Father's Day 2012

After a grim Father's Day last year, we had a good time celebrating that holiday this year. We were in Arizona with our kids, (most of them anyway) and it was a fun time. Robert found this funny shirt and of course Grumpy loved it. He loves T-shirts and Hats! He has quite a collection of both. I need to remember to rescue the shirts before he wears them completely out and start saving them for a T shirt quilt for him someday. The hats....I don't know. Right now they live in several boxes in various places. We had both our Dads over for dinner that day. Grumpy picked Swiss Steak for his dinner. Everyone helped and it was a grand dinner. Our attendees were Gramma and Papa Harmon, Aunt Kay, Papa Kanaga, Jade with Jaxon, Ryker and Aden in tow, Robert, Jamie and Summer with Jordyn and Rylee along. I can't remember if Taylor was there or not. I should have posted before I slept a lot! Tawna and Nathan with Faith and Chance went to San Diego to visit his Dad, Taya and Kevin and their family were of course in Buellton and R.B. and Stacie were on an Alaskan Cruise. I was a little jealous that we weren't there too, we loved our Alaskan cruise. Would totally go again. Someday.

Tawna made this fun card and some Snickerdoodles (which I ate most of) for Grumpy before they left for California. She did these cute cards with her activity day girls and got them all ready for their Father's Day. Summer and Jamie got a great orange (Grumpy's fav color) bucket and stocked it with popcorn and M&Ms. And Almond Joys too. I must confess, I got the M&Ms, but I didn't get into his Almond Joys or Popcorn. He does love his popcorn. He ate some of his Almond Joys on the drive back to Midland. Good stuff!

Taya has pictures for him, but I will pick them up when I go to see her in a few days. Jade wants to treat him to his first pedicure. I have to be there to see that! It was a great day. I love all the happy noise and the whole 3 ring circus that goes on with so much family. We got Papa Harmon a large box of Jiff to Go! Individual portions of peanut butter for him to take with him wherever he goes. He loves peanut butter! My brother and sister & I got Papa Kanaga an apple tv gadget. Now he can get all his documentaries and other shows he likes on NetFlix, etc. He will enjoy that. Some of our boyz (above) on Father's Day. Good Food, Good Times, Good Family.

What's better than that?

Days Gone By

The picture below is not Grumpy's mustang from long ago. I saw this one at Mattas the other day and it took me back to the good ole high school days. About the middle of our senior year Grumpy's parents were trying to decide what to get him for graduation. I of course felt the need to put in my two cents, so I mentioned what a great gift it would be if they could look for a car together and they could put in the down payment with Grumpy doing the monthly payments on his own. They thought that would be a good gift so they set about finding the right car. It was an icky grayish 1965 Mustang with a white vinyl top that was really dirty because it had been sitting under a tree for awhile. The price was right, so the deal was done. Grumpy got the vinyl top cleaned up and sanded down the worn-out paint. He got a quote for a new paint job and had it painted. It was '68 Dodge Roadrunner Red and the vinyl top looked brand new after being cleaned up. (not a convertible like this one) It was his car until he left on his mission. Lots of fun times and fun places in that car. Yes, we had our share of making out in it too. Awesome. Gas was down to 25¢ a gallon once in a while and that was really awesome too. Those were the days.

He wanted me to drive it while he was on his mission, but I didn't want to be responsible for it. He ended up selling it to his sister. Sadly, she was in a car accident in it and it was totaled while he was gone. She was okay, but the car was history. It will forever live on in his mind's eye though.

I still remember how excited he was to have his first real car.

I was pretty happy for him too. No more borrowing his Mom's car for dates.

It was the best.

V-Day 2012

Well, I have become a true Pinterest addict! I don't even mind admitting that since there are so many great ideas there. I have tried a few and have many more to try out. This month I chose two ideas for Valentine's Day. This first one was a lot of fun. I have to say I had a great time executing this bouquet of Bacon Roses! First I had to find a mini-muffin pan. Grumpy went to 3 stores looking for one while he was out doing some shopping one day. He didn't know why I needed it, just knew I did. Such a considerate guy! He could only find the over-size Texas muffin pans. Go figure. I finally found one at Hobby Lobby. Yay! Next I needed Grumpy to drill at least a 1/8" hole in the bottoms of the muffin part (to allow the bacon drippings to go through). He did this for me about 9:30 Monday night (before Valentine's Day) thinking I needed it for a Relief Society project. Did I say what a considerate guy he is? Meanwhile, I had purchased bacon in various thicknesses. I had both a thick-cut and a regular cut package. The instructions were very good on the tutorial I pinned, so I followed them and got my "roses" in the oven to cook.

