Top Stories of 2009-November and December

Amy and her husband and boys came to visit at the beginning of November. How good it was to see them all, and to have them drive with us to Spring Creek so they could see our home. Now we just need Alan and Jessica to spend time in our new home and I'll feel complete.

Dr. McNeill came into my life in November. He is a podiatrist, and he worked wonders with my foot. He diagnosed a heel spur and treated it several times. Within weeks I would have ultrasound treatments, a cortisone injection, and get fitted for orthotics. I was no longer concerned that I would be a cripple for the rest of my life.

We spent Thanksgiving in Utah at Lisa's. It was a wonderful day. Katy's family joined us. We had so much to be thankful for. The next day we had our family candy party in Layton. My brother Charles from Iowa and his family were there. Some of my nephews and nieces joined us, my sister Ethel and her family, and my dad was there. My Utah kids and grandkids were there, too. We had a splendid afternoon remembering my mother and her influence on our family. It was a a memorable event.

The last month of the year could not have been much busier! There were the end-of-the-year concerts and lots of Christmas performances for the choirs, the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert which we attended in Salt Lake City(my brother-in-law David Oswald is a member of the choir), and Tom's company Christmas party in Layton. On the seventeenth I flew to Richmond so I could spend some time helping Cindy with her new baby. I had hoped to arrive before she went into labor but Noah Roger Badger decided he wanted to get a head start on celebrating the holidays so he arrived December fourth. Tom joined us on the twentieth and the next day we drove to New York to visit Alan and his family, and I was able to meet Jack. We spent Christmas here in Richmond. Tom has gone home now and I am going to see the New Year in with Cindy, Eric and Noah, and then I'll return home Monday, January 4th.

I've learned a number of things this year, read some wonderful books, met some fabulous people, experienced a wide range of emotions, seen some breath-taking scenery. I don't know if I can say I am a better person now than I was one year ago, but I can say I am more experienced and more tutored in spiritual matters. I have a yearning to know more about my Heavenly Father and about Jesus Christ, how they love, why they love, what they want us to know and do. I am thankful to have had 365 days to learn and grow, to do and feel, and look forward to another 365 days to do the same, maybe in bigger and better ways.

Now, in reference to my first of these top stories posts, I think this year gave me an opportunity to apply what I learned in that first institute class this year, as taught by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin: "Come What May and Love It!" There was a lot that came my way and I learned to love it all!

Top Stories of 2009-July to October

July's stories include going to the Twin Falls Temple with my friend, Sandi; my nephew's return from his mission (James Oswald)--another opportunity to spend time with my family!; I started an Oldies but Goodies group in our neighborhood and had the first activity, which was a lot of fun; I was released from the YW presidency (the entire presidency was released) and then called to play the piano in Primary.

What I will remember most was that I thought I was losing my dad. His health was of great concern to our family and going by the information I was given I didn't think he was going to last much longer. However, he had a change in doctors and the new doctor found a problem that had been missed and eventually, under this doctor's care, Dad began to regain his strength. Dad never lost his optimism or fun with through the ordeal. He was always kind to the hospital and nursing home staff and was so pleased to receive visitors. I hope I can always be like my father and treat everyone around me with respect and kindness, no matter how badly I may feel.

The August event most worth mentioning, and one of the top stories of the entire year, was Emily Ruth Washburn's baptism. Our oldest granddaughter turned eight years old and we flew to New York to celebrate and to participate in her baptism services. I wrote a song for Emily to commemorate the event. I also wrote a song for Isabella, her younger sister. I enjoy writing poetry and I like putting it to music. So I have written a few songs for some of my grandchildren, with the goal of writing one for each of them as the inspiration hits. I also was called to be secretary of the Stake Activities Committee. Once again I would be working with Sandi Moon who was the chairman of the committee.

In September we were blessed to get grandchild number thirteen, Jack Thomas Washburn, born to Alan and Jessica. New York was much too far away that day! It would be months before I finally had a chance to meet the sweet little guy. I went to the Bountiful Temple on my own one day. It was so nice to spend time in a temple again. I don't get to go as often as I was able to when we lived in Utah.

We had some friends from Grantsville come and spend the weekend with us at the end of the month. Janice and Linda are so terrific! They went to the Hot Air Balloon Festival with us, and using Linda's word to describe it, it was "magical!" Next year I MUST have some grandkids in Spring Creek to share that magical event with us. I must mention that September was the month I was having terrible pain in my right foot, so bad that it was hard to keep up with my daily walks and I had to get off my feet often. This also started a new phase in my life.

I enjoyed the beginning of October by being with Lisa and her family when they welcomed the fourth member of their family: Logan Scott Nelson was born on the seventh. It was so much fun to take the kids to the hospital to see their new little brother. And I just don't stop getting excited about getting new grandchildren! Andrea and Chris had their baby, Aden, too, October ninth. It will be nice to have a little one so close since all my own are so far away.

Mid-month some more friends came to visit: Chris and Karen Dumouchel. We love the Dumouchels so much! They have been good friends for some time now and are among the few friends who put much effort into keeping the friendship alive. One week of the month I spent in bed. I had influenza--maybe even Swine Flu. It knocked me out for several days. I cancelled everything and just stayed in bed. Later I would get the Swine Flu vaccination, just in case what I had was a different strain.

Now I'm going to complete the year with my last installment.

Top Stories of 2009--March to June

March marked the beginning of a new phase of life. We moved from Grantsville, Utah, to Spring Creek, Nevada. Michael and Laura helped us move. We became members of the Spring Creek Fourth Ward, Elko East Stake. My life revolves around my church membership and my family, so my ward is very critical to me. I straightaway began to make acquaintances and felt drawn to particular members who eventually became very good friends. I was called to be a counselor in the YW presidency. Sandi Moon was the president and this jump-started our friendship which has become very, very important to me.

Our family started coming to visit us in April. Lisa and her kids, Michael, Laura and their kids and my father. At the end of the month my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to spend some time with us, too. Having family visit our home helped me to feel more at home. Once they were gone I could still feel their presence which helped close the distance from Spring Creek to Utah where all of them live.

I started accompanying the choirs at Spring Creek High School and Middle School, and by the end of April I had several piano students. My talent has helped me find a place in each of the communities where I have lived. I love the choir director here; she is relatively new to choral directing but she is doing a wonderful job and I enjoy very much working with her. I found out after a couple of weeks of accompanying that this is a paid position. I eventually got a paycheck for the six weeks I helped the choirs at the end of this school year.

April was a busy month with several important events, but none topped being able to see Cindy and Eric graduate from Brigham Young University. We booked hotel rooms for all the family and had a most enjoyable graduation party to celebrate. A few days later Cindy confided in me the news that would make me happiest of all: she was pregnant!

In May we celebrated the eightieth birthday of the most wonderful man in the world: my Dad! With the help of my sisters and daughters we were able to put together a very appropriate and successful event--very fitting for a man who has touched so many lives.

Cindy came to live with us in May while Eric was working in California. How special it was to have her here. She helped Tom with his business and added sunshine and life to our very quiet house. Later in the month Eric finished his job and joined us, too, and he was a great asset to our family. They both helped accomplish a larger number of projects around the house and for Tom's business.

June's main events were Young Women Camp--where it rained most of the time--and getting to see Jessica. She stopped in Salt Lake City on her way home to New York from California and she took photos of all my Utah kids and grandkids. It was so fun to see her at work, and what a great excuse to be able too see so much of my family, too. At the beginning of the month Tom, Eric, Cindy and I went to the Bountiful Temple to do a session and then got together for dinner with our kids and grandkids afterward. (How can we go all the way to Utah without seeing our family?)

One more June event: Andrea and Chris McCarrick came into our lives. They are a young couple living down the road, far from their families in South Dakota and Alaska, and we are delighted to have them as neighbors!

This takes me halfway through the year. I'll continue the the next few months in another installment.

One of the things I experienced....

