The Road Trip

We had an adventure in February. Some of us in our family went on a "hurried trip" to Palm Springs and Long Beach California for the funeral of our beloved Uncle Garland Sutton. We went in Jenny's van, with the following: Joel, Sharon, Jenny, Jayda, Randy, Ashleigh and baby Brady. We stopped in St. George. on Friday night, and stayed in motels and some of us stayed with my Dad and Martha. We got up the next day and went to Palm Springs for the weekend. Natalie got a buddy pass and flew into Palm Springs on Friday night--since we all could not fit in the van....... We arrived to great weather, but we brought a lot of confusion with us--to many people for a starter. Randy planned on flying out on Sunday so he could get to work on Monday. Randy could not get a flight out of Palm Springs at all. So he decided to try to fly out of Long Beach on Monday. The caravan of cars left early Monday morning for the funeral. Randy could not get out of the Long Beach airport either. With a buddy pass--you fly "stand by". So Randy went to the funeral and met some more of our interesting family.

The funeral was very nice, and Aunt Becky was really sad. Her and Garland had been living together at the local care center. It was a long day for her, and Grandma Loneta came to the funeral also, and it was a long day for her, as both her and Becky are in wheel chairs, and their health if questionable.

Family came from all over, and Garland had a good send off. We will really miss him, as he was always there for us, and came to all of our family celebrations--all the way from California for weddings, funerals, more weddings and more funerals. They are the best.

By the time Monday night rolled around, everyone was exhausted. Natalie, Jenny and Randy were dropped off at the airport to fly home. Ashleigh started crying, she wanted to go home too, but were driving the van home. Natalie and Jayda were crying and Joel had asthma and was coughing his head off. I read a really good novel about Marilyn Monroe the whole trip and just sort of ignored it all. I was still recovering from my hand surgery, so I was kind of miserable at times also. Dave referred to the trip as a FIASCO, and he was glad to see us leave. Here are some of the pictures from that trip.

What were we thinking?.......

In January, Joel and I had same day surgery during the same week. Joel had hernia surgery, and a few days later, I had thumb reconstuction for basil joint arthritis. Joel's surgery went well, but when the doctor got down to businesss, he found another hernia, so he had double surgery. My surgery was fast and I had a great doctor. He took a tendon out of my left arm and reconstructioned the thumb joint with the tendon. I came home with a soft cast, and was bed-ridden for a while--on great pain pills, etc. Two weeks after that, the doctor put on a hard cast, and I wore that one for two more weeks. Now I am in physical therapy, with an acrylic splint on my hand. I have to be real careful for a few more months, so the joint can heal properly. In other words, I can't do anything with my left hand. Joel has been nice to keep the kitchen clean, does the dishes, and attend to my needs. Thank goodness it is over, but sometime I need to get the other hand done. Not looking forward to that one.

2007--the end

So glad that this year is over. The latter part of the year was ruined because of the return of the TERMITES. I was hanging up my fall decor on the front doorway when I noticed a small hole above the doorway--on the inside of the house. I started poking around and LOW AND BEHOLD! those darn things were back for the third time. I just could not believe it. Needless to say our Christmas fund was spent on getting rid of those guys again. Upon this discovery Joel and I decided it was time to move on--literally. We decided that a change was as good as a rest. So he is looking for another job and we are planning on moving--anytime, anywhere---wherever the spirit takes us. In early December we drove to Las Vegas to check out a job offer there--but we were not too excited about the town. The housing market is dead there and there are very good deals to be had, but it was just not for us. Joel is checking out other opportunites in St. George, Utah.

We have lived in the same house for thirty years--can't believe it. We are tired of yard work, or lack of it. Some place with a warmer climate and no yard sounds appealing right now. Our home needs much updating, and we think we will let someone else do it. I refer to our house as "The dump". It will take a few months getting rid of thirty years of keepsakes and clutter, but it has to be done.......and soon.

Ashleigh's Baby Shower!!

November 3rd was the date for Ashleigh's baby shower. Jenny had the party at her home and I helped, along with Natalie helping with the food. Almost everyone came, and there was no more room to stand or sit. She got some very nice gifts, and a great time was had by all attending. We were very glad to see some of the family members that we had seen for a long time.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

There are some very scary folk in these pictures. We all went to Joel's and Ashleigh's work (XanGo) for trick or treat. I was so scary that I made Joel JUMP when he turned around and saw me for the first time. Yes, I am always a witch, but a little more so on Halloween....... The kids got more candy than they knew what to do with. Halloween is always fun and it was really fun this year because we all dressed up. Ashleigh was a black widow spider, in case you could not tell.

150 Anniversary: Mountain Meadows Massacre

In September Joel and I attended the weekend actvities of the 150 anniversary of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. We have always been interested in this event and have read numerous books on the subject. In 2001 we were on a wagon train that travel to Mountain Meadows. During that trip, we were leaving The Herb Young Living Farm in Mona on the morning of 911. We were on our way home when we heard it on the radio. The following weekend we spent in Cove Fort and the next weekend we were at Mountain Meadows. We camped there for the weekend. Our wagon train is the only one to ever camp there since the massacre. We had a church meeting put on by the local ward in Enterprise. After the meeting the flag was raised back to full staff. It was a wonderful experience for everyone. Here are some pictures of the events that took place that weekend of the Memorial Services.

Provo High School 40 Year Reunion

Here are some of my classmates from the Class of Provo High 1967. We had a picnic in the park on Friday night, and some of the pictures are from that activity. The next night we had out dinner and program at the Riverside County Club in Provo. It was good to see everyone again. Some of us had changed sooooooo much. The next morning I met Doug Wakefield for breakfast and we had a great time talking and catching up.

Dance Recital

In June, Jayda and Chloee were in the Dance Showcase Company recital. They both did a great job performing, and we had a great time watching them. The girls looked so cute in their costumes. Afterword, we went to Applebee's for dinner.

The House where I grew up in PROVO

Grandma Crawley's House

Timpangoes Elementary School

This is the house that I lived in since I was born. My parents lived in the apartment downstairs, and my mother's parents lived upstairs. I took this picture because the grade school that I went to was going to be torn down, and I drove by to take a current picture. My great grandmother, Effie Crawley's house is being torn down to make room for the new school. It was sad to see them both go.

Laney's Goodbye lunch

Laney and Heidi Johnson

Christy Lever and Kelly Gish

Karla Sheehan

Erin callaway, Jenny Morris, Teri Ivie

Laney's friends met at MiMi's in Sandy for her "send off" lunch. She is moving to New York, and we wanted to get together for one last time. Her friends came from all over the state. Some of us hadn't seen each other for years. It was a great time to reconnect and catch up on everything. WE will sure miss Laney--the life of the party. Good luck!