Cleveland Memories

REMEMBERING A YEAR AGO

2012-02-28T22:59:00.000-08:00

OUR THOUGHTS HAVE BEEN WITH TERESA THESE PAST FEW DAYS. IT WAS NICE TO GO OUT TO THE SUMMERS PROPERTY ON SATURDAY AND FIX UP THE AREA WHERE WE HAD BURIED MOM, DAD AND TERESA'S ASHES.

WE WERE AMAZED HOW PRESERVED THE SUNFLOWERS WERE. WE JUST HAD TO STRAIGHTEN THEM UP A LITTLE.

MY HARDEST DAY WAS ON MONDAY SINCE IT WAS ON A MONDAY THAT WE FOUND OUT THAT TERESA HAD PASSED AWAY. I DECIDED TO GO OUT TO MEMORIAL GARDENS AGAIN THIS TIME I WAS BY MYSELF. I SPENT ABOUT A HALF HOUR THERE. I HAD FIXED UP AN ANGEL SURROUNDED BY SUNFLOWERS IN A BASKET. IT SEEMED SO APPROPRIATE. DON, TAMI AND I HAD ALREADY LEFT SOME FLOWERS ABOVE THE PLAQUE ON SATURDAY.

I SHED A FEW TEARS THINKING ABOUT THAT DAY AND THE SHOCK OF KNOWING TERESA WAS GONE. I HAD GONE TO THE DOCTOR, FOR THE FIRST 3 MONTH CHECK-UP AFTER CHEMO, AND FOUND OUT THINGS LOOKED GOOD. I FELT THAT TERESA KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO BE OK AND WOULDN'T NEED HER ANY MORE. SHE HAD BEEN SUCH A WONDERFUL HELP TO ME DURING MY CANCER EXPERIENCE.

I KNOW THAT MY TEARS ARE RATHER SELFISH BECAUSE SHE IS HAPPY AND WOULD NEVER WANT TO COME BACK. I DO MISS HER AND TOLD HER THAT.

A THOUGHT CAME TO ME DURING THE END OF MY VISIT. I HAVE ANOTHER SISTER THAT I LOVE HERE IN TOWN. WE HAVE TALKED ON THE PHONE SEVERAL TIMES BUT I HADN'T SEEN HER FOR ALMOST 2 MONTHS. I WENT HOME AND CALLED CLARISSA TO SEE IF HER AND KELLY WOULD LIKE TO GO OUT TO DINNER WITH DON AND I THAT NIGHT.

WE MET AT 5:30 AT IHOP AND HAD A GREAT TIME TOGETHER. WE VISITED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER WE ATE. IT WAS WONDERFUL.

I TOLD CLARISSA AND KELLY THAT I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING TO THEM. I THEN EXPRESSED MY LOVE FOR THEM AND TOLD THEM THAT I WANTED TO TO GET TOGETHER MORE OFTEN. I WAS HONORING MY SISTER THAT HAD DIED THIS MORNING AND IT HIT ME THAT I STILL HAD A SISTER AND BROTHER CLOSE BY THAT I LOVE . WE WANT TO DO SOMETHING AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH WITH THEM IF POSSIBLE.

I WAS EXPRESSING THESE FEELINGS THROUGH MY TEARS. I THINK I TOOK CLARISSA BY SURPRISE BECAUSE SHE HUGGED ME AND WE BOTH EXPRESSED OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER. I THINK IT WAS A SPECIAL MOMENT FOR ALL OF US.

VALENTINE'S DAY

2012-02-15T09:21:00.001-08:00

DON CAME HOME WITH HIS NEW HAIR CUT. I COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW SHORT IT WAS. I TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE TAKING PICTURES THE NEXT DAY FOR VALENTINE'S DAY AND HE SAID THAT AT LEAST IT WOULD GROW OUT FOR HIS EAST COAST TRIP AT THE END OF MARCH.

I THEN SAID, "ONCE A MARINE YOU'RE ALWAYS A MARINE HUH?" I DO LOVE MY MARINE!!

WE HAD A LOVELY VALENTINES DAY. WE ENJOYED SHARING OUR DINNER WITH RED ROBIN. WE THEN WENT TO AMERICAN FURNITURE WAREHOUSE TO LOOK AROUND. I FINALLY FOUND A FOOTSTOOL FOR OUR BACK ROOM THAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR. IT WAS A GREAT DAY!!

A SURPRISE VISIT FROM TAMI

2012-02-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

LAST SUNDAY, TAMI MADE US A SURPRISE VISIT. SHE DROPPED BY TO GIVE US A VALENTINES BASKET. WE WERE DELIGHTED TO SEE AND VISIT WITH HER.

SHE HAD BROUGHT US A CUTE VALENTINES DECORATION AS WELL AS OUR FAVORITE CANDY BARS FOR A TREAT. TAMI IS SO GOOD TO US AND ALWAYS MAKES US FEEL LOVED.

LAST THURSDAY, NIGHT WHEN TAMI AND I HAD OUR OUTING, I HAD FOUND A BEAUTIFUL BLOUSE AT HERBERGER'S. IT WAS ORIGINALLY $80 BUT IT WAS ON SALE AS WELL AS PLACED ON THE 70% OFF RACK. WE BOTH LOVED IT AND TRIED TO FIND ANOTHER ONE FOR TAMI BUT WE COULDN'T FIND ONE. I ENDED UP PAYING ABOUT $19 FOR IT (WE LOVE IT WHEN WE GET SUCH A GREAT BUY ON SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY LIKE.)

I HAD DECIDED TO GIVE THIS BLOUSE TO TAMI FOR VALENTINES DAY AND WAS PLANNING TO TAKE IT TO HER WORK ON THAT MONDAY TO SURPRISE HER. I HAD IT ALL WRAPPED AND READY TO GO WHEN TAMI CAME OVER. I DECIDED THAT SINCE SHE WAS HERE I WOULD GIVE IT TO HER NOW. I WENT AND GOT THE DECORATED PACKAGE WITH BALLOONS, ETC. AND PRESENTED THE GIFT.

TAMI WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE THE BLOUSE! IT'S SO FUN TO MAKE SOMEONE SO HAPPY THAT YOU LOVE SO MUCH. SHE HAD DELIGHTED US AND WE WERE ABLE TO DELIGHT HER IN RETURN. ISN'T THAT WHAT VALENTINES DAY IS ABOUT?

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I FEEL SO BLESSED!

2012-02-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

I'VE OFTEN SAID THAT I DIDN'T KNOW I WOULD GIVE BIRTH TO 4 OF MY BEST FRIENDS. THREE OF MY DAUGHTERS LIVE SO FAR AWAY AND I'M LUCKY TO SEE THEM A COUPLE OF TIMES A YEAR. WHEN I DO SEE THEM WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT TIME TOGETHER.

TAMI LIVES 15 MILES FROM ME AND WE NOT ONLY TALK ON THE PHONE SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK WE ALSO GET TOGETHER EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT FOR A FUN NIGHT OUT.

LAST NIGHT WE HAD FUN GOING TO THE MALL AND HAVING DINNER WHILE CATCHING UP ON ALL THE NEWS. THEN WE HIT THE SHOPS TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY SALES. WE ALWAYS HAVE SUCH A GREAT TIME TOGETHER.

I'M SO PROUD OF TAMI FOR GOING BACK TO WEIGHT WATCHERS THIS LAST SUMMER. SHE HAS LOST 43 1/2 LBS. AND LOOKS SO BEAUTIFUL. TAMI HAS ALSO BEEN PROMOTED TO A NEW JOB AT THE VETERANS HOSPITAL AND IS WORKING HARD TO LEARN HER NEW POSITION.

DON AND I HAVE OFTEN COMMENTED THAT WE MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING RIGHT TO HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL FAMILY.

I LOVE TO BE WITH MY FRIEND JANET

2012-02-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

JANET AND I HAVE A VERY SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP. WHEN WE FIRST MOVED TO GRAND JUNCTION IN 1976 SHE WAS PRIMARY PRESIDENT AND I WAS PUT IMMEDIATELY IN AS A PRIMARY TEACHER.

WE HAD DAUGHTERS ABOUT THE SAME AGE THAT WERE FRIENDS IN THE WARD.

WHEN I HAD OUR LITTLE STILL BORN BABY IN 1978 IT WAS JANET THAT COMFORTED ME THE MOST BECAUSE SHE HAD A STILL BORN BABY TOO AND UNDERSTOOD MY GRIEF.

WHEN SHE BECAME THE RELIEF SOCIETY PRESIDENT I WAS CALLED AS THE MOTHER'S EDUCATION TEACHER WHICH WAS MY FAVORITE CALLING.

WHEN I STARTED GOING TO THE POOL TO EXERCISE, THERE WAS JANET. SHE BECAME MY POOL BUDDY!

THEN WHEN I HAD COLON CANCER, JANET CALLED ME UP 3 MONTHS LATER AND TOLD ME SHE HAD COLON CANCER TOO. WE WENT THROUGH CHEMO AT THE SAME TIME. WE UNDERSTOOD EACH OTHER AND HOW WE WERE FEELING AGAIN.

JANET AND I DECIDED AFTER OUR FIRST ROUND OF CHEMOTHERAPY THAT WE WOULD GO OUT TOGETHER AND CELEBRATE LIFE! WE BEGAN DOING THIS JUNE OF 2011. WE WOULD TRY TO DO THIS EVERY 3 MONTHS.

I WAS DEVASTATED TO HEAR THAT JANET HAD TO HAVE ANOTHER ROUND OF CHEMO. SHE ONLY HAS 3 MORE TREATMENTS AND IS DOING GREAT. I'M VERY PROUD OF HOW SHE IS HANDLING THIS.

LAST THURSDAY WE WENT OUT TO CELEBRATE LIFE AGAIN. WE ENJOY SHOPPING AT THE SAME STORES SO THAT WAS FUN.

WE DECIDED TO EAT AT DOS HOMBRES FOR DINNER. WHAT A FUN TIME WE HAD!! I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL FRIEND.

46 WONDERFUL YEARS!

2012-01-15T21:10:00.000-08:00

DON AND I LOOKED FORWARD TO CELEBRATING OUR 46TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY SATURDAY NIGHT. OUR ANNIVERSARY IS REALLY TODAY (JAN. 15) BUT WE WENT OUT LAST NIGHT SINCE WE DIDN'T WANT TO DO THIS ON SUNDAY.

WE LOVE SEAFOOD AND WE ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A NICE RED LOBSTER HERE IN GRAND JUNCTION.

OH HOW I LOVE BARBECUED SHRIMP. IT'S ALSO HEALTHIER THAN DEEP FRIED SHRIMP SO THAT IS WHAT WE HAD. DON ALWAYS LIKES ME TO ORDER SINCE I HAVE SUCH GOOD TASTE. DON HAS LEARNED THE HARD WAY SINCE HE ALWAYS THOUGHT MY FOOD LOOKED BETTER THAN HIS WHEN HE ORDERED SOMETHING.
NOW HE USUALLY SAYS "DITTO" TO WHAT I HAVE ORDERED.

WE BOXED UP A FEW THINGS SINCE WE WANTED TO HAVE ROOM FOR OUR COLD STONE TRADITION. WE DO LOVE OUR COLD STONE ICE CREAM TREAT.

IT WAS A FUN AND DELICIOUS EVENING FOR US. OF COURSE, DON WAS INTERESTED IN GETTING BACK TO THE PLAYOFFS AS SOON AS WE GOT HOME. I ENJOYED MORE ABRIDGING OF OUR FAMILY HISTORY WHILE WATCHING A GOOD MOVIE. WE DO LOVE OUR LIFE!!

SHARING OUR CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

2011-12-25T22:15:00.000-08:00

ON FRIDAY AFTER WORK, WE TOOK A LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE AND ANGEL OVER TO THE MEMORIAL PLAQUE FOR MOM, DAD, RON AND TERESA. WE MISS THEM ALL AND WANTED TO REMEMBER THEM. TERESA ALWAYS BOUGHT EVERYONE VERY SPECIAL GIFTS THAT SHE PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT IN THEM. SHE WAS LIMITED IN HER MONEY BUT SHE NEVER FORGOT ANYONE.

WE BEGAN OUR CHRISTMAS EVE CELEBRATION WITH TAMI AND JEFF'S ARRIVAL AT 4:30 P.M. WE ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO THIS NIGHT.

TAMI ALWAYS MAKES MAGIC COOKIE BARS FOR A SPECIAL TREAT THAT NIGHT. IT'S THE ONLY TIME WE EVER MAKE THIS RECIPE AND WE ALL LOVE THEM.

THEN IT'S TIME TO ORDER PIZZA FOR DINNER. IT ALWAYS TASTES ESPECIALLY GOOD ON CHRISTMAS EVE.

TIME TO OPEN OUR GIFTS TO EACH OTHER. OF COURSE THIS IS ALWAYS FUN!!