I listened to "Wuthering Heights" this year. I had never read the book and had no idea what it was. I enjoyed it immensely! I have read or heard no more beautiful love story than this. And now some of my favorite quotes are from Emily Bronte's writings in this book. I believe these quotes describe the love we should hope to have with the one we wish to be with forever.

• "...he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire."
  - Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights, Ch. 9



• "If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it."
  - Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights, Ch. 9



• "Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."

My wish for all of you is that this is the kind of love you will experience sometime in your lives.

Top Stories of 2009--January and February

Newspapers, magazines, internet sites and television stations all lisIn January I signed up for another session of t what they think are the most important events of the past year. I decided I wanted to take time to consider some of the most significant events of the past year as far as Edna Washburn is concerned.

In January I registered again for the next session of adult institute class at the Grantsville High School Seminary. The course was "Teachings of the Living Prophets." The first lesson of the year was based on Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's last conference address, given a short time before he passed away: "Come What May and Love It." I decided this should be my theme for the year.

Two days after this class I received a new church calling: Boy Scout Advancement Committee Chairman. It was a calling not new to me, and one I enjoyed immensely in the past. I was grateful for the opportunity to help the Boy Scouts in our ward to work toward their goal of Eagle Scout Rank. This calling meant I was to be released as Webelos Scout Leader in the Cub Scout Program. These two changes were significant to me for various reasons, and within a short time the Lord's direction in these callings became evident.

January twentieth Tom was laid off from his job with Kennecott Copper. He was devastated. Although it left things up in the air for me, the feelings that I had New Year's Eve that this was the year for big change for our family, and then the reminder of Elder Wirthlin's talk ("Comoe What May and Love It") kept me from any feelings of desperation. I was anxious to see what was to come next in my life. Tom's job loss was not only a loss to him, it was a loss to me. It meant a lot of changes, some good, some hard. And it affected our family, too. Our kids were great, though. A few days after the lay-off, our Utah kids put on a dinner for their dad to lift his spirits and let him know they were rooting for him. That meant a lot to both of us.

By the first week of February Tom was seriously considering taking a job with Tech-Flow, a company based in Layton, Utah. He would be selling pumps to the mines in Northeastern Nevada, and it would most likely require a move to Elko, Nevada. At first he considered giving the job a six-month try, wherein he would spend five days in Nevada and drive home to Grantsville on the weekends. But when he went with Greg for a couple of days to be introduced to the area and the kind of work he would be doing, I knew that I couldn't stay in Grantsville while he was working somewhere else. As much as I loved living there, and especially living close to Lisa and Brandon and their family, I knew my place was with my husband, giving him support and sharing his life with him. So when the decision was made to take the job, we immediately set things in motion for selling our home and buying another in Nevada.

Our home was sold in two days to our next-door neighbor, and we found a brand new home in Spring Creek, ten miles or so south of Elko. I knew without doubt this was a good thing for us, that we had the Lord's blessing to do it, but that didn't mean it was easy. I was not happy to leave my family behind. And I had to leave our cats, Calvin and Hobbes, behind, too. I did that because I love Brandon more than the cats.

One of the things that had a big impact on me this year was that I had a very bad fall, suffering extensive bruising on my left hip. This happened when I was looking at a home in Spring Creek. I still feel the effects of that fall from time-to-time.

Lisa announced in February that she was pregnant! I was very happy for her.

This is the end of the first installment of my Top Stories of 2009. Stay tuned for more tomorrow.

Merry Christmas from Virginia and Simple New Year!

It is six o'clock in the evening in Mechanicsville, Virginia. I am sitting here enjoying the glow of the lights of the Christmas tree and watching "Enchanted" with Cindy, Eric and Tom. Noah hasn't been interested in any of the movies we've watched today. He seems to be interested mainly in growing and all the things required to grow: eating, excreting, sleeping, stretching.

Yes, we spent Christmas in Virginia this year. Last year we spent the holiday in O'Fallon, Missouri, with Amy and her family. The day after Christmas we took Amy and her boys and went on a road trip to Louisiana so she could meet Cindy's husband, Eric. Amy hadn't been able to attend the wedding because she was expecting Benjamin within three weeks of the big event. Amy wrote about that trip in her blog, so you can look for it in her archives if you're interested.

I arrived Thursday night one week ago, and Friday morning we went shopping at Wal-Mart for some groceries. It was busier than I remember any Wal-Mart ever, even though it is hard to believe that a Wal-Mart is ever anything but crazy busy. Eric was told that the store was busy that morning because snow was in the forecast so people were stocking up, because people here don't drive in the snow. By suppertime that forecast appeared to be correct, and by the time we went to bed there were over six inches. Saturday saw more snow and when it was all over we had about a foot of the beautiful but treacherous white stuff! I took pictures of the neighbors' homes to show Noah what his first home was like. He'll have this to talk about some day. I heard that on the news they were calling this the storm of the century!

Monday we were able to see what the storm had done throughout the area. We decided to take a road trip this year, too, and this time we went to New York to see Alan, Jessica, and their family. I got to meet Jack and now I can say with a great deal of satisfaction that this year I have seen all of my fifteen grandchildren and all my spouses and their children. And all of them are wonderful, darling, terrific people.

As the year approaches its end I am spending some time considering what this year has meant and I am gearing up to take on a new one. I am not afraid of change, but I must admit that I wouldn't mind if we have a year in which we can just deal with all the new things in our lives that came as a result of the 2009 changes. And they were BIG! Lost job, found job, sold home, bought home, good-bye Utah, hello Nevada, gave up thirty-plus piano students, took on thirty-plus piano students, began accompanying four choirs at the Spring Creek schools, went to New York for Emily's baptism, got three new grandsons, saw my dad's health on a downward spiral and then on a upward climb...there may be more but this is enough to mention now. I just want a simple year. But can it be simple with six three-year-old grandkids, not to mention the other nine of all ages from eight-and-a-half down to newborns?

I'm not complaining about the grandchildren. No, not at all, for they are what and who I live for every day. I love them with all my heart, and they are what keeps my heart beating. I think I am more alive now, as though they have injected a dose of life with each hug and "Grandma! You're here!"

Well, enough rambling. This may not be read by anyone but I will be able to add this to my journal. And maybe when all the pages are put together someone might be able to make sense of my life and learn of all the things that make me who I am.

p.s.

Oh, yes, and thanks to Amy for another lovely background for my blog! I'm glad she is my co-administrator! She always makes me look good, witty, smart, talented, etc.

The Tenth Day of Thanksgiving

I know this is overdue, but I finally have time to sit and complete my ten days of Thanksgiving. Yet I can't list only one of my blessings tonight, because there are still so many that must be named! In the interest of time, however, I will limit it to some very special people who have occupied space in my heart for a long time--or a short time, depending on how long they've been on the earth.

My children, namely Michael, Alan, Amy, Lisa, Katy, and Cindy are the most fabulous people on the face of the earth! How could I live without any one of them? Simply, I could not. They each play a vital role to my well-being physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I would not be if they did not exist. And they have added to my joyful existence by adding to our family their remarkable spouses: Laura, Jessica, David, Brandon, Richard, and Eric. They each add dimension to my life that makes it all that more enjoyable to be alive. Some time I will try to explain how all my children and their husbands/wives have blessed my life.

Then there are those grandchildren: Emily, Corbin, Michael, Isabella, Morgan, Kalsin, Kodiak, Julia, Miralise, Eli, Anna, Benjamin, Jack, Logan, and Noah. Ahh, there's nothing like being a grandmother! A hug from any one of my special grandchildren and any fear or worry is forgotten. I live for the next time I will see these awesome reproductions of their parents.

My parents, my brothers and sisters and their spouses and children are all so terrific! I have been so fortunate to belong to such a loving and supportive family. I love the hugs I get from my nieces and nephews. I enjoy their emails and phone calls. They are all special to me.

