Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today we are celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary. Where has the time gone? Is it really possible for time to fly by that quickly? I can honestly say that the years of my marriage are the happiest of my life.

On December 27, 1975 around 11:00 a.m. Alan and I gazed into each other's eyes as we knelt across the altar from each other in a sealing room of the Provo Temple to be sealed together as husband and wife.

I can remember that day like it was yesterday. I remember holding Alan's hand in the waiting area prior to going into the sealing room, wanting the time to pass more quickly so we could finally be united together as husband and wife. My thoughts rushed back to all the fun times, serious discussions, and spiritual experiences we had shared together over the previous ten months as we dated and got to know each other better. There were no doubts in my mind that this was where I should be and this man sitting next to me was the man I should marry.



No organ music accompanied me, nor did I walk down any aisle. Instead I walked with God through His corridors and a song of of gladness filled my whole being. I carried no bouquet of flowers, but I didn't have to. I carried something more precious -- the promise of God. I didn't even have any bridesmaids by my side and my father didn't give me away. No, I had the angels at my side and I wasn't given away, but I was received by my Heavenly Father -- a prospect for His kingdom. What a glorious and beautiful day it was for me and for Alan and we accepted each other as eternal companions.



Now, thirty-four years have gone by and our love is even deeper and the covenants we made in the temple have more meaning. The children that have joined our family have brought added blessings and complete the love that Alan and I have for each other. I hope that the next thirty-four years will bring as much joy and fulfillment as the last thirty-four have.

Please, No Empty Chairs!

Yesterday morning Alan and I drove to Los Angeles to attend the temple together. It is amazing to me how just by walking through the front doors of the House of the Lord it can transform you from being in a state of worldliness (cars, noise, phone calls, music, traffic jams, hustle and bustle) to a state of complete calm and relaxation, with a desire to have a spiritual and an eternal experience in a house where pure doctrine is taught and where knowledge and personal inspiration is received. The temple truly is a place of refuge when looked at from that perspective.

While in the temple, I couldn't help but think about the importance of the family. It is central to the Plan of Salvation. Of course, I have the privilege and blessing of being sealed to the greatest family on the earth, of which I am very proud and happy to be a part of. In three weeks Alan and I will celebrate our 34th Wedding Anniversary. Where has the time gone? To think that we started our marriage off right by kneeling across the altar from each other in the Lord's Holy Temple brings me joy beyond description. Our little family of two has grown to eleven and hopefully will continue to keep growing as time marches forward.

The point I'm getting at with all of this has to do with Pres. Eyring's talk last October during the Sunday Morning session of Conference. What he had to say about the eternal family has stuck to me like glue. I think about it often. He spoke of how in many of our LDS homes there are the words "Our Family Can Be Together Forever." He says that there is a gravestone near his home of a mother and grandmother and the inscription on her gravestone reads, "Please, no empty chairs." This mother/grandmother had asked for that inscription because she knew that whether the family will be together depends on the choices each family member makes. He says that the word "please" is there because neither God nor she can compel another to choose happiness.

So, with this post, I'd like to say to my own children "Please, no empty chairs!" with the hope that some day we will all sit down together in a Celestial realm and there will be no empty chairs at our table. I long for this and pray that it will happen one day. I love you eternally Alan, Ryan, Eric, Nicole, Jared, Cheryl, Kyle, Ethan, Ella, and Olivia. We are a forever family!

Gratitude This Thanksgiving

I just want to take a moment to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. One reason I'm very excited about Thanksgiving this year is because this is the first time in three years that our whole

family has been able to be together all at the same time. Family means everything to me and to have no empty chairs at our Thanksgiving table means more than I can express. I'm so grateful for good health and much happiness in my life. The thing that makes life so enjoyable and meaningful to me, besides family, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Lord's love and for his great sacrifice. I'm so very grateful that the Lord's true church has been restored to the earth and that I live at a time when I can benefit from that blessing. Life would have so much less meaning and purpose without it. Sometimes I wonder why I am so blessed. I guess mine is not to ask why, but to ask why not? I'll gladly take any blessings that are offered me and be grateful for them. May we all show gratitude this day and every other day throughout the year!

Media Maniacs

I have a confession to make -- I watch or listen to too many political shows. I am disgusted with the leaders of our country and their "solutions" to our country's problems. Satan has control of the government and I think he is licking his lips and delights in all of the chaos. When someone good comes along who would actually stand up for what's right and who could make positive changes in the way the country is run, the media demonizes them and tries to destroy their life and the lives of their family members. Sarah Palin seems to be in their cross-hairs right now. How do you feel about her and this issue? I have a poll to the right of this blog. Let me know how you feel.

Women's Conference

Our Stake held a Women's Conference this weekend. It was a wonderful, inspiring Conference based on becoming closer to Christ. I'm thankful that I attended and was privileged to sing in the choir.

