I'M BAAAAAACKKK (I hope)

We had our West High School class reunion last week and what an interesting group we are. There are so many that have passed on and they had a large wall with all of the obituaries of those classmates that had died which was really interesting because it was a trip back in time. Our 1948 basketball team was honored because they had taken State Championship that year and many of the classmates had traveled from all over to be there. Ray Hale one of the Alumni and who is a great friend of Clark paid for the whole thing our catered dinner which was really first class and (I broke my diet) but oh well I really felt guilty but it was wonderful. Clark who was more interested in what went on than me was instigator of a book of remembrance of the team and gave each one of them a book. What a good sport addict Clark is because he knew more about each one of the players than I ever did and it was my graduating class. It was fun anyway. Clark made me stand up and recognized me which was kind of embarrassing but oh well. The event was really great and I am glad that I went. I don't know if we will be having any more these events. I can't believe how old we are and still around (amazing).

I started this post just after my reunion and then things went crazy around here and I just couldn't get around to posting, soooooo, I have been on this crazy diet for almost 3 weeks and BELIEVE IT OR NOT I HAVEN'T KILLED ANYONE YET. I have lost about 4 lbs. but I think I still have a GREAT BIG CRAVING FOR CHOCOLATE. I guess the events of everyday life is really stressful and I wish that I could be call, cool, and collected but I just can't so there. I still am working at the Records Dept. of the Church (the Lost and Found. I really love the people there. As for my diet is concerned I really do believe that I have fat bones and can't help it.

This is Saturday and it is Fall Conference and naturally it is raining. I certainly have enjoyed it so far. I have got to quit worrying about the economic situation because there is much greed and corruption but I will still get sucked into trying to win the $1 million dollar sweepstakes - like they told us in conference WE GOT TO HAVE HOPE AND FAITH AND CHARITY. Also we must have the faith that our new President will provide for all of us heck why can't they give all of us a little of the Pork out of the bailout of $700 Billion that has just passed.

On a lighter note, we know how we must live and things may get tough but we will all survive and eat out of our food storage that we have especially the TONS OF WHEAT WE HAVE STORED SO KIDS REMEMBER YOU CAN ALL COME AND PARTICIPATE EATING THE WHEAT THAT WE HAVE STORED AND THE SOLIDIFIED HONEY THAT HAS BEEN STORE IN SUCH LARGE CANS THAT WE BOUGHT 30 YRS AGO. Just look for exciting recipes for the wheat and other things that I need to take an inventory of. My Grandpa Stevens always said hitch up your (I don't know quite how to spell ) gallases and tighten your belt and enjoy the ride.

Enjoy conference and I will to. I sure do love my kids, all of you and GET OUT AND VOTE it does make a difference. I will post pictures when my computer doesn't throw me out of AOL

AN AFTERNOON OF DIVINE INTERVENTION!!!!!

It's funny because yesterday was a really tired day for me but I am committed to go to the Records Dept. on Mondays for 4 hrs. so I got myself ready running slow of course but I picked up Connie Coates and we DID arrive on time to fulfill our assignment. This was a day of wondering if what I was doing was really making a difference. I settled down with my stack of papers to go through and to call the people that are listed on the sheets. My mind kept wondering because of the stressful week we had had and always I have a prayer in my heart for me to make the right connections. That is all that I can tell you about my calling but knew my girls were home working and cleaning up the messes that was outside and I was just torn because I felt that I needed to be home and after all I am just a VOLUNTEER my badge says so and I kept on working. I had many people just hang up on me and many didn't know the person that I was calling about and some that I contacted told me that it was JUST NONE OF MY BUSINESS. This is a usual day so I forged on and I was really batting a big fat zero on any addresses. It was around 3:30 and we were told to begin to clean up so I made one more call and it was just one sheet of paper and the woman I was looking for was born in 1948 so this would make her 60 yrs old anyway I dialed the number and this lady picked up the phone WHICH WAS A BIG SURPRISE TO ME but I asked for the people that the telephone number was listed in and I heard a gasp and then there was a dead silence for a few seconds so I identified myself and why I was calling and she asked me HOW I GOT THE NUMBER THAT I HAD JUST CALLED BECAUSE THAT NUMBER WAS AN OBSOLETE NUMBER and the people that I had asked for were her parents and they both had been dead since the 1970's and somehow I had reached the person that I was calling about, which was a different number entirely and so she kept questioning me and asking me how in the world I had got her number and I was just as puzzled as she was. I just said that the research had given me the number and that was all the information I had and our purpose was to send the persons records to the ward where they lived and she just wanted to keep on talking and wanted to know more about my calling. She said that she was going to go back to church but had moved and was so busy and you know the story of inactivity. She said to me that maybe this was the way her parents had of communicating with her and to get back to Church and of course I just couldn't deny that or confirm it but I really felt that MAYBE it had been divine intervention how else would the phone connect to her phone and we know that anything is possible with the Lord.

