Winding Down

Grandparents of the Year

2010-06-07T20:59:00.002-06:00

When your 13-year-old granddaughter lives in Indiana and David Archuleta is autographing his new book in Salt Lake City, and you get an email plea to please, please, please go down and get that autograph, well, what's a good grandparent to do?!! Yep, we both took Trax downtown and stood in line almost four hours to fulfill that wish. And yes, Courtney, he is dreamy cute!

Family Time Part 2

2010-06-07T20:48:00.004-06:00

The afternoon of Lucy's blessing, the family moved to Grandma and Grandpa Clark's in West Jordan for a BBQ. It was the hottest day we've had so far, and poor Grandpa is showing the effects of the heat...again, Lucy loves her Grandpa C.

These three little monkeys have an absolute ball together. Cameron, Dexter, and Parker all love ice cream cones

Carson has gotten into reading labels and revealed to us the awful truth of adding the calories of ice cream and chocolate syrup. Oh well...

This weeping pussy willow tree has become a favorite huddling place for Dexter and Cameron.

Family Time

2010-06-07T20:03:00.004-06:00

Great family get-together yesterday. Curtis blessed little Lucy Lorraine with the help of Grandpa Clark, Grandpa Lybbert, Sam, Jarom, and Brady. this little one is such a sweetheart! She wore the blessing dress and beaded moccasins that Shandy wore when she was blessed.

Curtis, Parker and Dexter having a good game of T-ball!

The second little girl born in this go-around is Jed and Nalani's little Sloan. Here she is being cuddled by her Aunt Carrie. These two little girl cousins are going to such buddies in the years to come.

Spring, Grandkids--Life's Good

2010-06-03T07:26:00.003-06:00

We're pretty sure that spring has finally arrived. We were beginning to think otherwise--the weather around her this year is reminiscent of our years in Idaho.

This is Carl's favorite location when the weather is warm and the yardwork is up to date!

This Fisher Price train has been in our family since Darren was little. To Carl's dismay, Pat insisted on hanging onto some of the toy favorites, and it has paid off! When Dexter, Cameron, Parker, or Jacob come to visit, this is the first toy that comes out of the toybox! The barn peeking through at the bottom of the photo runs a close second.

Little Lucy is Grandpa Clark's pride and joy. This calm little girl settled right into his arms for her dinner bottle. Pretty sure she'll be getting whatever she wants from her Grandpa Clark as she grows!

It's A Girl--Really!!

2010-05-13T13:22:00.008-06:00

There is nothing like the birth of a new baby in the family to prompt one to update their blog. This little beauty came on Mothers' Day--what better gift could one have. Her Grandma and Grandpa Clark arrived just as she came into the world, literally! One more second later, and we would have missed her arrival. She is absolutely gorgeous.

These Are Great Times

2009-10-24T20:42:00.006-06:00

Although oftimes the days seem to run into each other when one is retired, there are those that stand out. Yesterday we had planned to go to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple with Rich and Sharon, but plans got changed, so Carl and I went to a session in the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Kind of nice because you can call ahead and get reservations. We love this temple--so calm and peaceful, as they all are, but this is less crowded and smaller.
Then today, Saturday, Curtis and Shandy had invited us to come down to observe Dexter's gymnastics class. What a treat--lots of cute kids ages from two to four, tumbling, running, and having a ball. The two teachers were so great with these kids. The biggest part of their job is getting the little ones to listen to directions, and those kids were great.

Here Dexter is being directed around an obstacle course. He is a serious listener, that little guy. Plus he was decked out in coordinated workout duds!

Look, Grandma and Grandpa, I can balance on the balance beam...(thanks, Mom, for helping out)
In this exercise, the student and a parent had "jousting sticks" made of soft foam rubber, the object being to knock each other off the beam. Of course, Dexter was the winner here.

We finished up the day with a long, long visit with Rich and Sharon. It seems so good to have them close once again. Boy, can we ever find things to talk about!

Hot Air Balloon Supplement

2009-09-24T14:57:00.012-06:00

One of the perks involved in living close to grandkids is that we have the privilege of helping out from time to time. Since Cameron couldn't go on the hot air balloon ride, Grandma and Grandpa went along to watch and tend.

The day was absolutely gorgeous. The owner of the balloon company was such a colorful character, and we knew it from the moment he emerged from his house--very mellow and relaxed. He put everyone to work getting the balloon ready.

Russ let me drive the fancy BMW convertible the half block to the launching site--once I got it out of 3rd gear, it was great... Thank goodness the convertible was still there when we returned--I'd left the keys in the ignition.

Cameron thinks he's cool in sunglasses--and he would be right!

Fern taking it all in--that balloon is huge!!

How many people does it take to get a hot air balloon launched? --if Russ would only help a little...

The balloon against the sun rising over the mountains was awesome.

Yep, landed right in a cul de sac (see Carrie's blog for details).

Jackson Hole & Funny Kids

2009-09-13T19:53:00.006-06:00

We haven't been to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and surrounding area for a long time. This really is some of our favorite scenery in the world, and with a promising weather forecast, we headed up to Rexburg. We left early Saturday morning with Darren and boys (Susan was hiking Table Rock with her ward--a feat in itself!). Everything was even more beautiful than we had remembered!

The Tetons from the Idaho side.

Through the trees at the String Lake picnic area.
Looking across Jenny Lake--fantastic! If we had a high-powered telescope, we could probably see Susan hiking Table Rock which is barely visible in the far distance.

This has got to be quietest these boys were all day! (Jacob, Ethan, Kevin) This was just before they caught an unsuspecting frog which really livened things up!
Looking back as we left--just can't get enough of those Tetons!

On to more crazy stuff--we stopped in Victor, Idaho, for a Huckleberry milkshake and discovered this posterboard as we left the drugstore--Carl as a fisherman. At first glance it looks almost like Darren!

Couldn't resist putting in this little guy--he loves glasses, and it took some coaxing to get them away from him.

Fruits of Our Labor

2009-09-07T21:08:00.004-06:00

Being retired certainly doesn't mean sitting around. It's been great to be able to work together on projects that work seemed to get in the way of in the past.

Carrie's former co-worker and neighbor gave her peaches from her tree, and we didn't let one peach go to waste. Canned peaches, frozen peach jam, and peach leather were produced in record time. We have a new dehydrator that has been in constant use this summer--we've dried cherries, green peppers, bananas, apricots, and even tomatoes. Also strawberry and apricot leather. Yep, we're feeling frugal!

Family Treasure

2009-09-07T21:03:00.003-06:00

Family photos are always a challenge--getting everyone happy at the same time, let alone getting everyone together. Since we were all gathered for our Island Park reunion, we took advantage of the rare occasion of having us all here.

This photo of the nine grandkids is classic. This happy group of seven boys and two girls is truly a keeper! (Not sure how long it will be current.....)

Updated family wall collection

The Good Times Continue

2009-08-28T17:52:00.005-06:00

Since these two cute girls live in Indiana, we don't get to spend much time with them, so we took advantage of their time with us--even got to make cookies with Courtney which has become a tradition when we are together. Meanwhile, Camilla was doing cartwheels across the carpet. That little 8-year-old has more energy than ten gymnasts!

Island Park Reunion

2009-08-28T10:39:00.008-06:00

For the first time in three years (and that time was for a funeral), our entire family gathered at a "cabin" in Island Park Idaho. We had four days of non-stop fun, entertainment, and sight-seeing. Having all nine grandchildren together to get re-acquainted was a treat for us old grandparents.

Carrie Michael, Darren, Curtis--some things just never change!

We win--we have the cutest grandkids ever!
Yep, crazy

Camilla, Courtney, Kevin--the girls must be catching all the fish...

Strutting their stuff waiting for Old Faithful to erupt

Wow--what a wonderful place this is

July Update

2009-08-27T19:30:00.007-06:00

July was action-packed! We spent the 4th of July going on the Heber Creeper with Curtis, Shandy, Dexter, Carson, and Parker. The boys were awestruck--they were riding a real train!

That evening we joined with Carrie and Sam's neighborhood for safe and sane (ha!) fireworks. Carrie put the little ones in the bed of a pickup in the driveway to keep them out of "harm's way!" Looks like Cameron has already discovered girls...

June Update

2009-08-27T18:58:00.003-06:00

During the month of June we traveled to Idaho, to Pat's brother, Paul's, wedding and had an absolutely wonderful time with the wedding group. Then to Washington and Oregon. We were able to visit with Pat's brother, Phil, and his wife Karen. It had been almost forever since we'd been there and hadn't seen their home. They treated us to a delicious dinner. If any of you have ever had the pleasure of enjoying Karen's cooking, you'll understand. Phil has been battling cancer of one form or another for over a year now, and has the best attitude ever.

The end of June we celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary. We share our anniversary with some dear friends, Dennis and Vickey Johnson--same day/same year. Vickey passed away in March of cancer, so on our joint anniversary we took Dennis with us to one of our favorite eating places, Ruby River Steakhouse. We all missed Vickey, but Dennis was a trooper. Here is the young-looking couple...

May Update

2009-08-27T18:25:00.004-06:00

Carl's first project after retiring was to order topsoil. Since a whole dumptruck load was the same price as a half load, well, what's a person to do? He ordered a whole load. The remaining two weeks were spent moving that topsoil a wheelbarrow load at a time until he had moved the whole load all by himself. What a guy!

Meanwhile, Pat lent moral support from her favorite deck chair!

It's Official--Carl's Retired!

2009-05-18T16:52:00.003-06:00

May 4, 2009--Carl officially retired from Verizon Wireless. To say he is ecstatic would be an understatement! He went out as a rebel. He bought what he refers to as a "retiree shirt" to wear on the last day.

