Happy Birthday

Lots of little events make for a busy and nice weekend.

Friday Karen and I, with some help from Mel started to clean out and really just reorganize stuff in mom’s basement and try and decide what family might want and what should be garbage an DI. We just sort-of moved piles around. We did decide that her Cedar Chest will have to be emptied with her . It was suggested that the contents be brought to her so she can tell us what things are and why she saved them, and then possible write it down and take pictures of things.

That night we had he belated Birthday Party at the Old Spaghetti Factory for MOM. Most everyone was there. We were missing 5 grandkids & 1 great grandchild or we would have been complete. The food was great, the company even better and the cake was Yum.http://nothingbundtcakes.com/ It was also nice to see mom out of the care center for a change. She looked very nice in her new clothes and done hair. I hope she enjoyed herself too. Happy 75!
Sat. Kim worked long and hard in the yard. He is moving big rocks and has dug out a ton of dirt and has laid landscape fabric to put smaller rocks on top of. As we age our yard is becoming more and more weed free, because we don’t like to do yard maintenance and when I say we I mean him. I don't do yard work!

Jodi, Jessica and I went down to the Relief Society Conference in Salt Lake. Our stake like many others were given tickets. It was a very good and spiritual conference. The sister speakers gave great talks, but I must admit that Elder Uchtdorf was my favorite. He is fun to listen to and seemed easy to relate to and his stories made you laugh. I was glad we could go together. We did miss Mel, but she wasn’t feeling up to the night out and we did do a lot of walking to and from, my blistered foot is proof of that.

Funny story ! Our ward had a Wedding reception that night and the parents and girl are friends of ours so I really hated missing it. But Kim had said that he’d go, which meant, alone. I was supper impressed and very appreciative. I’ve had to go alone before, but I’m not sure is he ever has. So here’s the funny part. Our neighbor and friend, his wife was also going to the conference, called Kim and they went together and there they ran into a bunch of other ward member men, wifeless, and they apparently had a very nice time. Kim even told us the Wedding colors and what the refreshments were. Impressed again. Kim said he felt a little “gay” caring the nicely wrapped gift bag, but he was able to quickly hand it off. So REAL MEN aren’t afraid to step out of their comfort zones and do nice (feminine) things.

I am grateful for family ( I am sure I’ve said that before)

Faith

I always have to be so vague about things from work, it can be so rewarding at times and yet so devastating too it’s nice to be able to vent . So a few of the events in this story are not told.

A fairly young gentleman had a routine procedure that showed he needed surgery the next day and after arriving to our unit he had a “routine panic attack” according to his wife. I have never seen anything like it and 3 of us were trying to help him calm down and care for the problems that it was creating. While trying to help him relax he kept looking at me a pleading for me to help him, to not let him die, telling me he was going to die, he also kept thanking me for being there and talking with him. I felt so helpless. The medications I had given him were not helping and he just couldn’t get control of his breathing and settle down. After about 45 min. I was needed in another room and left. After coming back in a bout 5 min. he suddenly seemed relaxed and his wife said he was feeling better, I knew something was wrong and the Dr. had just walked in and we quickly turned him and he was gone.

He was literally worked on for the next 10hrs and eventually passed away after major life saving techniques were performed. All of us that were evolved in the case felt so bad and it was talked about for days and others kept asking us about it. These kind of things cause all of us to wonder and think about “what really happened”, we know what was found later, but you are always left with what could we have seen or done differently. But it comes back to the same answer, Nothing more, it was not in our hands any more.

We all know this life is temporary. Everyone I am close too understands that at some point we will be in a better place, it’s just the getting there that is so hard to understand. We want to ask why, when, how, why me, why her, why him, why does it have to be so hard? I try so hard to remember to only ask for “help to understand without knowing why, help me to have patience with out all the answers.

I have had more tears flow the last few months than I can ever remember. Just ask me the wrong or maybe the right question and they start to flow. I believe they are not so much tears of frustration and sadness but of my own lack of understanding and willingness to let the Lord be in control and let his spirit guide me and help me along the way and stop trying to figure out all the “what ifs’ ,can I do it all and can I keep everyone happy and well cared for”? Kim tells me I need to stop worrying about all the maybes .