PART OF JEFF AND TAMI'S GIFT TO US IS THE CHRISTMAS BUFFET AT THE DOUBLE TREE HOTEL. SUCH GOOD FOOD AND GREAT COMPANY. THIS IS SUCH A GREAT TRADITION BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE TO SHOP FOR FOOD, COOK OR CLEAN UP AFTERWARDS. WE LOVE IT! JEFF AND TAMI INVITED HIS PARENTS AND A FRIEND FROM WORK THIS YEAR. WE HAD NEVER MET JEFF'S PARENTS BEFORE AND THIS WAS A GOOD WAY TO MEET THEM.

SOME LAST PICTURES BEFORE WE LEFT THE HOTEL. THANKS TAMI AND JEFF!

THIRD WARD CHRISTMAS PARTY

2011-12-17T21:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to the Ward's Christmas dinner and program. It was very nice. The food was wonderful and the atmosphere was great. Notice the nativity scene. Does it look familiar? I made this scene 35 years ago in San Diego the last Christmas we were there. It still looks pretty good for being so old.

The specialist over this night asked me to help out with the props and costumes. Rebecah wanted to have the Cultural Hall look like Bethlehem and she had each organization make a booth. She also encouaged those running the booths to dress up in Bethlehem costumes. This is the bread booth.

It was so nice to have Tami and Jeff with us at the dinner and program. Jeff enjoys our Ward dinners. It's always good food!

It's hard to believe that Christmas Eve is only one week away. It's been a fun and memorable season for us and this night helped to remind us again what Christmas was all about.

Oh yes, here's the shepherd scene from years ago. It's fun to pull these scenes out every year and use them. Who would have thought that they would have lasted this long. Tami and I wanted to finish up the evening in front of our favorite sheep scene.

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!

2011-12-05T13:45:00.001-08:00

It takes me 3 days to put up all our decorations and lights. It's always worth the effort when I'm finished. Tami makes me promise to not get on chairs any more to put up things. She comes over and does this for us now.

We are so blessed that Tami and Jeff live so close. Tami and I get together every Wed. night for our night out. She has lost 35 pounds since July and looks wonderful. I'm so proud of her for having the determination to keep herself at a good weight.

Tami has helped me out so much in getting me on Medicare part B and also a Supplement from United Health Care. She is so knowledgeable about health insurance and knows just what is the best for me during this time. Tami spent an hout on the phone on Friday night just getting everything set up for me with the Supplement and part D too. She is so good over the phone and knows exactly what they are talking about. I feel she is my personal secretary when it comes to things like this.......and she is FREE.

I have sent all my Christmas packages, Christmas cards and made goodies for my VT Sisters and Don's Home Teaching families. I'm really on top of things this year.

As you can see, I'm feeling good and getting lots done. Next week I go in for my 3 month doctor check up. I will be glad when this is over. I guess it is normal to always be a little nervous about this. I would be very surprised if they found anything wrong since I'm feeling so good. The only thing I need to do is sit back and enjoy this beautiful season!!

SUCH A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING

2011-11-30T17:54:00.001-08:00

WHO SAID HALLOWEEN IS JUST FOR KIDS?

2011-11-03T07:58:00.002-07:00

I bought costumes for our two little dogs. They are shark costumes and their heads are coming out of the sharks mouth. Our dogs are so patient and tolerant with these kind of things but they sure are glad when I take them off.

This seems to be the year of the Pirates. We had a pirate birthday party for Ben this summer and Coldon was a pirate for Halloween. I decided to brush off my pirate costume this year and wear it on Halloween too.

Tami and I found a pumpkin patch here in Grand Junction. It was on 5th and White. We enjoyed picking out a pumpkin and buying it.

Tami enjoying the leaves before it gets too cold.

MY SPECIAL FRIEND JANET

2011-11-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

When we first moved to Grand Junction 35 years ago Janet was the Primary President. I was called to be a Primary teacher so Janet was one of the first sister that I got to know.

When I had our little still born baby in 1978 I had a visitor that understood what I was going through since she had a still born baby a few years before. That was Janet.

I've always loved her and felt a kinship with her.

When I had Colon Cancer I had a phone call and it was Janet. She asked me if what I had was catching because she had just been diagnosed with colon cancer too. Again, we went through chemotherapy and understood each others fears and concerns as well as physical problems that we were going through together.

Janet also loves to scrapbook and we like to share projects we are working on.

Janet is facing another round of Chemo because her cancer has come back. This has been hard on both of us and I am there for her every step of the way. I wish I could take this away from her but at least she knows I understand. When I went to sit with her for her treatment last Tuesday, I couldn't believe that it had been only one year ago when I had my last chemo. I hope and pray that this will be her last treatment too!! Please keep her in your prayers.

WE LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!

2011-11-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

The colors are so pretty and the weather is lovely. What more could we ask for.

Don picked out his pumpkin to carve. I think this time of year brings out the kid in you.

I still love to decorate our home and Mr. Pumpkin man is one of my favorite decorations.

Tami has lost a little over 30 pounds since July. I'm so proud of her. She looks wonderful as you can see.

TWO BIRTHDAYS IN ONE WEEK

2011-10-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

I turned 69 years old on Sept. 28. This is my last year in my 60's and I want to make the most of each day. I don't dread 70 at all. In fact, I embrace it when it comes.

I had such a fun birthday celebration. I heard from all our girls and received some spending money that I have already spent buying luggage. My large suitcase died on my last trip and I needed another one for my next trip in the Spring. Thank you so much for the cards and lovely messages. It seems like the older you get the more meaningful the messages become.

After work Tami and Jeff came over to help us celebrate. We always have such a good time together and look forward to every occasion that we can do these memories together. I got this beautiful top that I loved from Christopher and Banks. I knew that I would wear this top at Tami's birthday celebration.

After taking our traditional timed picture together Tami and Jeff took us to Red Robin for dinner. It was a lovely evening and we all enjoyed it.

Yesterday, Oct. l, Tami and Jeff came over at 4:OO to celebrate Tami's birthday. We had all looked forward to this. Because Tami is a great TREASURE in our lives I had a TREASURE BOX THEME with balloons connected to TREASURE BOXES. Inside the boxes were messages to tell her what her gift was. It was a fun way to show our love and appreciation for Tami and all that she does for us.

After our timed picture, Tami chose Golden Corral for her birthday dinner. It 's always delicious there and Tami loves the salads. Tami has lost 25 pounds and still going strong with Weight Watchers. She looks wonderful and I admire how determined she is. When Tami puts her mind to something, nothing stops her. It reminds me of the rest of this family!

Before we left Tami wanted me to take a picture of the TREASURE BOXES, gifts and balloons.

It was a wonderful and fun week. Now I have to be good in my eating again. It's great to go off once in awhile, especially on these kind of occasions.

MY EAST COAST VISIT

2011-09-29T21:20:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to get on my blog for the last month. Tonight I finally figured out a way to share my East Coast visit with all of you. First of all, it was a great trip and I had such a wonderful time with my East Coast families.

Going to North Carolina was such fun. The Torgesen's always make me feel wanted and loved. The day that I flew out to NC was the day of the earthquake that hit Washington DC. Then of course, there was a worry of a hurricane that was going to hit the NC coast line within days of my visit. It was pretty exciting!
Ben had his birthday while I was there. Lara, the kids and I decided to give Ben a surprise birthday with a PIRATE theme. We had such a good time deciding on our pirate costumes, decorations, gifts and even a pirate dance. We got Ben to wear something red since I wanted to take pictures of the family that day. Of course, he didn't have any idea that he would blend in with our red, black and white PIRATE theme.

The birthday surprise was so fun and Ben had no idea about what was going to happen. We actually did this on the Sat. before his birthday which was the day that hurricane Irene was going to hit. It was a perfect thing to do since we thought we would be stuck inside all day. This family picture was taken after our birthday party.

It was also fun to be there for the first day of school for Paige, Chloe and Tyler. The excitement of getting ready the night before and then taking them to school that first day was fun. We also celebrated that evening by going out to dinner. This brought back such fun memories when we took our daughters to their first day of school and then celebrated that evening.

Here we are waiting for out table to eat out. Such a cute family!
I always knew that I was safe in North Carolina since I was protected each day by HE MAN. This was a comforting thought.

VISITING MORE FAMILY

2011-09-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

After 1 1/2 weeks it was time to go to Virginia. Don flew in Labor Day Week-end and it was good to see him. Reygan is now 5 months old and has changed so much since the last time I saw her. What a cutie.

Lara and Ben drove me up to Virginia since we all wanted to go to Nolan'a Blessing on Sunday. That is where we met up with Don. He had flown in to Dullas the day before and had stayed all night with Tasha and Jeff.

Holding Reygan for the first time on this trip. It was so good to see more of my family and get to know Reygan again.

Grandpa Don holding Reygan. She seems to enjoy her Grandpa.

I'm in seventh heaven when I'm with my grandchildren. God's compensation for growing older is having grandchildren and I believe this. I feel so blessed!

Tasha and Jeff are in their new home and it is beautiful. It's a very comfortable and roomy. We all loved it.

EAST COAST TRIP CONTINUES...

2011-09-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before Labor Day is when we all went to Maryland. We got to meet Nolan for the first time. He is now 2 months. old.

Landon is a great big brother to Nolan. He is growing up so fast and just turned 3 years old.

It was so good to see Abby again. She is now in Kindergarten this year and is a very creative little girl. I love to see what she is making. While we were there she made a very long chain out of paper and wore it on her head. It was her version of TANGLES and she was wearing Rupunzels long braid.

It was raining a great deal during out stay in Maryland. That didn't stop Jason from barbecuing!

I wanted to take a picture of Tasha and Jeff's family and I've included it here. What a cute family!!

OUR EAST COAST VISIT CONTINUES.......

2011-09-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

The Blessing Day arrived and our little man was ready. What a sweet little boy Nolan is. Such a good baby.

It was a wonderful family group that attended Nolan's Blessing. Both sets of Nolan's grandparents were there along with Lara and Ben's family and Tasha and Jeff's family. The only Cleveland daughter missing was Tami. We missed her and her husband Jeff.

It was so neat to have all our grandchildren there. I had bought pink shirts for the girls and black shirts for the boys. I was so excited to get pictures of all of them together.

After leaving Maryland I was back in Virginia. I had so much fun with Coldon. He let me take some photo's of him and we also made cookies. It was a short visit but memorable. Jeff had to go out of town but Tasha still wanted to take me to the Cheese Cake Factory. She knows that is one of my favorite places to eat.

My trip came to a close after 2 1/2 weeks. What a lovely time I had. Of course, it goes way too fast. I accomplished everything that I set out to do and I have my family fix for another 6 months. I hope to go back in the Spring for Reygan's one year old birthday. That's something to look forward to.

I felt really good and strong on this trip. I thank God that I'm still able to do these trips and hope to make many more in the future.

I FEEL SO BLESSED!

2011-08-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't know I was giving birth to 4 of my best friends years ago. That's a great feeling!! I truly feel very blessed.

Having Tami live close is so fun for us. She is such a caring and loving daughter. Tami calls almost every morning at 9:00 just to hear my voice and make sure her dad and I are doing good. Of course, we go out every Wednesday night to enjoy one another. I've already blogged recently about this.

Today she is coming over to be with us for a few hours since I'm leaving for my east coast trip on Tuesday. We are going to go to dinner and then make some cookies together. Jeff is having a friend over so he won't be coming.

I'm so proud of Tami. She began Weight Watchers , after our family reunion , this summer and has lost 15 pounds so far. I'm amazed at her determination to accomplish goals when she sets her minds to something. I'll miss Tami when I'm gone the next 2 1/2 weeks.

However, I'm going to see my 3 other best friends while I'm gone. I'm also going to see all of our eight grandchildren. I'm flying in to North Carolina first and spending 1 1/2 weeks with the Torgesen's. It's been over 2 years since I've been able to do this. I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to go to their home again with my cancer last year. I'm feeling good and can do everything that I want to do now.

The Torgesen's are driving me up to Virginia to see Tasha and her family. It will be so exciting to see and be with the Ladner's again. Then we will all go up to Maryland to be at the Blessing of our newest grandson's. I'll be staying with the Ladner's and Call's for a week. Don is flying in the week-end of the Blessing so we will all be together for a few days. I feel so grateful that Don and I have this opportunity to see our east coast families.

I am feeling very rich with blessings right now and wanted to share these feelings with you.

JEFF'S BIRTHDAY

2011-08-19T22:20:00.001-07:00

We looked forward to Tami and Jeff coming over after work so that we could celebrate Jeff's birthday. The first thing was for Jeff to open his gift from us.

Then there's the famous timed picture before going out to dinner of Jeff's choice. He wanted to go to McCallister's. It was a good choice!

I LOVE WEDNESDAY EVENINGS

2011-08-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

Come rain, hail, snow or sleet, Tami and I love getting together on Wed. nights. We call it our Weight Watchers night even though we don't go to WW. We almost always eat at Subway. Tami reports her weight lose on this night. She has lost 13 pounds since the family reunion in July. I've lost 5 pounds. We are on a roll!

