Disneyland for Christmas

During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I got the brilliant idea to take Kendi and Taisley to Disneyland when we took Grandma Doris home . . . BIG MISTAKE! We left her home in Corona at around 10 a.m. on Monday, December 29 - drove about 20 minutes to the entrance of the Magic Kingdom - then waited in line to park (at a cost of $12 per car . . . and there were thousands of cars). Then we walked and walked and walked to the gate to buy tickets . . . at a cost of $69 for the park jumper pass or $99 each for Disneyland only!!! When we finally got our tickets at 2 p.m. (Yes, that’s right . . . 4 hours from when we first pulled off Ball Avenue and onto Disney property), we were told the park hopper passes were cheaper, but we would not be able to go to Disneyland until after 5 p.m. (California Adventure was our option during the day). Lucky for us the park didn’t close until midnight which gave us plenty of time to go on maybe six rides because there were approximately 150,000 people in the park. I have been to Disneyland dozens of times in my lifetime . . . and have NEVER seen so many people in one place before! Assuming every person in the park spent an average of $200 each (counting parking, entrance fees, food and souvenirs), we estimated the day we spent there was a $10,000,000 day for Disney!

To quote your Dad: "I love Disneyland . . . it’s the expense, the people, the traffic, and the rides I don’t like!"

Top Ten Family Stories of 2008

Here it is . . . the eagerly anticipated Sappington family Top Ten stories of 2008. As you see in this list, we have had some very high highs as well as some very low lows, but we have survived and are still moving on down the road of life! 

#10 . . . Dad gets the first hole-in-one of his lifetime on November 18 (see blogspot writeup of November 18, 2008). #9 . . . In September we flew to the Big Island of Hawaii with our friends Stan and Diane Blackett. Our primary reason was to attend a memorial service for Uncle Phil (see #4 of our family’s top ten stories of 2008), but while there we took full advantage of this vacation paradise with its beautiful weather and spectacular beaches. During our vacation, Stan showed us a quarter-sized bump on the side of his face and asked if we thought it was anything serious. It didn’t look serious to us, but we - as Diane had been doing all along - encouraged him to have a doctor check it out so he could stop worrying. He made an appointment when he got home and to our shocked surprise the diagnosis was non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He is now into his second month of chemotherapy. He seems to be doing very well with his treatment and we are hopeful there will be many more trips together in the future. We certainly love the Blacketts, a fun couple who over the past few years, have become some of the closest friends of our married life. #8 . . . In May we traveled to Ogden to witness the graduation from Clearfield High School of Kelly’s daughter and our 2nd oldest granddaughter, Whitney Maycock. This straight "A" student with a heart of gold was honored by her more than 450 classmates with the "Heart of the Falcon" Award, as an example of the values of the class of 2008. In early June, Allysa Lund, Stacy’s oldest daughter and our oldest granddaughter graduated from Millcreek High School in St. George. They both looked beautiful in their caps and gowns and, as grandparents, we are very proud of Whitney and Allysa for the accomplishment of this milestone. #7 . . . Whitney, Kelly and Stacy are off to college! After graduation in May, Whitney enrolled at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where she is studying psychology. At the same time, Kelly signed up with the University of Phoenix where she is studying business communications. Stacy, who currently works as a CNA at Dixie Regional Medical Center, has recently enrolled in the nursing program at Dixie State College where she will work, over the next few years, toward a degree as a Registered Nurse. Once she has an RN after her name, she is pretty much assured employment anywhere and for as long as she wants to work due to a worldwide nursing shortage! #6 . . . Maxie, our 17-year-old Schnauzer, was put to sleep by her longtime veterinarian Bruce Jacobson on May 11 (see blogspot writeup of October 23, 2008) #5 . . . Stacy, Kendi and Taisley come home to Provost Road. On May 25, the last day of the school year, Stacy moved home with her two daughters, Kendi (age 12) and Taisley (age 6) following the initiation of a difficult divorce which has left her finances in the tank! Kendi is now a student at Tonaquint Intermediate School and Taisley is in the 1st grade at Bloomington Elementary School. Because Stacy works 3 12-hour shifts each week at DRMC, it has been good for the kids to come home after school to "Grandpa Mom." Although the house was not built for this many people, it has worked out OK and we thoroughly enjoy having the kids around (most of the time)! #4 . . . Phil Sappington, the youngest of Phil and Mina Sappington’s 4 sons, passed away quietly in his sleep on July 10, 2008 from complications of lymphoma (see blogspot writeup of October 26, 2008). #3 . . . Adyn is welcomed into the family! Our adorable 8th granddaughter and 12th grandchild came into the world on July 8. She is a spitting image of her daddy, Josh who has been utterly and completely wrapped around the tiny finger of this precious little girl since the first minute he held her in his arms (see blogspot writeup of October 31). #2 . . . On June 17, following a massive heart attack, my dad Dexter Henion passed away quietly in his sleep at the age of 93. He lived a good life, made many friends and is greatly missed by his family. (See blogspot writeup of October 6). Of most importance to me at this difficult time , was the love and support I received from my children, all who were by my side - though most had to travel great distances at enormous expense - as I said goodbye to my father. and the #1 story of 2008 is: "Nation’s economic downturn wrecks havoc in the family." Call it a recession, a depression or just a downturn in the economy, the second half of 2008 was memorable because of the terrible toll it took on our family. Kris, who has spent the past several years as a mortgage loan processor making big money in California, saw her business vanish before her very eyes. She was able to find a job as an office manager for a physician in her community but does not have anywhere near the income in this new field. To make ends meet, she does other work from home in the evening but will no doubt, lose her home. Kaytee and Josh have also had more than their share of economic disaster. Josh, who worked with his dad and brother as partners in the state’s largest concrete company, saw the construction industry in St. George dry up - almost overnight - ultimately resulting in a business bankruptcy and the inevitable loss of their home. Michael, too, has been hit hard by problems in the mortgage business. His framing company - Blue Ledge Construction - is no more! Last summer he had three crews working around the clock - this year, he went four months without a paycheck. Ultimately, he dissolved the company partnership, wished his partner well and is moving on! Tara accepted a fulltime job with benefits at the bridal shop where she has been working part time for the past six months. Through these difficult times, Michael and Tara - who have enormous faith in the Lord - have had miracles happen on their behalf. As hard as their current situation is, Michael continues to move forward believing "this too shall pass." Stacy, too is struggling financially, not so much because of the nation’s economic woes, but because of a divorce. She looks forward to a day when she and her girls will once again have a place of their own, but is making the best of her circumstances - going back to school and working hard at the hospital. Of our six offspring, Kelly and David are probably doing the best financially and seem to be (relatively) unaffected by the economic situation. David changed jobs in 2008, leaving behind his job with Lowe’s and signing on with Apple Computer where he is very happy, in part because he got an increase in pay and a cut in his hours. Kelly and Gary, employees at Hill Air Force Academy, are economically sound and happy to be sharing their lives together - especially since the renovation of their home is now complete. Here’s hoping 2009 is a far better year for our family and our country!