Holiday "Crunch Time"

Two days before Christmas - the period known as "crunch time" for those who still had things to do to prepare for the big day - I was feeling pretty proud of myself because all the gifts had been purchased, wrapped and mailed or under the tree. The house was clean, dinner was on the stove and I had the day off! I couldn't imagine a better scenario when I decided to drive over to my office to deliver gifts to my staff before doing some last minute grocery shopping. I came up over the hill, pulled up behind a large white utility van sitting at the stop sign at the corner of Mesa Palms and Dixie Drive, waiting - I thought - to turn right or left. Then without warning, the driver threw his car into reverse and backed into me, completely destroying the front end of my 2001 Saturn! I laid on the horn, but to no avail. No one was hurt . . . the airbags didn't deploy . . . and his insurance is going to pay for the repairs. He was very apologetic as he explained he had forgotten his cell phone and was going to back up the hill to his house. Unfortunately, his spontaneous plan did not involve someone sitting behind him at the stop sign! It took the insurance company several days to decide if they were going to repair or "total" my car because the high book value on my 9-year-old Saturn is $5500 and the low book value is $2500 - but the cost of repairs is going to be about $4000. In the end, they decided they would repair it because my car is so clean and has low mileage. So in about a week, I will have my car back!

Christmas on Provost Road

Christmas 2009 is now a memory . . . and as usual, we spent way too much, ate way too much, shopped way too much and in general overdid in every way possible. On the other hand, we had lots of fun with Uncle Larry who came for a visit and brought Grandma Doris (he flew from Seattle to Ontario, CA . . . rented a car and drove the six hours to St. George - and back again) so we could all be together once more before we leave for an 18-month mission to somewhere in the world. (Our plans are to leave in October 2010 which means we will miss two Christmases at home.)

Santa Claus brought us a Wii. After Christian Goldhardt, our 12-year-old neighbor came over and hooked it up, Taisley and Larry quickly proved themselves to be champion level bowlers! Grandma Linda finally finished and distributed, the "History of Cuz’N Camp" which Whitney called her favorite gift of this year. Santa brought Grandpa a 46" flat screen TV and two new suits (see previous "mission" reference) though he was, once again, offended at not getting anything from Grandma Doris!

As with every other Christmas holiday, there was also a whole lot of coming and going. Stacy worked on Christmas day and Kendi spent the weekend at her dad’s house. Bruce and Georgia came over for dinner, Allysa and Josh came and went with Daxton, and everyone called to report on their gifts and activities.

On Sunday, we loaded Larry and Grandma Doris in the car and drove 2 ½ hours to meet Kelly, Gary, and Whitney - who drove down from Ogden - as well as Michael and Tara - who came from Pleasant Grove - for lunch at (not Uncle) Larry’s Drive-in in Fillmore. For two hours, we laughed, chatted and got caught up, then went outside for family photos before heading for home.

The Joke is on the Doctor!

My annual physical with Dr. Claude Warner, an internist and a member of my ward, was an odd experience with this man I have gone to church with for years examining my body. After poking, probing and tapping in all the necessary places, he concluded I am a fine speciman of health - "with the pulse of a 20-year-old, and the heart and blood pressure of a 30-year old. I can’t find a single thing wrong with you!" I suggested he call my kids. They will be happy to share their list with him!

The Men Who Are My Sons

A mother’s heart routinely vacillates between joy and sorrow while watching her children travel through life, but this weekend it was all happy times as we enjoyed sharing in the lives of our two sons.

From the temple on Friday morning, Ed phoned to ask if I would like to make a run over to Denver to join David and his family for Kole’s baptism on Saturday, November 7. I dropped everything in the hands of my able staff as we climbed into the car for the 10 hour drive along I-70. The service was sweet, attended by their bishop, Kole’s Primary teacher and several friends, as well as both sets of Kole’s grandparents. With his characteristic grin, Kole was excited about his baptism, and as a grandmother, I was pleased with his decision, but I was particularly proud of my own son, a tall and handsome, hardworking and dedicated husband, father and priesthood holder worthy to baptize and confirm his second son.

On our way to Denver, I talked with Michael by phone. During our usual (about) weekly chit-chat, he casually announced he had received the Second Miler Award from the Timpanogos District of the Utah National Parks Council of Boy Scouts of America, “for unselfish service, for ideals, leadership, and example, all in the interest of youth and their training for worthy citizenship.” He was nominated by his ward bishopric for this recognition because he has already earned a well-deserved reputation for being an exceptional scoutmaster who believes scouting should not be just weekly activities planned at the last minute, but should focus on making responsible citizens and community leaders out of boys. Our dedicated scouter spends several hours each week planning and organizing activities and communicating in a variety of ways with the boys in his troop - all who are now fully active in scouting and in their ward. It’s too bad every scoutmaster isn’t this devoted, because the world – and the boys in it – would certainly be a whole lot better as a result.

