What I've learned . . .

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
a set of screwdrivers, a
cordless drill, and a black
lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
one friend who always makes her laugh...
and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
a good piece of furniture
not previously owned by
anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
eight matching plates,
wineglasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal that will make
her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
a feeling of control over
her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love
without losing herself...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
HOW TO QUIT A JOB,
BREAK UP WITH A LOVER,
AND CONFRONT A FRIEND
WITHOUT RUINING THE FRIENDSHIP...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and
WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the
length of her calves, the
width of her hips, or the
nature of her parents...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may
not have been perfect...but
its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and
wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone... even if
she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
or a charming inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish in a day...a month...and a year

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them"!

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, even to a foreign country; but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

Benefits of Growing Older

1. Kidnappers/Rapists are no longer interested in you and in a hostage situation, you'll be the first one released!
2. It's difficult to get sexual harrassment charges to stick.
3. There's nothing left to learn the hard way.
4. You can live without sex - but not without your glasses!
5. Your joints are more accurate than the Nat'l Weather Service.
6. People calling at 9PM ask, "Did I wake you?"
7. Your secrets are safe with your friends, cuz they can't remember them either.
8. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size!
9. Topics of conversation with your friends is your latest illness/operation, health insurance/pension plans, and what adult child has moved back home with you.
10. You no longer try to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks in the room!

You BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and make it to 60!

OK! I'll admit it...I'm getting scarily close to a BIG birthday next year and I find it hard to believe that the "Baby" has more grey hair than any of the older siblings. Granted, the brothers don't have much hair, so I guess it could be worse!

The proposition of aging is double-sworded! On the one hand, gravity is starting to take its toll on your body; collagen is leaving some parts of your body and depositing itself elsewhere; you're losing the color in your hair/or your hair (as the case may be); there's crows feet/dark circles/bags under your eyes, folds and wrinkles in unusual places; the diminishing sight, hearing, sex appeal, and strength that you once prided yourself on; and the weight gain - OMG! Why does metabolism play such a strange role in aging? But the alternative to the aging process is a whole other can of worms!

Below are 10 Ways to Lower Your RealAge

Take Your Vitamins-I DON'T
Regularly taking vitamin C (1200 mg/day), vitamin E (400 IU/day), calcium (1000-1200 mg/day), vitamin D (400-600 IU/day), folate (400 mcg/day), and vitamin B6 (6 mg/day) can make your RealAge 6 years younger.

Quit Smoking and Avoid Passive Smoke-ALWAYS
Smoking makes your RealAge 8 years older.

Know Your Blood Pressure-OH, OH!
A person with low blood pressure (115/75 mm Hg) is as much as 25 years younger than a person with high blood pressure (greater than 160/90 mm Hg).

Reduce Stress-I DON'T
In highly stressful times, your RealAge can be as much as 32 years older (no wonder I'm greyer!) than your calendar age. By building strong social networks and adopting stress-reduction strategies, you can erase 30 of those 32 years of aging caused by stress.

Floss Your Teeth-I DO
Flossing and brushing daily can make your RealAge 6.4 years younger.

Be Active-I DO
Even a small amount of exercise? Two 20-minute walks per day can make your RealAge nearly 5 years younger.

Wear Your Seatbelt-I DO
Regularly wearing a seat belt and driving within 5 miles per hour of the speed limit can make your RealAge as much as 3.4 years younger.

Fill Up on Fiber-I DON'T
Getting 25 grams of fiber per day in your diet can make your RealAge 2.5 years younger than if you only included 12 grams of fiber per day in your diet.

Monitor Your Health-I DON'T
People who are proactive about seeking high-quality medical care (Is there such a thing?) and managing chronic conditions can have a RealAge as much as 12 years younger than their peers who do not.

Become a Lifelong Learner-TRYING
People who remain intellectually involved throughout their lives have a RealAge as much as 2.5 years younger.

So maybe I'm not at the BIG ONE yet. And I try to keep a good outlook on that, even at the risk of forgetting completely what year I really am at! But then, there's always the 'do-gooders' who find delight in reminding me of it. I've come to the conlusion that the statement: 'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away, is indeed the best way to measure our time here.

EASTER (circa 1979)

Life was simple --- DID I SAY THAT?

HAPPY KEESTER!

