I called up just a few minutes ago to check on Sheila.  She hasn't been feeling well at all today and it wouldn't have surprised me at all if she had gone to bed.  But she did answer, but in a different voice.  She is temporarily an alto instead of a soprano.  She will have a chance to sleep in tomorrow because the Draper Temple is closed for the first two weeks of February.  Come Wednesday I will celebrate my 02/02/02 anniversary.  That was when we were in Colorado Springs right after Hunter was born.  As you know I ended up in the same hospital that Shelli and Hunter were in.  I have a pretty solid memory of that Saturday morning at about 8:30 am when I had my stroke.  I can't say I'm glad it happened.  Nor can I, even after 9 years, point out any specific bit of wisdom that I learned from it. But it was what it was, and it is what it is.  I hope that it will count for something good when the final count is tallied.  Then on Sunday there is another anniversary.  With # 42 upon us it is becoming more and more plausible for me to start thinking: 50.  Boy, that is something.  I can hardly imagine that happening.  But that is another 8 years and so it is far ahead in the future.  (Just like 42 was 42 years ago!)

My Monday has worked its transition magic again.  I am changed from my weekend and Sunday frame of mind and back to work, work and more work.  But this winter sees especially cold to me.  Several times through the day I have to put on a jacket  to warm me up while I am working in my office.  And now Sheila is sick before I got completely well.  So the two of us will nurse the other and we will muddle along trying to make our days productive and figure out what we can do this weekend to celebrate our time together.  Whatever we do the best part will be Sunday evening when you-all make it to our place and spend some time with us.  After all you are the reason and result of those 42 years.  And frankly, we like having you around.

GRANDMA'S TURN

Dad and I just finished watching a wonderful movie together.  In a week it will be our 42nd anniversary and you are all invited to spend some time with us that day at our 1st family home evening for this year.  I am grateful to your dad for sticking it out with me and loving me more each day.  It is sure fun to be in love.   

Another interesting thing happened to me today.  One of the sisters in our ward invited me to travel with her to China!  She is taking some supplies and donations over there for an orphanage.  She works at the temple on Saturday mornings and after praying about how to accomplish this task she met a sister in the locker room who lives in China and offered for her car to pick her up at the airport and for her to stay at her house for as long as she needs.  The Lord worked his magic again by bringing these two sisters together.  China is an interesting proposition.  hummm

I also had a talk with Sharolyn today.  She said they are doing fine.  AmandaRae is loving school.  She is also helping by taking care of her sisters and dinner when Sharolyn goes to work.  Aubree likes school but is sad because her friend moved away.  Autumn is just a happy little girl and is a great daily companion to Sharolyn.

Lucas, Coco and Kaleb are asleep upstairs so we can spend tomorrow together.  Robert has started his new job and likes it.  Cicily is returning today after a fun road trip with her mom and sisters.  They are a busy family.  I hope we can catch up with everyone on Sunday.  I'm looking forward to it.

(dad says that he is willing to let her go to China, but really wonders about her sanity if she chooses to leave her loving husband for that!)

MY WIFE

One of the best Sundays in a long time.  I got to sit in church holding hands with my wife.  After the block we sat down together and had some lunch.  We spent nearly an hour together just talking .  Then she came with  me on a home teaching visit.  We actually sat down together again for a wonderful evening meal.  Then we sat together for a romantic valentine movie which just got over.  The movie was a love story about a widow and her husband who died in world war II.  After over 60 years his body was retrieved and brought back to her along with the valentine she had sent with him when he shipped out.  It was a real tear jerk-er and made me realize how grateful I am for the promise that WE have.  I've thought a lot recently about the idea of eternal relationships.  I am sure that many genuinely good people without the true gospel yearn for what we have.  They dream it.  They hope for it, and we know it.  Do you realize what a special blessing it if for us to have that knowledge?  During our talk this afternoon we talked about the fact that we still have little idea of just what is in store for us now.  Of course we are closer to the end of our lives then to the beginning.  But all we really want is to be together.  It is a magical thing to me to be one with my sweetheart.  And to know that it will last forever--a dream to die for.

HOW WAS YOUR MONTH?

I am almost to 38.  That's 38 pushups that I will be doing morning and night starting next Tuesday morning.  That will mark the beginning of the 2nd month of this year, 2011, that seemed to start just a couple of weeks ago.  I really made only one new year's resolution for 2011, and that was to do this blog in place of my journal writing.  Well, actually I made two and we did get to the temple in the month of January, so I am good.  Beyond that my day's routine is full of new year's resolutions that I made a long time ago and I am still doing daily.  Some go back up to 25 years and I'm still doing them.  My pushups are almost into 38 months. That's over three years.  I have the tightest abs in the family.  (maybe)   I take satisfaction in that daily routine of mine, but it is just something that I do, not who I am.  But I can make a case for the idea that it helps make me what I am too.  In some ways I don't feel old enough to have lived my life.  Somehow I just jumped from being newly married to my here and now which has me married almost 42 years and the 'one' of us with 8 kids of our own and 22 (and counting) grand kids.  (did you catch on to that 'one' of us?)  I have learned to live with myself, flaws and all.  I'm not satisfied with my flaws, but I know that I have made some improvements in all of that time, and I am determined to make lots more.  But I can't waste time feeling sorry that I'm where I'm at.  That would just slow me down in my efforts to do better.  So I continue to me my own worst critic, but I give a lot of credibility to my favorite cheerleader too. And I try to leave one day at a time remembering my theme of 'understand(ing) the day, because each day requires something different of me.  Tomorrow requires me to be up and shower and actually shave somewhere near 7 am so I am going to end this entry and call it a day (week).

TOO MUCH

There is just too much out there to learn.  My routine has been to watch some news on tv and read the newspaper every morning.  Now there are so many other sources and so much new to try to keep up with that even you young, savy grand kids can't keep up with it all. So there is absolutely no hope for this old guy to digest all that is out there.  There are so many things in this new world that you live in for me to gt used to.  I know that a lot of them are good, even wonderful.  I just can't keep up with all of them.  One good thing is that I have watched the BYU ball game from Wednesday night at least 3 times now since it has been replayed over and over.  And I took a moment to think about how my work is so different now then it has been decades past.  Now I can just sit at my computer and bring up maps to print to attach to the papers that I give out to be served.  I can usually find a picture of the house to make it easier to find, and on occasion I have even come up with pictures of the people that we are trying to serve.  Business information is so easy to access and I find DMV information all the time.  It makes it so much easier for my guys to go to a door with license plate numbers and names.  It is harder for people to lie to us because we know that their car is sitting in the driveway and that we have found the right people.  I have had some call and complain that we served a paper improperly and they refused to give me there name while claiming that they don't know the person, and I look at my caller ID and see that they are THE person.  And of course you kids have no idea what life was like before cell phones.  It really makes a difference in the way that I am able to do my job.  But all that being said, I feel like there is so much more I could do if I understood it all better.  But, I also have memories of my first feeble efforts on our first computer. Do your remember that big out box of a computer that I had in the office to connect to the county? I must admit that I have come a long way.  I just wonder how much futher I can go.  They are just inventing things way too fast for me.  But old dogs can learn new tricks and I will keep at it even if it is in very small steps.