The concluding speaker was Elder William F. Reynolds, an Area Seventy. He gave a great talk, but what I want to share is the joke that he told, which has nothing to do with his talk. He just liked it and wanted to share it. I'm sure I won't remember all of the details, but this is my memory of it:

In a South American country there was a young peon who was on his first cross-country train ride. He was assigned a certain coach and was sitting next to a very bright mathematician. As time went on, the peon was enjoying the ride and he loved seeing the new sights, etc. However, the mathematician was pretty bored with the ride so he said to the peon, "Let's play a game." "What kind of game?" asked the peon. "I'll ask you a question and if you can't answer it correctly you have to give me a peso then you can ask me a question and if I can't give you the correct answer I'll give you a peso" answered the man. The peon thought about it, but said he didn't want to play the game. The mathematician asked him why. "Because you'll take all of my money" was his reply. Later, still bored, the mathematician said "I know, I'll ask you a question and if you don't know the answer you give me a peso then you ask me a question and if I don't know the answer I'll give you 10 pesos. The peon reluctantly decided to play the game with the new rule. So the mathematician asked the peon the first question, which was "who was the greatest geneticist to ever live? The peon, having no idea what the answer was, immediately handed over a peso. The mathematician then told him the answer to the question. Now it was the peon's turn to ask a question so he asked "what goes up the hill on four legs and comes down on three?" The mathematician thought long and hard, but could not come up with the answer so he handed over 10 pesos. The peon then said, okay now it's your turn to ask me a question. "Wait, said the mathematician, you didn't give me the answer. What does go up the hill on four legs and comes down on three? The peon then gave him a peso.

Well, Elder Reynolds got a good laugh from the audience with that joke.

Always Second Place

I'm not complaining or anything, but it seems like I almost always come in second place. For instance, Jane was born first and I was second. The first year we tried out for the pep team, she was the first alternate and I was second alternate. One time we saw a list of our High School Graduating Class ranking and of 300 students, our names were right next to each other. Guess which one of us was listed second! I don't think it has tainted or harmed me at all - maybe it has even made me stronger, who knows. But coming in first would be quite nice once in a while.

In keeping with my tradition of coming in second, I did it once again tonight. At our Ward Halloween/Trunk-or-Treat Party there was a trunk decorating contest for anyone who wanted to participate. I thought it sounded like some fun so I went to the closest store (Walgreens) where pickins were slim, spent under $25, and this is what I created. Quite simple, really, but it did take some time to put together.

Photo taken in our garage with flash

Here is a video of what it looked like in the dark of night. One little trunk-or-treater wouldn't

come within 10 ft. of my car. So cute!

In actuality, there weren't very many who entered the contest, so taking second place is not something to be that proud of but it is better than third, fourth, fifth, ........etc. It would be nice, however, to know some day what it feels like to be first. One day maybe I'll know.

Animal House

I know it took a while....28 years to be exact....but Alan and I finally made it to the Los Angeles Zoo today. I don't know what took us so long. It is a nice zoo and it's also considered a botanical garden because of the lusch vegetation. I don't know why we never once took our children there when they were young. We did, however, take them to the San Diego Zoo a couple of times as well as the Hogle Zoo (in Utah) several times, so maybe that makes up for not taking them to this zoo. It took about 3 hours to see everything so we got some good exercise in while walking the grounds. Does that make up for the cookie and ice cream that we ate?

This is the grand entrance to the zoo.

This is just inside the park. You can see the pink flamingos in the background. I love flamingos!

Although he is pretty ugly and is missing the horn on his nose, we enjoyed this Rhino.

I especially love looking at the big cats and tigers are my favorite.

This made me think of King Kong. What a big brute!

What's a zoo without a little necking, right?

Utah Bliss

I just returned from a wonderful trip to Utah where I was able to spend quality time with family and friends. One bonus and blessing of this trip was to be able to spend time with my three sisters for a little "mini retreat." We were able to attend a session at the Bountiful temple together, followed by lunch, and then a quilting session. It was so much fun to be able to spend the day together. I loved every minute of it. I have the best sisters in the world!

Clockwise from top: Joan, Gayle, Jane, and Janice

Janice, Jane, and Gayle working on the quilt. See that empty spot? That's where I was working.

I shouldn't have been, but I was amazed at the beauty of the Utah mountains changing colors. I loved it! That's something we don't get to see here in the desert.

I loved seeing my kids again. This picture is at Jared Lee's wedding reception. Unfortunately Ryan had already left when this was taken. Ryan was in a hurry to get on the road for yet another fishing trip to Oregon.

Cheryl and I on temple square.

This was the main reason for my trip.....the sealing in the Salt Lake Temple of my friend Vicki's son Jared Lee to Caitlin Jeppson. The wedding ceremony was beautiful and they are a beautiful couple. I know that they will be happy together.

