A Surprise Visit and "Stan the Man"

What a great surprise.  Our very best friends from our years in Denton, TX, when Stan was in graduate school, came to visit--Jim and Maurine Richards.  They are really the neatest people.  So much fun.  They just returned last winter from a mission at the Merida Temple in Mexico, and were on a trip to visit their mission president.  We were so flattered that they put us on their itinerary.  We haven't seen them for about 20 years.  Maurine taught school, and Jim is an outstanding artist.  He taught in the art department at NTSU when Stan was a student there.  Now their claim to fame is their daughter who plays the flute with the orchestra on temple square.  If you've ever seen the orchestra on TV, you've seen Jeanine--she's the beautiful brunette who is always on camera.  I can't tell you how fun it was to see Jim and Maurine again. Lots of reminiscing and catching up on old friends.  We just needed a lot more time.  Maurine's the one who taught me how to enjoy my kids and told me how important it is to have a sense of humor.  (She told Jim that, too, when their little boys had way too much fun with their dad's paint one time.  I doubt he saw the humor in it at the time, though.)

While Jim and Maurine were here, we spent some time in Stan's music room, so he could demonstrate his new "toy" the MalletKat.  I should add that Jim and Stan did a performance together at NTSU--Stan playing percussion, and Jim painting on clear plastic that was projected on a screen.  That was back in their "avant-garde" days.

Obviously, this guy is having way too much fun these days!

Time to Check Ourselves into the Home?

This came in the mail on Saturday, and I couldn't resist posting it.  Boy!!  You turn 68 and word really gets around.  Maybe we should hurry on down before they sell out.

October 9, 2008--A Red Letter Day!

Thursday, October 9, 2008, we went to the Mesa Temple with my aunt, Cleora.  She is one of my mother's younger sisters.  (My mother was the second daughter, and Cleora was the fourth.)

She is one of the youngest 82 year-olds that I know. (Last week she went bowling--twice--with her son and granddaughter.)  She is also one of the sweetest and most thoughtful people I know.  This was her first time going to the temple, and she loved every minute of it.  If I were a better blogger, I'd have pictures of all the ward and family members that were there, but alas, I'm not quite with it yet, and with all the excitement, completely forgot my camera.  So, this picture from the church website will have to do.

You'll just have to picture us all there in front of the entrance.

After we left the temple, we (the family) went to lunch at Rosa's--known for their fish tacos and the best green salsa you've ever tasted.  Here's Cleora's younger sister (the baby of the family), Velda, with her daughter, Denise, and me just arriving at the restaurant.
Here comes Stan--a little slower than the rest.  He actually went through the temple in a wheel chair which was much easier for him.
In front of Rosa's (quite fitting since Rosa was my great-grandmother's name and now the family is all "linked" together).  Anyway, here we are with Denise taking our picture while Stan makes his way across the parking lot--Me, Cleora, and Velda.
Inside--enjoying the food--Dustin (Denise's son-a biochemistry major at ASU), and Aunt Cleora.  Fortunately, she remembered her camera and then emailed all the pictures to me--quite a "techie".   I told you she was young.  Anyway, it was a great day, and Stan and I were honored to play a part in her experience.  We really love her.

Beach Time!

It has been two or three years since we vacationed at the beach, but this was the year.  A week in September at Newport and, I must say, I don't remember ever having such good weather. Here's the view from our balcony.  Before we checked in, I called and told them that my husband was on crutches, so we would probably be spending most of the time in our room, and it would be really nice if we had a good view.  They certainly came through, because it's likely that we may have had the villa with the best view of all. 

Our good friends Gary and Diane Anderson from Upland spent the first three days with us which made it a lot of fun.  They are great to have around.  Diane even treated us to cupcakes from "Sprinkles".   If I were a better blogger, I'd also have a picture of all of us going to the Crab Cooker and meeting the Guymons there for lunch on Tuesday.  They had come down from Utah to see and old neighbor and someone told them we were in town, so they called and we were able to hook up.