Am I crazy?

The conversation that goes on in my head seems pretty normal to me.  But if I stop and give it serious thought I have to wonder if I am crazy.  My mind goes from thought to thought and even goes back and forth in time.  I have an image in my mind from long ago and far away, and then I 'see' something in my future.  I remember an incident that happened in my freshman year of college.  I started out without a clue as to what I wanted to study.  (I actually ended that way too.)  One of the classes that I took my first year was Communications 101.  The professor was sort of a celebrity to the education community but I did not know nor did I care that he was a respected scholar.  I remember learning a definition of 'communication' that required a response to any message to qualify as communication.  So a book or a movie or a letter wasn't 'complete' until some kind of a response from the hearer, reader or receiver of a message responded in some form or another.  That is why I place such an importance on the comments that my blog receives.  I see that not only as completing the process, but actually giving it it's value.  I also remember a disagreement that I had with the professor which pretty much lasted the whole semester of the course.  In one of his lectures he was teaching what he thought went on in our minds when a thought or an idea is created or formed.  He felt that 'words' were essential to the process and that we think in words, so the more words that we learn the better we are able to think.  I remember mulling over his idea and I looked at my own' inside of my head process' and I came to disagree with him.  I voiced my idea that my mind did use words, but only to label impressions or even feelings which I felt were the basic tools of the thought process.  It seemed ridiculous to think that a thought could not exist without a word.  I saw them existing as a result of something else and not the 'something' itself.  I remember that our disagreement lasted all the way through the class.  And even to this day I believe that he was wrong.  I know that he was wrong.  I have examined and re-examined my mental process many times in the years since 1964-65 and I still know that he was wrong.  I wondered if maybe I was strange or weird or different.  To this day I see myself as mostly normal, average and typical in that way just like everybody else, and I cannot figure how he could have been so wrong in what he taught.  I guess I can ask you, my friends (family) if I am actually crazy or if you see things the same way that I see them.  It is an interesting experiment which can be fun and beneficial regardless of whether you decide to defend me or not.  Try it and let me know what (I guess 'how') you think.

climate

First, Hunter's birthday is the 31st.  Grandma incorrectly said the 30th the other day.  But they are doing their ow private thing, except for a 'song' at our next FHE. 
I read the comments from Sherri and Shelli from the last few days.  I thank you for your response.  Shelli I ask if you'll help some of your siblings get 'blog savy' so they also can read and respond.  I really, really enjoy it when I find comments to my entries.
This morning I wrote something that I want to repeat and talk about.  I CONFESS THAT I AM AFFECTED BY THE CLIMATE.  I have long worried about the way life affects me.  When work was slow or when money did not come in as fast as we needed it, or when 'my' team lost I would often get down and sometimes feel real bad.  If I had a bad day it would bother me so much sometimes that it would take me out of my game more then it should have.  This became an area where I really wanted to improve myself.  I worked on it a lot for a long time.  The other side of the coin was also something I needed to improve on.  That is to say that when I had a good day or when I got money in the mail or when my guys served a lot of papers or when 'my' team won it was a good day.  Even that ought to be different.  That has to do with the 'happiness option' that I talked about yesterday.  Any way, this morning I received the thought:  I CONFESS THAT I AM AFFECTED BY THE CLIMATE and it was like a flash of inspiration enlightening me.  I realized that being affected some by circumstances is normal and to be expected.  I just need to be aware enough to not let it take me away from appreciating all the good things in my life.  So right now I am riding high because BYU defeated SDSU but it is a measured enjoyment.  After all, I didn't do anything but enjoy their success and I have to find my joy in my own life.  And I am grateful that I can find plenty there to sustain me.   Also, I can't let life distract me from my life.  I have a place and I have an assignment and I have an accounting for what He has given me.  I can't let things that only matter for a moment take me away from the things that will still matter always.  You know what I mean, don't you? 

TUESDAY JANUARY 25TH, 2011

I woke up at 4 when the alarm went off for Sheila and then I got up at 7.  I read my chapter in John and then I got into the shower.  I dressed and did my 37 pushups and then had my prayer and then I came downstairs to the office.  After checking out my stuff on the computer I went out and got my paper.  It was just a bit chilly but other wise it was clear skies with not rain or snow in sight.  I read my newspaper and then worked on my papers to get Richard's work ready for the day.  I figured that he'd be here around 10 am or so.  When it got close to 11 I was a bit bothered.  When he finally got here he seemed justified to be 'late' and asked me if i had been outside.  I was not aware that it had snowed and was surprised to see maybe as much as 4 inches of snow on the roads.  I knew that that would surprise Sheila when she came out of the temple because for sure it wasn't snowing at 5 am when she left home.  I knew I would see her until after 2 because she was going to lunch with some of the sisters from her temple shift for a shower thing.  Luckily by the time that she left the temple the roads were clear and she did not have any real trouble.  She was only home for about an hour because she had to leave to take Linzi to counseling and then she got back home about 5:40 p.m.  My day has been here in the office all day and pretty routine for me and pretty boring to anyone else.  I did get some things done, but nothing special happened to me.  I did have a really nice thought this morning that I wrote down about exercising my happiness option, but that probably wouldn't mean anything to anyone but myself. (Sheila did like it though)  Just before I started this entry I found that Sherri had made a comment on Grandma's corner about Brooklyn and Spencer's upcoming activities. I know there is so much going on and I feel bad that we just can't do it all.  But we will try and do what we can.  But don't give up on us.  Keep us informed of what is going on and we all will do what we can.   good night