Smile...show your pearly whites!

I found these dental cartoons that I wanted to share in honor of Alan and his livlihood. Ever since I started training at Alan's office, I have gained a greater appreciation for him and his willingness to provide for our family in this manner for 30 years now. Thanks, dear!!!!


Patients don't always see the need for flossing. In this case, it would be pointless. Have you flossed today?

Hey, at Alan's office you get a toothbrush, floss, lip balm, and if you are a kid, you get to visit the "treasure chest." How awesome is that?

It's true, it seems like we are always brushing our teeth. Three times a day keeps the doctor away....or at least you can hope!

Of course Alan has had to encounter many unhealthy and odorous mouths over the years. Thank goodness he doesn't have the greatest sense of smell. I think that is a hidden blessing from God.

The Michael Ballam Experience

There is one experience from Education Week that I just can't get out of my head and I want to share it with others. It is Friday, the last day of classes. We (Alan, Jane, Gayle, Scott, Janice, and Kellie and I) decided we wanted to attend Michael Ballam's class on Broadway songs from 1960-1997, which we knew would include a lot of our favorite songs. The class was packed and, unfortunately, neither Janice nor Kellie could get in. Towards the end of the class, Michael was talking about the song "To Dream the Impossible Dream" from the Man of La Mancha, and how it went along with his life personally because of the fight he is involved with to keep musical theater alive in Logan in spite of the poor economy and deep budget cuts. After the dialog, he sang the song for us. Here are the Lyrics:

To dream the impossible dream

To fight the unbeatable foe

To bear with unbearable sorrow

To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong

To love pure and chaste from afar

To try when your arms are too weary

To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest

To follow that star

No matter how hopeless

No matter how far

To fight for the right

Without question or pause

To be willing to march into Hell

For a heavenly cause
And I know if I'll only be true

To this glorious quest

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm

When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this

That one man, scorned and covered with scars

Still strove with his last ounce of courage

To reach the unreachable star

It was an amazing performance! While Michael was singing, you could see his handicapped son who was sitting on the stage in his wheel chair wiping tears from his eyes -- a very tender moment for him, indeed. After the song, Michael asked his son, Ben, to come forward. Michael shared his love for his son and told us that some time earlier Ben had told him that he, Michael, was like the person from the song, because he was willing to fight for the right without question or pause and was willing to march into Hell for a heavenly cause in Logan and how proud he was of his Dad. Father and son embraced each other and Michael helped his son wipe away his tears, who was by then sobbing uncontrollably. I tell you, the love in that room was so strong at that moment that you could have cut it with a knife. There was not a dry eye in the room. I haven't felt anything as powerful as that in a long time. In my eyes, the travel time and expense of the trip to BYU was worth it just to experience that one class and feel the deep love of a father and son.

This whole experience really made me think about the deep love of another father and son - that of our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. The son, in this example, was the one to fight for the right without question or pause and who willingly marched into Hell for a heavenly cause and he did it all for each one of us. Oh, I'm so grateful for His love. Love can conquer anything.

This week on the BUY channel they are airing classes from Education Week. I noticed that Michael Ballam is one of the featured speakers on Wednesday. I'm hoping that it is this class that we attended because I'd like to experience it all over again. That would make my day!

Memorable Moments

These are some of our family member's finer moments:


Me making a face just so our kids don't feel picked on. I doubt they will see it anyway since I don't think they frequent this page. Sorry Ryan and Kyle, but I don't have pics of you making faces...at least not that I could find right off.
Jared and Cheryl last Christmas. "What, it's Christmas eve and Santa isn't coming?"

Eric the day Olivia was blessed (Christmas eve). He's so excited he can't contain himself.

Zip Line in Alaska

It has been over a year since Alan and I went on our cruise to Alaska, but the memories are till there. One of the excursions we had the privilege of participating in was called the "canopy zip line." This was so much fun!! I thought maybe I was too old to participate, but I had a great time....probably the most fun I've had in quite a while. It is definitely not for those who are afraid of heights, but we always felt safe and secure. If I remember correctly, we got to "zip" over 10 times. If you ever have a chance to try it out, I would highly recommend it. As we were enjoying this exerience, I was wishing that our children could have been there to enjoy it with us. Sorry, kids, maybe some other time. Here are some photos and one video of this amazing experience.

Book Club

In November our Stake is having another Relif Society Women's Conference. In preparation for that Conference, our Stake R. S. Presidency wants every sister to read the book entitled "21 Days Closer to Christ." by Emily Freeman. This is a beautiful book, with paintings by Simon Dewey. My Ward R. S. Presidency asked me to host a book club for this book so that the sisters in our ward can read and discuss it before the Conference. We had our first meeting last night. It wasn't well attended - only 8 of us participated, but there was a good spirit there and we really enjoyed discussing the first three chapters. This book, if used properly, can really help someone to draw closer to the Lord. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to read it, to ponder it, to apply it, and to discuss it with other sisters in the Ward. We will be meeting every Tuesday evening for seven weeks. Can't wait for next Tuesday.