Later I will do a blog on my friends. There are too many and so many stories to list any of them here right now. But I am so thankful for them!

Now on to perhaps the most important blessing in my life. I will preface this by saying that I think perhaps I have given the wrong impression to those who are close to me. Going by things I hear them say from time-to-time I think they believe that I have always been such a "good girl" all my life, that I haven't strayed or broken any rules and that I always expect everyone else to be the same. Oh, my heart aches just thinking about what I might have made my children think I expected of them and what they may think of how I see myself. And how do I make them understand what I am trying to say without confessing my weaknesses and past mistakes to them?

I give myself the same advice that I have given to others. When you have repented you don't need to tell others about the wrongs you have committed. You don't need to be saved by anyone else when Jesus Christ has already saved you. And He has saved me as I have had to draw upon the power of the Atonement again and again in my life. And I have learned! I try to obey the rules now because I know what it feels like to break them and to hurt other people in the process. I try hard to do what is right because I know the agony of the broken heart that comes from knowing I have disappointed my Father in Heaven and added to the pain that my Savior experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane. I study the scriptures and pay attention in meetings and read what I can to help me learn more about the God who loves me and has given me the very breath that keeps me alive minute by minute when there are times when I felt I would rather die than face the fact that I have fallen so short of the expectations placed upon me. I give service as faithfully and as diligently as I can and in as many ways as I can because service is part of the repentance process. I love more fully and deeply because I have felt His love; it has saved me over and over again.

What people see in me today is not a person who always does the right thing; they see a person who wants to be right in the sight of God, and I pray for strength every day to be able to do better. I have so many changes yet to make.

I am thankful for my Savior and for my God. I am thankful I can pray to Heavenly Father and feel His arms around mw when I need Him; I am thankful for what Jesus Christ did for me. I am thankful that change is part of the plan. This is all very personal for me but I feel it is time to make sure that my children know that I hope they will learn these same things, and if possible not in the same ways I did. I will try to remember that as they use their agency they will have experiences that will teach them and they don't need me to protect them from the pain of mistakes. I just want to be their mother/ grandmother in the best ways I know how to be and hope they will accept my offerings to them. I love them with all my heart. And if we all try we may look forward to an eternal association with each other. Without the hope of this why even try?

The Ninth Day of Thanksgiving

Tonight before we head out to the fifth-wheeler to get some shut-eye I just want to say that although I was happy to follow Tom to Nevada, I am grateful that we only live three hours away from family. When we arrived at Lisa's house in Grantsville and walked toward the door we were greeted with shouts of "Grandma, Grandpa!" and lots of hugs. It did my heart good. We had a wonderful afternoon and evening with the Nelsons and look forward to two more days of fun and making memories with the Nelsons, Rushes, Washburns, Oswalds, and Lemons. I really am grateful that Tom didn't get a job in Alaska or Australia!

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Eighth Day of Thanksgiving

Now it's another day. Since I'm going to Utah in a few hours and will be playing with my grandchildren tonight, I'm going to do this blog post now.

And this time I'm thankful for another day! We never know if we'll be granted another one or not, and I'm thankful that I've been lucky enough to wake up about 19,950 times and see that Heavenly Father has given me yet another chance to get it right.

Seventh Day of Thanksgiving

I am thankful for shoes. I do go barefoot a lot, especially in the summer months, but I am so grateful for comfortable, protective shoes. Some of my shoes have endured my abuse for years and I can't get rid of them because they are like old friends. Now that I have learned how very worn shoes can affect the tendons and arches of my feet, I realize that I cannot wear those old friends. But they will probably sit in my closet forever because looking at them is a reminder of many places I've been, things I've done, people I've walked beside, danced with, climbed with. Ah, sweet memories. Thanks, shoe friends.

Sixth Day of Thanksgiving

Doctors! I am so thankful for doctors! My life has a quality that it couldn't possibly have if I hadn't been blessed to have been treated by a knowledgeable member of the medical community. Thank goodness some men and women will take endure the time, energy and expense--and a number of other personal sacrifices--to learn how to help the rest of us enjoy life more fully.

And I won't even list the number of times I've had to take advantage of their skills and knowledge. I LOVE doctors! (And their nurses!)

Some people I'm pretty thankful for on Day... whatever... of Thanksgiving

1. People who aren't very good at stuff, because I look better.
2. Ugly people, because I look prettier.
3. Fat people, because I look skinnier.
4. Dumb people, because I look smarter.
5. Really, really, really old people, because I look younger.

Tonight I am going to mention a few things I'm thankful I DON'T have: missing limbs, blindness, cancer, missing children, abusive husband, extreme poverty, scary neighbors, no food in my refrigerator, no education, no car, no children, no friends, no idea why I'm here, where I came from or where I'm going. Yes, the list could go on and on and on. I'm one extremely grateful person!!!

And now I'm going to bed. It's been a very nice day but now I'm tired--going to get some rest at the end of this day of rest!

Fourth and Fifth Days of Thanksgiving

Oops! I thought about posting last night and got distracted and suddenly I was in dreamland. So tonight I'll take care of two days at once.

I am thankful for food. I LOVE food! I love planning menus, I love cooking, I love eating. For most of my life I could eat anything I wanted, whenever I wanted, and never had to worry about weight gain or any other problems. Then I reached middle age. All those years of being able to enjoy food without guilt caught up with me. But I've learned good eating habits and am more conscious of what and when and how much I eat and I can still enjoy food. Sometimes I feel guilty but most of the time I'm just glad that I live where I have plenty and never have to go hungry. I know I need to give thanks for what I have because there are so many who go to bed hungry every night and wonder if they'll get anything to eat the next day.

I am thankful for airplanes and cars and trains and all the other modes of transportation that are means for being with those we love. Because of the airplanes and cars we have been able to see all of our children and grandchildren this year, and in less than a month we'll be in Virginia awaiting the arrival of grandbaby number fifteen, Noah Badger.

And one more: I'm thankful for a good, thoughtful husband who will get supper on the table while I write in my blog. He's a nice guy.

Third Day of Thanksgiving

Paper. I am surrounded by it here in this room. The minutes from the meeting I attended tonight, the records from which I am typing the Copper Hills Ninth Ward history, family history projects, phone directories, envelopes in which I can mail letters to my friends, a fax from our wonderful insurance agent who is trying to help us set Carson City straight, the notice from the sanitation company letting us know when they'll pick up the garbage next week, music I've printed for my students, receipts and bills that are all evidence that we live and we are noticed, books, books, books, boxes, the door, the beautiful trim on the door and walls, the hardwood floor just outside the door...oops, now I'm getting into the cousins of paper. It's the paper family for which I am so grateful. The posterity of trees. Isn't it wonderful how our needs have been provided for, and we can keep it all lasting longer if we are mindful and use it all wisely.

I haven't even begun to name many ways paper (tree posterity) is displayed throughout my home: music, photographs of family, my piano, the legs of the sofa, the table and chairs, the desks, etc., etc., etc.

Now I am going to get one of my favorite papers: my scriptures. I love to read them and it is part of my routine before I snuggle under the covers. And that leads to another one of my favorite blessings, but you'll have to wait until another day to read about it. Good-night!

The Second Day of Thanksgiving

Music, music, music! Oh, how my life has been blessed by music! I am so thankful that my mother taught me to play the piano when I was a child. The experiences I have had in my life because I played the piano have been extensive and awesome. I know people I wouldn't have known otherwise. I have had to overcome a great lack of confidence, I have learned theory, I have developed skills that have given me opportunities to give service most of my fifty-plus years.

And my parents also taught all of our family to sing, to play the ukelele, guitar, accordion or rhythm instruments, and I have very fond memories of performing with my family from very young years--for church, schools, soldiers, the wounded, etc.