MONDAY THE 24TH

You'd think that I would get used to things after 35 or 40 years.  But I still get surprised when another week comes around.  I have gone through a weekend and then I have to get back into the proper frame of mind to switch to another work week frame of mind..  After a while I do fall back into the routine, but for some time I just feel out of sorts.  I get a little tentative about things and I seem to drift a little.  Sometimes it takes the whole Monday and finally on Tuesday I am okay again.  Today was like that again.  Because I didn't have any real pressing work on my desk I had to think and sort, and find stuff to do.  I'm not saying that I didn't have anything to do.  I still have plenty to do, but its not what I would call 'timely' stuff.  Some tasks can be put off so they do pile up but don't scream for attention.  So today I did take it a little easier but I also did get a lot of those secondary or other tasks done.  I did my 1096 and 1099's tax forms and got them into the mail.  I organized the piles on my desk and I read 2 talks in the conference issue of the Ensign for my next priesthood lesson the 3rd Sunday in
February.  I closed out my checkbook for last week and paid myself (and immediately turned the check over to my boss, so she can pay our bills.) Because I didn't have the amount of 'timely' work to keep me busy I also spent some time worrying.  I tend to do that when I don't have work sitting here enough for the next day's work.
When I think seriously I get more confidence that the work will come and we will be okay, but when it comes to worrying I am a champion.  I can worry with the best of them.  But it usually just isn't worth the time or trouble.  I remember that I also spent a few productive moments just talking with my partner about our week and our situation.  Before you know it this month will be over and I hope that I don't wast too much of it.  It has been a good month and a good start to the new year.  But the real test comes with time so I'll have to 'exert' myself for the full 12 months and 52 weeks. (the word 'exert' come from my lesson yesterday which comes from President Eyring's general conference talk.) ( I get tired just thinking 'exertion'!)
Tomorrow is Sheila's 4am wake up call and tomorrow she is going to be unusually busy.  I'll probably have to be creative again and 'exert' myself in order to be productive enough to be satisfied with my Tuesday.
I wish there was some magic way to make each day a good day.  But it seems like old fashioned work (there's that exertion again) is the only way for that to happen.

GRANDMA'S CORNER

Saturday when Lucas,Kaleb and Coco came in I laughed at what was printed on Coco's shirt.  It was pink and read "It's a girls world".  I laughed because every inch of the family room was covered with sleeping young women-eleven to be exact.  Linzi have celebrated her 16th birthday with a party here.  It was truly a girls world.
It was also very fun and I think it was just what Linzi wanted it to be and of course what really made her giddy with joy was when the boy she asked to Sweet Hearts said " yes".  These memories that she made this weekend will someday seem weird to her just like some of Grandpa's memories but memories are so important and fun and help to define us.  Happy Birthday Linzi!!  Not only will she begin to date but she will also get her driver's license. 


Some other things to add to the calendar:  Jan. 27th  Richard's Birthday

 Jan. 30th  Hunter's Birthday                    Feb. 6th  FHE

 Feb. 27th  Happy Birthday to Colbie-Blair and Kaleb Beckham
I think Cicily said their party will be Saturday the 26th she will be giving more details.

Shelli told us to mark July 9th as Chase's Baptism day.  Please let us know of other dates you want to share and/or post them yourselves as your comments.  We know you are all busy but we would all like to be aware what it going on with you because we love sharing your life with you.

 Nick is now doing an apprenticeship with South Ogden City.  He is working with the city manager.  This sounds like an interesting experience in the making.  He said he is spending 3 hours a day in" his office" at the city.  ( Even Russ a city councilman doesn't have an office)

 Abby, Logan and Lucas love preschool.  They love to tell me about the things they are learning and doing at school.     

 I hope to do better at adding things about other grandkids.  I have other things I hope to do better at so we will see what I come up with for next Sunday.

Sunday the 23rd

I've been around long enough to know how things work.  You live in the past and the present as well as a little in the future all at the same time.  Today was like that.  I have been preparing for my priesthood lesson for almost a month.  And today I taught and now it is done and gone.  Sometimes when you anticipate something a lot you go through a bit of a let down when it is over.  Being around family brings some of those feelings too.  You enjoy the moment so much because these folks are the most important part of your life, but soon it is over and they are all on their way back home and so are you.  I don't know if you catch what I am trying to say, but it is a feeling about things that is pleasant and a bit unpleasant at the same time. Some things feel like such a part of you, but at the same time they are distant in both time and space.  It would seem easier if I could control the lives of the people around me, but that is a part of the feelings that I am trying to understand and describe:  you just don't have control over much of the things in your life.  I guess that is the way that it should be.  In a marriage should either one be able to control the other?  Even with parents and children should the parents CONTROL their kids or nurture and teach and raise them to be able to control themselves?  Tonight we talked a little about Jeff Jensen and his desire to control those around him.  His perspective seems to be self-centered and he has to see everyone else with him in a dominant role.  It isn't right for him and it isn't right for anyone else either.  So this 'past, present and future' idea seems to fit.  The past is done so we can't change it, only learn from it.  I haven't gotten good enough to really control my present because it is too complicated for me.  And my dreams of the future, even reasonable ones as opposed to fantasy ones never actually happen the way that I see them in my mind.  So my life requires a  lot of compromise and acceptance and settling, not because I'm flawed or wrong but because that is just the way that it is. And the more that I do compromise and accept and settle the more I find satisfaction and joy because the things that I am pursuing are righteous and good and simply require more then this mortal lifetime to acquire.  Does any of this make any sense to you?

You think of someone dear to you that is not with you.  And yet they are with you when you think of them.  And each thought comes with its own emotion.  One may bring joy, another will bring sadness.  Another will excite you and another will be scary.  Try it out.  Think of people who are important to you and ponder the feelings that come with the idea of them.  The 'idea of them' can be as real as they are, and needs to be treated with as much care as they do.
DOES ANY OF THIS MAKE ANY SENSE TO YOU?

i'm glad today of over

It's been a long day.  I didn't get up very early, but when I did get up I found 11 teenage girls asleep on our family room floor.  Sheila said that she came to bed at 12:30 and they had just put on a movie so who can say how late they stayed up.  ( they can't because they are fuzzy minded giddy teenage girls)  (at least they are that on very little sleep)  I had high hopes about how much I wanted to get done today.  And even though I did not feel particularly well I actually did get it all done.  I worked on my office work and I worked on my lesson for priesthood for tomorrow.  and I took a much needed nap.  I know that I am going to church in the morning, but at another stage in my life I would be making excuses for myself and the way that I feel.  (still sick)  But I'll set our alarm for 15 to 7 and get up and go regardless.  The only thing that would keep me home would be if I thought I would get every one else sick.  I don't think I will, so I'd rather be there feeling less then good, then here missing out on what is there.  I really need this day off.  I have been trying real hard this week to keep busy and be productive.  Whether I succeeded or not I really can't say, but I feel like I did put a lot of work into my week.  I do wish that I had made more progress on my cold, but I'll think of what Sherri said in a comment during the week and just keep going in spite of it all.  I was blessed to see lots of our family today, and sorry that I cold have see some others, but I was too pooped to party.  But I will see you all again, soon.

