Week of August 25 - 31, 2014

Monday - Couldn't sleep so got up at 4 am, started laundry and headed out to jog. The Phoenix Temple is now lit up on a regular basis (it used to be that if the lights were on, whoever saw them would send a message out to everyone they knew and we would all come and look) though the spire lights are off at night.  It is so beautiful to run past, even through the construction fence. I did some clean up on the back porch and set out on my tasks for the day: cleaning, dusting, laundry, vacuuming. I got sidetracked for a bit, and ended up spending an hour laminating.

Elder Meredith, one of the full time missionaries serving in our ward, was heading home this week, and he had never had our pizza, so we invited them to dinner. I thawed dough, sauce, cheese and pepperoni from the freezer, plus chopped some bell pepper and we had some pretty good pizza.

Dee mowed the yard...and I mowed a few rounds as well...after then left.

Rain was forecast...nothing had happened, though, before I went to bed.

Tuesday - Not much rain had fallen the night before. I saw a couple of puddles, and it was cool but very humid. Thus, I was a puddle when I got home. Dee had to leave early for business meetings in Prescott, so I got bathrooms scrubbed and the house clean, and then headed out for some Christmas shopping. I completed all eight grandkid Christmas stocking purchases, and got the ladies' nearly done. The men are the most challenging...

After dinner, Dee chainsawed the logs he had picked up around the neighborhood and we moved them to the log pile, and then cleaned up the wood chips.

Our wonderful home teachers came for a visit later. We watched primary election results and then went to bed.

Wednesday - I went running...and at my almost halfway point, in the darkness, I saw this...

They lit the spire of the temple! At 5: 15 am!

I hope I am always just as excited as I feel every single time I jog by that temple!

I got my cleaning done and headed out to my visiting teaching appointment with Yvonne. We had a great visit and I headed to the post office to mail some items and then hit WinCo for salad. Dee was at meetings when I returned home so I had lunch and then worked on the next Christmas stocking until my eyes hurt.

Taco Salad for dinner.

I helped clean up the old garden plastic and put away stakes, tomato cages, poles, screening, etc.

Thursday - I was so tired when I fell asleep last night, and I was still tired at 4:15 am when I woke up, so I talked myself out of jogging and slept another half hour. I exercised, brushed the pool, gave the chickens a fresh corn on the cob treat, and set out on my morning chores: dusting, vacuuming. My sweet visiting teacher, Kim and her son Reed came and we had a great visit.

After lunch, I got on the big computer and paid bills. That "routine exam at the dermatologist" ended up costing nearly $900 dollars!

The city picked up my whole pile...which I was thankful for, BUT I had carefully separated the mulchable items from the non-mulchable ones...and it didn't seem to matter. (we later noticed that ours was the only pile picked up on Thursday, so perhaps my neatness gave me some priority???)
Dee made arrangements for his trips for work, and we did some shopping at Costco. While he worked in his garden, I took a rare and awesome swim. It was a bit cooler than I like, but it was great.

Dee had an awesome phone visit with Nate...Cameo texted that Ethan's plane from Maryland had landed safely.

Friday - The jog was a bit warmer. Yep, still August in Phoenix. Though the temple parking lot is roped off, I could jog through and see plants they were planting and a parking lot cleaning machine. Morning was good...I wished Nano a Happy Birthday! She called, and loved the Life History post...and then assisted me in locating the spelling errors (THAT always is my mom. She is far better than any Spell Check could be!)

Day was my typical boring stuff that embarrasses me to continue writing: cleaning, vacuuming, laundry, meal preparation - lunch, dinner - work in the yard...

In the evening, we watched a movie we purchased at a yard sale entitled "Cowboys Vs. Aliens". I thought it would be another one of those comedy spoofs. I waited...and hung up laundry...and waited...

Once a set of hands came out of some alien dudes chest to grab a little kid...that was it for me.

I read the Ensign magazine...much more my speed.


Saturday - My alarm on my cell phone kept going off...and I kept snoozing it. Heck, it was Saturday. No one needs to run at 4:15 am on Saturday. I finally gave up and got up at 4:21 am...or so I thought. I sat up, and it was light outside!

Nope...not 4:21 am but 5:35 am.  My phone sometimes freaks out and stops keeping time...I shut it off and it gets back in touch with the cell phone tower and all is good...except that I don't like running when that many people are around. I headed out the door at 5:40 am, knowing I had to be back by 6:30 am to wake up the troops. I made it...woke up Dee and Kayty...brushed the pool...gave the chickens corn...

Ethan and Doran and Kooper arrived...and the guys headed out for some clay pigeon shooting. Kooper and I played

and watched cooking shows on PBS. The guys had a great time!

After Doran and Kooper headed home, I made Dee some lunch and he worked with a far away family member on genealogy via phone.