1. Here he is--not at all happy to have to go to work.

2. At his retiree party, he really was happy

3. Here is our retiree, as he comes in the door on his final work day. To quote nephew Nick, "Hoot Katoosh!!!"

Spring Has Sprung

2009-05-03T14:45:00.004-06:00

We think it's for sure this time--spring has arrived! That means time for yard clean-up. Carl wanted a handy dandy wagon he saw at Lowe's--he had all kinds of reasons to justify the purchase. You can see from these photos that he has come full circle. Just wish we had a photo of him pulling a wagon as a little boy. There was a big construction waste container down the street so he piled all he could on his wagon and headed down the middle of the street. He was right. The wagon came in handy! Guess it will have to take the place of a pickup for us.

Proof that it's spring...

The Big 65!!

2009-04-27T17:01:00.005-06:00

Carl turned 65 on April 23rd, and it couldn't come soon enough for him--he is sooooo ready to be done working so he can do some playing--ha! Pat has a honey-do list that is fairly lengthly.

We celebrated the big milestone on Saturday--went to breakfast at Village Inn, then steak and grilled veggies dinner with Carl as the griller (of course). Dessert was a decadent 6-layer coconut cake from Paula Deen's book (butter required of course). Pat had requested favorite Carl memories from the kids, and (with Carrie's help) put together a memory book of quotes and photos--quite a masterpiece.

Happy guy with his coconut cake--his wish as he blew out the candles was that the next 6 days of work would go by "really fast."

The happy guy with his memory book

This is how the grandkids spent part of the evening (the other part was tearing around the house having a wonderful time--only a few tears and scrapes)

The evening ended with a hot game of "The Office" trivia game--as I recall Curtis was the winner.

Spring Snow Made Tolerable

2009-03-26T10:44:00.003-06:00

After posting the photo of the pussywillow tree in beautiful spring weather last week, here is what is happening now. However, a visit from my pal, Cameron, makes it all tolerable! This is how he likes to be held when his grandma sings the ABC song to him.

Carl and "The Center for Facial Appearances"

2009-03-18T10:12:00.004-06:00

("The Center for Facial Appearances" is really the name of the following facility) Yesterday, Carl had his first follow-up appointment to remove stitches and have the contacts removed. He went to the downtown office for the first time (this doctor maintains two offices, one in downtown Salt Lake City and one in Sandy). As we walked into the downtown office, we could plainly see that anyone who is interested in the medical field should go into cosmetic surgery as it was PLUSH--exquisitely decorated with original artwork, statuary, and Persian rugs.

While waiting in the well-appointed waiting area in the comfy overstuffed leather chairs, Carl noticed a restroom and thought that if they are going to be "digging" around in his eyes, he better take advantage of the opportunity. The restroom was as equisitly decorated as the rest of the entire office. After finishing using the facilities, his attention immediately went to making sure no one could tell he had even been in there. After a quick examination of the "rim" he lowered the lid, quickly washed his hands, and departed.

It wasn't long until we were called to follow the perky little assistant down the long corridor to the examining room. The stitches were removed by the physician's helper, as well as the protective contacts, and his eyes quickly felt better. The facial surgeon made his entrance, sat down, and proceeded to tell Carl about his experience under anesthesia during the surgery. Carl said, "yes, I remember waking up during the procedure and hollering, 'I'm awake!' " The doctor said, "yes, I know, we had to turn off the anesthesia because you were so agitated." So Carl asked the doctor: "Was I being a real brat?" He laughed and said, "Well, you were thrashing around, moving your head from side to side, closing your eyes really tight and refusing to open them, and trying to get your hand up to your face to help out. We finally had to turn it off and wake you up so you would hold still, and proceeded with a local with you awake!" As a result of Carl not holding still, he has to go back in in three weeks to complete the procedure of permanently removing eyelashes that grow straight up from the lower lid, rubbbing against the eyeball (a condition he's always had).

It wasn't until on our way home that he happened to put his hands in his lap and felt the rought edges of a zipper. He looked down and realized that his fly was wide open and had been the entire time since using the fancy restroom. He guessed he was so intent on destroying all evidence of his being there, he forgot to zip up! The positive in all this is he can see better and has a wider range of vision.

Day Five...

2009-03-16T17:12:00.003-06:00

Day #5, and things are getting scarier all the time. Carl eyes now look like a green hamburger with mustard and ketchup top and bottom! However, out in public he looks mighty fine in his cool sunglasses, so he doesn't scare little kids!

Sickies-Day 4

2009-03-14T11:47:00.002-06:00

I (Pat) just figured out we can take photos right from our laptop...I know, you probably all knew that, but we are of the generation that has to learn every little computer thing one at a time!

I had just called Carl tlo the kitchen where I was working on the laptop...he came up behind me with his hand on his foreheard...to see the wonder of the laptop camera. So, here you have him on Day 4! He is still swollen and black and blue; however, if we can look beyond all that we see "one hot stud." (He told me to say that!)

Carl Day 3

2009-03-13T14:57:00.002-06:00

Day Three - Friday the 13th. In spite of what you see, Carl is looking a bit better--he can even see now. Since we are both getting cabin fever, our big outing for the afternoon was a short trip around the west side of the valley, then stopping at the new Arctic Circle close to us for a dipped cone! I'll tell ya, life is really exciting around here! On a brighter note, our pussy willow tree in the back yard is telling us spring is right around the corner...

Another Sickie in the House!

2009-03-12T12:10:00.003-06:00

This posting is not for faint-of-heart! Carl's upper eyelids had so much excess "stuff" in them that they were pushing his eyelids onto his eyeball, so the doctor recommended surgery. Carl figured since they were messing around with his eyes anyway, he would have them remove the bags under his eyes while they were at it. The result is a bit scary now, but in the end we're hoping for an even more handsome Carl!!

So, at this point, Pat hobbles around on her cane taking care of her sickie, then lays down on the couch until the next round of eye drops and pain pills are required for him. Ahhh...what would we do without each other!

Here's what is under that white ice pack...

Not Since Her Days of 4-H!

2009-03-04T14:34:00.002-07:00

A miracle has occurred--actually it occurred because Carrie now has a son in Cub Scouts, which necessitates the sewing on of many patches! She called this morning and admitted she was ready to tackle sewing, at least in a small way. We brought down Pat's old Singer sewing machine from a basement closet which we purchased when we first moved to Idaho Falls from the home economics department at Bonneville High School in about 1976 ( and it was 3 years old then, so you do the math!). The last time Carrie worked at a sewing machine was when she was in 4-H--probably at about age 9 or 10.

She even remembered most about how to thread the bobbin and needle.

The finished product. She followed this with sewing on a button. Parker was quite amazed that his mom was sewing. He was enthralled with the machine, never having been around one before.

A New Beginning for Two

2009-03-03T11:13:00.005-07:00

Pat just achieved a lifelong goal...retirement. Working at LDS Church Security has been a wonderful way to end a working career! So yesterday, March 2, 2009, after a department luncheon, presentation of a beautiful plaque, and hugs and tears, it was on to the next phase of our lives. She admits that the very first thing she did after arriving home from the office was to take a nap! Monday evening, Carrie and Sam brought over a big bouquet of beautiful roses and we all went to dinner at Applebee's!

This morning, March 3, we went to the Social Security Administration offices to get Carl signed up for Social Security benefits--his last day of work for Verizon Wireless will be around May 4. So, our life will take a new turn, and as soon as we can get Pat's knee cooperating we'll be off to have some fun!

This smile is very, very, very genuine!

The Big 30..Shandy's Turn

2009-02-26T17:59:00.005-07:00

Lest we totally miss posting in February, we finally took some photos. Life has been rather, shall we say, less than exciting, icky, etc., but things are looking up. Pat is slowly regaining energy and trying to get her gosh-darned right knee to bend. Enough of that...

The gang gathered the day before Shandy's 30th birthday (actual birthday-Feb. 26)to celebrate. The consensus of the group was to order from Cafe Rio, and feed the kids Spaghetti-Os. Curtis-yes Curtis-made Shandy's favorite dessert--great evening with great people! All the little boy cousins had a ball, and it was great watching them together.

Waiting for Shandy to finish her Cafe Rio salad so we can get to dessert!Shandy's youngest brother, David, and Carrie
also waiting for dessert Finally...

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

2009-01-16T19:42:00.003-07:00

Both Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone since our last post. Let's say it this way..."it was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Thanksgiving was great with a houseful of family, including lots of crazy little boys! Then on December 1st, Pat had knee replacement surgery. More on that later.

Here is Carl all decked out in his Eddie Bauer Christmas cold weather finery. And none too soon! On Christmas and the days to follow, we had snow like never before. We should have taken a photo of his brand new snow thrower! Thank goodness he talked Pat into letting him buy it, because it has been in constant use ever since!

Here's what I'm talkin' about...

Pat was confident that four weeks after surgery, she would be back to her normal, busy self---ha! She has been on this machine for hours each day, plus attending physical therapy sessions and doing exercises at home, but........As of this writing, not much progress has been made, so back we go to the surgeon next Tuesday to see if he is going to "manipulate" the knee. It just isn't getting the flexibility, so they may put her under anesthetic, force the knee down, breaking the scar tissue.

Mystery Bird & Renovation

2008-11-24T20:47:00.005-07:00

We're accustomed to seeing birds in our back yard, but this one was a surprise. We quickly took a photo through the blinds, and the not-so-clean window obscures the view, but we think it's a hawk of some kind. He quickly disappeared, and we haven't seen him/her since. Pat has wanted an island in the kitchen ever since we moved in, and the job is now complete except mounting the hardware and a final coat of varnish. We are loving it!