After the Andersons left, Stan spent a lot of time here, looking out over the ocean and reading his book.
On Wednesday after the Andersons left, I got a phone call from my sister, Melinda, and she and her husband, Randy, and their son, Robert, had just landed at the airport in Orange County.  I knew they were coming over for their grandson's baptism, but neither of us realized it was the same week we were going to be there.  Melinda happened to talk to my aunt that morning who told her we were in California.  So we got together that evening, and then the next day they all came out to see us at the beach.  Poor Stan had to stay back at the villa, (since the sandy beach isn't really very "crutch friendly" but the rest of us made the trek to Crystal Cove.  Here we are in the tunnel going under the highway--The Schamels (Randy, Melinda, and Robert) and the Kims (Leslie, Brian, Tyler, and Cameron).  Actually, Leslie took the picture so I could be in it. The tunnel is full of the politically correct environmental paintings by the school kids.  
They have been restoring the beach cottages at Crystal Cove for a long time, and it is really a "happening" place now.  This place with the umbrellas is the one you pass as you come down the path onto the beach.  It is a restaurant and there were lots of people there eating.  They also have picnic tables all along the front of the cottages.
Here's Leslie, Melinda, and Cameron--He's a real cutie!  All three of her boys are darling, and so well behaved.  I was glad to have the chance to get acquainted with them.

Just before we left, of course, everyone had to go check out the tide pools.
The next day they all came back for a trip over to Balboa Island.  Here's Grandma Melinda and Cameron on the ferry.
This picture needs no caption--just serves to make you all wish you were there, having a Balboa Bar with us.
Tyler Kim after his baptism--so proud of his new scriptures.  Such a sweet boy.  I was flattered to be asked to speak at his baptism.
On Sunday, before we left for home, we went to church at the Bosley's ward in Newport Beach and then went with Rita (Andrew's mom) to the convalescent facility where Ted (Andrew's dad) was and had a picnic.  We thought it would be fun to have a picture of the two Grandpas in their wheel chairs.  What a pair!!  It was fun to see the Bosleys again and we had such a nice visit as well as a yummy lunch.

Tag! I'm It!

Okay so Maren tagged me, and now I guess I have to come up with 6 quirks about myself.  I'm afraid that at my age, I've developed way too many.

My first one, though, is exactly the same as Maren's--(Did I do that to her?)  I can't stand to see people chew gum. It just seems so gross to see something rolling around inside of someone's mouth, and I guess there's just no way to be discreet about it.  

Number 2--Another thing that I think is really gross is to see paper in a plate.  e.g., You finish dinner and then unwrap a mint or something and put the wrapper in the plate on top of all the leftover food--Can't stand it--Gives me the creeps.  (Weird, I know.)

Number 3--I like things straight and orderly.  You know that little lever that holds your tray up on the back of the seat in an airplane?  Well, every time I have ever flown anywhere with Maren, she will always turn that lever so that it's not straight up an down.  Call me Monk, but I have to straighten it.  She does the same thing when we're playing dominoes--always puts her domino down a little crooked. I try to ignore it, but eventually it gets to me.  

Number 4--I'm really afraid of heights.  I'm okay in an airplane, but don't like looking over the edge of anything that's up high.  The thought of dropping something off a bridge and watching it fall can cause me to break into a sweat, too.  And, as if that's not bad enough--and this is admittedly really weird--I sometimes get the same feeling watching a helium balloon float up into the sky.  A kite's okay, though, because there's a string.  It must be all about control.

Number 5--I can't sleep in a bed that hasn't been made.  If I didn't get to it all day, I have to make it before I get in it--even if it's 1:00 in the morning.  I have even been known to get up in the middle of the night and "straighten" the covers.

Number 6--Casey's husband (Tim) made fun of me once because I like my spices in alphabetical order in the cupboard.  But I think it helps me find them faster.  As a matter of fact,  I've been thinking lately it would be a good idea to do the whole pantry that way--AND my food storage shelves.  I'll let you know they it turn out.

Okay, I tag Cheryl, Carrie, Sue (Brown), and Bart

  

Bart to the Rescue!