We are now walking the Mall for exercise. It's fun to walk with Tami because we visit and catch up on all the news and the time flies.

We also shop! It's so fun to go in to Christopher Banks, Target, Sears or Herberger's to check out the great sales. I think Tami and I were born to shop!!

Since I pick Tami up after she gets off work, I drive her home to Fruita after our fun night at the Mall together. It's a great way to spend an evening. This summer Jeff goes golfing on Wednesday nights so he doesn't mind Tami enjoying this time with me.

DON TURNS 71 AND STILL GOING STRONG!

2011-07-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

We had a nice celebration after Tami and Jeff got off work. We began by having Don read his cards from everyone. He always enjoys looking and reading the cards. He gets such a kick out of the funny ones. It's always great to read the love messages that are written by his girls. When you get older these things are so important.

Tami, Jeff and I always enjoy hearing from Lara, Tasha and Dadra too. Don did get some serious money which is always fun! Lara had bought Don some shoes while she was here last week and I blogged about this earlier. Jeff and Tami gave him a Marine Corps sweatshirt that will come in handy when the weather is cooler.

We had to have a timed picture before leaving for dinner. Don got to pick out where we would eat and he picked Pizza Hut.

The salad and pizza tasted especially good to everyone. You can tell by the window that it had been raining all day. The Monsoon has hit early in Colorado this year.

It was a great birthday celebration and everyone had a great time. Don has been off work the past few days and tomorrow (July13) he starts work again. Yes, he is still going strong and bringing in the money by working at the age of 71. Don is amazing!!

I'M DON'S PRINCESS!

2011-07-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

On April 30, it was a cold and rainy Saturday. Don and I decided to watch Kate and Prince Willim's Wedding. We both enjoyed it very much. During one of the commercials this ring was being advertized. It's a replica of Princess Diana's engagement ring and then William gave it to Kate for her engagement ring. Don told me that he wanted to buy this ring for me.....that I deserved it since I was his Princess.

I just laughed but then I realized he was serious when he went to the phone and called the number to order it. Don wanted my ring size and then hung up. Yes, he spent his meager allowance to buy me this ring.

When the ring came in the mail and Don gave it to me, I found that it is one of my most precious piece of jewelry that I have and I wear it every day. It means so much to me because of the love that Don has for me and he wanted me to have it. I DO FEEL LIKE HIS PRINCESS!!

A VERY SPECIAL BROTHER-IN-LAW

2011-07-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

On Friday July 8, the Summer's had a surprise early birthday party for Kelly's 70th birthday. Since the whole family were here for the Eames/Maddy reunion, they stayed the week to plan the surprise. It was held at the Redlands Church building since many of the Grand Junction Stake members were invited. The tables were decorated so cute. This one is of Kelly's boots and the hotel/home that Kelly called home in Monticello, Utah. Each table had a memento or picture that represented a part of Kelly's life. They also had tables set up on the side that were filled with keepsakes and mementos too.

When Kelly appeared at 7:OO p.m. the lights were turned on and then we all said "SURPRISE!"
He couldn't believe his eyes with all the people there. Kelly is loved by many people in this valley. He had people that he worked with for years, members of the church and family that had come from Utah there.

Kelly loved going around the Cultural Hall shaking hands and visiting with everyone. Refreshments were served while people mingled. It was a wonderful turnout.

Don and I were excited to be part of this celebration. We love and admire Kelly so much. Don wore his BYU shirt in honor of Kelly because they have made many trips over to Provo, to see football together. Kelly is a die heart fan of the Cougars! This is another part of his personality.

Being the Grand Junction West Stake's President, Kelly is also a very spiritual man that loves the Lord. I love to hear his testimony. Kelly loves his pioneer heritage and it was because of him that we made a couple of trips over to Wyoming to experience the handcart rescue area. That is something that has changed all our lives for the better. We will always be grateful for this.

Kelly is a great father too. Kenny, his only son, greeted and conducted this event and his 5 daughters and Kenny's wife Johanna topped off the celebration with their original song and dance routine about their Dad's life. It was so cute and so funny. They are very talented and clever girls.

Kelly has always been a very special man and I'm so glad I can call him my brother!!

DINOSAUR MUSEUM

2011-07-14T15:55:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I've been able to blog since my computer has been acting up. I wanted to share the fun time we had at the Dinosaur Museum the last day that Lara and the children were here. It's a great Museum in Fruita. Here Chloe, Paige and Tyler are uncovering valuable artifacts from the sand. They really liked doing this.

This dinosaur actually spits out water so you have to be careful or you would get wet. If this dinosaur had of been real, it would have been venom that would have come squirting out of it's mouth to paralize it's prey.

This was the main attraction at the Museum. It's a life size Tyrannosaurus that moves and roars. The eyes actually followed you and it looks like it's about ready to eat you.....pretty scary. Makes you so glad that they don't live in our world today.

Can you imagine this is the heart of a dinosaur? This area in Colorado is one of the famous places that bones have been discovered from dinosaurs. That means we would have lived along side these beast!

This was a great way to end our fun week. It's always hard to see our family leave but I will be going to the Torgesen's for 1 1/2 weeks in August and the first of September, so our goodby's weren't that hard. Dadra and Jason will be Blessing Nolan on Labor Day week-end and Don and I will be there along with the Torgesen's and Ladner's. Something to look forward to.

DEDICATING THE EAMES MEMORIAL PLAQUE

2011-07-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

After Paige's baptism we all went to Memorial Gardens. The plaque looked wonderful and everyone was impressed with it as well as the beautiful sight it was at.

Balloons were passed out. I said a few remarks before counting down to the release of the balloons. This represented to all of us that our loved ones were in Heaven as we watched the balloons fly away high in the sky.

What a special moment this was to all of us. Don did a beautiful job dedicating the Memorial Plaque.

A SPECIAL SATURDAY

2011-07-04T09:25:00.001-07:00

Paige had her baptism at 4:00 p.m. Don baptized her and her other grand-dad, Joe Torgesen, confirmed her.
Don presented Paige with a white rose bud before taking her to the font. She is to watch it blossom this week. This rose bud is like Paige right now and as she sees the rose bud bloom into a beautiful white rose, this is what she will do as she lives the commandments of her Heavenly Father. Paige will blossom into a beautiful young women worthy to enter into the House of the Lord with her future companion. This rose was a tradition in our family when all our girls were baptized.
Here is Paige after she got dressed into her beautiful new dress showing the baptismal program I had made for this special occasion.

Picture of the newest member of the Church with her Mom, sister Chloe and Grandmother Julie.

We had a wonderful group at the baptism since it was our Family Reunion. We all met at Golden Corral at 6:30 for a family dinner. It was a special day!

SPECIAL SUNDAY

2011-07-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

We met Karen and Joe at our Sacrament Meeting on Sunday morning. Afterwards we took some family photo's before saying our goodbys. They were on their way to Telleride to see more of beautiful Colorado before flying back to Florida.It was so special having Karen and Joe here for this week end. We are an eternal family and Don and I feel so blessed to have them be a part of our lives.

On Sunday evening we met at the Redlands Chapel. We first watched a slide show that Clarissa and the Summers girls put together about Henry Thomas and Velma Eames' family as well as some early memories. Then we went to the Relief Society Room for a testimony meeting. I was so pleased that Tyler, Paige and Chloe all stood up and shared their testimony. I was able to share mine too.

It was a special hour.
I took some cousins pictures in the line up of age. This is a tradition in our family. There are 30 grandchildren in the Eames family and 15 were here for this reunion. Two of them had left this afternoon for St. George so they weren't here for the picture. I also took family pictures during the evening. We had 61 members of the family at this reunion. What a group!

FUN FRIDAY

2011-07-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

Don loved having Lara take him shopping for his birthday this month. Her dad found shoes called the TRAIL GLOVES. He loves them and was so excited to get a pair. Chloe went with them and had fun trying different shoes on too.

All the children are enjoying the dogs. Muffin enjoys the attention of Tyler and tries to give him a kiss with her tongue. Muffin was Teresa's dog and is doing great here in our home. We are so grateful for this.

Paige seems comfortable with Muffin. She used to be afraid of dogs and is getting over that fear.
Here's Chloe with Muffin. They look like they are admiring each other in this picture.
Joe and Karen Torgesen got here this afternoon. They took us out to dinner at CONCHITAS. We love them here and enjoyed visiting with them before they left for The Double Tree Hotel. We have a big day tomorrow with Paige's baptism!

ANOTHER FUN DAY

2011-06-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Last night Tami came over after work. I took pictures of Tami with the children. They love having Tami come over to be a part of our family. She went to the Mall with us to do some shopping.

As Paige said....."I love to shop!" She found a wonderful buy on a dress at Herberger's that originally was $64. We got it for $20. It was a perfect dress for after her baptism on Saturday.

This is Paige with her new dress. She loved it and so did all of us when she tried it on. I want to make her a pretty hair decoration to match the dress.

Today was a day of going to the playgrounds. In the morning we went to Rocket Part. It was a cool morning with a cloud cover. A perfect day for the children to enjoy the outdoors.

Tonight we went to McDonald's and had an ice cream treat. Then Chloe, Paige and Tyler enjoyed McDonald's fun area for about an hour. It was a great and fun day!

2011-Torgesen's Summer Visit

2011-06-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

It was so great to see Lara and the children again. We have a whole week of fun ahead of us. Paige and Tyler are already enjoying the dogs.

Lara was interested in reading and seeing Teresa's life story. I always like Lara's input about things. She found it very interesting to say the least.

This morning I had Tyler and Paige picking up the cotton from our cotton tree. I told them I would pay them a dollar if they would pick it up for me in the back yard. We are going shopping at the Mall tonight and they were excited about earning some money. They did such a beautiful job and I was so pleased with how neat our backyard looked without the cotton.

It was time to count the quarters in my piggy bank. This is a tradition for the children when they come to grandma Julie's home. I save quarters all year long and then after counting the quarters it is theirs to spend.

We took the quarters to the bank and got the money. It ended up being almost $70. After dividing the money up we are ready to shop! YIPPIE!!

AN EVENING OF AMERICANA

2011-06-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Don was asked to give a pioneer story at our Stake's second President's Concert Series last night. He has been thinking, pondering, practicing and praying on what he wanted to share about Francis and Ann Elizabeth Webster's amazing story.

Don wanted to wear his family reunion shirt, cowboy hat, scarf and gun belt to look the part.
Tami came over to be a part of this special event and support her Dad. Here we are just before leaving for the Church building. Don did such a great job and even made Tami and I tear up with the story he told. We have heard so much of it during the years, but it never gets old to us. What an incredible pioneer history we all have in this family. Of course, Don told the story in his own words and every one was very attentive and listening.....even the small children. We were so proud of him and how he honored part of the history of this country.

After Don's talk, Tami and I left. I took her over to Memorial Gardens to see the new EAMES plaque that was placed this week. Tami loved it and we were both very moved by the plaque and the beauty of where it is located near the statue of Christ.
We even have our own bench that we can sit on as we look at the plaque and remember our loved ones. I really feel so good about where we buried the ashes and now the plaque. I can feel at peace about all of this. Everything has been done, that I wanted, thanks to the money that was left over from Teresa's burial account. Don will dedicate the plaque during our family reunion on July 2, 2011.

Tami enjoying a conversation with her Dad.

2011-06-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

I was watching and listening to Tami and Don's conversation when we were at Red Robin on Saturday night. I got such a kick out of the expressions that Tami had. I decided to take some candid shots on my camera. I told her to not pay any attention to what I was doing so they kept on talking.

I loved doing this and showed her the pictures. Tami got a kick out of the them. I thought I would share these moments with you. Tami is such a beautiful woman. We are so blessed to have daughters that love and care about their parents and enjoy listening to them.

FATHER'S DAY...2011

2011-06-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

I've thought so much about my dad today. He was such a great man and I loved him so much. Feeling safe, loved, protected and secure, describes how I felt about my dad. From the time I can first remember, he was always there for me.

I LOVE YOU DAD AND MISS YOU SO MUCH! I'M SENDING A HAPPY FATHER'S DAY MESSAGE TO YOU WHERE EVER YOU ARE!

FATHER'S DAY BEGINS ON SATURDAY

2011-06-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Tami and Jeff came over in the early afternoon. They wanted to be here before Don came home from work since he worked today. Jeff wanted to set up the BOWFLEX that Don has been wanting. I had asked Jeff if he would sell his to me. After thinking about it for a couple of days Jeff told me that he would like $55 because he wanted a pair of shorts that cost that much. I couldn't believe that this was his asking price since a BOWFLEX cost a lot more than that! I told him that I wouldn't pay less than $100 for it. What a deal I got!! Don got home about 3:00 p.m. and we started our Father's Day by him opening a gift from Tami and Jeff. Don loved the POW/MIA shirt they gave him. He also enjoyed the cards and money he got from Dadra, Tasha and Lara. The messages of love they wrote were very touching and full of love.