Since we were getting granite on the island, we had granite installed in the master bath for a very good price--we're now wishing we had done both bathrooms. Anyway, here are before and after photos of that project:
Before

After

At Our Age, Good Times Are Even Better

2008-11-16T11:58:00.004-07:00

When we bought our first home in Taylorsville, Utah, back in 1971, we became close friends with many couples in the Taylorsville 15th ward. We still get together quarterly with a small group of those people. Our conversation now consists mainly of our latest ailments, our children and grandchildren, and stories. Those stories probably get repeated from gathering to gathering, but it's okay, because we've forgotten that we already told them!!!

Lyle Elmore, Ron Rash, Pat, Cindy Peterson, Linda Elmore Jenienne White (sitting), and Charlie White. At the moment, Carl and Lynn were at the stove being chefs

Our great friend, Vic Manwaring, drives down from Buhl, Idaho, to these gatherings. His wife, Uvene, passed away unexpectly two years ago, so one our group assignments is to find him a new companion!
Kathy and Ron Rash, with Cindy Peterson in the background directing us in a game. Cindy, the youngest of our group works hard to keep us actively involved in something besides comparing ailments!

Pumpkin Carving-Pros and Cons

2008-10-28T19:55:00.003-06:00

Let's face it--carving pumpkins is one thing, but the prep work can be very yucky. Parker would have absolutely nothing to do with pulling out the "guts." The photographer was laughing so hard (but not out loud) at the disgusted looks on his face, that the camera wouldn't hold still!!

Now Carson, on the other hand, loved getting into the gushy, slimy stuff more than the actual carving.

Grandpa really did help with the cleaning out, but his favorite part was holding this little monkey. How can you resist this kid, when he gazes up at you with those huge, light blue eyes! His little tummy shows evidence of the great meal that prefaced the pumpkin activity. Carrie had made homemake cheese soup, homemade rolls, and caramel apples. A downright domesticated diva she has become!!!

While all the indoor activity was taking place, Carl and Sam were working on finishing the stair rails for the deck. We'll save that, however, for another blog!

Another Wedding and a Birthday

2008-10-19T20:53:00.003-06:00

This has been quite a weekend!! The last three weekends we have been at a wedding--Tracie, Susan's sister, in the Idaho Falls Temple; then Kim's cousin, Kinsey, in the botanical gardens of the Indianapolis, Indiana, zoo; then this weekend in Taylorsville, Utah, at the Majestic Meadows clubhouse. You can't say we don't have diversity in our family...

Prior to the wedding, however, we also got to celebrate Paul's 50th birthday!! I was going to post a photo of him blowing out the candles on his lemon meringue birthday pie, but this one is much, much better! I've never seen Paul's smile so wide as when he is with "his friend," Mary Hansen. Dare I say on a blog how much we love Mary?...She is fun, funny, and seemed to take all the craziness of the weekend in stride!

Here is the happy couple, Cheryl (formerly Barney) and Morris Bell.

Morris' oldest daughter, Elizabeth, friend Amy, and son Trevin. Trevin was the ringbearer (carried down the aisle by Elizabeth).
We got a kick out of this photo. The clubhouse where the wedding and reception were held had been decorated with Halloween decorations prior to the festivities. Someone forgot to remove this poster over the gift table, however!
Here's a cheesy threesome--Pat, Barb, and Paul
This is our mother's brother, Dayle Dunkley, and his wife Verdeana. They came down from Pocatello, Idaho where they now live with their daughter.

Indiana 2008

2008-10-16T20:51:00.006-06:00

Our annual fall trip back to Indiana was as much fun as ever. There is non-stop action/fun/drama/trauma/craziness/you-name-it back there. Mike, Kim, Courtney, and Camilla always make us feel welcome, as do the Priebes and the Prices (Kelly--Kim's sister--and Greg). The weather was absolutely fantastic, which was even better because we missed the snow in Utah that weekend.

Here's the foursome right after Courtney's choir concert. She is quite the talented little musician! Mike always has a project he and his dad can work on...this time it was setting the posts for a new fence.

Camilla has a new cat--Franny. She's darling, but she's in jeopardy--the day after we came home Mike tripped over the cat, then Camilla's bicycle and sprained his ankle.

It's a tradition that Courtney and Grandma make/cook something when we come to visit. This time it was "fairy fudge" from a cookbook Shandy and Curtis gave Courtney for Christmas. It turned out mighty fine. We even had a "secret ingredient"...marachino cherry juice to make the fudge pink!

One of the reasons we chose this weekend to go back was because Kinsey Priebe, Kim's cousin, was getting married. Courtney and Camilla were junior bridesmaids. Kim was matron of honor and head wedding planner, and Michael was best man. The wedding was held at the Indianapolis Zoo botanical gardens, and it was a beautiful setting.

Theresa and Kent Priebe with their newly married daughter, Mrs.Kinsey P. O'Connell.

Take Me Away...

2008-09-21T14:52:00.006-06:00

We just spent an incredible five days with some very close friends. We've been friends with Ron and Kathy Rash, Lynn and Cindy Peterson for a long time. We've been bragging about the beauty of the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest for many years and had a chance to take them there! We all flew to Seattle, rented a Suburban, and had a blast! We did the touristy stuff--Pike's Place market, the Troll, Archee McPhee's, and Snoqualmie Falls. Daurell and Jana knew many of Rash's family and were kind enough to put us up for the night. The weather was spectacular, so Daurell drove us all around Lake Sammamish on his boat. Meanwhile, Jana had prepared one of her great meals for us. Next morning we drove up to Anacortes and boarded the ferry to Lopez Island.

Our friends, Steve and Jacque Bumstead, have property on the island and have built a "cabin" on the water there. The Bumsteads treated us royally and took us around to just about every inch of the island. The guys went out along the shore and pulled oysters off the rocks, and Steve roasted them over the fire. The entire time the weather was perfect.. On Sunday we attended phone-in church services. A whole other story...

The above photo is our favorite view from the cabin overlooking what we call Bumstead Bay

Great place with a kitchen to die for!

A favorite place for lunch and browsing is the Lopez Island Pharmacy with its old fashioned soda fountain counter. Jacque and Steve are on the left. One happy group!

This plaque was a surprise to Carl. The first time we visited the Bumsteads' old cabin, Carl had just had surgery on his hands for carpal tunnel, and sat and read a book the entire time we were there. Steve and Jacque decided then and there that the new cabin would have a room dedicated to him; thus there is a small library in the turret, and many visitors bring a book to donate.

Steve and Ron say they really love oysters--hard to believe, but all the guys at least tried the ugly little critters.

Clarks, Petersons, Rashes (we call ourselves the CPRs)

We didn't want to leave and are ready to go back, although our kids would disown us if we went without them next time.

Fall Means Apples

2008-09-06T16:23:00.005-06:00

Carl's oldest brother, Les, still lives on the old home place in Menan, Idaho where Carl was raised. There are still two transparent apple trees left in what used to be a whole orchard. They produce apples every other year, and this was the year. Here is the result of the one bushel of transparent apples Les and Gay picked for us... We started the process at 6:45 last night and were completed finished and cleaned up by 9:45. Guess you could say we are quite a team!

The weather was perfect for doing applesauce in the Victorio mill out on the deck (the deck will be finished eventually, we just know).

Don't let anyone ever tell you that steam canners aren't the way to can. I wouldn't do it any other way and have been using one for years!There's nothing more rewarding than seeing full bottles of home canned goods on our food shelves. Yield of one bushel of apples was 26 pints.

Chili Sauce & Wedding Bliss

2008-09-02T21:20:00.003-06:00

This chili sauce recipe has become a favorite of ours. I tasted this chili sauce about the first time we visited Ellis and Vera Oram (Sharon's new in-laws at the time). I begged Vera for the recipe, and we've been canning it ever since. We started the process on Labor Day (aptly so, by the way), and finished after work tonight. Our yield: 13 pints and 15 half pints. That should do us for a couple of years or so. So there you go--the exciting life of Carl and Pat!
Now, more photos of the Cody/Meridith wedding. I'm bummed that we didn't get a picture of Glendon and LaNay Manwaring who came down from Pleasant View. It was their 44th wedding anniversary. LaNay raided the kitchen to get some pieces of red velvet cake to take with them to their bed and breakfast (they had reserved it in Provo so they could attend the reception). Red Velvet cake was served at their wedding reception those many years ago.

First kiss as Mr. & Mrs.

Two more lovebirds.

Great Notes and Views

2008-08-24T15:46:00.005-06:00

Last weekend when Darren's family was down, I tended grandsons while the "big kids" went to the movie. All the boys went to sleep in timely fashion, but Dexter would have nothing to do with that. Curtis and Shandy assured me that he would go right down...ha! Dexter and I had a wonderful time, however, reading stories, playing with helicopters, the toy train, barn, cars, etc. When his folks got home about midnight we were out on the front steps to greet them, Dexter just as wide-eyed as he could be.
The next night as we were preparing for another get-together, the doorbell rang, and Dexter came running in with a bouquet of flowers and note for Grandma. It was absolutely adorable, and I had to share this cute note! I loved having Dexter bring it, but also loved the thoughtfulness of Dexter's mom!

One of the things I'm going to miss (when I retire) about working on the top floor of the Church Office Building is the incredible view. The Utah State Capitol is, in my opinion, the most beautiful state capitol of those I have seen. This is my view out the north side of our floor around 7:30 a.m. just as the sun is coming up.

The state capitol has been closed for the past few years to be retrofitted to be earthquake resistant (or whatever the term is meaning it shouldn't fall down if/when an earthquake hits). They jacked the building up and put fittings underneath. I can't even imagine undertaking such a project. It reopened this spring. We're looking forward to taking a tour of it soon.

Rottweilers--the family, not the dog!

