It isn't England, Paris or Rome...but it's mine

It's been awhile since I've travelled far
from home. It doesn't really matter, because
I am a very content person. I love to travel and
see different places and make new friends. But
I am just as happy staying at home and enjoying
the beauties around me. It is fun to have seen the sights of different countries and think "wouldn't that be a lovely place to live"? or look at that village and wonder who lives there and what their life is like..

Abby and I took a trip to Victoria, British Columbia quite a few years ago at this time of year. We loved walking around that lovely city. Especially loving the way the hydrangea's grew all over the houses. Huge blooms in all the colors! Never could we get such colors and sizes of hydrangeas here in our little gardens! But the flowers and pathways inspired me and I brought some of it home to my garden. It isn't England and it isn't Victoria or Paris, but it is mine.. and I love it.

I am particularly proud of upper garden, because I poured the cement brick by myself...mixing it in the wheel barrow and forming the bricks. It is very uneven and not a very good job...but I am happy with it anyway, because of the hard work that went into this creation. This is a great place to hide away and read a book.

They aren't hydrangea's, but roses and climbing morning glory and scarlett bean will do in a pinch.

I don't have to go anywhere other

than my own back yard and I

feel that I am in a whole different

country, and I don't even have to pay for extra luggage!

I Regretfully Decline

Wouldn't you like to have a few of these cards laying around
for those days when you are a bit overwelmed
and don't want to do ANYTHING!

When I was

little I wanted

to grow up

and

be just like

my mom........



She could

do just about

anything!

One Beautiful Bride...in waiting

Less than a month to go and we think we might be able to pull this thing off!

Whit and I met with our cute wedding planner yesterday. Final preparations for the "BIG" day! Things are starting to come together. A near disaster was averted the other day when Jim, who has been instructed to get a chocolate brown suit, nearly bought a brown and blue plaid sports coat (it was a good deal...so George Banks like)..Paula intervened and the proper suit was found and purchased!

We headed to the canyon to check and see if any additional decorations were needed...but when you are surrounded by.........

this kind of beauty, we just couldn't think of a whole lot more we would have to do!

Whitney is pretty excited and will make one beautiful bride!

Another Exhausting Day!

There's this lady called Grama Polly who comes and tends me. Sometimes she totally exhausts me! I mean, it's non-stop activity from the time she gets here until she leaves. Can't she give a kid a break?

First we have a little breakfast...always mush...yuk! (why not some of those great baby desserts my mom has in the pantry? I'd love to try the peach cobbler sometime)!

Then straight to reading time. (no playing with any of my cool toys, until I've listened to her read for at least 20 minutes....on some days she even pretends she's some chick called Fraulein Maria and she sings songs like "My Favorite Things" and "I go to the hills, or something like that or this other thing called do re me that goes on forever and she dances around and IT'S MORE THAN I CAN STAND!!!!!

After a short nap, I get to eat again..another nutritious meal...maybe she'll let me have some of those great cheetoes snacks I love, before we head out for the next activity.

A few laps around the pool...

When all I want to do is lay around and be "one with the sun"

Then some practice time with the ball. No sitting around for me. It's always something.

Doesn't she realize that sometimes a guy would just like to sit around and pick his nose?

or go off in a corner by himself, just for a few minutes....

maybe some alone time with Dora, without Grama looking over his shoulder every second?

I don't know about you, but sometimes its just too much.... I just want to wrap myself up in my blank, with my soft feather pillow, find a game on TV and maybe......






just get some rest...

The Pure Love of Christ

I remember years ago I heard a young missionary speak.  He had come home early from his mission to make some things right,  and was so worried about meeting his parents at the airport.  What would they think? He knew he had disappointed them...he was so upset with himself for letting them down.  He knew he had made some wrong choices, how would they react?  As the plane landed and came to a stop his anxiety grew higher..... he walked down the runway and there at the end of that runway were his mom and dad, tears rolling down their faces and arms held out, waiting for him,  filled with nothing but love and concern for their son.  He said that as he saw his parents standing there with arms out,  it was if the Savior was standing  there ... and gratitude filled the young man's heart, gratitude for his parents who had a Christlike love for him.  He knew then he could go forward and make things right in his life because he felt the Savior's love thru his parents.  I have always remembered this story and watched this young man as he grew older...he made things right in his life...continued to keep commandments, was married in the Temple and has a lovely family. Things could have been different for him if he had not felt that pure love. I hope I can always follow the example of those great parents who stood with arms held wide as the Savior does, welcoming any with a heavy heart, for they truly had the pure love of Christ as they welcomed their son home that day.

