TAGGED --by Erin

As of October 25, 2008
Just 2 more months until Christmas!!!

8 FAVORITE TV SHOWS
1. Designed to Sell
2. House Hunters
3. Sell This House [the home staging show]
4. Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door
5. Thank [Goodness], You're Here [AUS]
6. Curb Appeal
7. Gilmore Girls
8. Great Race

8 FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
1. Cheesecake Factory [Sweet tamale cakes appetizer]
2. Tanaka's of Tokyo or Benihana-style Japanese Restaurant
3. Phuket Thai
4. Long John Silver's/A&W in Mililani
5. Olive Garden
6. PFChang's
7. 23 Degrees North [Turtle Bay] or Ola's or Leilei's, too
8. Most any . . . not cooking is just my VERY favorite!!!

8 Things that happened yesterday
1. coughed . . . lots
2. dr. appointment
3. got medication [Foodland Pharmacy!!] for bronchitis
4. sent mailings to 3 girls, bought stamps
5. met my student at FHC
6. helped a patron at FHC
7. came home and rested
8. picked up and enjoyed time with Dad at home


8 Things I'm looking forward to
1. going to Pier One today..."Pumpkin Swirl" spray and candles
2. voting--giving my voice, even if I write in candidates!
3. being healthy again
4. giving my RS lesson tomorrow: Daughter of God
5. preparing for my next travel...not sure where/when yet
6. Halloween--seeing the boys dressed up
7. Preparing for the "Erin and Avery" visit
8. Any time with dad, like today.

8 Things on my wish list
1. new, nice kitchen counters and sink
2. finished bedroom [painted walls, window coverings, rugs, etc.]
3. gutters for house before rainy season...maybe
4. travel
5. travel
6. travel
7. good health
8. good wishes for each family member

I'll add one other list:
8 Things I'm grateful for
1. beautiful family and time with them
2. upbringing with solid values passed on to me, through me
3. The Lord's blessings in every aspect of our lives/Gospel
4. Dad's wonderful opportunities through the years
5. Beautiful places we've lived since 1974
6. Learning and loving it
7. Loyal friends through the years
8. best husband in the world for me

best wishes always to you. ALOHA! mom/Dianna

An October to Remember

It has been a memorable October already, and it is just 9 days old!

Last Wednesday evening [1 Oct] Bill and I and others from Laie left on the red eye non-stop flight to SLC. Both of us had been there within the past 4 weeks, but this time we got to travel together. It was a last minute idea to go and to accompany him with the companion certificate. Friend Grant Guinn booked us a room at the downtown Hilton, in an upgraded room, too. So I can say right now, it was truly worthwhile to make that decision to go this weekend.

We arrived at 7:30 a.m., Thursday morning, and even after picking up our luggage and rental car Bill was dropped off at his meeting held at LDS Business College by 8:15 p.m.

Since the hotel early check in was not even available until 12:00, I had to make a plan of how to spend the morning. Hmmm....knowing Megan was probably still asleep, --and we were planning to surprise her--I headed out to the Granger area to Kohl's, a department store where I enjoy shopping whenever I'm on the mainland. Yes, they had some bargains waiting just for me, so this happy shopper decided to head back to downtown and park and do some other errands in that area. I had just gotten to the car and got a phone call--from Megan. She knew some BYUH folks/friends were going to be on her campus today, but didn't know where to find them. In that call I recommended she peek in the Multipurpose Room and she would find them...including her dad! Then I told her I was here, too, and she was surprised again! We made plans to meet after her music class test.

The day progressed well, with walking in the gorgeous weather to JS Building, eating lunch at Olive Garden, taking Megan with me to Walmart, resting up, then meeting dad to eat again at Olive Garden, then finishing the day with TV, rest, and sleep since it was at a premium on the flight to SLC. Our fun time had begun!!

