BIRTHDAY #58-A Beautiful Day!

A beautiful, balmy, nearly-perfect-in-every-way day!! The weather was so lovely. Just like I'd choose from a catalog, if that were possible. We walked on campus, got birthday powdered sugar donuts and opened cards, read scriptures, then got ready for the day. Dad was at work by 7--another busy week for him. Laundry was on the agenda, but also some planting -- radishes and flowers for out front in the assorted pots there. For a fun new thing, I made two strawberry pies. I had fun sampling the berries and filling as I was preparing. Pretty yummy! Did a little housework, and did banking when I took Megan to work.

My 38th birthday (with 20 years' experience)

Superlative sunset at Sunset

My current school/home project is preparing a WORD document of "important documents" and I made good progress on that. It will be something I can send to my students who are interested and they can copy the pages that apply to them, also edit if they need to. I'll fill out ours upon completion and keep it with the "important" things to grab in an emergency.

Hearing from loved ones was always welcome -- first Jenny, then Erin, then mom and Mary. Mail was nice, too. Cards from Diane Linn Young, Mary [a musical one], my mom, 3 brothers, and the Petersons.

After picking up dad, we got ready for our Subway Sunset Picnic--an almost annual event now. It was wonderful with the welcome clouds to add variety. A low ridge of them blocked the final descent, but it was a lovely scene until then. Darkness came quickly, the color show at post sunset will have to wait for another time...the sun and clouds had other plans, I guess.

One candle to represent all those years...in the strawberry pie, and it was yummy! I'll post a photo at a later time. Dad's little concert ended my evening of a very nice birthday. Grateful for all that occurred, and for all who are in my life. Here's to another year!!!!!

Mom's Milestones. . .

It's now June 2008, officially today. The week was enjoyable with the holiday at the beginning [See Lindsey's blog] and moved on to Megan's KHS graduation Thursday [see Lindsey's dropshots]. I kept giving dad high 5's at the graduation and mentioning how wonderful this was, but thought I ought to explain why that was such an awesome thing for me to see Megan graduate.

May 2000. . . Eight years ago seems so far away now, but the memories will always stand out in significance for me. Perhaps they are fuzzy for you, but never for me. I had just finished chemo treatments and the final recovery weeks, finally feeling like I could get back up on my feet----and STAY up!!!!! I had been approached to teach family history in the fall at BYUH, a surprising new professional opportunity for me. Megan had returned from the 4th grade Big Island trip earlier which I didn't get to chaperone, but I'd felt good enough to chaperone her end-of-the-year picnic with the 4th grade down at Clissold's Beach and beyond. It was probably around then, but it occurred to me that even though I knew I had to take this recovery thing one day at a time, how blessed I'd be for each family occasion I'd be able to witness. I didn't know then what the future had in store for my health, so each event held great meaning for me. My goal was to make it through the remaining high school graduations--first Jenny, then Erin, and finally, 5 years after that, for Megan's And so now, as of May 29, 2008, I'VE MADE IT!!!!! These are tears of J O Y.

BUT I'm just so thankful to have witnessed so much more than that in these 8 years...accompanying 2 daughters off to school in Utah following their h.s. graduations, 3 daughters graduating with their bachelor's degrees, 3 daughters' temple marriages and acquiring, at last, "my own sons," births [so far] of 3 handsome and well-loved, unique grandsons, travel to Denver, Boston,Plymouth, Providence, RI, Connecticut [where we watched the Nauvoo temple dedicated], Sharon, VT, Indiana, Illinois/Chicago, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, NYC and Wicked with PJ, Nauvoo, Europe, Christmas in Utah and California and its theme parks, and Europe and dream-of-a-lifetime Croatia, Northern Rockies in Canada, Palmyra, etc., another trip down to PA, Acquiring land and completing our renovated, beautiful home on the most beautiful spot imaginable here with John's mark in every nail, board, or brick along the way. If my family knows me well, they remember that I'm a realist, so I'd never even ventured to hope this far ahead back in 2000 that ALL of these would occur--and so much more I'm not mentioning, but nevertheless, appreciating. Dad, that's why there were all of the high 5's and "we did it"s !!! I feel so very, very blessed. And I thank the Lord for these abundant, dream-come-true blessings and events I've been privileged to witness in all of your lives.

W O W ! ! ! Thank you all for being there, and for being the sources of Parent Pride Moments you each are for me. I'm thankful, still thankful, for each day, and every day is a "birth" day for me and will always be.

That's all for now.

Love, mom