I could go on and on and on about how music has blessed my life, but I'm admittedly quite tired tonight and I'm going to get ready for bed now. You can bet that as soon as I wake in the morning there will be a song on my mind, most likely one of the pieces one of the Spring Creek High School or Middle School choirs are rehearsing daily to be able to perform at their Christmas concert. What a way to start the day!

The Ten Days of Thanksgiving

We have twelve days of Christmas, right? Why not ten days or so of Thanksgiving? I'm going to spend the next ten days posting things for which I am thankful. Of course, ten days or one-hundred days wouldn't be enough to do all my blessings justice, but just spending the time writing for awhile might make me ever more mindful of all that makes my life worth living.

Day Number One:

Today I am thankful for modern technology, and most specifically the things that help keep us connected with those we love. Isn't it remarkable that we can dial some numbers and in seconds we can be speaking with a family member who lives thousands of miles away? Or send a text and you can get an instant reply from halfway around the world. Friends can give road updates, husbands can get instructions from wives so they'll get the shopping done right, wives can find out from husbands what to do when the car is making that funny noise again. Daughters can call mom and ask for a prayer before a dreaded test, sons can call parents to tell the latest cute things their little boys did. All of this can take place in a moment of time. Granddaughters can call and put on a piano recital for Grandma. To me it is truly incredible.

One of my most recent experiences with modern technology occurred Saturday. Katy wanted to give Cindy a baby shower. Cindy lives in Virginia and Katy lives in Utah. Katy's brilliant idea was to do a "virtual" shower so that the friends and family could gather at her place and by web cam they could invite Cindy to join the party. Tom and I headed for Utah so I could be part of the shower, too, but the highway was icy and scary so we turned around and headed home, first stopping at Les Schwab to get studded tires for my car. We got home and connected to the internet on the computer so that we could join the party from Nevada. Alan connected so he could have a video chat with us, and while he was on he told us how we could have a conference video chat so that we wouldn't have to "take turns" talking to Cindy and the others. So once we were all connected through "tokbox.com" we could see everyone in New York, Virginia, and Utah,all at the same time, and what a thrill that was for me. I got to see twelve of my grandchildren and all but one of my children. Actually, I know Michael was there at Katy's but I didn't see him, so I saw four out of the six. I did hear his voice, though.

While I am on the phone talking to my kids or having a video chat with any of them I forget that we are hundreds or thousands of miles apart, and feel that we are in the same room and I can almost feel them breathing and that I can reach out and hug each of them.

We went to visit our friends Chris and Andrea Sunday night and they were having a video chat with Andrea's parents and brothers in Alaska. I bet Andrea would say she's very grateful for this technology, too, and I am certain her mom is thankful she can see her only grandson and not feel quite so far away.

Whoever invented all of this technology is going to get a pie from me one day! I love him!

I'd add photos but there's something wrong with the technology tonight and I can't make comments on anyone else's blogs nor can I upload photos to mine. So whoever said it was perfect? These are the moments when we can be thankful for all the times that it does work!

Plantar Fasciitis

There are some things that we can't do anything about, and we have to learn how to deal with them as they come--losing our hearing, our perfect eyesight, etc. However, I have learned too late about some things, and one of them is "plantar fasciitis." I had not even heard of this until recently, once I had developed the symptoms. Now I have found that I have lots of friends with the condition. And I've also learned that had I properly cared for my feet I wouldn't have the crippling annoyance. Fortunately, I am learning things that I can do to relieve the symptoms. But for those of you who are much younger, I am advising you that you read about it now and take preventive measures so that you won't have to deal with this in your midlife years.

Now I'm going to put this aging body to bed. It's no longer "beauty sleep" but "restore energy" sleep. I thought I was going to have a lot more fun when I got old!

Poets

I am so thankful for those clever, talented souls who write beautiful poetry--thus giving us a way to express ourselves when without the help of the poet we'd be clumsy and fall short of saying just how we feel. Don't you love Hallmark cards? What would we do without them?

One of my favorite classes in high school was my English class, particularly when we studied poetry. I still have some of the poetry we analyzed back then. It was in high school when I learned a little about E. E. Cummings. One of my favorites of his is "Maggie and Millie and Molly and May..."

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach(to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea

I love Cummings' unconventional style, and I love what I
learn about myself from this poem.
When Amy was small we went to the beach in
California and she delighted in collecting items that probably
said something about who she was.  I wonder what she would
now pick up from the leftovers buried in the sand as
the waves washed out to shore.  What would I be drawn to?
How about you?
Are you a Maggie, a Millie, a Mollie or a May?

Last year in our RS book club meeting one month we
shared poems. One of my friends shared another of
Cummings' poems which I immediately embraced
as one of my favorites.  I heard it again on a
movie last week and again it brought tears
to my eyes.  It's called "I carry your heart with me."

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

I would like to meet E. E. Cummings someday
and ask him who was his inspiration for his
beautiful work.

I like to write poetry, too, and
I've written poems for my kids
and grandchildren, but they only
hold meaning for us;
no one else would be inspired by my
work.  For example, here's a little rhyme
I wrote for my son, Michael, which described
well his contributions to our family:

"We call him the 'Fix-it Man,'
If anyone can, he can.
He'll take it apart
And get it to start,
He's Michael the fix-it man!"

(This can be sung to the tune of "Popeye the Sailor Man.")

Maybe sometime I'll post the rhymes of the songs I wrote
for my grandchildren, but I have to write a few more
before I share what I've already done.  I don't want
anyone to feel I've neglected them.

And now to you I say "adieu."

Blah Blah Blog...

This is just to say I'm still here, but feeling very weary at the moment and needing a nap. When I wake I'll be able to ponder on the significance of the day's events and I know I'll feel satisfied--very satisfied--at how this week is shaping up so far. But, man, I'm tired!

Confessions of a Non-Saint

We returned Tuesday from a trip to New York to visit Alan and his family. We took my father, Tom's mother and his autistic sister. Now, most of you know that I am generally optimistic, patient, tolerant, and happy, not wanting to think ill of anyone or treat them unkindly in any way. I won't go into any details, but I was tested greatly in all these areas during our seven days of travel (that includes the day before and the day after our flights). By the time we were getting on the last leg of our flight TO New York, I was having to bite my tongue so much that it's suprising I still had a tongue to bite! As we were approaching Albany the flight attendant approached me and bent over and whispered to me, "I want you to know you're incredible!" I was surprised! This flight attendant could not have known all the thoughts I had had, including during the first ten minutes on the plane as it was being loaded, when I determined I was going to write to the airline and register a complaint against this attendant. I had softened toward her as I observed her over the course of the two hours of delay we experienced while waiting in the plane for take-off, and how she handled herself and the passengers during the flight. My dad and I had joked with her when things were really tense during the long wait, and that helped, I think, but I really don't know why she thought I was incredible. She did have a good view of me and knew how I was responding to the needs of my in-laws and my dad, but I can't think of anything I did that would have made her think good of me. And I felt so guilty because I had had unkind feelings toward her at the beginning of the trip. Not saintly behavior!

I had to pray continually through our time in New York that I could have patience and be able to refrain from saying anything unkind to or about anyone in particular. My treatment of others was pretty good, I think, in spite of myself, but I had trouble with the "saying anything unkind about" anyone. I vented too often and I kicked myself every time. My attitude toward others could very well have affected other people's attitudes, too, and I am ashamed of that. When Pat, my friend and my daughter-in-law's mother, told me the day we were leaving that I was a "saint," I felt guilty again! Jessica tried to give me the confidence that it's alright to THINK thoughts you don't want to express out loud, and I appreciated her efforts to make me feel better about myself. But I think that a "saint" wouldn't have let anyone know she/he was even bothered by a situation in the first place.

There was a time in my life, a few generations ago, when it could have been said of me that I never said an unkind thing about anyone. In fact, I heard someone say once that if "Edna heard someone say something unkind about someone then she would hurry to say something good about that same person." But it's not so any longer. At my funeral they won't be able to say "She never sad a bad thing about anyone." Sigh. Even when I determine to start fresh and become that person who never complains, I fail after awhile.

