Favorite Hymns

Yesterday for Sacrament Meeting, instead of having regular speakers, they asked a few ward members to share what their favorite hymn is and tell why. They gave mini-talks and then we sang two verses of each song.

Emily Fletcher shared her favorite, which was "Lord, I Would Follow Thee".

Brother Royal chose "Praise To The Man" as his favorite.

Barbara Kellogg's favorite is "Because I have Been Given Much".

Brother Richardson picked "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go".

Angela Ross chose "How Firm A Foundation" as her favorite.

Bishop Crozier culminated the meeting with his favorite - "Love At Home", which was the closing hymn.

I loved this Sacrament Meeting so much...but the whole time I was wishing they had asked me to participate. Alan was asked, but he couldn't accept the invitation because he was attending a dental continuing education course at Loma Linda.

If I had been asked to participate, I would have chosen "I Need Thee Every Hour" and my reason for picking that hymn is because it saved my father's life. That hymn, actually, was my father's favorite hymn. Around 1990, my dad underwent a hip replacement surgery. A few days afterward, he threw a blood clot and it went to his lung. He was hospitalized for several days and ended up on life support. He was so ill that we felt like he was sitting on the fence between this life and the afterlife. We really didn't know if this was his time to go or not. At one point, when all of his 7 children and my mom were in the room with him, we decided to sing him his favorite hymn - "I Need Thee Every Hour." I could barely sing because I was so emotional, but I remember how moving and touching that song was. The spirit was strong in that room.

I believe it was because of that song that dad turned the corner shortly after that. He decided to fight. He told us later that he felt like he was given the option whether to pass on or live. He chose to live. I'm glad he did. He lived long enough to care for my Mom as she fought and eventually succumbed to lung cancer.

Wonderful Western Wyoming!

After roughly 50 years, I was finally able to visit Yellowstone National Park again. Alan and I drove there after watching Eric's kids (see earlier post).

On the way up, we were able to stop at the Grand Tetons. We didn't have much time there, but we were able to take a few pics.

The Tetons are so majestic. We loved it there.

We also drove through Jackson Hole and saw their iconic antler arches. We were not able to stop to get pictures of us in front of them, but this will do.

Of course, the highlight was Yellowstone. We were blessed to see so many National Parks this year, but Yellowstone is definitely our favorite.  

While in Yellowstone, Alan started smoking

and I started drinking.

The reality of falling prey to these vices made me blow my top.

We saw some wildlife while there. This huge buffalo crossed the road right in front of our car. 

Some favorite pics of the nature there.

Of course, the highlight of Yellowstone is always Old Faithful. She was sure faithful the day we saw her blow her top - within a minute or two of when we expected it.

We stayed in the Antelope Lodge at Grant Village. (The Lodge itself is behind the trees)

This was the cutest bar of soap ever. Just had to take a picture of it.

Another Grandma Pearl Visit

The Stott boys (minus Kevin) and their wives (minus Barbara Lynn) got together for a "mini reunion" at Legacy House in Taylorsville, Utah where Grandma Pearl resides.

Fortunately, her dementia was somehow temporarily put at bay that night so her  abilities to communicate wasn't compromised at all. She was a champ. It is always great to see her doing so well.

Some photos that were taken that night.

The boys & Mom - Just missing Kevin!

Steven and Susan had a lot of family members attend. Stephanie and Jan were visiting from Yuma, AZ with their three children. Will brought his girlfriend (Amy???), and Jon was also in attendance. It was fun to see them again.

From left to right:
Susan, Steven, Barbara June, Keith, Joan, Alan, and Galen. Sure wish Kevin & Barbara could have met with us. They were both ill and couldn't attend. 

Grandma will be 98 years old in a couple of months. That's pretty amazing!

Keeping a Watchful Eye

Alan and I volunteered to watch our grandchildren - Ethan (15), Ella (13), and Livi (almost 10) - while their parents (Eric & Nicole) went to Chicago to attend Eric's friend Matt Matros' wedding. 

Because of their ages, watching them was a piece of cake. Ella was a rock star. She pretty much took over with regard to the care of Livi. She reminded her to shower, do her chores, practice the piano, etc. Ella is a very responsible young woman. She will be a great mom one day.

Ethan spent much of his time in the basement, but was very responsible when asked to do anything. He also showed responsibility when it came to his priesthood duties at church.

It was evident that Livi missed her parents. She is still at a very tender age where it is difficult to be separated from parents for an extended length of time. She was, however, willing to follow orders and do whatever was expected of her.

We arrived there on a Friday evening. On Saturday, we took the kids to a movie - "Christopher Robin". It was quite juvenile, but the kids liked it.

Monday was a holiday - Labor Day - so the kids had a day off from school. We decided to take them to Boondocks. 

The first thing we did was the go-carts. Livi had never driven one on her own before, but decided to give it a try this time with me in the cart with her to cheer her on and help as needed. She was much more aggressive than I thought she would be. Our go-cart was in the front so we were at the head of the pack until some people (including Ethan) started to pass us. She is quite competitive and didn't want anyone to pass her, so she would try to hog the middle of the track in the straight areas and then tightly hug the curves during the turns in order to go faster. It was amazing that she even cared about being the fastest.

Ella was frustrated as she tried to pass Livi, but could never quite pull it off.

 Ethan is the most experienced at driving since he has his learner's permit. I can still see the huge smile on his face as he passed Livi. 

After riding the go-carts, we played a round of mini-golf (18 holes). I forgot to take any pictures of that event.

The kids then each got to play some arcade games. They had a great time!

I took my spare ukulele to Utah with me and taught Ella how to play some simple chords. I also taught her how to access the "Yousician" app to learn more about playing. She quickly picked it up, and quite enjoys playing it. I left the Uke with her so she can continue playing.

Although Eric & Nicole's flight back to Salt Lake City was delayed, they made it home by about 10:30 p.m. By then, Alan and I were snugly tucked into our bed 

at a nearby hotel.

We enjoyed our four days with our grandchildren and have some fond memories of that time together. Wishing isn't getting, but I wish we lived closer to all of our grandchildren. Some day that will happen, I hope!