Answered prayer

It is a little late but I need to share. On Veterans Day Erika watched Dylan. He came out of her bedroom and said ha ha I locked your door. Sure enough it was locked and needed a key to unlock it. Since prior renters had put the lock on there was no key. The hinges were on the inside. Erika’s car keys, phone purse were all in her room. What do you do she tried credit card, pushing on the door every thing that she could think of. The next step was pray. Soon her room mate walk in and said I don’t know why I am here. I was out running errands and found my car turning home. She was able to call her dad he came over and had to cut the lock out. I told Erika she was lucky her room mate was in tune. On a funny note Erika is always even temper but she must have raised her voice at Dylan, when Gretchen picked up Dylan he said Tata (which he calls her) is scary!

Catch Up

Sat a tree was cut to be taken to the national capital for the Christmas tree. This is the first time a tree has come from AZ. The tree was off the Apache Sitgreaves national forest up by the Big Lake road. I didn't get up and watch but took the picture off of a friend's album.



We already had our first snow Oct 28 here are pictures. The leaves are still green and on the trees.

I talked today in church about preparing for the temple. Since Gary and I teach the temple prep class. I worked on it all week it was quite nerve racking. Here is a quote I would like to share that I used in my talk.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that “temple work is not an escape from the world but a reinforcing of our need to better the world while preparing ourselves for another and far better world. Thus, being in the Lord’s house can help us to be different from the world in order to make more difference in the world.

Exciting News!!!! Chris my nephew is getting married Dec 12. When he found her it didn’t take long.

Anniversary

Gary and I celebrated our fifteen wedding anniversary the 21. We didn’t do anything special but go out to dinner that night. I jokily said we signed our will which we did the next day. I took thur afternoon off work since I had worked Saturday for a while. We signed our will and went and visited Carla, she is looking good and able to get around her home in her wheel chair quite well. My girls give me a bad time and say Gary had some color in his hair when we got married but things can’t stay the same.

Last night Gary and I had comp tickets to see the “Legends of Country Music”. We only stayed for half of it Gary’s back started hurting so came home. They sang some songs of Marty Robbins I had seened him in Vegas I started thinking of all the stars I was able to see while living there. The first one I saw was Ella Fitzgerald I didn’t want to go but Brenda talked me into it. Elvis twice, Wayne Newton three or four time. Glen Campbell, Bobby Vinton, Andy Williams, Barbara Streisand these are the ones I can remember. I am really dating my self. This back in the day when you dressed up and were dinner shows.

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What to blog about? Do you every wonder what would be interesting enough to write about. There is one good thing Gary and I have been married almost fifteen years, and this is the first time we have had both of our vehicles paid for. It is a good feeling! I always thought when we got close to retirement we would buy a vehicle and get it paid for; not knowing the economy would force us into this. Just wish we were close to getting our home paid for.

Fun stuff:

When you get a letter from your granddaughter.

Watching your grandson play in the water.

The Smell of Manure

One Sunday morning I was listening to BYU and a story was given in talk that I liked so much I found it and would like to share it. This is by Harold W Wood.

On my way to visit the Jameses the other evening, I saw a wheat field that appeared to be greener and talker than the others. Thinking about it for a while, I concluded that occasionally some loving farmer drives over the field with his tractor and pumps manure all over it. I thought, ‘My, it’s just like life. Here we are minding our business, growing our little hearts out. We’re really quite green, somewhat productive, and very sincere. When out of the blue, life deals us a dirty one, and we’re up to our eyebrows in manure.’

We, of course, conclude that life as we know it has just ended and will never be the same again. But one day, when the smell and the shock are gone, we find ourselves greener and more productive than we have ever been. Unfortunately, we are never able to appreciate the sound of the tractor or the smell of the manure.


This week Cory wrecked his truck. He said he blacked out and hit a tree. I can look at that he wasn’t hurt serious, that he didn’t hit anyone. But the truck was total.

Thursday I came home from work and Gary had let the Kirby salesman in the house he came at three and was still here at five when I got home. He told Gary they would clean one room what he did clean was a small area in the living room so I had to finish cleaning the carpets Saturday which wiped me out.

Kaleen had worked with us in the rehab department for five years got a chance to try something new so Friday was her last day; we had a little lunch for her on Friday.

This is just a little of last week.