So, there it is, out in the open: I am not a saint! All I am is someone with tooth marks on my tongue for trying unsuccessfully to be one. But I will give myself credit for not giving any details about any one in particular whose behavior made me bite my tongue in the first place!

Thirty-Four!

Inspired by Amy, I hav decided to post in honor of the thirty-four years Tom and I have been married. Our anniversary was Friday and we were in New York so we didn't celebrate. But all of our kids called us to wish us a happy day. We appreciate their thoughtfulness. Amy was first, of course. She beat everyone to it by calling us a day early.

So what is there to celebrate anyway? Almost thirty-five years ago in October we got in Tom's car up at Weber State College and drove downtown and suddenly found ourselves in Schubach's Jewelry Store. We bought rings and then walked back to his car. He had locked his keys inside since he was so nervous. I got to see how resourceful he was while observing him rigging something to open the door. Once we were on our way I helped him realize that he hadn't actually asked me to marry him, so while driving down the road he asked me if I would and I said "yes."

We were engaged ten months, and on August 21, 1975, we knelt across an altar in the Salt Lake Temple, two kids not having any idea what they were getting themselves into, and made all sorts of promises we thought it would be easy to keep, looked in the mirrors to see how we went on and on eternally, exchanged kisses and rings, and then we were a family: Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dean Washburn. We honeymooned in Southern Utah and then returned to Ogden to begin fall semester classes.

We lived in a basement apartment near WSC's campus and walked to school together every day. I soon discovered I was pregnant and Tom soon learned that my cravings were unusual--pancakes for supper, jam on my omelets, etc. But I didn't think that was as weird as pickles and ice cream!

Michael was born May 16, 1976--our Bicentennial Baby! I was so happy to be a mother; having a baby to hold, to smell, to cuddle and love and care for night and day filled the voids in my life. And each baby after that added to the joy, for there was nothing that made me feel more complete than having these little children running around filling the rooms with happy sounds. Alan was born September 23, 1977, Amy September 1, 1979, Lisa November 21, 1981, Katy May 16, 1984 (yes, the same day as Michael), and Cindy May 19, 1987. Above all the other wonderful blessings over the years, these six people in my life give us the greatest reasons to celebrate these thirty-four years together.

We've lived in Roosevelt, Utah, South Haven and Portage, Indiana, West Jordan and Grantsville, Utah, and now Spring Creek, Nevada. I don't know if this will be the last stop for us or not. But everywhere we've lived we've tried to "bloom where planted." Tom has demonstrated his skills at gardening and home maintenance in all of our homes and has set an example of finding pleasure in hard work. Our children have all followed his example. He also has a terrific singing voice and I am pleased that all of our children have taken after their father in that regard. And they are all intelligent and good-looking as he is. They are very fortunate to have such a father.

Now we are expecting grandchildren numbers 13, 14, and 15. What grandchildren have added to my life I don't think I can describe adequately. I am so thankful to my children for having the courage and desire to bring children into the world, and I have loved watching them as parents--and I can say they have done an outstanding job of loving and teaching and training their little ones! Our oldest granddaughter was baptized last week, and I was so pleased to see my son Alan worthy to take her into the baptismal font and perform the baptism. And I got teary-eyed when Alan began to cry while confirming Emily and blessing her with the gift of the Holy Ghost. Every year from now on there will be at least one of our grandchildren baptized. At the age I am now and having experienced all that I have, I know without a doubt that the most important thing we can learn in this life is that we are children of a Heavenly Father who loves us. I am grateful my children are teaching their children the lessons they learned in their youth.

So after thirty-four years it is easy to take a look and see what there is to celebrate. It hasn't been easy, in fact we've had some extremely trying times over the years. But we are still working together, drawing our family around as often as possible, getting to the temple when we can, and looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead.

Happy Anniversary to us!

What Goes Around Comes Around....

Today I loaned my car to a friend with three young children so she can get out and do a few things. Now, if I hadn't thought of it myself and made the offer first, and she had to ask me if she could borrow my car, how could I possibly have said "no" when my own daughter is halfway across the country from me, has no family around to help, and finds herself in the same situation--no car, young kids, can't go anywhere? And she has a good friend who did for her what I would have done if I had been there and could have helped. I realized all this after I got home from taking my car to Chelsea. Thank goodness for friends (my children's friends and my friends)! And Sandi's at the top of my list for many reasons; today it's for taking me to town because I didn't have a car to get me there. I've learned we never have to do it alone. There's always someone eager to help because they've been helped before, too.

Peace and Quiet

Thinking this would be a quiet evening, I thought it a good time to shed my clothes and just wear a bathrobe while I washed all the laundry. I'm kind of funny about getting the laundry done and having dirty clothes in the hamper. So the load of whites was swishing around in the washer and I was standing at the sink washing dishes and Tom was outside working in the garden when the doorbell rang. I was expecting a call from Sandi, my friend, but not anyone at the door. I went in the spare bathroom and peaked out the window to see who it was. Relief! It was Sandi, so I felt it safe to answer the door. I invited her in to visit so she could tell me all about the meeting she had just attended. When she was on her way out the door another vehicle pulled into the driveway. It was the scouts, and I suddenly remembered they were doing the Friends of Scouting Drive tonight. I hollered at Sandi to yell at Tom for me and tell him to come in the house! Then I ran to my room, got the checkbook and wrote an amount for them. Not hearing Tom, and only hearing the doorbell, I hurried to get dressed, and then luckily Tom came in and took the check to the door. I went back to the dishes again and heard Tom's phone ringing, so I rushed to answer it since he was outside again. Finally I finished the dishes, put the wet laundry in the dryer, and in a few minutes I can go to bed. All my kids should be in bed or nearly there by now and all my neighbors should be unwinding so I think it's safe. So much for a quiet evening!

(If I had been quick-witted Rebecca, when I saw it was Sandi at the door I would have flung it open and greeted her with, "Welcome to my brothel!" Maybe I would have asked her if she was bringing her application for employment. And only people in Nevada would understand...)

Boy, oh Boy, oh Boy!!

Well, until this year we had six of each--granddaughters and grandsons. But this fall and winter the boys will increase by three! Jessica, Lisa, and Cindy are all expecting boys: September, October, and December. (My dad is expecting five great-grandsons during that period of time.) I can imagine the fun those boys have had as they have planned what they are going to do together at family gatherings. Can I just say I am a happy grandma?

Talk Walks

There are numerous benefits of walking, and walking with partners adds to the benefits. I have a few friends that join me for our six a.m. walks. When the alarm sounds after a too-short night of sleep, knowing that someone is expecting me to be dressed and in my walking shoes within the next few minutes is the thing that gets me out of bed when I'd much rather spend a little more time staring at the inside of my eyelids. Having others walk with me also helps keep me paced so I don't go too slow. As I am the oldest (by about sixteen years or more) of the group, it is good to have young ladies who can encourage me up the hills and who will hang onto me going down steep, gravelly inclines. And the greatest benefit of all is the talking.

Here's the most recent example of how our talk walks benefit me. I talked to Rebecca about my feelings toward my new calling. The previous afternoon she had just read a paragraph in a book that fit the situation perfectly, and last night she stopped and dropped off the quote that helped me shed the feelings of despair I had over being "stuck" on a piano bench again for two hours every Sunday. As a result, this afternoon I was led to the LDS Church website and read more about my calling, and from there went to sugardoodle.com, and I read some blogs written by other people about being Primary pianists (who all said it was the "best" calling in the Church!), and I found some lovely arrangements of Primary songs that I can use for prelude music.

I have overcome! Once again the young ladies I walk with have helped me up a hill that seemed a little too hard to handle for this old body (and soul) of mine.

I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows how to reach me in my darkest hours, and to friends who listen and are ready to respond when the Spirit directs them to do so. I love my Talk Walks!!!