2008-08-10T21:23:00.005-06:00

Darren, Susan, Kevin, Ethan, and Jacob joined us up at Stoddard Creek campground north of Idaho Falls for the annual Rottweiler Family Reunion. Since Carl's Aunt Edna just died a couple of weeks ago at age 97, that makes his brother, Les, the oldest in the Rottweiler clan at age 81!

We truly are a winning family...all three of Darren and Susan's boys won their choice of soda pop in some kids' games (this cute little girl in yellow wanted to be in every photo--not sure who she is); Darren and Carl both won huge jars of jelly beans and Skittles for coming the closest to number of pieces in the jar (Carl was only 3 jelly beans under!). Kevin won marbles and Ethan glow sticks in a silent auction, and Pat bid all the way up to $8.00 to win a dancing Santa Claus!!

The main dish for the lunch was a pig that had been roasted in a huge barbecue-type drum. Jacob would have nothing to do with it..."that pig's dead, and it's been in the dirt...yuck!" (That's a direct quote by the way.)

Where Did July Go #2

2008-07-28T20:36:00.006-06:00

Another party at Curtis and Shandy's. Darren and Susan were down for a family reunion with the Bartholomews, so we created a mini Clark reunion...

Curtis and his drink of choice

Grandpa has borrowed Kevin's ukelele while Darren is asking, "why can't I straighten out my arm?!"
Vegging out on the patio watching the kids play--now this is living!

Dex the happy driver
Oh, and we are now the proud owners of a Nintendo Wii, and we are loving it.

I think Carl has the drums figured out; Sam's doing the vocal; Carrie is figuring out the guitar--her specialty.

Where Did July Go?!

2008-07-28T18:54:00.004-06:00

This month went by in such a blur--hmmm, what did we accomplish?! Who cares, we had some fun, and that's what counts when you get to our age.

A big share of the free time was spent trying to make progress on the deck. Here's Carl wondering where to nail the next board.
Great friends, Lynn and Cindy Peterson at a SL Bees game during Pioneer Days. It was blazing hot (does that bring back memories of a Mariners game two years ago, anyone?!).
A couple of classy sports fans.

Hiking up to Hidden Falls-Cameron slept through it all. I found the most interesting rock right at this spot...Speaking of sleeping.....

40 Years and Counting...

2008-06-30T18:47:00.011-06:00

Whoever would have thought that June 1968 to June of 2008, a total of 40 years, would have gone by so quickly. During that 40 years of marriage our home has been blessed with four of the greatest children and spouses, and, so far, nine grandchildren that bring us a lot of joy. We just wish our little granddaughters were closer (oh, and Mike and Kim, of course). Our kids and their couins surprised us with a Sunday afternoon breakfast brunch at Curtis and Shandy's and also with an overnight stay at the Marriott in Park City. The Lybberts joined in on the send-off with a decorated car, balloons, and confetti which, by the way, we are still finding all over the place. We had a "grande" time in Park City, even without a piano...you interpret as you wish...

Here's the happy couple forty years later; we still look good, huh?!!

The decorated Prius--the back window read "Been There, Done That;" the side windows "Hoot Katoosh," and "Gosh Dang It!" Also, balloons and golf balls dragging behind.

Our own mini anniversary cake, along with sparkling cider and classy flower-decorated goblets.

Rather than shoving the cake in each other's mouths, we decided to be a little more subdued.
Here's a good-looking hunky Park City tourist!

Slow Going, But Fun Times

2008-06-30T16:38:00.002-06:00

The new deck is proceeding slowly, but we've certainly had some great unpaid labor! Plus, Carl is acquiring all kinds of new tools...it seems every new project requires a different type of tool.

They look happy--it must have cooled down a few degrees.

Those great yellow twin power screwdrivers; oh, and Curtis and Sam too!
The cousins have had fun while the guys worked. This time it was running through the sprinkler. Dexter is fearless and wants to do everything his older cousins do (and he does!).

Out With The Old, In With the New

2008-06-22T15:52:00.005-06:00

After 7 years of putting up with a splintery, warped, faded, unsightly deck, the decision was made to use our income tax return and "President Bush's Money," to replace the deck. We have chosen, with Curtis' help (who works at Lowe's--which we appreciate) Choice Deck, which is like Trex. Carl and Same unscrewed screws until their arms ached. Sam's help was MUCH appreciated. Pat and the grandsons hauled the wood off and stacked it up neatly. We've had two neighbors want some of the wood, and of course Carl's response was "Every board you take is one less I have to haul off, so please help yourself!" We haven't started putting the Choice Deck on yet, but here is where we are currently.

Twin drills--Carl wanted one "just like Sam's."

Sam giving Carson a power tool lesson
Almost done removing the old boards. A few minutes later Parker fell though as he was balancing on the cross beams giving himself a lovely wound on his cheek.

May Stuff

2008-05-26T20:49:00.002-06:00

The plants are in, we had spring for a day or two, even one day bordering on summer, then back to rain, rain, rain. We feel like we're back in the Northwest!!! Now we two oldies can sit back in our rockers and enjoy the scenery--oh wait, we still have to go to work!!

This little guy has been the center of attention for several weeks now, and is getting cuter every day. He's so good-natured and gets lots of attention with his unique hairstyle!
Parker is obsessed with trains. These old Fisher Price train set that has been around our family since Darren was little has never lost its charm for the grandkids, especially Parker and Dexter.

Family Is The Best

2008-05-11T16:03:00.002-06:00

More photos of last weekend with an incredible family. We love those rare occasions when we can be with Rich and Sharon, plus having so many Orams and Clarks around is non-stop entertainment! Here are shots of some of our favorite people--

Doesn't Cannon look like a quiet little angel here?!...hmmmm.

The quiet Oram family man
Carl never misses an opportunity to put the boys to work--you should have seen Sam with the pick ax!

Sports Mom

2008-05-07T09:04:00.003-06:00

Being around Darren and Susan's boys always includes a ball of some kind, be it football, basketball or baseball. Both Ethan (1st photo) and Kevin (2nd photo) have a great throwing arm. Jacob is fast catching up to them. Susan was being a good sport and trying to catch the tosses!

Birthdays/Clocks--You Can Never Have Too Many!

2008-04-24T21:28:00.005-06:00

Here's our birthday boy--just happy to have had another birthday (it just means he's that much closer to retirement)! He keeps complaining that he feels 64, but doesn't get much sympathy from Pat. It was a very quiet birthday, but more celebration is yet to come this weekend. Anyone who has been in our home knows we don't lack for clocks!! Don't know what it is, but we seem to be drawn to them. Now it's time to start putting them outside. Carl's new birthday clock will be put out on the brick wall in our back yard. So, if you're sitting on our deck you won't be able to lose track of time (even if you want to...)

Family Rocks!

2008-04-14T21:15:00.006-06:00

We had a grand time this past weekend with our trip to Idaho--the weather was perfect, the ducks and seagulls on the Snake River were eager to please the crowds by eating bread, corn, and anything else anyone had with them. We sat on a bench for a couple of hours taking in the spirit of the place and looking across that river at the temple that started our family...then the peace was broken by the grandsons that we loved every bit as much as the peace and quiet.

Travis and Lindsay along with their parents had planned a perfect day for us on Saturday. The Rexburg temple is incredible, the wedding was beautiful, the wedding luncheon at Johnny Carino's (one of our favorites) was delicious, the laughter was infectious and abundant, the hugs were heart-warming, and it was plain good to see everyone. Thanks for the occasion to get us all together.

Travis and Lindsay took full advantage of the frosting on the wedding cake--Lindsay actually was the instigator of the "smear the frosting on the face" tradition!
Here are cute cousin mamas!

Darren wants to try out for "Dancing With the Stars" (or trying to give Curtis a run for his money in Disco Dancing)!
Susan's in the running for favorite aunt of cute, crazy-haired little Cameron.
And, finally, this sign in front of our hotel reminded us that we were, indeed, in Idaho again!! (the sign says "Block heater receptacles for hotel guests only.")

Focusing on General Conference!

2008-04-14T20:58:00.003-06:00

Watching General Conference at home can be so very relaxing...Looks like Sam and Kevin were (to quote Carl) "watching through their eyelids!" At least Susan has her eyes open and is looking in the right direction!

Come on, Carl, it can't be that bad!! Or was someone sitting in your chair?
Ethan, our artist, had fun with the conference packet coloring the ties of the different speakers. We really were listening to the speakers, weren't we, Ethan!

And, Jacob--that little guy didn't stop the entire weekend! He either had this barn, the Spiderman car, or the huge Dinoco helicopter--usually carrying every one of them at one time!

Easter Egg Hunts & Cake

2008-03-23T19:08:00.005-06:00

If you don't like crowds, you would have gone bonkers at the Thanksgiving Point East Egg Hunt! It was cold and crowded, but sunny, and the boys had a blast. We stood in the face painting line forever, and when the lady who paints faces asked Parker what he wanted on his face, he whispered in her ear "a snake?" She did a beautiful job on him and even gave him a hug. Carson's bat looked awesome, too.

This is one of my favorites of the many faces Dexter comes up with. That kid is such a hoot, and got right in there with the big guys and went for those Easter eggs!

Carson looking handsome in his church shirt...dad and son in blue...
Chef Carl, who loves Peeps, coconut, and Cadbury eggs came up with a delicious Easter cake. He even taught Parker and Carson how to tint coconut in a zip-lock bag. Although it started to slip, slide and crack, he held it together with uncooked fettucini (see the plate in the background), put it in the fridge overnight, and it was a hit!

Babies and Spring

2008-03-11T18:42:00.006-06:00

Babies have been the dominant theme for the past couple of weeks--great way to welcome spring, I'd say! I finally wandered outside this afternoon and discovered the pussy willow tree is budding out. I'm still struggling with focusing our new camera, but you get the idea!

