RIP MJ

I wasn't a huge fan. I thought the kid could dance like no other though. Too bad he imploded and turned so weird. I always loved this video written by MJ and Lionel Richie and I think the singing is great by some of the best artists of the 80s. I could name all of them but two. See how you do and then check this web site to see the list of performers.
The song is a good thought. Maybe someday.

some June happenings

We've had some great adventures over the last few weeks.

Last Friday night we attended the world premiere of "Battalion," a musical written, directed and produced by my brother-in-law Trace Skeen in Huntsville. It was great to learn more about the Mormon Battalion and what they and their families went through. It was a story of faith, courage and romance and it was very enjoyable. Trace is very talented and creative and he did a great job bringing his dream to fruition. Congratulations to him and his family, many of whom participated in various ways over the weekend. Way to go Skeens!











Here is a picture of some of the main actors and actresses.

We had the Lindley kids over for dinner and a rousing game of beach ball volleyball. It was so much fun. Haley and Devin came a couple of weeks ago to attend BYU camps and visit cousins and grandparents and Megan will go back to Australia with them next week. Robyn and Chris live just down the street from us. They're great kids and a credit to their family. Janis and Corey should be very proud of their children. Also visiting was cousin Kaylee who is the daughter of Dan and Angie.



I also got to see Sister Erica Lindley every week at the MTC. She is leaving today for Taiwan. Her Chinese is great and she is excited to get going. In just one more year, the Lindley's will be back from Australia. We look forward to seeing them again in the neighborhood and the ward.















Jordan and Jake flew back up two weeks ago to attend the wedding of Jake's brother Matt. We got to see them for a whole week and we enjoyed every minute of it. Jord and the girls came for visits in April, May and June for a total of five weeks! It's been heaven on earth to have them around. Here are the girls with their cousins enjoying the wedding!

We spent a fun morning feeding the ducks...













playing on a great playground...












visiting a wonderful new park in the valley called Nelson's Grove...













wading our feet...













feeding more ducks...












spending Father's day with Rick's family and jumping on the tramp with uncle Dave...













playing with Grandpa on Father's day (does it get any better than that?)











Lauren and I attended the production of Beauty and the Beast at SCERA. Wow, it was so well done and so fun for her, she loved it and so did I!













The costumes and set were amazing...













and Belle was PERFECTLY cast...












Another day we went to Mimi's with our kids to celebrate our 30th anniversary with them...












and the next day Lauren and I attended a Princess Party hosted by Belle the morning before the play complete with...













lunch served by Belle....












she got a princess crown and she got to make a bracelets and win a ring in a game...











Wow, Belle even posed like a princess...so funny...so Belle... Isn't she beautiful? She had a great voice as well...











she was so sweet to Lauren and Lauren was trilled to actually meet a real princess. She also enjoyed making crafts...

posing with Mrs. Potts. Costumed people are NOT loved by Lauren. They make her nervous...but she was very brave...











story time with Belle and all the other little princesses. It was a magical day for Lauren and her Grandma and we had a great time. She came prepared and wore her own princess dress. I wish I had one of those...










We also went to the Jim Brickman concert at SCERA and took Jordan, Pat and Vern as our guests. It was a lovely evening at the outdoor theater and the concert was enjoyed by all. Check out Jim's web site here to hear his music and learn more about him if interested. We have many of his CD's and we love his music! He had two vocalists perform with him and they were great, especially the man Mark Masri. Jim is a versatile and talented pianist.

3 generation play dish cupboard

Many years ago my dad made a little miniature play dish cupboard for my sisters and me. Somehow, I ended up with the cupboard and I refinished it for Jordan and Claire when they were little girls. It was originally painted white with red trim but I painted it yellow with blue trim (bad mistake.) Our girls enjoyed playing with it for many years. It fell into disrepair over the years and some of the original features were changed or broken. It had little glass doors on the top of the cupboard, but those where long gone by the time I got it for my girls. The little drawers had come off their runners and the bottom cupboard doors had fallen off. I thought about throwing it away...but decided to keep it in case it could be restored. Last fall I hired a man in our ward to fix it and bring it back up to it's original glory. He made new cupboard doors for the top and reattached the bottom cupboard doors. He remade the runners for the drawers and he found new hinges and hardware. I really wanted to have it ready for Lauren and Ellie to play with it this summer, so Rick helped me start the LONG process of stripping the paint and repainting it the original colors. What a job! Finally I got it done and our little grand girls were able to play with the cupboard made by their great grandpa Earl. They loved it! We got some new dishes and some play food and they had a great time. I'm happy I hung on to the cupboard and that it could be restored to it's former beauty and serviceability. So fun! And it's great to have a little something of dad's handiwork in our home again.



















































This little red horse was made by Andy in a shop class when he was in high school. It's a lot like the little wooden horse my dad made for us kids when we were young. I'm so happy to have a similar one to go with my little cupboard. They are vintage toys and bring back such happy memories. I hope our grand kids enjoy playing with them as much as we did.