The Joy of Grandchildren

You’ve all heard me say it . . . "if I had known how much fun grandchildren would be, I would have had them first!" While we were in Provo last weekend, Taisley called a couple of times to find out when we were coming home . . . and Lilly wanted to know if she could come home with us - both questions Grandma loves to hear!

About Taisley: she is bright . . . happy . . . loves to sing . . . and is usually willing to do her chores without an argument! On General Conference weekend, she and I were rolling the coin in my piggy bank while listening to conference on TV. I thought I was the only one paying attention to the speakers until she suddenly looked up wide-eyed and said, "Oh, Grandma . . . I know that story. I heard it in Primary!" Then she preceded to tell me Lehi's dream from the Book of Mormon, almost verbatim. I was also touched by her sweet little voice humming along with the choir when she didn’t know the words to the songs . . . and singing all the verses to those songs she recognized. As a 2nd grader, she loves math and is doing addition and subtraction of 10's and 100's, reads well and comprehends what she is reading! She has lots of friends and seems content and well adjusted at home. I know there will come a day when her mother will move on and take her two daughters with her. That’s as it should be, but I will have a difficult time saying goodbye to Kendi and Taisley when that day comes!

About Lilly: at 2 ½, this child is absolutely amazing with a vocabulary which nearly surpasses mine! She responds appropriately to questions and can carry on an adult conversation with ease. She knows most of her colors and can sing the chorus to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" - imagine a teeny, tiny voice shouting out "glory, glory, hallelujah" on key and with gusto! She sings "I Am A Child of God"with very little help from anyone . . . and can sing at least two verses of "There Is A Green Hill Faraway" while most adults need a songbook. She’s still a lightweight physically, but mentally and socially, this child is an adorable strawberry-blond giant!!!

About Adyn: at 15 months old, our 12th grandchild has absolutely and completely captured my heart. I’ve always thought she looked just like her daddy, but she has her momma’s sweet personality. She is a quiet baby who entertains herself and is completely at ease with Braddock and Tubby, who outweigh her many times over. She comes for a visit only occasionally but jumps right into my arms each time, as if she just left our house. She has learned to download music to her mother’s cellphone - which Kaytee wishes she had not figured out - and can also push the right button to speed dial her grandpa Ed. She, too, is a lightweight, but has her Grandma wrapped right around her finger.

Of course, I love all my grandchildren and wish I could see them all more often - particularly Tylre and EJ who are both growing up so quickly and so far away. It is always fun to talk to Kaler, Kole and Kyle on the phone . . . to IM with Whitney . . . and, to see what a surprisingly good mother Allysa is with baby Daxton. We loved infrequent visits from Zachary whenever he came to St. George with Adam and Taj . . . and we miss those surprises now that he has moved back to live with his mother. Being a grandmother is truly a joy I would not trade for anything in the world!

Blessings of the Temple for My Family

My father believed "there is nothing on the other side. You live and you die . . . that’s all!" How sad, I remember thinking every time the subject came up, and now that he is gone and I see how quickly my own life is rushing by, it seems even more sad that anyone could truly believe this is all there is! As mortals we all share the reality of the bleak, final and unrelenting experience described by Shakespeare as "the undiscover’d country from whose bourn no traveller returns." But can anyone really believe our loving Heavenly Father would bless our lives with joy, achievements and family relationships only to snuff all of these blessings into oblivion in death? I am absolutely certain my father was pleasantly surprised on June 17, 2008 when he stepped through the veil and into the loving arms of his mother and father, his brothers and sisters who preceded him in death. I am even more certain he is eager to remain with them for the rest of eternity.

So, on Friday, October 16, we drove to Provo where we picked up Michael, then headed to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple to act as proxies for my father Dexter LeRoy Henion, his sisters Leodice Wheeler and Eloise Elford, as well as Eloise’s husband Lloyd; my great, great grandfather Ernst Wilhelm Werner (my grandmother Elsa Henion’s grandfather) and Johanna Theresa Dorn, a multi-great grandmother. We completed the baptisms, confirmations and initiatories for these six family members, then broke for the evening so we could meet Kelly and Gary at Macaroni Grill on 64th South - about halfway between Ogden and Provo - for dinner. It was a lovely day, ending with good food and good conversation with Michael, Tara, Kelly and Gary.

All that is left to do now is for mother to do her own temple work, then Doris and Dexter Henion can be sealed for time and all eternity.

Will my father and his sisters accept these ordinances? I can’t say, but I cannot partake of all the blessings of the gospel - nor will it be heaven without them - unless I make these ordinances available to family members who have gone on before me. I guess we’ll just have to wait until we pass through the veil ourselves to get the answer to that question, but I am ABSOLUTELY certain their mother accepted the gospel with all her heart, might, mind and strength. Since she accepted it, she will be - what all mothers are supposed to be - an influence for good on her son and two daughters. The rest is up to them!

Mom and Dad Visit Ely

Josh loves it, but Kaytee is still not so sure Ely, Nevada feels like home. With only about 3700 people in this small town, all the one-liners hold true:

"It's not the end of the earth, but you can see it from here!"