Most of my Cameron photos are just about the same as Carrie's, but I really loved this picture of Aunt Fern and Daddy Sam. Fern is such a wonderful aunt to Carrie's boys, and I loved hanging out with her while we waited for this little guy to enter our world!

I think Shandy isn't the only one getting baby hungry...

Prego Ladies and Birthday Parties...

2008-02-27T20:18:00.003-07:00

We had an early birthday party for Shandy and the timing was great because Kami happened to be in town. The requested main dish was "Helen's Meatball's," along with Shandy's favorite birthday dessert which was made by CURTIS! Here Dexter is focused intently on the candles Shandy had just blown out--he seems to be wondering where in the world the flames went!The three "prego amigos" showed off their midsections, and the theme of the evening seemed to center around pregnancy and babies! All three are having boys, of course.

A cute photo of Kami, the youngest of the three prego amigos. We all need to go to Hawaii around the end of August to help bless this new little guy!!!

Miscellaneous and Sundry

2008-02-27T20:01:00.004-07:00

Carl's role as master chef is now official with his chef's coat. A side benefit is that it keeps the grease off his shirts! You can see it even brings a bigger smile to his face!

It has snowed constantly ever since Christmas. After one big blizzard the snow was as high as Pat's armpit. Carl says he could kiss the person who invented snow blowers!!! What makes it worse is that our house faces north, so the houses facing us across the street have hardly any snow left, since it has nearly all melted!

Classy Pioneer Lady

2008-02-19T18:34:00.003-07:00

Now I'm not sure she'd milk cows in this outfit, but Sharon makes a mighty fine pioneer lady. We were all amazed that Kami made this dress, apron, and bonnet without Sharon there, mailed it, and when Sharon tried it on, and it fit perfectly!!!

Here she is making her grand entrance down the stairs. Only thing lacking is some sturdy leather boots.

Bonnet closeup--will they let you take your makeup on the trek, Sharon!

West Jordan 65th

2008-02-10T20:42:00.001-07:00

My family really outdid themselves for this milestone birthday! After we all went to dinner at Archibald's in Gardner Village (with Cody, his "friend," and Nalani joining us), we gathered at our house for cake and ice cream. Sam's mom, Fontella, had worked with Carrie on a beautiful cake. Then there were gifts--great ones--gift card from Christopher & Banks (my new favorite clothing store) for new clothes and a "Magic Bullet" blender from Carl; See's chocolates from Nalani and Jed; a wonderful entertaining ideas book and candle from Curtis and Shandy; I-tunes gift card from Darren, Susan and boys (I'm getting with it in technology)as well as a true treasure from Darren who had taken an old, beat-up photo of me as a baby with my mom--the only baby picture I had, and had cleaned it up, enlarged it, and framed it. Amazing. Then the finale--Carrie had worked her heart and soul out gathering "memories of mom" from her brothers, formatted them, printed them, included photos, and made it into a book. I was absolutely blown away. I have to say Carl and I have the best kids and grandkids ever, and our greatest joy is being with them (and that includes nieces and nephews). I'm still teary over it all.

Lucky for me we were out of candles, so all I had to blow out was one little tea light (and I had to have Carson's help on that!)

Carrie and Sam had placed these roses on our kitchen table for me to find when I came home from work on my actual birthday, and the book of memories.

The crazy group that contributed to the contents of the book!Darren and family's gift--another treasure to me.

Redmond Party!

2008-02-07T21:07:00.001-07:00

Sharon and Rich organized a semi-surprise 65th birthday party for Pat. We were staying with them since we up in Washington for Lindsay's baptism, so it was a perfect time for a party! Phil and Paul (Paul has moved south of Portland) drove up, Kris came from Seattle, Daurell/Amanda/David/, Keith/Nick/Taylor/Brian/Audrey, Steve and Jacque, Devon/Lynette/Lindsey/Shawn,Jean and Reese (Grover)Turley.We had a good time reminiscing, telling stories (most of them true), and eating! Jacque has discovered that Martinelli's now comes in single serving bottles, as seen below. Pat was presented with a wonderful dutch-oven size LeCreuset pot that must weigh 20 pounds. Can't wait to do a Sunday roast in that baby!! Thank you to all.

Amanda's trying to keep us in line

Father and son--love 'em both!

Now this is serious cookware!

Jacque, Rich, Steve looking rather serious

Lindsey Ann's Big Day

2008-02-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

Carl had the honor of performing Lindsey's baptism in Auburn last Saturday, 2/2/08. We had a wonderful time with the Loydens, including Devon's mom and dad, Judy and Dan. Sharon, Rich, Jana, and Amanda also came to support the great event.

Carl and Lindsey just before her baptism

Getting Shawn to cooperate was a chore--Devon is trying--but all in all we were a happy group!

Shawn and Lindsey later in the day--one happy/one not so much!

Mama Nalani

2008-01-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Nalani's baby shower on Saturday was so much fun. I'm so glad they let a couple of us older ones join in. This baby will not only be well dressed, but also well read.

Nothing beats a Nalani smile!

Long, Cold January!

2008-01-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

This seems to have been a long, cold month; however, the temperature promises to be above freezing today. We are definitely looking forward to spring and being able to work out in the yard! Nothing really blog-worthy lately, but peaceful is good, too. Heading down to Lindon for Nalani's baby shower should provide plentry of excitement, however!

Just remember, this sign is at our door, and we mean it!!!

You Just Never Know...

2008-01-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Many of you know we have a part-time boarder. Shane Manwaring is with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's office and, until he and Tammy can sell or rent their home in Spokane, he stays with us during the week, then goes up to Pleasant View (north of Ogden) when he's off. He now is also part of the SWAT team and has some new toys--weapons. Last night he came upstairs bearing a semi-automatic rifle and pistol with laser beam tracking. Put that little red light on a perpetrator's chest, and he is ready to submit! He gave us a demonstration--kind of unnerving. I guess I just never thought I'd have high-powered weapons in our house. Actually, he doesn't keep them here. Wanted those of you who visit us with your kids to feel at ease! Here's our live-in Rambo!

Had a great weekend with Dexter while his parents played in the mountains. He truly was a joy to have with us. He slept good, ate good, and kept us entertained non-stop! Carson and Parker love to be with him, too. (Does Grandma look rather tired in this photo?!)

Christmas 2007

2007-12-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

Another great Christmas has come and almost gone. Everything from attending the Tabernacle Choir Sunday morning Christmas concert; being in charge of the ward Christmas breakfast; hosting the dessert end of Carl's Verizon HR progressive luncheon; the appetizer part of the ward Relief Society progressive dinner; Christmas Eve festivities; an incredible Christmas buffet created by Shandy and her mom; and Christmas breakfast with the Sweets. We LOVe this time of year and the feeling of gratitude and joy it brings (amidst the stress, but that's OK).

P.S. Carl wants you to know all the Christmas decoration are down and put away!

Variations of this table setup were used several times this season

Carl finally got has often-requested chef's jacket!

This is probably about the 39th year Pat has made crepes for Christmas Eve

Carl has also become a master crepe baker

Carl has convinced Sam it's fun to use a snow thrower

(hmmm, nice way to get someone else to do your work, Carl!)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the silver-haired West Jordan Clarks!

Snow, Kitchen Update

2007-12-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

This has been quite the couple of weeks! Fun part was visiting with Sharon and Nalani after Sharon had been there for a few days and helped unload boxes and put things away. We haven't dared ask about the couch outcome, but are looking forward to a good story! Here are the two little mommas.

Then the mess started, Since our stove had died and the dishwasher was close behind, we decided to replace all the appliances. We donated the fridge and microwave to some friends of Carrie and Sam's, so they went to a good home. That meant the old appliances had to be removed. Here's Carl supervising Jake as he dismantles the dishwasher.
Of course, the whole thing had to be done in the middle of what ended up being a major snowstorm. Again, Carl supervised while the Sam and two friends hauled the fridge down the icy stairs.

Next morning Carl was out blowing snow are 7:30 a.m. so the appliance guys could get to the house. Having a snow thrower is not luxury in Utah--it's a necessity!

After working Sam nearly to death installing the microwave and, bless his heart, figuring out a way to plug in the stove since this stove is both electric/convectionand gas, and struggling with the dishwasher, things are getting back to normal, Carl gets to enjoy the "mean" stove. Here he's making a batch of his famous nougat. He is lovin' life! Having two ovens is going to be a treat when we have all those big dinners.

Thanksgiving Craziness

2007-12-02T12:28:00.001-07:00

Crazy and wonderful--that's how it always is when this family gathers. This Thanksgiving we only had Curtis and Shandy for Thanksgiving dinner since Carrie and Darren were scheduled at their "other" family for this year, so we invited Lybberts, Morris, and Amelia to join us. Craig (Shandy's dad) made his famous sauerkraut, and we had so much food it lasted all through the weekend (as planned!). Only one major crisis--our oven died!! Thanks goodness we had the turkey in the electric roaster, so we ran the rest of the dinner over to Carrie and Sam's...timing is everything.

Here are the two family chefs

Ethan having his macaroni and cheese--to heck with all that other stuff...
This is as calm as it ever gets when these six are together! Parker, Ethan, Carson, Kevin, Jacob, and Dexter (top of his head...)
Here's trouble!!!

Sharon came down so Jed and Nalani stopped in on their home from picking her up at the airport. We had homemade hot fudge sauce (in their honor), and these two bypassed the ice cream and went right for the good stuff!

The Project Continues

2007-11-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

We now have a "real electrician" in the family!! Bless Cody's heart, he came and moved the disposal switch from a far corner where Pat couldn't reach it without a wooden spoon or long butcher knife, to just under the sink. He also did some magic with one of our lights! So Cody was under the sink, Carl was painting, and Pat was being the gopher!