Well, as fate would have it, three days after I brought Stan home from the hospital, I was attacked by a kidney stone--not good.  We realized immediately that I needed to get to the hospital, but Stan was of no help in that department being on crutches and all drugged up on pain meds.  My visiting teacher was out of town, so I finally called my next door neighbor who is soooo nice, and she and her husband came and whisked me off to the emergency room.  I was there for a few hours, and then the bishop and his wife came and retrieved me, took me home, and even went to the pharmacy to get my prescriptions filled.  Such nice people.  As soon as Bart and Marie found out what had happened, they insisted that Bart was coming down to help out (or to determine if it was time to put the old folks in a home).  So Thursday night (Sept. 4) Bart arrived.  He went right to work the next day finishing the "dreaded" walkway that Stan was working on when he broke his ankle.  As a matter of fact, Stan was so worried that Bart might have an accident out there also, that he kept reminding him over and over to be careful. Finally  Bart assured Dad that it wasn't "the Bermuda Triangle out there, just the side of the house."  Here he is cleaning up after a perfect job.  

It really turned out nice.  Before the walkway there were some stairs there, but the purpose of this was to make it possible to "roll" things (like marimbas and vibraphones) down the side of the house to the basement, rather than having to take them apart and haul them down the stairs inside.  It works great!
Having the walkway finished also meant that we could get the cabinet that Stan built from the garage to the bonus room downstairs.  It was in three sections, so Bart took each one of those down and then installed them for us . . . 
. . . while Dad looked on.  No need for supervision here--just watching.  Pathetic sight, isn't it?
So here's a big THANK YOU to Bart.  It was so nice to have the instruments downstairs, to be able to unpack all the boxes of stuff that went into the cabinet, and to have the cabinet out of the way in the garage making it a lot easier for Dad to navigate with the crutches/walker/wheelchair (depending on the mode of transportation for the day) when getting into the car.  We were consigned to the fact that the whole job would not be finished before spring, since I'm sure that winter will set in before Stan is truly mobile again. I have to say, though, aside from all that Bart accomplished,  it was just plain fun having him around for those few days.  He really cheered up the old folks who were getting a tad discouraged.  We love you Bart!! 

OOPS!!!

Is this serious dedication or what?  Bad news for Dad.  On August 19, while working on the walkway he's putting in from the driveway to to the back of the house, Stan slipped on a little sand that was on top of the pavers, and down he went.  (He has wished ever since that he could have those few seconds back.)  Anyhow, I was upstairs in the kitchen when I heard him climbing up the stairs sounding exhausted (huffing and puffing would be the technical term).  I asked him what was the matter, and he said that his right foot had slipped and he had fallen with all his weight on his left foot.  He said that when he looked at it, he could tell it was dislocated, since it was pointing off to the left at an angle he'd never seen before, so he immediately grabbed is foot and snapped it back in place.  (The doctor chuckled and said it was a good thing he did it immediately, because if he'd waited a couple of minutes, he would never have done it.)  by the time he got to the kitchen, he thought it was just a bad sprain since he'd been able to walk up the stairs on it.  We were supposed to go downtown to the square with our neighbors to hear Toni Tenille sing (she lives here), but after a few minutes, I could tell that wasn't going to happen. I convinced Stan to let me take him down to Urgent Care (he was wanting to wait until morning), got him the old crutches we had in the storage room, and off we went.  As soon as the X-Rays came back, it was obvious that the ankle was broken, so they put a splint on his leg and sent him home for ten days to let the swelling go down before putting the cast on.  You can see from the picture, that he was determined not to just lie around being unproductive.  The marimba is downstairs, and he managed the stairs by sitting on his bottom and dragging the crutches along.  I bought him a stool, and later put a little box under his foot to rest it on.  The main problem was that he was never able to control the pain.
Nine days later, we went to see the orthopaedist expecting to have the splint replaced with a cast, but after taking another X-Ray, they sent him straight across the street to the hospital.  A few hours, a metal plate, a rod and a few screws later, he was out of surgery trying to wake up.  That didn't go well.  The pain meds kept putting him back to sleep and his breathing was so shallow that they had to put him on oxygen, so they decided to keep him overnight.  I brought him home the next day, and as you can see, crutches have been replaced with a walker.  Now he not only feels old, but is acting the part.
There was no way he was going to stop and pose for a picture since he knew it would go on the blog, so I had to catch him "on the run" as you can see by the blur.  Now he spends his days lying on the sofa with his foot propped up on 3 pillows.  He goes back to the doctor on the 9th, and hopefully the plan is that they will put a cast on which he will have for 4-6 weeks, and then they'll replace the cast with a boot for another 4-6 weeks.  
Pretty pathetic, isn't it?  I have to say, though,  that he's really being a good patient, and believe it or not, he thinks I'm being a good nurse.  I told him that after this, he'll never get to accuse me of being an unsympathetic care giver again.  I've set him up with his laptop and a couple of file boxes on top of the coffee table, and he's been working on writing his father's history.  He figures this is the good thing that can come from the whole ordeal.  It's something he's wanted to do for a long time, but has put off for a host of other "projects".  On a side note, he just got called to be the first assistant in the High Priest Quorum.  It turns out that the quorum leader is just recovering from the exact same surgery that Stan just had.  So now it's Stan's turn, and if I were the 2nd assistant, I think I'd be really careful.

