The Storm of the Century

Just a couple of days before Thanksgiving the weather man started reporting that we were expecting the "STORM OF THE CENTURY"!! My friend Linda was here to visit her parents and was leaving to go back to Illinois on Tuesday, the day of the big storm. I told her I would take her to the airport. Her plane wasn't scheduled to depart until 4:00 that afternoon but she wanted me to get there and get back before the storm hit. I picked her up at 10:00 a.m. and we headed into Salt Lake. We stopped and had breakfast, the wind was blowing so hard it nearly blew us over. We enjoyed visiting over breakfast together and then headed to the airport. Linda called to check her flight just before we got there and it said it would be delayed. We were hoping she would be able to make it out. The airport was suppose to be crazy as well with everyone traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday. Linda called me on my way home and as the phone rang I was afraid she was going to say, "Can you come back and get me my plane has been canceled," but instead she said, she got right through the screening and her plane would only be delayed 15 minutes. I went to the store on the way home so I wouldn't have to travel out in the storm. That night Les and I settled in expecting the worse. I got up at 4:00 a.m. in the morning and looked out the window...where was the snow?!?! There was only a little only a little skiff. The big blizzard of the century turned out to be the big fizzle of the century:-) Not that I was sad by any means. This morning however we did wake up to snow. Not the big one, just the usual start of winter. We probably received 2 to 3 inches. Les had to shovel the driveway to get out for his Bishopric meeting this morning. Where was I? Snuggled under the covers of course. Les tried to talk me into coming out and shoveling with him saying, "it would be fun." Oh ya, real fun. Here are a few pictures I took from the window. I didn't even want to venture out this morning, besides I had just done my hair for church:-) Here comes Winter!!!!!

Hope you get the drift...no pun intended:-)

Thanksgiving Day!!!

This was the second Thanksgiving since Les and I have been married that I have not had to prepare Thanksgiving dinner! Yahoo!!! We went to Ashlyn's house and had a great time with Dave's family and Rod and Sam. I can't believe I didn't take my camera but my arms were full of food. I didn't have to prepare the whole dinner but I did prepare some of it. Hope ya'all had a great Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

With Thanksgiving right around the corner I was reflecting today on what I really am thankful for. With the wind blowing outside and snow on the ground the first thing I thought about was I am so thankful that I have a nice warm home and that it is warm and cozy inside. As I awoke this morning I thought, I am so thankful for a warm comfortable bed. I had a hot bath this morning and it felt so wonderful to just lie there and soak, one of my most favorite place to read is in the bath tub:-) I am so thankful that all I have to do is turn on the tap and out comes hot or cold water with not effort. I thought of Les's nephew who is on a mission in Sierra Leone Africa who has no running water, who lives with rats and other creatures on a daily basis, who in the last 4 months has dropped 23 lbs. I have so much to be thankful for. I flip a switch and have light. I go to the refrigerator or cup board and have food to eat. I live in a country where I am free to come and go as I please, I can go to church and worship as I please. I'm thankful for FREEDOM and the young men and women who put their lives on the line so that I can enjoy that freedom. We must never forget that our freedom comes at a great cost. I have a wonderful family who bring me so much joy. We have our trials and our struggles but those too I am thankful for because they bring me closer to the Savior and my Heavenly Father. I know that through Them we can over come our struggles and become better people. I'm thankful for hair blowers and make up so I don't scare people when I go out in public. I'm thankful for music and for the important part it plays in my life. I grew up with music in my life, with parents who loved music, and a father who had a beautiful tenor voice who sang in church, at funerals, for many occasions. Then in my own home I have enjoyed all kinds of music. Now I have grandchildren who are so gifted with musical talent, music makes this world a much more beautiful place. I'm thankful for this beautiful world and for nature and the changing seasons. I'm thankful for friends, some of which I only get to see on occasion but what great memories I have of our times together. I'm thankful for my life, for the experiences I am blessed with daily. And the older I get the more I am made aware of my health, I am so thankful to be healthy and be able to dance and walk, and all the things I'm able to do. You never really enjoy your health more then when you don't have it, then you realise how important it is to you. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you too reflect on what you are most thankful for. Take a minute in your busy day to just stop and smell the roses or look at a beautiful sunset. We are indeed a blessed people.