I knew that Don would be thrilled when he saw the BOWFLEX instructions that was the next gift. Then we went to the back patio and there it was! Don couldn't believe it when he realized that it was his.

What a great Father's Day gift for Don. It was quite a surprise for him.

Then it was a timed picture before going to Red Robin for dinner. We said our goodby's to Tami and Jeff after our delicious meal.

To top off the early Father's Day, Don and I stopped off at Cold Stones for a great treat....YUM! It was a fun afternoon and we still have tomorrow to celebrate and think about our Father's.

CELEBRATING LIFE!

2011-06-17T10:04:00.001-07:00

Janet and I decided that every 3 months we would get together and do something special. Last night was our first CELEBRATION OF LIFE. We went to Leon's for dinner. It's a cute little Mexican place on 30 Road. I had never been there before. We enjoyed visiting and being together.

Our only symptom of chemotherapy is neuropathy. This can take a long time to heal and go away. Sometimes it never goes away in some people but we know this won't happen to us. We will get better and normal again. Neuropathy is tingling, numbness, pain, etc. in your hands and feet. I'm grateful that I can still write, type and do everything that I want to do. However, sometimes at night my hands feel like they are on fire. When I walk, I always feel like I'm walking on rocks. With neuropathy a person is unsteady on their feet and has to be careful.

It's nice to have someone that truly understands the world of colon cancer and the treatments. Janet and I are good support for each other. We now go to the Oncology doctor every 3 months for a check up. My appointment for my sixth month check up is next Thursday. I feel great and have good energy so I'm not too concerned over this Dr. appointment. However, I'll be glad to get it over with for another 3 months.

Do you remember my frustrations?

2011-06-12T09:03:00.001-07:00

This was my hair back in December. It was interesting because I didn't lose any hair during my treatments. It was after my radiation and chemo that I saw my hair falling out.

AN OLD DO IS BACK!

2011-06-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty excited that I can now wear my own hair style rather than a wig. For months I have had 2 areas where my hair was thin. I am lucky that I didn't lose my hair during chemo, but the thin areas were frustrating for me until I found the perfect wig to cover them up until my hair grew back.

The top of my hair is nice and thick again as well as the back of my hair.
I do have very curly hair now. I think I will need to keep it shorter because of this. The curls are manageable if my hairs shorter.

With the summer heat, it's going to be nice not having to wear a wig if I don't want to. I feel very blessed. Just thought I would share this news.

A GOOD DAY

2011-06-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

I have had a project of writing Teresa's history. This was almost an overwhelming job. I really felt like I needed help. I prayed about this before I began. I can honestly say that for the past few weeks Teresa's history flowed out and it's now finished. I feel very good about this project and I think Teresa would be pleased.
I also enjoyed taking my sister Clarissa out to lunch for her birthday. We had a great visit and a delicious meal at Dos Hombres. Clarissa and Kelly are taking a trip to Oregon and Idaho for 11 days. Carol and Catherine are going with them. They are going to all our old homes, schools, etc. It's going to be a trip down memory lane. They will also visit Aunt Lois, my cousins Marsha and David. I told her to take lots of pictures.
On the way home I stopped at Alpine Bank to see one of my Day Care children from years ago. Can you guess who it is? Do you remember Ann Marie and Heather? Well, this is a grown up Heather. It was so fun to see her again and visit for a little bit.
Don had run into her when he was on the job with Loomis and she recognized him. She has such fond memories of our home and wanted to know about everyone. By the way, Ann Marie just graduated from college and Dillon is now 13 years old. How time flies. Heather told me that she still has her scrapbook we made, the quilt that she colored the blocks and I sewed together, etc. She said that everything is in a keepsake tote and she loves to look through it.

Heather is a beautiful 21 year old and has been working at the bank for 3 years. It was such fun to see and visit with her again. It was a great day!

MEMORIAL DAY 2011

2011-06-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

I went to Hobby Lobby and found a wonderful plaque with a scripture on it. I also found a flower container and some sunflowers that would be perfect for the area that the ashes are at. I thought the plaque would prevent anyone walking on that area as well as help identify where we placed the ashes.

We picked up Tami and took her out to the Summer's property. She helped us place everything. It was another special moment for all 3 of us.

This was a wonderful way to start out our Memorial Day celebration. Tami said that she needed this. Teresa's death has been hard on her and this gave her some comfort too.

A RESTING PLACE FOR THE ASHES

2011-06-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Teresa had mother and dad's ashes. When Teresa died, I then had all of the ashes in our home. I had a great desire to find a good place to bury them. For some reason scattering the ashes didn't appeal to me. I talked to Clarissa and Kelly about burying them out in their field. We have had such wonderful times as a family at the Summer's, and having the ashes buried there was very comforting. They gave us permission to do this.

On May 21, Don and I went out to the Summer's. Clarissa showed us where she thought would be a good place. Don had his shovel and began to dig a hole. We then placed mom, dad's and Teresa's ashes in the ground and covered them up. It was a very sacred experience for us. Don then dedicated this spot as a special place to remember those that we loved so much.
Don and I felt so good about burying the ashes in such a beautiful and special place.
As we were talking to Clarissa before we left, Don said "look". There were 2 deer between us and the buried ashes. The deer both looked up and it was like an omen that what we did was met with approval. It was a very special experience and one we will remember.

MOTHER'S DAY WEEK-END

2011-05-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

I was going stir crazy since not being able to drive for a few days. I was feeling good enough to do things but felt that I needed to listen to my doctor since my hysterectomy. He said not to do anything for a week. Don had to work on Saturday so Tami wanted to take me out to lunch for Mother's Day. I was delighted!

We went to Denneys and had a great salad. I felt good enough to do a little shopping before going back home. I wanted a little end table for the side of my bed for my clock, so we went to The Clothes Closet to look around. Didn't find anything. Tami vacuumed the carpet for me before going back home.

On Sunday I decided to go to Sacrament Meeting. I always love to go and take the Sacrament and get spiritually fed for the week. It was a nice Mother's Day meeting and then flowers were handed out to all the women of the Ward. Here I am with Janet Forsgren and Linda Collins. Janet and I have so much in common since both of us went through Chemo. She is doing good except for her hands. She has the same thing that I have and it's driving her crazy. We always compare how things are going. It's nice to have someone that really understands how things feel.

I left for home after Sacrament and while I was relaxing on our new chair Shadow started getting excited and started to scratch on the window and started whinning. She only does this with Tami and Terersa so I couldn't figure out why she was behaving like that. Then Jeff and Tami came in the door. It was a nice surprise. They had bought me a perfect little table that I had wanted. We had a nice visit before they left.

I enjoyed reading the TRIBUTE TO MOM book that I had written. It brought back memories and a few tears for me. It was a wonderful way to honor my mother today. Jeff showed me how to scan again and I was able to put a couple of pictures of my mom and I on Facebook for all of you to see.

Don bought Kentucky Fried Chicken for us so that I didn't have to fix a meal. He also bought a delicious apple pie for a treat.

All our daughers called today and I loved talking to them. I feel like Mother's Day is every day since our daughters are so good to Don and I. It's lovely that a day is set aside for honoring our mother's but I really don't need this day to feel loved. That's a great thing to be able to say. I'm very blessed!!

ANOTHER SURGERY

2011-05-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did it again. I actually had my hysterectomy and my port out. It was great having both done at the same time. Here I am about six hours later. Tami got such as kick out of the fact I wanted to get my make up on and hair fixed. Of course I always feel that if you look good you will feel better. It always works for me.

Tami had taken yesterday off to ber with me all day. She was a task master making me eat ice and blowing in my lung blower more than I wanted to. Actually, she was wonderful and I loved having her there with me. My lower abdomen doesn't hurt like I thought it would. My groin hurts the most. Those stirrups are the worst. I'm sure glad I was out!

Clarissa came and visited me about 5:00 when Tami and Jeff left. We visited for about 3 hours. Today she is on her way to Denver to see her girls. How nice would that be!

Don came after work and then came back after feeding the dog and fixing his own supper. It was nice to have family around. I did miss Teresa.

Today Tami took half the day off to take me home and spend the rest of the day with me. She is such a caring daughter and I feel so blessed that all our girls are so loving to their parents. I can't imagine being neclected like some parents are when they get older.

I'm so glad this surgery is over with. Another thing behind me!

LOVE OUR DOGS AND APPRECIATION DINNER

2011-05-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Muffin is doing so good and feels a part of our home now. She is very active and loves the window and doggy door just like Shadow does. The dogs are quite a pair.

Shadow and Muffin really like Don's new chair too. There's room for both of them to sit on each side of Don's leg as you can see by this picture.
'

Here's a picture of Murphy and Bella. They are quite a pair too. We met them for the first time on last Friday night when we took Tami and Jeff out for our yearly Appreciation Day.

Yes, we finally got the dinner in. With Jeff's parents moving to Grand Junction, they were busy helping them out the past 2 week-ends and so we put it off until things settled down. It was a fun evening to show our appreciation for all their help this past year. Having them so live so close, Tami especially takes good care of us and makes sure we are doing good. I get a phone call every morning at 9:00 a.m. to make sure we are OK. It's also fun to look forward to our Wednesday night outings.

EASTER 2011

2011-04-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

The first thing we did was go to Alasha's grave and place an Easter basket and some flowers around it.

It is a beautiful time of year and the trees were gorgeous! Everything coming to life again is so symbolic of what Easter is all about.

We always love to sit on this bench and take some pictures in the shade. Of course it's not very hot today.
It's still a great place to sit. Easter wouldn't be Easter without going to Memorial Gardens. We actually started this tradition of going to the cemetary in San Diego and it never gets old.

THE STATUES AT MEMORIAL GARDENS

2011-04-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

We love the statues at Memorial Gardens because they remind us of the life of Christ. We always love this statue of the resurrection. Our little Alasha is buried a few feet from Christ's right hand. We enjoy walking around the area and taking pictures at each statue. It was a lovely morning in between the rain drops. What a special way to begin our Easter.

The dogs love to go with us and they are good walkers on the grass area. The clouds were getting darker to we knew we didn't have more than 1/2 hour before we would be wet.

Here Christ is praying at the Garden of Gethsamanee.

This statue is the Sermon on the Mount. It represents His teaching of the Gospel and love for people. Since Tami had gone to her Sacrament Meeting before we went to Memorial Gardens, she left for home while Don and I went to our meetings. Sacrament was so spiritual and I found myself tearing up a great deal. I told Don that I think I was spiritually in tune because of going to Memorial Gardens before hand and I really felt the spirit. I'm so grateful for my knowledge of Christ, His Gospel and His Resurrection. It's so much easier to lose loved ones in death when we know we will see them again. This has really comforted me this past month and year.

EASTER FUN DAY

2011-04-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Tami and Jeff brought us an Easter basket with some goodies today. We thought this was a cute surprise. They know that Mr. Goodbars are our favorite candy bar. They also gave us a wonderful smelling candle called Plum Pudding.

We wanted to make some Easter cookies so Tami made the cake mix cookie dough. Of course, then it was time for our traditional cookie dough tasting picture.

I had boiled 2 dozen eggs to decorate. Even Jeff and Don got into this activity. It had been 40 years since Jeff had colored eggs and he said that he had out grown that. After we began coloring the eggs he decided to try it. We had a good time and the eggs were very colorful.

Tami and I decorated the cookies. We colored the frosting with green food coloring and then made it look like grass with a fork. Peanut M&M's were added to the grass to look like Easter eggs. We had done this a couple of years ago at Tasha and JJ's home. I wanted to show Tami how to do it. It's so easy and cute.

As you can see we had a good time. I hope you had a Easter fun day too. Tomorrow is Easter and we are looking forward to this. It's going to rain but we will still make the most of this special day.

SHOPPING AND HAVING FUN!

2011-04-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Tami and I love to shop at the Mall. We look for great buys every week. The Spring jackets we are wearing for Easter were $52.00 and we got them for $13.00. LOVE IT!!

This week when we got together, we had our yearly picture taken with the Easter Bunny. We had a great time doing this.

When I got home from Tami's and my night out, this is the sight I saw. Don loves his new chair and finds it a great bed.

We took the dogs to the vet on Thursday night for check ups and shots. The total was $250.00. WOW!! Two dogs can get expensive. We do enjoy them so they are worth it.

MEMORIES OF A YEAR AGO

2011-04-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

I was put in to the hospital because of a tumor in my colon. On this day I had 3 blood transfusions, constant saline solutions and antibiotics to build me up for my operation the next day. I actually was feeling better than I had been for a long time with all this stuff being pumped into my body.

Tami, Jeff, Teresa and Don were right there for me. I was worried about getting the playroom ready for Dadra and the children's visit but Teresa said that she would take care of this and not worry about anything. She didn't need to go to work until 12:30 so she had all morning to get our home ready. I also had a list of things I needed and Teresa brought all those things for me so that I could get myself looking decent. I knew if I could fix my hair and get my make up on I would feel better.