I had bought some cheapy white rose picks at Hobby Lobby, so while the roses were cooking I took apart one dozen of the stems to prepare for bacon roses. When the roses were done and cooled I assembled the stems and arranged them all in a vase. I called Grumpy to see if he wanted to meet me in the parking garage and we would go get some lunch. He did. You should have seen me driving while trying to hold onto a vase with 2 dozen roses in it. I drove slowly and carefully and eventually made it to the garage of his building. He was a little astonished that I had gotten him flowers for Valentines. He didn't realize they were edible. I finally had to tell him they were bacon roses and he was surprised. He really liked them then. He took them up to his office before we went to lunch. He even shared a couple with fellow co-workers when he got back. It's always fun to surprise Grumpy.

He really surprised me a few days earlier by singing to me at the ward Valentine Dinner Dance. It was really a nice evening. The cultural hall was done in twinkle lights and the tables in Valentine decor. We were served a spaghetti dinner by our hubbies and there were lots of different desserts to choose from on a cart they brought around to all the tables. A few of the men had volunteered to sing a song, read a poem or something for their wife in front of everyone. There was a nice chair and back-drop where the wife would sit while they performed their talent. I didn't know he had signed up to do that and he was the last one called up to do his song. While I was sitting in the nice chair he starts out by telling everyone I threw away his music, so he would have to sing a cappella. Nice. So after he threw me under the bus in front of everyone he sang a song he learned on his mission (in Chinese) called Eternal Love. After he was done singing, and a fine job he did I might say, he translated the words and read them to the audience.

No matter how the years come and go
No matter whether the flowers bloom or no
We two have an unchangeable love
I love you now.

No matter how the years come and go
No matter whether the flowers bloom or no
We two have an unchangeable love
I'll love you through the years to come.

Do not fear the dimming of our sight
Nor the graying of our hair
Among the people of this world
We two have an eternal, mutual love.

No matter how the years come and go
No matter whether the flowers bloom or no
We two have an unchangeable love
A mutual love eternally
A mutual love eternally.

By the way, when we made move #27 I asked him if there was any reason to keep the many cassette tapes we had been lugging around. We don't even own a cassette player at this point, so I couldn't see the need to keep the tapes. He said "Whatever", so I took that as a yes and got rid of all the cassettes. Apparently the chinese music from his mission was on one of them. Oh well. He sounded just fine a cappella. A very sweet surprise for me.

Last, out of the kitchen were some sweet visiting teaching treats. I got the recipe off, yes, Pinterest and decided to try it. The recipe was for Cinnamon Bear Popcorn, but alas, there are no cinnamon bears to be found in Midland. None. I got red hots instead since they are cinnamon and did the recipe that way. First time I have ever done anything treat-wise with popcorn. I will post the recipe for this on Nana's blog as well as the tutorial for the bacon roses. Both were "keepers" for the holidays.

A good Valentine's Day (and month) it has been. I married well.

2012

Really? Hard to believe it is here already. I'm glad to say goodbye to 2011 although it was a better year than we've had for a while. On the upside we were able to get a house of our own again. I don't feel so displaced anymore, and I am grateful to those who helped us over the last few years. My personal downside is that we live in Texas most of the time,(only visiting our house and our kids), and that is hard for me. I am so very thankful that we enjoy a good job in our lives in this hard time nationwide. If that means we live in Texas for awhile, then that is what we will do. My mantra has become "This too will pass", and it will. Someday we will be back in Az, with all that goes with that and it will be good. For now, I'll visit as often as I can.

I love and appreciate my family so very much. Our children, grandchildren, in-laws, (and outlaws as Dawson would say), our parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, friends. I reflect often these days at how much the Lord has blessed me. But I have to say after 38 years, I am truly blessed with the best husband ever. I can't even imagine a life without him. I don't know why at the tender ages of 21 and 22 we decided on each other, but I am glad we did. We just celebrated our 38th Anniversary, and I hope to celebrate many more. Thank You my Honey for being my knight. He is my protector, my champion, my partner, my friend. He even loves me at my worst. That's saying something.
We are a great team, but he is truly my strength.