We didn't get the expected snow...but we know it's right around the corner!

That snow that the weather man was forecasting never happened...at least not in the valley but from this picture you can see we did get snow in the mountains. We've had beautiful blue skies and the most beautiful fall weather. This weather has really spoiled me and I am not ready for the weather to change. Most of the trees still have their leaves as you can see from this picture. Our aspen trees have been a beautiful yellow and still have a lot of their leaves. And just look at the beautiful clear BLUE SKY! I love this time of the year!
This time of the year has always been my favorite. It brings back childhood memories of walking home from school and hearing the crisp sound of the Autumn leaves crunching below my feet. Of raking up large piles of leaves and then jumping into them. The clean crisp air that seemed to give me energy. It's a time for apples of all colors, and pine nuts, and curling up by the fireplace with a warm fire and a good book. Hot chocolate, carmel popcorn ball, apple crisp, hmmmmmm... I LOVE AUTUMN!
I can't take credit for this photo but I absolutely love it. It was taken by Les's cousin Westley Cottom.

Ugh...our first snow already!!!

I woke up yesterday to snow on the ground. It was to cold to get out of my cozy warm bed and go out and take a picture to show you but the weather man said we will have more this week so you'll get a picture. It seemed so weird, the leaves haven't even fallen off the trees yet. In Salt Lake the snow was so heavy it broke branchs off the trees. I guess it's time to gear up for winter. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then...CHRISTMAS! YIKES!!!

Meeting up with old acquaintances

I was on face book the other day sending a message to an old friend, fellow ward member, and classmate, Linda Hutchings Wilson. I recognized in her friends and acquaintances...some other ladies we had gone to school with and also marched together with in the Americanettes...Tana John Pulley, Jill Peterson Clinton, and Leann Conder Powell. So Linda contacted everyone and Jill decided on where we would all meet and within a week we were all together at Chuck O rama. Jill called Patsy Edwards Callahan and she came too. It was so fun to see everyone again. We decided that we are going to meet together every couple of months. This may be the start of something great! Leann is in charge of where we go the next time and she wants to meet at the same place. Ugh. Were going to see if we can get more people to come. Should be fun. (Picture from left to right...Tana John Pulley, Patsy Edwards Callahan, Leann Conder Powell, Jill Peterson Clinton, me, and Linda Hutchings Wilson.)

You'll Never Guess

Last Thursday Les and I made a quick trip to Vegas to visit his family. It was fun seeing everyone and we celebrated Les's Dad's 83rd birthday on Sunday. Les's niece Sarah and her husband Sean had us all over to their house for a wonderful dinner.

Les, Owen and Les Sr.

Les's Mom, Doris, Les's niece Sarah, Les's sister Suzanne and Sarah's son Owen.

We had such a good time after dinner sitting around talking and hearing stories of Les Sr's and Doris's childhood and younger days. They say laughter is the best medicine and I believe it. Les's nephew's wife put on her facebook page today that laughter is the shock obsorbers that ease the blows in life and that is so true. Monday we loaded up the car to leave and come back home. Good-bye's are always bitter sweet. It's good to come back home but it's sad to leave our loved ones. We stopped in St. George to see our grand daughter Teresa and our great grand babies Armani and Adee.

Teresa is about as big as a minute. She probably weight 90 lb if even that and she's only about 4' 10" tall. Her husband isn't a big guy either so her kids don't stand a chance of being tall. We visited for a while and then decided to go and get lunch before we headed back on the road. I had been craving Mexican food so we stopped at Cafe Rio. We just got in line when a man that I thought a recognized walked right passed us. I turned to look again and said, "Les did you see who that is?!?!"

