Melissa's shoes--from Target

As we were leaving the restuarant, we could not help but notice what darling shoes Melissa was wearing:

Murphy girl's Night OUT

On Thursday, April 24 we had our first Murphy Girl's Night Out at Los Hermanos in Lindon. Everyone was there except two of my girls, Ashleigh and Jenny, who were too busy and had too much going on. Austin just got home from his National Guard Training, and he is a green beret now. Him and Bill came down just to say HI and visit. Austin looks so good! What a lady's man. No wonder they called him "Stud-muffin" in high school. We were totally out of control and irreverent, and I am sure the restaurant was glad to see us leave. We are planning on having this activity once a month, so we can get together more often. Those attending were:

Natalie, Miriam, Gayle, Breann, Stephanie, Dawn, Melissa, Sharon and Haylee

My trip to Colorado City

Last October (2007) Joel and I went to St. George, Utah for his annual "Tournament of the Goons", or TOG as it is called. That is where his buddies from high school (BY High) get together for a weekend of food, fun, and golf. They have a golf tournament where prizes are awarded, etc. The best part for me is the food--always good. The host was Ray Beckham. His wife Elaine, rescues women and girls from polygamy. She runs a non profit organization and basically helps women escape, and puts them up in a safe house, etc. On Saturday, she had a rented van and some women in her neighborhood had donated some very nice furniture for this safe house that has been established in Colorado City. This safe house belongs to the trust that oversees the property in Colorado City. Joel and I went with her, and some other volunteers, to deliver the furniture to the safe house. It was quite the experience to be able to go there with someone that knew what was going on there. This home had 27,000 square feet, with 17 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms, along with a huge industrial sized kitchen. A former polygamist and her husband run this place. There were all kinds of people living there at the time. We spent the afternoon, moving boxes, furniture and visiting. As soon as we arrived there, the people who live there started driving by, checking out what was going on. I stood by the curb with my camera, and they didn't want their picture taken, so they didn't stay.

Joel and the "keeper of the inn"

Joel and his women--the former polygamists who helped with the moving.

On the far right is Sara Hammond. Her mother is still in polygamy, and her father is dead. He didn't even know who she was when she lived in

the compound. She had 11 mothers. Her mother is in a wheel chair and lives in Centennial Park, and is taken care of there. Sara wants to get her out of there, but where would she go at her age???????

The view from the back of the house

Sara again. She is so bitter towards men, she said she will NEVER get married, EVER.

Local children walking by

These two girls are sisters, and asked Joel if he was a reporter. They live nearby and work at the restaurant "The Merry Wives". These girls would love to leave, but don't dare. They are the sisters of the home's caretaker, who's name I can't remember!

My poor cat

Snuggles, our 18 year old cat is in BAD SHAPE. He wondered into our yard years ago as a beautiful kitten, and never left. I am not one to be a lover of cats, especially when we have dogs. Over the years he has been shot with bb guns, been in numerous fights, had his ears almost torn off, etc. He has been the cat with nine lives and still going. Last winter we did not think he would survive another year. He is in our garage sitting next to a portable heater. Last winter he quit taking care of himself, as in fur balls and matted fur. He always had been such a well groomed cat. He can barely walk now, but he still eats his food. No one in this family has the "guts" to do something humane to him. My son -in-law Eric offered to take him to the west desert and shot him......... Natalie thought that was horrible. When the Wimmer's were getting ready to go camping a few weeks ago, Chloee asked if Snuggles was coming along to be killed. Judge for yourself:

POLYGAMY

Polygamy is alive and well in America. With this attention being paid to those "folks" in Texas, I can't help but post thoughts of my own. My own great, great grandfather GEORGE REYNOLDS was the LDS church scapegoat for polygamy. He was the "test case" for polygamy in "Reynolds v. United States", the first freedom of religion case to go to court. He was a general authority for the LDS Church , and a longtime secretary to the First Presidency. He married his first wife, my g-g grandmother Mary Ann Tuddenham. Later he took on his second wife, Amelia Jane Schofield. The court rejected Reynold's argument that the Latter-day Saint practice of polygamy was protected by the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution. His conviction was upheld and he was imprisoned in Utah and then to the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln. He was released after serving his full sentence of five years. Apparently he did not learn his lesson from being in prison, and upon his release, he took on yet his third wife, Mary Gould. My great grandmother Amelia Reynolds was his oldest child. She took care of everyone. Two of the wives were sickly, and it was her job to take care the home. My grandpa suffered a nervous breakdown in 1907 as a result of stress ( too wives and too many children?) and overwork. He died in SLC at the age of 68 and had a total of three wives and thirty two children.***

***information from family records and Wikipedia.com

Today polygamy is against the law. The LDS church does not condone it, and does not practice it anymore. Ever. To my non-LDS friends--the Mormons have nothing to do with these polygamists. Mormon women do not wear goofy long clothes, and poofy hair with a braid down the back. I personally do not believe that polygamy will fly in the hereafter. NO woman in her right mind would put up with it. Agree?

Pneumonia, crashed computer,etc

I feel like most of this year has been a bust, waste, or whatever. On January 11, I had my hand surgery, and had an arm cast for a month, most of which was spent in bed due to muscle spasms and pain. The spasms were from the removal of the tendon that reconstructed my thumb and joint. Then there was the trauma of physical (pain) therapy. That lasted for another two months. Before that was over, I contracted pneumonia, and spent ten days in bed coughing, coughing, coughing. It was weird, because the sickness came on really fast--like within an half hour. I was surprised how fast it attacked. I still have a cough and feel not so good, but I am up and going. Then this week my computer froze, and Ashleigh is trying to clean it by erasing everything. The hard drive is probably corrupted, so I am still waiting to get it back. In the meantime I am working from my slow laptop---and it is slow. I'm glad that April is here and maybe spring is around the corner.......

My hand and thumb looks deformed now, and I get to get the other hand done when I get the courage--maybe next January. That is a good time because it is winter and nothing is going on.