Dadra and the children got in later that evening. Their plane was delayed in Denver because of a tornado warning. I couldn't believe this. What else could go wrong? Anyway, Tami was there waiting for them at the airport and brought them directly to the hospital when they finally got in.

What a relief it was for all of us to have them safe and sound in our hospital room. It boasted my spirits to have so much family that loved me around me at this time. The rest is history. I have recovered from the operation, treatments, etc. I feel better now than I have for a good 1 1/2 years. My energy is great and I'm enjoying food again (almost too much).

I really appreciated all the love and attention Teresa gave me last year and will always be very grateful to her. She was there when I needed her. The day that I had my 3 month check up from my doctor is the day we found out that she had died. It was like she was telling me that now that I was OK, she could go on and leave this world.

A NEW CHAIR!

2011-04-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Our blue recliner is slowly wearing out. Jeff reinforced the bottom of the chair but it was beginning to lean backwards. Don fell in love with a very comfortable recliner at Big Lots. It really was like sitting or laying on pillows and it was easy to get in and out of. I decided to surprise Don and buy it for him today. I got our new neighbor to help me out since he had a truck. He had a friend help him lift our bllue chair in to the playroom and then met me at Big Lots to bring our new chair home. I paid them for their services.

I could hardly wait until Don got home to see his reaction. At first he didn't see the chair. We said our hello's and he was wondering why I was taking pictures of him.

Finally Don looked at the chair and could hardly believe his eyes. He was delighted! I told him that I wanted to buy this for him because he works so hard every day and he deserved this. Then I said "HAPPY EASTER!"

I thought I would add our little Easter Bunny Dogs to finish off this blog. They are sitting on our new chair to pose with the ears.
Hope you had a great day too!!

EASTERS ALMOST HERE!

2011-04-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

Can't help but think of Teresa at this time of year. She loved all our traditions. Here she is coloring eggs last year with Tami and I. Didn't realize this would be the last Easter she would be with us. Sometimes it's hard to know that Teresa won't be coming in our door in the mornings to just say hello. I do miss her!

I feel so blessed that Tami lives close by and we will still do our special things. Tami is such a rock for me and even though she is a worry wort about my health, I think she is beginning to relax about it. I told her that if I wasn't doing good I would have never been able to go across country by myself.

We always get together on Thursday night for our mother/daughter night. We have such a good time going out to eat and do some serious "sale" shopping. Our favorite stores are Herberger's and Christopher and Banks. We are changing our mother/daughter night to Wednesday nights this summer since Jeff will be golfing that night.

Here we all are at the cemetery last year. Part of our Easter Tradition was to go to Memorial Garden's after church and walk around to all the different statues of Christ. We also visited our little Alasha's grave (our stillborn baby that was born in 1978). She would have been 33 years old. That's the same age as Christ was when he died and was resurected.

It was only a year ago when I had my surgery in April and began 6 months of treatments for colon cancer. What a year it was!! It's amazing to me that it's been a year and yet it seems like such a long time ago. I still love to watch the wonderful tribute video that Dadra made for me. It gives me such strength and a boast to carry on. I still get teary eyed whenever I watch it. Lara helped me put it on Facebook when she was here in March for Teresa's Memorial.

I took this adorable picture of Reygan when I was in Ashburn. She is only 10 days old in this picture. What a cute bunny and so alert. I feel so blessed that I was there for her birth. I had such a wonderful time the 3 weeks that I spent in the east coast. I truly have a fantastic family!!

It is good to be home with Don. We love our life together and he did miss me a great deal. We are looking forward to our Easter traditions this year.

I DID IT!

2011-04-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

Being with Dadra and her family as well as Tasha and her family was great!

This is a portrait of the Call's while I was in Hagerstown. It's so nice that the Call's and Ladner's live close enough that I can see them both while I'm visiting in the east coast.

It was wonderful to be a part of another grandchild coming into our family. I was able to travel all by myself. After my experiences last year, I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to do this again. I had good energy and was able to do everything that I wanted to do. My main purpose was to be there for Coldon when his mommy was in the hospital for 4 days (Tasha had a ceaserean birth since the baby was breech). Then when the baby and Tasha got home I was able to get to know the babies personality.

Of course, I took lots of pictures and recorded everything. This is Tasha and Jeff's first family portrait. The babies name is Reygan Alaesha Ladner. I was moved to tears when they told me her middle name because she was named after our little stillborn baby girl that was born in 1978. What a wonderful tribute to her memory.

Reygan is a delightful little baby as you can see by this picture. She has a wonderful disposition and I loved holding her as much as I could. Taking pictures of her was so fun!

I love being a grandmother as you can tell. We feel so blessed to have 7 grandchildren and another one on the way in a couple of months. Yes, Dadra and Jason will be having their third child this summer. We don't know the sex of the baby because they wanted to have it be a surprise. Don and I will be going back east for the babies blessing in Sept. Another trip to look forward to. It will be fun to have grandpa Don with me.

LIFE GOES ON

2011-03-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

I feel so blessed to have Tami close by. We get together every Thursday night. We usually go to the Mall and have a Subway first and then we do some shopping. We always find some great sales.

It's also fun to catch up on all the news. She was pretty excited that her Dad passed his work physical and can work another year. This was something that we were concerned about since he is hard of hearing and sometimes has high blood pressure. They were high but within range of working for Loomis.

Tami and I wore our St Patrick Day shirts as you can see. We're both pretty young at heart and enjoy doing these kind of things. After our last two weeks of taking care of Teresa's things and doing the Memorial for her, I know she would be pleased with how we handled her things and how Muffin is doing. Teresa will be missed but life goes on.

FRAMED IN THE LOVE OF TERESA

2011-03-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

WE BOUGHT SOME BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS FOR TERESA'S MEMORIAL. TERESA LOVED THE COLOR YELLOW BECAUSE IT WAS SO BRIGHT AND CHEERY. SHE ALSO LOVED SUNFLOWERWS, DAISY'S AND ROSES. THIS IS WHY CLARISSA AND I PICKED OUT THIS FLOWER ARRANGEMENT.

WE DECIDED TO WRAP OURSELVES IN THESE FLOWERS AND TAKE PICTURES. IT WAS LIKE WRAPING OURSELVES AROUND TERESA'S LOVE!!

SAYING GOODBY TO TERESA

2011-03-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

FOR THE LAST WEEK I HAVE BEEN PREPARING A VISUAL TRIBUTE ABOUT TERESA'S LIFE. I'VE ALSO MADE UP 100 PROGRAMS AND SOME FLYERS. THIS HAS BEEN VERY THERAPUTIC FOR ME AND HAS HELPED IN MY GRIEVING PROCESS. I WANTED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW A LITTLE MORE ABOUT TERESA AND HOW BEAUTIFUL SHE WAS GROWING UP. I THINK IT WAS INTERERSTING FOR EVERYONE TO SEE HER FROM BABYHOOD TO ADULTHOOD. I ALSO HAD MY THOUGHTS TO PREPARE FOR MY REMARKS AT HER MEMORIAL.

WE HAD A LOVELY MEMORIAL FOR TERESA ON SATURDAY MARCH 12TH. BART, CLARISSA, DEBRA AND I ALL GAVE REMARKS ABOUT TERESA AND WHAT SHE MEANT TO US. WE WERE PLEASED WITH THE TURN OUT OF HER FRIENDS FROM THIRD WARD, FIRST WARD, AA, THE COMMUNITY, HER WORK AND WHERE SHE LIVED.

IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE BART, SUZY, DEBRA, AND OUR COUSIN RUTH AND HER FAMILY AND ALL THE COUSINS THAT WERE ABLE TO COME. HAVING SO MUCH FAMILY AROUND HELPED US ALL TO COPE WITH OUR LOSS.

THIS PICTURE IS OF THE 4 SIBLINGS LEFT IN THE EAMES FAMILY. THEY ARE BART, CLARISSA, DEBRA AND I.

HAVING LARA AND TAMI WITH US FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS HAS REALLY BEEN FUN. OF COURSE WE MADE COOKIES AND HAD OUR TRADITIONAL COOKIE DOUGH PICTURE.

WE OFTEN COMMENTED ABOUT HOW MUCH WE LOVE BEING TOGETHER AS A FAMILY. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW BIG THE GROUP IS, WE HAVE A GREAT TIME. IN JUST OVER A WEEK, I WILL BE SEEING TASHA'S AND DADRA'S FAMILIES. I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS. WE WILL BE ADDING A NEW GRANDAUGHTER ON MARCH 29TH. TASHA AND JJ HAVEN'T DECIDED ON HER NAME YET. THEY HAVE 3 NAMES THAT THEY LIKE AND WILL DECIDE WHICH NAME AFTER SHE IS BORN.

IT'S SO INTERESTING HOW WE SAID OUR GOODBYS TO TERESA AND YET WILL SAY OUT HELLO'S TO A NEW BABY IN OUR FAMILY. LIFE IS INTERERSTING TO SAY THE LEAST.

MUFFIN HAS A NEW HOME

2011-03-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

I expected Muffin to be a very sad dog for awhile. She watched out the Bay Window for Teresa the first day we had her
but now she seems very happy and at home. I'm so pleased with how she has adapted to everything. I now have 2 shadows
that follow me every where I go.

The dogs get along so good and our black shadow has really been good to Muffin. She is very patient and hasn't shown any
jealousy at all, in fact they seem to be the best of friends. This is such a relief for me because I wanted both dogs to be happy
about the new situation.

So many people were concerned about Muffin since her and Teresa were so close. We didn't want her to die of a broken
heart!

We all worked so hard getting Teresa's apartment cleared out. It's all done including the cleaning (we hired a cleaning
lady to do this) and yesterday we turned in the key. It's so nice to have this done.

We wrapped Teresa's Temple clothes up in a nice package. Teresa's wish was to be cremated and the clothes will be
placed on top of her. I'm now working on the programs, flyers, poster of Teresa and a table display of her life. It has
been good to be busy doing things for Teresa and this is helping me grieve. I will miss her so much!!

MY HEART IS BREAKING!

2011-02-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

My dear sister Teresa was found dead in her bed today. It was like she went to sleep
and never woke up.

Her work called me and said that she never came to work. It wasn't like her to not call
if she couldn't work for some reason. I was immediately concerned because
Teresa loved her job.

I was on my way to a doctors appointment and Tami was going with me. Tami decided
to go over to Teresa's home to see if she was OK and then she would meet me at the
doctors office. I had called Clarissa to tell her about Teresa's job calling me and she was
on her way to Teresa's to make sure she was OK too.

Tami left a message with my doctors nurse to come directly to Teresa's home after seeing
the doctor. I could tell Tami had been crying and that's when she told Don and I that
Teresa was gone.

Needless to say, we are all in shock.

I wrote a tribute on my blog about Teresa this month and she knew how I felt.
I'm so glad that we often expressed our love for each other. At least I don't have
that regret.

Things can change so quickly in our lives. Don't let a day go by that you don't
tell those you love how much they mean to you!!

February is a month of LOVE

2011-02-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

We took Tami and Jeff to Pizza Hut last night to celebrate our love for them. We had a great time together. We also presented them this love bear. Tami is still young at

heart and loved it. Jeff said that it would make a perfect toy for Murphy and Bella to
fight over. Of course we all had a good laugh over that......however, it could come true.
Murphy and Bella have been know to tear a few things apart.

We then all went to the Mall. Jeff and Don enjoyed Cabella's and Tami and I
liked walking and shopping.

Don wanted a picture of himself with his dream rifle. No, I won't let him buy it. I have
to remind him that he already has a gun!

I'M VERY BLESSED TO HAVE TWO SISTERS IN GRAND JUNCTION!

2011-02-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

Having two sisters that live close to me is great. Teresa only lives about a mile
away. During my health problems last year, she would drop by almost every morning
before she went to work to make sure I was OK. There were a couple of times that
she would almost force me to eat something and get some water down me. I would
try to please her but sometimes I just couldn't do it. She often would clean, do my
dishes and anything else she could think of. The most important thing she did was
go to my chemotherapy treatments whenever I needed her to be there. Since I
documented my cancer experience, Teresa would take pictures for me.

I wanted go do something special for her. Don and I decided to take her out to a dinner of her choice. She picked THE DRAGON WALL. We all had a great meal together. It was a small way to say thanks but she appreciated it. Don took this picture of us together when we got home.

I included this picture in my blog since it's a scene I often see in the evenings. Don, Shadow and I love to watch T.V. at night and I'm often the only one awake. Don and Shadow are asleep! This can be as early as 8:00 p.m. Then, when the news comes on, they both
wake up to watch it. It is really a funny sight!!