Good Friday (Christian)
The Friday before Easter, commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Among some sects of Christianity and in many countries today is a day of fasting.

Easter is the most religious day of the year, to most Christians. It's the day Jesus arose from the dead. Easter has been celebrated, since at least, the fourth century and an annual celebration of the resurrection. Easter also has a non-religous side. During the second century, Easter was originally a pagan festival where the ancient Saxons celebrated this holiday for their Goddess of Offspring and Springtime, Eastre. When the Christians noticed many tribes were worshipping Eastre, they attempted to change their faith to Christianity. Over time, Eastre was converted to a Christian celebration and named Easter.

It's a festive holiday with spring colors, easter eggs, flowers, and bunnies.
Traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring.

Easter has not fallen on March 22nd since 1818 and won't until 2285! Easter is celebrated on the first sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (March 21st). Easter can be from March 22nd to April 25th.

To all friends and family, a wish for a glorious Easter weekend.

Top 'O the Mornin'

For those of us who wonder what the hoopla is about St. Patrick's Day, it honors St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. We celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March 17th. Americans march in parades, dance the Irish jig, drink green beer, and gather to sing Irish songs. People wear green in memory of Ireland, the Emerald Isle, and wear shamrocks which is a clover with three leaves. When preaching the Word of God, Saint Patrick used the three leafs of a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity: Three parts, yet one entity - The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.

St. Patrick was born in Wales, studied religion to become a priest and then went to Ireland to teach the people about God. There are many wonderful stories about St. Patrick, some true and some not true. The most famous legend is that he drove the snakes out of Ireland. This did not happen, but the Irish will tell you that you cannot find a snake throughout the whole country of Ireland.

March 17th was not the day St. Patrick was born but the day he died. Even though we don't know the date of his birth, most scholars believe the year was 385 AD and the year of his death was 461 AD.


An Irish Blessing

May those who love us, love us;
And for those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts;
And if He can't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we will know them by their limping!

SUNDAY SERMON

W W J D - C'mon, Where's Your Sense of Humor?

Most people assume WWJD stands for “what would Jesus do?’ But the initials really stand for “what would Jesus drive?’!

One theory is that Jesus would tool around in an old Plymouth, because the Bible says ‘God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden in a Fury.’

In Psalm 83, the Almighty clearly owns a Pontiac and a Geo. This passage urges the Lord to ‘pursue your enemies with your Tempest and terrify them with your Storm’.

Perhaps God favors Dodge pickup trucks, because Moses' followers are warned not to go up a mountain ‘until the Ram’s horn sounds a long blast’.

Meanwhile, Moses rode an old British motorcycle, as evidenced by a Bible passage declaring that ‘the roar of Moses’ Triumph is heard in the hills’.

Joshua drove a Triumph sports car with a hole in its muffler – ‘Joshua’s Triumph was heard throughout the land’.

Some scholars insist that Jesus drove a Honda, but didn’t like to talk about it. As proof, they site a verse in St. John’s gospel where Christ tells the crowd, ‘For I did not speak of my own Accord . . .’

Thus following their Master’s lead, the Apostles carpooled in a Honda . . .’The Apostles were in one Accord’.

Now you know why I hesitate in stepping thru the doors of the local parish!

Timeline

2000 - Sold home in Centerville and moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Bountiful
2001 - Bought new home in So. Weber
2003 - Sold home in So. Weber and moved into a two-bedroom duplex in Centerville; Woody moved to Portland
2004 - Moved to Boise and lived in a two-bedroom apartment
2006 - Moved into new home in Syracuse

8 years later, I'm still going through boxes that have either been in storage -- or moved in all this time! Why do we hang on to all our 'STUFF'? Is it because it has sentimental value to us?

Is it an article in a book or magazine that we found interesting and thought we would use later on? Is it that we thought we would use a bolt of polyester for something down the road? Is it puzzles that we've put together a half dozen times; games that were played and we didn't like; stitcherys that I did during a short institutionalization (J/K); home furnishings that are no longer in style; electronics, ie. wires, old cell phones and all their paraphenalia; electrical connections & cords; box of videos with no VHS player; extra buttons, paper clips, tape, screws, rubber bands, or enough office supplies to start my own STAPLES?! And all that CHRISTMAS STUFF! I'm having a tough time finding things I am looking for; while sorting through all this 'STUFF' (that we really don't need or won't use!) HELP!