"Third Street is the edge of town"

“I hate small towns because once you've seen the cannon in the park there's nothing else to do"

and . . . "you don't have to use your turn signal because everyone already knows where you're going."

Kaytee and Josh live down the end of a long dirt road in a double wide modular home. It's not too bad, but has not been well cared for so Kaytee rolled up her sleeves and spent two weeks cleaning to make the place livable. Josh brought his two horses, and picked up a third along the way, so is building a barn of sorts in the backyard to give his animals a place to get in out of the Nevada cold winter.

Kaytee has found the park, a tasty Mexican restaurant, and the Family Dollar store. But her new favorite store is Ridley's Market, which she says is the best place in town to shop for everything.

All over town, there are signs of Republican unrest. Although it is uncertain the U. S. Senate Majority Leader will be unseated anytime soon, it is obvious the residents of his state - at least in the small towns around Nevada - do not like Harry Reid's politics.

The Nevada State Prison, where Josh works, is probably the largest employer with about 400 on the payroll and there are some nice new motels and stores, but for the most part Ely is pretty much like it was when my Uncle Reston, Aunt Ione and cousins, Steve, Doug and Kenny Godwin lived there back when I was in high school. I used to enjoy visiting them in the summertime. Some of my fondest memories of being at their home was how much they enjoyed shocking this little girl from the beach of southern California by showing me their "red light district" and the casinos in town. Back then, it seemed a whole lot bigger than it is now.

We miss our baby girl . . . and her baby girl, like crazy! Luckily, Ely is an easy 3 1/2 hour drive from St. George so Kaytee and Adyn can come home anytime they want to . . . and we will always leave the porch light on.

And the Award Goes to . . .

Linda Baker, Jeannine Holt and Linda Sappington were recently recognized as "Women of Excellence" by the local chapter of Business and Professional Women. Linda Baker was honored as the Professional Woman of the Year in her position as Vice President of Workers Compensation Fund. She currently serves on the board of director for the Southern Utah Home Builders Association, the Washington County Economic Development Council and has been involved for many years with the Chamber of Commerce. Jeannine Holt was recognized in the area of Philanthropy for her lifetime of service to the Republican Party. Linda Sappington was named Public Service Woman of the Year for her efforts as the director of the Volunteer Center of Washington County; as the "mother" of the Jubilee of Trees, and for her ongoing support of numerous community organizations. Congratulations to these three Women of Excellence.

A Blast from My Past

Whitney and I were recently IM’ing about walking to school. She was surprised when I told her my dad took me to seminary every morning where I rode to school with some of my friends, but I walked the 5-miles home with my brother Larry and with friends who "dropped off" when we got to their corner. When the weather was bad or we had lots of books, or if we just wanted a change of scenery, we would occasionally take a different route up to Olympic Blvd. (once considered "THE" place to shop in Los Angeles) for a ride home on the "J" car. It turned around a block from our house on Palm Place and Larry believes it was the very last link of the old trolley system in L.A. What a fun memory which came by way of an e-mail invitation to attend the 100th anniversary of Huntington Park High School. Go Spartans!!!

Cruising to Alaska

Amid the chaos at the office caused by the crash of the network server which left the Volunteer Center without computer access for more than two weeks . . . and just before our annual CANstruction project, I abandoned my post to travel to Seattle, then north to Alaska aboard the Golden Princess cruise ship (August 8-15, 2009) with our next door neighbors and traveling companions, Ralph and Pam Bingham. Before we sailed away, we enjoyed a couple of days with Larry, Tucker, Nicki and Molly (who uncharacteristically came out from her hiding place and even allowed me to scratch her ears a couple of times).

The Golden Princess, which set sail in 2001, weighs 109,000 tons and is 951 feet long. Passengers and crew total more than 4000, who combined are capable of consumming more than 11,500 pounds of seafood every week. Every year, this ship makes 19 voyages to Alaska during the summer, then relocates to the Hawaiian islands or the Caribbean for the winter months. Not a bad life!

Alaska is twice the size of Texas but with a total population of only about 600,000 - most who live in about two dozen small cities. Juneau, the state capital with a population of 30,000, is the only US city with no roads in or out and as such can only be accessed by air or sea. Skagway (spelled variously as Skaguay, Schkague, Shkeagway, Skagua, Schkawai or Cquque) is a picturesque little community of about 800 fulltime residents. The entire city is 5 x 20 blocks of charming little shops, but we had the most fun on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad built in less than two years in response to the needs of 1000 men on their way to the goldfields.

The entire vacation was a delight, though it was too cold much of the time (I will never complain about winter in St. George) and I brought all the wrong clothes. Dad took about 1000 pictures and there was an obscene amount of food available 24 hours a day. The best part of a cruise is that it is a forced vacation with no access to e-mail or cell phones so there is plenty of time to rest, relax and enjoy the view.