It was Elder Jeffrey R Holland of the General Authorities and his wife Patricia. My FAVORITE!!! I said, "I'm going to go over and shake their hand." Les said, "I'm not, I'm afraid to." I walked or should I say RAN up to them and said, "Elder Holland can I shake your hand?" He graciously said hello and held out his hand as did his wife. I said, "My husband is to afraid to come and shake hands." Elder Holland said, "Don't ever be afraid to come up and shake hands!" Les came over and said, "I was afraid to come over but I decided that I had better because I'm more afraid of my wife's wrath then yours." Elder and sister Holland laughed and said, "Smart Man." Then Elder Holland looked at me and said, "I can't believe any wrath could come from this little women." They made my day!!! Elder Holland is one of my favorites. I love elder and sister Hollands book, On Earth as it is in Heaven a book that they both co-authored. These men that are at the head of our church are so intelligent and spiritual and they dedicate their whole life in the service of our Heavenly Father and his church. They make me want to be a better person. As they walked out to get in their car they got into a Toyota Avalon. When I told Ashlyn she said, "so does Les now say he is driving a celestial car?" :-)

Autumn Days

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. I love Autumn time along with spring it is my very most favorite time of the year. I love the cool nights and crisp mornings. Nothing is more invigorating then waking up and going for an early morning walk. I love the way the flowers respond to the cooler weather, their colors seem to become more vibrant just like the leaves. Although this year we have had a much warmer start of the fall season. The weather man says we are on the average 17 degrees hotter then normal for this time of the year. A week or so ago I told Les I'd really like to take a drive up in the canyon and take some pictures of the fall colors. Years ago I wouldn't think twice about going by myself but I guess I'm not as daring in the older stage of life. I told him I didn't feel good about going by myself so he took half a day off and we started up the American Fork side of the loop. The colors weren't quite as bright as they have been in recent years. Maybe because we have had a drier summer then usual, or, maybe because we got a little cold spell a little earlier. The leaves may have hit their peek a few days before our drive.

This picture was taken up by the Mutual Dell and the colors there were at their brightest. We also drove to Cascade Springs which is always such a beautiful place. I caught a glimpse of this little couple on the trail. I got my camera out and managed to snap this photo just before they rounded the bend and out of my sight.


It reminds me of a verse from a James Taylor song, "Wake up Suzie, put your shoes on walk with me into this life." I thought, what a cute little couple, still walking hand and hand just like when they first meet. And I'm sure they have a greater love now then they did back then. Not as straight and tall, walking a little slower then they use to but still hand and hand. It did my heart good:-)
How can you not know that there is a higher being when you see the wonderful beauties of nature. It is almost as if God took his paint brush and painted this beautiful fall painting for all to enjoy. It makes me think of the scripture, "Be still and know that I am God."

Trip to the Midwest.

Have you watched a new series sponsored by Ancestry.com called "Who Do You Think You Are?" It's so interesting, it comes on Friday nights. They take movie stars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, Lisa Kudrow, Mathew Broderick and many others and they help them trace their roots. My sister Nancy once asked me, "why are you so into genealogy? The Lord knows how were all related." And she is totally right but I find it interesting to go back and see if I can find stories about our ancestors. It gives me a feel for who they were, their strenghts and weaknesses, their joys and their sorrows. I find I have a lot in common with many of them. Also once your gone the only way that others know that you were even here are through the stories we pass on to our children and their children. We keep them alive in our hearts and in our lives as we remember. As I watched this series I see how it effects the people who are searching for their ancestors. Many of them have no idea where their ancestors lived, or how they made a living, or what they looked like. Susan Sarandon had been searching for her grandmother for years only to find out she lived just a few miles away from her for most of her life but didn't find that out until after her grandmother had passed away. Many of them have stories of the great sacrifices their ancestors made to come to America which gives them great strength. On the 26th of August Les and I flew into Minneapolis St. Paul where we meet Les Sr. and his girlfriend Dona. We were going on a trip back to the roots of Les Sr.'s father and Les's grandfather, Jay Dayton Smith. Years ago when Les was a student at BYU his grandfather took him as his traveling companion back to the area because he wanted to instill in Les a knowledge of where his grandfather had grown up and of the family he came from, as well as a love and reverence for these people. What a beautiful little place to grow up in! The first thing I noticed is there were no Mountains! Coming from Utah I love the Mountains and can't even imagine a place with no Mountains but it is a beautiful, laid back area. There were acres, and acres of corn fields, and soybean fields, beautiful well kept yards, and road sides. We hardly ever saw a farmer or someone outside their home until we got into the little towns.
Les and his Dad standing in front of the soybean field. Les's Dad holding up a soybean plant. They look like fuzzy pea pods. That was a first for me, I had never seen a soybean plant before. We stayed in a little town of Decorah. Most of the little towns around there didn't even have a motel, or even a restaurant. Les's grandfather grew up with his parents in a little town of Monona Iowa. They did have a restaurants but it was only open on certain days. The first people we saw as we started our journey were the Amish. As you see them drive by in their horse drawn carriage it is hard to think of the life they live going back in time with no electricity, growing all their food, sewing all their clothes, actually going back to a more primitive time then the ancestors we have come to inquire about. We stopped at a street corner where they were selling their wares and bought some homemade bread and jam. It was very tastie but we couldn't help but feel sorry for them. Their life is so much harder then ours, but probably a whole lot more simpler. I'll take my automobiles, air conditioning, and heating over their way of life any day. Welcome to Monona! Were getting closer to the home of Les's ancestors. You could feel an excitement in the car just like the excitement I could feel from the people on "Who do you think you are."

