My Life in a Jar #8

What are you frightened of? Why?
My first response to this question is, "closed in spaces and I have no idea why." I am also afraid of being in public places and not being able to get out if I want to or have to. It may sound funny but I always look for the Exit signs, when I'm some place I am not familiar with.
As I have gotten older some of my fears have to do with the world and how things are changing. I'm not sure I like how the government of our country is going and the leadership scares me. I worry about what the country will be like in 4 years. I worry about what our health care will really be like if the changes the government want do implement actually happen. I worry about the economy and how that makes a difference on the choices we make. We've lived with so much prosperity over my life time that it's hard to accept that just because we would like to sell our house and move to UT, doesn't mean that we will beable to do it. I worry about how things that are wrong are considered ok now and if we don't accept them we are being intolerant. I worry about my Grandchildren and how hard it will be for them to live in the world but not of the world.
Most of my fears now have to do with life in general and how things are changing. We have been counseled that if we are prepared we have no need to fear. So all we can do, is work toward being prepared financially, spiritually, and emotionally in every aspect of our lives.

My Life in a Jar # 7

Tell about your Father: personality, talents,temperment, family stories about him, his role in your home etc.
Dad was always very quite around people outside of our family. With us kids he always had something funny to say about situations or had a trick up his sleeve. We never quite knew what to expect from him. The saying still waters run deep describes him to a tee. I remember one time after I was married talking to Evelyn Johnson (a life time neighbor) and we were telling her some of the tricks he would pull, she was shocked. I remember her saying, "quite Wally wouldn't do that." So the Dad we knew was quite different than the one others knew. In a lot of ways Dad was controlling. He worked long hours and was on call 24/7. Many days would go by and we wouldn't even see him. When I was younger I thought it we because they needed the money as I got older I realized it was more because he didn't think anyone could do the work as well as he could. He was a man of his word if he said he would do something, he could be depended on doing it. He was considerate of others. I remember every year growing up him having to go to work on Christmas morning. So our morning always started about 4-5:00 am. It was so he could be there to see us open our gifts before he would head off to work. As I got older and he had enough seniority to have Christmas Day off, he still went to work to give someone who had younger children the chance to spend Christmas with their children, because he had missed out on so many as we grew up. I think as we got older and started to leave home he realized he had missed out on a lot of our childhood because of work. Dad was a hard worker and hardly ever took time for himself. When Uncle Dell was killed, he would go to Clarkston after work and help them with the harvest on their farm. It was not unusual for him to work 10-12 hr. days at the dairy then go help others who may need help for another 3-4 hrs.
He loved children and children loved his gentle nature. I remember when I went home to visit the first time after Kim was born, he had told Susie (Wally's daughter) she could come over and for a quarter she could see a real live Eskimo. Susie came and gave Grandpa her quarter and asked were the Eskimo was. She decided that Grandpa had cheated. That just because Kim was born in Alaska didn't make her an Eskimo.
When Jen was a baby they came for Thanksgiving. Since Jen was not the best sleeper and Mom and Dad knew I hadn't had much sleep they informed me one morning they were going to take Kim and Jen for a drive and I was to go back to bed and get some sleep. Jen was also a mommy's girl and would cry whenever someone else took her. So I was concerned she'd cry the whole time they had her. dad informed me that it was OK, that she wouldn't cry for long, and that i was to go to bed. I slept for 4 hrs. that's the longest I had slept at one time since she was born. When they returned Jen was fast asleep and I was told she fell asleep shortly after they left. When Jen was about 6 years old we were at Mom and dad's visiting and the kids were in the back yard trying to catch some wild cats. I was talking to Dad and he was laughing. He said he remembered taking a little girl for a ride once that was wilder than those cats. I knew immediately what he was talking about. I reminded him that he had said she fell asleep shortly after they left. I then found out that she screamed until just before they returned home. The were determined they were not coming back until she was asleep. Dad said if he had told me the truth then I would have been mad at him, he's right. But since it was so many years later we both got a chuckle out of it.
I remember when Alanna got her drivers license. She was so excited that she called to tell Grandma and Grandpa. When she told Grandpa, he told her the only thing she could drive was a bike. He had totally lost track of how old she was and thought she was only 12. Alanna took advantage of teasing him about not knowing how old she was.
When Brandon was in 8th grade he took a huge growing spurt. He went from being a head shorter than Gary to being quite a bit taller in just a few months. The first time we went to UT after that Dad was so amazed when we walked in the house and he saw Brandon. That visit he actually let Brandon help him with some of the yard work, that he hadn't been able to do. I guess since Brandon was so tall, he realized he wasn't a little boy any more and could do things he needed done.
About 2 weeks before Thanksgiving Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. Because of his heart and lungs we all knew chemo was out of the question. He would tell us that he thought he would have at least 3 more good years left. That was not the case. A week after Thanksgiving Dad was going out the side door to the garage to set some salt to put on the step, because it had frozen and was very icy. Dad fell and broke his leg. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and then transferred to McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden. Because of his heart and lungs the Dr. knew they couldn't risk putting him under. They did a spinal and operated on his leg. We were blessed he survived that. He was put in a rehap center there in Ogden. I was able to go down and take Mom to spend a few days with him. I got a motel and ALanna, Kim, Jen, Joel, Thomas and Spring were able to be there with me. I got a couple motel rooms so we could go visit for a while then give dad a break. Little did I know this would be the last time I would see Dad alive. Dad's sense of humor showed by him letting them put a hot pink cast on his leg. For the most part he was content knowing he had to be there for his leg to heal. Close to Christmas they transferred him to a rehap center in Logan where it was easier for Mom to get there to see him. I appreciate all the times Kim would go up on her 5 day weekends and spend time with Mom and make sure she got to Logan to see Dad. I know it meant a lot to Mom. Those times also gave Wally a break and he could relax a bit as well. I remember calling Dad and talking to him several times a week. It was always a comfort when he would tell me "everything will be OK." One morning Mom called and said that Dad had fallen as he was getting out of bed. I called and talked to him. He was confused and thought he had cut his arm but wasn't sure. He just didn't sound like himself, he was tired and confused. I told him I let him get some sleep and that I'd call him later. This was on Sat., on Sunday he was taken to the hospital and his lung cancer had grown to the point that there wasn't anything they could do. Dad had been wanting to go home for several weeks, we couldn't see how that was possible since Mom wouldn't have been able to care for him. This day however, they told Mom to take him home and they would call Hospice in to help. They didn't give a time frame of how much more time he had but we knew he would soon be leaving us. I had made the decision that I would leave on Tues. to go down since the oil in Alanna's car needed to be changed first, then I would drive down with her. Monday morning about 6:00am I got the call from Karen that Dad had past away. I hadn't made it there in time. I'm grateful for the time I had with him in Dec. and for the times I talked to him on the phone. There are still times that I miss my Dad and wished I could hear him say, "everything will be OK," just one more time. It's especially hard on Father's Day. I know he is happy and healthy now. I'm so thankful for the wonderful Dad that I was blessed with.