More Reunion Photos

Okay, so I'm new at this blogging thing, and keep having problems getting all the pictures in the order I want.  Here are my last two from the reunion.  The day after the dinner, we had a brunch . . . very relaxed and more time for visiting. 

I thought it would be fun to gather up all the people there from our old neighborhood.  We all went to school together at Vista La Mesa Elementary.  L-R:  Pete Danielson, Liuba Cesena (now Lurcook), Burnell Lurcook, Burton Brown, Diane Rider, Lee Birch, ?, and me.  The woman next to me lived on a street beyond where I was allowed to go, so we didn't really play together, and for the life of me, I can't remember her name.  

Here I am talking to Burnell and Liuba.  All three of us lived on the same street.  I loved playing with both of them.  Liuba once found a baby bird and we tried to feed it a worm that was much too big to go down, so we went into her mom's kitchen, got one of her knives and cut the worm into little pieces on her breadboard.  Hmmmm!  Obviously her mom wasn't home at the time, but poor Liuba certainly heard about it when her mom got back.   Burnell and I had a fight one time on the way home from school and were going to settle things with a wrestling match.  I was sure I could take him.  As soon as I got home, I went straight to my room and put on my jeans and headed for the door.  Mom asked me where I was going, and I told her that Burnell had challenged me to a wrestling match.  Imagine my dismay when she told me there was no way that I was going to go out and wrestle him.  I told her I had to, because a bunch of kids from school were all outside waiting to see who won.  She didn't budge, and I had to go out and tell everyone the fight was off, because my mom wouldn't let me wrestle.  Those were the days.

Burnell went to work for my dad after high school, and it was great to hear how much respect he had for him.  He said that Dad was the head guy (next to the owner of the company), and when he walked into the office, you knew he was there and everyone toed the line.  He credited my dad with giving him his start in life.  It was really fun connecting with all these people again.  

Fifty Years ???

Yep!  Believe it or not it has been 50 years since I graduated from high school!!!!  We had the big reunion festivities at the Town and Country Hotel in San Diego.  I admit to being a little nervous about the whole thing . . . what if no one remembered me . . . that sort of thing.  And of course it wouldn't have taken any effort at all to get Dad to stay home, but I knew I'd regret not going, and I have to say he was really a great sport about it.  Our old school newspaper was called the Highland Fling, so in keeping with that, here's the booklet that was distributed at the reunion.  I always thought it was ironic that I graduated from Helix High School in La Mesa where we were the Highlanders, our mascot was a scotty dog, we had a bagpipe band, and our colors were green and grey.  All four of my kids graduated from Upland High School where they were the Highlanders, their mascot was a scotty dog, they had a bagpipe band, and their colors were green and white (they  really went out on a limb there and rejected the grey option).  My high school was built in 1952 and Upland's was 1955.  I'm convinced someone in Upland must have known someone in La Mesa.  
The afternoon before our big dinner dance, Dad and I went on a hike near our hotel.  

The trail ran along the San Diego River . . . hard to believe that it's in the middle of such a metropolitan area.