And here we are!!! As the Garmin (our GPS system) would say, "Arriving at destination on right, the home of Horace Hamilton and Martha Schneider Smith. Les's Great Grandfather and Grandmother. A home where three children laughed and played. Les's grandfather and his brother played catch with their ball and gloves right on this very porch, a home where they grew to adulthood. Can't you just picture them running in and out of that front door. I can almost hear Martha call out to them. "Children don't slam that door." Jay Dayton, (Les's grandfather), Leslie Hamilton, (who Les's father and Les were named after), and Gretchen. Horace was a very prominent business man, owning his own business the H.H.Smith hardware store. Horace was also the director of the Monona State Bank for 25 years, becoming it's president. At the age of 45 Martha became ill with what many think was the flew and passed away leaving Horace and the children alone. Dayton would have been in his early 20's and Leslie and Gretchen would have been teenagers how hard that must have been for them to loose their sweetheart and mother. Horace later married Elizabeth Davis a young nurse that came to attend to Martha in her illness.

Horace, Martha,and the children, Dayton, Leslie and Gretchen.

The home is pretty much as it was when Horace and his second wife Elizabeth lived there. We were told that after Horace passed away and shortly before Elizabeth went into a rest home she had a auction and many of the house hold items were sold, but many of the larger items stayed in the home. She was left a share of the home along with each of the children. Leslie passed away in World War I and was the first war casualty from the little town of Monona. Elizabeth donated her share of the home to the town and JD, Les's grandfather and Gretchen sold their portion to the town and the home was made into a museum. A little building was added onto the home housing many books and histories of the people of the town. A great place to find information about your ancestors if they lived there. We made copies of pictures and histories we had never seen before.

The original Hardware store of Horace Hamilton Smith is now a Floral Shop but has been left exactly like it was back then. When you walk inside the building you walk on the original hardwood floors. I thought I had taken pictures but I must not have but there were little metal beads on the floor that were used to measure in feet chain, or rope or what ever they had to measure. There were paint spots on the floor. The original elevator was still there and the owner of the store told us it still worked. I don't know if you can read the date on this small picture but it was founded in 1898.

Here we are in Prairie du Chien Wisconsin. Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota were all so beautiful and it's true the cheese is the best and the people really do talk like in the Movie, "New in Town" with Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. don't ya know. I loved listening to them talk and wish I could talk the way they did. I wondered if they thought we had an accent;-? Hmmmm... We went to pikes peak where Les was told his great grandfather proposed to Elizabeth his second wife. It's a beautiful place that over looks the Mississippi River. We watched the barges moving up the Mississippi river through the lock and dam system which we found extremely interesting. We visited many of the grave yards and took pictures of Les's ancestors graves. Many times feeling like they were right there with us leading the way. One cemetery was completely concealed on all sides by corn fields and it was a miracle we even found it but thanks to Dona's keen eyes she saw the entrance of the grave yard just before we passed it. Although you can't really tell what Les and his Dad are pointing at because the head stone is in the shadows and the picture is so small but it is their grandmother Martha's mother and fathers headstone standing there as sentinels to welcome us in. All and all we gathered a lot of great information and had a wonderful experience at the same time. Now we need to do something with everything we have collected.

