Rick, Marilyn, John, Diane, and I spent Saturday afternoon at Grandma Whittaker's house. Because there is a potential buyer it's important that we start going through things to sort out what we want and to,sadly, dispose of the rest.
It was kind of quiet as we began to collect the things we had given her over the years. It made sense to do that first and then we can see what is left and determine who has an interest.
I came away with some items for both Tricia and Christina. I hope they are things that will be worth keeping.
Rick and I now have a few keepsakes that graced his parents home for so long. We have the barometer, a clock, a gold leaf of the Salt Lake Temple in a frame, and some book ends. I have an etched glass sectioned platter that they received as a wedding gift. Diane said she saw work like that done in Scotland and it's quite a unique piece. I wish I knew more about it. The most exciting thing to me was to get the "real" silverware. It is so beautiful and I'm putting it in the drawer and using it everyday. I know that years ago the thought was to bring it out only when you were serving guests, but the one I love the most sits across the table from me everyday. I had her patio furniture recovered several years ago so we have that as well. It hurts my heart to believe that you can spend a lifetime collecting things and find that they are items not necessarily wanted by anyone else.
As we were getting ready to leave Diane spotted two lovely figurines that Rick's previous wife Karen had hand painted. Rick is going to box them up and send a note with them to his daughter Leslie. We think we have a current address (his ex-wife won't confirm or deny). Our hope is that she responds in a positive way to his thoughtful gesture.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A Surprise Wedding
I have your attention, right? A surprise wedding. Who could it be? Well, Marilyn headed to Thailand to see her son Jeff and we all thought it was for a vacation. No, it was really for a Thai wedding. He has been gone several years, first working in Iraq, and now in Kuwait for a contractor of computer services. He will continue to be with them through next year. When his contract is up he and his bride may go to Australia or ... who knows. Marilyn said they are coming home for Christmas so we can meet Ammy. We learned of the wedding after Marilyn returned. I'm glad she could be there for such an important event. She said it was a large wedding with a lot of unexpected features. She came back six pounds lighter and anxious for his future. She has her doubts that Jeff will ever return to the United States. I guess only time will tell. My, don't our lives change.
Yesterday I went to a delicatessen on State Street for lunch. They have unusual items for sell that they bring over from Europe. It is mostly Italian food items, but I did notice some Kinder eggs. I picked one up thinking I might get a few for Heidi's boys until I noticed the price. What I paid less than .50 for in Germany was $2.25 here. Wow, now that's inflation.
Steve and Deidre have invited Rick and me to go with them in August for their Whittaker Family vacation to a place in Idaho called Stone Fly Lodge. The lodge is all ours for the week and there will be fishing, kayaking, biking, and hiking at our leisure. We'll be cooking our own meals and each family is invited to provide a dinner. My plan is to do CHICKEN TACO FETTICINE. I hope I can make it taste like Tricia's because hers was sooooo good.
Just a bit of local news...there was an accident at Bonneville Junior High. A boy was spotted up on the roof by a soccer coach, and because he knew he had been seen he turned and ran. Unfortunately he fell through a sky light almost 40 feet down to the gym floor and was killed. What a sad turn of events for what he must have thought was just some great fun. When we are young little do we know the price we may have to pay for our poor choices. While I lived in Brigham there was a boy in our neighborhood trying to get his kite down from a power line with a long pole. Bad choice; he was electrocuted. The friends that were with him had all taken turns trying to get it down and he was the one who paid the price because he connected with the line. Oh, the things some of us have missed by the skin of our teeth.
Here's hoping all your choices today are wise ones!
Yesterday I went to a delicatessen on State Street for lunch. They have unusual items for sell that they bring over from Europe. It is mostly Italian food items, but I did notice some Kinder eggs. I picked one up thinking I might get a few for Heidi's boys until I noticed the price. What I paid less than .50 for in Germany was $2.25 here. Wow, now that's inflation.
Steve and Deidre have invited Rick and me to go with them in August for their Whittaker Family vacation to a place in Idaho called Stone Fly Lodge. The lodge is all ours for the week and there will be fishing, kayaking, biking, and hiking at our leisure. We'll be cooking our own meals and each family is invited to provide a dinner. My plan is to do CHICKEN TACO FETTICINE. I hope I can make it taste like Tricia's because hers was sooooo good.
Just a bit of local news...there was an accident at Bonneville Junior High. A boy was spotted up on the roof by a soccer coach, and because he knew he had been seen he turned and ran. Unfortunately he fell through a sky light almost 40 feet down to the gym floor and was killed. What a sad turn of events for what he must have thought was just some great fun. When we are young little do we know the price we may have to pay for our poor choices. While I lived in Brigham there was a boy in our neighborhood trying to get his kite down from a power line with a long pole. Bad choice; he was electrocuted. The friends that were with him had all taken turns trying to get it down and he was the one who paid the price because he connected with the line. Oh, the things some of us have missed by the skin of our teeth.