I pride myself on being organized-having a spot for everything and knowing where it is; but lately, it just gets tossed aside. I keep promising myself that I will go through it all, throw out or donate whatever I don't want and once again have order to my life. I've spent most of today (cuz it's ugly outside)hangin' out in the basement with the spiders, sorting junk into different stacks. There's 'Matter Unorganized', 'The Same', 'More', 'Holy Crap', and 'Misc. Crap'.

How important is all this 'STUFF' in the scheme of things? It doesn't pay to start looking through it! If you haven't needed it or wondered where it was, just do yourself a favor and pack the box out to the truck for DI! No one will ever know, and you probably won't miss it. . .

It's in the Genes . . . .

Was awake at 4:30am this morning; resisted getting up, but tossed and turned because of cramps in my feet and legs; sore shoulder from sleeping on one arm all night, achey-breaky heart, wanted a drink, needed to potty, couldn't breathe because of a stuffy nose, too hot-too cold, alarm in another part of the house beep, beep, beeping! STOP the MADNESS! When I finally conceded to all the above, and jumped on the computer (well, not literally), I found that Aunt Joye had sent me a message of hope for the day at around 1:45am. What the heck is an 80+ year old doing up that late? It has to be in the GENES! Both my sisters have complained about the fact that they just can't sleep past a certain hour, and how early they're up fixing coffee, reading their scriptures, etc. Not me. . .this is the bewitching hour when I get my best ideas for something to write. Not saying that the blog is it; but somewhere in our quietest times is when we hear the loudest those thoughts and desires that we would like to initiate into our life. I'm looking out the window as the day begins and it's been raining through the night--downright gloomy, as a matter of fact. But I believe that Spring is slowly trying to creep in (reminder to SPRING FORWARD tonight); can't wait for the budding on the trees. It was just a year ago that I started writing this blog, and it's been such a great experience to be able to 'vent', and read about others exhuberations, frustrations, and daily happenings. It's such an awesome way to keep up with family and friends. I just want to thank the small following that I have and tell Heather how envious I am of all the comments she receives. When it comes right down to it, I guess I'm in it for the GLORY! J/K

Happy MARCH Birthdays to Extended Family!

The 'Woodman', heretofore referred to as 'the talker', celebrates a big, BIG one on the 6th this year, but I refuse to heckle too loudly, as I am fast on his heels!

Grant is Heidi's hubby and celebrates his 30th Birthday on the 8th. He is such a great guy, a good provider, and an attentive Daddy to Laila. Every Sunday they have a Daddy Daughter date to get doughnuts and Latte (for Mom), and then spend quality time together. He is very conscientious about his responsibilities, but also fun-loving. He enjoys camping, snowboarding, riding his motorcycle, home projects, RC (anything!) and relaxing.

It is Ryan's 20th birthday on March 4th. He is the son of Jeff and grandson to DiAnne & Glen. Elder Ryan is serving in the Ohio, Columbus Mission and has just been out for 12 months. Before leaving for his mission, he participated in most sports, was on the golf team at Northridge High, and worked at Valley View Golf Course and Murdock Chevrolet. He is enjoying his time out and is a fine missionary! The closing line to all his letters is: THE CHURCH IS TRUE, THE BOOK IS BLUE, AND I LOVE YOU!

Keith is my second brother and his birthday is March 9th. He was more serious in nature, and spoke in a deep monotone voice. He didn't seem very happy; but when he did smile, his pale blue eyes twinkled! When he came to visit at our house, he was usually alone. His wife is Norine, and their children are Marlin, Karen, & Alane. Keith enjoyed flying radio control and U-control planes over at the school grounds. As soon as we’d hear the shrill of those engines, we’d fly out the front door over there to watch them. He built his own boat, and bowled a mean game of 300! He passed away on January 18, 1998.

Happy Birthday also to Jared (Clydene's 2nd oldest son), and Vicky's three wonderful and talented kids -- Danielle on the 8th, Quinn on the 12th, and Cara on the 22nd. If I'm forgetting anyone, please forgive - I only post what I know. So if you want your 5 minutes of fame, you'll have to give me some smack!

Birthday Tribute to Mother

I wanted to end the month of February with a tribute to my Mother, whose birthday was February 13th. Vicky reminded me of it, and I feel bad that I didn't think of it; I should preface this with the fact that I didn't know my Mother. She died when I was 21/2 years old.