Dee fed the chickens treats...

and we worked in the garden, took a swim, got some garden supplies at WalMart, and had a quiet evening.

Sunday - Another wonderful Sunday...Our Sacrament Meeting talks were superb. Our young men's president who is a pediatric dentist and his wife spoke about the temple, of bringing our lives in tune, of being a light. In Sunday School, we talked about Jonah and his ministry. I was reminded that we should remember not to decide who is ready for the Gospel. We then had an hour of temple open house "training". Our bishop handed out the following cards:

He was training US to be better people: prayer, individual and family scripture study, attendance at our meetings. It was great, and I almost hated having to leave early to go sing with the nursery kids.

Lunch...family history work (Dad gave me some of his dad's life story...He is so busy he just didn't have the time...dinner...hunting arrangements...temple open house volunteer sign up as fill ins...and bed.

Barbara Jeanne Marsh Kew Noack

Happy Birthday, Mom/Nano! Now I get to share your life...

The following is taken from Barbara Jeanne Marsh Kew Noack's own life history.


I was born in the early morning of August 29, 1935. I am sure it must have been a very hot day because it is always hot in Phoenix in the month of August. I was the first and only child of the marriage of Robert Campbell Marsh and Louise Amelia Wolf.

When I was about four or five years old, I put some kittens that my mother was taking care of into a garbage can so they would be safe, and I put the lid on. Much to my mother's horror, she looked in there several hours later and they were all dead. Another time, when my mother and I were going on a bus trip, during the afternoon I went walking through a vacant lot. I stepped on a red ant hole and ants crawled all over my feet and legs. I was so frightened I just stood there and screamed, and my mother came out and grabbed me and put my legs in a tub of water which was under the evaporative cooler. By that night, my feel and legs were so swollen I couldn't get my shoes on, so I had to get on a bus (on which we were traveling to California) with just my socks. 

 My childhood illnesses included having measles (both German and Red), mumps on both sides, chicken pox and strep throat.

Thanksgiving at San Juan Capistrano with her mother, Louise Amelia Wolf. 

Thanksgiving with her father, Robert Campbell Marsh. 

Some of my favorite foods when I was growing up were Vienna sausages, deviled ham, (Suzzy now knows why these were deemed a real treat when we ate them as kids) deviled eggs, tuna fish, bologna, and many fruits. (Barbara ate fruit with salt on it, which Suzzy thought was awful. She ate some watermelon at Girl Scout Camp and put salt on it...and loved it, so ate it that way from then on. She also liked salt on most fruit.) I was made to clean my plate because I was told that poor kids in China didn't have enough to eat - I would have been happy to send them mine! Two things I absolutely detested were liver and spinach. (Suzzy was so glad she hated those, since she NEVER fed us liver or cooked spinach.)

 I had many enjoyable times with my grandmother, Irma Zelia Pratt Wolf Leiber, during my growing up years. We went on several train trips together to Washington and to Colorado, and those trips were so much fun... when I was about seven years old, I stayed with my Uncle Elmo and Aunt Frances and attended school there for a few months. This was the only school in my lifetime where I received a paddling from a teacher, and I don't know now - and I am not even sure I knew then - what I had done wrong....One time, we traveled and came through Williams, Arizona, where she knew some people with the last name of Wilkins and I remember they gave their dog a bowl of ice cream every night. One time on the way back to Phoenix from Colorado, when I was about ten years old, we went through a little town in Texas called Dalhart. I had brought a puppy with me which I had gotten from my  Uncle Elmo and Aunt Frances Nauman, and she was riding in the baggage car, so when we stopped at Dalhart for a few hours, I was allowed to get my puppy - named Penny - and take her for a walk. She got away from me and I almost lost her, but we finally found her just in time to get her and us back on the train. It was really close!

Sometimes when we traveled on the train, Grandma (Suzzy's Nano) and I would get a roomette. This roomette had bunk beds built in - which you pulled down from the wall at night - and a bathroom. It would be so much fun sleeping at night with the train going. I would get so used to sleeping with the constant motions that when we would arrive at our destination, I would have trouble seeping in a quiet bed. We saw so much beautiful scenery out the windows of the train.

My traveling has been pretty much limited to the western part of the United States. I lived in California for a few of my younger years and it was at that time that our country was engaged in World War II. We would have drills - at least weekly - where we would have to practice what we would do if the Japanese bombed us, so in class some of us would climb into cupboards - I didn't like that because it gave me claustrophobia) and some of us would crawl under out wooden tables where we worked in class. Everyone in the United States was asked to save any tin foil for war purposes. I don't know what they used it for. We would save it and form a ball  and just keep adding to it. There was a gum - Beaman's Pepsin Chewing Gum - that was wrapped in white paper along with tin foil which we would carefully peel off and add to the ball. (Suzzy remembers that there was always a foil drawer in the kitchen where we would put the foil used from wrapping potatoes to bake and we used it over and over again. Things experienced in trying times are rarely forgotten.)

