Summer 2009

Well summer is here in Monroe and we have enjoyed the beautiful weather, occasional rain storms and moderate temperatures (so far!). Our yard is looking good and here are a few shots of the trees and flowers.


Our garden is looking good and thus far. We have peas, beans, potatoes, and corn growing nicely.


The rest of the yard is green and beautiful.

Our Sacred Grove!


Here's proof that we still buy cat food!!

Finally, the rumors are true. We are no longer a truck family. I know it is pretty silly, but the 2005 Dakota just didn't find its way into my heart. It had such a stiff and hard riding suspension and the desire for a van was just too dominant. So we have been looking, as you know, and finally came up with a good deal here in Richfield. We bought a 2007 Grand Caravan as shown and it was like slipping into a familiar glove. It is much like Travis' and Andrew's van, a SXT with 3.8L engine, stowaway seats, power sliding doors and other features. It doesn't have DVD and I was disappointed because I wanted to watch movies while Pam drove!!!



Well with summer hopefully will come a few trips. If we show up in Denver some day, don't be surprised.

Memorial Day 2009

I wanted to give a little update on our activities here in Monroe. It is Memorial Day and it has been a fairly quiet day for us. We began mid-morning taking flowers to the cemetery to decorate the family graves. It's always an occasion at the cemetery to visit many, many friends who are also there doing the same thing. The day began in beautiful fashion with clear blue skies and all the flowers and contrasting green lawns made it a beautiful morning activity (sorry I left my camera home).

Following that Pam and I went to Richfield and played a round of golf. It was a perfect morning and the recent rains had caused the rough to be about 2-3 inches high. Unusual for Richfield. But we had a good time and Pam scored a Birdie on the 7th hole with a beautiful drive and then a long iron right to the middle of the green. She had a 15 foot putt and ran it right in. It was great.

Back home Pam has been busy planting flowers in a couple of planters on the front porch. It looks really nice and brings some color to our front door. We have had Monsoon weather the past week with afternoon thunderstorms and frequently rain. Saturday we had about 8 hours of non-stop light rain and everything in our yard has just jumped out of the ground. Unfortunately that includes the lawn, so I have to mow again!! But our garden is doing very well and everything has come up and is doing well.

Sunday evening I presided over my first Seminary Graduation and it was really nice. I had been a high school advisor to a quarter of the students and taught all but 4 of the graduates, so I had a personal interest in how they were doing. We had a good program and it was fun passing out the certificates and congratulating my friends. They will next graduate from High School on Friday.

Well family, I hope all you "face book" fans will not forget your blogs. We so enjoy the updates and pictures. Hope to see all of you sometimes this summer.

Denver Visit April 2009

Pam and I finally got a week with little going on here in Monroe and took off for Denver on Monday the 27th of April. We had a wonderful trip visiting our four children in Denver and our grandchildren--maybe it's visiting the grandchildren and also their parents!

Here are a few pictures of Benjamin, little Alex, and Cynthia. It was amazing how good Benjamin looked and so happy and healthly.




On Friday the 1st of May we attended Megan's Ellis Island Program and also Grandparents Day at her school, the Collegiate Academy of Colorado. It was an interesting and well done program by the students. Megan was great and her story of her family relative that imigrated to the US through Ellis Island was very interesting.











On Sunday afternoon, the 3rd of May, Tom and Johanna hosted a family activity and dinner at their home and it was wonderful. Tom cooked a beautiful roast with all the trimmings and we ate and visited and covertly enjoyed a Nuggets vicitory!!

Tom has done a very nice job on the window replacement in the front of their home--it's been quite a job, but they are making headway.


Is this a cute couple of guys or what?






Monday morning, the 4th of May, we returned home to Monroe with Andrew Wood in tow! He's been a great guest in our home and has burned up the backyard, the streets of Monroe on his bike, and is rivaling Alex on creative creations with Construct's. He's spending a couple of weeks with us and we hope he is enjoying himself!

Easter in Monroe

We have had a wonderful Conference weekend and also Easter Weekend here in Monroe. Andrew and Sarah with their children Jand and Reynolds arrived mid week and we had a wonderful 4 days with them. Additionally Erin and Weston and Kate came down Saturday evening to spend Easter Sunday with us. The weather didn't cooperate too much, but Andrew and I got in one round of golf on Friday morning,. We didn't burn up the course, but had fun.
Here is a shot of us with Jane in Monrovian Park.

Pam and Jane walking across the main bridge in the park. You can see from the coats that it wasn't very warm.

All of you kids loved to get right down by the water and Jane was no exception. Find something to throw in the water and made a big splash.

Andrew hauling Reynolds on his back. That didn't last very long as Reynolds wanted to be on the ground finding things.

