ONE YEAR AGO . . . a tribute to Jon

Looking back over the past year, it has been very challenging in all aspects of life. Adjusting to being single, having kids move in and out, helping where they can, running the pool business and tending to all the demands there, working at the tax office and trying to remain gracious and calm. Sometimes I don't think I'm going to make it as I run out of the desire to keep fighting. Then the miracle happens where the Lord picks me up and carries me. I need Him every hour because there's no way I could have managed this past year without divine help. I know Jon has been with me so many times, specifically helping me understand and do, and just feeling his love.

Over the past year, I purposely dismiss thoughts of those last few weeks with Jon. They are so difficult for me, wishing I could do so many things different or stop time or just go with him. But this week has been different. I think of him all day and find myself crying spontaneously at work, driving or cleaning pools. Will it ever get better? I take comfort that we will be again Together Forever!

The most important thing for me to deal and heal was to stay busy. That wasn't too hard with the pool business, usually from dawn until dusk. Add on the tax office for 4 hours in the middle of the day and keeping up with the house and office work, missing Jon's expertise, counsel and help.


I was talking to Mom on the phone looking out the window when I saw this Bobcat in the backyard. By the time I got the camera, he was nearly over the fence but I got a few good shots. The last time we saw a Bobcat in the back yard was about 7 years ago when Jon and I were sitting at the breakfast table. But this time, ha ha, I got his picture!



Also pictures of a few other projects, repainting the frig and repairing the power vac.

APRIL AT A GLANCE

• Get those taxes out at Wheeler's office
• Lots of cleaning up in yard
• Mark moves in and starts training
• Jamestown condo rented for next year
• Start service one very bad green pool
• Wonderful General Conference 4 sessions
• Happy Easter
• Surprise root canel and crown
• Kaylinn teaches me a lot of PhotoShop
• Create wonderful scrapbook pages
• Planting flowers in yard
• Extensive water damage under my toilet
• Jennifer's birthday dinner at Cheesecake Factory
• Lots of rain and flooding in back yard
• Mike O'Brien tears out toilet and flooring in bathroom
• Still working in yard planting and pulling weeds
• Kaylinn home for teaching interview
• Verizon phone wouldn't charge - replaced
• New baby birds in front porch birdhouse
• Trent and Jennifer move to Rexburg
• Tax day April 15
• Training Mark on routes
• Sing in the ward choir
• Happy Birthday Di! Wonderful day!
• Mike replaces floor in bathroom
• Visiting Teaching Pansy baskets
• Allied Waste overcharges me $147
• Attend temple
• More pool work in the rain
• Stake Conference
• Plant more flowers
• Mike installs toilet
• Clean garage
• Meet with Todd Ferro about business growth
• Left yard sprinklers don't turn on
• Right sprinklers don't turn off
• Working hard on pool business demands
• Kaylinn home for 2nd interview and visit
• Josiah Doman reception

I know it's all pretty boring and I am easily overwhelmed trying to do everything. Mark is anxiously learning the business and will be a huge help to me.

EASTER

I sing in the ward choir and for Easter we sang a beautiful song about the Savior as our shepherd and how he takes care of the lambs of his fold. It never occurred to me these 30 years but why not make it a tradition at Easter to concentrate on the LAMB instead of the Easter bunny. At JoAnn's I found several just darling lambs to put in baskets. It would also be a great teaching moment with the children about the true meaning the Easter.

General Conference was very good, as usual, but I especially found many gems to help me in my life. As soon as I get the Conference issue, my goal is to read a session each week (almost a talk a day) to refresh my memory.

The yardwork is finally getting under control and everything is looking so beautiful. It's almost more than I can handle anymore.

SPRING FEVER

The days are so wonderful with a cool breeze, daffodills blooming and warm sunshine. It would be total bliss except along with all that comes sneezing, tax season, and very dirty pools. Oh well, it makes me feel lazy and dreamy.

I have had lots of visits from the kids and they fill the house with laughter and busy chatter with all coming and going. I don't have time to feel lonely although I still do. I miss Jon not being a part of it all like he always was. Oh how he loves his kids!

I updated my entry to include this little fountain. I love the sound of the water even though I haven't figured out how to keep it from splashing out somewhat. Now when the grandchildren come around, I might have to empty it, ha ha.

Carter and Braxton are toddling now and it is so cute. It must take a great deal of energy to keep picking themselves up when they tumble and fall so often. Dave and Lesley were here for a week and I was so happy Carter felt so at home here and knew me well.

I spent last Friday with my mother in Southern California. She is recovering from her hip surgery and broken arm very well and really working at therapy to get back her full range of motion and get her energy level back. We went shopping at Home Depot and she bought lots of blooming plants that we planted in her sad winter garden along the outside walkway. Now it will delight her when she goes out the door and others who pass. I only stayed one day and there's never enough time to do more talking and sharing ideas or just working on projects together.

The same weekend I met Tessa and her family at Kaylinn's. We all went to Disneyland together. With Macade, now 3, Disneyland was a totally different experience. We spent our time on Small World and searching out characters rather than the big thrill rides. But it was a thrill to watch Macade literally run up to Mickey Mouse and throw himself into his legs with a huge bear hug as if to say "I finally found you!"

Went to the San Francisco de Young Museum to see the King Tut exhibit. It was fabulous! I really like ancient history whether in the Old World or the Americas. It was nice to feel like I was visiting Egypt if even for the evening. The Museum sponsors a program where it is open every Friday evening from 5:00 to 10:00 for those of us that work. It also includes live music in the reception hall with drinks and snacks. It's tempting to get a season pass because there is so much to see there. I also want to visit the new Natural History Museum which is open every Thursday evening with the same sort of gig.