Here's hoping all your choices today are wise ones!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Looking Back
My sister turned 60 last week and we had a family party at her house. It was fun to reflect back on things that have happened over the course of the years. I remember when we lived in Midvale during the 50's and mom had a three wheeled Harley that she would crank up in the winter. It took about three or four cranks to get it going, but once it got started she would slowly drive around the block and there were kids at every door, ready with their sleds. The first person had a rope to hang on to, but all the others would just grab the heels of the person in front. We had quite a long line of kids as she circled the block and it was so much fun. Unfortunately everyone didn't see it as just good fun and she was instructed by the police not to pull us anymore. There were a lot of sad faces on Cornell Drive when we heard the news.
The missionaries have been a delight. They are careful to put things away and clean up after themselves. I do their laundry and it feels good to wash and fold their clothes, knowing their shirts will be white and their slacks mended as they tend to their service. I think I enjoy the evening the most because I can hear them downstairs laughing and talking with each other. I so miss the noise that comes with young men in our home and now it is back again!
Elder Orton is from Florida and Elder Tueller is from Texas. Elder Orton was out shoe shopping yesterday, it was his year mark and more than time to replace his worn out shoes. A woman happened to see him trying on shoes and volunteered to buy them for him, on the condition he got exactly what he wanted. He ended up getting a real nice pair of Doc Marten's as well as some new socks, with more socks on the way.
I remember seeing missionaries in the grocery store when Brian had first gone out, and I started to cry because I was hoping that someone in Venezuela was thinking the same thing I was ... I wonder what I can do for these young men so far away from home. I admit when I see young men in our ward that remind me of either Cory or Brian I pay particular attention to them; to see what they do, how they talk to their wives, how they treat their children.
We are planning on going to the Ward camp out that will take place this Friday and Saturday. It's up American Fork Canyon so there should be families who can come up and enjoy the community meal without having to spend the night. It's fun to get together in an informal setting and just enjoy each other's company. I plan on roasting lots of marshmallows! We went up to check out the campsite and it was pretty chilly. Glad we have a trailer with a heater.
Shelly Beatty (my neighbor) and I are going to get together on Wednesday to plan our own little fund raiser. The plan is to provide Heritage Care Center (the facility Grandma Whittaker was in while in American Fork) with some new bedding. That was something I noticed they were lacking and our hope is that we can provide them with something that can help quite a few of their residents. We will begin with a dollar amount in mind, determine how much we are willing to invest, see who can help sponsor our cause, etc. We already have an idea of sorts to work with so I'm anxious to see where we can go with it. I keep thinking of the positive experience I had with the first fund raiser for the Literacy Center when we took $50 dollars, saw a $500 profit and then with matching funds from Wal-Mart changed it to $1,000.00 I'm not sure if we can do quite the same, but it will be worth the effort.
I read the post by Tricia which included the remarks by Margaret Nadauld about Women of God. I was so impressed by her remarks that I posted the quote here at work so I can look at it often. Thanks!
The missionaries have been a delight. They are careful to put things away and clean up after themselves. I do their laundry and it feels good to wash and fold their clothes, knowing their shirts will be white and their slacks mended as they tend to their service. I think I enjoy the evening the most because I can hear them downstairs laughing and talking with each other. I so miss the noise that comes with young men in our home and now it is back again!
Elder Orton is from Florida and Elder Tueller is from Texas. Elder Orton was out shoe shopping yesterday, it was his year mark and more than time to replace his worn out shoes. A woman happened to see him trying on shoes and volunteered to buy them for him, on the condition he got exactly what he wanted. He ended up getting a real nice pair of Doc Marten's as well as some new socks, with more socks on the way.
I remember seeing missionaries in the grocery store when Brian had first gone out, and I started to cry because I was hoping that someone in Venezuela was thinking the same thing I was ... I wonder what I can do for these young men so far away from home. I admit when I see young men in our ward that remind me of either Cory or Brian I pay particular attention to them; to see what they do, how they talk to their wives, how they treat their children.
We are planning on going to the Ward camp out that will take place this Friday and Saturday. It's up American Fork Canyon so there should be families who can come up and enjoy the community meal without having to spend the night. It's fun to get together in an informal setting and just enjoy each other's company. I plan on roasting lots of marshmallows! We went up to check out the campsite and it was pretty chilly. Glad we have a trailer with a heater.
Shelly Beatty (my neighbor) and I are going to get together on Wednesday to plan our own little fund raiser. The plan is to provide Heritage Care Center (the facility Grandma Whittaker was in while in American Fork) with some new bedding. That was something I noticed they were lacking and our hope is that we can provide them with something that can help quite a few of their residents. We will begin with a dollar amount in mind, determine how much we are willing to invest, see who can help sponsor our cause, etc. We already have an idea of sorts to work with so I'm anxious to see where we can go with it. I keep thinking of the positive experience I had with the first fund raiser for the Literacy Center when we took $50 dollars, saw a $500 profit and then with matching funds from Wal-Mart changed it to $1,000.00 I'm not sure if we can do quite the same, but it will be worth the effort.
I read the post by Tricia which included the remarks by Margaret Nadauld about Women of God. I was so impressed by her remarks that I posted the quote here at work so I can look at it often. Thanks!
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