Clydene and Janette worked very hard to put a scrapbook together for me 6 years ago on my birthday that was mean't to give me some insight into who she was through others words. Aunt(s) Dott and Joye both spoke of her amazing musical abilities, her sewing skills, and the wonderful fruit preserves and candy that she made. Elma, Tom, Nadine, and DiAnne remembered how diligent she was at doing the best with what she had and welcoming anyone into her home. They spoke of her patience, her beauty, and her unending love.

I believe her talents and beauty have trickled down through the generations that she has left behind. But I sometimes wonder and feel that she also has had a hand in sending the angels we have received.


From Gods Arms . . .
Sue Shifflett

I look at you and see someone familiar
It’s as though I’m seeing myself.
Not myself as I know myself,
But in pictures that I’ve seen.

I wonder if my dear, sweet Mother
Had anything to do with you coming at this time?
I feel a strange connection to you
As if an embodiment of her and I have been combined.

So when I look into your eyes,
And see you pull your funny face.
I think that there must be a tie
To another time – another place.

When God hands off his angels fair
To someone who might be with Him there.
That someone is a loved one passed
Who then enfolds them to their breast.
And gently passes them to this World
From Gods arms, to her arms, and then to yours.

And then the Circle of Love is complete
As Grandmother, sends you your angel, sweet.
With love, and a wish that we all might see
The connection, the familiarity.

Can't think of anything clever to say but wanted to post a couple of poorly taken pix from yesterday's birthday luncheon at Robintino's for Nadine. 10 of us ladies and Casey (the lucky fella at the head of the table), enjoyed good food and good company. My side of the table wasn't as cooperative on getting their pix taken. Teri left early, DiAnne put her hand up to her face, and Nadine kept scrunching out of the pix frame each time I would raise the camera. And you can tell how interested Casey was in our get-together. Anyway, it was fun to see everyone, and share lunch with such funny gals.

Happy Birthday, Nadine!

A SISTER is someone beside you lending a hand.
Offering words that say, “I understand”
She’s someone you turn to, day after day,
To share any worries that life brings your way.

Sister, you taught me
What it is to share,
And what it is to receive,
You gave me
Love, joy, togetherness,
Loyalty, support, friendship -

I’ve told you a lot, and you’ve tried to understand
And whenever I needed help, you always lent a hand.
You’re older, but somehow I’ve become more gray
I don’t understand how or even why!

Sisters are the mainstays of our life.
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how
many miles are between us.

The world wouldn't be the same without the women in my life.
When we began this adventure called
womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or
sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we
would need each other.

I Love Ya, Sis!
Happy Birthday

Happy #1 Birthday, Hadley Jo!

This is the cutest lil' Haddie Bug! She is a great grand-daughter to Nadine and Kacy's first baby.

Happy Birthday, Curtis!

Curt is our third son and he will be 31 TODAY!!

He enjoys hiking, camping, traction kite flying, water sports, skiing, and movies & music.

My wish for your birthday this year is to encourage you to stretch higher, to push harder, and to expand your talents and abilities.

Happy Birthday, Kristen!

It's also Kristen's birthday today. She is the youngest daughter of Jeff who is DiAnne's and Glen's son. She turns 16 today and is drop-dead gorgeous, as you can see from her picture. When I asked Jeff about a few of her accomplishments, he mentioned that - between going on her first date to the Valentine's Dance this past weekend & going to get her driver's license this morning, he is actually in mourning! She has participated in dance (& is also teaching a dance class of 8-12 year olds), soccer, and is currently a cheerleader at Northridge High carrying a 4.0 grade pt. average. You might have remembered the story about Jameson and his friends trying to get her attention at the Viewmont/Northridge game a month ago. Who could blame them?

Boys come with NOISE!

Connor is Mike's little guy and our 2nd grandchild.

Hand a 3-year-old boy a toy truck and he'll immediately start brrrr-ing his lips together while moving that toy truck around. In fact, when my boys were young, they didn't even need a toy truck. They could take a shoe or wood block or a pair of my eyeglasses and run them across the floor - all the while making that brrr-ing sound. (It took years before I realized it wasn’t my vision but the scratched glasses!).