Easter Morning was a beautiful day with mild temperatures and some of the bunny eggs every went outside and Jane and Reynolds had fun trying to find them.

Meanwhile inside Andrew was having breakfast....

Inside the house the living room was loaded with eggs and the little kids, including Kate by this time had a good time finding all the colored eggs.

Some quiet moments -- few and far between I must add on that Easter Morning!

We hope all of you readers are well and safe. With the advent of "Facebook" it looks like this blog might be threatened, but I like the stories and pictures and the feelings you express herein.

It's been awhile since I last sent a post, but a lot has taken place within the family and here at home in Monroe. We have recently enjoyed the visit of Travis and his children, Drew, Kali, and Megan. They spent almost a week with us and hurried home to miss a huge snowstorm in the Colorado Rockies. Erin and Kate also joined us for a few days while they were here as Weston was vacationing in New York City??

While Travis was here I was in the midst of my first stake conference. What an awesome responsibility and worry. What if you scheduled a conference and no one came? Well that didn't happen and we had wonderful participation in our temple, priesthood leadership, adult, and general session on sunday. Our theme was "We Should Be a Temple Loving People" and the talks and music so wonderfully supported this theme.

Also last tuesday Travis and his children and Pam and I went to the Lehman Caves on the edge of the Great Basin National Park in Nevada. Pam and I have been to the caves before and we thought Travis and his children would really enjoy it and they did. Lehman Caves is a beautiful marble cave ornately decorated with stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flowstone, popcorn, and over 300 rare shield formations. Once the guide mentioned the shield formations the kids search diligently for all of the over 300 shield formations from location to locations. There was only 7 in our group and we got a lot of personal attention and it was very enjoyable and the time just flew by.


Now on a more somber tone we were very saddened to hear that Benjamin was taken back to the hospital again yesterday and we hope and pray that the tender care by the hospital will quickly solve the problems he was facing. As we fast today our prayers are centered on him and also for Alex and Tom that they might find new employment soon.

These are trying times and we hope and pray that provident living will be implemented each day as we face these lousy economic times. The one thing the Lord has promised us is that if we will trust in him and pay our tithes and offerings he will open the windows of heaven. The evidence is many and varied, but always the same end result--the Lord blesses us with what we need.

Well enough preaching. We love you all and look forward to seeing you all soon.

It's been awhile since I posted, so thought I would add a thought or two. January and February just seemed to fly by and we have been busy here in Monroe. Winter is slowly ebbing away with cold nights but fairly warm day temperatures. Almost golf weather again!!

Pam is looking outside and thinking she needs to get in the flower beds, but then we have a day of rain or a cold day and hurrah we don't have to go out quite yet. She has been busy sewing however, either for humanitarian projects or quilt tops for Aunt Win. It has almost been a full-time job for her. This last week she did a first on ebay--sold her first item. She sold a serger and it went well and she was happy with the price and the process. Maybe she will sell some of my things!!

Last tuesday we had a very interesting event happen with the stake presidency. I received a letter from the temple presidency inviting the three of us and our wives to dinner at the temple. We met with President Harless (temple president) at 5:00 pm and enjoyed a few minutes in his office and then went to his private dining room and had a lovely dinner, but most importantly got to listen to the president talk about the temple, temple work, and programs that could boost our stakes attendance.

After dinner we were escorted to sealing room #6, which is the lower room in the west tower frequently called the "Wells Room" where President Wells and his wife lived while he was the temple president. We got to the room by climbing the north circular stairwell and it was beautiful as usual. In the sealing room we did sealings for an hour and a half and that was very enjoyable. We did couples, daughters and sons, so enjoyed that variety and renewing our vows that Pam and I had taken over 40 years ago.

Finally we stopped doing sealings and president Harless visited with us in that room for awhile and then we climbed up the north stairwell again and entered the priesthood room. Strangely enough the priesthood room has no lights, so we were bathed in the exterior lights of the temple and it was so beautiful to sit on the north side seats and look up and down that beautiful room. President Harless told us of the history of that room and in specific the last Solemn Assembly that had been held there in 1979 and also the re-dedication in early 1980. Both my counselors LeRon Ware and Craig Mathie had attended one of the dedication sessions. We returned down the south circular stairwell from almost the top to the bottom.

It was a wonderful evening and one that will probably never be repeated in our lifetime. There is nothing quite like the Manti temple and while many people theroize about turning it into a film temple, I just don't think that would every happen. Many years ago Presient Packer was given a top to bottom tour of the temple and as he reached the foyer at the bottom of the circular stairwell he was reported to have said "Don't you ever let them do anything to this temple."

I guess that is how we feel also. Well Pam and I are fine and are in for a busy March with Stake Conference coming up, but we are happy and well.