MY Life in a Jar #6

Write about some places you went with your Mother.
I'm thankful for these questions at this time that is forcing me to write memories of my Mother. When I was younger the places I mostly went with my Mom was shopping or to a movie now and then. As I got older and moved away from home and would go back to visit, it usually meant time going to Logan shopping. As Dad got older and was having a hard time being home alone without Mom those shopping trips to Logan were less and less. After Dad past away we were again able to go shopping and spend more one on one with Mom. For 2 years in a row Karen and I met together at Mom's and took her to Salt Lake and stayed in a motel pampering her a bit. One year Kim, Alanna and Tiffany were able to be there with us. We went to the Peppermint Factory, to a Mexican restaurant where there were Cliff divers, to a Taste of Home demonstration and of course some shopping. We also took Mom to Salt Lake to the lung specialist. The next year Tiffany wasn't able to join us but Jennifer could and Mary was just a baby and it was fun having them there with us as well. Again we went to the Peppermint Factory, shopping at IKEA and Mom out last us all. She didn't get a chance very often to go look at places like that and she had to make sure she looked at everything. We also made some bracelets and cards while at the hotel.
One year when Alanna brought Mom up here to visit, she wanted to go to IKEA and the Super Mall. I knew traveling back and forth and going to both places would be too much for her in 1 day, we decided to get a motel close to IKEA. We did facials that night and that's when Alanna waxed her face. Something Mom and I would chuckle about every time we were together after that.
One summer Kim brought Mom up to visit. It was the lavander festival in Suquim. Kim wanted to go. It was fun seeing all the lavendar displays and even bought a couple things. There were people building sand castles, Mom especially enjoyed watching them build them.
The last couple years when I would go home I would make sure we went out to eat some place. Going out to eat was something Mom enjoyed and wouldn't do by herself. It didn't have to be any place special. She especially enjoyed Sizzler's salad bar.
When Alanna had her open house in UT. I took Mom to Salt Lake and got a motel. We went to Ti Pan shopping. Since it was in Oct. they had all their Christmas decorations up and Mom enjoyed looking at everything. She bought some cute little mugs for her Red Hat ladies for Christmas. The next morning Kim wanted to run into Ti Pan and get some of the mugs. I thought we'd just let her run in quick and we'd wait in the car, since our time was limited. But no way, Mom had to go look one more time in case she had missed something.
I'm so grateful for the special times I had with her. It's something that I will always cherish. I'm glad also that my children were able to be a part of these times with us.