We attended a morning session at the SLC temple then strolled through the temple grounds to cross to JB's to have some breakfast. I spent some time then at the FH Library, learning about the Nichols family name and first ancestors to arrive in this country. Always a favorite place to research and pass time. Megan had a full schedule that day. But she and friends came later to swim at the hotel's pool. Bill and I escaped after his morning meetings to Emigration Canyon, up 8th South, past UU. We enjoyed the colors, winding canyon road, and river to experience a bonafide leaf ride. AHHHH........so nice. Photos need to be added to this to get the full effect. Picture gold, a bit of green, some dark pines, a splash of red, purple, and of course, orange. The day was....perfect.
Friend Janice Morgan joined us for dinner at Benihana's...so the full courses of delicious food made the day, too. We visited with Janice for a bit in our room until all of us were yawning. Jet lag and packed days...but such good times in spite of that!

SAturday was Conference Day #1. Megan had passed out all the tickets and she and friends enjoyed in person while we watched from our room. Early breakfast in the hotel worked just fine for us and there we visited with Grant and son, Ashton. We left after the 2 p.m. session for Ogden. We'd called the Litchfords to warn them of our coming. Bill and Dan attended the meeting at 6 while Nancy and I got another bonus leaf ride up Weber then down Ogden Canyon. :D Kristi Palkki and Matt had prepared a fine salmon dinner for us so we enjoyed that prior to the meetings and rides. Kristi has a huge home for her and her 5 kids...with 3 nieces and nephews on hand at times.

Sunday was our day to pack up and go, though we were happy to watch Day #2 of conference in the morning after our breakfast. We met Megan at her place around 12:30, then ate at Arby's with her before dropping her off and heading to the airport. Our flight was delayed, but it worked out all right. We walked right off the plane in LA onto the next one to Honolulu. Better seats this time, so we had a pleasant flight home.

Just what I needed.....a fun weekend, time to reflect and be refreshed by conference, friends, family, husband, nature, and spirit. In a word, if this is one, AHHHHHHHHH!!!!

September. . .New Seasons. . .SLC/Schooling . . . Serendipity . . .Settling In

School time has arrived. Megan is now settling in nicely, it seems, in SLC at LDSBC, right in downtown Salt Lake. We spent 2 days getting what she couldn't pack and bring and didn't get lost even though I was driving in new areas of the town. I love the layout of this city; the N-S-E-W designations work for me. What a great location for Megan to attend school-- the weather has been great, and when we call we hear she is busy and doesn't have time to talk!! We think that is a good sign, but hope to have her share her first week experiences with us in more detail soon. Mom and Dad remember how exciting it was to be away from home at last, so we empathize with her new life "on her own." That makes our life's season transition to "empty nesting" much easier.

SLC is a favorite place for me. I love the shopping, and now with Janice Morgan there, it allows me to spend extra time to enjoy, too. Janice is our great friend who we hometaught for 7+ years in Hawaii and was also a part of our FHE combined families' group once a month. After 2 days of getting Megan settled, Janice had me turn in the rental car and we attended a Greek Festival right downtown, near where I'd been staying. Yummy gyros, salata, and baklava--a good crowd and lively music and dancing entertained us that afternoon. Stops at other malls--there seem to be TONS of them so close by--then home to enjoy our light supper at her house. Finding Halloween treats that are hard to come by was just one of the "serendipity"moments I enjoyed. Walking barefoot through the grass in her yard was another, too. SOOOO soft! One of her yellow roses blossomed overnight to a gorgeous flower... we visited Temple Square to appreciate the pink roses and other garden delights... got PAF working again on her computer...and found a great message to remember: Grant me the patience to deal with my blessings. Eating a peach or two...reminiscent of Brigham City Peach Days in olden times for us from Logan days. Enjoyed peach pie, too, that Janice made. I even had some alone time to play the piano!!! Ahhh...all of this made for a relaxing break in my usual school-busy life.