Who's Got Talent?

In any organization, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, where accompanists are needed, well, you can expect that if you are one of those with the ability, like it or not, you will find yourself being asked again and again to be a pianist for this or that. Personally, I like sharing my talent. After all, God gave it to me. How ungrateful would it make me to turn down a call to serve using my God-given abilities? So today, once again, I sat across from a member of the bishopric and without hesitation accepted the call to serve as pianist in the Primary organization.

Would you think me terrible if I admitted out loud that I felt like crying from that moment on? I spent over one-hundred minutes sitting on a piano bench, with no more than fifteen of those playing the piano. I was continually berating myself as I looked over the top of the piano at the faces of those lovely, innocent children who were there to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ. Somebody has to be there to play the piano whenever a song is sung! It's my turn again! I'm doing it for the Lord! Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Edna! It's a blessing to have the free time now to do other things instead of spending hours preparing lessons or planning and carrying out activities. Other people would think this is one of the greatest callings in the church!

I know that I'll settle into the calling and I'll find a way to keep myself busy and during Sharing Time and other time of just sitting I can write in my journal and read my scriptures (which is what I did today). I'll realize blessings just for being willing to serve, and although I do not need to practice or study to be able to be prepared for this calling, I will grow just from being faithful to what the Lord has asked me to do. And I'll keep myself from thinking about the months and years ahead of me and stop singing the words of the hymn ("More Holiness Give Me" that say "more used would I be." This is exactly how the Lord would use me in His Church right now. I should be happy that I am worthy of a place in His Kingdom.

Now I'm going to make a list of all the things I want to begin to do this week to fill all the time another calling might have asked of me. (Maybe you'll see more blog posts!)

Sigh....I thought I might make myself feel better but so far it's not working....

When Cindy and Eric graduated from BYU, we celebrated by gathering at a hotel near campus. We had a great time, and one of our "feel good" moments was when we did karaoke and showed off our wonderful musical talent. When you watch this video, stay tuned until the end when you can see the real talent! What a blast we had! (And notice my father in the background, probably wondering what the heck he was doing there!)

Now that I've figured out how to do this, look for more videos and photos in the near future! I've got so much I want to share!

Oldies but Goodies

Tonight we'll have our first "Oldies but Goodies" party here in Spring Creek. We started a group in Grantsville, too, and in West Jordan it was a similar group we started but we called that one "POAC" for "Parents of Adult Children." When I started the first group it was to satisfy my longing for a social life, and I realized right away that I wasn't the only one who needed it. We had some great times. What we did was put everyone's names in a bowl and then we drew them out to see who was going to host the next one at their home. What fun memories I have of the parties in West Jordan! And then we moved, and after awhile I decided it was time to start over again with new friends, so we got it going in our Grantsville ward. I looked forward eagerly to our monthly gatherings and was strengthened by the friendships that were cemented as we associated with one another. And tonight we're starting all over again!

I've been trying to think of a top ten list that tells how you know if you qualify to be in the Oldies but Goodies group. I'll have to post the list when I have it completed. It will include such things as "when you get together with your friends the main topic of conversation is the latest health issue you've had to deal with" or "you had to put on your bifocals to be able to read the invitation."

Speaking of health issues, I have to tell this funny story: While walking with my friends a few mornings ago, one of them said, "Today I'm going for that test that all women dread!" Now keep in mind that I'm about seventeen or eighteen years older than any of the other women with whom I walk. As we all talked about this dreaded test, I was sharing my experience with it while the others were sharing theirs. After awhile it was evident that we were not talking about the same test! For me, the most dreaded test was the colonoscopy! I couldn't believe she was actually out walking with us at six o'clock in the morning the day of her "dreaded test" because I remembered how weak I was that morning as a result of the prep you have to do to be ready for the colonoscopy. So when we realized it wasn't what I thought it was, we started talking about mammograms, for surely that's the test she meant after all! I told her she should be having it done in October, because that's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and if you have a mammogram then they give you "booby prizes" such as pink mints, pink ribbon pins, etc. We had some good laughs as we talked about our experiences with mammograms. And they all got an introduction to what they had to look forward to once they reached fifty! Then....the next day I asked my friend how the test had gone. And we once again found that our assumptions had been wrong. She hadn't gone for the mammogram! She had gone for the pap smear! Now those of you over fifty would understand my confusion, because I've experienced more dreaded "routine" tests than women under forty have even dreamed of! Oh, how we laughed when we realized the confusion in our conversation. My friend had just decided the previous day to forget about trying to make us understand what test she was talking about. I don't blame her.

I'll probably tell this story tonight at our "Oldies but Goodies" party when we're sitting around discussing our latest health problems.

Last and Next

Last night I had my last activity with my Mia Maid class. We had a personal progress activity that was fun for me; I hope the girls had fun, too. Since they all left with bubble gum and Skittles I think they would say they had had a good time. I've had the calling for about two-and-a-half months, which isn't very long, but it was long enough to develop some special friendships with a couple of the young women leaders. And I'll be seeing the girls often when school starts again because most of them are in the choirs that I accompany. I was able to have the "fun" experience of camping in the rain, I taught the girls how to make pies, we had some Sunday lessons that helped me just as much as they helped the girls. It's been a sweet experience, and now I'm looking forward to what's next--because there's always a "next" when it comes to service in the Church.

I'm smiling

I get to see some of my kids and grandkids Sunday and Monday! Boy, could I use their hugs right now!!!

War

Some of the greatest battles we fight are within ourselves. I just want to say that I am living proof that even in our darkest hours we can reach toward the Light and have hope that soon the darkness will be over. And it is good to be reminded that the darkness is part of the process of refinement. We appreciate the Light much more when we've been consumed by the dark.

I am so thankful to family and friends who, whether they realize it or not, say and do the things that prove to me that Heavenly Father is mindful of what I need when the battle is raging and I fear this might be the one that is lost.

I did it for Brandon.

There have been times when I have felt very sad that I had to leave my cats, Calvin and Hobbes, in Grantsville. I know they are with a good family. But I miss them so! I avoid the pet food aisles in the grocery stores. I skip over the photos of them in Picasa. Sometimes it hurts my heart deeply.

But tonight Brandon, my son-in-law who is deathly allergic to cats, stopped to visit us. I put my arm around his shoulder and walked with him toward our home, into the door, and welcomed him to our "dander-free" home. I realized at that moment that the sacrifice I made was not too great. I love Brandon and it was worth it to have a home where he could come and breath deeply and enjoy himself along with the rest of the family.

I'll keep remembering tonight every time I turn my head when passing the pet food aisle.

However...

Last Sunday the Relief Society/Priesthood lesson topic was about improving our temple attendance. Tom, Eric, Cindy and I were motivated to action and planned a temple trip for Friday (yesterday). I called the Twins Falls Temple on Tuesday and made an appointment (a requirement for attendance at some of the smaller temples). We left by eight o'clock yesterday morning, and I was so excited to be headed to a temple again. It has been a few months since I was last able to do so. And we had never been to the Twin Falls Temple so that was a thrill for me, too. However, after we left the interstate and headed north from Wells, Eric looked at the GPS and saw the time of arrival and asked if we had figured the time based on the time zone change. We realized we hadn't and we weren't going to make our appointment. So we turned around, got back on I-80, and headed to Salt Lake City instead. Cindy has never done a session in the Salt Lake Temple so she was glad to think she'd be able to do that finally. However, we thought that as long as we were going to the Salt Lake Valley, we might as well see if any of our kids could meet us after the temple session and we could have dinner together. It just happened that they could. However, with the schedules as they are for the different temples, we decided that it would be better to go to Bountiful so we could get into a session sooner than we could in Salt Lake. Cindy hadn't been inside that temple, either, so she was still glad.