And it’s not just trucks – it’s airplanes, dinosaurs, any kind of Star Wars or Ninja activity, and guns! OMG! - Ask a boy to hold out his hand and make a shooting sound - and he'll immediately ask you, "What caliber?" Two hours later, he will still be shooting his finger at every object within sight. Occasionally, he'll pause to throw out a Dirty Harry phrase, like, "Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya' punk?" and KAAPOOHA! His arm will suddenly go skyward with "believable" recoil. Then, without warning, he might switch to 2-handed machine-gun mode and shoot Rambo-style - right from the hip. The truly gifted will sometimes even hoist an imaginary bazooka up onto his shoulder and will actually close one eye to look through his imaginary sights before pulling the imaginary trigger. You ought to hear that sound. It's a beautiful thing!

Connor comes with NOISE! And questions . . . ‘You wanna see something?’, ‘Can I tell you something?’, ‘Hey, guess what?’, ‘You wanna know something?’ When you finally give him the attention, there comes a long pause as he tries to figure out something to make your time worthwhile! Then he always has the answer and solution to tell you. Even tho he’s only in kindergarten, he has a cell phone with his favorite pictures, music from the 80’s (I wondered who programmed that, Dad?), and numbers to family and friends. He actually told me the other day that I needed to get a cell phone so that he could text me. ‘Fat chance of that!’ Anyone that knows me, knows I like anonymity.

When we were with him at Christmas, he flexed one arm and said – ‘This is REASON’; then he flexed the other one and said ‘This is persuasion‘. The kid literally cracks me up! While living down in Hurricane for the past year he has climbed mountains with his Dad & Mom, ridden four-wheelers, gone boating, flown his Dad’s traction kites, and lost 3 teeth; he’s gone to Vegas more in the last year than I have in 10; learned to swim; become accomplished at Wii and his Playstation games; whooshed his way down the ‘Zip line’; mastered his bike (without training wheels) in just two days; has attended -not one but two- kindergartens this year and is well ahead of kids in both of his classes – not just scholastically, but actually a whole HEAD!! Although he is only going to be 6, he’s more the size of an 8 year old! He always wants to know why his Granpa Woody tells him that he ‘thinks he’s DUTCH’ – his comeback is, ‘No I’m Connor!’ He has a collection of Star Wars light sabers (7 at last counting); he enjoys playing with the old Star Wars action figures that his Dad played with so many years ago; and games on his Playstation - He’s a bundle of energy and intense noise-making while jumping up and down in front of the TV and bouncing off the furniture like a ‘super ball’! The BOY is definitely ALL BOY! And we love every minute of him and his NOISE!

Happy 6th Birthday, Connor!

Happy Birthday to my Good Friends

It's that time of the year, within the first 3 months of any given year, that the 3 Amigo's/3 Musketeers/3 Stooges celebrate their birthdays. Candy's is the 18th of January, Paulette's is the 26th of February, and mine is the 27th of March. We all belong to the 49's Club, and are damn proud of it! We met and had dinner at the local Mandarin (so yummy!), gossiped and cackled over the silliest of things, and then went back to Candy's and reminisced about almost every aspect of some 40 years! We have such a great time together, and always come away with a renewed trust & faith in friendships.

We three have been friends since Jr. High and have seen each other through many good (and bad) times. In 9th Grade, we were all expected to participate in 3-act plays through Mrs. Wilcox's Journalism class, so we did that together. Paulette and I laughed and cried over boyfriends, sneaked out of church meetings to grab a cherry coke, and most recently, she is the one I have gone to help with dog-training search and rescue sessions. Candy and I decided it would be fun in High School to take lunch money, thereby affording us the opportunity to meet and greet all the cute guys that came through our line! Back in the olden days, we weren't allowed to leave the school campus for lunches, so if we weren't in the book store buying candy bars and a pop, we actually ate a school lunch! Novel Idea, don't you think? Candy drove a very old VW, that had blinker signals that literally jumped out of the side of the door panels when engaged. We found it great fun to flip the blinkers on - left, right, left, right, at the drive-in movie; thereby bugging people around and behind us! Such innocent mischief!

Although I do try to write poetry, I took license of some thoughts I found and added upon them with thoughts of my own about our youth and friendship.

CHEERS! To the Girls we Have Become...

Happy Valentines Day, Everyone!