Rain

We have had some good rain the pass week. I love the smell of rain more so out in the forest. The crisp fresh smell. It washes every thing and gives it a new feeling. I worked with a guy that was in an accident and lost his sense of smell, it is a sense that we take for granted. Sat was a dark and dreary day I told Gary it was a day to make bread and eat beans. I only made bread.

Friday night we went to the RV and St Johns game we held our own most of the game and even got one point ahead, then with 2 minutes left St Johns got the ball and was doing good with driving the ball so Gary and I left then we heard with 60 sec left we made a touch down and won the game. Yea Round Valley!!! Then Sat Gary was watching the BYU and Oklahoma game and BYU won it so it was a good weekend for football.

The leaves are turning on the mountains so that means cold weather is coming, not looking forward to winter.

Random stuff

Here are a few pictures of what we have been doing the last few weeks.
Gretchen had a surprise birthday party for her mother-in-law Pat on Aug 15. She has cancer and going through chemo right now.

The next weekend we stayed home and cleaned. I had bought this saying and put it on our mirror.

Last weekend Aug 23 we went to a pre session Cardinals game. It was fun being in the new stadium.

The Struggle

The Struggle

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly and he kept it. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So to help the poor little butterfly, the man took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man, however, continued to watch the butterfly. He was certain that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to support the body and thus allow it to contract.

Unfortunately, that never happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never became able to to fly.

The man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand one important point. The restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening are all part of a higher plan. As the butterfly struggles through the tiny opening, fluid is forced from its body into its wings. Once the fluid is in the wings, the butterfly is ready for fight. It is the struggle that enables the butterfly to not only gain its freedom……but also to take flight.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we were to go through our lives without any difficulties, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been We would never be able to fly!!

Take this story and apply it where you thing it might help. I have seen the results of not letting your children struggle and growing up still asking your 89 year old mother for financial help. There is nothing wrong with your children working, even if it isn’t the glamour job he wants.

New Sign

During one of our spring winds our sign at the store got beaten up. So now we have a new sign as of this week. Smaller but nice and insurance covered it!

Cherry Tree

We planted this cherry tree about 10 years ago. We have only had cherries on it one other time. This year there were enough to make a pie and freeze some. From tree to CHERRY pie!!!

Erika made the pie when she was home for the 4th

Before the pie was baked

Gary after he had enjoyed pie and ice cream!

Visit

Keanu our grandson was here visiting family. We hadn’t seen him for 2 years, since Gary’s 60th birthday. He has grown up a lot and is being a typical eleven year old. We took him with Donella’s family to Buzz’s for dinner and had a good visit. Here are pictures with Gary and him.

He called this one his cheesy smile

Sad/New

Sat 7-11-09 I attended two funerals. One, for a young mother with five children. Tracy Pulsipher she was 40 years old. Not sick but collapsed at work and died a few days later. The next funeral was Darwin Slade he was 85 it was a large service with Elder W Douglas Shumway giving the spiritual thought. They had served together in the bishopric

Around 3:00pm Gary and I went to Show Low. It was time that we could up grade our phones. I told Gary I wanted texting added so now to learn this new function. We started with a small amount to see how it goes. It was funny I texted Cory this evening and he texted back and said he had a new phone and wanted to know who this was when I finally told him he said “you know how to text?” I told him to text his dad which he did and was surprised to hear back from him. Now we are part of the 21 century! From this phone

to this!!

While in show Low we stopped and saw Carla. Her coloring looked a lot better. It is hard visiting her in a care center. I hope she gets to go home soon!

4th

What a busy 4th of July. Gretchen, Erika, Steve, Devin, Dylan and Pat came up Fri. afternoon. We were going camping but changed our plans. Fri evening we went to Idonna’s at Luna NM rode 4 wheelers, visited, barbecue, set off fire works. T.J. and family was there, Joy husband John and Shawn were home from Virginia. We had a great time.

Sat morning watched the parade had a lot of family come to Wally’s and watch the parade. Afterwards we went to the house and barbecued again just hung out then watched the fireworks from our deck. Sunday visited, and then family had to go home. Weekends go by way to fast! We did not get rained on the whole weekend. Monsoons are suppose to start on the 4th.