2 + 2 = 4

Two more grandchildren are going to be added to the two we already have! We're so excited to welcome two more little girls into our family. By the end of the year, our assets will have doubled. How cool is that?


CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DAUGHTERS AND THEIR HUSBANDS

• Jordan and Jake are expecting the end of October (see her blog here) AND
• Claire and R are expecting November 17 (see her blog here) for more details.

HAPPINESS!!!

Happy Birthday to the man I love!

54 things I love about my husband on this, his special day:

1. He gave me Jordan
2. " " " Claire
3. " " " Dave
4. " " " Andy
5. When he smiles, you can't see his teeth (only when he laughs really hard)
6. He cleans the bathrooms every Saturday
7. He's given me 1,000,000 back rubs
8. He appreciates and enjoys classical music
9. He loves BYU sports almost as much as he loves me
10. I love hearing him speak and he is always prepared
11. He can't do home repairs but he has changed thousands of diapers and done millions of dishes
12. He is patient and kind
13. He is punctual
14. He has a strong internal clock that helps him do what is right.
15. He willingly fulfills his church callings.
16. He is wise.
17. He is balanced and sees all sides to issues. This comes in handy on the job
18. He is not materialistic.
19. He likes to drive our cars until they die
20. He runs every morning without fail (going on 30 years now)
21. He is disciplined and does a true fast every month, 24 hours to the dot
22. I love our night time chats. We sometimes laugh until we cry
23. He always compliments my cooking
24. He hates lotion and rarely puts it on, but wears sunscreen every day
25. I love it when he holds my hand
26. He rarely watches TV but does enjoy watching college sports
27. He is determined not to get his hopes up too high for the BYU football season this year
28. He cleans up well, like a new copper penny. He also looks good in a suit
29. He pays the bills every two weeks and keeps our budget in check
30. He's loves to visit with people and he loves company to stay with us
31. He invites people to sit in the "chair of distinction" in our living room and visit
32. He says prayers with me morning and night.
33. He has faith.
34. He is steady and constant and is well respected
39. He works every day for our family and he even enjoys it. He'll be forced out at age 75 and he doesn't want to leave much before then.
40. He's handsome, even without hair!
41. He is my biggest cheerleader.
42. He loves to look at nature, but not sleep in it
43. He supports me in the things I want to do.
44. He LOVES being a grandpa.
45. He loves the gospel of Jesus Christ
46. He came from a good home where he was well taught
47. He plays the piano very well and he also use to play the clarinet
48. He loves Credence Clear Water Revival, much to the aggravation of his wife
49. He has mowed the lawn every week and shoveled snow for a single neighbor lady for more than 12 years
50. He reads the scriptures every day and he has read the entire standard works many times - including the Old Testament.
51. He is very smart and he has an amazing ability to memorize
52. He loved his mission to Peru and he continues to speak Spanish very well
53. He reads the newspaper every day without fail and knows a ton about current events and all sort of trivia
54. He loves Heavenly Father

Happy Birthday David

My mom married a wonderful man on May 23, 1998. They've had a great time together these last 11 years. They have traveled around the world and have seen some wonderful sights. They've gone on a few cruises and they have enjoyed each other very much. Mom met David in Arizona and they hit it right off. They've enjoy playing tennis together and have played on many teams, competing in lots of tournaments. Our kids have yet to win a game against Mom and David! They have enjoyed playing card games, doing the daily puzzle in the newspaper and they have especially enjoyed dancing over the years. David is a great dancer and he and Mom have had a great time together.
David has six children and many grandchildren. He sings well and his children and many of his grandchildren have beautiful singing voices. He enjoys music and knows lots of good ole tunes. He turned 80 years old last year and his family had a great big party for him at Bear Lake to celebrate his life. It was fun to attend and to wish him well. He is a kind hearted man who has been a great companion for my Mom over all these years. They served a mission together at the London temple and Rick and I were able to visit them and travel around England for two weeks with them while they were serving there. Those are great memories I'll always cherish.
He celebrates his birthday and Father's day all on one day - June 21.
Best wishes to you David on your birthday. Thanks for being such a good companion and husband for my Mom. Even though you've had some health challenges and have had to slow down some, I enjoy talking to you and appreciate your kind and gentle ways. You're easy to love and I appreciate you very much.

Living Legacy

Our kids (headed up by Jordan) gave us this wonderful book for our 30th wedding anniversary. It's the condensed story of our lives since we got married on June 16, 1979. It contains many precious pictures of our kids and great family pictures taken over the years. The best part is a tribute each of them wrote to us. We'll cherish it and reread it many times. Thanks dear ones. We love you more than you will ever know. You truly are our living legacy.
3 John 1:4 - (We) have no greater joy than to hear that (our) children walk in truth.