Clara Paige's Plight

We received a phone call from Kyle yesterday morning informing us that 2-year-old Clara was eating peanuts in the car on Thursday after Kyle had picked her and Milo up from daycare and she had aspirated some peanut. Kyle could tell that Clara had suddenly become quiet and could hear that she was having a difficult time speaking and breathing - she was wheezing. Kyle pulled the car over to check her out. Clara seemed to be able to breathe pretty well by then, but he and Emily decided to have her checked out at the ER as a precaution. 

The ER doctor discovered that she did, indeed, have peanut in her lungs so he referred her to Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Spokane. They took her there yesterday morning to have the nuts removed. 

Here she is prepped for surgery. She looks happy here, but I'm sure she is clueless as to the pending surgery.

Fortunately, the pieces could be removed by endoscope so no incision was needed. Here are the peanut chunks removed from her lungs.

Thank goodness for modern medicine.  A few hours after the surgery, I asked Kyle how Clara was doing and he said that she is perfectly normal now, but that she was a little angry when waking up from the anesthesia.  Poor darling! I'm sure glad that she is ok.

41st Anniversary

Jared told me recently that he had joined a "Toastmaster's Club".  At a recent meeting, he had to get up in front of the group and speak about what advice he would give his 10-year-old self today if he could. I don't know why, but I've been thinking about that a lot lately. What would I tell my 10-year-old self today if I could. Among other things, one thing I would tell myself is not to get married two days after Christmas. It, really, was the only time we could get married because of Alan's dental school schedule (unless we wanted to wait an extra 5 months), but it really isn't a great time to celebrate. I'm still waiting to celebrate last year's 40th anniversary. The 40th anniversary, in my mind, is a big milestone and I wanted a nice get-away, but it hasn't happened yet. 

On our anniversary this year, a mass exodus took place of Stott's and Stronk's leaving California and I was left to clean up the house and catch up on my church duties. I had received "Happy Anniversary" greetings by Alan and family members early in the day, but after a very busy day, I had practically forgotten that it was our anniversary until Alan came home from work with these:

A dozen beautiful red roses and a beautiful card!

Thank you so much, Alan! I love you more today than I could ever imagine. You complete me. Thanks for marrying me 41 years ago even though it didn't take place at the perfect time of the year. I love you!

Celebrating Christmas - 2016

For Christmas this year, we were able to have everyone here except for Kyle's family. We missed them, but understood that they couldn't be here and they were able to have their own little Christmas for the first time in their own new home.

One reason they couldn't be here for Christmas is because Emily was involved in a holiday musical show called "Traditions of Christmas" in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Kyle & Milo attended opening night.

I wasn't able to see the show, but I heard that she did an amazing job.

We were unable to hold our own Christmas until Cheryl & Parker arrived about 2 pm. By then, everyone was anxious to get started - especially Ethan, Ella, and Olivia. As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. 

Group photo taken after opening gifts.

Since we had just purchased a new car a couple of months ago and I needed a new computer in early December, Alan and I decided not to give each other much.  However, I did get a ukulele from some of my kids that I can't wait to learn how to play. It should be a lot of fun. Getting used to the tiny frets after playing the guitar for so long will really take some getting used to.

For Christmas dinner I made something I have never prepared on Christmas day before. I made BBQ pork strips. They turned out perfect and were a hit. I also prepared twice baked potatoes, fruit salad, crescent rolls, mixed veggies, and slush, with pumpkin squares for dessert. All in all, it turned out to be a great meal and I appreciated all the help I received from family members in the preparation and the clean-up afterwards.

The day after Christmas we went to the shooting range just past Mojave to practice shooting our guns and try out new ones. Parker got a semi-automatic monster of a gun, but I was too afraid to use it. You can feel the concussion from it when you are standing close when it is fired. Eric got a teeny handgun, but we couldn't shoot it because he forgot the bring the ammo for it. Oops!

Rulon Beesley (Nicole's father) and McKay Allred (Nicole's brother-in-law) joined us. It was extremely cold and windy, but we managed to have some fun.

Ella tried her hand at a couple of guns, but I don't think she enjoyed shooting that much.

Ryan shooting a handgun

Alan shooting at clay pigeons with our shotgun.