Once we were dressed we headed up the stairs to the temple chapel. A gentleman was waiting at the top and was anxious for us to join him. He was waiting for a married couple to be the witnesses in that session. Tom hadn't yet caught up with me; however, I motioned to Eric and Cindy, and the worker was pleased to finally have his witness couple! There were only eleven people in the session counting Cindy, Eric, Tom and me. They needed us! We were glad we had chosen to go to the Bountiful Temple. And I felt and was taught many things; I know that could have happened in any temple we attended. However, because of the choices we had made, I was able to sit at the side of my daughter and watch her as she stepped to the temple altar with her husband, and to share the blessings of being in the temple with her. It was wonderful!

Afterward we picked up some Mexican food and took it to Katy's apartment and shared a meal with Richard, Katy, Eli, Anna, Spencer (their nephew), Lisa, Corbin, Morgan, Miralise, Derek and Whitney (my nephew and his wife). However, Michael and Laura had chosen not to venture out in the rush hour traffic to join us, so we missed them. However, we made arrangements instead to meet them in Magna for ice cream, so we had Lisa and her kids go, too, and we met at Arctic Circle and had some yummy shakes and cones.

The drive back to Spring Creek always seems to go faster than driving to Utah, because we get to knock off an hour on the clock. It was great to be home. However, I will always be glad that we listened to the counsel of our leaders and arranged a day to go to the temple. It turned out that it was a family day, a very special day, and for that I am very grateful.

Visitors

These deer came to visit us (11 in all) the other day.

Hi, friends!

This is just a note to all my friends who periodically check my blog: Hello! I love you and miss you! And I'll update my blog again soon. Or I'll have my daughter do it for me. I always enjoy her posts for me much more than I do my own! Good-night!

Oh, yes, I should direct you to Amy's blog. Click on her link below (Much Ado About Nothing) if you want to have some good laughs. Be sure to read all the comments and Classic Michaels.

Still darling but not so little...

My baby graduated from college today. It's been such a busy two days here in Provo that I haven't had a lot of time to think about how it makes me feel to see my youngest in her cap and gown, standing by the side of her terrific husband who is also wearing a BYU cap and gown. They will be leaving in a few weeks to go to Virginia Commonwealth for his graduate school work. I think I am working hard to just be so happy for them and all their accomplishments and sharing in the excitement of the adventures that lie ahead. I dare not consider what it is doing to my heart to see my darling little girl step with her husband out into the world where there is so much uncertainty and such instability. What I can be sure of though is that Eric loves Cindy and is so good for her, and she loves and adores him and would follow him to Russia if he wanted to go there. And they stand on a firm foundation built on faith in the Lord. I know they will be alright. But I may still shed a tear or two...or three....

Spring Fever

Tom was generous and shared his cold with me. Last night I tried doing a new blog post and it disappeared. I was too tired to try to do it over again. I'm too tired tonight, too, but I thought I'd at least tell what was up with the untitled post.

Wednesday is the next time I will have some time to post. I'll update then. Now I'm going to lie down again. Why do colds go around just as spring is finally getting the best of winter?

Ramblin' Rose

Today just call me Rose, because I feel like ramblin'. On and on about everything and nothing. I should be doing other things but Amy has driven me to this. She takes advantage of the little moments and lets me know about them so I can feel that I am with her and watching her chase her sons around and listen to her finally get things off her chest and the distance closes between us every time I read her blog. Now I'm fighting tears. I shouldn't be, because she always makes me laugh! So I'll just ramble on now....

We moved from Utah to Nevada last month. If anyone had told me at any time in my life I'd end up living in Elko, Nevada, I would have questioned their sanity. And, actually, I'm not living in Elko. I'm living in Spring Creek which is a bedroom community ten miles south of Elko. There aren't many businesses out here, just two gas stations, one grocery store, a dentist, a hair salon, a store similar to Sprouse Reitz (in case any of you remember them) which sells a little of everything, an Ace Hardware store, a couple of restaurants, a post office, a credit union, etc. There are two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. There are five LDS Wards and two chapels. And it's so beautiful and peaceful in this valley! It is very arid. We look out our back window at sagebrush which in its natural setting is lovely to me. And I love the smell! And at night I can look out the arch of the bedroom window and see the Big Dipper's handle. The sky is clear and clean and I am enjoying life here.

I am going to be accompanying the middle school and high school choirs. I just can't say no. I could have gone this morning to start rehearsing with them but I need a day of practice on two of the songs so I feel better prepared. So when I am finished writing I will head for the piano.

I LOVE this house! But, no, I don't love it more than my third child or more than any of my other children or grandchildren. But since I can't live with any of them I'm glad I've got a lovely home that suits me. I feel it is compensation for once again packing up and following my husband to his new work opportunity. Besides, this opportunity, the home, the new people in our lives, the chance to serve the Lord in this area, etc.--all of this was provided by the Lord who knows us and opens doors to things that He knows will make us happy. And I truly am happy. I could have been happy still in Grantsville, and the Lord would not have stopped loving me if I had protested and told Tom not to take that job but to look for something that would have allowed us to remain in Utah and close to our children and grandchildren. But the way things happened I had no doubt that better things were in store if we followed the promptings and trusted in what the Lord was preparing for us.

My dad is staying with us right now. He's been here for about ten days. I'll take him back to Salt Lake on Wednesday. We are lucky to have him with us still. He is so wise, so witty, so loving, so giving. He has a new pacemaker now which will extend his life for years. Without it the doctor said he may not have lasted three months. Thank God for modern technology and health advances!

I am still suffering from the bad fall I had two months ago. I can't sit for long, especially on piano benches and car seats! Even lying down doesn't give me much relief. I hope the pain goes away soon.

Back to this house. I have been having so much fun organizing it, buying things for it, planning for it. I have bookcases on their way here and when they are put together and I can empty the boxes of books, photo albums, etc., then I will finally have the rooms looking like they are complete except for the bare walls. I haven't yet decided how or what to hang. Tom doesn't want to put nail holes in the walls which really makes it a challenge to figure how I'm going to put up anything at all.

We have put Cindy's ceramics on the plant shelf. It's up really high and pots won't have to be watered. No one should even notice the dust on them.

I'm going to write a book for my family. It's going to be called "Stories I Like to Tell." Included will be the stories of our moves, how some of my children met and married their spouses, dreams I've had, cute things my kids said when they were young, Tom's conversations in his sleep, etc. It will be a book they will be so excited to see!

Speaking of books, I think Amy should write one. Everyone who agrees with me tell her so. She is so clever, so witty, so good with words, and she can even do her own proof-reading! I would love to see a book about being the mother of a child like Michael. And there is so much else she could write about. I also have an idea of a book I want her to co-author with me, but I'm not going to mention it here because there are thousands of people who read my blog and they might steal the idea.

Tom loves his job. It is so nice to see him enjoying getting up and going to work. Sometimes that means going to a mine early in the morning and sometimes it means going to down the hallway to the home office. Today he worked in the office, made phone calls and set up appointments, and now he is on his way to a mine. I don't know where all the mines are except on a map I bought for him and he labeled. I've also had fun helping set up his office.

Well, I have taken enough time away from all that I need to do today, so I'd better stop ramblin' and start working. I hope that this post has helped some of you feel a little bit closer to me. I've felt closer to you as I've thought about what to say to you.

Have a good day!

Love,
Rose

Nothing to Say?

Sometimes I think I don't have anything worth telling about, but here are some suggestions for things I think I could possibly blog about but haven't because I'm too busy thinking about how I have nothing to blog about:

• Closing on the new house (which house I love more than I love my 3rd child)
• Welcoming 2 more grandkids this year (guess who & you'll get a prize)
• Enjoying a general conference weekend visit with some of my favorite people
• Posting pictures of my lovely new home (which my 3rd child refuses to do for me as it is time for her to be in bed)
• Posting pictures of my family (maybe even embarrassing ones)
• Praising my 3rd child (who I love only slightly less than I love my house)
• Praising my other children (who I love only slightly less than I love my 3rd child)
• Complaining about how someone keeps logging into my blogger account & messin' with my background & posting stuff that leaves my readers confused & maybe even offended.