FRIDAY THE 21ST

Mom and I just watched MAMA MIA on t.v.  We were banished to my office because the upstairs was invaded by teenagers.  Linzi is having her 16th birthday party up there and being gracious hosts we just got out of the way and let them do their thing.  I am thinking that it might not be as easy as I think for me to go to sleep when I finish down here and go to bed.  And most of them are going to be staying the night.  So it will be an interesting 14 hours or so.  The kids played that spaghetti eating game with awkward kitchen utensils.  Now they're doing games or presents of something not quite quiet.  At least they are not chasing each other about the house. 
I was just going to write about the teenage infestation until I got on my computer and found a comment from Shelli about my post from last night.  Her final line got me thinking.  My memories of the marching band are not positive.  My memories of my short lived dance band experience is also not pleasant.  I did not like cleaning that elementary school by myself.  So what pleasant, positive memories do I have about my growing up days. 

Let's see.  I liked sports but of course on any given event it could just as well be bad as good.  You learn early on that just doing it has to be worthwhile.  And I have some very pleasant memories about a few times playing basketball and I eventually had some really good moments.  I even played 'in the zone' on a few rare occasions when it seemed as though I couldn't miss.  And I'm talking about long range stuff that back then still only counted for 2.  I liked spelling tests all the way through school.  I rarely studied and I almost always got a perfect score.  I remember the pleasant experience of seeing my name posted on a list in the hallway during my senior year for the top 10 % which really took me by surprise because I never considered myself a serious student.  I mean a student who had to study seriously.  It came so easy for me and when I realized that I was that good I was very surprised.  I did get a scholarship to B.Y.U. but it didn't last past my freshman year.  I just did not take it that seriously.  I liked having a car of my own from age 15 1/2 on, which I earned and paid for by working for my dad.  I ran for Seminary President in my senior year but lost to a friend from my own ward.  I selfishly took a little bit of satisfaction when he did not complete his full term because he got his girlfriend (also in our ward) pregnant.  I was a manager for the basketball team in my senior year.  And in the cafeteria style lunch room I was kind of a connection between the geeks, the nerds, the jocks, and even a greaser or two.  Of course we didn't call them that, but I was the bridge between a variety of different kids who did not socialize elsewhere, but at our lunch table.

So as I think about it I really had a good time being a kid in junior high and high school. But I would not want to do it again!

ANOTHER MEMORY FROM THE DEEP RECCESSES

I just did it so I would know that it works.  If you goggle map the area that I wrote about last night and go to the satellite feature you will be able to find the house that I mentioned where we practiced (the dance band) and where I spent a number of nights sleeping over with my friend John Taylor.  The place is now the Cannon Mortuary so you know it was a big house and there was only John and his parents.  It was kind of like a big square house with a patio and swimming pool in the middle.  I never saw the pool with any water in it though.  The particular memory that came yesterday was about the school just across the street.  It is an elementary school and John worked there after school doing janitorial stuff.  On an occasion that I have no time frame in my memory other then I drove a car and I was in high school John asked  me to sub for him when he was to go out of town for something.  I said that I would and I worked with him for a night to learn the ropes and then I  had two nights doing the job on my own.  I knew that it was honorable work and to work is honorable too.  But boy did I hate it.  It was only part time and twice, but it was enough to keep me serving papers and to this day I'd rather push papers then push a broom.   Can you picture me as a teenage kid cleaning up a school?  Bet you didn't know that about me!

MEMORIES ARE WEIRD

I was laying in bed early this morning thinking about my band experiences that I had written about the night before when I had a long forgotten memory pop into my head.  I remembered that during high school I had played in a dance band that a few of my friends and I started.  I'm not even sure just which years it happened, but I do remember most of the guys.  John Taylor played the drums.  Gary Bywater played the saxophone and somebody Young played the piano.  There might have been another, but that memory somehow isn't available to me.  We practiced at John Taylor's house up in 'Butler'.  The place is now a mortuary, but was a private home back then.  I don't believe that any kid today would think of a band that did not have a guitar.  But this was in a different world in a different time.  I do remember that I never felt that we were very good.  And when one of the guys told us that we had a church dance to play at that would actually pay us for playing I never got excited.  I just got scared.  I remember the church in Midvale where we played.  And beyond that I know that I did my best to forget the evening, and I have pretty well succeeded.  That night was our only gig.  And I am surprised that the memory came into my mind.  It was never something that I wanted to remember.  But there it is.  For a very short time in my teen age years I was a part of a band.

A MEMORY

From the 7th grade through high school I played the trumpet in the school band and orchestra.  Except for a couple of performances each school year the biggest part was playing at the basketball games.  That was at Mt. Jordan during junior high school because that's all they had:  basketball. At Jordan High School we would play for both basketball and football.  I, however, do not remember playing at the football games because I was on the team even as a Sophomore.  I wasn't very good at football, but I had one skill that had me playing at least a play of two in each game.  I was a center and my specialty was the long snap.  That's when we had to punt on 4th down or on extra points after a touchdown.  Field goals too, but I honestly don't remember many of those or many of anything for that matter.  I do remember snapping the ball way over the head of our punter once. (I think that that took place at Bingham High School.)  I do remember playing in the pep band for basketball games though.  And I think that I actually marched in a parade once for a holiday parade, but I did not like that.  When I went off to college I took band again and found myself in the BYU Marching Band.  That was way over my head.  Not only did I not play well enough, I hated the formation and marching parts.  It did get me on a bus trip to El Paso, Texas ( and over the border to Tijuana, Mexico)  But it only lasted my freshman year and for some reason I can't remember much of anything about those times except for very small segments of memory here and there. I do remember a guy from Bingham, Randy Brinkerhoff, who played the drums and bought a ring in Mexico that turned his finger green before we got back to Provo, and later turned up  in my same mission in Australia.  My folks had purchased me a really nice, new trumpet, but it actually turned out to have a really bad valve action that made it real difficult to play very well. (Of course my practice habits and my desire had something to do with that.)  I had nightmares about that horn for years and years.  That part of my life seems like such a dream.  And don't believe it when you hear someone say "I will never forget".  Heck, I bet most of you kids can't remember even a small part of your lives.  And you're just youngsters compared to me.

A HOLIDAY?

