Thirty Three

We had another party.

The decorations were hung.

All guests were in attendance.

The first course was served: bread, veggies, and apples....


along side a pot of Swiss cheese fondue.

The guest of honor was in attendance,

and his "cheesy-ness" thoroughly enjoyed his surprise 33rd fondue birthday party.

The second course was served....

MMMmmmm raw meat are your glands salivating?

Cooked by the guests in a delicious fondue broth with plenty of dips to heighten the taste.

The third course was served....now your taste buds are perked.

Strawberries, blueberries, angel food cake, and the kids favorite, rice crispy treats dipped in a mouth watering Toblerone chocolate fondue.

Oh it was sooooo good.

I think this little man would definitely agree.

Happy Birthday Thomas! You're the best!

Rainiers Piggies

I'm normally not a huge video blogger...especially when said video is of me in over sized clothes dubbing as pajamas and instead of looking like I'm going to bed it looks like I just woke up from winters hibernation....BUT I absolutely love how Rainier is dying in anticipation for "....went wee-wee-wee all the way home."

I love this age.

Stinky at stores and restaurants but absolutely adorable in their element.

Weekend

My wonderful, awesome, giving, energetic, funny, intelligent, loving, husband sent my away for Valentines Day Weekend. Yes it's true, you can all feel very sorry for me. He sent me to sunny CA for a much need girls weekend with my favorite girls ever, my sisters.

My sister Carrie, promptly picked me up from the airport Friday morning and whisked me away for a day of fun in LA. First hitting Hollywood for some lunch. Due to some minor glitches with our lunch reservations (meaning the place we booked them at reeked of cigarette smoke and was completely empty) my adventurous sister took a stab at her first piece of sushi for me.

We were thoroughly entertained by our waiter (behind picture above). He was very friendly, at least we think he was, he was hard to understand and would ask us wonderful questions such as:

"Where are you two from?"

"Do you come to Hollywood often?"

and

"So when you ladies aren't eating sushi what do you do?"
Each ending with a very nervous laugh.

We then set off to explore and take pictures.


Of which we took quite a few.

I must say though, I don't quite like taking pictures of "touristy" things.

Which means you get pictures of unsuspecting people and whatever else sparks my interest.

I did enjoy all of the very cool houses.

All the people, celebrities and non celebrities alike...

and kitties, I always like kitties.


We then set off to the LA Fashion district, and tromped the streets of Santee Alley, where fashion deals were available to be found. We spent a good couple of hours searching the stores for treasures.

It wouldn't be a true CA experience if we weren't stuck in traffic in LA for a good two to three hours while we tried to make it back for dinner to celebrate my other sister's birthday.

Not to worry I entertained my sister by singing, dancing, and yelling in the car, and she entertained me by sharing her talent of being able to rap to all of the latest and greatest R&B songs. She is soooooo good at it. She can drop all of the words to "Baby Got Back" like it is her social security number.

My oldest sister Debbie, carted us around the next day, to some more shopping and of course more fun.

And luckily my sisters allowed me to change for the day after only wearing this nice outfit to breakfast.

It's always great to get away and enjoy my sisters, but it is always great to come home to my great husband and kids. I arrived home the evening of Valentines to red roses, cards and dinner making it a truly perfect weekend.

Thanks sisters and thanks Tommy.

A love story for my posterity

Last week I found a letter from my grandma (Dorthella Wadsworth, yes that's the correct name) to my mother dated 1963. When my mom was about 16 years old she moved from Germany, where her family was stationed in the Army, to live with her grandmother in CA. I scanned the letter and sent it out to my family, including my father. Below are a series of emails I received from my dad there after.

Another portion to the information I gave you. We met at a party sponsored by the church for college age youth of the San Bernardino Stake. I was with a friend and said see that cute blond over there in the corner, I'm gonna marry her. As a church institute group, we were all invited to come dance on a local San Bernardino television dance show. I introduced myself to her that night at the party and asked her if she wanted to be in the dancing tv show together and she said ok. We went over to Fontana Ward, where in those days they didn't lock that building, and helped ourselves to a class room and practiced dancing together. A short time later we danced on said program and they held a dance contest which we won and they gave us a huge stack of 45 rpm records. When I got to church the next Sunday the Scouts that I was Assist. Scout Master with embarrassed me by saying they saw us performing.