Things were rationed during the war and I remember standing in line with my parents to get sugar and cigarettes and we were allowed only one pair of shoes per year. I despised shoes I had to wear because my mother made me wear ugly brown leather high tops so I wouldn't get weak ankles. I don't remember ever having really pretty shoes as a child.

Some of the games we played when I was young were "hide and seek", tag, dodge ball, kick the can, hopscotch, jacks, marbles, paper dolls and regular baby dolls and dolls. When we didn't have money to buy regular paper dolls, we would cut pictures out of the Sears catalog and use them for dolls.

When I was in fifth grade, and again in the seventh and eighth grades at Madison School in Phoenix. I was so proud  when I graduated because my mother had graduated from this school also. It was one of the best schools in Phoenix at that time. After graduation, I attended North Phoenix High School for one year and then moved to West Phoenix High School. I learned to play the cello and was in the school orchestra all of my four years. I liked playing the cello but I didn't like bringing it home to practice because I always traveled on the bus and when I would get on, the bus driver would tease me and ask if I would be "paying for two". In my senior year, I was chosen for the All-State Orchestra and went to the University of Arizona at Tucson for that orchestra.

Barbara with her younger half brother, John Dwight Hart, Jr. 

Barbara's Sixteen Year Portrait

After graduating from West High School in 1953, I went to work at Arizona Industrial Commission. I really didn't want any more schooling at that point, but by  the time September rolled around, I was ready to take a few courses at Phoenix College. By 1954 I was back to school full time and stated at Phoenix College and transferred after one semester to Arizona State College at Tempe. I moved into Dixie Gammage Hall for the second semester.

At college, my first roommate, Frankie from Ajo, was a Mormon and at the end of one semester she decided to go  on a mission. She was one of them most admired friends I had and we had a lot of talks, but she never pushed me into religion. I went to church often with her as well as to Institute and her home in Ajo, Arizona and I always had a good time. (Suzzy has often shared the story of a college roommate that didn't even want to have her hot cocoa in a coffee cup because she didn't want to set a bad example and let people think she was drinking coffee. That example of "shunning the appearance" stuck with Barbara, and influenced her actions many years later. Frankie never knew the lives she changed, all across the world, from that one action.)

I never had too many boyfriends in school because I was so shy. I went to many of the school dances but never really went steady with anyone. I met Allan (William Allan Kew) on my first day at work at the Industrial Commission. He filed x-rays in the same department where I was a file clerk. We were friendly with each other, but each assumed the other had a girlfriend or boyfriend, so nothing ensued until one day when Allan asked me if I would be interested in going out on a blind date. I said I would. On the day were were to go out, Allan had to confess to me that he was the "blind date" and wondered if that was okay with me. Of course, I said it was and he too me out for dinner at Woody's Macayo Restaurant.

During our early courtship, we both declared that each of us didn't want to get seriously involved with anyone because we had both had a previous romance with someone else and we just wanted to have a good time. So, with that fact stated to each other, I think we both fell in love on our first date, but just wouldn't admit it. We were engaged the next year, on June 14, 1956 and were married exactly one year later on the same date. We had to wat a long time to get married because Allan's mother and sister insisted the his mother had to be on Social Security first because she needed to be supported. His mother and sister were never happy about Allan getting married, though I don't think it had anything to do with me. They just wanted him to stay with them forever.

Barbara escorted down the aisle by her stepfather, John Dwight Hart. 

Our first home was  a tiny apartment at 315 East Palm Lane in Phoenix. It had formerly been a garage and was made into two apartments. It had a Murphy bed and when we put the bed down, one could hardly walk in the room. One day, when I was in the bathroom curling my hair, I looked under the bed and saw the wore on the clock "moving". As I kept looking  at the cord, I soon discovered that the moving cord what actually a snake! I screamed and Allan flew out of bed and...threw it outside. 

Barbara and Allan on their first wedding anniversary...in the clothing they wore when they were married. 

Our next apartment, at 137 W. Almeria in Phoenix,  was a two bedroom duplex and was quite roomy. I made some new curtains for many of the rooms and it really looked cute. We brought our first child, Suzanne Denise Kew, home here. We had always joked about my name sounding like "bar-be-cue" and now we added and "Suzy'Q" to our family.

Our first house was located at 4130 W. Tuckey Lane in Phoenix. It was a two bedroom house which we eventually convetred into a three-bedroom by enclosing the carport. Allan was always busily adding paneling or installing louvered doors, covering a patio, adding a carport, building shelves and tiling rooms. (And Barbara could sew ANYTHING. She new how to make real drapes as well as curtains. She made matching clothing for them and for the kids...and eventually for the grandkids as well. )

After not being able to have any more children, we decided to adopt. We had a long struggle through many, many interviews before we were approved for adoption. When we got the phone call to say there was a baby boy waiting for us, I cannot tell you the excitement the three of us felt - although when the caseworker asked Suzanne if she wanted a baby brother or sister, she said "NO".  Scott Allan Kew was born May 20, 1964 and his big sister was anxious to feed him and his daddy was very anxious go give him his first bath.