I had to work a lot on Saturday, but I knew that I would need Monday to really get caught up on my work.  I really felt good about my Saturday and then I enjoyed my 'day of rest' on Sunday.  I hope you caught up with our blogs from yesterday.  And then it was Monday.  Well, not quite as easy as that.  My Sunday ended with Sheila and I being concerned about the rain.  She finally came to bed about 2 am after staying up late to check my stairwell for the possibility of flooding into my office.  The rain wasn't heavy, but it was steady and after checking the water near 3 and 4 and 5 I decided to pull the pump out, prime it and pump at 6:00 a.m. Then I went back to bed for another hour or so to gather some energy because I knew that I had another really full work day in order that I would be satisfied with my Monday.  For me the hardest kind of my office work is what I call lower level, or un-timely, or just miscellaneous tasks that pile up on my desk and just wait until all the pressing stuff gets done.  But after the pile gets so big it becomes pressing just because there is so much of it to be done.  So finally after some puttering and some breakfast I got to it and actually got into a rhythm or a 'zone' and really enjoyed the feeling of getting the jobs done.   So for a holiday it was a really good day of work.  And for my reward:  I feel really good about my day, but combine that with my interrupted night and I have come to a point of exhaustion.  So forget my ballgame, turn off my 'wrassling' and I am going to bed.  Right now its 7:35 p.m. and after I read my scriptures I'll study for my lesson next Sunday I am going to go to sleep.  Good night all.

THE FINAL WORD

Sheila just doesn't know how wonderful she is.  I have now been with her for over 42 years plus.  I am so very grateful that she has stayed with me and is apparently willing to be with me for the rest of it.  That is such a gift that I could never earn or be worthy of.  I am just so grateful for that is my life.  It is so fun for me to be able to report on that adventure and share with you-all how we are getting along and the adventure that we are living.  Even better is that it really has only just begun.

SHEILA'S TURN SUNDAY NIGHT JANUARY 16TH 2011

I have been thinking about Linzi today because she had an appointment tonight at 8 to get her patriarchal blessing.  I am sure it was a wonderful experience for her and her mom.  I loved going with all of you kids to get yours.  I learned so much about you from that blessing. I can remember the day that I got mine.  Just to give you an idea how long ago that was and what a test it is for my memory the US postage stamp on the envelope it came in was 5 cents.  That blessing is such a blessing to me.  I have read it many times and am still amazed by it.  I often don't think of myself the way that Heavenly Father thinks about me and about who I am so it is good to be reminded.  What a blessing!!  Linzi  read yours often and try to trust in it and do what you are encouraged to do.  I hope all of you are using your blessing the way it was intended.  It is a great day for Linzi!!!

Dad says I am a mystery--I don't understand how so you will have to ask him about this.

I love you all         MOM

PATRIOTS VS JETS

So.  Spencer and Phil what were you thinking when the Jet's linebacker intercepted Brady on their 1st drive and was running towards the end-zone?
Soooooo   how are you feeling at half-time?

Do you feel it starting to slip away?

 Whew...14-11  Can we dare to hope?
oh no !!!  21-11 How can this possibly happen?
They are taking way too long to get a score-------------is this the way that it is going to end?

INCOMPLETE --  IT'S OVER.  THEY ARE GOING TO LOSE.

1ST & 10 ON THE JETS 43    A GLIMMER OF HOPE

2 MINUTE WARNING   EVEN IF THEY MAKE THE FIELD GOAL ITS TOO LATE WOE IS ME

OH WELL   TOO BAD  PATS LOSE               TIME FOR DINNER

ACCORDING TO THE DICTIONARY

1. A large disorderly crown or throng.
2. The mass of common people; the populace.
Synonym--crowd

It also says: An organized gang of criminals.

Australian:  A flock or herd of animals.

Could any of those possible definitions fit what I said?  (Sherri's mob.)
I'll leave that up to others smarter then I am.  Either way I am looking forward to our next family get together.  It seems like such a long time since our last one.  

A couple of things before I forget.  Shelli, you are our blog expert so will you please take the task to teach our 'mob' what they need to do to become good 'followers' ?  Sherri needs to be able to sign on for herself so I will know if its her or Nicholas.  Its obvious that others haven't yet signed on and probably because they don't know how.  I would like Sheila to do it too.  That way I can ask her to make her comments public which I think would be entertaining for all of us.  She has such a neat sense of humor that you don't get to see often.  There are still blog skills that I want to learn to think of me when you don't have anything else to do.  (Does that ever happen?)    
Time to call it a week.   Good night my wonderful 'mob'.

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

I was wrong when I assumed that the battery in David's truck had a problem. I figured that we would have to jump start it and then drive it around to charge up the battery.  Or that I had drained it completely or somehow ruined it so that it would need to be replaced.  So when Robert dropped by this afternoon I asked him to jump it so we could see what was wrong, and how it could be corrected.  While I was trying to attach the jumper cables we both noticed that the positive cable was not attached properly and was not making any contact.  Somehow it had loosened up and was just sitting around the post but was not touching the post.  Robert made quick work of tightening it up and it was in working order.  To be sure that we actually fixed it I drove Sheila on a couple of errands and to Panda Express to get our dinner.  I am better, but not quite whole enough to want to go out on our Friday night dinner date.  I have high hopes that a good night's rest will aid me even further in making progress toward being healthy. 

 I don't know if Sharolyn or David read about the demise of his truck, but if they did they can rest assured that the news of its death was greatly exaggerated.  So when he needs it at the end of his shift it will be here waiting for him at no extra charge.

We did list the dates of our Family Home Evenings for 2011 and the family that will be in charge, so don't forget to check it out.  In 3 weeks it will be Sherri's mob.  I am looking forward to it.

MURPHY'S LAW

So here we are.  It's just after 3 pm and Sheila is calling from outside for me.  She had packed Robert and Cicily's kids into David's truck so she could go pick up Robert and drive them home and then go pick up Zack and drive him to his tai -kwan-do lesson.  I was to show her the ways of the truck so she could run the heat and the power seat and stuff so she would feel comfortable in a new vehicle. So the thing won't start.  The battery is deader that the proverbial door nail.  So what to do?  Even though it doesn't have enough seat belts and I am putting my sweet wife in danger of getting a ticket we pack them up in our little Tiburon and off she goes.  I don't see her for about 4 hours and we have yet to sit down and talk.  I want to hear about her trip and see what other Murphy things cropped up and complicated her adventure.  On the phone she did tell me that Robert found himself without a key to get into the house.


As for my day I was like a leaky faucet all day long.  My cold turned into a marathon runny nose, and made my day quite miserable.  I did nap once, but mostly I just kept plodding along working as if I felt good.  And as a reward I am exhausted.  I am going to finish this and go up to bed.  It's just 8 pm, but I can't keep at any longer.  Maybe part of that is old, but I think mostly its sick.