We went together for a month or less and got engaged. We purchased a ring which she picked out. She got stage freight and backed out of the wedding. Then three days later she said she made a mistake and wanted to get back together. Then I got scared and said no, this is a big step. Then two days later I took her to A & W Drive In Root Beer Stand, and when she wasn't looking I put the ring in her root beer. She got down to the bottom of her drink, which were served in glass mugs, and almost swallowed the ring. Then she cried, and we couldn't stand to be apart from that day.

I continued in college. She said that was the last thing she wanted to do, and dropped out to help put me through. College was so much cheaper in those days. I think Junior College was like $7.00 per semester, plus very economical books in the $4 to $6 range. If it cost $10 it was a huge book and highly unusual. Rent was about $50 a month. Having a baby was about $50, including the hospital stay. Gasoline was around .20 cents a gal. Hardly anyone had their own tv's, and very few had their own typewriters.

Anyway, thanks for sparking some wonderful memories by sharing Grandmother Wadsworth letter.

Thanks for sharing the letter. That was pre Noel times. I know a little about that time though. They sent Judy to the states for two reasons. One was they did not want her to marry a non member, and two was to help Grandmother Violet Hendrickson with grandpa as he was dieing. She entered Pacific High School and was voted leader of the marching band. (She looked so beautiful in her marching band from College also.)

Grandpa Durant said he wished he had never let her go, as he always regretted not being in charge of her life during that year and a half before she married me. They missed Judy's second or third letter telling them she and I were getting married right when they got here from Germany, and it was a big surprise and they expected the marriage to occur later. We met them in Idaho, and Judy said, oh, guess what, we're getting married tomorrow in the Idaho Falls Temple. Her Grandmother Violet knew as she rode up with us from CA as did Grandmother Lababe for the wedding. What a pleasant lady Grandmother Violet was. She was like Judy's mother as even after our marriage they talked daily on the phone as she was a comfort to her grandmother. When I would go to visit Judy and her grandmother before marriage, they would always have a big plate of oatmeal cookies and milk for me. They lived in a pretty small place in San Bernardino on Mayflower St, right down town. I did write to Dot and Durant and asked for Judy's hand in marriage, and I never got Durant's letter in response which got lost coming from Germany. He said he asked me why I was only interested in marrying her hand and didn't want to marry the rest of her.

Judy's Aunts Marva and Marthella threw a dinner and reception for us in their homes in Idaho Falls. (Now they live in Hemet, CA) We Honeymooned on the Idaho Falls River, across from the temple. Then down through Yellowstone, where Judy's Aunt and Uncle had us stay in their vacation trailer out in the middle of Moose, etc. Mother and Grandmother rode back with Ted and Celeste. Then we got to Salt Lake City and they rode home with us to CA. While in Salt Lake Grandmother Florence Covington threw a reception for us with her children. She put cornflakes in our bed that night and thought she was so funny...so did we.. We loved that grandmother... As you kids got older we
she and her second husband use to stay with us. We recorded the first Christmas she could remember with her giving the story of how she got an orange, but the best present of all was the snow and all her cousins to play with that day.

I will write more unsolicited info. later. I love my children and grandchildren so very, very much. How glad I am Judy and I were married, even if it was only for 32 years. If her dad hadn't let her come to America we probably never would have met. She said she got so sea sick, as the trip was on a ship.. spent most of the whole trip in the nurses office..

While attending San Bernardino Junior College, I worked on a used car lot and sold motor cycles, automobiles and camping trailers. Judy worked for Kentucky Fried Chicken. One night I went to pick her up about 9 or 10 pm and there were mashed potato's all over everything, the ceilings, the walls, equipment and employees. They were right in the middle of a mashed potato fight. (Didn't know your mother could be so mischievous did you?) It was a real sight. Back then their chicken was delicious and she would bring home left overs every night. I got to where I hated chicken. After that job she went to work at Sears Service Center. We lived in a small apartment that was a converted hot dog stand in Colton, which we paid $45 mo for, a train track went down the middle of our street and trains would come by and shake us like an earth quake in the middle of the night. The apartment was in a triangular shape with the service window still in the kitchen. We had our bed in the kitchen. Later we managed apartments at the same time we went to college and worked, and even once again after BYU, so we had our rent free. Then kids kept coming and with the birth of Sheri we purchased a small two bedroom home down a dirt road in Rialto.

P.S.