Roby

I have been thinking a lot about my brother Roby this week. He passed away June 29, 2004 and was burried July 5. I was eleven years old when he was born. I wanted to do every thing for him. I talked mom into letting me tend him one night and get up with him for his feeding, I had to be twelve then I am sure mom checked on me. I did his landry, washed bottles anything mom would let me. I was seventeen when I graduated high school and left home. So wasn’t home during his gowning up years. He was only eleven when our mom has a mass stroke and then three years later she passed away. My dad and he were best friends. They worked together cleaning the school, getting wood, looking after Lamar’s cows, any thing that had to be done. He was also helping us girls after we moved home with our kids. He was the one that baptized our children, and was like a father figure. I remember I had run out of wood one winter so he and I were out in the snow getting me some wood. I could go on and on. He was a wonderful brother.

I found this quote that I put on his funeral program. “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know; the only ones among you will be happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”Albert Schweitzer. Every one in Alpine was always telling us how he had help them out. What a way to be remembered!!

He loved to take pictures this is one of his many.

Visit

We had a GREAT visit with Robin, Ralph, Rosey and Ryan. They got here Friday afternoon. We visited and ate pizza that night. Saturday enjoyed each other. That evening Robin and Ralph took Gary out to eat for his birthday. We went to the Chuck Wagon in Show Low. Sunday morning Rosey, Ryan and I had a snowball (huge marshmallows) fight. It was a lot of fun when I was cleaning the house I found one that was hiding. After church we came home and had a turkey dinner for father’s day. They left Monday morning when I went to work. Weekends like this go by way to fast. The kids had grown up so much since the last time we saw them. I got to spend time some good quality time with them! What fun!

Rosey setting on grandpa’s lap.

What at a happy kid Ryan is

Stuff

Just thought I would share a few different things.
The other morning I was on my way to work and this is what I saw. Gary and I knew they were working on the dome we had seen men by the sky lights and hearing them drop things, so now I guess they are ready to put in the new sky light. The old ones have been leaking for a few years.

We have to wear black shirts at work; we can choose what color of embroidery the logo is in. I came home two weeks ago and didn’t change and started cleaning one of the bathrooms. The lid to the toilet bowl cleaner came off and got all over my shirt. So I order one another one with gold lettering and decided I needed something bright so got this green one too.

Don’t you like my new header!!! Robin is here and helped me. Yea!! Will write more later about their visit.

Flying $10 bill

Sat Gary and I went to the cemeteries to fix the graves and put flowers on them since we did not make it Memorial Day. First we went to Eagar all we had to do was replace the old flowers on Lester, Laverne, Dwain, Maureen, Jeanie, Grandpa and Grandma Wiltbank. Then we went to Alpine. Idonna and Brad met us there. We did not make it last year so had to find the rocks that went around the graves, take care of the weeds. We have four generation there my brother Robbie, Mom & Dad, Grandpa and Grandma Jepson six aunts and one uncle, great grandparents and aunts and uncles and a lot more.

On the way back to town (Eagar) I stopped to take a picture of the rode sign that has Lester and Red name on it. I opened my camera case out side the vehicle. Idonna had given me a $10 bill to pay for some things I had brought for her and I had put it in the camera case. The wind was blowing so bad that it blew away I just watched it go. When I got back inside Gary asked me if that was money I said yes ten dollars he said he watched it and thought he saw where it landed I pulled up a little and he got out and went to it and was able to find it. Talk about lucky!

Memorial Day and Illinois

Trying to play catch up is not fun.
Gretchen, Steve, Erika, Devin, Devin’s friend Chad and Dylan came up for Memorial Day the boys camped out and we drove back and forth and came home to a bed and shower. Cory and Staci came and ate with us Sunday and also spent time with us Monday. It was cold and rained so wasn’t too much fun. Monday when we were there it started raining that turned into hail. So we started packing up in the rain to come back in and get cleaned up.

Thru May 28 Erika called me to let me know that her Aunt Jane had called and said their grandmother had had a massive stroke. Then we received a call the next morning saying she had passed away. She lived in Illinois. Gretchen, Erika and I started talking how we could go to the funeral. (My x-mother-in-law was one of the best mother-in-laws you could ask for we still talked and was planning on go out in July for her 90th birthday) We checked the air planes fares it was going to cost more that we wanted to pay so decided to rent a car (dodge cougar) and drive the 1500 miles one way. Gretchen and Erika came up sat evening and we got up Sunday morning and left around 9:00AM our time we drove all day and night and got there 7:00AM their time it was a long drive. There was a viewing from 4:00PM to 8:00 that evening. Which was good, I was able to introduce Gretchen and Erika to cousins and one is working on genealogy for the Ladewig side. Tuesday morning was the funeral. We had some good visits in the evening setting around the table and exchanging stories. Thursday morning we got up and started the trip home, before we left Jane gave me so money and told me not to let Ernie (my x) know. I started crying and told her, her mother use to do that all the time. My girls and I had a good time with each other and lots of laughs it was to bad it under the circumstances.