Sick days do not exist in my world and the rule is: togetitdoneIgotta doitallbymyself!  Does anyone out there feel sorry for me?

 

OLD AND SICK

I know that all of you know what it is like to be sick.  It is just part of the deal, and some do have it better and some have it worse.  I've been sick so many times that I don't give it much thought until it happens.  Then I complain to myself and hope that it will be over quickly.  I have had lots of colds and the flu and bursitis and sprains and bruises and infections and, of course, my stoke and the diabetes thing.  But I have never broken a bone or suffered what I would call a serious injury.  Even when I had that auto accident in 1968 when I drove my car off the freeway near American Fork after a double date with my brother Doug I was spared anything real bad.  But I don't handle being sick as well as I used to.  Being older does have its advantages, but it does have a down side as well, and dealing with sickness is one of those.  But the cliche "that which doesn't kill me only makes me stronger" has some meaning for me.  If it doesn't completely incapacitate me like a back back or and inflamed shoulder or a badly pulled muscle I just try to keep on working my way through it knowing that it will be over with sooner or later.  Right now I just have a cold.  It is persistent and makes me feel miserable, but so what.  You've all had worse and its nothing like giving birth, so just deal with it.  I wish the best of health for each of you.  And I hope that if you have to suffer that it is nothing serious.  But bad things happen to good people and we will all just keep on keeping on  and deal with whatever our life brings us.

Where are your questions and ideas, and where are the rest of my followers?

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 11TH, 2011

I have developed a really good cold, and that means a really bad cold.  It hasn't kept me from doing my work, but it has required some time to stop and rest along the way.  As I sit here typing I actually feel worse than I have all day.  And I notice my fatigue now much more as well.  At least I can still weather my long commute and get something done without having to venture out into the world.  Today Sheila helped out Sharon by driving Linzi to her counseling so she did my errand to Sharon's as well and kept me from having to venture out in this frigid winter weather.  I get cold just sitting in my office, so I'm glad that I don't have to go out anywhere else.

I like being busy, but usually I get things done and I am able to get to other tasks which are piling up on my desk.  But yesterday, and today and probable tomorrow I will have all that I can do to just get the 'timely' stuff done.  It makes me feel quite overwhelmed to realize that there is so much I have to do, and so little time to get it all done.  I know that all of you probably feel the same way.  I remember times when work was slower then it is right now and I had to find things to do so I would feel busy and productive.  But right now that is not a problem.  We had fallen so far behind that it is only playing catch up and I will need several more days, if not weeks of this same stuff to get where we would like to be.  I'm not sure that it will happen.  I hope that it does.  I was never one to think much about retirement.  So now that I really can't think about it I wish that I could.  But there's no feeling sorry for myself.  What we have is a lot better then a poke in the eye with a sharp stick so I will not complain (much).

22 and counting

We may have been the last to know, but probably not.  So our news will probable be news to some one.  Shauni announced on her face-book that she is pregnant.  It never gets old for me to consider having another member of our family.  We are both happy and excited for Shauni and Jeff and Aby, Ashley and Aaron.  That has to be the best news of our day.

In other news, I was very busy all day long.  I only made a dent and then I got even more work in that will keep me going tomorrow. I will be here all morning  by myself as Sheila will be doing her service at the temple.  I don't anticipate getting all caught up, but I figure to get a lot done.  I would have done more tonight, but we had our FHE group for dinner.  Then we just sat around, us old fogies, talking about the way it was way back when because all of us were
alive 'way back when'.  At least Sheila and I had indoor plumbing all of our lives.  Some of our friends did not.  

When I took time to think of something other then work today I did review the scenes from my goggling yesterday of the places when I lived in Australia during my mission.  I thought a lot about that 2 years and wavered from good years to bad years.  I experienced so much of both.  Even after 45 years I still haven't decided the answer to that question.

Feeling miserabe and loving it

I have this terrible cold and yet I am feeling pretty good. I got up early this morning so I would be to choir by 8:00 a.m. and when I got there I could not sing at all.  I tried, but my voice was thin and cracking and raspy and just plain terrible.  On a scale of 1-10 I was a 1.  I didn't realize that it was a cold until later today.  I just thought that I had lost my talent to sing.  At least now I have hope that next week I might sing better.  (How could I not?)

I have some strange thoughts and feelings floating around inside me today.  I was at the computer goggling addresses from my mission and I actually found pictures of a couple of the places where I lived some 45 years ago.  Most are gone, but 2 jumped out at me just as I remembered them. What a strange feeling that was. So while Sheila was writing her entry I began reading my missionary journal.  I got through about the first month and it was weird.  That was me, and yet it was someone that I do not know.  It felt like another incarnation.  On December 2, 1965, I played in my first basketball game on an outdoor court and our team won 12-6.  I scored 7 of the 12.  That was in Mount Gambier, South Australia.   Goggle that!
 

GRANDMA'S CORNER

Jay says," bah humbug" around Christmas time but I say "bah humbug" when it comes to New Year's Resolutions.  I have started many in my short life and have even accomplished a few.  I would like this year to be the year that I redecorate the family room.  That one has been on my list for awhile.  When it comes to picking one that will develop my character I get a little scared.  The pressure is on because I have a lot of improving to do. 

Three years ago your dad decided to do 1 push-up before bed each night and 1 push-up in the morning.  That doesn't sound hard or like it would make a difference but he is now doing 37 in the morning and 37 at night.  He has developed and toned his muscles.  He has inspired his doctor to do the same and his bishop has also started a personal program.  So even if we set 5 new year's resolutions and only accomplish one that one can make a difference.

Back to my character-- I think I will try to understand pride this year.  It is my hope to be less selfish and more humble.

Share with us your thoughts on New Year's Resolutions.  It can be fun and maybe you can make a difference for one of us. 

so far so good

With the encouragement of my wife i did make a couple of new year's resolutions.  One that I really needed to make was to get to the temple more often in 2011.  After thinking about it throughout the week we finally made it there this morning.  As wonderful of an experience as it is I find it exhausting.  I work so hard because it is a great opportunity to study things out and really exercise my gray cells.  I hardly watched the film because if was focusing so much on the dialogue.  It was beneficial but affected me for the rest of the day in two ways.  First, it took me right out of the mood to work.  I had planned to come back home and do something in the office.  But once back it just felt so good to relax and simply be here that I never could get in a frame of mind to do any work.  Second, as I already wrote:  "I find it exhausting".  I am ready to call it a day and its just coming on 8:00 p.m. (I noticed that the time on my posts are off by an hour so it will probably say that I did this closer to 7:00 p.m.)  So I will finish and do some reading and stuff and go to bed.