The paint is a darker rust color than in this photo, and it looks wonderful!
Kind of tricky painting above the cabinets, but the resident expert got 'er done.

Sunday, Family, Food

2007-11-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

Shandy, Curtis, and Dexter spent Saturday night and Sunday with us--such a treat! Dexter is a hoot, and really was happier than he looks in these first two photos! After attending Sacrament Meeting in Carrie and Sam's ward so we could see Carson do his part on the Primary program (all parts perfectly memorized, by the way!) we came home for the monthly cousins dinner. Theme this month was BBQ and man what a feast! Dessert was a birthday ice cream cake for Curtis.

We could hardly get Dexter out of this rocker
We caught Curtis after the candles were blown out--such enthusiasm

The Kitchen Project BEGINS

2007-11-03T12:54:00.000-06:00

Finally, all the yard work is done, lawn mowed and mower put away, and the flowers beds all cleaned out. Since there is nothing to do outside anymore, we decided to do the kitchen. It has been one heck of a struggle trying to decide on a paint color. Last night, we said "let's go pick out a color, and just do it". That is what we did. We picked a color called "Rusty Nail". Of course, the biggest part of the project is the prep work and the mess. Here are a few pictures of our beginning. Carl filling holes and cracks. This is a very important job which requires lots of talent...(You will understand why I say this later).

Like I said, it creates quite a mess.

Here is the paint color. It is the middle one, and is called "Rusty Nail". If anyone is freaking out over the color, you better speak up now, or forever hold your peace!!

And here is Pat, doing her part to help. As I was doing my "very important job of filling cracks and holes", Pat was washing windows, etc. She said she couldn't reach the high part of the window and asked me to reach it for her. I said something like, "I am doing important work here, and can't be bothered with window washing". Wrong thing to say! ...I humbly assisted with the window washing.

Crawfordsville Trip 2007 - What a Trip

2007-10-24T13:19:00.000-06:00

We had a very wonderful trip to see Mike, Kim, the girls and ALL the rest of the family. We had an awesome halloween party, went to the Covered Bridge Festival which had millions of people it seemed like. We took a boat ride on the lake in the evening. We even got to eat Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Ray's house. YUMMMMIE. There was even toronado warnings when we got there. We got to watch the Colts win a football game (with the whole clan) in Mike and Kim's new addition to their house. To sum it up, It was awesome!!!

Here is a picture of Camilla. What a beautiful witch. Later she was even doing back flips in her witche's costume!

Here is Courtney. She looks good no matter how she is dressed.

Here are two lovely folks. Pat the snake charmer and Carl the Sumo Guy

Here is Patrick and Kinsey as Dr Phil and Oprah

Another picture of the mad snake charmer.

My dream retirement house on the lake. The house is owned by this elderly lady. I am just waiting in the wings. Won't this be a fun place for everyone to come and visit us?

Camilla never sits still. If she is not doing backflips, she is "climbing the walls"

A couple of "Studs"

Mike and his Momma

Sunday Dinner at Grandma's. The "Boys" are having to do the dishes (Mike, Carl & Greg)

Mike and Kim and girls at the Covered Bridge Festival

Purdue fans at the Mansfield covered bridge

Well, looks like you get to see us again. Lucky you

Here is a picture of the millions of people attending the covered bridge. This is just one small section.

and finally, the view across the lake from Priebe's Lake House. The Priebe's are always so kind to us and let us stay at the Lake House. It truly a real vacation.

Cousins Dinner/Carson's Birthday

2007-10-07T20:38:00.000-06:00

Today after the second session of General Conference we started a new round of "Cousins Dinners" at Curtis and Shandy's. Our theme this time was Mexican, plus we celebrated Carson's 7th birthday a couple of days early. True to form, the dinner was delicious and plentiful. Carson had picked out a "Pirates of the Caribbean" pinata; thank goodness the day was beautiful, so we scattered candy all over the carport.

These two stick together--Nalani's due around March 5, and Carrie March 15...

(Above) Carson and Dexter are "buds."

(Above) A bit lower, Cody!

(Above) Carson can now read his own cards

Happy siblings! (You won't be laying like that for long, Nalani...)

In Answer to Shandy's Tag

2007-09-27T21:00:00.000-06:00

MY HUSBAND

What is his name? Carl Rulon Clark

How long have you been together? Married 39 years

How old is he? 63

Who eats more? I think he does.

Who said I love you first? Carl did (I think--geez, that was forever ago!)

Who is taller? Carl by about 8 inches.

Who sings better? Carl would say I do, but his voice is much better than he thinks it is!

Who is smarter? We are both smart, but in different ways

Whose temper is worse? Temper--what's temper? More the silent treatment on my part.

Who does the laundry? I do most of it--especially since last time Carl did the laundry we now have pretty pink underwear!! As for who puts the laundry away, I do.

Who does the dishes? Usually me, I actually enjoy doing dishes--I tell Carl if he will cook I'll do dishes. We both like it that way.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do (and that doesn't mean we are old!)

Who pays the bills? I do. I really must teach Carl how to pay bills on-line.

Who mows the lawn? Carl mows, I trim, although I love to mow.

Who cooks dinner? Usually whoever gets home first, but Carl enjoys cooking the most .

Who drives when you are together? Carl, unless we are just going for a drive, then I do so Carl can "rubber neck."

Who is more stubborn? I am, unless you are talking paint colors--Carl usually wins.

Who is the first to admit when they're wrong? Well, since I'm never wrong...

Whose parents do you see the most? When our parents were alive, we saw Carl's the most because they lived closest.

Who kissed who first? Carl kissed me. We were in the back seat of a car at a drive-in movie--"Song of the South," a Disney movie.

Who asked who out? Kind of like Shandy, we were friends for a long time before we really dated. Of course, Carl knew things might be getting serious when he asked to borrow my 1961 Impala (I had a car, he didn't) to take out another girl and I got angry and said "No!"

Who proposed? Carl (no comments, Nalani).

Who is more sensitive? Me

Who has more friends? Our friends are mostly family, and there are several couples we have gotten together with for years, but Carl has more friends at work.

Who has more siblings? Me-5 brothers, 2 sisters.

Who wears the pants in the family? I think we are truly a team, so I couldn't say.

I am tagging: Barbara, Sharon, Karen, and Jana.

St. George Getaway

2007-09-24T21:25:00.000-06:00

We finally made it to Tuacahn amphitheatre this past weekend with the Rashes and Petersons. We have known these two couples from when we were first married, and the friendship has endured through all these years. We get together about once every two months for dinner, and then Lynn, our "social director," planned this outing. We all piled into Lynn and Cindy's Honda Pilot that just barely held six--lucky for us we are the oldest of the three couples, with the most aches and pains, so we got to sit in the middle instead of crawling into the back.

The weather was gorgeous--it never got above 90, even though it did rain on Saturday, but it didn't slow us down. The play at Tuacahn "My Fair Lady" was wonderful. The setting is incredible! Of course we had to visit several shops in the St. George and Santa Clara areas that carried things with our names written all over them. And, of course, we ate some marvelous food (except Carl had to have salad with fat-free dressing until the final meal. He said...well, we won't say what he said...but in essence it was something like "it will be worth eating fattening food," (he just had gall bladder removed) and we had some wonderful desserts. The St. George area is incredible! Here are some photos of the weekend.

At the theatre--we actually sat in the 2nd row from the front.
Ron and Kathy (the young ones) getting into the back.

Theatre entrance (notice waterfall in background from all the rain)

Saturday night desserts at the "Painted Pony" restaurant

The group (minus Carl) We refer to Ron as "Elder Eyring"--he looks so much like Henry B. Eyring!

Sitting in the big rocking chair at a gas station in Beaver.

What a Difference a Week Makes!

2007-09-09T21:53:00.000-06:00

Carl's back!!! (If you saw the last photo of him on this blog, you'll know what we mean...) He is doing great and enjoying the new barbeque that he purchased this summer and from which we are all reaping the benefits. Here he is grilling "chicken on a stick," and it was wonderful.

Wouldn't be a weekend at our house without some good bubble blowing! Parker has really mastered the art of it and sits on the steps with a towel across his lap so won't get "sticky." Love the new fashion statement of the candy necklace, Parker.

We Love America!

2007-09-09T21:31:00.001-06:00

As many of you know, Tammy Manwaring, stays with us when she comes down from Ogden to do her weekend drills. She is a captain in the National Guard. She told us about Governor's Day out at Camp Williams, a huge military facility between Salt Lake and Provo, so we headed up there so we could see Tammy march! Each year the governor is required to "review the troops." They make a huge day of it--families are invited, the military band plays, the different troops march. This year the governor also honored the wives and families of three soldiers from this group that had lost their lives. Their wives and children were there, and it was very touching.

Tammy has really brought to us a new appreciation for our soldiers. She and Shane both serve--Shane flies helicopters. The ironic thing is they both have the rank of Captain, so there are two Captain Manwarings in the family! It has been quite a sacrifice for their family, but both are very committed. We also enjoy it when Shane stays with us. He is a police officer with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's office, so he parks his car in our driveway some days. Our neighbors think it's great--makes them feel safe! As soon as these two sell their home in Spokane and get into their own home here in Salt Lake County, we won't get them as overnight guests any more!

Carson and Parker got to go inside a tank, as well as some helicopters there were on display. (Sam is a huge helicopter fan, so he enjoyed those as much as the kids.)

There were also games and blow-up slides and zip lines for kids, as well as good food.

Party Time

2007-09-09T21:06:00.001-06:00

Dexter got all kinds of cute toys, pajamas, etc., but he was obsessed with a little rubber lizard and would not part with it!!!

Most one-year-olds take a little coaxing to dig into the cake--not this one. He was digging in almost before the cameras were ready. The gooey picture are on Curtis and Shandy's blog.