Friends and acquaintances just popped up out of nowhere! While moving Megan into the dorm [it's the PLAZA HOTEL property at West Temple/South Temple] we saw and greeted Laura Ditto, our former bishop's wife, and Autumn Keys from Laie [Megan's bandmate from KHS a few years ago] who is also a student now at LDSBC, and her mom, Judy [a family history buff who also volunteers at the LFHC] and visited with Jack and Marsha Peterson who came to see us from Logan on Friday evening. Actually, Marsha was picking up her new car, but we worked into the plan anyway!! We always have fun visits, even if it's just a brief time at dinner. Marsha and I laugh lots when we have these rare chances these days to meet. That was a treat...especially enjoying their company, plus Matt P. and Betsy, too. Cheesecake Factory, always one of my favorites, was our dinner setting...and yes, my favorite --sweet corn tamale cakes-- and regular cheese cake with cherry topping for dessert pleased my palate tremendously.

MORE good stuff: That, plus the visit to Olive Garden for Megan and me Thursday, AND successful shopping at my favorite store just a few blocks from Megan's dorm, meant a packed yet productive time in those 4 days in the mountain-view city--now like an urban ghost town in the downtown area as CityCreek is developed. Although I didn't venture beyond SLC, it was great to connect with this crew of friends. I'll be enjoying having Megan in SLC for as long as she is thriving there! Many people to see and other things to do next time...but this was all so relaxing AND enjoyable for me. Since Megan didn't come home with me on the companion reservation, I had TWO seats to myself. But, as always when I travel, it was great to get home.

We now enter a new season of our life...as Mary would say, each new season is a beginning. We enjoyed a bit more freedom and in some ways, less worry, this week. School demands and Bill's work, plus "student conference week" for me filled my days. Fun moments were the positive finds for students in FH, celebrating Trevor's Super Citizenship at Laie Elem., and enjoying "Sunset on the Beach" here at Kakela. Visited with Ken and Lisa there...Lisa said she is jealous that we can be at this stage of our lives...we remember when they used to come and visit us next door sometimes at the townhouses, staying up late [they had no kids then], sometimes until almost 1 a.m. on a school night for us! Yeserday we enjoyed our visit to the temple, yardwork and closet cleaning, then off to Honolulu for a movie and dinner. Hmmmm...are we supposed to like this so much??? :D

I guess what helps is knowing we've tried to do the best we could in raising these girls. We tried to provide a steady, conservative, predicatable-in-many-ways, gospel approach and routine to life with values they could count on as young people and now as adults. Much help along the way, and good examples in friends and family, helped these things stick. Life is not perfect for them, for us, but we are confident that with prayer and other divine assistance, their lives and ours can be very worthwhile and successful.

Here's to 28.5 years of parenting in the home [roots]!! Here's to happiness for them all as they remember their roots...and take wings and fly!!

Tagged!

This looked like fun!!

1 rule: use one word that comes to mind to answer the question...but if you have to use a few, it's okay!!!
1. Where is your cell phone? drawer
2. Your significant other? forever
3. Your hair? natural
4. Your mother?thoughtful
5. Your father? reunited
6. Your favorite thing?napping lanai
7. Your dream last night? unremembered
8. Your favorite drink? A&W
9. Your dream/goal? celestialized-family
10. The room you're in? computer
11. Friends? been close a long time
12. Your fear? driving
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? mission (or travel)
14. Where were you last night? home after class
15. What you're not? discontent
16. Muffins? no thanks
17. One of your wish list items? bedroom redo
18. Where you grew up? Iowa
20. What are you wearing? 'jamas
21. Your TV? off
22. Your pets? allergies
23. Your computer? Dell
24. Your life? daily gratitude
25. Your mood? unpredicatable family loves this! --not!!
26. Missing someone? Family (grateful for blogs, chats, Skype)
27. Your car? Camry
28. Something you're not wearing? Shoes (Hawaii!)
29. Favorite Store? Christopher and Banks --tomorrow :D
30. Your summer? Traveling
31. Like someone? Bill (and love)
32. Your favorite color? any
33. Last time you laughed? yesterday [Running-boy Avery]
34. Last time you cried? Goodbyes (saying goodbye to family)

Sorry, one word is just NOT me!!!