I did good.

In Search of Steve's (the Elk) Dad...

The boys and I had a great time Elk Hunting together this year. Arrived in Alpine well after dark Thanksgiving evening and hit the sack early in anticipation of the hunt. Jeff's dad, Heber, graciously allowed us to use his home so we were warm and comfy (and definitely spoiled)! Got up at 0500 Friday and were out the door by 0530...still dark, but we had a 30 minute drive ahead. Jeff acted as our guide and R.B., Robert and I hunted hard for five days.



Just before noon on Friday Jeff spotted a couple of bulls up the mountainside above us and signalled me. I saw one bull move into heavier brush and then spotted what I thought were the upper tines of his right antler sticking out above the brush. Estimating where his right shoulder should be (I couldn't see his body for the thick brush), I fired a shot. He promptly made a turn and ran. We didn't find any blood so we assumed (never a good thing) that I missed and didn't spend too much time looking for him before continuing to hunt.

Saw a few more bulls and some cows on Saturday. Stayed in Sunday while the boys went out...they came back without seeing anything (something I've learned about hunting on the Sabbath!). Monday morning we were out before first light again and I spotted a 4x5 bull coming down a mountain across the meadow from us. I told Robert he might come right to us...but he stopped on his side of the meadow and stood facing us for quite a while. I told Robert to get into a prone position so as to be steady and shoot! It was about a 350 yard shot and Robert, who was on his very first hunt, hit him! We found good blood and Jeff, Robert and I tracked it for a long ways before losing his trail. We never found him so the coyotes had a good meal! I felt bad for Robert, but he took it quite well.



Tuesday afternoon we were hunting the same area that we did the first day (Friday) and Jeff spotted a bull lying dead that someone had shot and not found. It was a good sized 5x6 that was just starting to sprout a 7th point on the left side. We could tell by the smell and bloating that it had been killed a few days earlier. We continued hunting and got nothing that day. That night as I lay in bed, my mind kept going back to that elk Jeff found and I began thinking that it wasn't too very far from where I had shot at that elk on opening day. When Jeff found it, it never occurred to me that it might be the one I shot at, but the more I thought about it, it seemed a very real possibility. As we drove out to our hunting area the next morning, I asked Jeff to jog my memory as to where exactly I had taken that shot. He said it couldn't have been more than a couple of hundred yards away from where he found the dead one and that he had had similar thoughts about it being mine. We discussed it further and decided that is must have been the one I shot- the single bullet hole was where I had estimated to be shooting at, the antlers were right and it was less than 200 yards from where it had stood when I shot it. I was happy to know I had made a good shot, but very disappointed to have lost the opportunity to harvest that good elk meat...probably lost at least 300 pounds worth! You can bet the coyotes, crows and all the other predators and scavengers were thrilled with my loss.




The boys left Tuesday after lunch to return home, but I stayed one more night because I had to drive to Cortez, CO the next day for work. Robert tagged my elk so that I could hunt some more that evening and the next day and maybe get us some meat. But I hunted both that afternoon and evening plus the next morning and didn't see anything. But we had a very enjoyable trip- it was great to be able to spend almost a whole week with my boys. They have grown into fine men and I am very proud of each of them. Hopefully I will have many more opportunities to enjoy such times with both them and their sons.



One sad note- R.B. had such bad head, neck and back pain from some issues he is experiencing that he had to sit out two of the days we hunted and stay back at the house. When I questioned him more directly about those issues, he confided to me that he had a growth surrounding his spinal cord up in his neck area that was putting tremendous pressure on the area of his spine/neck. He had spoken to his doctor and was told that no good doctor would try to operate and remove it since one slight nick of the spinal cord could paralyze him. I told him that he needed a special Priesthood Blessing and he agreed. We will give him one in a couple of weeks when Sherry and I return to Mesa for Christmas. I pray the Lord will bless him to overcome this problem so he can better enjoy life and serve the Lord, his family and others.