Grandpa Lybbert has had Dexter standing with both feet on one of his (Grandpa Lybbert's) hands since he first started standing. He's almost too big now, but G. Lybbert managed to get him up there!

Those llime-colored balloons kept Carson entertained all evening!
Grandma Lorraine is one proud grandma--as well she should be...

The Stones are Out!

2007-08-31T19:19:00.001-06:00

Okay--look at yesterday's blog and compare with today. Such a sad face. Poor guy just took a two pain pills and 800 mg. of Ibuprofen--this is the result.

He had two huge gallstones. Carl had begged the doctor to save him one. She gave him this and said she had to break them into thirds to get them out, so this is only a third of one. (Don't you love these gory details!?) Every time a nurse would come to take his vitals they's say "Good heavens, that's a huge stone!" So he was very proud...

Carl wanted everyone to see all four of his incisions! (You don't have to scroll down to see this if you don't want to---you've been warned...

Various & Sundry

2007-08-30T10:09:00.001-06:00

Here's Carl, looking happy and relaxed; however, we'll see what he looks like tonight. We are taking him to Jordan Valley Hospital at noon today to have his gall bladder removed! I'm sure the next photo of him won't be so cheery! However, if it can get rid of all the discomfort (and burping...), it will be well worth it!

I love this photo of Dexter and Shandy. This is one happy baby, and Shandy is a great mom!

Another happy duo. I think Carrie is not feeling quite as well as she is putting on here! Just give her six more months...

Reminiscing

2007-08-12T19:56:00.000-06:00

The following photos will probably be of interest only to those in my (Pat) family who remember the Whitney and Preston days. To me Cache Valley is home. I have such fond memories of going to Grandma and Grandpa Dunkley's farm in the summer and visiting Uncle Theo and Aunt Edith Bell, Aunt Ellen and Uncle Harley Greaves. On the way home from Menan, I talked Carl into exiting the freeway at Downey and driving through that oh so familiar territory on the way to Preston.......

Like my dad, Uncle Theo was a dairy farmer, and even though he is long gone, his barn with the painted scenes on it is still there, as well as their home which looks much smaller than I remember. I don't know if you can pick it out, but you can see Uncle Theo's brand which is a T sitting on top of a bell shape.

Dad's oldest sister, Ellen, and her husband, Harley Greaves, lived in this brick home in Preston. It was beautifully decorated inside, and we thought it was a mansion!

If you've seen "Napoleon Dynamite" you will recognize this hill between Whitney and Franklin. My Uncle 'K' used to tell me the top looked like an Indian chief, and as a child I could readily see the old chief up on top facing south with his headdress feathers flowing out behind him (Carl says "whatever..."!

The following are from the Whitney Cemetery where Grandma and Grandpa Dunkley are buried as are Uncle Dick and Aunt Marie. It kind of hit me that my favorite aunt was just two older than me when she passed away. They were the best aunt and uncle ever!! President Ezra Taft Benson, who was mother's first cousin, is buried just a few yards from them all.

The following photos were sort of sad to me. This is the home where I visited my grandparents and such a wonderful time picking raspberries, eating gooseberries, watching Grandpa milk the cows and pick apples. The house is almost unrecognizable. It was gray stucco with a flat roof which, of course, used to cause all kinds of problems with leakage! Someone later added the sloped roof, but it's all vacant now. The old apple tree is still there and the old garage.
This old sugar factory on the outskirts of Whitney is a familiar landmark.

Reunion Time

2007-08-12T19:44:00.001-06:00

Carl and I met up with his oldest brother, Les and his wife Gay, and headed up to Stoddard Creek campground (about 60 miles north of Idaho Falls) for the annual Ferdinand Rottweiler family reunion. Seems the only photos we took were of us! Unfortunate, because it is quite an interesting and diverse group! Each year they have both a silent and regular auction and sell all kinds of items everyone provides. This year Gay's denim quilt brought in $250.00. This is how they fund the reunion. They have a family crest plaque with the word "Rottweil" on it which is the town in Germany where the family name comes from. They tickets for the plaque, and the person whose ticket it drawn takes the plaque, keeps it for a year, then brings it back to the next reunion.

Gay, Les, Pat Carl

(Les is the oldest of the kids and Carl the youngest)

The theme of the reunion was "holidays."
Here Gay is decorating a Valentine cookie.

Gay and Les are two of the best people you'll ever meet, and we love them dearly!

Crazy, but great!

2007-08-04T05:40:00.000-06:00

Here are some random shots taken during the girls/family weekend.

Nalani made a great purchase at the Coach store. (This handbag is so very "Nalani")

Some things never change!! These two have been hanging out for years and have gone through many phases of various facial hair styles, or lack thereof.

Carl gets teased about being so serious when he is cooking, so Barb put on her serious face, too

Here's Curtis trying on the "Carl" face!

I love this photo of the two little second cousins, Cannon and Dexter, getting acquainted!

Sharon models one of her Eddie Bauer purchases

We Love Being Spontaneous

2007-07-19T20:09:00.000-06:00

We woke up on Saturday Morning and here is how the conversation went. "Do we have anything going on today? Nope. What do you want to do? I don't know. What do you want to do? I don't know." Five minutes of silence, then "Shall we go to Idaho? Oh gosh, I don't know. Well, I think it might be kinda fun, I think I would like to go." Five more minutes of silence. "Let's get up and go. OK. "

There you have it. 45 minutes later we were on the road heading to Rexburg. On our way there, we called Darren to make sure it would be OK (as Curtis and Shandy were already up there visiting). We also called Pecks on the way and asked if we could spend the night with them. Everyone seemed happy we were on our way.... Good thing or we would have had to turn around and come home.

Here we are, loading the car for the trip.
Here is Ethan and Jacob. It was Jacob's birthday, so we got to celebrate his 2nd b'day with him.

Jacob looking all innocent and cute

Shandy and Dexter

And, as usual, cooking something to eat! Darren and I did the cooking, and I might say it was awesome. We had chicken and vegetables and pineapple. The best thing were the tomatoes, cut in half and topped with garlic salt, fresh basil, and parmesan cheese.

Summertime Backyard

2007-07-08T10:25:00.001-06:00

Here are some random shots of the back yard, thought I would give you something to look at besides food. It has been so blasted hot here in SLC it's a miracle we have been able to keep anything alive. There is no end to the heat wave we are having in the near future. I guess on the positive note, when it is below freezing in January and I am getting rid of the snow off the driveway, I can look back to July and wish it was a bit warmer. Whatever!

Here is the side yeard ont he East. You can't see it, but we have a "baby" nectarine tree with three nectarines on it.

One of the Whisky Barrells

Morning Glory (the good kind)

Another pot with Sweet Potato Vines

A flower on the Trumpet Vine

Purple Daylillys and Black Eyed Susans

Tin Foil Dinners Aren't Just for Camping!

2007-07-02T19:42:00.000-06:00

Another "food blog" from the Clark/Sweet clan. Tin foil dinners on the barbecue grill are superb! We each made our own, and they were masterpieces! Fresth pineapple slices sprinkled with brown sugar then grilled are to die for!! (In this first photo you also get a great glimpse of the "Bell thumbs!") Anyway, a great time was had by all.

Wheeler Farm

2007-07-02T19:34:00.000-06:00

As you can tell from Carrie's blog, Wheeler Farm is a favorite! After Parker's "Cars" party, we checked out the ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs, horses, cows and rabbits!

Celebration Time

2007-06-30T13:42:00.000-06:00

We just celebrated 39 great years together on June 29. Who would have thought that 39 years ago on June 29, 1968, it would snow in the morning and be hot by the time we came out of the Idaho Falls Temple --only in Idaho! Anyway, we celebrated last night with dear friends Glendon and Lanay Manwaring at the Mandarin Restaurant in Bountiful. They almost had to kick us out because we visited and talked until dark, then went for dessert at Dairy Queen in Centerville!! Due to our advanced years we had lots of ailments, aches and pains to discuss, plus getting caught up on kids and grandkids!!

Also included here is Parker on his 3rd birthday in his new "Cars" pajamas that his Aunt Fern gave him (she knows how to gain points...)--what a great kid!

Las Vegas Weekend

2007-06-24T22:09:00.000-06:00

We piled into the Sweets' van once again, and headed down to Las Vegas on probably the hottest weekend Las Vegas has had this year! I think the car temperature gauge showed 111 degrees at one point. We didn't do a lot of the Las Vegas things, but what we did was super! Carrie's boss graciously let us stay at her house, which is so nice. We had planned to use the pool, but things weren't working right, so all the kids could do was gaze at the green, algae-filled water. It was okay, though. We went through the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay Hotel Convention Center. It was amazing. Lot of jellyfish, sting rays (which the kids could pet), etc. After dark we went to the water show at the Bellagio, which is incredible. It was still so hot--over 100° even then so we went back to the house.

We visited Carl's brother and his wife, Fred and Janice, who live in a beautiful gated community in Henderson. Janice recently had to have one of her legs amputated and is trying to recover. They are such gracious hosts and took to dinner at an amazing buffet in a very nice hotel away from the strip. (The boys also got to play in Fred's pool, so that made up for the algae.) Great photographers we are--we forgot our camera when we went to Fred's and downtown, but here is what we have... You'll see Carson disappointedly gazing at the green pool.

Sunday-Let The Good Times Roll

2007-06-03T21:18:00.000-06:00

Ahhh...we taught our last class (for this time around) of our Marriage and Family class today. Since reading the Sunday paper is part of our life (we're among the older, you know), I (Pat) thought I'd post a typical Carl Sunday photo! Tonight was the monthly cousins dinner at Curtis and Shandy's--always good times and good food. We tell Dexter he is turning into a Junior Cody with his cool plaid shirt, and Grandpa was right there with his, too. Shandy and Curtis had a potato bar with choices galore. After dinner Carson and Parker discovered Cody's motorcycle helmets, and being the good sport he is, Cody let the boys enjoy them. Those boys love Cody!

