I've waited my whole life for a trip like this!

This is my 100th post!!!!!

It has taken me 15 months to write 100 posts and I am not saying that all of them were read worthy, so to those that have endured 'Thank You'. Only a true friend or a total blogging addict would have stuck around through the mud and the muck, to those of you that have I am grateful and just a little concerned about your state of mind.

Anyway this post is a wonderful announcement! My hubby and I are taking our 3 oldest grandchildren to Disneyland for their birthdays!

This will be a wonderful trip and we will not only get to share our girls with Mickey and Minnie, We also get them all to ourselves to get to know them a little better.
Wahooooooooo!

The next blog will have pictures and anecdotes and wonderful memories, I don't know about you--but I can't wait

Never too old to change!

My goodness gracious, today we find ourselves in the thriving metropolis of Clovis New Mexico. In all my born days I would never have put this town on the map of places I love to visit, but lo and behold, it is there.

We have had the great fortune to meet and associate with a darling couple that are now listed as some of our good friends. Steve and Linda are 'good people' and we have been guests in their home.

I am finding the older I get, the more I appreciate the value of having good friends, and I marvel that I have been blessed to find and associate with such people.

I used to have the thought process that people 'annoy' me, and to some degree I still harbor this incorrect notion, but meeting people the like of Steve and Linda and Larry and Wilma have led me to believe I have been too hasty.
These dear people have enriched my life and helped me develop a kinder and gentler attitude towards those that I have not had the good fortune to get to know yet.

Maybe I have more of my mother in me then I thought! Go figure!

Just a Thought

I think it is about time for another post, Don't you? Sometimes I get so caught up in the workaday world that I forget to even look at the blog let alone post something. I also wonder if I have anything to say of the utmost interest to myself, let alone anyone else. (How interesting that I have used the words 'let alone twice' in as many sentences so you see what I mean when I talk about not having anything worthwhile to say.)

We have just had our monthly company leave us and I feel a sense of loss... not that I want to have permanent company, but the people that come and stay with me are so kind, gracious and appreciative how can you not mourn a little bit at their leaving.

We are blessed indeed to have such wonderful friends!

I just want them to know that I not only appreciate them, I LIKE THEM! And if anyone knows me they know that I am rather stodgy and not very hospitable and don't make friends easily. But I am blessed with the opportunity to meet new and wonderful people and learn of all the good qualities they all possess, and I do think of it as a true blessing.

Now I would like to say to those of you out their in Blogville, Thank you! you have become friends of mine and I have learned so much from you! I am lifted by your thoughtful posts and entertained by your creative thought processes. So to Heidi, Momza, Pioneer Woman, Jenifer, Sissy, Tara, Krista and the multitude of ones, Thank you!

I just thought you ought to know that.

My heart is heavy today. Circumstances sometimes throw you a curve ball and you have no choice but to play the game to the best of your ability, even so, that does not eliminate the occasional moment of despair. I gain strength from the scripture that tells me that 'He' will make weak things become strong, his grace is sufficient for all men that come unto him. I hold on to that thought with a fervent grasp. It is in moments like this that I have a very minuscule feeling of my Saviors sacrifice for me as he suffered in the garden. A deep and throbbing agony comes from the very core of my soul as I think of the pain I caused this most perfect being and 'his' willingness to feel that pain--all because he loves me. How grateful I am to be loved like that.

Oh that I might follow his example and love that way.

Each day reminds me of my own fumbling mortality, of my own weakness, and I despair at my sheer incompetence. We are here to walk with one another to lighten one anther's load and I have had my load carried more then once by those around me. My gratitude is most times lacking and I have never shared the feeling of love with those around me as often as I should. But it doesn't mean that I don't feel those things, I do, and I keep making the same resolution over and over again to do better, to be better, only to break it at the most important moments.

As I face another sabbath the very essence of the day has given me new resolve to do and be and become the person that I am needed to be. And I am grateful to be given that chance, oh how grateful I am for that.

To those of you that have been given to me as a gift, I Love You All, very very much! You give me hope and love and I am most grateful.

Partners in Crime

Tonight our family had a little gathering to celebrate the birth 79 years ago of my dear Pa-pa. We had as many family members there that could make it, which really was quite a tidy sum of people. And of course there is always the children that make it seem like there are actually twice as many people there as there really were. Anyway, I was leisurely pointing my camera and taking what I thought were quite random shots and I focused on two of my beloved little grandsons, Faze and Kader-monkey. They are 6 weeks apart in age and they both have the sweetest little spirits--until they get together. here are just a few of the photos that give you an inkling of what kind of mischief they can get into when they are together. I love seeing the sparkle in their eyes even though I know that it harbors mischievous thoughts that may or may not end badly. Still they are dear, sweet and very precious and I am so content knowing we belong together forever

Everybody needs a Hero!

I have a really neat dad! He is probably one of the dearest people I have ever met, in my entire life I mean. He has been the most solid person in my life for so long I don't even remember.

He used to travel a lot with his work when I was a kid and how I hated him to be gone. Then he would come home and not only have to deal with jet lag but with a passel of kids that wanted his undivided attention. I don't know how he did it, I don't think I could. He shows me everyday what it means to be true, faithful and valiant.

My dad, (who claims he can't carry a tune in a bucket) taught himself to play 'Oh my Father' on the piano. That's pretty neat.

My dad hiked the 50/20 (50 mile walk in 20 hours) with the scouts one year and was the oldest man to finish. I am impressed.

My dad loves Disneyland almost as much as I do, now that is really impressive!

My dad honors his priesthood and my mom and is so caring and tender with his sweetheart, He is truly my hero!

Dad I want you to know something, no matter what the circumstances I find myself in (usually of my own making) or what time of day or night, I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you will be there for me! Do you know what a comforting thing that is to me?
I am proud to introduce my awesome parents to friends and business associates because they are truly the best of the best. The older I get the more I am grateful for their unconditional love and support for not only me but the rest of my siblings.

YOU. ARE. THE. BEST. DAD
I love you dearly my Pa-pa, Happy Birthday!

We just can't get enough!

We are so excited at our little home. We have found out that we are about to become Grandparents again! It is always wonderful to spend time with our littlest family members and to add to those numbers is nothing short of a thrilling miracle. My baby boy and his lovely wife are having his second little one sometime around the end of the year. That will make two new little ones born this year as my oldest son and daughter-in-law are also expecting this fall. What a very special year this will be for us. At this moment we have an even count with 4 granddaughters and 4 grandsons so we can't wait to see how the tally will change.

I don't know how many people out there reading this have had the experience of grandparenthood, but it is the very best of the best when we are talking about family. These children come with their own personalities and talents that help to create an exciting and loving family.

You don't realize how much you can love until these tiny ones wind their way into your heart. Love truly is the one thing that only gets stronger the more you give your heart away.

I AM TRULY BLESSED AND GRATEFUL!