Our Time in SoCal

We recently traveled to SoCal for a variety of reasons, most importantly to celebrate my mother Doris Henion’s 90^th birthday (although she didn’t want anyone to know her age).  While there we (including my brother Larry who flew in from Seattle) began the process of cleaning, sorting and discarding at Mother’s home.  For two days, we went through every cupboard, drawer and closet to completely clean out the laundry room, the hall, the barroom and the sewing room / office.  In the process we filled the neighborhood dumpster to the brim (and overflowing), took two carloads of reusable items to the local Goodwill … and when we were exhausted from the effort, we took two “mystery trips” planned ahead of time to Knott’s Berry Farm and to Catalina Island in celebration of our 50^th wedding anniversary.

Our day at Knott’s was filled with nostalgia as we tried to remember the last time we had been there.  The park was nearly empty, so we spent the day enjoying the old Ghost Town and walking right up to some pretty wild rides in the newer section of the park – several which we rode more than once.   The park was gearing up for Halloween so many of the rides were closed for maintenance or in preparation for a month leading up to All Hallows Eve, but we had adrenalin rushes on the Pony Express, the Mouse, the Mine Train, Log Ride and the Wild Rapids.  It was a fun day .... with some GREAT rides and waaaaaaaaayyyy cheaper than Disneyland!

Our Eldest Comes to Visit

Kelly and Gary were down this weekend to attend her 30-year class reunion (she tried to talk him out of attending, but he would not be dissuaded).  They golfed with classmates (she was the only “girl” who showed up on the links) and had dinner at Staheli Farms, sharing a table with Stacy and Rick (another of her classmates).  On Sunday we drove up to Zion and had lunch together before sending them on their way.  It was a nice weekend with our oldest daughter and her husband.  We hope they will come back again soon.

A Visit to the Mile High City

We spent 10 pleasant days in Denver, bookended by David’s birthday on August 18 and David and Jan’L’s 19^th wedding anniversary on August 26.  When we left St. George for our 24-hour round trip, the car was filled to the brim with Jan’L’s favorite hometown goodies, including a dozen loaves of Grandma Sycamore bread (safe for Kole’s allergies), a gallon of Wild Coyote ranch dressing and another of Wild Coyote salsa; two dozen orange rolls from Grandma Tobler’s and a new faucet for the kitchen sink!  Jan’L had already left for her nephew Matthew’s wedding in Southern California when we got there, so Saturday was spent playing with the boys at Heritage Square where we enjoyed the alpine slide, Disney-esque tea cups and taking lots of pictures.  On Sunday we were blessed to witness Kaler passing the Sacrament and were pleased to see David can still wear the suit he bought at the time of their wedding.  He is keeping himself slim and trim – despite consuming a healthy serving of birthday cake and ice cream after opening his gifts - a gun safe from M/D and an assortment of carefully selected gifts from his wife and children.

 

During the week, while the boys were in school – Kaler is a freshman in high school, Kole is in middle school and Kyle, a 2^nd grader who reads at a 5^th grade level – we explored the sights around Denver.  On Tuesday we traveled to Estes Park / Rocky Mountain National Park (luckily, Dad had his Golden Eagle pass in his wallet) including the beautiful – and haunted – Stanley Hotel which was the inspiration for “The Shining” one of hundreds of ghost story novels by Stephen King. 

 

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Ed and I played tourists in the “Mile High City.”  We attended a session at the Denver Temple but almost didn’t get in because we couldn’t find a parking place.   Ironically, the Fort Collins Temple groundbreaking was being held on the same day. No question Colorado needs another temple. 

We went to the Denver Art Museum which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Everything I saw made me smile!

On Thursday, Jan’L flew off to Tennessee for another long weekend with her family at the Nascar races – leaving us to ride herd on the boys while David worked.

 

On Saturday, we loaded the boys up for a “mystery trip” to the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum (Jan’L thought it was a “boy trip” anyway so didn’t mind missing out).  The boys ooooed and aaaaahed at the big planes, the little planes, the old planes, the new planes, the toy planes and the simulators!  It was a pretty expensive day, but worth it to see how excited they all were.

Intermittently throughout the week, we helped with homework and with Kaler's preparation for his Sunday School lesson, played Monopoly (Kaler beat us all by a substantial margin), had some good conversation with our oldest son, did a steady stream of dishes, enjoyed breakfast for dinner and a hobo dinner on the backyard grill and had a couple of movie nights (Hachi, 42, Epic …) with David’s famous carmel corn.

 

When it came time to leave for home, the boys all cried.  “A good sign,” David said as we waved goodbye … but I’m not sure he meant because the kids were sorry to see us go or because when he said it, we were backing out of his driveway!