Two years later, we applied for another baby and we were approved in only a couple of months, and we brought our third child home - Sharynn Louise Kew, born July 6, 1966.

When we had outgrown  that house, we bought our present home at 6701 N. 41st Dr. in Phoenix. It was only a few blocks from our previous home. It was a beautiful four-bedroom home and was nice and roomy.

I was brought up to attend Sunday school and church. I was baptized into the Baptist church When I met Allan he was a Congregationalist and I was so happy to fall in love with a Christian man that I started going to his church. We were married in the North Congregational Church and attended this church for several years. All of our children were baptized as babies. We then stated going to the First Baptist Church. We were looking for a church that our children could get a good foundation and with which we could all be happy. This church seemed to be what we were looking for until we noticed that many of the young people wanted to change everything to their modern way of thinking and many things in the church were changed. We then began to really search for a church for our whole family and thus were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints I was baptized and confirmed by our friend, Eldon B. Hamblin, M.D. He and his wife, Theone, became the dearest of friends to us as well as being our doctor. I had man long talks with Dr. Hamblin and he helped me to overcome many obstacles that were place before me.

One very special inspiring moment came to me when we attended the re dedication of the Arizona Temple. When I came home that evening, I wrote the following testimonial:

"Today at the dedication of the Arizona Temple, I felt like I was in the presence of God and His son, Jesus Christ. There was such a spirituality and closeness I  felt to the more than three thousand people present in the room I was in . When I saw our beloved prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball, I knew that he was truly a man chosen by God. He has a sweetness and loving quality that only a true man of God could have.

"When the choir sang, 'I Know That My Redeemer Lives' I was very emotional because that song was sung at my baptism and sit has has a very special meaning for me. ...

"When our prophet started giving the dedicatory prayer, I could hardly take my eyes off his sweet face...I was led to tears because truly our Heavenly Father was in our presence and it must have been felt by those present..."

"I hope the memory of the beautiful day will stay with me forever, and in times of strife I can look back on this day and remember knowing that the presence of our Heavenly Father was truly there and that I truly believe that Jesus is the Living Christ and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has truly been restored upon this earth."

Our family worked hard to become worthy to go to the temple and be sealed. The Lord blessed them with experiences that helped them overcome weaknesses and the our family was sealed in the Mesa Arizona Temple on November 4, 1975.

After years of illness, dear Allan died in September of 1977. After his death, I more or less stayed home with my children plus working as a medical transcriptionist. After a few years I went to a singles square dance and I met the man who was to become my second husband - Arnold Edward Noack. We were married in Las Vegas, Nevada in December of 1981. We did a lot of square dancing and round dancing and traveled quite a bit. He was from Buffalo New York and so we took a trip there and I had never before that time traveled any further eastward of Colorado. We square danced at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. having arrived there on a subway. It was very exciting just thinking of dancing there. We took another subway  nd a bus and visited the Washington D.C. temple. We had a good - but short - life together. He died on February 27, 1986.

I did continue to go to singles square dances and became acquainted with Edward Attilio Prato. We went to a lot of dances and then he became ill and I was his caretaker for about 12 years until  he died December 10, 2004. He was a great Italian chef and cooked lots of meals for me when he felt better and he came up with a recipe for beans that my grandchildren loved - especially Nathan - and consequently they were called "Ed's Beans". He wrote out a recipe so I could make them when Doran went on his mission, never realizing that this would be the last and only time he would write out the recipe as he died a few months later. He wanted Nathan to have that recipe, and though Suzzy might have sneaked information to other family members, the framed recipe is now in his family's possession.

After Ed's death, I could again become active in the Church and started going on a regular basis, and after several months I became worthy to go to the temple again. So, as part of the celebration of my 70th birthday, Sharynn flew down from Utah and joined Suzanne and Scott for a birthday dinner celebration and then a few days later Suzanne and Sharynn and I went to the temple together.

Suzzy remembers her mom's sewing skills. She made everything for her to wear. Back then, clothing for chubby girls was very drab and dowdy and she made bright and fashionable clothing for her. She would also fix sewing projects. Suzzy remembers that there was one time that she had an outfit under construction and was having a tough time fixing a mistake, so she went to bed. She woke up the next morning with the completed outfit hanging in the doorway of her room.  Suzzy loved it when her mom made spaghetti and loved the chicken and dumplings she made once. Salads were her mom's specialty and they ate them all the time. She also remembers sitting with her mom on the couch late at night and digging out the chocolate chips out of the container of chocolate chip ice cream. Mom would also make late night runs to Jack in the Box for tacos and burritos. She did not like her mom's meatloaf or the pan fried hamburgers (popular then) or her cooked carrots. She made awesome turkey and stuffing at Thanksgiving, just like her Nano taught her, and made a Waldorf Salad with homemade mayonnaise. She was always in attendance at every chorus and band concert, every softball game, every play performance.