An Eerie Doomsday like Feeling

California is on fire again, but this time the fire is fairly close to us (about 30 miles away) and because of the Antelope Valley winds yesterday we were shrouded in the smoke and ashes. Today isn't bad, but yesterday was very disturbing. Here's my description of yesterday's events.

Alan and I dropped Kyle off at LAX yesterday morning after he spent a week of R & R here prior to BYU starting tomorrow. After we dropped him off, we proceded to the Los Angeles Temple where we attended the 9:30 session -- probably the largest session we have ever attended. It took about 2 1/2 hrs. to complete. On the way home, we could see smoke billowing up from the mountains east of the 405 freeway. As we drove along and got onto the Antelope Valley Freeway (14) we could see that the whole sky was black, grey, and red with smoke and ash. It was just hovering over the area (and over our car) like a blanket. Over where the fire was it looked like a bomb had dropped and left a mushroom cloud in its wake. Looking at this scene, I kept thinking about Doomsday and Armegeddon and what that could possibly be like when it happens. It is hard to describe the feeling except that it seemed eerily calm and sureal like a pending doom.

I wish I would have had my camera with me as we traveled under this blanket of doom, but I didn't. I probably could have gotten some pretty amazing pictures. I did take some photos from our home, but these don't really give justice to the siutuation or create the eerie feeling that went along with it. Anyway, here are some photos taken from our home. This is the best I could do.

Landing the Big One

This is a video of Ryan catching the 40" Tiger Muskie on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at Pineview in Utah. He's a beauty! (You can decide whether I'm talking about Ryan or the fish.)

Trip to Utah

I just returned from a wonderful trip to Utah. I'm happy to be home, but the trip was amazing. We got reconnected with our children, with our siblings, with nieces and nephews, with friends, and with the Lord. Oh, how blessed we are to have all of these wonderful indivduals in our lives. Sometimes I marvel at how richly blessed I am to have been able to grow up in the family I did, marry the man I did, have the children and friends that I have, and also have the restored gospel as the base for my life and all of my relationships. What did I do to deserve all of these marvelous blessings?

I was able to talk Alan into going to Education Week with me this year. Although it was a very tiring week mentally and physically, it was full of enlightenment, inspiration, knowledge, and joy. I simply love Education Week. I guess that is why I have returned to the BYU campus repeatedly during the third week of August for the past several years. By attending the classes, my testimony and determination to live the gospel of Jesus Christ to its fullest is recharged and I recommit myself to try to live closer to the Lord.

I want my posterity to know that I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ stands at the head of this church and He directs the prophets on our behalf. Although we are living in trying times and things sometimes seem too difficult, we can thrive if we but follow the prophets and follow the example of Christ and move forward with faith, leaving fear behind us. Fear will paralize us. We must have faith. May we all let our light shine upon the rest of the world bringing love and peace to others.

Tiger Muskie Fishing

Last Saturday (Aug. 15th) Alan and I were able to go fishing at Pineview Lake with Ryan on his boat. This was the first time we had been able to ride in Ryan's boat. We had a great time.....except that the weather was unusually cold for Utah this time of year. It was cold, windy, and rainy. The big catch of the day was a 40" Tiger Muskie. Beautiful fish, but too small for Ryan's trophy wall so we let him go. Ryan wants at least a 48" one for his wall. Although three fish got away, this catch was worth the trip. It was fun to spend several hours with Ryan learning more about the art of fishing. It is very clear that Ryan is very knowledgeable and very serious about fishing. Very fun day!

My thought for the day:

"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important -- and what is most important almost always involves the people around us." -- Pres. Monson

By prioritizing our lives and the myriad number of things we need to accomplish each day, we can make time for the most important things, namely our family members. Let's reach out in love to those that we care about most.

Livi and Me

I got to spend some "quality time" with little Livi last May when Nicole, Ethan, and Ella went to Disneyland. I believe that being a grandmother is one of God's greatest gifts to older women!

Cutest Grandkids Ever

I took Ethan and Ella to Apollo Park. We ate lunch, played on the playground, fed the ducks, flew kites, collected feathers, and had a very fun afternoon. Sure wish we could do that more often!

What I learned about blogging

Ok, so I'm new at this blogging business. I just added some photos and videos, which is fine, but I didn't know they were going to be posted in reverse order. I wanted the discription first, the photos next, then the videos last. Oh well, next time I post things I'll know to do them in the reverse order of what I want. Life is a school. We are always learning.

Riding the surf boogie board style

Alan riding the waves

Trip to Santa Monica Beach