On my sign out sheet I had 57 calls and got 1 address but it certainly was a great feeling to know that what I was doing was really important!

ANOTHER DAY AFTER A HOLIDAY!!

Yesterday was a beautiful peaceful day in the neighborhood and the parade was great. I am just amazed at the things that my kids can do. Patti and Bill traveled to Las Vegas (I guess because it isn't hot enough here) but before they left after painting my bathroom, taking me shopping for things to make our bathrooms more people friendly, cleaned and polished, then went to Penni's to finish the new Gazebo. I can't believe how hard they worked and all I could do was just watch it happen.

Wendall's bathroom wasn't painted yet and I just figured the blue tape around the mirror and on the floor was a promise that it would be done sometime - well the girls painted and put everything back and then put the new shower curtain up and all of this before they went to finish penni's Gazebo which is really a beautiful addition.

Wendall loves the color of burgundy so this was the color he was going to have to add to his bathroom. The girls just wouldn't settle for anything except what he had asked for in color. All of this is making decisions and I am a mess of indecision and it gives me a headache even to think about. The bottom line is Wendall is just absolutely thrilled with the color the only problem he is going to have to drag an old towel out to use because the towels hanging are for looks . It is fun to hear him comment on this. The girls piled stuff in my basket while we are shopping and I am just following them. What an experience that was. Well as I told you Pat and Bill went to Las Vegas and Penni invited us over to break in her new addition (Gazebo). If I do sometime get pictures I will post them because the color is beautiful especially in the hall bathroom. Just one more thing to add is that we just can't get the shower curtain (the outer one) wet because it says dry clean only isn't that a hoot. This was a burst to help the economy so this makes me very happy. All of this in the day and life of MEEEEEEE!!

BACK TO HO HUM HAIR!AND OTHER THINGS!!!

Today being Saturday I decided to go back and have a trim and blow dry from Donna my original hair person. I really needed something to pick me up and well she did my hair and it's the same mould and I am not going to show my two very up to date girls until I have broken the mould by Monday. I am what I am and so there! I have so enjoyed reading all of your blogs and comments and everyone is so clever. I am loving the enthusiasm for life that this gives me because of the way you take everything that happens in stride.

This is the week of plumber. I HAVE A NEW TOILET! NEW PAINT! NEW VANITY AND CHEST THAT I CAN REALLY STORE THINGS IN ! The only problem is...... Wendall tried to fix a leak under the sink and so now I can't even use the sink. We may have to demolish the house in order to get things back in order. Gary came and fixed the sink but he didn't tighten the drain REALLY TIGHT but left it SO HE COULD COME BACK AND PUT THE OTHER SHELF IN FOR ME and THE DA***## THING DIDN'T LEAK UNTIL HE LEFT (wouldn't you know). SOOOOOOOOOOO Wendall with his wrenches decided he could tighten the drain - WRONG! WRONG! WRONG !! IT is now 7pm and he hasn't got it working but the DA**### thing is sure pretty even if I can't use it. Back to why I decided I needed to get my hair done HO HUMMM! At least my toilet works and my tub is still functional ALL IS WELL - ALL IS WELLLLL!!!!! Love you all !

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT TO WENDALL!!

Grandpa Wendall had his great big birthday and turned "80" so we did what all MORE MATURE PEOPLE DO - we went shopping for garden stuff and had lunch at the exclusive CHUCK-A-RAMA WHERE ALL OF THE MORE MATURE AND FUN PEOPLE GO (of course).