A SPECIAL VALENTINES DAY

2011-02-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

K Mart had the cutest Mickey and Minnie Mouse valentine decorations this year. They were too expensive for me to buy
them. They did go on sale but it still was a lot of money to spend on something that I certainly didn't need. Then Don said,
"What if they were half that price, would you buy them?" I said "YES!" He then said that he would pay for half so that I could
get them. I jumped at his generous offer and said that he could buy me Minnie and I would buy him Mickey.

I went to the store and bought them and they look adorable in our Bay Window as part of our valentines decorations. E very time I looked at them I thought about how much Don loves me and wants to make me happy. I took a picture of Mickey and Minnie in our
window and had an 8x10" picture made. I made a cute card out of this picture expressing to Don how I feel about him. He loved it!!

We then went to Old Chicago for a valentines dinner. We love the chicken calzones there. We finished off our celebration with
large Mr. Goodbars (One of our favorite treats). It was a Valentines Day that will always be memorable.

Hope you all had a good one too!

WOW! 45 YEARS!!

2011-01-15T17:49:00.000-08:00

Today is a very special day. It has been 45 years since Don and I were married in the Oakland Temple. We can hardly believe that it has been that long ago. We both looked forward to celebrating this special event.

We had decided to not buy gifts for each other. However, I surprised Don with a new long sleeve shirt and he surprised me with a new Yoshi blade knife set.
We celebrated by
going to Red
Lobster and
enjoying a
wonderful meal.

We then

went to

Cold-

stones

for a

treat.

Thanks Lara, for the
gift certificate. It will
last a couple of more
times this summer when
it's hot. That was really
thoughtful of you.

It was a fun evening and a great way to celebrate this day.

MY CHALLENGES AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY!

2011-01-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

In pictures it doesn't show how thin my hair has gotten since my chemo treatments have ended a couple
of months ago. I'm grateful I didn't lose all my hair so I'm not complaining. I guess I was shocked that
it started to fall out more after I was finished with my treatments.

My hairs is very fine with no body to it now. I'm told that this will all take care of

itself with time.

I have a great hair dresser that understands my frustrations and I always love her hair cuts every 6 weeks.

Another challenge is my neuropathy in my hands and feet. They are numb and tingle all the time. They even hurt when I touch my fingertips. It feels a little like sitting on the toilet too long and your legs fall asleep (except it's my hands and it won't go away. I just thought I would share some of my challenges with you.

I do have my energy and appetite back! This is a great blessing. Most of the other side affects are gone too. I am still a little unsteady on my feet but this is connected to the neuropathy. So much for my aches, pains and frustrations.

LAST WEEK OF 2010

2010-12-31T18:24:00.000-08:00

It was so fun to have the Summers girls and Clarissa come over for a visit. They are fun to be around and
I enjoyed catching up on all their news.

We got about 6 inches of snow yesterday. Does this stop Don from working out? NO! After a long hard
day at work he still feels the need to keep fit. Don is an inspiration to me and I want to be just like him when
I grow up. No wonder he can still work at 70 years old.

We are celebrating New Years Eve tonight with our special little companion dog. We hope and pray that
this next year will be a great year for all of us. We are looking forward to all the new year has to offer.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

CHRISTMAS TRADITION

2010-12-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

Jeff and Tami began a wonderful Christmas tradition last year. They take us to the Double Tree Hotel Buffet for
Christmas dinner. It's so nice to not have to worry about a meal or clean up afterwards on Christmas day. We eat
all we want and then go home and take a nap!

Can you tell I have my appetite back?

A last picture before leaving. What a lovely tradition and we all really looked forward to it. We hope
that your Christmas season was great too.

CHRISTMAS EVE

2010-12-25T19:40:00.000-08:00

Tami's Magic Cookie Bars are our favorite treat for Christmas Eve. Making 2 pans is more than we need
since we don't have as many people around. I plan to make some plates of goodies up this week for people
because I can't resist these bars.

I sent all our daughters a special gift to show my love and appreciation for each of them this year. They have
all been so wonderful and caring. Tami just opened her necklace I titled LOVE FOR ETERNITY , and read
the poem out loud. We were both crying. Don took this picture of the two of us.

Teresa was with us on Christmas Eve and enjoyed opening gifts too.

It was a fun evening for all of us!

THANKSGIVING-2010

2010-12-22T10:10:00.000-08:00

I haven't been able to blog for the past month and finally I can. I decided to catch you up with the Cleveland
news before getting into the Christmas seasaon. This was Thanksgiving when Tami, Jeff and Teresa were
able to join in our Thanksgiving dinner. We all had a great feast!

Teresa wanted to give Tami and I an early Christmas gift by taking Tami and I to the movie Tangled. It was
such a fun and cute movie. We loved the "girl's night out" event and decided we need to do this again.

We enjoyed eating popcorn, laughing and being together. I was feeling so much better and it felt good to
get out and enjoy each other company.

We are also trying to get together with Clarissa and Kelly at least once a month. We always have a good time
and this is a picture at Dos Hombres.

I'm getting my energy back and have enjoyed the Christmas season. I was able to decorate, buy and mail
packages, participate in special holiday dinners, etc. It's good to get back to normal again. The only thing that
bothers me is the tingling in my fingers and my hair is so different. It has no body and is thinner. Hopefully
these things will go away in time. I have to keep reminding myself that at least I still have hair!!

I hope to keep up with my blogging. Who knows how long this will work until I can't use it any more. I wish
I knew more about computers but at I'm still learning. Have a great Christmas Season.....only 3 more days
before it's here.

FANNIE PACK IS OFF!

2010-11-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

Until my chemo fannie pack was off I wasn't done with my last treatment. This morning it was taken off and I feel like IT'S OVER!!
I know that the next few days will be hard but then I can begin to get my strength and appetite back. I feel like a new woman already just knowing that there's no more chemo going into my body. I'm so grateful that I live in this day and age with all the miracle drugs that are available, but needless to say, I'm so relieved that there is an end to it.

When I first began chemo it was hot outside. It was fun to have the fireplace going this morning because there was a cold nip in the air when we arrived at the Cancer Center. What a lovely facility we have here in Grand Junction and it's only 5 minutes from our home.

Teresa was able to go with me this morning. She has been so helpful and loving durng all this. She often bopped in every morning to check up on how I was feeling during my treatments. This was comforting for me.

Here I am taking my Fannie Pack off for the last time. YIPPEE!!

Teresa took this last picture of me before leaving the facility. I did feel like a FREE WOMAN AT LAST. This will be my last picture in my documentation scrapbook that I have been keeping about my cancer experience. It's a great way to end my books.

Thank you all for your love and prayers. I have truly felt the powers of heaven help me through this experience. Life is great and I'm ready to go on with it. May the Lord bless you all!

MY LAST CHEMO TREATMENT!

2010-11-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

There were many prayers in my behave these last couple of weeks. Yesterday couldn't have gone smoother. They were able to get blood out of my port and when they got my port ready, it didn't even hurt. Last week it was painful so I wasn't looking forware to this. My platlets were better and so the chemo was on schedule. I was so excited that we didn't have to wait a week.

Don had taken the day off to be with me on the last chemo treatment. It was great having him with me. I had Charleen again and she is such a good sport about having pictures taken. She thinks it's great that I have documented all my cancer experiences throughout the last six monthns.

The only problem with Don is he made me nervous when he was playing around with my cocktail. I told him that he wasn't to be Dr. Quack during this time. Don was very interested in all that I went through during my treatments.

Needless to say, I was very glad that this chemo treaztment was over. After I get through the bad days, I can then GET ON WITH MY LIFE!! What a great thought!

I love you all and thank you for your love and support. This has helped me get through this time of my life.

When I get my chemo pack off on Thursday, we will really celebrate. Until then.................Love you!

HALLOWEEN-2010

2010-11-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Halloween began on Friday afternoon when Teresa came over to borrow my BEE costume. I let her use my blond wig and put make up on her. She was now ready for her works Halloween Party. Of course Muffin was ready too. We thought Teresa was a BLONDBEE!

For Sunday I decided to wear a costume that Tami bought a few years ago. I tried it on and IT FIT ME! I figure I was the wicked step mother of SNOW WHITE that changed into a witch at the end of the story.

Don had a great time passing out candy all night. He didn't want me to wear out getting up and down. Of course Shadow kept us informed when ever anyone was coming to the door. We had a lot of trick or treaters and it was fun for all of us!

MY 7TH CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT!

2010-10-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

My nurse was Charleen and she was great. Everything went smoothly today.....not like yesterdays blood draw. Yes, they couldn't get blood out of my port and so they had to draw blood from my arm. They put some stuff in my port to disolve the fibers that were preventing the blood from coming out. Today they were able to draw the blood so my chemo began.

It was nice having my sister Clarissa with me today. We had a good visit while she was working on her aphgan and I caught up on my chemotherapy documentation. Teresa came about 11:15 a.m. and we had one of the nurses take our picture. My chemo was done and the pump is now on for the next 46 hours. Another one down and one more to go! I can feel and end to this.

Ileen Sparks insisted that she would bring over dinner tonight at 5:00. What a dear friend she is. Don and I enjoyed the meal and it was so nice to not have to worry about making a meal. I am surrounded by loving family and friends and this is such a blessing in my life. I never take this for granted!!

The doctor did tell me yesterday that my platlets were down. If they are down for my next treatment I will have to wait for a week before they can do my chemotherapy. Please pray that my platlets will stay the same. I'm really hoping and praying that my last treatment will be Nov. 2. If not, I can handle delaying it for a week. you posted.

We do have HALLOWEEN before my next treatment so that is something to look forward to. Everyone have a great TRICK OR TREAT NIGHT!!!

MY DEAR FRIEND JANET

2010-10-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Janet Forsgren and I have been good friends for over 30 years. When we first moved to Grand Junction, Janet was Primary President and I was put into Primary right away. Janet and I had daughters that were close in age. They grew up together in the Gospel.

Janet and I were pool buddies. We enjoyed the exercises and classes at St. Mary's Life Center pool every day. It was always fun to have Janet in my classes and we could catch up on all the news.

One day at Church, Janet and I got a kick out of dressing the same. We had no idea that we had bought the same skirt and top at Christopher and Banks. I had my camera with me so Don took these pictures because we thought it was so funny. We decided that we also had the same taste in clothes too.

I was so sad when I learned a month ago that Janet had Colon Cancer. She called me and asked me if I thought this was catching. I told her that I'm sure it wasn't. She had surgery in Sept. and found out that the cancer cells were in the nymph nodes so that meant that she would have 12 treatments in the next 6 months.

I felt so bad that she had to go through this too. Today was her second chemotherapy treatment so I went to see how she was doing. She looked great and she knows that I'm there for her all the way!!

CHEMOTHERAPPY #6

2010-10-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

Tami took off work this morning to be with me during my treatment. It was great having her there. Time flew my for both of us and it was over before we knew it.

It was a beautiful Fall day and we decided to get some air outside.

My nurse was a good sport with the pictures. She knew I was documenting my cancer experience. Here I am getting my pump ready for the next 46 hours. It will be interesting to see if I have as good a two weeks as last time.

Lori Dillon brought over a wonderful meal from her and Connie Clever's daughter. It was a delicious home made chicken noodle soup, some wonderful rolls, a salad with dressing and crystal light drink. These are from my great Visiting Teachers that I love so much. It is so nice to have a meal after chemo since I'm pretty drained and the last thing I want to do is fix a meal. I do have some awsome friends and they are there for me just like my family is. I feel so blessed!!

SIX DOWN AND TWO TO GO........I FEEL LIKE THERE'S AN END TO THIS AND I'M EXCITED. KEEP YOU ALL POSTED.

OCTOBER IS ALWAYS FUN!

2010-10-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

Coldon loved helping Grandma put up the Halloween decorations this week. It was fun to see all his inthusiasm about this fun holiday. He loves going to Walgreen's and see the big black cat. He was scared at first and then realized that it wasn't going to hurt him so he became very friendly to the cat and even would give him a love when he would walk by it.

We loved celebrating Tami's birthday last night. She got some good gifts that she loved . Tami picked Pizza Hut for her birthday dinner and we all enjoyed the meal. I was even able to eat and it felt good. I'm in my good days right now and I'm so glad. Tasha and Coldon are leaving today. What a wonderful two weeks we have had with them. It will be hard to see them go but JJ will be so glad that his family will be home again.

I will be having my 6th treatment this next week. I feel like I'm ready for it. I'll keep you posted.

68 AND STILL GOING STRONG!

2010-09-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

I woke up feeling like I had more energy and a better appetite. This was just in time for my 68th birthday. It began by getting a phone call from my dear friend Marilyn (Smith) Johnson. We first met when we were 12 years old in Coos Bay, Oregon. We were best friends for years and even roomed together at B.Y.U. We've kept in touch all these years and it was so good to get a birthday phone call from herl.

Then Teresa came over with a couple of goodies for a special treat.

After work everyone came over to celebrate. We always love these special times together!!

