HaPpY BiRtHdAy JACOB!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB!!! You are not forgotten and most of all we remember you with smiles and laughter! We cheer on your celebrations. We pray you through your trials and challenges. Most of all 'Thank You' for being a great and caring son, a brother, a friend and a great family member to love for always! Thank you also for taking the time to love God and using him to help us through even our hard times, too. Family life is not always easy, but you make it easier with your smiling face. Enjoy your day, ok? You deserve it!

Our Move Closer to our Children

Closing Date of our Home is: October 28, 2008
Wow! The years of preparation and much prayer has gone into this day! Thank you a big bunch to Mrs. Cutie Christensen for her endless hours and hours to help make this happen (helping me find moving trucks, realty, etc! Much of these prayers are on behalf and from our children. I just trusted in God that when it was His time, we would make the 'exodus' to Utah to call it our new home after living here in Tucson, Arizona as a family for 6 years. It took Tom awhile but he, too trusted in God to see us through to be with our children and grandbabies. It is not easy for him leaving a life he had grown accustomed to.

I have grown to love where I lived here in Tucson. I never knew I was going to have these feelings in saying goodbye to all the people I have met, served and loved here, including Tom's family! I always miss a home I have lived in before and this will be no exception! I will even miss the monsoons and hot weather and my own little zoo in our backyard with the saguaros! This home holds a lot of memories but it is time to take courage to move on to make other memories, too. We missed out on a lot of the children's years while being away from them. I had a lot of fun making it a home especially in the last year. In fact, if wasn't for the opportunity to stay home and sell this home, I could not have gained such a vast knowledge of what it takes to sell a home. An occupation I plan on taking up when I move to Utah! Spencer and April are planning on sacrificing their time to come all the way down to Arizona to help us move! Micah is letting Spencer take the time off, so he can help. That is awesome, son, thank you for letting us have Spencer! Lani wanted to come also and I am sure many of our other children had also but circumstances would not allow it. Thank you soo very much, it is the thought that counts! Lani and Steve is going to put us up until we settle in Utah. That is also an incredible help, too!! We are beyond thank you for all this help, love and sacrifice!

It is time to spend more time together and gather precious family memories and we hope by being closer we could gather them more easily and treasure them in our heart of hearts as we get older.

I almost feel like the Israelites going to their promised land with much anxiety and happiness. In my thoughts on this, one thing struck me, I don't want to be like the Israelites in taking 40 years LOST in the wilderness to get there, when it could've taken JUST 11 days, because of their disbelief and not trusting God a lot and relying on their own 'I will do it when I feel like it' mentality their promised land journey turned instead from a promise to a burden. If God needs to humble me as often as he has to, to teach me not to be a hardened spiritual spoiled brat, then I welcome the wilderness any time he feels I need it. I know it becomes extremely difficult seeing my blessings being so hard in my heart. My blessings motivate me to keep my focus on the prize. Our prize is our 6 children with their loving spouses and our grandbabies and each other.

Starry Night with Geoff

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Heading to Roosevelt, Utah

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Our 1st time meeting cute lil' Jaxon!

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Celebrate OUR FAMILY!

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Turning down a party of HIS LAST LIFETIME!

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We gave Mr. Javelina a real invitation to our pig roast and he stood us up!

Our mini-vacation to Arizona!

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Strummin' & Drummin'

This Thursday I had packed my sorry bum bum (I was having stinking thoughts all day long, just an overwhelming day and needed to get rid of it because it was giving me a stinking day) and I went to our community center down the street at 7 -9 p.m to be a part of their sing a long. Geoff was washing dishes when I left and called out to me as I was leaving, "Have fun at this strummin' and drummin' thing, I guess??!". I wasn't sure what to say because really the key to my enjoying myself was my choice. As some of you know, this place I go to once in awhile has 99% Senior Citizens. Half of them play some kind of instrument. They sit in this semi-circle facing the audience (also Sr. Citizens) with a bunch of microphones to sing into. No fancy lights here, just plain ole, sick ole flourescent lights. But the preciousness of those ole souls makes mine feel humbled. I see them singing in their used to be 'stage voices' and some of them have the beat if they can keep up with their hearing aids. But their smiles and their hearts shine through. The songs they sing often are quirky in country nature and is often where the flies in the fields probably heard them the most as they tended their farms with a sweat and a song! Often it is so funny to catch a lyric or two about love and heartbreak. Often times and in sharp contrast to what we hear today, it is a simple lyric of how 'you broke my heart' and now the cows don't moo like they used to, supper don't taste the same since you left my sweetheart to the God who gave you to me and things like that. It is so nice to go back in time through their music to a simple time where God and family meant the most to people. Now they are so hardened and stiff -necked often with songs that swear and reflect partying, drugs and glamourizing sex out side of marriage, a sorry way of life. God is maybe there in their life but when it is convenient to them. I often go to this strummin' and drummin' to humble myself and thank God for the simple things in life. Hearing this old lady that must be about 4 feet (j/k, she is shorter then I) but she packs a sweet yodel in her songs and she plays this base cello that is twice her height and weight BUT she never forgets to smile and wave at me when I sneak in through the back of the crowd. You would often find them with their guitars, mandolin, another plays the banjo, a lady and her washboard, an electric guitar (an old rider who has a harley) and more! Now imagine all of them playing at the same time! It is a blast! I have on occasion brought my tambourine and joined in the fun. (My $10 tambourine that I had brought when I went to the music store when my kids were taking Band/ Orchestra, they came with me). There are about 4 Sr. Citizens who were professional singers on the radio and one even had her own radio station! The years have shown on them but their hearts I will never forget... Thank you God for a 'time machine' to go back in time that teaches me simple joy without paying for the gas!!

