8 days in the land of enchantment

 Claire asked me many months ago if I would take care of Lizzie and Will while she and R took his job promotion trip to Hawaii.  I really wanted them to go and have that experience, so I signed up to care for them for 8 days.  We had a very fun time together and I loved having one-on-one time with Lizzie and Will.  They say and do the most funny, darling things and I love to see the world through their eyes. I think we got along great and I sure loved my time with these darling grandchildren. We also got dinner or lunch invites to the homes of Keith and Lorie (our long-time friends), Elise and Dave (R's sister and husband) and Bob and Tina (Rick's cousin and wife).  I got to spend several hours talking to Tina during various adventures together and it was great to find a kindred spirit.

First stop, the gym swimming pool. 

Lizzie is a fish!

She loves to haul Will around.

Second stop, Hobby Lobby for craft supplies.

And fabric for Star Wars and
Eiffel Tower pillow cases.

Watching conference with
 lots of art projects going on,
including pipe cleaner spiders

Afternoon break watching Lizzie play soccer

Great fun watching her figure
out which goal was hers

Cute little six year olds playing
with an obnoxious aggressive opposing team

Playground therapy afterwards

Planting flowers around the yard

Superman undies help get the job done

Such a conscientious gardener

Back to watching conference
 with a roll of masking tape

Pipe cleaner turtles

General conference 20 page packets
 which Lizzie completed!  Thanks Claire.

While the kids were in school I
got to visit the Nuclear Science museum.
Fascinating!

I even learned what my older brother was
doing all those years in a nuclear silo

I loved learning more about how the
discovery of nuclear power and radiation came to be

I'd go back to this place again.
So much to take in at the Nuclear Science museum.

After dinner with R's sister and family,
it was time to play in another park

I do love this selfie,
the only one we got of all three of us.

Before his haircut

After!  Such a cute little boy!

More playgrounds.

Backyard fun

Will at gymnastics, taking it very seriously

Great bar swinging Will

and beam waking

Another morning while the kids were in school,
Tina and I walked along the beautiful trails of the Bachechi
open space preserve near El Rio Grande.
Beautiful day for walking and chatting.  

Gorgeous day for along walk along the river

On to Lizzie's T-ball game, fielding a grounder

Throwing
 (amazingly well - must take after her mother)
to first

At bat

Cute little T-ball girl

Another day, another adventure with Tina to the
The FABULOUS Albuquerque Museum!
\It is such a great history and collection of Mexican,
Native American and white settlers history and art.  Loved it!

I thought of my DIL Chelsea when I saw these heels

They reminded me of those shoes
we saw at Last Chance Chelsea!

They are actually 12 shoes depicting
the personalities of one man's 12 lovers
Cleaver!

Outdoor sculptures showing early NM history

No trip to ABQ would be complete
without a trip to Old Town and purchasing
something from the Native Americans there.
Beautiful hand crafted jewelry!

I went to lunch by myself at La Placita
where a tree is growing in the restaurant

and ate awesome Mexican food with green chili

Such a fun place to visit.

Final trip to Target to buy a laser sword for Will

and some treasures for Lizzie.
Oh no, could be trouble.

Final day, I pulled out Lizzie's
 wiggly loose front tooth.
  She is growing up!

I loved spending time with these little ones.  I can home pretty much exhausted but glad I could help out Claire and R.  It was so good to be back home with Rick.  Being a Grandmother is the best.

I want to be in four places at once

Last week was an adventure.  There were so many things going on in our family and I wish I could have been in four places at once.

Phoenix, AZ - Jordan and Jake and their little ones had a very hard week.  Everyone got sick including Jake's parents John and Barbara.  They fell ill with different aliments like bronchitis, strep throat and the stomach flu, and at some points in time, all were suffering.  The caregivers couldn't give the care they wanted to and needed to give to Jake and he also was suffering.  It was a terribly hard week for them and I wish I could have given a hand.

Los Angeles, CA - Andy completely tore his Achilles tendon playing basketball on April 2 and underwent surgery on April 6 to repair the tear.  Poor Andy.  His list of injuries and surgeries continue.  He was had his fair share of pain and misery suffering from accidents and unexpected injuries.  Chelsea was such a great nurse and help to him and we appreciate her loving care.  She took many days away from school to care for him and their cat Chingas filled in when she couldn't be there.  Cousin Rom also took a shift. I just wish I could have paid him a visit and helped out.

Utah - I've left my sweetheart home alone over many weeks since the first of the year.  He has been able to go with me on several trips, but since he still has a job and I no longer work, I am more available to travel to see our kids and he is not.  It is hard on us both when I'm not home.  He is a trooper and tries his best to get along alone, but a person can only eat so many Little Caesar pizzas and Taco Bell meals before that gets very old.   We are always so happy to get back together. I do miss him and love to be with him and get back into our routine.