Re her job at Enchanted Forest, a Christmas carnival rides situation on the way to Lake Arrowhead was owned by a Mormon. She worked the whole summer with promise of pay but the guy went out of business and she never got a penny...

Hi-jacked.

I may have taken over Valentines Day.

But with such great subjects can you blame me?

Or with such inappropriate humor, can you, really?

Or can I be blamed when I had four tubs of different colored sugar cookie dough in my freezer, begging to be cooked?

I can not be held accountable for my thievery of the girls valentines either, they were too much fun, googly eyes and all.

I might have had a bit too much time on my with the girls home sick and probably too much glitter last week, thats why.


And Claire was supposed to make her own valentine box to collect goodies in.....

I was just trying to help them all out. Maybe next year I will let them help me out.

Sorry kids, your momma is a bit crazy.

You're gone.

Look at this handsome little devil.

It's no wonder I fell head over heels in love with him.

Awh Tommy Boy I miss you so!

A post not exactly about a dog.

We venture out periodically on Sunday evenings to enjoy the beautiful Arizona weather, well that is when it is actually beautiful.

The girls love to ride their bikes to the local greenbelt and we grab our camping chairs and watch the kids climb trees and enjoy our surroundings during a day of rest.



This particular evening we took our dog Echo. Now I'll just say upfront that I have a very severe Love/Hate Relationship with this dog.

I love the fact that the girls love her.

I love the fact that she is a friendly dog.

And admittedly sometimes I love the fact that she loves me more than anyone else in the household.

BUT...

I hate a lot of things about her.

The fact that she follows me absolutely everywhere.

The fact that sometimes she steals Rainier's diapers.

The fact that she is yet another creature that I must feed and look after.

These are just a few.

The truth be told: we are fairy tale dog buyers. We bought her on a whim thinking life would be great with a dog, and went into it uneducated and unprepared (similar to parenthood?) and now I have a responsibility I am not too thrilled about (very UNLIKE parenthood).

Anyhow I'm now off track.

We brought Echo to the greenbelt with us, letting her run free and periodically calling her back, that is until she was so tired she was lingering and panting at our feet and we started shooing her away. (Thus the love hate in play.)

Soon it was time to go and no dog was to be found.

What occurred next was 3 girls in shear pandemonium of panic and tears. Probably close to two hours of driving around the neighborhood yelling her name, some calls to the local animal control, and in preparation for the next day a few LOST DOG fliers.

In the background of the panic there was me, a mother, a little bit relieved to be rid of one of my responsibilities but also a little heart stricken. Worry for the dogs well being was settling in, and a lot of heartache for my distressed children was distrupting my silent shouts of joy.

So then there were prayers, prayers of comfort for us, prayers of comfort for the dog, and prayers of reuniting with Echo.

I knew that the only way I would ever get over the guilt I felt for being happy the dog was gone was doing my absolute all to try to find her. So I too had my moment of prayer and my feeling of comfort.

The girls were calmed enough and were sent to bed, and I went down one last time to check in on Alli, the one who "Loves the dog the most." Her door was cracked a bit and I heard her sweet voice ring out in simple words yearning to our Heavenly Father. Yearning for peace for her, but mostly peace for her dog. Her sweet, simple faith radiated that room and I realized what a lucky parent I am to have a child that has a testimony of prayer, that has a love for her Heavenly Father, and one that can trust that He knows what is best. I waited for her to end her prayer peaked my head in and gave my sweet 10 year old a hug.

I am amazed at our Heavenly Fathers plan for us all, how intricate it is and yet how simple he had made it for us to follow. I am amazed that he would entrust in me these sweet spirits and I'm amazed that somehow I might be doing something right by seeing my children take steps in the lives to do what is right. I'm thankful for this experience.

Just in case you're wondering, and this is no exaggeration, 5 minutes after I walked out of Alli's room our phone rang and some friends in our ward had a neighbor bring them a beagle they found thinking it was theirs. Our friends recognized that it was our beagle and called to see if we lost our dog. What are the chances? If that isn't a perfect example of prayers being answered I'm not sure what is.

I was so relieved and thankful I promised myself I would love that dog forever and be kind to it always. Unfortunately that only lasted until Wednesday when she knocked Rainier smack down on the tile and I found another chewed up diaper under the trampoline. Ugh! At least can I say I will be forever grateful to her for the lesson we learned.