She now enjoys sewing, creating Christmas ornaments, and genealogy, and spends hours a week compiling and preparing names for temple work. She loves families together forever and that is her goal.

To complete this portion of her life, I close with her own words...

"I would like to stress to my descendants two qualities I have found very rewarding in my life. These are love and service. I feel that love comes from not having to love because someone is related or belongs to you, but loving because you really feel that love towards someone. To further explain - I have give birth to one child, whom I love very much, and I have been the mother of two children whom we adopted as very young babies and whom I love just as much. You see, giving birth to a baby does not automatically make someone a mother; but loving a baby the way I loved all of my babies - that is what starts to make a mother.

Another very important part of my life has been to try and give service to others. I used to love to surprise my mother by doing little things around the house, and I would feel so good inside because it would make her so happy....I don't believe one has to be recognized or thanked for every little thing one does. I always had a happy heart when doing service and it gave me a good feeling to know I was helping someone out. We know that our Heavenly Father is watching over us and He knows what we are doing, and if we know this then that is really all the appreciation we need."

Week of August 18 - 24, 2014

Monday - Kaylee had a happy day, and I was glad, since the night before had been rough and sleepless for many of us, between just general can't get to sleep, to dog waking us up, to thunder and rain keeping us awake (no complaints about rain, though!) It made for a nice cloudy and cool morning and we spent it out in the sandbox.

 Kaylee kicked me off the piano bench, saying "move!" and she and Kayty had a good time playing!

Tuesday -  I didn't hear the alarm on my phone, but I woke up before 5 am, so I headed out for a run. It was dark and cloudy, and I even got rained on about a half mile from home. Nice! I loved it! I brushed the pool, fed the chickens, and got Dee's work computer going. I noticed a meeting of his cancelled, so I got him up so he could go to another supplier meeting. I noticed it being windy outside...which it hadn't been, and remarked to Dee that he needed to come look. All of a sudden, the sky let loose! Rain like I have never seen here...for a long time. Dee left for the meeting, and I took pics.

I opened the gate to let water out...I heard a voice, and it was Dee, who had given up trying to travel the flooded roads! We didn't suffer any damage and felt so so very blessed for the beautiful rain. I was glad to have another cool morning for Kaylee to play outside!

 It was a beautiful day, with off and on rain, clouds, and plenty of "hop hops" for Kaylee to see when Daddy came to get her.

We headed towards the Skunk Creek "Waterfalls" and watched the raging water with many others. It is amazing how much water comes from a few inch rain in the desert. After hitting a few stores, we headed home, and were blessed to come over Thunderbird Mountain and see the Phoenix Temple all illuminated. It. Was. Breathtaking!

Wednesday - I didn't want to run today, until I went out in the back yard and felt 72 degree weather, which NEVER happens in August, so I headed out. It was so nice. I knew I was getting so spoiled, since it's 100 degrees through October! Kaylee and I played out in the back yard sand, played in the little pink play pool, fed chickens and had a good day. Daddy came to pick her up, and got some firewood and the grub box (which had water in it...probably from the huge rain) so they could go camping the next couple of days.

Thursday - I headed out for a run, got dusting, vacuuming and cleaning done. Dee had many meetings at work, thus the reason our "Temple Tour of Arizona" could not happen this week. He made flight arrangements for his November business trip, and I planned when I will decorate the house for Christmas (I have a very small life, people...The more I plan, the more I accomplish).

Friday - I jogged on another beautiful morning...72 degrees! I enjoyed seeing the Phoenix Temple (they are planting more desert plants - I kinda wish the people in Salt Lake City would ask what the natives think of the plants they plant. It's kind of like in Jurassic Park when they planted "pretty plants" that made that poor triceratops sick. The trees and plants they planted are MESSY! - but nice when the bloom, for that one day)  We got up and ready and headed out to the Gilbert Temple.

We planned on doing two sessions...until we finally got there, and saw...a lift truck...and plywood on a couple of the stained glass windows...and no cars...

Closed for two weeks!(Really? It's only been open for a few months. Dedication was on the day after Nathan came home from his mission!)

It's a beautiful temple, though we have never seen an endowment room! Sad that the "R" had already become dislodged. 

So, we madly changed plans and headed to the Mesa Temple. It took a LONG time to find a parking place...perhaps due to the Gilbert Temple Closing.