What I do know for sure is that when I remember the answer to my pleading prayer I suddenly feel calm and that things are going in the right direction and truly everything has fallen into it’s proper place. I guess my trial, right now, is to remember that the Lord truly is in charge and I need to have Faith to let him guide me. And that insight is what I am grateful for.

no more to say

I don't even have to make a comment, the girls have done a great job and covered all the events. I know how great it was for me to have all my adult kids with us, so I am sure it was a great feeling for Grandma & Grandpa H. as well. Our place ws so nice and the company was even better. Hopgully we can all amke it next yr. too. Thanks to the grandparents. http://okdarlin.blogspot.com/ http://www.simplysatisfied.blogspot.com/http://lafeenfamily.blogspot.com/

Letting go

We have been doing some deep cleaning and rearranging in our house, again, trying to make changes in the room assignments and space. We keep saying we aren’t real pack-rats, and we’ve only lived here 6 yrs, and we’ve rearranged the bedrooms 4 or more times already and had a basement flood which caused a great clean out, but we are doing it again.

I have had my cedar chest since high school graduation. It is very outdated and truly holds no sentimental value anymore. It has over the years, but not now. It is in good shape, very out-dated with the type of wood, color and ornate scroll work and hardware. So I’m going to try and sell in or DI it. There is very little left in it also. So what do you do with that kind of stuff? I am not looking forward to going through my moms and deciding what to do with the remaining items in hers. So I’m not going to make my kids do it when I’m gone.

There are baby blessing clothing, both the girls and the boys, and they are going into Melanie’s. Both of our year books and high school and college diploma’s. They have found a shelve and the inside of an old personal journal. I’m sure to be later discarded.

My primary Bandello, something anyone under the age of 46 has never heard of, a baby sweater given to mom, by Bevan, made by someone in Australia for me as a baby, my wedding garter, both of our many graduation tassels, some white hankies given to me over the years, cards from Kim, (only the ones with very sweet and personal stuff written in them), my personal quit book I had as a child for church and then the 2 I made my children. All of these things I can’t seem to get rid of so they have found a new home and I can see them more often and when I get tired of cleaning around them I might toss them myself.

But the one thing I am the most silly about is this jacket. My grandma Chipman made it for me when I was probably 3-4 years old, I think my sister had one too, and it was probably for Easter. I don’t actually know how long I’ve had it or why I have it, but it has a tag that says “Made especially for you by Grandma Chipman” in the collar. I cannot give this up. My daughters will have to decide when I am gone what do to with it and for that I am sorry. There is just something about that tag that tugs at my heart in the most emotional way that can’t be explained. But as long as I’m around it will just keep moving from place to place, hopefully a good many more years.

I am grateful for good memories even if they seem silly and make me cry just thinking about them.

1-2-3-Smile

This was a whirl wind and family weekend. It actually started on Thursday night with a Family Photo shot with the hubby’s side of the family. This is s very painful event for many but it is done so seldom that you would think it wouldn’t take on a life of its own. The reasons this is done so rarely have been many. Hard to schedule a time, people who are pregnant, or on missions, some who just don’t want if done or pregnant again and on a missions again, so the fact that once again we have a pregnancy it was done anyway.

I am sure we will have some great pictures to choose from. The gal was very cute and seemed to be doing a really good job, so I am sure we will. Working with a big group could be stressful, but she didn’t seem stressed at all. This is all grandma H. wanted for her birthday, so we were happy to oblige.

Then Fri. & Sat. the girls and I went to Swiss Days in Midway. I am not so sure Mel, Jod, and Jess love the crafts but its fun to get ideas, and just be together. Jess and I both only bought one thing, Mel got 2 and Jod was saving herself for Park City. I hope they had fun, even though it was tiring and hot and a lot of walking for bad knee girl and prego girl it was nice to get away.

Sunday was Sunday. Busy with church and then family dinner. We had our power go out about 5:30pm but that didn’t stop our evening. It did not go one until Monday morning at 0427, just as I was getting into my car to go to work. I had put my makeup on by flashlight and had to do my hair at work. It was funny to see our neighborhood suddenly light up everywhere, because no one ever knows which lights are still one when the power goes off.

Then Mon. I labored on Labor Day at work, while Kim labored at home. Cleaning out our junk room. We have a contractor coming over Tuesday evening to talk to us about poss. Remodeling! Yes you read me right. Remodeling. Something after the last house we said we’d never do again. We need to make a few changes in order to make life for Mom/Grandma a little easier in the event she will be coming to live with us again. So we are already starting to clean out and rearrange rooms. So after I got home I started in too. It feels so good to go through stuff and get rid of things. It’s usually stuff we’ve held onto way too long, and we don’t even remember we have them.

The one good thing came out of tonight’s cleaning was I finally took all the 72hr. kits I made 3 years ago and put them in backpacks for the 4 of us who still live here. I got ride of the expired food and added some fresh and we each now have our own actual pack, not just a box with everything in it.

I’ll have to update soon after we talk with the contractor.

I am grateful for a busy life that teaches me patience and organization.