AUGUST RUSH

How quickly the days rush by! School has now started at BYUH and my classes are nearly filled. That's good! I have a good group in HEC so far, and will meet the REL students on Tuesday, 2 SEP. Preparing for the folders and their contents, especially the syllabus, always takes me a long time. Keep trying to get more efficient and effective in the teaching/learning experiences.

It was a great travel experience to Australia late July to mid August. SYDNEY is a wonderful harbor city, so scenic and easy to get around by walking, even though it was winter time. We stayed in "The Rocks" which is the historical area, first settled locality. Loved the history, architecture, landforms, and stories. The British feel was evident, in sight and in language. Loved it. Toured the city on the hop on-hop off, then walked places on foot. Also toured the opera house and treated ourselves to a musical--Billy Elliot with music by Elton John. Very impressive.

Canberra was lovely, a real city similar in some ways to a cross between Des Moines and Washington, D. C. Although always the coldspot on the weather map while we were there, we got out a little here and there with the help of Erin and Wil. The week we waited for baby may have gone slow for her, but at least she felt good to visit and we made many fleece quilts and finished the baby comforter, too. Wil had some vacation days, and some work days and football days, too. We enjoyed a lovely shower put on by Moana Howe and others in the ward. Met the family there and at church, too. Stake conference weekend --it was a great conference with such good talks..."to the rescue" was the theme.

Getting used to winter in July/August was new, but other things seemed "old hat." Cooking, some cleaning, laundry, and eventually baby holding plus visiting W and E, and enjoying getting to know Avery William Takarawa Howe [sp?] ---great ways to spend our time. Bill left earlier than I did, so I got to get to know him a little more and be at home with the new little Howe family. Such a nice time. Fun ways to experience a new country. Some wonderful "firsts" in my life and good people and events to remember. The Olympics in Beijing started while I was there...we hear Liesl Jones got a gold medal--Erin is smiling--and when we got home Shawn Johnson, the gymnast from West Des Moines, also racked up a set of medals, including one gold. Hooray for her and the others. Summer Olympics highlights are mostly gymnasts for me.

Packing days are Megan's life right now, and seeing friends before she takes off on Wednesday, 3 SEP. Band friends, girl friends, nephews and sister are among her visits this week. Some beach time, too, and using her new camera. She has really trimmed down and thrown things out--mom and dad are impressed. She can enjoy the "less is more" philosophy, we have hopes, anyway.

Other family news has Jenny starting to show :D and Lindsey counting down until John returns from Molokai FOR GOOD. We enjoy visiting with Jenny and so wish them well. We know they are ready to launch their lives and we are glad Jenny is a graduate student. It's amazing how lives can change. Years ago this would have been a far off wish for Jenny, since we knew how little she liked academics at KHS, so we are tickled for her and happy for her success. She and Aaron are a great team and we know the world is waiting for them.

The three boys/grandsons here are still precious to us, so seeing them is a joy. We look forward to Thursdays. That's still piano day for Papa and Trevor, but Devin comes, too, so he and I can hang out...mostly outside. Then it's dinner time, then a little extra time to play, then we take them home to mom. This seems to give her a little time to herself since Kyle is sleeping then...after Trevor's soccer practice.

Grandma Neal moved to Cedar Falls today. Grandma Reynolds will turn 83 next week. Each day holds something new for each of us at any age. I hope Grandma N. likes her new surroundings and busier lifestyle with the activities held at Mallard Pointe.

Dad is busy and needs to catch up his blog!! His school responsibilities take up the most time, and getting time to set up his class with Paul Freebairn has finally gotten done, too. We are both happy about a 3-day weekend. Monday is our annual picnic/beach day for new and old BYUH'ers down here. Then it's class days, then Megan and I are off to Utah!

It's good to keep up on the blogs. I enjoy everyone else's so much. Hang in there, everyone.
I love you. mom

Mid-summer Madness and Update

The days have have zoomed by and I should catch this up before we depart on Saturday, July 26.
The many projects I wrote about earlier are behind me now, thank heavens. Hooray!! It's now major packing mode at our house, and preparing the home to be away for two++ weeks. An exciting time.