Valentine Roses

We left the valley for the cabin on Saturday morning to spend a nice weekend in the mountains. To my great surprise when I opened the truck door to get in, there was a vase of roses and a sweet valentine card sitting on the center console. I have been so blessed to have a man who not only loves me, but is kind of romantic too. He does a much better job in that department than I do. He always takes the time to find just the right card. One that says what he wants to say to me. I on the other hand rarely go card shopping and when I do I get the funny, insulting or sexy/funny kind. I don't often buy him gifts for Valentines, but try to do something instead. Sometimes. I really think he's just glad I don't spend any money on anything. If the saying “opposites attract” is true, we are living proof. We often just smile a rueful smile when we realize how very different our personalities are. In spite of all that, we are happy. In church yesterday one of the talks was about “falling in love”. Also if it were possible to “fall out of love”. As the aspects of falling in love were categorized it sounded pretty easy to fall in love. When the possibility of falling out of love was discussed it was decided that it was a myth. After all the initial infatuation, if your love is to endure you must decide to stay in love. It is a choice, just as staying true in a marriage is a conscious choice. If we decide to put our own agendas second to our companion, selfishness will never erode the relationship. There is a balance that will naturally be reached if that is true of both of you. The marriages that make it through the years are way past the first love you feel when you become engaged and then married. It is made up of the sacrifice it takes to work on the decision to love always, through thick and thin and in righteousness. People don't fall out of love, they just decide it's not important anymore because the road got boring, and rough sometimes. They never make it past the exciting, new, “I can't live without you by my side” initial phase. They basically decide they are more important than you. The commitment to love through it all must be endured, refined and perfected through time. Fortunately we have eternity to work on that too. We'll need it.

Our Father in Heaven does not fall out of love with us. We are his children and receive his love unconditionally. Even if we don't deserve it. Even if we think we are so bad we are beyond it. No matter what we do. He never gives up on us. He stands ready and willing to bless us if we will just simply do our part. If the love I feel for my sweet husband is just a taste of the love that awaits eternally, it will be like nothing we can imagine here.

Now if we can just get that toothpaste tube and toilet paper roll under control, we are golden!

Just a Note to my Sweet Husband…

We just celebrated our 36th Wedding Anniversary. Notice he didn't smash cake all over my face in the pic above. Not only would my Mom have killed him, but he is just very considerate by nature. He is forever making sure I am happy, have what I need (want, within reason) and always puts me first. I don't deserve it most of the time, but I am eternally grateful for his solicitous attitude with me. A finer man you could not find. I know his good character is indeed noticed and revered by the generations after him because I read all the notes in his jar from Christmas. I love this man and say to him “Thanks for everything.” I am so fortunate to be growing old with him…one of his best attributes is patience with me. This growing old stuff is a bit of a challenge. If I could make a wish for our children it would be that they are as happy in their marriages as we are.

We had a very quiet day as our anniversary was on Sunday this year. We will go to Anzio's Landing for dinner in the days to come and probably go to a movie. We were glad to have the day to relax and enjoy some peace. He is truly the best thing that ever happened to me even though I tell him I am the best thing to ever happen to him! I figure if I say it enough over the years he will believe me.

I have known him almost all of my life. Thanks for the happiest years ever sweetie!



He is still such a hunk!

My Guy

Such a great combination of wonderful attributes, character, humor, talent and yes, even a little nerdiness! It all makes him the person I have loved well over half my life. He is many things to many people. A great father to his children, a wonderful son to his parents and mine, a valued employee, diligent home-teacher, well prepared Sunday School teacher, and the most fun Grumpy to his grandkids. He is everything to me. It is hard for me to express how much I love and care for this man. I don't often buy cards that express sentiment, more often the cards are irreverent and hopefully funny. I don't often plan spontaneous outings or surprise vacations, but try to do small things that bring a smile in his many travels. I was thinking about the many things he has done that have surprised me over the years and one event keeps surfacing in my mind. Maybe because Father's Day brings back such memories.