My New Handyman

Our summer has been busy with lots of travel and visitors, work and volunteering, projects around the house and yard work.  We’ve ushered at Tuacahn a half dozen times, chaired the ward Pioneer Day Picnic at Pine Valley, bottled the harvest from our garden and socialized with many family and friends – all in our usual triple digit Dixie summer weather.  In the middle of it all and as part of our ongoing efforts to update our 22+ year old house, Ed checked into hiring a craftsman to lay tile in our three bathrooms and the laundry room.  The cost was exorbitant so he decided to do it himself!  With absolutely no experience but with good advice from Stacy’s husband Rick and our son David on laying out the 12” tiles, he dove into the project.  I must admit I was very skeptical.  He has always been a “suit” so I just couldn’t imagine he could successfully turn into a tradesman … but despite the effort of getting up and down a hundred times and having aching knee joints, he did a wonderful job and our bathrooms and laundry room now look amazing!  In addition, we saved more than $1000 in labor!  Not bad for a retired banker whose hue and cry is always, “I’d rather be golfing!”

Cedar Mountain High!

On August 2, we took the old camper to the top of Cedar Mountain where members of my Rotary club and their families met for our annual summer party at Jack and Louise Petersen’s summer cabin at Swain’s Creek – about a 200 mile round trip from St. George.  The party was scheduled for Saturday but we decided to beat the rush and go up on Friday so we could ride the ATV’s and enjoy the peaceful, serene beauty of the area sans the crowd milling around.

Jack brought out his four ATV’s and took us for a ride through the Dixie National Forest ending at what they refer to as “Little Bryce” on the backside of Bryce Canyon National Park (see photos).  While riding, Jack led the way while Louise helped Ed turn his ATV around on a narrow trail.  I was on my ATV in the middle of the pack.  Apparently Jack’s ATV caused enough ground motion that when I came along the trail a few minutes later I was the “final straw.”  I noticed some movement on the right side of the trail … and suddenly a good sized tree fell over across the trail missing me by about 2 feet.   Jack said he had heard of such a thing, but in the 18 years they have been riding through the forest, he had never actually witnessed it.

With Rotarians and their families – numbering nearly 40 men, women and children - we enjoyed a spectacular view, comfortable temperatures, ATV rides, horseshoes, volleyball and badminton, a live country-western band, a fabulous meal and the chance to hang out with friends. 

After dinner, but before the sun went down, about a dozen couples on 4-wheelers headed out for an hour long evening ride along Muddy Creek for the perfect ending to a perfect day!

Happy Birthday, Bugga

Wait!!!  When did I get this old?  I simply can’t believe it because when I look in the mirror I don’t see an old woman, but obviously the calendar – and some of my friends and family - beg to differ!  For my birthday and the chance to see David and his family, Stacy threw a party at her house complete with Rick’s delicious bar-be-qued chicken, Danielle’s French fries, green salad and of course, cake (with lots of gooey frosting) and ice cream.  David and Jan’L, their three boys Kaler, Kole and Kyle were with us after a week on the Jones’ houseboat at Lake Powell.  Also present were Alyssa, Josh, Daxton, BJ, Taisley, Kendi, Danielle, Stacy and Rick.  We enjoyed a noisy time together – including a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.”  It was very fun and much appreciated, even though I still can’t believe I’m this old.  Nana said it best when on her death bed she said she had an 18-year-old spirit anxious to break free of her 96-year-old body.  I’m not there yet, but from where I am, I can now see both ends of the spectrum!

Adyn Says Home is Where her Mom and Dad Are

In late June, Kaytee needed a break and Grandmas Kim (Postma) and I were only too happy to oblige.  The Postmas traveled to Anaconda for a few days, then brought 5-year-old Adyn and 2 ½ year old Skylar back to southern Utah for a visit.  In Hurricane, the little girls enjoyed playing with cousins and being with Grandpa Mark and Grandma Kim.  Five days later, they came to our house where they played in the neighbor’s wading pool, at the splash pad at St. George’s Town Square and slept together in our big guest bed.  On Wednesday, July 3 we traveled to Ogden where we enjoyed Kelly and Gary’s hospitality, went to Hogle Zoo and helped America celebrate Independence Day with a huge fireworks show! On Friday, we traveled the second half of our 13-hour trip to Anaconda, MT where the little girls’ Mom and Daddy waited anxiously for their return. 

In Anaconda we painted Adyn’s bedroom purple and yellow … celebrated her birthday at the park … and saw “Monsters University” at the beautiful Washoe Theater, designed and built by the same man who designed and built Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  Kaytee – through her usual careful planning and preparation – pulled off a delightful birthday party for her 5-year-old, but nearly made herself sick worrying about the weather.  It rained all morning and into the early afternoon while she prayed for a miracle of dry weather for the party.  Sure enough, just before the little guests began to arrive, the clouds parted and the sun came out.  We gratefully looked to the heavens and offered a prayer of thanksgiving. 

There were tears shed when it was time to go home – not sure if it was because we had to say goodbye or because of the 13-hour trip ahead of us.  These high energy preschoolers wore us out (thank goodness for Taisley who helped us ride herd on them), but it was so much fun to be with them in St. George and in Anaconda! 

Welcome to the Family, Baby G!