The picture below is of Dona, Les Sr's girlfriend. Looking at his familes headstones.

Jake's double bad luck!

You probably already read about Jake's broken arm. They put it in a temperary cast to begin with for about a week then checked it to make sure it was healing correctly, then put it in a hard cast. Ashlyn was worried upon returning home because they did not put the cast past his elbow. Dave and Ash have a good neighbor and friend who is a Doctor...Dr. Doyle and he was also concerned that they didn't put it past his elbow to stabilize the arm. Jake has had a lot of pain and so Ashlyn called the Doctor about it. He had Jake come down and get an x-ray. Sure enough...the arm was not healing right and one of the bones was not in place. Ashlyn and Jake went to the hospital, the doctor tried numerous times to set it and it would just pop right back out...needless to say Jake had to have surgery. To make matters worse, Dave had to go out of town on a business trip the next morning and we were leaving on a trip that we had planned for months with Les's Dad to go to Iowa so Ashlyn was left a lone to take care of everything. Thank goodness for Dave's Mom and Dad. The girls stayed with us that night and we got them off to school in the morning before we left. Jake had to have three pins put in his arm and had to spend a night and most of the next day in the hospital because he kept getting sick every time they tried to get him up. Poor little guy. It amazes me the things our kids have to go through. We live in such a great time that there are doctors and surgeons who can take care of us and help us live a normal life.

Dad Life (Father's Day Opening 2010)

This video is dedicated to my son's, son in-law and all the modern day dad's out there.

OUCH!!!!!

Does that look awful or what!!!! Ashlyn sent me this picture via a phone text to let us know that they were at the hospital with Jake. He had broken his arm!!!! He and his little friend were playing football and the ball went over the fence. His little friend and Dave are feeling guilty because Jake had asked Dave first to go and get the ball for him. They had company so Dave told him, "not right now bud, later." And his little friend did jump over the fence which is about 4 feet down to get the ball but was having trouble climbing back up. So, Jake took his friends hand to try to help pull him up but his friend weighted a little more then Jake. Long story short Jake went over and his friend fell on top of him. They got back up and Jake didn't even know what had happened until he looked down at his arm and saw that there was a definite bend in it. Lily was in the neighbors back yard and saw it all happen. She was so upset that she cried most of the time until Dave and Ash got back from the hospital. She cried so much she made herself sick. Hard to believe that a brother and sister can fight and tell each other they hate each other but the real truth comes out when one of them gets hurt:-) Thank goodness Grandma and Grandpa Robb had dropped by just before all of this happened so they could stay with Keagan and Lily and help comfort Lily and Jakes friend. When I sent the picture to uncle Jeramy he said. "No more monkey's jumping over the fence:-)

I'm not ready for Summer to End!!!

Colors of Summer

The last few days I am starting to feel a little fall in the air. We really haven't had the hot summer this year that we have had in the past. I love the colors of the flowers and the sunshine on my face in the mornings as I jumped in the pool for water aerobics. All that is coming to an end. :-[ The other morning when Keagan and I jumped in the pool it was not refreshing, it was dang cold!!! And to top it off there was a cool breeze. We really had to get working out to warm up the ole bod. I love the fall with the Autumn leaves, and the cool crisp mornings, the cooler evenings, being able to open up the windows, and get some fresh air into the house before it's all closed up for the winter months. But I know that just around the corner from fall is WINTER!!!!

