon for a few minutes.  He came over to do his laundry. 

Monday, April 1, 2013

James and I were up by 3:40 this morning.  We left by 4:16.  I said the family prayer and then I slept while James drove.  He went the Globe way because he is in a hurry to get some equipment back by 8 am.
James went to work and I went shopping at Walmart.  Before I went I made my yearly appointment with Dr. Walters for tomorrow.  I need refills on my thyroid and hormone creams.

At Walmart I bought a blouse, a blow dryer to keep here because I forgot mine, the movie Lincoln and some Weed & Feed and Roundup for the yard.  One the way home I went by Taco Bell for lunch.

John Usher, his wife and one of his boys came by to finish the yard this afternoon.  I was so happy to have my yard looking good again!  Hopefully Stacy and Paul will be able to keep it up.  I put Weed & Feed on the front lawn and watered it and put Round-Up on all of the grass in the planters.

When James got home we went to Olive Garden for dinner.  They have been advertising their Tuscany chicken scampi and I was dying to try it.  It did not disappoint.  James had what he always has at Olive Garden, chicken marsala.

I have rediscovered Cleon Skousen's "Treasures from the Book of Mormon" and I am so excited to read it along with my study of the Book of Mormon.  I also found a book I am going to read again: "Emma and Joseph, Their Divine Mission."

I took a picture of Princess Holly on her throne.

Josh in his new Batman shirt in

a Batman pose.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter!

 I am so grateful for the Savior's Atonement and his Resurrection.  My mother passed away 14 years ago today and because of the resurrection I know I will see her again.


I spent the morning preparing bags of candy, notes and photos of Christ for the young women.

Picture of the Savior's Resurrection is 

inside the envelope with a personal note from me.

Bishop Hall was not at sacrament meeting today.  He is on bed rest because earlier in the week he had a low heart rate and had to be evacuated from Page to Flagstaff. 

Lannie Gillespie and Will Westbrook were the speakers in sacrament meeting today.  They both gave excellent talks on the Atonement.  The young men and young women sang "I Wonder When He Comes Again."  It was a wonderful meeting.

During Sunday School we talked about the sacrifices the early members of the Church made to spread the gospel.  We talked about being a community of saints and how to us, Vernon is the center of the universe.  It was kind of a joke, but the people from here love it so much it feels that way to them.

During the third hour Brother Applegate and Brother Smith spoke to the adults and the young men and young women.   Brother Applegate spoke about the witnesses of the resurrected Christ.  Brother Smith spoke about Isaiah 53:2-9, the prophecy about the Savior and how he would suffer for our sins.  It was such a good meeting.  I am glad the young women were there.

We came home and had a lunch of chicken salad on croissants and we each took a nap afterwards.  Our home teacher, Collin DeWitt is coming around 3:30 so it was a short nap for me.  

James helped me get the house in order by cleaning the kitchen and vacuuming.  I waxed the wood floor and we were ready when Collin and his wife Wendy arrived on their 4-wheeler.  They loved the cabin and were amazed that James built it.  We gave them a tour and then we sat down for a visit.  They told us about their son-in-law, David Zimmerman, who plays Jesus in the Easter pageant.  They said last Thursday night the mule he was riding in the Palm Sunday seen bucked him off.  He flew several feet into the air and landed on his feet and waved to the crowd. 

 I ask Collin if he grew up in Phoenix and he said yes.  I said, were you in the Phoenix East Stake, the Phoenix 7th ward and he said yes.  I said, Collin I remember you in my ward.  What school did you go to?  Creighton.  That's where I went to school.  He said, "I had Miss Riordan in the second grade, and I responded, so did I!"  He asked me where I lived and I said 3022 E. Garfield.  He said, "I lived at 3139 E. Garfield." I told him if I had known that I would have ridden my bicycle down the block by his house a little more often.  (I had a bit of a crush on him.) Collin was so excited that we had estabished a connection,  he said: "Vernon really is the center of the universe."  Although we both had Miss Riordan in the second grade we figured out that Collin was a year behind me in school.  I didn't remember him from school, I remembered him from church.  It is a small world.  His wife Wendy is very famous for her food storage ideas.  James and I saw her on BYU TV and I have her DVD and all of her food storage ideas.  She said she would show me how to pressure cook and bottle elk so that it would taste just like beef.  We have some new friends!

For dinner we had ham, cheesy potatoes, rolls and peas.  It was a wonderful Easter.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

I was up early this morning to finish writing notes to each of the grandkids.  After finishing the notes I went outside and hid 160 plastic Easter eggs, including a $5 boy egg and a $5 girl egg.  I also cooked the ham and rolls and got the strawberries and veggies and the chicken salad I bought at Sam's Club yesterday.  Laura came over and brought my family history notebook.  She said I had left it in the stake family history library.  I was glad to have it back.
Joshua hunted for a few eggs this morning before he left to go to the zoo with Stacy and Paul and his cousins on Paul's side.  Kim, Sheri, and Trina got here around 10 and the egg hunt began.

This boy didn't need any help finding eggs.

Ruby finding an egg.

Love that smile.

The big boys joined in to look for the $5 egg.

Addy found the girls $5 egg, with a little help.

These girls weren't here to look for the $5 egg.

Evan looking at his loot.  He found the $5 boys egg!!  

We were all so proud of him.

Trina telling us that she and Darrel want to go to Hawaii

for three years after his graduates.

She thinking about what Trina just told us.

We aren't too happy about it.

James had to work at Zaki's and missed out on all the fun.  When Ian went home he took him a plate of food.

Kim told us a pretty incredible story about Bishop Elmer.  He was mowing the lawn at the mortuary one day when he heard someone screaming for help.  He went out back in the alley and saw a guy pounding a police officer.  He immediately jumped on him, broken hip and all and was giving the guy a good pounding.  He stopped and the guy head butted him.  Bishop Elmer told him if he did that again he would be sorry.  He did it again and Bishop pounded the guy until he passed out.  The guy had a knife and Bishop had it in his back pocket when nine police cars showed up.  Bishop put his hands in the air and the officer he helped shouted: "Don't bother the old guy, he saved my life."  (Chelsea said that hurt him worse than the wounds he received in the fight.)  I guess the officer who was taking the beating was a federal agent and his abuser was a Mexican National that was high on drugs.  All day long police kept coming by the Bishop's house to thank him for what he did.  One of Cid's friends sent her this picture.

Don't mess with Michael Elmer.

Adam came by and brought back Lightning's cage.  I guess she died.  He seemed a little sad although he didn't like the bird very much.  Adam also shared some of the latest excerpts from his book which is going to be an 8 book series.  He really does have a talent for writing.

James left his truck in Chandler and we drove home together in my car.  We stopped at Burger House in Miami and at the Walmart in Miami.