We were living in our first home in northeast Mesa. Our ward was having a special all day mini women's conference and I was going to be gone all day that Saturday. The twins were about 10, Summer 9, R.B. 7, and Jade was 5 that summer. I had a great time at the function and was hoping all had gone well at home. Upon arriving home, I noticed Grumpy's 1970 El Camino was parked in the garage. Ummmm… strange. Oh well. I was walking past it when I noticed it was sort of painted. Like when kids get ahold of paint and brushes and know no bounds. Oh. My. I found myself praying they were all alive and well, surely despite being chained in their rooms and possibly beaten. Probably beaten. To my complete and utter amazement, all was calm inside. Grumpy says to me, “Did you see the car?” I respond, “Yes. How did that happen?” Apparently he got out the poster paints, mixed them with liquid dish soap, gave the kids brushes and told them to go for it! You would have to know how particular he is with his vehicles in particular and his possessions in general to appreciate my total shock. The kids had what appeared to be a great time wielding brush and paint all over Daddy car. Of course the liquid dish soap makes it all wash off, but I was still in shock. I didn't even know how he knew that. (My art class in high school painted cars inside the mall once. He must have remembered the paint thing from that). What a fun memory he made with the kids that day. I don't know if they ever think about that, but I remember it well. One of the things that endears him to me every time I think of it.

He is always willing to put himself aside for his kids, for others, and especially for me. I know he loves me unconditionally. I so very much appreciate that. He is the Best!

In the pic at the top he is spending some time at the piano. Sundays are his day to relax and he spends time playing the songs he knows. He can't remember them all the way through anymore, and without the music he can't refresh his memory. They are oldies, but goodies, so are not easy to find music for. “Born Free” (a certain arrangement I have not been successful in finding), “The Green Leaves of Summer”, “Love is Blue”, and some of the newer songs he has learned more recently. I love that he can sit down and work off some stress by playing music. Thanks for all you do for us. I love you, my honey.

Sunday Bread

I guess this could qualify for Sentimental Sunday…only it's Monday! Sunday isn't always a bread making day, but it happens often enough that I have fond memories of fresh bread on Sunday. This Sunday however was a learning day for Grumpy. He has always wanted to learn to make bread and even tried once before long ago. Those loaves were more like slump block, but he gets an E for Effort. I didn't jump on the bread band wagon for a few years after that, and it does take some practice. I had good teachers in California when I made the commitment to make my family's bread. I have enjoyed doing it ever since. Grumpy is a great student. He made perfect bread yesterday, so I thought I would post the pics I got in the process.






The loaves are beautiful, yes? Thanks Grumpy for getting us great equipment so breadmaking is fun to do. You did great!

25 Years with the Company

Long ago and far away (25 years) Grumpy went to work for the Company. It was a good thing. It still is. He has had a wonderful career with them and we are grateful for the opportunity he has had to be a part of their industry. He is an outstanding employee and always does his best. I went with him on his business trip to El Paso last week as he was celebrating his 25th anniversary. This included dinner at the restaurant of his choice. He of course chose the Cattleman's Steakhouse on the Indian Cliffs Ranch which is about an hour from El Paso. It's kind of out in the boonies, and is really a cattle ranch. It is a sprawling ranch house type restaurant with lots of things to look at. There are deer outside, and a little museum, some bronze sculpture, paintings, some other animals and attractions. The beef is amazing, and so that is what we had. The El Paso Area Manager, Andy, and his Assistant, James were able to go with us.



It was a nice evening, and always a pleasure to spend time with “the guys” Grumpy works with. They are great guys and I know Grumpy appreciates the job they do.



The menus have lots of history and some humor on them. For instance; the menu item Lobster and the Steak and Lobster cost “A King's Ransom” instead of a dollar amount. It's anyone's guess how much that is.






There is a museum under construction honoring the Texas Cavalry and I took some pics of the cannon and the gun caisson we could see through the window.



Good times. The steaks were the best ever, the conversation too, and was a nice way to celebrate the occasion. We missed Grumpy's bosses, Phil and Ron but their schedules are just too tight to do everything all the time. They have been great to work with and Grumpy has great respect for them. He always says he works with the best. I don't think he is up for another 25, but a few more are definitely in the plan. I can't speak for the company, but I know how much I appreciate his dedication to the job, and his outstanding work ethic. He is a good man. I love you honey.

Grumpy is on board!

I guess Grumpy will be posting now and again, and I couldn't be happier. I always love to hear what he remembers, and how he feels about things. Now he can post under his own identity, so my pic doesn't come up. His own mug will be attached to his musings. Looking forward to it honey!