I picked Chiles for our meal and Tasha treated everyone. She wanted to do this for all the help my family here have given me these past few months. It wasn't just my birthday meal it was a gratitude dinner too. It was nice to have my appetite back and I even ate some dessert that Chiles brought out to me after swinging HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

It was a fun day and very special for me. We get to do this again on Friday night since it's Tami's birthday. YIPPEE!!

A GOOD WEEK!

2010-09-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

This has been the best week since having Chemotherapy. I haven't had any pain at all. I'm only fatigued and the nasty taste in my mouth keeps me from enjoying food. Today is better and by tomorrow, I think I will be out of the worst part. That will be nice since it is my 68th birthday and everyone wants to take me out to dinner.

It's so nice to have family here. I know that Tasha and Coldon have lifted my spirits a great deal. Teresa has been great coming over and visiting everyone. She's always bringing over a little surprise for Coldon.

We've had fun making cookies, going to the Fall Festival, going to Moon Farm, shopping at the Mall, etc.

As you can see I'm doing good. Tasha and Coldon will be here for another week and then it will be my 6th chemo the following Tuesday. It won't be long and all this will be a memory!

MY 5TH CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT

2010-09-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Teresa was able to watch Coldon for us while I was at the Cancer Center. Coldon was so fun for her and they got along great.

It was so nice to have Tasha with me on my 5th chemo treatment. It seems like my family really gives me moral support when they are around me. I always feel a little better about things.

So far I'm feeling pretty good.....just very tired. I don't have the pain I had in my head and shoulders like I've had the past two treatments. I think having the port removed and another one put in this past week has helped. Only 3 more to go!! Yey!!!!!

SUCH WONDERFUL NEWS!

2010-09-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

During our Family Home Evening on Monday night, Tasha had us look at a book about our family cruise. At the end of the book she had an ultra sound picture and said that there were really 9 members of our family on the cruise instead of 8. Everyone realized that she was pregnant during the cruise and we did't know it yet. She was only a month along during this time.

I already knew about the baby and was so glad that now everyone now knew about it. Tasha had a miscarriage 7 months ago that broke all our hearts but now we are so excited that her and JJ are giving us another grandchild! Grandchildren are God's gift to us when we are older. They are so delightful!! The baby is due April 2, 2011. It looks like another trip to the East C0ast for me. Something to look forward to.

TASHA & COLDON ARE HERE!

2010-09-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

It was wonderful to finally have Tasha and Coldon arrive in Grand Junction at 11:00 p.m on Sunday Sept. 19. They were both pretty tired since it was 1:00 a.m their time in Virginia.

Coldon let me rock him for awhile before going to bed. That was so fun!

The next morning Coldon found Grandpa's truck and has played with it constantly. He even goes to bed with it.

Of course Coldon loves Grandpa Don. Grandpa is called GAA and my name is GEE. That's short for Grandpa and Grandma Julie. He talks quit abit and I'm able to under-stand most things he says.

It's so fun t have them here and it made my 5th chemo treatment yesterday go by so fast. I'll post more about that later.

GETTING TOGETHER IS FUN!

2010-09-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

We always have a good time with Clarissa and Kelly. Last night we met at Golden Corral and had a delicious dinner. My appetite is back and it felt good to eat again.

One thing that I noticed this time around with chemo is sweet things tasted even sweeter. It was almost a sickening sweet taste. I couldn't eat cookies that I made or some cheese cake that I had bought. Because of this, I stayed away from the dessert area at Golden Corral. This was unusual because I LOVE THE DESSERTS THERE!! It will be so nice to get my normal taste buds again. How we take things for granted until they are taken away from us.

IT'S COMING UP GREEN! It's so fun to look outside every day and watch the grass grow. Teresa has done a great job and she really worked hard for about a week getting the ground ready and seed planted. Teresa is planning a trip to Salt Lake for General Conference in a couple of weeks and Don and I want to surprise her with bonus of $100 for all her hard work.

Tomorrow Tasha and Coldon are coming. I'm in a good spell and I'm grateful for this. Tasha will be here for a couple of weeks so she will go through everything with me. Tasha has assured me that she isn't here to be entertained, but to help. I hope my bad days aren't too bad. It seems like the more chemo treatments, the harder it is to get on top of things again.

It will be great to have her here just to visit and watch Coldon play. I'll be sharing some pictures soon. Until then....................

THE NEW PORT IS IN!

2010-09-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling really good after my surgery this morning. Everything went really good and the doctor said that they were able to draw blood 3 times from the port. We'll see next Monday if all goes well before my chemotherapy. I have to tell you that I'm very happy this is over. For some reason I was a little worried about this surgery. Even the IV went in good. It took the nurse about 2 minutes to do this and I was so grateful. It was so nice to have Tami there in the recovery room. She drove me home and stayed with me for a couple of hours before going back to work. So grateful that Tami is here and is such a loving daughter. I'm really blessed that all our daughters are so wonderful and caring.
Teresa has been working hard on our back yard. She is determined to have some good grass grow so that we won't just have weeds and dirt back there. Yesterday, I woke up and saw some grass growing. It was exciting!

Tasha and Coldon are coming on Sunday for a couple of weeks. We are really looking forward to this. Tasha will be here for my 5th chemo treatment!!

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT MY CHEMO

2010-09-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

I now have my pump on for the next 46 hours. I'm getting used to it and feel like I have a little fanny pack purse on all the time.
I do hear it pump when it pumps the chemo in my boday. It sounds like my camera when I turn it off.

Clarissa and I in front of the waterfall at the Cancer Center.

Diann Saari came over at 4:OO p.m. to give us a meal. It's wonderful to have such good friends that are willing to help. I appreciate all they do. They just come up to me and ask me when my next Chemo treatment is going to happen. Then they say, I'm bringing over dinner for you. I have very dear friends and they are with me in spirit as well as want to help out in any way they can.

THANK YOU!!

I'M HALF WAY THERE!

2010-09-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

It was wonderful to have my two sisters there for my support system this time. Clarissa had a doctors appointment so she was there later while I was finishing my chemo and getting my pump on.
The nurses are just wonderful that take care of me for the 31/2 hours that I was there. They understand what you are going through and want it to be as pleasant as possible. I really appreciate what they do.

Here I am getting ready for the pump. It's always nice to have the chemotherapy over with. It will be interesting how long before I'm not feeling good. It begins when the chemo is leaving my body. I am very tired, no appetite because of the taste in my mouth, I've had diarrhea, constipation and a headache. Each treatment is a littlre different and I wonder what this one will be like. Time will tell.

It's so nice to have it half over with. Four down and four to go......Yey!!

A FUN LABOR DAY!

2010-09-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Don and I invited Tami and Jeff over for a Kentucky Fried Chicken meal. That is our way of having a barbecue. We had a great time eating and visiting. Jeff brought over a couple of knives that he had bought. Don ended up buying the Bowie Knife. I'm not sure why but he really liked it. I did double Don's allowance this past month and now I'm not sure if that was a wise move. Money burns a hole in Don's pocket. Anyway, we now have a Bowie Knife for protection!!

Tami and I always have such a good time together. Of course, Shadow loves having Tami and Jeff over too.

I did get my blood draw today (Sept. 7). My port still wouldn't let them draw blood so I had to have it drawn from my arm again. I had an appointment to have my port checked this afternoon. It looks like I will need to have this port removed and another one put in this next week. Yippee!! Another cut into my body. Just what I wanted to hear. I don't know when they will do this so I'll keep you posted. I can still have my Chemotherapy tomorrow but they don't want to do any more until I get a new port.
I was a little discouraged at first but now I'm OK. It's just a little bump in the road. Maybe the new port will draw blood and I won't have to worry about that any more. I'll let you know how my chemo goes tomorrow.......

R.S. SPOTLIGHT FOR SEPTEMBER!

2010-09-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

"SHALOM"

"My name is Martha. My sister Mary and brother Lazarus were good friends with Jesus. When Jesus came through Bethany He would stop and visit us in our home. I would like to share with you one of Jesus visits.

I wanted to make a nice meal for Jesus. I had lots to do and Mary was visiting with Jesus leaving me with all the work. This irritated me so I went up to Mary and told her that I could use some help. In a very kind way, Jesus said that Mary was doing the right thing. He would prefer having Mary hear His words rather than make a fancy meal for Him. I learned PRIORITIES that day and I've never forgotten this lesson that Jesus taught me."

I then shared with the sisters how we must always remember our priorities too. Our lives are so busy with our families, work, keeping up with cooking meals, cleaning our homes and taking care of our families. Sometimes we think that we just don't have time for much else in our lives let alone doing our Visiting Teaching.

How much time do we spend watching T.V. or doing things that really aren't necessary? May I just suggest that we do think of our priorities this month and realize that visiting our sisters is very important. This calling in the Gospel helps keep track of how everyone is doing. May we all contact our sisters this month even if it's just a phone call or letter. I leave these thoughts with you in the name of Jesus Christ......Amen.

A GIFT OF LOVE

2010-09-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last night Tami and I got together since Jeff and Tami are heading for Salt Lake on Thursday.

Jeff has an interview at the VA for PTSD on Friday.

When I picked Tami up after work, she had a gift that her department had made for me.

It was a beautiful quilt that they all had signed (in the heart). I couldn't believe that 13 people that I really didn't know, had made this gift of love for me. It made me tear up.

All 13 people came into Tami's office and presented this quilt to her. They knew how much Tami has been concerned for her Mom and wanted to show how much they cared for me as well as Tami too. Tami was very moved by this and cried as she thanked them for their thoughtfulness.

We took some pictures at Bocaza. I wanted to make a thank you card with some pictures in it. Bocaza was a perfect place to take the pictures since it wasn't busy and we had some tall tables that help show off the quilt. In my card I told them that I would wrap up in the quilt often and it would remind me of their love and kindness to me.I took the card over to the VA today and Tami was going to make sure everyone saw it. I also gave everyone a sheep for a little thank you gift from me.

WHAT A HEADACHE!

2010-08-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

I woke up yesterday with a very bad headache that started in my shoulder blade and went up my head. I don't have very many headaches so this was unusual. My mother had migraines and would be down in bed in a dark room and often would be sick to her stomach. I have always been grateful that I didn't inherit these kind of headaches.

I put some heat on my neck as well as a vibrator. This helped me a little. I left for the Oncologist Center to get my pump off and told the nurse about the pain in my head. She said to go ahead and take some tylenol for the pain.

The taste in my mouth was very metallic so I had no appetite. I forced myself to eat some protein and drink liquids. Then I went to bed and slept all afternoon.

I was able to go out with Tami that evening. We ate at the Mall and did a little shopping. It felt good to get out and about. When I got home, I was again very tired and went right to bed. I slept on the couch with pillows propping me up since the headache had returned and was all over the place in my shoulders and head. It was a hard night but I got through it. This morning I woke up at 9:30 a.m. and wanted to take a shower. Teresa came over to be with me while I did this just in case I needed her. The shower felt so good and I was able to fix myself up which made me feel better.

By the time Don got home from work I was feeling better again. The pain was gone from my head. I still didn't have a very good appetite. Don went to Bocaza and bought supper for us. I was able to eat some food and drink some liquids.

I think I will have a better night. I'm doing better and I feel like I'm on top of this headache. I hope to have a few good days now. You never know what chemotherapy will bring in your life.

I appreciate any good day that I have!

CHEMO UPDATE........

2010-08-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

Three Chemo treatments down and 5 to go!! Teresa was able to go with me this time. She took a little time off work and will make it up later. We got to the Oncologists Center at 9:30 a.m and we got home at 2:00 p.m The time went fast since we visited and kept busy.

One thing that was really nice was going out into the garden that's right off the chemo area. It was such a wonderful day and it was really lovely to be outside for awhile.

There's seating, statues, flowers and lots of folliage. We enjoyed taking some pictures since it was so beautiful.

I'm now wearing my pump until Thursday. I will see how my body reacts this time. I got to see the doctor yesterday after my blood draw and I told him about the pain in my abdomen last week. He told me to take Gas X if this happens again.

Speaking of the blood draw.......they couldn't get my port to give my blood so I had to have them take it out of my arm again. They want to see what the problem is so I will be having my port checked next week. They do give my port some kind of treament so that the next day I'm able to draw blood from the port. They wouldn't be able to give me my Chemo if they couldn't draw blood first. Thank goodness they were able to do this.

I felt good enough to go Visiting Teaching tonight as well as go to Walgreen's. I figure I will have a few good days before a few bad ones.

The Sparks came over with a wonderful meal tonight. It was nice to not have to worry about cooking. We also have another casserole in the freezer that Jeff cooked for us. As you can see, we are being taken good care of.

I will keep you all posted....thanks for caring!

WHAT IS CHEMOTHERAPY LIKE SO FAR?

2010-08-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

The day that Lara and our grandchildren left I began feeling very tired. It was August l6, Jeff's

51st birthday and we were looking forward to taking Jeff and Tami out to dinner and celebrate his special day. I took a good nap that afternoon but when I got up I had no appetite. Food tasted awful because of the taste of metal in my mouth. Jeff decided on Pizza Hut for his birthday meal and I figured I would enjoy the salad there. I could hardly eat anything at all and Don, Tami and Jeff were concerned. This didn't stop us from enjoying the evening and having a great time together. So glad that Tami and Jeff live close to us so that we have these times together.