Families are Forever

After waiting for many months the time finally arrived for our first Family Reunion at Pacific Beach. It was fun waiting for the arrival of each family as we anticipated the fun times we'd have at the beach. It was the hottest week in history in WA. and with out air conditioning we were all ready to head for the beach Monday morning. It was great having all our children and grandchildern with us in church. As I walked into the chapel, Bro. Shumaker (a counslor in the Bishopric), said he had reserved the whole one side of the chapel for us. We didn't need quite that much space but took up several benches. It's such a blessing in our lives to have all our children active in the gospel and there with us. It's times like this when we are all together that makes me realize how special families are and how each member adds their special touches to make us complete.
Monday night Dad gave a FHE on how we are all in different circumstances in our lives but we all belong to the family and are loved by Heavenly Father. We love each of you and appreciate the differences each bring to our family. The challenge is to learn to accept and respect these differences. As we become better in doing that our family will become closer and closer at becoming a celestrial family. After FHE we played BINGO and Mother May I. I have to say, Joel your cartwheels were pretty impressive.
The rest of the time was spent playing in the sand, flying kites, bowling, playing at the play ground, walking down town, playing games and just spending time together.
The food the was cooked each night was superb and was nice that everyone pitched in with meal preparation and clean up. It was good to see everyone working together having a good time.
It was sad to end the time at the beach and head home. Especially since we knew the weather at home was going to be over 100 degrees. Some chose to go for a tour of the ship at Bangor, others chose to stay home and look for some fans (no luck) to help cool things down. Since we couldn't find any, we cooled down the only way we could think of. An old fashioned water fight! I have to admit, it felt pretty darn good. I hope we can all remember the good times and forget the times when maybe feelings were hurt for one reason or another and vow that the next reunion will bring more and more good times. Families are Forever and we are grateful for ours!

My Life in a Jar #5

Describe your yard as a child. Did you help with yard work? What are your memories? Draw a diagram if you can.
My parents bought this house when Karen and I were born. I lived in there until Gary and I were married and I moved away. Our house was small but it never seemed that way to me growing up. The yard was big and we spent a lot of time playing outside. On the south side of the house was a huge garden spot. It was our responsibility to help plant the garden each spring. I remember Dad taking a lot of time to make sure the rows were straight and the irrigation ditches were deep enough for the water to run the entire length of the rows to give the plants a good soaking. We would take turns helping Dad with irrigating the garden. This meant we had to help him turn the water into our yard, watch the ditches to make sure the water flowed and wasn't blocked by dirt falling into them. Once the garden was irrigated he would turn the water on the back yard and flood it. We would then play in the water for hours. On the right side of the house where Grandma's roses are and where the garage is, they had raspberry plants. When they were ripe we had to get up early (5:00) to go out and pick them. We'd be armed with a long sleeve shirt and a bucket tied around our waist. This was a chore none of us liked. The plants had thorns and we'd get stuck several times each time we'd pick. One time Karen and I decided that if we shook the buckets and mashed the berries we wouldn't have to pick them any more. That was our plan anyway. Plans have a way of backfiring and that's exactly what happened. Mom and Dad decided instead of getting mad at us they'd teach us a life long lesson. They gave us the opportunity to pick all the berries that summer. That way we would know how to do it correctly. We learned that it's better to do things right the first time and not have to do it over and over until we get it right. We also learned that it's better to do what is asked of us and not try to get out of doing things by doing a bad job. Otherwise we'd have a lot more work to do. As a parent I'm thankful for the lessons they taught us. The freshly picked raspberries were always a welcome treat on a hot summer evening. We loved them fresh with a little milk and sugar on them. ( I'm sure I never ate much of the milk)
It was also our responsibility to help mow and water the lawns. I actually enjoyed mowing the lawns. I loved the smell and the look of freshly cut grass. It seemed like it was a never ending job with the yard the size of ours.
When fall came there were always lots of leaves that had to be raked and burnt. (we could burn them in a barrel) I love the smell of leaves burning it takes me back to my childhood and the preparation of getting ready for winter. We spent many hours raking the leaves and jumping in them. It was a time we worked but we also played while doing it. We would rack the leaves into small lines and make a pretend house. The leaves being the walls of the different rooms. Then we would play house for hours before the time came to put them in the burn barrel and wait for a few more days until there were enough leaves to rake again.
Winter brought a different set of chores and fun. The main outdoor chore we had in the winter was shoveling the sidewalks and the driveway after a snow storm. Most of the time Dad would have the driveway shoveled before we even got up. He'd have to shovel it to get out before going to work. The sidewalk was up to us kids and usually ended up with a snow ball fight or just playing in the snow at the same time. I don't remember it being a chore or something we didn't want to do. When the snow would melt, there would be a pond out front by the road, that would freeze as the temperature dropped. We would go there and ice skate. Everyone in our neighborhood was jealous because we had our own ice skating rink.
Since our yard was one of the biggest in the neighborhood that's where we would play. We played kick the can, football, softball and any other game we'd all decide on. Karen, Craig and I knew how to climb the trees in the front yard. Most of the neighborhood kids didn't know how or at least wouldn't try. It proved to be a good hiding place while playing kick the can or hide and seek. I loved growing up where I did, in a small town where life was fun and the simple pleasures were right there on our own yard.
I'm thankful that my own children had the opportunity to spend time there playing while visiting Grandma and Grandpa. I'll miss not going there again, knowing that it's not home anymore. I just hope it can bring another family as many great memories as it brought me.