New Mexico - Since R got a promotion at work, he was awarded a trip to Hawaii.  Before Thanksgiving Claire asked me if I would tend Lizzie and Will for most of the time they were gone.  I willingly agreed to tend for eight days so that they could take this dream vacation.  Who knew then that all these other moving parts would converge to make this particular week so trying for so many of our family members?  We kept in touch over the week by text, calls, and Facetime and tried to provide encouragement and love to those in need.  

I love my family.  I love how we support one another through thick and thin.  And there has been a lot of thin lately.  I wish I could have been in four places last week, but I know that other family members and friends have come to the rescue of those in need, and I'm so grateful for that blessing.  

He is Risen!

This Easter brought poignant feelings to our family as we contemplate the passing of Jake.  As we sat in church and sang the hymns of Easter, I flipped to an Easter hymn that we don't often sing entitled "That Easter Morn."  It says:

That Easter morn, a grave that burst
proclaimed to man that "Last and First"
Had risen again and conquered pain.

This morn renews for us that day
When Jesus cast the bonds away,
Took living breath and conquered death.

Thus we in gratitude recall
And give our love and pledge our all,
Shed grateful tear and conquer fear.

I'm eternally grateful to our Savior for giving all mankind the gift of overcoming the grave.  It literally means that I will see my beloved father Earl, my grandparents Mayme, Ray, Lavon and Mamie again, my brother's in law Jon and Robert and my friends and family members who I love who have passed on to the other side.  And, it means that we will be with Jake again.  Hallelujah!

Gathering strength from family

We had a memorable weekend last week as we spent precious family time together and as we said goodbye to Jake.  Jordan and Jake requested that we all come as a family and spend a few days with them.  Jake's parents and siblings and their spouses had come the weekend before. J & J wanted to carry on as normally as possible and that is just what we did or at least tried to do.  The girls were out of school on spring break so we had a lot of fun sharing activities with them.
Our hearts were heavy with sadness as we contemplated those final goodbyes, but this was a special weekend for our family.  There were many moments of happiness, fun, enjoyment and some very sad moments of almost sacred family time.  Those intimate moments are too special to be shared here, but I did want to share some of the memories we enjoyed as a family.  There was such a feeling of love, kindness and support the entire weekend.  Claire and R, Dave and Courtney, Andy and Chelsea traveled from out of state with their children and everyone arrived by Thursday evening.  We were all together.  There is such strength and peace in family time.  We had family pictures taken by a dear woman who offered her professional services.  We stayed in the homes of some of the ward members who love Jordan and Jake and who offered their homes.  And we rallied together and felt the strength, peace and calm that only the Savior can give.  Jake set the tone in his home, and he and Jordan's faith, calm demeanor and courage strengthened us all, even when we thought we were going to help them.

What's not to love about KID pedicures?

Pampering X 6

Cousin time was the best and they all played
 together so well in the 80 degree weather

Lizzie on the slip-n-slid A&C brought 

Ada enjoying a good slide.  Andy and Chelsea
were so good to play with them and make
 a huge obstacle course around the entire house.

Will having some fun,
while being super cautious of the slip-n-slid

Watching BYU play ball against Virginia Tech,
one of our long-time shared family activities, cheering on the Cougars

Ebelskivers anyone? Chef Lauren

Easter egg hut in the backyard...

...and in the front yard.

Eight of the cutest grandchildren of all time.

Adult dinner out to one of Jake's favorite restaurants - Barrio

Grandma Vonnie pulled another tooth,
this time for Ada

Lunch, poolside

Endless story time that I loved

Great meals for 18, thanks to the help of everyone

Those little boys love their Grandpa Rickeee

Hanging out with Jake

Darling girls getting warm and dry

Margaret finds an Easter egg

Reading stories can be exhausting

Charlie and Will love each other!

After church, saying goodbye

Crazy brothers

Ellie and a mystery person

Tommy boy finding eggs

More slip-n-slid Ada?

Lizzie conquers!

Ellie slides in every manner possible

Will enjoying (?) the tape game

Chelsea and Ada before family photos

Family parade!

Jake, the grand marshall

This picture was taken the weekend before
of Jake surrounded by the love of his family.  The love we feel for them is beyond measure.

I saw this quote the week we were there.
 I think it perfectly captures how Jordan and Jake
 are handling this severe trial.
 Even though it is terribly hard and sad,
 it is making them stronger and better people.