The love in your heart wasn't put there to stay
Love isn't LOVE, 'til you give it away.

Spread the LOVE!

Since I last posted about Heather's cute little clay buddies, she has worked up a deal to have some of them displayed and auctioned at the Eccles Art Center in Ogden; contracted to make some for friends of friends, co-workers of friends, and is pretty much goin' NUTZ with all the rage of wanting the next thing! Everytime she shows me something new, I love it more than the last one. Currently, I am in LOVE with the little gal in the swimsuit and flip-flops! Want her for my birthday . . . (Hint, Hint!)

I actually went to bed at a reasonable hour last night - but 'the talker' decided there was something too important to wait to discuss, so he woke me up at 11PM and I've been up ever since! I am thankful that there are no young children that have to be taken care of, cuz this day will find me in a hot bubble bath and back in bed after 'the talker' leaves for work!

Happy Birthday, Michele & Sara

Today is two of my nieces special birthdays! Michele, who calls herself 'FryBaby', actually shares that title with myself. She amazes us all with her youthful looks, her beautiful smile and her energy level, as she manages a home, subs teaching at the local schools in her community, supports sporting events, scouting events, church activities, and all the while offers up moral support to the 6 guys and 2 other gals who reside in her home. What a GAL!

The second niece is Sara - who turns 10 today! She is the daughter of Paige who is DiAnne's and Glen's youngest daughter. She is a vivacious, beautiful little brunette with gorgeous big blue eyes. She participates in competition soccer. She plays for the Wasatch Storm, both indoor and outdoor. She plays defense and her team is tied for first place right now with one game left in this session. She spends most of her spare time reading. She loves books about horses, wolves, and dogs. The Black Stallion series is one of her favorites. She has a large collection of wolf and husky dogs, as well as horses. Right now , her goal is to be a vet when she grows up.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIRLS! We love you.

Today was a beautiful day - albeit a bit on the brisk side. But at least, the sun was shining, and that warmed the cockles of my heart!

Early morning clouds wisp away - making room for the sunshine
Together the sun and I gather strength and within an hour or so we’re both smiling as if we controlled the day.

The Winter Woods are quiet now, The snow is on the ground;
The stillness almost hurts your ears, there's not the slightest sound.
And, once again, in solitude, I stand within the wood;
To watch the snow come falling down, where Summertime once stood.

Ghosts of winter drift along snow-white corridors in a Winter splash of golden sunlight; but my mind is conjuring memories of a warm courtyard where you can smell the bougainvillea, and hear the lilting chirp of the songbirds.
Compliments of Michael Shifflett (Artiste Extraordinaire)

Laila is our 5th grandchild and the daughter of Heidi.

Child of my child - Heart of my heart
February 3, 2008

When God was making Laila
He thought, “what can I do” -
To create a perfect little girl
To make Mom’s & Dad’s dream come true?

He started with 'cute and healthy'
Then added extra smarts
He threw in lots of giggles
To lighten all our hearts.

He added great big blue eyes
And put extra twinkles there
He stroked her skin with angel dust
To make it soft and fair.

It’s been three years since God sent you
And I’m thankful everyday
For the little Laila branch
Upon our family tree.

Of all life's earthly treasures
None can quite compare
To the treasure of a grandchild
And happy moments shared.

Love with an open heart
have fun with the little joys of life
know that you are capable of doing any thing you want
and make a true difference in the world!

Happy Birthday, Sweet 3 Year-old
Grandma Shifflett

Sunday evening after celebrating Grandma-Great's birthday with family, I sat down to relax and turned on the TV. A story was coming across on the news about the death of Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, beloved prophet and leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Rather than sadness, I felt a feeling of warmth knowing that he had lived a long and faithful life and is once again with his sweetheart, whom he has missed so much.

A friend sent me a link to Glenn Beck's program and his tribute to Pres. Hinckley - I thought I would put it on here, so that you can all witness the genuine sincerity with which this man speaks of our prophet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z58eHBnEHhk

Grandma-Great's birthday is the 29th of January, and she will be 85!

Grandma, We Love You

If every person to whom you have shown
Some act of compassion and service,
Were to try to repay you in their own kind
I fear there would not be enough
Days or hours in our lifetime.

“Inasmuch as ye do it unto the least of these; Ye do it unto Me.”