PAINTING of the lanai, the railing upstairs, the mailbox, and some stucco dark spots on columns and our entry has gone well the past two weekends. It's a fresher look and will be good to come home to also. I'm sure some might say, "a second grader could do that better" [Dianna's sections, not Bill's] but there weren't any second graders around to ask!!!! Give me a cleaning brush, not a paintbrush, anyday.

SEWING projects were completed, and that's always a challenge here as the nearest fabric store is 45 minutes away. The better ones are an hour away. After 3 trips, I had everything I needed. Erin's baby will have a comforter...we'll tie it with yarn when we get there.

ORGANIZING for classes...that will happen a little more on the trip/flights. I'm glad the draft for each class is nearly complete. Just some fine tuning left on those. We have a few shared projects to work on while flying and visiting. Always something for us to keep busy. Maybe we'll even get to read a book or two while we're away...unless baby is there already, of course.

HOME ORGANIZATION isn't that bad at the moment...except for the four suitcases setting out that need to be readjusted and filled. We're taking lots for baby, etc., but should be able to return with much lighter bags. Having company earlier in the month and having spring and summer semesters off has been a big help to me in this department. "Keep up" is so much easier than "Catch up. " It will be nice to have Betty and friends here to keep Megan company and enjoy the house. We surely hope the weather is cooperative for them, too.

SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE . . . That's the sign at SUBWAY. It seems to be needing even more time for updating their soggy computer system, and some say it could be several months before reopening. It is sad for Megan especially since this was the job she actually enjoyed...the people, working for a short time with customers, and pleasant surroundings and employer, responsibility given. Her trip away to Puget Sound with Jenny and Aaron to vacation last week gave her a welcome summer retreat. Sounds like a good place for us to get away sometime. Not sure if anyone around here wants to hire a "sandwich artist" for just 6 weeks. The job thing just didn't work well this summer, but might be a good springboard for work she might find on or near campus in SLC. We'll see. . . I have a feeling these remaining weeks will even be encouraging her more to get away since they may be passing slowly.

FUN TIMES and SERENDIPITY We'd planned to see MAMMA MIA when it came out , to see if we wanted to see the play in May when it comes to Honolulu. After our Saturday morning painting party we went to Mililani to see it and have some popcorn, of course. It was fun, for sure, and we loved the music. I'm sure you've heard that not all critics like it. But we did enjoy the music, country side views...I heard it was set in Greece, but filmed in Croatia--I'll have to check that out further.

With Megan in Washington with Jenny and Aaron, we got a taste of what it may be like when the "empty nest" comes for us in September. It seems like just yesterday we had 3 then 4 young children and would have to plan any Monday night [or other] getaways in the van--treats, activities, who'd sit where, which radio channel we'd settle for, if we got drinks, who'd share with whom, etc. just to go for ice cream or a beach walk on the north shore. What a contrast--Monday night following our after-work catnaps, the two of us made a quick decision, headed to Kaneohe for Bill's haircut and were home 2 hours later. That was a new experience. We even read a book out loud along the way until dark. So that's what life without kids in the car may be like. He reminded me we did this for 5 years before Lindsey was born. But do you know what? I CAN'T REMEMBER THAT FAR BACK to those days. So this empty nesting will all be new to me.

In August postings I hope to share new experiences from down under and impressions of life for Erin, Wil, and new little baby Howe. Back to the packing!!!

Helaman 3:35 . . .wax stronger and stronger . . . firmer and firmer. . .

Summer Projects--July is already here!

Birthday was indeed fun and memorable. Summer is officially here and I L O V E the break.

Projects and having company have filled my time. The leisurely pace is indeed welcome, though, compared to my fall/winter semesters and no time to do these things which take me chunks of days at a time. My not teaching spring has been like icing on my cake! I've cherished these weeks to travel [May] and just catch up and accomplish many of these items on my long and ever-expanding "to do" list.