What is really exciting is getting from one place to another without someone getting angry at me and wanting me out of the way as we are driving along BUT I DIDN'T GET SHOT OR RUN OFF THE ROAD (WOW).

We took so many detours around the orange barrels that we really didn't know where we were for a few minutes SOOOOOOO much for Bountiful. At the price of gas at the pump we really don't think driving is very much fun.

This last week has been a very busy week and when I try to think back to what we did I CAN'T REMEMBER! One great thing is getting DE JUNKED and a GREAT BIG THANK YOU GOES TO PATTI AND PENNI FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN HELPING US. Now the challenge is to get the stuff into the garbage can and not have us look and try to save the stuff.

We started with the garage and what a surprise all of the stuff we have saved and so bravely Patti and Penni hauled stuff out of the garage and put into three separate piles for Wendall to go through (this was done after dark with a flashlight and Brother Camomile came over and helped Wendall while I hid in the house) I couldn't believe all of the stuff that finally got thrown out. When the garbage truck came the next day and not really soon enough and picked up the THREE BIG CANS FILLED TO THE TOP AND OVERFLOWING IT WAS BETTER THAN CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!! I can't believe all of the catalogs and magazines and paper that we had saved. I really hope we don't have a flood or earthquake after we get done with this.

I just hope that this is a BIRTHDAY THAT GRANDPA WENDALL WILL REMEMBER FOR A LONG TIME! This has been the best birthday present anyone could receive so A GREAT BIG SHOUT OUT TO PENNI AND PATTI AND A HAPPY 80th FOR GRANDPA WENDALL!

Love to you all

MY EXPERIMENT WITH PICTURES!

I Do know when this picture was taken and that was in Kennewick, Washington. We visited Aimee in February and it was during my birthday week and Landen was just a week old. Isn't he just the most beautiful, most handsome baby and with so much hair just like Aimee had when she was born.

This is Hailey holding Abby when Kami was baptized - let me know if I have my facts right because sometimes I don't get all of my dates and times right but oh well that is up to you to help me and I am learning What to do and when they took place. For posterity this is the Skolmoski girls. Aren't they absolutely the cutest.

This is my big experiment with downloading pictures into MY BLOG!! This is Michael when he visited us quite sometime ago - I think last fall and I wanted to put it into my blog and when I took the picture.

I will try to be more organized on my next blog because I want to take a picture of Pepper watching a dog show and being very intent in what she is doing. We are dog sitting for a couple of days while Penni and her family are at East Canyon and last night I had a meeting with the R.S. and Wendall had a class so the dogs were left home to watch TV - well when I got home their was a dog special show on KBYU and all of these dogs were parading and showing off and the thing that really made me laugh was Pepper sitting in front of the TV and very intent on watching the show with her head moving from side to side - I know this sounds crazy but this is actually what happened and if we can catch her watching a show again I WILL TAKE A PICTURE BECAUSE SHE WAS SO DARN CUTE!!! I feel like Dr. (Doolittle), I'm not sure that is how you spell his name but you know who I am talking about. I know you think that I have gone to the dogs and that isn't so bad.

WHAT A WEEK!!!!!!!!

I really think that our street is over the hill. We have had the ambulance and paramedics twice over at the Fisher's and Cal is still in the hospital. Barbara Fisher called this morning and said guess what I am in the hospital and they brought all of my stuff with me and she meant all of her papers and stuffed animals. The bottom line is she is still home but doesn't know it. I think I need to read all of your blogs and get back into the real world. Our neighbor Clem Jay who lives down the street died Sunday. There are so many weird things going on that when I read the up- beat blogs such as Kimberly's latest about how her kids are so cute with one another and how much she loves being their mother it fills me with such joy. In this world of terrible things happening I know that my grandchildren are doing what they need to and the importance of the home.

I also read Tina's blog and saw the pictures of each one of the girls and how much she loves her little family. These wonderful moments make me so happy and grateful for my blessings of family.

Oh yes, when I really need a diversion I turn on the political STUFF on Fox news and that is really uplifting. Maybe Hillary needs the extra support of our Service Men who are REALLY DODGING SNIPER FIRE to make her feel better about herself. You know the news is really quite entertaining and if we aren't all crazy by November it won't be the fault of this crazy election season of 2008.

My plea to each one of you is to help me keep SANE whatever that is by blogging.