I know I should look at my glass as half full and just enjoy it while it's here so that's what I will do. I hope you all are enjoying your last hooray for the summer and have something fun planned for labor day. And for all you mom's out there, yes, school is finally starting again!! You'll get your little ones back on a schedule and they will not be coming to you with that all to familiar, "There's nothing to do!!!!" So sit back and enjoy these last few days together. Happy Summer to you all:-]

A New Addition To Our Family

I haven't said much about our "great" grandchildren because I don't see them as much as I would like to and also, being a great grand mother makes me feel sooooo old. Josh and Mindi just had their first, little Rylee which is Joshua's 3rd child. He also has an AshLynn who is probably about 5 or 6 years old and Landon who is around 4 years old. Josh, Mindi and baby Rylee. Many of my family haven't seen Josh in years. He's grown up a lot. Below is Josh, Mindi, Landon and Ashlynn, Josh names Ashlynn after his Aunt Ashlyn. Baby Rylee, isn't she beautiful. Mindi loves being a mommy. Teresa and Brad have two beautiful babies. Armani who is 4 and Adee who is a year old. What a beautiful little family. Teresa loves being a mom as well. Raising her children and being a good wife is the #1 most important thing in her life, but she loves Zumba and look how great she looks!!! She also has a little business, Sassy Girls Bowtique. She makes head bands like Adee has on in the above picture and Rylee has on in hers. Doug also has a step daughter Amanda who has a little boy Zander and is expecting another one soon. Life goes on and it just keeps growing. Aren't they beautiful. If life were just that easy:-)

A Quick Get Away Retreat.

Les and I decided it was time to have a little break and do a close get away. Some times it's hard with Les's work and church responsibilities to get away for a long period of time like we'd like. So, Les made reservations for The Merchant of Venice at the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City. We left Friday morning. We were feeling happy and relaxed as we drove along. I hadn't eaten breakfast and so Les stopped at a McDonald's in Payson so I could pick up something quick to eat as we drove but we decided to go in. I put my purse on the back of my chair as we ate. We finished our meal and headed down the highway. We traveled quite aways probably almost to Nephi when I started looking for my purse. My heart sank as I looked in the front seat and then in the back and realized my purse was still on the back of my chair back at the Payson McDonald's. Or hopefully that's where it was. Les was furious with me as I was with myself. I was sick, it had my cell phone, car keys, money not to mention credit cards. I was so afraid someone would have looked on the back of the chair and said, "Oh look what we have here, and look what's inside!!!" Les turned the car around as he cussed and ranted and raved. I took his cell phone and tried to call information for the Payson McDonald's to see if they would look and see if the purse was there but it just kept ringing and ringing. Les saying, "Judy, you make me so angry why do you carry that stupid thing around with you all the time? Why, don't you just leave it locked in the car?" Finally just before we got to Payson I got information and they put me through to McDonald's. I asked the manager if anyone had found and turned in a black leather purse. He asked my name and asked me to describe the purse, then he said that it was there. I felt a little better but knew I needed to check and make sure everything was there. Les dropped me off at the very BUSY McDonald's and I ran in. They gave me the purse and as I checked the contents, EVERYTHING was there!!! I felt so blessed. I had prayed all the way there that it would be there and everything would be inside. We left and I felt such a great gratitude in my heart for honest people. We traveled on to Cedar City. The play was spectacular. It has been a number of years since Les and I attended one of the plays but we both felt that The merchant of Venice was one of the best that we had seen there. I was not really aware of what the play was about and so we went to a 15 minute preview by the founder of the center Mr Adams himself. The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare's controversial tragicomedy's. Back in Shakespeare's day the Jew's were hated as they were in Germany at the time of the Holocaust. It is a play whose theme is centered around justice and mercy between a Jew and a Christian, the complexity of human kind, and the nature of forgiveness and love. If you get a chance to break away it is a great play and we highly recommend it.

I had never been to the Grand Canyon so the next day we traveled to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. What a spectacular sight.

It is so beautiful but a little scary as you walk along the paths thats so close to the edge with nothing left to catch you if you slipped or fell but bottom below. On the way home there, and back, we came across the most beautiful field of blue flowers. It reminded me of the photos Jeramy and Rebecca took of their kids in the blue bells in Texas. It's hard to appreciate the beauty from my photos but it was such a beautiful field of flowers. We forget that we have such beautiful places to visit so close to home.