While we were gone Gary was watching the Lakers and Magic game yesterday. He said the electric went off. He went got the generator and hooked it up. The power was off till half time. Yea he got to watch the game!!

Happy & Sad

Sat started out exciting we had finally made arraignment to do Dwain and Jeannie temple work. We had to be at the temple at 8:30 and went to the 10:00 session. Gary stood proxy for Dwain and Carla was proxy for Jeanie. We also had Dwain and Jeanie sealed to their parents. I also did my aunts’ endowments (Elsie).

Here again I am thankful for the temple and the knowledge that we can be families for eternity. Betty and her husband Ray and daughter Terri was there with us. We went to lunch after wards. It was a very humbling morning when I stopped and thought of the love our father in heaven has for us.

When we go home my sister Idonna called and told me our cousin Jon had called and said his mother our aunt Gladys had passed away, she is the last one of my mother’s siblings. There were nine total. We were given the web site for her obituary I had never read a more beautiful written one.

Gladys Lee Bronson (January 5, 1923 - May 15, 2009)
On May 15, 2009, Gladys Lee Bronson left behind her mortal body - aged and tired - and flew home on wings of light. Never encumbered by things of this world (unless it was an interesting rock, a twisted tree branch, or a sunset) she preferred to travel light. The travel bag under her wing only had room for love…love of the scriptures, for Heavenly Father and the Savior, and love for family, especially for her husband Boyd.
Born January 5, 1923 in Cudahy, Los Angeles, California to Hyrum Doyle Lee and Nellie Hamblin, she is the eighth of nine children. All of her beloved siblings have preceded her in death and have welcomed her home with laughter and tears.
Left behind are her husband, Boyd C. Bronson, daughters, Ann (Flake) Fairbourn, Elaine (Dale) Kemp, Cynthia (Morris) Decker, son, Jonathan Boyd (Renee) Bronson, and daughter Barbara (Kip) Allred and 28 grandchildren and 34 great grandchildren, 36 by years end.
Gladys flitted between California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico all before joining the Women’s Air Corp in WWII. Alighting in Logan in the fall of 1946, she attended Utah State University on the GI bill, where she and Boyd met and courted. They were married July 21, 1948, in the St. George LDS Temple. Their homes have been nestled in the Salt Lake Valley the majority of the time: Salt Lake, Murray, and Sandy. After their children left the nest, Boyd and Gladys spread their wings and flew to the Philippines for six years from 1984 to 1990 where they helped the Philippine government build a steel mill. Active in the LDS church and still soaring, they served a mission to Kenya, Nairobi, Africa and Swaziland, South Africa where Gladys’ song took on renewed fervor. Loving and serving each other for over sixty years, they have lived for each other.
Some lines from “Mountain Whippoorwill” by Stephen Vincent Benet, one of Gladys’ favorite poems for some seventy years, seem appropriate.
“Sing till yuh bust the gold in yore throat! Sing on the mountains, little whippoorwill, Sing to the valleys, an' slap 'em with a hill, For I'm struttin' high as an eagle's quill,”
You’ve been Our Mountain Whippoorwill, Mom. You have sung till you’ve “bust the gold in your throat”.
“Whippoorwill, fly home to your nest”.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 23rd at 1:00 p.m. at the Sunrise Ward meeting house, 1850 East 8600 South, Sandy, Utah. Family and friends may call Friday 5 – 7 pm at Jenkins-Soffe South Valley, 1007 W. South Jordan Pkwy, (10600 So.) and Saturday from 11 – 12:30 pm at the church. Interment will be in the Salt Lake City Cemetery on Tuesday, May 26th at 11:00 am.


The funeral is next Saturday in Sandy Ut it looks like we will not be able to go. She has had Alzheimer’s and then in a care center for the last little while. Uncle Boyd loved her so much he was there every day and spent all day there. My mothers family was a fun loving people they loved to tell stories, sing, and joke so I can only imagine the reunion that look place. Then I thought about the reunion that we had help take place that morning! Isn’t life wonderful!!