If every piece of cloth you’ve pieced
And every stitch of thread you’ve sewn
Were laid side by side & end to end
They would stretch from here to Timbuktu,
And back again.

“I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more that the first.

For every unkind word
that is spoken against another
You offer up a compliment, and a calm reassurance
That the World is a better place,
Because we are in it.

“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only . . .”

If to you, a rose was sent
For every day that you have spent
Thinking of, worrying about, or fretting over each of us
In our daily routines;
The World would be a garden of roses,
And you would be the Master gardener.

If we could all have the perfect Faith
That you carry in your heart;
Then your Mission as our Mother would be taught.
That because we are all God’s Children,
There is nothing more important or urgent –
Than for us to do those things that will
Help us return to HIM.

Some women are born to Greatness –
Others strive for Greatness—
Mom, you’ve always done the best you could with what you had; you’ve always cared for others when it would’ve been easier to think of yourself; you’ve always been there for all of us when it seemed the rest of the World didn’t care. We love you.

“Charity suffereth long and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth no behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. . . .Well done, thou good and faithful Servant. . .”

You watched over us by Day & Prayed for us each Night

Written for Mom on her 80th birthday
January 29, 2003

Sue

A while back, I mentioned that I was going to try to spotlight my kids talents on my blog. I have occasionally put something of Mike's up and Heidi has her own blog, that features all the art she has done. On the other hand, Heather does some incredible polymer clay figurines that are just DARLING! She has mostly made them for her little girl to play with and friends/family with no renumeration - other than accolades and encouragement to try and sell them. Recently, I took one to a baby shower I attended and 'the crowd went wild' (so to speak). So I want to put the ones that we have taken pictures of here so that you can see them.

Alysa just sent me this cute pix of Sloaney this morning - so I had to add it. She's such a happy baby!

I haven't posted for over a week -- no birthdays, no excitement, the grey & dismal BLAH's are beginning to set in! How I would love just one day with enough sunshine to melt the iceberg in my driveway, and the opportunity to take a walk without the inversion strangling you at every breath! HOW LONG 'TIL SPRING?

Let's see: Kloyie's baptism was a few weeks ago and I haven't posted pictures of her special day. It was a very cold and snowy day, much like today. But she looked beautiful in a dress that Matt & Alysa gave her for her b-day. When I told her she looked like a princess or a bride, she said 'How 'bout a Princess Bride, Gramma?'

Nadine, DiAnne, Whitey and I drove up to Morgan last week to visit our Aunt. We always have a good laugh with her, and it was a beautiful day (albeit COLD). We took the scenic old road out of Morgan, and exchanged memories about where friends/relatives lived (back in the olden days), an old tree that Nadine and a friend got chased up into to get away from a elk(?)and were stranded there all day!

Grandkids are the funnest! Taylor stayed here one afternoon and helped me dig out after a big storm. Because she didn't have any snow gear, her clothes got wet and cold, so we threw them in the dryer and I put one of my 'oldest' flannel nightgowns on her to cozy her up. She thought that was pretty neat, when I explained that DiAnne had made the nightgown for me and two just like it for Heidi and her Mom when they were babies.


Laila took off running across the driveway, and whether it was icy or her feet just got away from her (as she is much like the gazelles loping across the plains, lately), she slipped and got a road rash on the side of her face. When her Dad bent down to give her a hug before bed that night, she explained to him to be very careful with her 'owie', cuz it hurt a little!

Mike, Shari, and Connor made a quick trip up this weekend with a U-Haul truck, bringing back a portion of their household in Hurricane. They only stayed one night, but will load up another truck and drive back for good next weekend. They too love the desert, but they love work and money more! So Mike is following an opportunity back in SLC.

I was the lucky Grandma to watch Sloane last night for awhile so I got some new pix of her. I can't believe she is already 7 months old! Where does the time fly to? She's a happy baby, and is beginning to be very curious about everything - a piece of lint on the carpet, a stray cord stretched out along the wall, the inside of a mouth - you know, how the tongue works, all the teeth!
So this has been a very "Grandma Brag" kind of blog - but they're all worth it, and I love them all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TERI!