 Ethan trying out Grandpa's 22 pistol

Kyle's family got to do something unique the day after Christmas. They got to go on a two-horse open sleigh ride. This is certainly something we cannot do around here because, obviously, we have no snow. It certainly looks like a lot of fun!

The tail end of a horse isn't so beautiful, but that snowy landscape sure is.

Holiday Hostess

Believe it or not, I have a fear of having to host events, unless it is for immediate family or close friends. It seems I lack hosting skills and I feel anxious about having to prepare for and execute an event. 

This year the staff asked if the office Christmas party could be held at our house. Without consulting me, Alan told them that it could. For the past several years, the celebration took place at a restaurant. No house to clean, no decorating, no cooking, and no planning at all was necessary. Just drive to the restaurant, eat, pay the bill, and leave all the dirty dishes. Easy peasy! This year, that would all change.  Although I thought that having it at our house would make it a lot more intimate and it would be much easier to converse and spend time getting to know each other better, I felt pressure at having to provide a perfect evening for everyone. There would be 13 in attendance.

Instead of curling up into a ball and hiding like I felt like doing, I accepted reality and went to work on trying to provide a perfect event. With Jane's help, I came up with some ideas for table decorations, hors d'oeuvres, drinks, party favors, etc.

 I took pictures of the tables before the party started. 

 Everyone loved the centerpieces and the little Christmas stockings that held the utensils. All in all, things turned out real well.

Fortunately, the event was catered by Famous Dave's Barbecue Restaurant in Palmdale. It was delicious and it was nice not to have to worry about cooking a meal.

(Left to right - Lee, Jack, Alan, Emilee, and Kareem)

(Left to right - Kathi, Janene, Mark, Kayla, Juan, Heather, and Joe)

I forgot to take a picture of the table with the hors d'oeuvres (meatballs and spinach & archicoke dip), cake balls, and drinks (slush, egg nog, and water) but you can kind of see it behind Alan in the picture above.

After dinner, we played games, opened gifts, and had dessert (brownies w/ice cream). It was a lot of fun. Everyone seemed to have a great time.  They even said they want to have it at our house every year.  GULP!  I wasn't expecting that.

Merry Christmas!

December's Year of Dates

December is here and Alan and I have opened our very last date night of the year.  Our chest of gifts now sits empty.  So sad!

Our last gift is not something that we can use this year, but we look forward to a time we can use it in 2017. Here is what we got:

We got tickets to LPAC. Anyone who is not from Lancaster won't know what LPAC is so I will explain. It stands for Lancaster Performing Arts Center. They are host to a number of special performances each year. We just need to pick the one that we want to attend most and go for it.

It is sad to see our year of dates come to an end. We have really enjoyed each and every date and have looked forward with anticipation to the first day of each month so we could open another gift. 

Once again, I want to thank the staff for the perfect gift of a year of dates. It has been an amazing ride - one we will never forget!  

Thanksgiving in Ladera Ranch

We had a quiet, but very nice Thanksgiving this year. Cheryl and Parker wanted to host it, so we drove to Ladera Ranch on Wednesday morning. Jared drove over from Mesa, Arizona later that same day. Prior to Jared getting there, the four of us decided to go on a hike near the Stronk's home that was a big ravine with a river at the bottom. Hard to describe. I wasn't really prepared for hiking, so my shoes weren't ideal, but I managed to survive it.

Terrain we were hiking

Such a beautiful day for a hike!

It is tiny, but Parker is holding a snake that Cheryl found in the river.

On Thanksgiving day, Parker smoked the turkey. He had never done this before so he was experimenting. Well, I can tell you that the experiment was a success. The turkey was moist and delicious.

Jared requested that I bake the rolls I make each Thanksgiving and Christmas. Eric's family also made them in Utah, along with pumpkin squares, and sent out these pictures asking if anyone was jealous. 

Ryan (always health and diet conscious) commented that they needed more spinach.

 So we added some spinach to our rolls.

The day after Thanksgiving, the five of us piled into our van (along with our five bicycles - three on the rack and two in the back) and headed to Dana Point. Alan and I love riding our bikes at the beach. It is one of our favorite activities and having Jared, Cheryl, and Parker there with us made it even more enjoyable.

(Cheryl is not pictured - she took the photo)

It was such a fun day. Being in Orange County for Thanksgiving made me want to retire there instead of Utah...at least for a few hours. I believe we will still retire in Utah, but the Southern California beach areas are certainly very tempting. Climate wise, you can't beat it!