They had closed the Mesa Temple for three weeks, instead of the typical two, and put down some absolutely gorgeous marble flooring. It was beautiful. We got into a session at 10 am. During the session, there were some delays, so we couldn't make another session.

We were going to buy some potato pearls at the cannery, but I was afraid IT was closed too, so we stopped at Deseret Industries to drop off some things, shopped at the 99 Cent Store for veggies, and drove by the Phoenix Temple on our way home.

Sorry folks. It was nearly 2 in the afternoon and I was hungry and tired! I needed a headband!

Big salad...hauling more stuff out to the quarterly pick up pile...Dee helped a sister in our ward load up her moving U-haul...and got Nate's suitcase full of computer, baseball gloves, and loading machine stuff (and a warm coat to protect it all)...in her truck as well (she moved to Idaho Falls the next day)...and a quiet evening.

Though I was a bit on the put out side when we arrived at a closed temple (this has happened a couple of times to us - you think we would learn to check the website first!) but then I thought of how wonderful it was to HAVE an alternative to a closed temple. The other times we have been mistaken, we had to just head home. Not this time.

Saturday - Exercising, brushing the pool, yard sales, and I got paint to paint some of my metal folding chairs.

It was hot, though it really was in the upper 80's or low 90's. It's scary how FAST we get weather spoiled. Next week will bring 106 back again!

We ran errands and picked up some baptismal clothing from the stake center that needed to be washed and returned. I did two loads of clothing and had them neatly folded on the couch by nighttime.

Ethan and Cameo and Kaylee came by to return some borrowed camping stuff and share the pictures of their trip. The cutest ones were of Kaylee crying her eyes out and cringing as mommy and daddy photographed the fish they had caught. Ethan says he has a tree hugger for a daughter.

I painted chairs...and repainted after I missed some spots.

We worked HARD in the yard, Dee cutting the palm stuff off the tree and me hauling it out to our ever growing pile. Four wheelbarrow loads full, and after raking and cleaning, it looks pretty doggone good! We still have the remaining trunk to burn, but we have to wait till it dries out a bit.

A swim...watching some television

A call from Doran that Morgan had decided to return to Texas the next morning (which the bus was too full and he will leave on Monday morning)  and bed were the end of our day.

Sunday - I woke up, got ready, got Dee up and we headed out to church. Our speakers in Sacrament meeting shared their experiences living in a ward that had a temple dedication going on. The were in Apex, North Carolina where the Raleigh Temple is located. We found out that we will be relocated from our building in a few weeks. We learned of Job in Sunday School and about Priesthood Keys and Authority in Relief Society.

After my lunch, I worked on the blogging of Mom's life history for her birthday post (Check this Friday, August 29th). It took some time, since I condensed and reorganized a bit.

Dee went home teaching. I blogged and worked on a letter for a sister I visit teach.

I guess that's it...

Week of August 11 - 17, 2014

I seem to always find that my "week off" is full of activity. It is good, since I really make sure I use each day to the fullest.

Monday -  I woke up early, ran, and then set to work. Playroom was cleaned and re-organized, Christmas ornaments were put away until November, painting supplies were all put away, house was dusted, vacuumed and the kitchen was mopped, and the bathroom scrubbed. When Dee headed to a supplier, I wrestled Kayty to come with me to Costco, where she assisted in lifting a 50 pound sack of bird feed and a case of water into both my cart and my car. We also got gas, I ran into Michael's to use a coupon and complete a project, and I stopped for Kayty's "needed" Mountain Dew.

After stuff was put away, I cooked some deer meat and made salad for dinner, and we worked in the yard. I trimmed lantana growing under the citrus trees and hauled two wheelbarrowloads out to the pile. Dee and I worked the rest of the time on the Ironwood tree that had split in half and has on the ground - clipping, sawing, and hauling. I was exhausted and itchy after done.

Tuesday - I ran again, and then did work in the yard. I hauled two more Ironwood loads to the pile. After Dee's had eaten breakfast and left for a supplier visit, I cleaned the pantry and vacuumed the whole house. I had a list, both at WalMart and Dollar Tree, so I then got stuff checked off my list. I finished the pantry, did some laundry, made two birthday cards for granddaughters, got their birthday presents wrapped...life is lots of little things, isn't it. We worked in the yard and waited to hear from Morgan (who was coming to town to work out some traffic issues), which led to talking to Sharynn and Rollin...a lot. Dee trimmed some more palm fronds, and I started hauling, until a wind and rain storm interrupted...We have had a pretty good monsoon season, with numerous rain events. This one began heavy and then drizzled to rain the rest of the night. At about 9:30 pm, a ring of the doorbell indicated Morgan had been located...he got to Ethan and Cameo's, and she and Kaylee brought him home. I think she was afraid she was going to have to stay here, so Kaylee was not too happy, even with some kisses from Grammy. There was visiting, Dee took a bike ride, and I went to bed exhausted and late.