On the Road

The DeSpain's and the Winchester's decided to take a road trip. None of this air travel for us anymore..no more streaking through the sky at lightning speeds. We want to see this beautiful country on ground level. So we picked the spot. The great southwest. Destination Mesa Verde, CO. Teri and Paula having visions of stops at little country towns...wandering thru some shops, looking at the charming homes...maybe finding an antique or two.....Jim and Dale (knowing what is ahead) having a few different ideas. (look at Jim's face, ready to drive thru those towns as if he were a racecar driver and Dale's little grin as he knows how this is really going to play out)!

The men start out slow...as we drive through the charming Spring City. We do get a quick look at the lovely real estate. (Jim put an offer on this fixer upper).

Paula and Teri are starting to suspect that this might not be the vacation they had been planning on....but being the happy, supportive, and wonderful wives that they are, they put their smiles on and say..."by golly, we're here, we're in some of the most interesting country in the world, and we're going to make the most of it!" (Aren't they great)?!

Paula even climbed one of the smaller arches! Yay

(she's afraid of heights)

speaking of heights!!!! this is Mesa Verde, CO. Looking down into one of the villages where the people lived 800 years ago. (we were told by the husbands, we would wander through charming towns and be able to look at some homes in those little villages)
I think this one is called the Crystal Palace.

A view from the inside...Teri and I are starting

to get into this. We are hiking and climbing and
then comes the BIG ladder on the cliff!! Well,
we've hiked, and gone thru tunnels and been
on scary roads, so who says we can't climb that
old ladder...............

Wow! It was a scary old ladder, but a scarier thought was staying, it was the only way out!
No looking down or up and all 4 of us made it up the ladder and back into civilization?!? By now it's certainly how you view things as to what is civilized and what isn't.

Listening to the radio and hearing politics again wasn't civilized, and hearing cell phones ring again and worrying about the price of gas isn't civilized... but seeing beautiful country like this most certainly is....look at all those sunflowers!!!

And...look at that buck, just standing at the side of the road. We live in a beautiful country and it is well worth getting in the car with some good friends...enjoying one another's company, seeing what can be found not too far from home. That is exactly what we did and it was fun!

Tribute to Fall

As the sun begins setting on summer
and the leaves start turning into their brilliant fall colors, my friends here in our little corner of the world get in that mood once more. It is time to get out our "tributes". The story goes like this. Years ago, when Nick was probably about 10, I had been working all day, decorating my home for the upcoming season. I put the finishing touches on my mantels and invited Pat to come over and see the finished product! As she walked through the door, Nick said, "come in and see mom's tribute to fall...and so
any decoration for any holiday, became tribute to fall..Christmas etc..and then shortened to "tribute". Well, I've seen a few tributes going up this week, and so I guess it's time to go down into the storage room and dig out
my "fall tribute". It's a lovely time

of year and those fall colors make

everything warm and welcoming! I'll let you know when tribute is complete and you are welcome to stop by for a cup of cidar!

Grama Lundgren

Grama Lundgren was a special person in my life. I remember from a very young age going to her home on 20th east and enjoying the wonders there. The old stove in the kitchen, grampa pouring his coffee? or cocoa into the saucer to cool it before he drank it. Their old black phone on the desk in the hall. The fun Christmas Eve parties with the nativity and who got to be Santa Lucia that year? I loved the summers where we would get together on Sundays and the kids would run up and down the big front yard and I remember the beautiful roses. I remember grampa's cow, and I remember him pushing me in a wheelbarrow while all the aunt's and the big kids were picking fruit in the orchard, so the mom's could go home and bottle that fruit. Grama was an example of charity...the pure love of Christ, which she lived for 93 years until she was welcomed home into the Savior's loving arms.