Mini-gardening is underway, and now with an upstairs lanai that has furniture, I'm interested in some small container gardening up there, too. I've enjoyed harvesting so far the radish sprouts and celery leaves, and green onions, and leafy lettuce.

My projects started with the "spring cleaning" for the house, room by room. Ta-Dah! Done!! But--it's now time to start over with the garage again. Dianna's 4th Law prevails: The less I own the less I have to clean, maintain, store, and repair. Love to throw things out! It's liberating!!! And I love the space that results from the effort. AHHHHH ! ! !

Preparing for fall classes is also in progress and, actually, is almost always in my mind in some way. The home ec class is updated and outlined, and now I'm working on the family history class. That one does include some bigger changes due to new websites students will need to learn that came available since last semester. I've been teaching the new sites to others, so have a better idea how to do it for class.

I'd wanted to do this project since last fall. I started a notebook of important documents based upon data received at a workshop last fall. I've edited and input the 40+ page file, so now I've printed it out and I'm filling in the blanks. That effort also meant it was time to redo the old "emergency file" which needed to be weeded out....Loved discarding then shredding the no-longer-needed documents and obsolete statements. I still have some document prep to finish up, but I'm glad to be this far.

In the meantime, Bill went to soggy Iowa for a week to visit family and we had company here for 10 days, so had to stay well stocked with groceries here at Dianna's "bed and breakfast buffet" and do a thorough tidying/laundry fest to prepare for them. First, Jenna Wagner stayed with us as her parents were away and she was recovering from a tonsillectomy, then a couple from Spanish Fork and the wife's mother stayed here since the Bigbies needed lodging for family to attend Fred's funeral. Megan roomed with me over in the corner on the futons, behind the oriental screens, so she at least had a little privacy. They were really pleasant people to have around and didn't need to be entertained so I'm glad we had a way to help them out.

Next project to start: baby comforter. On the trips to and from town recently, fabric and batting and yarn for Baby Howe's comforter were purchased. I'll assemble and bind it here, but we'll mostly tie it once we get to Australia--though I'll have Lindsey and Megan and Dad tie a few knots also so that it has a "made by the family" touch. It's a star pattern, chosen because Erin has always liked stars.

Any more projects this summer? ? ? Well, definitely painting our back exterior lanai railing and pillars is due. Selecting the paint chip possibilities will happen now that Bill is back. We have some prep work to do, then some priming, then the top coat.

Ongoing projects: volunteering, teaching. My Wednesday evenings and Friday afternoons are spent volunteering at the FamilyHistory Center and I enjoy having my regular customers and new patrons to teach this to. It was fun to get back in my own history about 5 generations and then to connect to distant cousins who are interested in this also. Some great finds...and it just makes me want to travel more to visit where these family members once lived. I'm in the Kentucky/W.VA/Virginia lines on the Nichols/Nickell line, early 1800's/late 1700's right now. I also help Bill out with his history searches sometimes. A hobby and interest we share.

Planning/Preparing for travel is always a top pursuit. Spent June arranging Megan's travels to SLC in September...I'll accompany her then. While Bill was away I nailed down our Sydney arrangements adn transportation to Canberra. We don't love driving on the other side of the road, so we'll do some small planes and buses for that trek each way. The inspiration for Bill's Iowa trip was a flash, middle-of-the-night project when his work window opened up some days for him to go.

So, that is summer so far for me.......plus visits with delightful grandchildren, enjoying the beach and sand, and daily walks in beautiful Laie...like I said above, I LOVE it and the leisurely pace is so welcome. The countdown to our Sydney departure is on...two weeks and 4 days to go! We're getting our winter clothes out...and luckily, we get to check 2 pieces of luggage each!!! That is rare these days in air travel.

New grandchild/new adventure...that will be a highlight to our late summer, for sure.

Time is a gift, and so is good health, safety, freedom, employment, and many other wonderful, wonderful appreciated blessings.