Still gullible after all these years....

I was sitting comfortably crocheting Morgan's afghan last night while enjoying an episode of "Law and Order." Tom was on the computer doing some work. The room phone rang; he answered it and what I heard was interesting: "both mattresses? Now? Outside the door? Okay." He left the receiver sitting on the desk, apparently having been instructed to do so until he had done what he had been asked to do. Then he told me that the man in the office said both of our mattresses had tested positive for bed bugs and we needed to strip them of their bedding and put them outside the door. They were going to be replaced with new mattresses. I commented that this made our hotel stay more of an adventure, and I helped him strip the beds. As we took the first mattress out the door I said we should see if anyone was out there with a video camera. Tom said that things just didn't seem right. I told him that before he did anything else he should go down to the office to make certain we were really supposed to be doing this. First he went back to the phone and told the waiting man that he had the first mattress out the door. The man asked him to take it down the stairs himself because the maintenance man had hurt his back. I again told Tom to go downstairs and confirm this before he did another thing. He came back up and said, "Someone must be having a good laugh right now." Yep, it was a prank. A pretty funny one, don't you think? We put the beds back together again and I sat there crocheting again, watching "Law and Order" and "The Closer" and wondering if when I left the hotel room in the morning there would be some young man watching me and grinning. "That lady and her husband are sure gullible!" I've got to be more on my toes!

New Adventure; Good-bye, Grantsville, Hello, Elko!

Well, today we are embarking on our new adventure. Elko calls. Michael and Laura came over with the boys last night and helped us with the last of the cleaning. This morning the guys need to load the bed, freezer, and refrigerator--oh, yes, and the desk and computer, too--while I take care of some other matters such as banking, running things over to Lisa's house, etc. Then our caravan will take off: Edna in the red Ford, Laura in the ...(whatever they drive), Michael in Tom's pick-up, and Tom in the twenty-six-foot U-Haul. Brother Matthews will pull the red trailer with the remaining boxes over when we are actually moving into our house. This weekend we will just hang out over there. We've already said our good-byes to family and friends and not wanting to prolong the agony we're going to go ahead even though neither house has closed yet. Perhaps it's risky, perhaps it's dumb, but we're doing it anyway. The houses ARE going to close. It was just a matter of how long we want to have our things sitting on a U-Haul and how much we want in hotel bills. Michael had taken Friday and Monday off so we decided to take advantage of his thoughtfulness and spend the weekend with them. For my birthday, which was yesterday, Laura is taking me to a Kenny Chesney concert tomorrow night in Wendover, which is halfway between where we are now and where we'll be by this afternoon.



So today we officially say good-bye to Grantsville. It's been a nice place to call home for three-and-a-half years. We'll keep our friends and hope to see them occasionally when we come to visit Brandon and Lisa and family. We have had some wonderful experiences here which we will cherish forever. Thanks, Grantsville, for what you have contributed to our growth!

CinderAmy

While we were at Lisa's yesterday she was talking about her kids' attitudes. I reflected on my years as a young mother and couldn't remember an attitude problem with my kids, although I'm certain they existed because kids do have attitudes. I think it is important for moms to remember the words from the scriptures "and it came to pass." It doesn't say "and it came to stay." These problems go away and then you learn how to deal with new problems. Don't despair because it seems that all you do is manage whining, messy, cranky, disobedient little souls so often. Hold on to the special moments when they say something that gets your heart. You'll have a lot of those. They are the tender mercies that help to keep you sane and remind you that these spirits do have a divine nature.

Now, having said that, I move on to talk about Amy. I told Lisa yesterday that the only "attitude" I could think of regarding my young children was Amy's. When I asked her to do something she would protest or complain nearly every time. It was frustrating to me but I was set on conquering that by focusing on the positive. One day I asked her to take the laundry basket outside and take the towels off the clothesline. She straightaway did it. No complaints at all. I was so pleased and commented on it when she had completed the task. Her response has always stayed with me: "I just pretended I was Cinderella." Of course, that meant that I was the wicked stepmother.

But now it doesn't matter to me what it was that drove Amy to do the things I asked her to do. Look at where she is now. She loves to clean, and I love to visit her home because it is so comfortably clean ALL the time! She is going to be my model in my new home. I have let go of so much stuff and I hope that I can keep my home clutter-free and clean. But she may have to come and visit occasionally and let me play the role of wicked stepmother again. CinderAmy can make my home spotless for me.

Oh, by the way, have you ever read the book called "CinderEdna?"

I'm returning to the blog and reporting to my fans...

I probably have nothing to say today that you haven't heard already. We're moving. And you know all the stuff that goes with moving. Selling your house. Buying a new one. Throwing away, giving away, packing away, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. And waiting. We need to close on this house before we can close on the Nevada one. We aren't betting on which house will be ready for closing first, just hoping the Utah one is ready soon so we'll have our money to close on the Nevada home.

I am looking forward to making the Nevada home mine. I love it! I've lived in so many homes I don't know if I could count them. And this one will be the "best saved for last." I am anxious to become one with it. And I realized last night that the reason I am feeling so anxious about the closings is that everything about this move seems too good to be true. The more time passes without the finality of the home sale and purchase the better chance there is that this dream I'm having will end before I get to see the end of it. And I feel awkward asking God to grant the desires of my heart when so many people in the world would give anything for a roof over their head, for food on their table, to have a job, to be disease-free, to not have to worry about plundering, raping, bombs, etc.

I realized I am so very blessed. But the things that have been happening--Tom getting a job so quickly after being laid off (a job he absolutely loves!), selling our house to our neighbors without having to advertise it (again--just like West Jordan!), qualifying for a new home loan (we thought we'd be renting or living in an RV for awhile), etc.--all these things don't say that we are more righteous or more deserving than anyone else. Many righteous people lose jobs and can't find new ones, they lose their homes, etc. It doesn't mean God doesn't love them. What is happening to Tom and me right now is evidence to me that Heavenly Father wants us in Nevada now. So we're going. And He is making it easier for us to make this move by making some sweet and pleasant things happen. I do love the way Heavenly Father takes care of me, and I pledge my heart and soul to doing whatever it is He wants me to do in my new community. And I dedicate my home to doing His work.

I hope that our friends and family will decide to make that pleasant drive over to the Ruby Mountains in Nevada and stop and visit awhile. Please!

Just clarifying

FYI: Amy has Edna's blogger username & password & sometimes might play jokes on her. You never know who is posting... Edna or Amy. Actually, you probably know for sure who it is; their style is different & Edna will have fewer grammatical errors. But just a warning.

I'm not Amy, if that's what you're thinking

Amy is not writing this post. No, it's me, Edna, and, no, Amy would never do anything to abuse the power I gave her when sharing my username & password so she could help me with my layout. Amy's just not like that.

I haven't posted in too, too long. Here are some things you might not know about me:

1. I kissed about 200 boys in high school, but only about 150 in college before I married Tom. Since then it's a lot less.
2. I'm thinking about a navel ring. What do you think?
3. I'm sick, sick, sick of being so happy all the time. I just want to grouch around for once in my life.
4. My favorite airplane read: The Communist Manifesto.
5. Of all my kids, Amy is the only one who has not completely disappointed me. Yet.
6. I wish I could get away with wearing more bows, ruffles & gemstones.
7. I never curse in English, but I know curse words in 40 foreign languages, so I can get it out of my system.
8. Sometimes when my kids call me to whine about how hard their lives are I make faces at their pictures on the wall.
9. When I'm all alone at home and I'm sure nobody is going to come home & surprise me... I like to dress up in a leotard & legwarmers try my hand at some hot dance moves.
10. Sometimes, to keep Tom on his feet, I break stuff around the house & pretend I don't know how it happened.

Once again, I don't know why you would even suggest that Amy wrote this post. You're way off.