Ode to the Jeep

Grumpy's little Jeep has finally left the family. It was hard for him to bid it good-bye (something about men and their jeeps), but goodbye it was. It was fun while it lasted, but all good things come to an end (eventually). Lots of fun times, trips, and some not so fun memories taking it to the dunes before Jamie fixed the steering. Maybe we'll have another one someday, but meanwhile there are other things that need our attention. Good bye little jeep, have fun with your next family.

Valentine's Day

Yes, the impending holiday that at least one of my sons abhors. I think he said once it is just a conspiracy to make people spend money on goofy “I Love You” stuff that doesn't matter. He's kind of right in one way. We should try to make the things we do for our true sweethearts meaningful as well as sentimental - and it shouldn't be about how much we spend. It's nice that on this day every year we make a special effort to do something for those we love. Or not. Grumpy has always been better at things like this than I have. He has sent flowers to school for our girls when they were young, gotten cards and or chocolate for all the kids, bought jewelry for me a time or two, (as well as chocolate) and planned many a special evening. I used to make sugar cookies for the kids, and their classes at school, I've helped my girls with valentines for their kids school classes, and I've even sewn dresses for my little girls when they were small for this special day. But of all things, I have to say that most of all, I appreciate that my husband makes all the days special by the way he loves me. He doesn't complain when I am not a great wife, when I make poor decisions, when I'm less than nice, and I could go on and on. He treats me like a queen pretty much all the time. We have our moments, to be sure, but all in all he is the best. There are so many things I appreciate about him, but I am truly thankful for his integrity. That is the one character trait that makes all the others ones work.



This picture of Grumpy is of him doing one of the many things he does every day that help me. I never have to ask him to take out the garbage, he cleans up after himself (most of the time), he is always willing to help with anything. He even knows a little chocolate goes a long way sometimes. We are growing old together, and he is more handsome to me than ever. Our bodies are not young any more, but I love the character that our wrinkles and lines bring to us. No one stays young forever, and I wouldn't trade our experiences in life for anything. There are only a couple I would even consider a re-do on if it were possible. We have had our bad times. We have disagreed, fought over things, been through 6 teenagers and 8 weddings. (The ninth one is coming up). In all of that, plus much, much more, I have trusted him unconditionally with my heart. We live, we learn and I'm so glad we are doing that together after 35 years to work on it. Letting him catch me was the best decision I ever made. Happy Valentine's Day sweetheart. Thank you for all you do.

Thirty-Five and Counting…

We have made the journey together for thirty-five years and still like each other. Not bad after 3 career changes, 24 moves, 6 children, which means 6 teenagers, 8 weddings and 19 grandchildren. We look a little different now, a little more to us in some areas, and a little less in others. Not to worry, he is still a hunk to me, and he tells me I still look good to him. Nice to know when the mirror makes me wonder why. Grumpy has always been such a romantic man at heart. He has planned the most meaningful and memorable things through the years and this year was no exception.

Our day started with inviting Pop to go and see “Valkyrie” with us at a matinee. It was a good movie and we enjoyed going with Pop. We decided a few of the previews looked good, so will probably go back to see “Paul Blart, Mall Cop”, and a couple of other things that looked good. We came home and had lunch, abd Grumpy told me I needed to be dressed up and ready to leave by 6:00 pm for a surprise. We decided to get ready early and get a Temple session in before the surprise, so we went off to the Temple. It was fun to see the Brides and remember when. I even told a Bride as she came back in from pictures it was our anniversary. She said congrats and I told her I hoped she would be as happy as we have been.

After our session was over, we sat in the Celestial Room and talked quietly about some of the happiest, saddest, most trying and funniest things that have been part of the fabric of our life together. I am so blessed to be married to the man I am. For all that we are almost complete opposites in so many ways, we are truly soul mates. I am grateful for our eternal marriage and take comfort in the knowledge that death will not part us.

He whisked me away to a pleasant surprise dinner at Donovan's Steak and Chop Restaurant. It was a very pretty dining room with fine dishes and suited waiters. I came to understand there were to have been a dozen roses at our table, but the florist fell down on the job. It was a nice thought, but it was a wonderful dinner even without the flowers.