Morgan seems to have really grown up. The experiences of the last few months have really seemed to have a maturing impact on his life. It holds true that it is not what happens to us, but what we DO with what happens to us.

Wednesday - It was 75 humid degrees when I ran, but it was so nice. I finished hauling palm fronds in a sprinkle of rain. Dee ate his bacon and eggs, and I headed out to ride a bus. They were timing tour buses to and from the temple, so we met in Wet N Wild Waterpark Parking Lot...

lined up and boarded

got off, lined up, and boarded again,

and returned.

Fun to do something different...to help...

I took Morgan to the MVD to try and get the old traffic violations taken care of.

There is much for him to do...

and spend. He asked Dee for a priesthood blessing to guide him in deciding what to do.

The guys got a LOT of that palm tree cut apart and hauled out, or ignited.

I hauled a few wheelbarrowloads too.

They had sushi

We watched Duck Dynasty.

Good way to end the day.

Thursday - I ran at 5am...it was cooler and less humid feeling. I didn't do much yard work, but managed to get a couple things straightened, made breakfast for Dee, and headed to the doctor.

The medical assistant, not the doctor, removed the stitches...

Seven Itchy Stitches...Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah...

She remarked that I had a rash from the bandage...and then she put another one on.

I had Dee remove it as soon as I got home.

Our Again-Attempted-But-Life-Gets-In-The-Way trip/vacation to Thatcher was cancelled.

I cleaned, vacuumed, dusted,

Talked to two adorable grandchildren...love you Joshy and Grace...on the phone...

 made Haystacks...

And worked in the yard. I am just a hauler...

Morgan did TONS!

Including relocating the slide to the pool area...

 Which Kayty loved!

Great night...

Friday - Friday, I was dragging. I was tired of running, but since my exercises are still out of the question for a few more days, I headed out. I got some yard work done...not much, but some, woke Dee up, and just hung out all day, because I had made other plans. My weeks off go BEST when I have a plan for every day. I need to also have a back up plan, so I can make the most of my time.

Dee and Morgan went and ate lunch with Dorrie.

I got a suitcase full of Nate's forgotten things ready. A sister in our ward is moving to Idaho Falls in a couple of weeks, and she might be able to fit his stuff in. That suitcase is so heavy, it would cost a fortune to ship.

In the afternoon, I worked on getting another Christmas stocking ready to go.

This one is Zyan's.

Dad wanted to get some crunchy seaweed at Costco, so we had a carfull, with Kayty and Morgan both coming. It was much WORSE than when they were kids...

Nothing But Mayhem!

But Dad got me this nice wreath that I admire every year at Costco but talk myself out of purchasing until it's gone.

Saturday - I was beat, but I ran to the temple and back.

Doesn't that sound nice? Ran to the temple and back.

I still can't actually believe it!

Morgan couldn't wake up, so Dee and I hit some yard sales, changed the oil in the car, I dusted and vacuumed, and he fixed watering system pipes and sawed some mesquite into firewood.

Kayty headed out to work, Doran and Amber dropped by for a visit with Morgan and a swim for Kelsie

Kooper goes tight lipped everytime Mommy tries to feed him. This was bananas/apples/strawberries. 

However, there were NO tight lips when Papa gave him an Oreo!

Kelsie made herself a treat from the Oreo's and Hershey's Syrup. (I promise that she was NOT bouncing off the ceiling the rest of the day!)

Morgan decided to cancel his return flight to Utah and decided to head out with Doran, Amber and family for a stay with them.

I got a wonderful call from Joshy and then talked to Gracie. I was sad to hear she ended up with a goose egg on her head when she escaped her room through the window. Lots of fun at the Wilkins house!

Dee and I worked on the pool, shopped at WalMart for oil for my jeep and new seed starter for his plants, and some Smarties for him to share at church.

I texted back and forth with Nathan. No headache relief yet. MRI this next week.

He needs your prayers...they need to find a solution to these headaches.

We spent the evening just talking and sharing ideas for the future. Late, when I normally don't even check my email, I decided to check it, and found an email from the ward Executive Secretary, asking us to come see the bishop Sunday morning early for a temple open house assignment. We were so thankful we were chosen.

Sunday - Since we had to get to church earlier than usual, I woke up and got ready, and then got Dee up to get ready. I got some time to contemplate...and I was so thankful to remember words of wisdom from church leaders. The talk that I had printed from October General Conference by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Grateful In Any Circumstance", came to my mind and helped me guide my thoughts. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances?lang=eng

We arrived at church, and got in line with other email recipients. The bishop interviewed us as a couple, and asked if we would serve as Phoenix Temple Open House Ushers.

Umm...YES!

We knew that there would be a chance we might not be asked. Many want to do this! I was so thankful for the opportunity. We will serve at least three 5-hour shifts.

Awesome!