I did go out in the cold to help get some groceries into the house.  When I picked a couple of bags I dropped a can of my left big toe.  I am not crippled for life, but it still hurts! Sympathy anyone?

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

I read a comment from Shelli about my entry of Tuesday the 4th.  I had written about trying to be better as we go along in life.  She commented that it is hard to maintain a balance between thinking that we are not good enough and striving to be better.  I am taking that as my subject for today and I will try to explain my philosophy.  I gave up a long time ago worrying about where I am right now.  I just accept that I am a sinner, incapable on my own of doing anything good and that I am in dire need of help to accomplish something with my life.  On the other hand, I have a team mate who makes me equal to any task, empowers me to overcome my weaknesses, and has provided me with opportunity and companionship of great value for this journey of mine, which is made up of an eternal past, an eternal present, and an eternal future.  If I simply try to do right and seek strength and guidance from my partner, I find it possible to hope for celestial things for this telestial being.  The answer is in Moroni 10:32-33.  Read that 20-25 times as I have in the last month and you will know one of the mysteries of the kingdom.

THURSDAY NIGHT

I made a deal with the wife today.  We agreed that if she did my afternoon rounds for me I would drive David to the airport after dinner time.  So at 6 pm i drove him and Sheila stayed home and 'lounged'.  My trip was alright until we got close to the airport. I haven't drive in dense fog for a very long time.  I have to admit that it made me a bit uncomfortable.  It was really localized so after i got back on the freeway it wasn't a problem, but it did capture my attention for that short time.

When I got back I puttered around in the office doing a bit of work to prepare for tomorrow, but most of my energy was spent so mostly I shut down until I can recharge with a good sleep and get back to it in the morning.  Right now I am really busy and am having as good a week as I have had in a long time.  I like that part of it, but after a long day I get run down and need to stop.  I don't want to stop, but i have too.

I just read a comment from Shelli where she tells how you can get signed up so you can make comments.  I hope that you will talk to her if you need to and find out what you need to do, and then become my friend and talk back to me.

I hope to be able to do more things with my blog soon.  I want to learn some old-dog-new-trick things. Prepare to be amazed.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BYU FINALLY BEATS UNLV IN VEGAS

I'm not quite used to doing this in my office before I go upstairs to go to bed.  And I a still uncomfortable typing with my 02/02/02 right hand.  But it certainly is more legible the writing with that same hand.  Besides, I made a decision to do this, and it was a good decision, so I'm going to keep on keeping on.  I'm still looking for followers.  When I complained to Sheila she said that you might not know how to accomplish that.  In fact, I admit that I did not know how until Shelli told me.  So give Shelli a call and have her walk you through the simple steps to take, and it won't cost you anything and before you know it you'll be my partner in this project and you will make this old guy a very happy camper.

I even learned how to type with a larger font size just a as I was getting started with this entry.  When Sheila came downstairs this morning to do some exercises I gave her yesterday's entry to read and she said the it was difficult because of the small print and a yellow background and the fact that she was riding on the recumbent  bicycle.  But she did read it and said that the last paragraph made her cry.  That was a good cry, not a bad cry.)

I hope that some of your talk will be about our family dinner thing that Sherri talked about last week.  For us we are to host Shelli and Phil and be guests of Sharolyn and David.  Don't put if off until July just because you can.

Well, I have people coming at 7:30 a.m. so I need to start my ritual in preparation of retiring for the night.  See you "followers".

TUESDAY JANUARY 4TH, 2011

I am finding out new things about me every day.  Most  have to do with the fact that I am getting old.  But I hope that as I get older I am getting better in some way or another.  After all, the whole idea of the gospel is that we are here to learn and grow.  So if I have been doing anything right then my getting older should also mean that I have improved in at least something in all of these years.  I remember writing a poem when Sherri was born saying something about all that was ahead of her in her life and that I wasn't going to stop because I also had much ahead for me.  It's hard to really gauge that improvement and our tendency is to downplay what progress we might have made.  But getting older somehow makes that a little easier and I am starting to see that it becomes a more important part of our lives to want to be different and better.  I am continually amazed at myself when I notice something that is different about me.  Like tonight for instance.  Here I was sitting in my office watching a bowl game on TV.  All of a  sudden I realized that my interest was gone, and I knew that there was something that I could do that would be a better use of my time.  So I turned the TV off and got here to the computer to make this entry, and then I will go upstairs and read or study or maybe spend some time with my lovely wife.  I've done work enough for the day.  I have also found that quiet time for myself can be very rewarding.

I was glad to see that I have 2 followers to this blog of mine.  But I won't be happy until the rest of the family joins in.  I also am anxious for some feedback and direction from you as to what you want me to write.  Surely we haven't told you everything about our lives.  I am also wondering what interesting thing about 2011 would be newsworthy.  I am really stretching for ideas.  Please respond and give me an idea.

Do I need to tell how wonderful your mother (grandmother) is?  I marvel at this partner of mine.  I feel such gratitude for the blessing she is to me.  She goes from President to Sunbeam teacher with the same demeanor.  And she lives to do for you anything that she can. ( and for me)  I want so much to be able to give her everything that she deserves, but I cannot.  I will forever be in debt to her just as I will forever be indebted to my Heavenly Father for  all that He has given me.  That is a difficult thing to acknowledge because we like to think that we somehow earn our way, but in most cases we will always come up short.  All I can do is know the truth of it all, and sometimes express it properly and truthfully.

Monday night January 3rd, 2011

The Jazz finally got their act together and defeated the Pistons.  I was watching that mostly, but did switch back and forth between a college bowl game and wrestling.  During that time I did my 60 minute work out on my stationary bike.  It was a good work out but I still need to do my 37 push ups before I go to bed.  I'll go upstairs and read a chapter of scripture too before I (and we) pray and call it a day. I just checked to see if there were any new comments from any of the kids.  There were not.  Most of them probably haven't looked at it yet, so I will give them some more time.  When you do read this I want you to know that I expect  you to help make this work.  I really want you comments and questions.  If you have anything to say or any question that you want answered or anything that you want me to write about you must tell me.  I am not a very good mind reader.

Today was my 1st work day of the new year.  I was able to keep myself busy between my regular office work and some office clean up and rearranging.  Tomorrow morning Sheila will be up early and off to fulfill her assignment at the temple.  Hopeful, I will have some guys come to work and serve some papers.  I still to get some money in the mail.  I created a hole to finish off last year and I need to catch up so I can pay my office bills as well as out household bills

I got the blog info to Sharon and to Russ and to Richard and to Robert and to Shauni.  So I hope that you-all will get hooked up and read it and then respond.  I also hope I can find something interest enough to write about so I won't bore all of you to death.  That is where I really need your help, so please help me out by participating as I have asked you to.