I received a thank-you note from Teri for helping at the Festival of the Trees. It was funny, because she mentioned how forgetting must be a part of approaching 50! 50?! How can that be? I remember the day she was born. I had gone into the tabernacle in SLC with my Primary group to do baptisms for the dead. When I got home, I was told the news that DiAnne had delivered a new baby girl. I was so excited and couldn't wait to offer up my babysitting skills. I would spend weekends with them, and get up with the baby once during the night to give DiAnne a break. I also remember the first bath...WOW! That makes me feel so old! Between dance recitals, directing the Nativity at the family Christmas party each year and so many productions that she has been in, Teri continues to thrill her fans & has begun a new career in Real Estate.

Teri is the oldest daughter of DiAnne & Glen, and she is married to Tom. They have three awesome and talented kids - Jessica, Nicholas, and Taylor.

Teri, Teri – You’re so very, very
Entertaining and Funny.
You sing, you dance, and please the crowds
And watching you makes us all so Proud!
Your Humor and Grace, and savoir-faire
Makes everything you do beyond compare.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOM!

Isn't this little guy cute - and can you tell who he is? Tom is my brother and the 3rd oldest of my siblings. He was one child that tested the water (quite literally when he drove a car off the road into the Weber River!), my parent's patience and Grandpa Fry's good nature (I believe he was in Grandpa's jail the night my Mother went into labor with me!). The gleam in his eye, and the smile on his face always lets you know you're in for a good story of mischief and mayhem! When I asked Leanne for some verification of my facts she more than willingly gave up a few good stories on her Dad: "Dad was the Supervisor over Avionics Training Device Simulators for F-16 and C-130's.
1) He got mad at some of the guys because they kept going into the restrooms with the newspapers and they would fall asleep on the toilets, so Dad had Civil Engineering come and take off the stall doors so they couldn't sleep in there any more and it made quite a few people mad, especially his boss and the Union. 2) He also received a Pigeon Poop Kit from another boss and good friend in Minot, S.D., which was a pan and and broom in a box. Dad filled it up with pigeon poop and sent it back to him through the base mail. It was quite the joke on the base for many years. 3) About the car in the river -- which time? I know of at least 2 times. He still has the newspaper article at home with the roof of the car sticking out of the icy river. Of course he was feeling no pain at the time of the incident. Eventually, he grew out of his 'wild ways' as far as actions, but his sense of humor and mischievous thinking lives on. It's funny to know that one of my good friends from junior high actually worked with Tom, and never realized he was my brother - but she says 'everyone that knew Tom liked him'. Not hard to believe!

He and Margie were married in 1949 and they have one lovely daughter, Leanne who is married to Garth; and two grandkids, Jorgan and Chad. Thanks to them for so lovingly taking care of their parents.

NEW YEAR 2008

Today is Daddy’s birthday --- he was born Jan. 3, 1900. It was always so easy to remember how old he would be for the year! He was 49 when I was born. . .and 65 when he died. It’s difficult to remember any one thing about him . . . he’s been gone from my life longer than he was in it.

New Year’s has always been a time for reflection, contemplation, and resolution. What were you doing New Year’s Eve? Were you curled up by a cozy fire, celebrating the beginning of a new year with someone you love? Were you remembering times gone by, with the hope for a better tomorrow? Were you reminiscent of a more carefree day when the wind in your hair, or a skinned knee was your only concern? For me, the end of a year and the beginning of a new one is no different - marked by sorrow, sadness and regret.

Sorrow in my heart for those who have passed through our lives and are now gone - Left without a goodbye, a promise of tomorrow, or a feeling of warmth. Sadness in my heart as I realize unfulfillment in my life. Regret, which is the biggest disappointment – when I realize what I am capable of, what is expected of me, and the realization that I haven’t been diligent in seeking those areas that would allow growth.

I’m sorry for the blonde, blue-eyed child who has no recollection of a childhood. I’m sorry for the frustration and confusion of adolescence. I’m sorry I was a follower, instead of a leader; or at best, an Individual! I never explored who I really was or who I wanted to be. I’m sorry for relationships that I either didn’t encourage or nurture. I’m sorry I didn’t take time to have fun and explore new horizons. I regret thoughtless words and deeds.

So, with this said, I am declaring 2008 “The Year of Sue” (remember the Seinfeld episode where George resolves to do everything different?)! I want to become more healthy, happy, and independent! I want to let go of old hurts and salve the wounds with love and forgiveness. I want to forget the past, and make each day of my present account for something.

I love all my family and am thankful that they have been there to fill in the gaps!