We had another missionary speak before he reports to the MTC on Wednesday. He will be serving in the Japan Tokyo South Mission. He is a great young man, though his family moved here about a year ago, and I am sure it was really hard to move before his Senior year in high school. The family still has a home in Utah, and he would go there often, so we didn't see much of him. He did serve as a ward chorister a bit last Summer, which was awesome. He will be a great missionary!

We had a lesson in Sunday School on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and talked a lot about pride and what it is. A great talk from years ago was referred to that applies so much today: "Beware of Pride" by Ezra Taft Benson https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/04/beware-of-pride?lang=eng. We talked a lot about how Proverbs reminds us that we always need to look to the Lord.

 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path. Be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord. Depart from evil." Proverbs 3: 5-7

That one is one of my favorites. Especially the "be not wise in thine own eyes..." Pride is Self importance. Humility is God importance.

Loved it.

Relief Society talked about family unity. I didn't feel very unified...(parents hurt when their kids are having differences) so I was thankful for my early departure to the nursery. I sang and even had the kids doing "The Bunny Song" over and over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loZUB15PuyE
 Fun times. Little ones know how to have fun!

Salad for lunch.

A call from Joshy asking me to come to his house. (Tears because it is SO DOGGONE HARD to schedule time to get away, with our home responsibilities, church responsibilities, and Dee's workload at work, which has tripled in the last few weeks.

I am trying, Joshy...believe me. Papa even tried to get suppliers to let him come and visit so I could just stay there overnight while he went on to St. George. Naughty suppliers didn't want him to come. He's still trying to persuade them.

Even talked a bit to Adam...he sounds so old! (Not old like me, Adam, just like almost a teenager old.)

I worked on scanning photos for Nano's birthday post on Facebook. I am trying to share from the words she, herself, wrote, so you can know her from her life, while she is alive. I have learned a lot...and I have known her ALL my life!

An unexpected "guest" showed up as Dee was emptying the bucket that catches moisture from our air conditioner. While he tried to discover it's origin, I was determining its demise.

Nope

Apparently, it's a "protected" rattlesnake.

Really????

So Dee drove and released it in a desert area while I sat with my purse, waiting to take him to the emergency room if that creature got out of the bucket.

Spaghetti for dinner

Surprise Rainstorm.

And readying for bed and a busy week ahead.


It has been another week of learning. I have learned about communication...and mis-communication; of expectations and coordination; and have gained a lot of inspiration that, I hope, in the future, we can come to agreements ahead of time, so situations don't develop.

I have also learned that all of us have to face tough things. We have to make tough decisions. I know of the challenges Ethan and Cameo faced when they had to work different jobs and different shifts and rarely saw each other.

It was such a great challenge in their early years of marriage.

Doran lost a baby...and a first marriage.

Kelsie lost a Daddy.

 I read of Allison and Mike's challenges of no vehicle for a month...of walking in Vegas heat to a grocery store...and of mishap after mishap. Yet, they faced the tough things.

It was hard...it was heartbreaking...it was time consuming

Then, there are health troubles: migraines and headaches, lab tests and MRI's. Amber and Nathan have been dealing with them. I cannot imagine anything worse than a headache!!! And the ones I remember are not nearly as bad as the ones they have suffered. And there are the chronic issues, the blood tests and biopsies that other family members have experienced, and continue to.

It is scary. It is uncertain. You have to say words and talk to people, and do uncomfortable things so that maybe you can get relief.

Yet, all these family members  did it...and continue to do it every day.

Nathan wrote me often about an inspirational poem he kept with him. " It's In the Valley's I Grow"

IT'S IN THE VALLEYS I GROW

By: Jane Eggleston

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,

full of sorrow, trouble and woe.

It's then I have to remember

that it's in the valleys I grow

If I always stayed on the mountain top

and never experienced pain,

I would never appreciate God's love 

and would be living in vain

I have so much to learn

and my growth is very slow,

sometimes I need the mountain tops

But it's in the valleys I grow

I do not always understand,

why things happen as they do.

But I am very sure of one thing,

My Lord will see me through

My little valleys are nothing

when I picture Christ on the cross

He went through the valley of death,

His victory was Satan's loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining

when I'm feeling so very low.

Just give me a gentle reminder

that it's in the valleys I grow.

continue to strengthen me, Lord.

and use my life each day

to share your love with others

and help them find their way.

Thank you for valleys, Lord

for this one thing I know

the mountain tops are glorious

But it's in the valleys I grow.

By:Jane Eggleston

Truly we only grow when he face difficulties...hard times.

Ease is our temporary rest...

But the climb, the challenge, the tough decision, the phonecall or letter, the dr. visit, the test, the talk, the job interview, the meeting with the bishop, the feverish child...

That is when we grow...when we overcome...when we face our fears

With prayer and faith...

And we grow

More like Him.