After shrimp cocktail, their signature filet mignon medallions, shrimp scampi, vegetables, potatoes and creamed corn, we left the restaurant and went home to dress warm for the next part of the evening. Grumpy's next surprise was to fly me over the valley and look at all the Christmas lights from the air. I was a bit of a party pooper as I wasn't feeling very well (a touch of asthma I think), so we decided to stop at Safeway for some Ben and Jerry's to pork out on at home. We wrapped up our evening with our ice cream, the tail end of a movie on TV and off to sleep. Eventually anyway.



It was an evening to remember, because as always, Grumpy took the time and made the effort to treat me like a Queen. But then again, he is my King.

Christmas Air Time

Grumpy was just needing some kind of excuse to take to the air, and since Jamie had never been up with him - well, here are some of the pics Jamie took from the air the day after Christmas. Taylor, Jamie and Grumpy flew over Saguaro, Canyon and Roosevelt lakes and got some pretty shots. It was a fun trip and everyone seemed to enjoy the air time. He does love to fly.

The Machine

A term of endearment in the family for Grumpy. He is like the engergizer bunny on overdrive. He is constantly busy with all of life's demands as well the little time he takes for himself. Up before the crack of dawn he puts in long days at work and then comes home to do honey do's, church service, family do's and many other things that fall in sometimes crazy categories. Reading is one of his favorite things to do, but once he sits down to do it, I find him asleep after about 5 minutes. He has been reading a favorite series of mine, “Millennial Glory” which is the author's interpretation of the last days and things that may or may not happen to us as the times progress. It is only a novel, but I can appreciate the research that was done to weave such a story line. I throughly enjoyed them and now Grumpy is enjoying them too. This picture of him is a rare occasion as he finds time to sit and read for awhile on Sunday evening, and managed to stay awake. I did good when I let him catch me. I've never been sorry and love that we are growing old together. We will sometimes be sitting at the table, or in the living room chairs and one of us will say to the other, “we're old!” I know we are not really “old” yet, but we sure aren't young anymore. I'm glad to say that it's okay and are happy to be getting on together. Life may hold a lot more challenge for us, but we'll be fine. I married the machine.

The 4th file the 4th pic…

Okay, the tag is done. As disorganized as I am, I have several photo folders, in many places on the computer, so this was as close as I could get to an honest 4 of 4. Grumpy's leaping on his quad last year at our couple's trip in Feb. It was really a fun trip and he is amazing.

Shelves, Glorious Shelves!

Wow - is Grumpy the best or what?  Saturday he and Papa started the shelving project downstairs for - you guessed it - more stuff. They got a lot done so soon I will have no excuse for the boxes still awaiting me. The only way I can face that task in the heat of the summer is 1) most of it will be indoors, 2) feeling so much better when I know it's done. I'm just grateful my honey is all about the honey-do's and I will have places to put stuff. Thanks Guys.

The Father of My Kids…

He is quite an incredible man. We have been married 35 years (this December) and it's been quite a journey. Richard is a great Dad. Even with the head shakes and occasional mumble under his breath, he is all I could have asked for and more in the Dad (and husband) department. While trying to find a picture of him to post, it became apparent that I don't really have many shots of him just looking at the camera.  I have pics of him doing things. He is all about serving those around him (especially me) and it is one of the things I love most about him. He even puts up with my crazy personality and that is not an easy thing. Here are some of the endearing qualities that make Grumpy (a term of endearment) the man he is today:

• always asks me what he can do for me - it's that honey do list he tried so hard to keep current
  
• is patient and willing when I get that list out for him
  
• is the first to sign up for service at church
  
• always does his home teaching and really loves to serve his families
  
• puts his best foot forward in all his church callings and assignments
  
• is so quiet in the morning so he won't wake me up (at 4:30am) that I gave him the “pink panther” for his ring tone on my phone
  
• is an incurable (thank heaven) romantic
  
• loves to plan and execute surprises
  
• is like the Fonz in that it is really hard to admit when he is wrrrooooong
  
• is so incredibly handsome
  
• would move heaven and earth (and does sometimes) to make sure we are getting what we need on trips, at home, in life
• loves his kids and grandkids so very much
  
• would walk one thousand miles just to be the man at my front door (or whatever that song says) 
• loves to cook (we are a great team in the kitchen)
  
• is a great kisser
  

I love you honey, you are the best husband and father any girl could dream of. You give us such a good example to follow and take such good care of us all. Thank you for being the person that you are.