NEW YORK TRIP

Yeah, it was great and the weather, although very cold, was sunny and nice, roads clear and dry. It was great to stay with my brother and his great family. Judy was a dear to take care of me and the kids were happy to have me around for awhile. Jesse, Val and Natasha are all 16 this year so they are a lot of fun to be around. Chris was also home for one evening but I didn't get his picture. We had a nice visit after everyone else had gone to bed catching up on his life and his family.

Friday was spent seeing the neighborhood, baking a cake with Natasha, sharing Trent's wedding pictures, looking at Val's Eagle project binder and then going to the theater to see Sherlock Holmes. It was a wonderful day.

We arose early to leave the house by 8:00am on our way to New York so the kids could attend a church function at the stake center. My brother lives in East Rockaway about 40 minutes away. While they were at their activities, David, Judy and I attended a session at the temple. That was so awesome. The temple is located just off Broadway right across the street from the Lincoln Center. Just as you walk through the doors, it was so quiet and peaceful and absolutely beautiful. We took an elevator upstairs to the 5 floor for the endowment session. It was amazing. You can see the stained glass windows in the front of the picture. No words to describe the beauty inside. (The dressing room area was pretty limited.)

After the session, we grabbed some lunch next door and the Europan Cafe and then did some walking. After several blocks, we continued on as David hosted a car tour of New York City. It was fabulous. We drove through Central Park, then along 5th Avenue to see the beautiful multi-million dollar condos including where John Lennon lived, Tiffany's, Sax Fifth Avenue, DeBears, Cucci, Forbes, the Trump Towers, the Julliard School of Music, the old Church mission home (now sold), several famous cathedrals and museums, the Empire State Building and the New York City library. I had to keep pinching myself to remember I was actually in the heart of New York City.

Then we drove to 10th Street and Washington Square. Drive through Greenwich Village and several more blocks to David's old office neighborhood. We spent a little time at South Street Seaport where you see the famous Brooklyn Bridge in the background, then over to Ground Zero where they are currently rebuilding the twin towers. Across the bay you could see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
It was a beautiful day.






















Just in time to pick up the kids from the Youth Conference with a little time to head over to the Museum of Natural History. Since we had limited time, we headed straight for the Central American exhibit and saw lots of artifacts from the Mayan, Inca and Aztec civilizations. Really cool, right in New York City. Then we grabbed a bite to eat at Ray's Pizza. We all had spaghetti, hee hee.

Then off to a Broadway show. The theater was located just one block from Times Square so we ran down just to take a look. Wow, I couldn't believe I was standing right there!

David treated us all to the play Memphis. It was so great! I've never seen such fantastic dancing, well, rarely. I have to admit, the dance team on the cruise ship was super, too. The story line was about how Rock and Roll got its start on account of the Blacks. The Blacks had so much soul and rhythm and dance but the White folks didn't want to admit anything good could come from the Blacks and didn't want anything to do with them. Well, we all know how that story turns out.

Attended church which is just a small branch. Just recently, they reorganized a few larger wards into several small branches so they would be more accessible to the Saints. It was weird to be singing the opening song and you could hear just as many singing in Spanish as you could in English. I just stayed for Sacrament so I could get back to the airport and home by midnight.

I bought myself a luxury item before leaving home, the IPod Touch. Jennifer helped me download lots of information, two movies, music, Ensign and conference articles and some games. So even though it was an eight-hour flight, I was totally happy with my new toy. While I was at David's, Chris downloaded even more sites, scriptures, Associated Press for news, weather, Pandora music radio, Museum search engine, dictionary, Thesaurus and even more games. I sure didn't think I would ever own such a gadget!

Christmas Memories

Christmas was different this year but I didn't dwell on what was missing. There was so much to enjoy. I didn't think I would put up a tree or pull down the decorations, but I just had to. It just wasn't right not to enjoy the Christmas spirit.

I spent the week of Christmas with Tessa in Washington. It was great fun being there, running errands, playing with my two grandsons and feeling their excitement. Tessa collected all the materials so we could make this craft project together.









As soon we I got home, there was crazy preparation for Trenton's wedding the next weekend with menus, grocery shopping, beds to make, work to finish up so my time would be free. The time at the temple was so very special. I felt Jon's presence and happiness as we were gathered together as a family to witness Trenton and Jennifer's sealing.








I am so blessed and feel to thank my Heavenly Father every day. I quote from Jeffrey Holland in the January Ensign, "As a new year begins and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives. To yearn to go back to a world that cannot be lived in now, to be perennially dissatisfied with present circumstances and have only dismal views of the future, and to miss the here and now and tomorrow because we are so trapped in the there and then and yesterday are some of the sins [we can be guilty of]." Yes, I have been guilty of such sins and resolve now to look to the bright future with faith and trust in the Lord, not dwelling on what could have been. I have so much and hope I can somehow give back to others what I have been given.

IT'S A WONDERFUL TIME OF YEAR

Got up this morning to a beautiful winter wonderland. I've lived here 22 years and never seen this before. Went up to clean Trailriders pool and couldn't get up the mountain. Oh how the kids on the block are delighting in the snow!

After listening to the First Presidency message, I drove to Temple Hill to hear the Blackhawk Chorus. They were just fantastic and it makes me feel like Christmas. Sorry the picture is blurry but at least you get the idea. I needed David to fix my camera lighting and exposure. Velaine Manion is introducing the choir as a hostess on Temple Hill. I even went to choir yesterday to practice for the Christmas program. I'm actually going to get some decorations down from the attic so I can continue to feel the spirit. Oh I wish Jon were here to celebrate with us . . . and I'm sure he is celebrating. Picture with Jon is from 2006; pretty cool, huh!