My First Book Club

I wish I had a pic of this book I read.

There was 6 of us tonight. I actually joined a book club with some girls at church who meet once a month! I didn't do so well in my first time. I had only been able to read 1 in a half chapters of a 13 chapter book. The host was this young cute sister with 5 kids with ages like my children were. I really enjoyed seeing them and their Daddy trying to take care of them. They had this beautiful big house in a nice subdivision. He is a bankruptcy lawyer. The book this month is about Brigham Young's 51st daughter and her precious moments having him as a father. 'Brigham Young at Home' is an endearing book and makes you appreciate the importance of having God in your family and taking leadership in your home to encourage activities to do together that shows your gratitude for God as a family. The blessing from that came as it brought her security that carried her through her years, even through tough times. But even more critical, I learned from the book is to not just endure life but it is to take time to make the little things count, that simple laughter and smiles. I liked the part in the book where he would ring a small bell 3 times and everyone would come from wherever in the house and stop what they are doing and they would all say prayers together for bedtime to thank God as a family in their parlor. I miss that so much.

I bought cold snap peas to share with everyone, so we can munch while talking around the table. I was the only one who brought something. Her sweet husband moved the COUCH from the front room to the family room for us and we didn't even use it. Tonight I realized that most people ate the whole pea pod and here I was, eating the peas and let it snap in my mouth and throw out the outside part! Meanwhile I had this big pile of opened pods and looked like the wasteful lds sister that won't be teaching anything on frugality in Relief Society. After that we spontaneously went to a sister's house 3 houses away and sang her 'happy birthday' at 9 p.m.! I suggested that for fun. Everyone thought that was a great idea so we put the snap peas in a small clear bag with a cute bow and off we went into the dark street with the stars shining brightly. She loved it!!

Say Goodbye to Elder Bennion

We love Elder Bennion and Elder Moss! This pic was taken last night. Our missionaries stop in often to care for us. This was Elder Bennion's last night in this area, he was getting transferred today to New Mexico! I thank him soo much for taking the time to teach and play with our family! They make me proud. They share precious messages that encourages us to be a better family and individual family members using the gospel of forgiveness, promises and loving reprimand, as Heavenly Father would also teach the children he loves that way. I do that with my children and I expect that if they are true messengers of God, that is a sacred way to raise children to not be spoiled brats. The gospel keeps me in check because I definitely don't want to be a spoiled brat in doing whatever I want to because I want to. If I do, I am so grateful for the sacrament and the chance I have to say "I'm sorry from my heart" for failing to be respectful to myself and those I love, especially my Heavenly Family. Our missionaries have taken the time to care especially for our son Geoff. Anyone who takes the time to care for our family in Utah or Arizona has my prayers and love. Even tho' Geoff or Tom are not members they show they care for our family and themselves by taking time to welcome these missionaries and would stop whatever they are doing and sit with them to hear their messages of hope. The missionaries sometimes put it out there and ask us to do certain things we are not used to (brave souls) but instead of coming off as the 'know it alls', they truly come off as caring young men who were taught to care for others. They also felt the mercy of a Heavenly Father who gives the promise of forgiveness of sins and promises of true happiness and peace if one asks in humbleness for that. This family sure could use a little more peace of mind for sure, who couldn't?! They said something last night that really spoke to me. Elder Bennion said, "Why wouldn't you want the promises Heavenly Father has for your family?"... You will be missed Elder Bennion!

Where did my hair go?

Yes. It is this short! I first got the idea that I could save money by cutting my hair. I did not count on the fact that my first cut was a big one with a dull scizzors. I knew better but I was so excited to do my own hair and create my own masterpiece, that I sorta did what all small kids do and cut with passion. I let the passion get a hold of my senses and hola, out goes the scizzors and in comes the 'beauty school student' that I paid to 'fix' my hair. The teacher told her go by a guideline she made. She came back and with those horrific words that rings in my ear since, "Did you not see the guideline I showed you?" ......!!!........ So much for saving money, I sent my Tom a picture of how I used to look in the cell phone. He asked me why did I do that. I said because I want him to remember me on how I USED TO LOOK! He shook his head and said, "But I see you everyday!".

Quail Tribe comes 2 visit us!

Peeking through my front window, I got so excited that this family of birdies were visiting our waterfall in the front! They are absolutely cute with their bobbing thing on their heads!

Sonoran Inspiration

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Your Desert Retreat called Home

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