Quick Trip to Utah (For Olivia's Baptism)

Last Friday morning, Alan and I drove to Utah so we could be there for our granddaughter Olivia's baptism on Saturday morning. 

The drive went well. It was the maiden voyage of our new Honda Odyssey. The big test was whether Alan would get motion sick or not. He decided to give it a true test by not taking any Dramamine prior to the trip. In our Lexus 300, Alan would consistently get car sick...along with other members of the family who rode in it. They affectionately named my car "Ralph" because of that. However, the Odyssey passed the motion sickness test with flying colors. Alan didn't get sick at all - even when he wasn't the driver.

On Friday evening, the first thing we did was go see Alan's mom. She is a resident at Legacy House, an Assisted Living establishment in Taylorsville, UT. She will be 96 years old on the 24th of this month (Thanksgiving Day). She has either dementia or Alzheimer's (not sure which) so we never know whether she will recognize us or not. We were pleased to see her sitting there in the common area as soon as we entered the Cottage. She immediately saw us and I saw her face light up and a big smile come upon her face and she said "I didn't know you were coming!" She recognized us right away. We were very happy about that. We were able to have a great conversation with her and loved the time we spent there.

After that little visit, we met Ryan at Chuck-A-Rama for some dinner. It was nice to be able to spend some time with him. Eric and his family had other plans for the evening, so we didn't see them until the next day. 

After dinner, Alan and I decided to go to Scheels - an Outdoor/Sporting Goods store. It is huge and it is amazing. I have been wanting to go inside for a long time, so I'm glad that I got that opportunity. It was only about 1/2 mile or so from the hotel we stayed in.

Inside the store, there is a Ferris Wheel, aquarium tank, and lots of stuffed wild life.

This was definitely a fun store!

On Saturday morning, we went to Eric's house until it was time to go to the baptism. They really go all out for baptisms in Utah. They even had this sign outside the R.S. Room announcing who was getting baptized from their Ward.

As the time for the baptism approached, it was apparent that not everyone would be able to fit in the R. S. Room, so we were moved to the chapel. Alan gave a great talk on baptism and the Holy Ghost in that room using lots of pictures to make it more appealing to the children getting baptized.

Here is a picture of Eric & Olivia just prior to the baptism

A little boy named Crew was baptized as well, so the assignments for the baptism were split between the two families. Sharon Beesley (grandmother) got to introduce Olivia, Alan gave the talk, Eric baptized Olivia, Rulon Beesley (grandfather) did the confirmation, and I gave the closing prayer. The members of the other family gave the opening prayer, introduced Crew, performed a musical number, and made the programs. Everything turned out just perfect.

Here are some pictures taken after the baptism. Olivia looked so cute in her beautiful white dress.

Eric, Nicole, Ethan, Ella, and Olivia

Ryan & Olivia

Alan and I with Olivia

Rulon and Sharon Beesley with Olivia

After the baptism, we (except for Ryan, who had to go to work) went out to eat lunch. We actually ate breakfast because Olivia chose iHop as the restaurant. It was delicious.

For fun, we (except the Grandpa's who wanted to take a nap instead) went and played some mini-golf at Mulligan's. We had a great time. Sharon and Ethan each got 2 holes-in-one. In spite of that, I had the best score overall, beating Sharon by only one stroke. Eric was close behind.

Later, Alan and I started our journey back home. We made it as far as St. George, where we found a hotel, then continued our journey home the next morning. Since we got an early start, we were able to make it home in time to attend Sacrament Meeting. That was an added bonus to the day.

It was a whirlwind of a trip, but well worth it. We love any time we can spend with family, especially for special events like this. 

Congratulations, Olivia, on making the choice to be baptized. You did the right thing! May you always make good choices that will keep you close to your Heavenly Father and allow you to find your way back to Him.

November's Year of Dates

Wow, only two months until the end of the year. This year has flown by. 

We just opened our November date and it sounds like a fun one....especially for someone who likes pizza and movies, like us.

 Can't wait to cash this one in. It will have to wait a bit because we will be in Utah this weekend for Olivia's baptism, but maybe we can cuddle up with pizza and a good movie the following weekend. Thank you, staff, for another fun gift!