Guillermo Adam Gonzalez, infant son of Tylre Christensen and Jaeson Gonzalez is the newest member of the family, born in Sonoma, California on June 16, 2013 at 12:00 a.m.  Weighing in at a husky 9 lbs. 1 oz., and 21” long, Baby G wasn’t breathing or crying when he entered the world so had to be transported to a hospital 45-minutes away.  They were able to get him breathing normally but then he developed a bacterial infection they couldn’t pinpoint.  They ran several tests including a spinal tap testing for meningitis but couldn’t confirm anything but 7-days of antibiotics killed whatever bacteria he had.  His parents, Grandma Kris and other family members are recovering nicely, too!

 

Our trip to Guatemala (May 26 – June 2, 2013)

Dad / Grandpa / Ed and I boarded a plane on Sunday morning to fly to Guatemala with a dozen members of my Rotary club for their 8th annual humanitarian service trip.  We thought we were going to spend 3 days in “blistering heat” in the villages around Antigua where we built five stoves in individual homes where meals are prepared on an open fire, provided dental care to suffering men, women and children and distributed shoes and toys.   However, we were freezing and unprepared for the cold!

Two of our party (Dan Strobell and Dan McArthur) are fluent Spanish speakers so we got along pretty well as long as one of them was with us.  I’ve never considered myself anywhere near “bi-lingual” but I was pleasantly surprised at how much of my high school Spanish (and what I picked up from living in Los Angeles) came back to me so I was pretty much able to communicate our needs in just about every situation.

We had a beautiful hotel room – with the hardest bed I have ever slept on – but we were asked to turn out the lights as much as possible (to save energy) and to use a candle provided in the room. 

Before we left, people keep asking “why Guatemala?”  We considered the good reasons why we wanted to travel to yet another 3^rd world country and here is our answer: 

The rate of women and children who die from smoke inhalation and other fire related problems is staggering.  With the simple stoves we built the amount of pollutants in the air they breathe is reduced by 81%.  One woman who got her stove last year  - and who was thrilled to see Rotarians again – greeted us with, “see, no smoke!”  She was also pleased to tell us her children could not reach the inner – hot part – of the stove, so “no burns!”  She also appreciated the luxury of being able to prepare a meal rather than one-thing-at-a-time as she had always done before!

In addition, to keep firewood in the house for meal preparation, the little girls in the family usually spend their entire day combing the countryside instead of developing their academic skills in a classroom. 

So, the reasons we went to Guatemala:

a.       To help Guatemalan women live long enough to see their grandchildren

b.      To send Guatemalan girls back to school

c.       The clock is ticking!  "Don't think TIME will change our Life . . . TIME only changes the expiration dates of our opportunities!"

d.      It’s a tax-deductible vacation

e.      We need another stamp in our passport

f.        There’s nothing to watch on TV … or in the movie theater

But, our trip was not all work.  We flew to Tikal (in the northern part of Guatemala) where we hiked to the Mayan ruins, took a boat ride on the river, enjoyed some delicious meals, swam and in general, enjoyed our travels.

So, here’s our trip to Guatemala, by the numbers:

·         Number of days away from home                                                    8

·         Number of Rotarians and friends of Rotary on the trip               13

·         Number of roundtrip miles from SG to Guatemala                      5440

·         Number of steps to the top of Templo IV                                      725

·         Number of pictures Ed took                                                             765                        

I hope we get to go again!  It was a great adventure.

 

Mission Reunion a Joyful Experience

Our mission President Claude Gamiette, his wife Delphine and five children – Jenifer, Corilee, Terry, Tom and Amy – traveled from their home in Guadaloupe, West Indies to Salt Lake City for two reasons.  The first was to be part of the well-attended West Indies Mission Reunion held Friday, April 5 on the Provo camus of BYU campus. 

The second – and far more important reason – was for a sustaining vote by the full membership of the Church to his new calling as an Area Seventy during the 183rd General Conference!  It was delightful to see this beautiful family again and to be part of this momentous occasion in their lives.

President Gamiette sought me out in the crushing crowd of returned missionaries there to greet him.  With a big hug he expressed his gratitude for the blog book Kaytee prepared as a souvenir of his 3 years as the WIM President. 

It was also wonderful to be again in the circle of friends from our mission:  Meg and Michael Treseder, Larry and Karen Harris, BJ and Marty Summers, Lynn and Sharon Angus, Jim and Mary Andrus, Gary and Chris Ricks, Ralph Childs (Paulette was unable to attend because of recent back surgery),  Jim and Jan Wheeler, Elizabeth Ludwig,  Clive and  Arlene  Henderson, Bob and  Raylene Bush, Ron and Rosie Boman, the McIntosh’s, and, of course, many of the great young men who served with us in Trinidad and Guyana.  Also attending were Brother and Sister Bennie from Berbice, Guyana and Sister Kotiah from Trinidad!

Another “connection” on this lovely conference weekend involved breakfast with #2 son Michael, granddaughter Lilly (who celebrates her 6^th birthday on April 9)!  It wasn’t a particularly warm and friendly time with him, but – as always – we were happy to see our beloved son in whom we are well pleased and to know he is still moving forward in life despite the difficulties of this past year!