Ikea Comes to Utah!

2007-05-22T20:11:00.000-06:00

One of the biggest events to happen in Draper, Utah, ever is about to take place...Ikea is opening their store here on May 23. Carrie, the boys, and I drove by the new store tonight. We had heard on the radio and TV that people had been camped out since Monday so they could be among the first to get in. The first 100 get a $40 chair or some such item...not sure that would be worth camping out for, but the adventurous folk do, so I say, "go for it!" Here are some photos of the store and the Ikea groupies. There was a local rock radio station there blaring their music--that would be enough to make me give up! Since Carl and Sam are in Indiana, Carrie is getting a babysitter on Thursday, so Carrie, Fern, and I can go shopping in the wild world of Ikea!! I'll bet Amelia wishes she could go with us!

Flower Planting-It Takes 3

2007-05-20T21:01:00.000-06:00

One of the beastly things about aging is the old joints don't bend so easily. How great to have a daughter who will jump right in and help the old folks!

What we don't have a photo of is me (Pat) trying to deal with a broken/leaking sprinkler head while Carl and Sam are in Indiana. The up side is that I can now turn the water on and off with the 5-foot "key" and am headed to Lowe's tomorrow for a dealie that will cap off that sprinkler until Carl is home! The down side is that I am dragging around a hose to water since we can't have the water on or we'll fill the neighbor's basement. Back to the up side...so glad Carl and Sam can give Mike and Kim a hand in helping with the finish work on the addition to their home. I'll go back out in the fall when the work is done and enjoy the fruits of their labors!

It's Great To Be A Mom!

2007-05-14T21:12:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day is always a treat for me--having such a creative husband and fun kids makes it the best! Just being able to talk to each one is my favorite part of the day.

Carl has decided that I need to get funky--now aren't those earrings "me!" Just kidding...these were a WalMart $3.00 bargain and will be great at Halloween. The real gift of jewelry is on order.

Breakfast was sliced fruit topped with yogurt, breakfast quesadillas, juice, and Dillatante Chocolate-covered cherries, strawberries, and blueberries!
This beautiful basket of flowers was delivered on Saturday from those great Indiana Clarks!
Carrie and I shared Mother's Day, and I'm here to tell you, our husbands know how to cook (well, and kiss, also)! Note the steak and potatoes--they were to die for!
Now the dilemma is how to compete with all this for Father's Day!

Spring at Work

2007-05-06T20:47:00.000-06:00

I have to constantly remind myself not to take where I work for granted. The grounds around the Church Office Building are incredible and constantly changing. Friday the grounds personnel were taking out all the tulips, and when I go to work tomorrow, there will be thousands of new petunias, geraniums and other annuals newly planted! Hundreds of members volunteer to help with the grounds work, including YW/YM groups, YSA, Relief Societies, etc. The real wonder of the Church at Headquarters is there are hundreds of volunteers and missionaries helping the work go forth. These photos don't do the flowers justice, but you get the idea! I wish I could say that was me in the middle photo...

Birthday Boy

2007-04-29T14:43:00.000-06:00

Carl had another birthday (thank goodness), and of course the day included food! This year it was homemade Calzones. We were trying to replicate those we enjoyed at the little restaurant in Ephrata when were in Washington for Grandpa Bell's funeral, and we actually came fairly close! Pesto and chicken Calzones are awesome! Carl got a gigantuan clock to hand outside, so we should never be late for anything because you can see what time it is from 500 feet!! No bush is safe in our yard because he also got a Hedgehog trimmer. Also some great Lowe's gift cards for the many projects that continue.

Add marinara sauce for dipping, and yum!

Cards and gift cards

Where's my pie?!!!

Wedding Trips-The Best

2007-04-18T18:20:00.000-06:00

This family has way too much fun (no, not true, you can never have too much fun). This trip was no exception. You've seen bride and groom photos on other blogs, so here are a few random shots. The only thing that would have made it more fun is if Mike, Kim, and girls could have been there!

Mr. Studly in his new sports jacket!

Aren't they classy!

There's Mr. GQ again!

It's over--so there!! Mmmm, Susan, feeling a little festive?!

Carrots and Skiing Create Colorful Faces!

2007-04-03T20:14:00.000-06:00

Daurell brought David down for General Conference, specifically the Priesthood session (I'm sure you'll see their matching pink ties and black suits on Jana's blog). David came back on Cloud 9 as he was able to shake the hand of several General Authorities. Then a day of skiing at Park City on Monday. Between David's sunburn and Dexter's carrots, it provided some colorful photos. Oh, and Daurell enjoying hot fudge. What you don't see is him eating the rest of the hot fudge straight out of the jar after the ice cream was gone. We talked our hearts out--and loved it!

A-h-h-h Those Faces...

2007-04-03T19:53:00.000-06:00

We've been in touch with some awesome people over the past few weeks. Just wanted to share some random photos.

Venice Larson Hammond-my dear friend from Quincy days.

Yep, Darren, that's how you get rid of trash on the farm!

It was a bit chilly, but Barb always has a smile!

How lucky to have two crazy/wonderful sisters!

Cable Guy!

2007-03-11T12:21:00.000-06:00

So, on Saturday, the Cable Guy came to install cable in the guest bedroom upstairs. We got a new TV to go in there and wanted cable. So, the guy measured very carefully, went into the bedroom and drilled a hole into the garage for the cable and drilled right through our sprinkler main control box. See the nice little hole under the last round blue thing. The guy was horrified. I had to turn the water for the sprinklers on so we could test each station. Sure enough, the last three did not work. We moved the box over so he could finish installing the cable as he already had a hole drilled in the bedroom. He said his supervisor would call me on Monday to get it taken care of. I also have the supervisors number just in case he doesn't call.

The Luck of Carl

Oh well, looks like I will get a new sprinkler main control.

Countertops Done

2007-03-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are. Countertops are installed and the plumbing all hooked up thanks to Sam and a good natured guy at Lowe's. They look great Pictures are a bit out of order, but I did good to get all the pictures in here. Stop by so you can take a look. The Dark deep red sure looks good (at least the paint sample does) Pat's visiting teacher is big into Feng Shui (sp), she said the red paint would "suck all the energy out of the room" and that the color was "Ying" and we needed to balance it with "Yang". I told Pat we would paint it red and if it sucked the energy out of her she might not stay so long next time she comes to visit..... Just kidding! Just like all projects I do, they don't turn out quite right. Thanks to Sam and the guy at Lowe's we got the problem fixed.
Sam working under the sink (or just messing around)

"
"Hurry up and get that thing tight. I can't hold this much longer and it will hurt when it falls on my head"

Hummm. Some kind of discussion is being held.

The installers carrying a big piece in the house.

Taking the old countertops off.

and...... Here they are!!

Pat's happy with new sink

New Countertops Phase One

2007-03-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Sam, we have started the process of getting new granite countertops. The installers will be here Monday. We had to unhook all the "stuff" from under the sink and move the stove. Oh my, just look at all the dirt behind the stove!
Sam working hard. He did not wear a belt on purpose so he could be a "true plumber"

Hanging Out With Manwarings

2007-02-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

We met at Glendon and Lanay's Friday night, spent the night there, then headed out to Buhl, Idaho to visit Vic Manwaring. Those of you in the family will know the story of our friendship with the Manwarings. Vic lost his wife, Uvene, two years ago this month, but is trying to get on with his life. We discovered a whole new part of Idaho down in the Hagerman Valley with the Thousand Springs, mineral hot springs (yes, we soaked, but there will no photos of that--we figured it has been 20 years since the two of us have been in a pool!), a fish farm, and a wonderful Thai restaurant in Twin Falls. To quote both Glendon and Vic-- "to make a long story short" we had a wonderful time. There was hardly a moment of silence from the time we left until we arrived home this morning just in time to teach our SS lesson. Vic lives in a beautiful area. His home is heated by natural hot spring water, and deer and other varmints wander around.

Glendon vegging

Vic talking with Margaret from India, a potential date.

Road leading to Vic Manwaring's house

Lanay is a "zoning" professional

Pat's Birthday

2007-02-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

OK, so after being cussed by Mike & Kim for not updating our Blog, here it is. We celebrated Pat's Birthday on Sunday 2/11/07. We had Chinese Haystacks and Cheese Cake for dinner. Curtis & Shandy & Dexter, Sam & Carrie and Carson & Parker, Nalani & Jed were in attendance. Fun!

Tonight for Valentines Day, we cooked pork chops, potatoes and stuffing for dinner. We ate by dimmed lights and candles. We gave each other candy and I also got a movie "Baptists at our BBQ". So, we will watch a nice romatic movie later tonight.

Next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I will be going to Dallas, Texas for some training. Never been there and will be all alone, so let's hope my VZ Navigation works. (I get GPS on my cell phone - its called VZ Navigation).

That's our exciting life. Top that!!

A Night at Rumors Coffee House

2007-02-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

Pat and I had a night out on the town on Saturday. My co-worker at Verizon Wirless sings. But he is very quiet about it. He said he wanted to be known as an HR Professional, not that guy in HR who sings. Anyway, he got a "gig" at the Rumors Coffee House in Sugar House. So, Pat and I and another couple from work went to see him. We had a great time. By the way, just so you know, Pat had a hot chocolate and I had a smoothie. The picture of the guy at the keyboard is Kimo Pokini, my co-worker.

Ready & Root'n

2007-01-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here we are, all ready for the Colts Game. I sure wish we were back in Indiana today, I can only imagine the party that will be going on at the Indiana Clarks today! GO COLTS!