That night, the Helix High bag pipe band was there to play for us.  Quite nostalgic.  We all loved it.  The evening was great . . . I should have taken more pictures, but fortunately for me, Dad took the ones I have, while I was talking to as many people as possible and trying to catch up on the last 50 years.  We all agreed that it was unique to think that we had known each other at the beginning of our careers and family rearing, and now we hook up again at the other end after we've done it all and retired.
There are a few old classmates that belong to a car club and had brought a few old classic cars and parked them around the area where we gathered before dinner.
Dad particularly liked this one, since it is the exact model of the first car he ever owned . . . an early 40's Ford Sedan.  So even Dad experienced some nostalgia.

Family Reunion 2008

We finally got the whole family together at the same time and under the same roof.  What fun.  Counting our new grandson-in-law, we now number 32.  We had beds for all the grown-ups and the rest had sleeping bags.  The two teenage boys (Brenden and Landon) had their own little private den in the storage room complete with TV and video games.  We needed beds for four babies, and I was one short, so . . . Here's little Nate . . . . in his drawer bed.

On the 4th of July, we hiked around Lynxwood Lake near our home.  Here we are taking a little break while the guys tried to out do each other skipping rocks.

Hayden (David's youngest), in the lead, obviously had a place in mind that he was taking us.
Here's Ivy (Maren's) relaxing while polishing off a few snacks.
I should have taken pictures of the 4th of July barbecue which was really good, thanks to the guys, but I guess I was much too busy enjoying all that great food. 

Saturday night we had a talent show, which was lots of fun.  Here's Kerina (Bart's 4th) who impressed us with her own composition--it even has words.  She's definitely a "chip off the old block."

Here's Marie and Jarom aka Batman and Robin--a great skit, and wouldn't you know, the Dynamic Duo prevailed once again.
A Mother and Daughter Duet--Casey and Alexa.  Such concentration and not one mistake.
Along with the singing, playing, and art, Casey decided that her real talent was sewing, so when it was her family's turn to perform, they modeled the aprons that Casey had made--one for each family.  Here's Meagan with hers.
David wearing the more "manly" apron.
Maren obviously likes hers.
Hannah (Bart's oldest) impressed us all with her accuracy and technique.  Such a darling girl.  In case you're wondering about the piano--we couldn't fit everyone into that room, so the men put it through the double doors as far as it would go so we could see all the performers. Thanks guys!  Such problem solvers. 
Sunday morning everyone was ready for church and we were there in plenty of time to find seats for all of us.  Here's Landon (David's) all ready to go and waiting patiently.
Ivy and her Daddy (Andrew) also ready to go.
Bart's ready, but looks like he'd rather still be in bed.
And look at these sweet girls (Casey's) ready to head out the door.  Alexa holding McKenna, Livie, and Maya.
It was a special day for us because Bart and Marie had Grace blessed in our ward.  She is such a beautiful baby.  Poor thing--just three weeks after they returned home, she ended up in the hospital for a few days with whooping cough.  Their whole family was quarantined for 5 days.  I was talking to Andrea (Bart's 2nd who is 12) on the phone about being quarantined.  She was especially disappointed because she had plans to go to the mall the next day.  I told her how bad it must have been back in the day when people got quarantined for much longer periods.  She then reminded me that back then, they didn't have malls!  Silly me. 

Here are some of the men who stood in the circle to bless little Grace--Uncle Tim, Grandpa, Daddy, and Uncle Andrew.  Uncle Dave and Cousin Pavel had to leave right from church to get back to Utah for work Monday morning, so they missed the picture, but they were in the circle as well.
Tim and Casey left that afternoon for California, and Maren and Andrew and Bart's family left Monday morning.  I have to admit that I was too lonely to enjoy the peace and quiet.  It had been such fun--we had wii tournaments, played pickleball, and ping pong, and watched power point presentations that I had put together of the kids and grandkids growing up.  I think the grandkids really liked seeing their parents as kids--couldn't believe they would wear such funny clothes and hairstyles.  It was remniscent of all the laughing their folks have done through the years about our clothes and hair.   What a lot of fun.  I can hardly wait to do it all again.  There simply just isn't anything better than having all the family together, and I can't thank my children enough for the wonderful grandchildren they have given us.  We just can't get over what good children they are thanks to their parents.