So for now, "good night" and I'll write to you again toorrow.

SPECIAL DATES UPCOMING

JANUARY 9, 2011 PHIL'S BIRTHDAY
JANUARY 11, 2011 DAVID'S BIRTHDAY (JEREMY AND CATIE'S FOSTER SON)
JANUARY 15, 2001 JEREMY'S BIRTHDAY
JANUARY 23, 2011 LINZI'S BIRTHDAY
JANUARY 27, 2011 RICHARD'S BIRTHDAY
JANUARY 31, 2-11 HUNTER'S BIRTHDAY


FEBRUARY 6TH, 2011 OUR 42ND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY (ACCORDING TO TRADITION ANY GIFT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.)

sunday pm

this has actually been easier then i thought it would be.  of course, i still spell poorly sometimes and i haven't gotten to the gadget/picture part, but i guess i can get used to typing down here in the office and then going upstairs and finishing my day's end routine.  oh yeah, Shelli, i have figured out how to print out my entries without cutting and pasting.  so maybe this will all work out.

we need to get the info out to the family so that they can access my blog, and hopefully they will be making comments like Shelli already has. 

today was the first sunday of 2011.  we got up at 7 because our new block starts at 9 am.  and i learned that we will start coir practice at 8 am next week.  as you would know grandma had her 1st primary class today.  it sure is different for me to walk to 'room 7' to pick up my wife after the block then to wait in the relief society room.
there she was with those little kids with the paper crowns on their heads that had 'I am a child of God' written on them.  it was also different for us to get home and find that it was only 12:30.  we both took a nap before we had a meal, and did some work on this project.  we know that your schedules changed too, so we would like you to respond and let us know what your new block schedule will be for 2011. 

Nicholas, i need to hear from you, because it was you and your family that gave me the idea to do this in the first place. 

i know that Robert and Cicily are both grateful for the work that many of you did last week on their house during their move.  and the kids who did the baby sitting are to be thanked too.  i was (and am) very proud of our children who care for one another so much.  and that goes not only for the parents (our children) but their children (our grand children) as well. 


2 days in to the new year and i haven't messed it up too badly, and i hope that it a great year for all of us.

GRANDMA'S TURN

Dad and I looked at the calendar to give you a year's plan of Family Home Evenings (subject to change at any time, so let us know of any conflicts or suggestions)

Feb. 6th     Sherri's in charge

March 6th  Sharon's in charge

 April 3rd     Richard's in charge
        23rd     Easter Egg Hunt
 May 1st or 8th      Shelli's in charge
 June 5th        Robert's in charge
 July 3rd        Shauni's in charge
 Aug 7th        Dad and I are in charge
 Sept 4th       Sherri's in charge
 Oct 2nd       Sharon's in charge
 Nov 6th       Richard's in charge
 Dec 4th        Shelli's in charge

 I taught my first time today and the lesson was on 'I am a child of God'.  Three year old Sunbeams are interesting and busy.  We made crowns with the words I am a child of God on them and talked about princes and princesses.  I asked them if their moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandmas were also children of God and after each one they said 'no'.  I asked if Jesus was a child of God and they said 'yes'.  I then talked to them about all of Heavenly Father's children and that we should follow Jesus and  be kind to everyone.  Time seemed to go slowly today and all of the activities went quickly so we started over again.  I will get better!!

2ND ATTEMPT

IT'S SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND I HAVE JUST READ MY 1ST ENTRY.  I FOUND AT LEAST 2 ERRORS AND I GUESS I COULD TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THEM, BUT I WILL LEAVE THEM THE WAY THAT THEY ARE.  ALL NIGHT I HAD LOT OF IDEAS OF WHAT I WANTED TO WRITE TO DO THE THINGS THAT I STATED LAST NIGHT.  BUT IDEAS SEEM TO COME AND GO AS THEY PLEASE  SO I WILL JUST PRACTICE A LITTLE RIGHT NOW WHILE SHEILA IS TAKING A NAP AND THEN I WANT FOR THE TWO OF US TO WRITE DOWN SOME STUFF A LITTLE LATER.  I JUST RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM DAVID AND SHAROLYN CONFIRMING THAT DAVID WILL BE HERE TONIGHT ABOUT 9 PM AND STAY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.  I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN STILL FIT HIM IN THE ROOM EVEN THOUGH IT IS ALMOST FULL OF ROBERT AND CICILY'S STUFF.  I WANT SHEILA TO WRITE ABOUT HER PRIMARY LESSON THIS MORNING.  I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS A REAL CUTE STORY AND I WANT TO REMEMBER IT FOR ME, AND I THINK THAT YOU WILL LIKE IT TOO.  ALSO I WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH HER GOING OVER OUR CALENDAR FOR 2001 AND GET THAT INFORMATION OUR TO YOU-ALL.  THAT IS, AS WE INFORM YOU OF THIS RESOURCE AND HOPEFULLY YOU GET INF THE HABIT OF READING IT.  I,M NOT FEELING CONFIDENT ABOUT 'GADGETS' AND PICTURES AND OTHER STUFF, BUT BE PATIENT WITH ME AND I MIGHT ACTUALLY GET BETTER AT DOING THIS.

A NEW BEGINNING

Starting something new can sometimes be a little intimidating.  And this idea of using a blog to take the place of my daily journal entry as well as be a substitute for our family newsletter is a real change for me.  I have been sitting in a green chair in our bedroom at the end of the day and writing a page with pen and paper.  I find that one good reason to do it differently is simply my hand writing.  It isn't getting any better since since 2/2/2002 so at least my entry will be legible.  I also thought of another reason to do it this way.  I have wanted to do something about writing letters to the family for a long time.  In a way this new project will do that for me too.

I have come to like starting over each new year.  It just feels good. And this year has been different enough from other years that it really seems like a new start.  When Shelli came down yesterday and help me get started with this blog I began to realize that there was so much about it that was both new to me, and unknown to me.  I am sure that it will take me several days, perhaps weeks, even months before i become proficient as a 'blogger'.  

I have been puttering around in the office today doing work and year end/year beginning stuff.  I brought my picture wall up to date, and did some rearranging, and it looks nice.  The rest of my office can use a bit of attention too.  Come Monday I will attempt to continue my  office cleaning and changing over my system to the new year of 2011. 

If I learned what Shelli taught then my 1st entry of my blog-journal-newsletter will have been published.