For the next few days I could hardly eat. The doctor told me that even though I wouldn't have an appetite to eat some protein. Also, I was to eat small amounts several times a day. I also needed to drink at least 8 glasses of liquid to help wash out the chemo in my body. I forced myself to do this. I also had pain in my abdomen for 2 days. This wasn't fun. What I found in my first 2 treatments is that out of the 14 days between treatments, I have about 4 days that I am feeling bad. When I think about this, that gives me 10 good days. I can handle this.

I was so glad that my good days were while Lara and my grandchildren were here because I enjoyed them so much.

There are other side effects such as the following:

...Pain in my jaws when I first take a bite of food or drink juice.

...When I tear up my eyeballs really hurt.

...I feel a little wobbly on my feet when I walk.

...I have what is called "chemo brain" when I can't express my thoughts clearly.

...Sensitive fingers.

...Visions a little blurry at times.

...Food doesn't taste as good as it usually does because of the bad taste in my mouth.

So far I haven't lost any hair but this is a possibility. I'm given 3 very strong medications in my chemotherapy. These drugs kill cancer cells that might be left over from my tumor. They took out 24 lymph nodes and found 10 of them had cancer in them. The cancer was ready to go though out my body. It didn't go to any other organs and I'm so grateful for this. Anyway, this is why I'm having both radiation and chemotherapy. It's a very aggressive treatment but the doctors told me that it will give me a good chance of living a long life so it is worth it.

I'm truly grateful that I live in this day and age when all these miracle drugs are available. I also feel blessed that we have such wonderful Oncology facilities here in Grand Junction only 5 minutes away. Some people travel hundreds of miles to Grand Junction to get these same treatments.

My poor body has gone through so much these past few months and I'm so grateful for living the WORD OF WISDOM that has helped my body be as strong and healthy as possible. You can imagine all my deep thinking about life, the Gospel, and my mortality lately. I talk to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ a great deal. I truly feel their help in all that I'm going through.

All these side affects will go away after my chemotherapy is over.....something to look forward to!! I'm really looking forward to going back to the pool again in November!

This morning I feel good again. I have my appetite back, the pain is gone and my energy is back. I feel like I will be ready for another round of chemo next Tuesday Aug. 24. Keep you posted!

FOR EVERY HELLO.....THERE'S A GOODBY!

2010-08-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

What a great 9 days we have had together. So much to do.....I really didn't have time for cancer.
Looking back we did lots of things such as scrapbooking, looking at keepsakes, going out to dinner a few times,
going to the Mall, visiting the Summers, make cookies, watch movies, go to Church meetings, swim at Lincoln Park,
going to Kids Plex to play, F.H.E., visiting, and oh yes, we did fit a Chemotherapy session in there some where.

I'm so grateful that I felt good enough to participate in everything and be a part of such a fun visit with Lara and our grandchildren.

I know that you might be getting tired of how I feel about my family, but I truly love them all and Don and I
love to be with them as much as possible. It's always hard to say goodbys but the memories will always be there. Thanks Ben for sharing your family with us!

WHAT A TRIBUTE!

2010-08-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

I got a phone call from Dadra yesterday morning and she said to check out her FITNESS BLOG. I checked it out and there was the most beautiful tribute to me. I literally bawled all the way through it. In fact, if I want a good cry, I just turn in on and watch it again.

I have shared it on my blog for those that are interested in it.

I have been so blessed to have such wonderful daughters. Dadra was our youngest and she came into our lives after our little still born baby, so we all loved her as soon as we saw her. We called her SPECIAL
for years because that is what she was to all of us.

What a great Mom she is to two of our grandchildren Abby and Landon. We were delighted when she picked Jason for her eternal companion. We really enjoy his family too.

Dadra is the Primary President in her Ward and does such a great job.
Of course, Abby loves having her Mom in Primary.

Dadra has also gotten into a good health and fitness mode. When she was here during my surgery in April, she gave her Dad and I some good eating instructions that we follow today. I'ts never too late to learn these kind of things. She really enjoys sharing the things she has learned on her new FITNESS BLOG. Let me know if you would like to check it out.

Dadra has run several marathons and really enjoys running. It's amazing how Don has influenced all our girls in taking such good care of their bodies. He is such a good example for them and always has been.

I truly am blessed and feel these blessings every day.

FUN AT THE MALL!

2010-08-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

The last time we went to the Mall Chloe had a great time trying on some wigs. She really
liked the orange one but Grandma Julie said "NO" to that one. When we got home we talked
about how the white one would be cute on school spirit day, halloween, etc. Then Grandpa Don
said that if Chloe wanted to get the white one he would buy it for her.

Tonight was the big night of trying on the white wig and seeing if Chloe liked it enough to
buy it. SHE DID!

t When we got home everyone got to try it on. The white wig was a big hit!

We decided Tyler looked the cutest in it.

Grandpa was voted the worst looking woman of the year. SUCH FUN!!

SECOND TREATMENT OF CHEMO!

2010-08-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

Lara was able to go with me to the Oncology Dept. to have my Chemo

treatment today. It's so wonderful to have such a great and supportive family. Two treatments down and
6 to go!

After having a nap today, we took the children to the new Rocket Park to play. It is so neat the way they have
redone the Park. The new equipment is really fun for kids. I felt good enough to sit and watch and even take
a few pictures. Then Lara and Tami made a delicious baked potatoe bar for supper and cleaned

up afterwards. They wouldn't let me help at all.

What a great day.....I'm sure I will share more of our fun times together soon. Until then, know I'm doing
really good and my spirits high. Thanks for caring and keeping in touch........

LARA AND OUR GRANDCHILDREN'S VISIT TO GRAND JUNCTION

2010-08-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

It was wonderful to have Lara, Chloe, Paige and Tyler come into Grand Junction on August 7th.
Lara wanted to be here for my second Chemotherapy treatment. It was so special to see Lara, Chloe,
Paige and Tyler. Of course we were with Lara and Chloe on the cruise but it had been a year since seeing
our other 2 grandchildren. It seems like I can't take much longer than 6 months without seeing
my grandchildren before I start getting depressed. Since I'm not able to travel right now, Lara
understood this so she brought the children to us. I really appreciated Lara for realizing this!

Making traditional cookies is always fun. We made some very colorful ones to take out

to Clarissa and Kelly's on Sunday night. They had invited us out for desserts. Kenny and

his family were there and so were Connie, Carol and Kimberly. It was a house full and

it was fun seeing everyone.

Teresa is enjoying the Torgesen's visit too. We took everyone out to IHOP for dinner last night and had such a good time.
Of course, Tami and Jeff were with us. Tami comes over every night to be with all of us and she loves being with
her family so much!

As you can tell, we are making the most of our time together!!

SPOTLIGHT FOR AUGUST

2010-08-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

We all love apples.....especially the cold crispy sweet ones. When we cut open an apple or just eat one down to
the core, we see the apple seeds.

This always reminds me of the saying....YOU CAN COUNT THE SEEDS IN THE APPLE, BUT YOU CAN'T
COUNT THE APPLES IN A SEED!

I then asked the sisters what this saying meant to them? We descussed what seeds we sow when we do our
Visiting Teaching.

Third Ward sisters are very bright and came up with the 3 apples I wanted to hang on my tree.

l. Seeds of FRIENDSHIP
2. Seeds of LOVE.
3. Seeds of the GOSPEL

Even though I was very tired from my first Chemo treatment, I felt good that I was still able to do my
spotlight this month.

GETTING READY FOR MY CHEMO TREATMENTS

2010-07-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

The first thing I had to do was get my Port in early Monday morning. The procedure went good and now
I'm ready for Chemotherapy. It was a little sore but didn't prevent me from going out with the Jester's for
dinner Monday evening. We go out with them evey month and enjoy this time together.

Don had taken a day off from work so that he could be with me for support and in case I needed him
for anything.

Tami took today off work to be with me during my first Chemotherapy treatment. I am so blessed to have such a
loving and caring family!! Now that I know the ropes, I know what to expect. It's really not so bad since I have an
easy chair that is very comfortable, a hot blanket when ever I feel cold, some good books to read, writing paper to
express my thoughts, good company to visit with, etc. Time flew by and I was done before I knew it.

Tami is wonderful company and supports me emotionally. She also is very knowledgeable about paying medical
bills so I make sure she OK's each bill before I pay for it. This is her job at the VA so I love having her help me
understand what each bill is for and when I should pay it.

Jeff is planning to make several casserols for us and we really appreciate this. He's a great cook.

This is my little fanny pack I have to wear for the next 2 days. It is pumping in Chemo while wearing it. It's amazing
what the treatments are like. I'm grateful to live in this day and age with these miracle drugs to help you live.

I have one treatment down and 7 to go!! I CAN DO THIS!!

CELEBRATION OF LIFE

2010-07-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

At first this cruise was for Don's 70th birthday. Then, when I had my surgery the title for this cruise changed.
Celebrating life in general was what it was called. Since we had to change the date of our cruise to a later date it was going to be on Tasha's birthday too. How exciting to have so many things to celebrate.

Tasha had 2 surprise birthday cakes on her special day. I had invited everyone to our cabin

at 11:45 a.m. on July 21, and there were cards, notes, gifts and a cake waiting for her. Later

that day Lara and Ben had bought her an hour of pampering in the Day Spa. To top off

Tasha's birthday, JJ gave her a beautiful card and some gifts before we ate dinner. JJ also had

another surprise cake for Tasha. It was deliverd to her at the end of our meal by our

waiter that night.

We decided that a cruise ship is a perfect place to have a birthday!

Our family paid for this cruise for Don and I. What a wonderful gift! THANK YOU AGAIN!!

OUR ALASKAN CRUISE

2010-07-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

SPECTACULAR SCENERY, WONDERFUL FAMILY, LOTS OF GOOD FOOD AND ACTIVITIES SUMS UP OUR CRUISE!!
WHAT A WONDERFUL WEEK WE HAD IN SEATTLE, JUNEAU, SKAGWAY AND VICTORIA CANADA.

MORE ABOUT OUR CRUISE........

2010-07-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Having 8 members of our family able to be on this cruise was so special. We missed those that couldn't be with us
but it didn't stop us from having a fabulous time!

All good things have to come to an end and we all flew home on Friday.....July 23. We decided that in 2 years we
will go on another cruise some where. That gives us some time to save up for it.

I truly feel uplifted and ready for my chemo for the next 4 months. I begin this coming Tuesday with the first treatment.
Please keep me in your prayers.

Don and I loved to meditate while watching out the window of the ship.

We've been through some difficult times the past few years but still feel so

blessed in our lives. Having such a loving family and wonderful friends,

has really helped us.

There's something about the vast ocean that puts

things in perspective.

DON TURNS 70 YEARS OLD!

2010-07-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

Tami and Jeff came over after work on July 12, to help celebrate Don's birthday. After opening cards and gifts they took us out to dinner at Golden Corral. We always have such fun with Tami and Jeff and it's wonderful they live so close that we can do these special things together.

When Don and I got home we enjoyed the book I had put together of his childhood years. We had a great time laughing and
remeniscing about what a cute little boy he was. Don's mother had given him a sack full of pictures, awards, newspaper clippings, etc. and I thought his 70th birthday would be a great time to put these things in order and present him this book for his birthday. He really enjoyed this and it took us a couple of hours to go through the book and have him remember these events in his life.

This really was a perfect gift for him this year.

He also loved Tasha's phone call, Lara's email and Dadra's tribute to her Dad on her new blog. Of course, being with Tami and
Jeff for a delicious meal was great too. It was a wonderful birthday for Don and it will continue this week when we go on our Alaskan Cruise this Thursday (July 15).

My next blog will be after our cruise so I will visit with you again with some wonderful pictures. I do begin my chemo on July 27th but I'm not thinking about this until I get home!!

TODAY WAS MY LAST RADIATION TREATMENT!

2010-07-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

After I was finished and said my goodbys to all those that helped me get through this part of my cancer treatments, I walked out of the Radiation Oncology area. I've made some special friends there but I hope that I never have to have them take care of me again.

I was given a certificate for completing the course of radiation therapy with courage and praiseworthy good nature. I wonder if this award had anything to do with the chocolate chip cookies I gave them last Thursday?

I have to admit that I'm glad this phase of my treatment is over. I'm grateful that my body was able to handle the radiation and chemo pills for the past 5 weeks. Now I'm looking forward to our family cruise before my chemo in the veins starting July 27th. I'm not even going to think about this for the next 3 weeks.

Don has been so wonderful to be there for every radiation treatment except for the 1st one. He's a great support for me during this time.

Oh yes, Don isn't with another woman.......it's me in my attitude wig!! I thought this would be a good time to wear it since I'm so happy that radiation is over.