I couldn't help but notice their initials
 engraved in the sidewalk.  JR, JR, LR, EBR, AR, TR.
 They are a forever family and their love is eternal.  

Drinking from the bitter cup

Our Jake is getting close to the border of mortality.  As he enters the last weeks of his mortal life, we are all so distraught at the knowledge that he will leave us and enter that existence of immortality and on into the eternities, knowing that we will be left behind for a time.  The thought of separation tears at our hearts. It tests us in every way possible.  As I am writing this, tears are streaming down my face as I think of the void that we will all feel in our lives as those who love him:  our family, his parents and siblings, friends, neighbors, all the people he has influenced and most off all his wife and companion Jordan and his children Lauren, Ellie, Ada and Tommy.  This good son of God has done much good in his earthly probation and he has nearly passed his testing in mortality.  

This is a very bitter cup.  I have traveled this road before and I have watched those I love suffer the pain of separation from their dear ones.  There is no greater trial in life, I believe, than losing a spouse.  I know of only one place to turn for comfort and peace.  He, only One. The challenge in drinking from the bitter cup is to not let that drink make one bitter.  

Where can I turn for peace?
Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When with a wounded heart, anger or malice,
I draw myself apart,
Searching my soul?

Where, when my aching grows,
Where when I languish,
Where, in my need to know, where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand?
He, only One.

He answers privately,
Reaches my reaching.
In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.
Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching.
Constant he is and kind.
Love without end.

I've found great comfort in the words of this hymn by Emma Lou Thayne and in this book. Elder Neal Maxwell is a special person to me and Rick.  He married us in the Salt Lake City LDS temple in 1979.  His words of comfort in this book, his eloquent explanations and wisdom have given me insight into the difficult questions surrounding this hard trial that is happening to Jake, my dear daughter Jordan and their four little children.  This is the ultimate test: separation through death from a spouse and father.

Abraham 3:25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do ALL things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. 

The book is full of wisdom.  Here are some quotes that are so helpful to me:  

"Life is a school in which we enrolled not only voluntarily but rejoicingly; and if the school's headmaster employs a curriculum--proven again and again on other planets, to bring happiness to participants--and if we agreed that once we were enrolled there would be no withdrawals, and also to undergo examinations that would truly test our ability and perceptivity, what would an experienced headmaster do if, later on, there were complaints? Especially if, in his seeming absence, many of the school children tore up their guiding notebooks and demanded that He stop the examination since these produced some pain? There is, to use jargon from American higher education, no way to "CLEP" the examinations of the second estate; one learns by taking the full course!"

"Without the veil, for instance, we would lose that precious insulation which keeps us from a profound and disabling homesickness that would interfere with our mortal probation and maturation." 

"Worshipful acknowledgment of an omniscient God will cause us to cooperate in the stretching of our souls." 

"Pain and suffering only make sense when viewed within an eternal context: suffering, loss, and pain, rather than fermenting bitterness, can indeed deepen our empathy for others, allow us a greater approach to humility, and provide a path to strengthen discipleship. In the words of C.S.Lewis, God sometimes wishes to create a mansion from our little cottage rather than the modest remodeling that we initially anticipated.

"Understanding the role of suffering is a "hard doctrine" that requires insight into both ourselves and the nature of God. Understanding suffering as part of our mortal experience does not only requires faith in God's love for us, but also in his omniscience--particularly his knowledge of how much hardship each of us individually can bear."

"We define the veil as the border between mortality and eternity...we experience this same separateness when a baby is born, and also as we wait with those who are dying - for when we brush against the veil, as goodbyes and greetings are said almost within earshot of each other.  In such moments, this resonance with realities on the other side of the veil is so real that it can be explained in only one way...Deep within us, His doctrines do strike the promised chord of familiarity and underscore our true identity."

"The second estate (this life), however, is one that emphasizes experiential learning, through applying, proving and testing. We have moved, as it were, from first estate theory to second estate laboratory.  It is here that our Christlike characteristics are further shaped and our spiritual skills are thus strengthened."

"He will not allow the cutting short of some of the brief experiences we are having here.  To do so would be to deprive us of everlasting experiences and great joy there.  What else would an omniscient and loving Father do, even if we plead otherwise?  He must at times say no.  Further, since there was no exemption from suffering for Christ, how can there be one for us?  Do we really want immunity from adversity?  Especially when certain kinds of suffering can aid our growth in this life."

"We could not trust in the perfectness of God's judgement if we did not first know that He foresaw and carefully calibrated our chastening and learning experiences accordingly.  In order for "all these things" to make sense, we must come to understand that God has "all sense."  Only then can we repose with confidence in His perfect love!"