Another Grandbaby!

Last Sunday Linda and Ben welcomed baby Joshua to their family! He weighed 6 lbs. 2 oz. and he has short, medium-brown hair. He's quiet, they say, and likes to look around. We're so happy for them! Sorry for the delay, but I was waiting for some pictures to post - always a bad idea... :/ Right now, Keith and his boys are here mowing the back pasture and hauling away junk that was here from their construction on the house. Last night Mark used Keith's pressure washer to clean the outside of the house and the porch and patio. Yay! Beixi says that next week we'll work on staging the inside. If anyone wants to have a work party, I'm taking volunteers! However, everyone just had babies or is expecting, so I don't think that will work out so well. ;) Mark is still applying for jobs, pretty much anywhere. He hasn't heard back from anyone on the two jobs he was doing phone interviews for, so we still have no idea where we'll end up. Phillip is still visiting us, and it's been so nice to have him around. Right now he's outside working with Seth and Mark. Seth got a job at Burger King, and so far he likes it, I think. They're busier that Tastee Treat, which makes the time go faster, and he can excel at that because he's very coordinated. Anyway, that's all I can think of right now. Sorry no pictures yet. I love you!

If It's Friday, We Must Be In Idaho

Isn't this a cute horse? Just put him on here for fun!

Hi! What's happening in your life? Mine is chugging along. Seth got soome allergy medicine from the doctor and he's a new man. He seems to have grown taller again, too. That's what a little sleep will do for you. :) Let's see...Cameron and Janik and Brianna, Braden, Kylie, and Cammie came by last night, on their way to nursing school at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Cameron will be a nurse practioner in two years then. He wanted a more hands-on job in health care, and he'll have his Master's in Nursing degree, too, even though his Bachelor's isn't in nursing. Isn't that great? I told him that Megan has been doing her nursing prerequisites. Mark would like to add an RN degree to his skills, too; there are many programs that pay for your schooling if you commit to work for them for a few years (paid) afterwards. Cameron is trying for an Air Force scholarship, and he is sooo skinny right now! (There is a height and weight ratio that's required.) Many of the administrator positiions Mark's been looking at offer tuition reimbursement, if he wants to get his nursing degree. That would only enhance his value to the company. (You know what the church says: Continue to build your skills and education, and develop practical skills, also. Good advice!) So that's all interesting, and the kids are so cute and loving. Brianna's hair is below her waist now, and she's getting some permanent teeth. Kylie is just a little bit of nothing, she's so small, and both Braden and Cammie wear glasses - they look great in them! Their family has legally adopted Cammie now (Cammie is Stephanie's daughter, and Stephanie passed away last year). So now Cammie's last name is Stephenson. After so many struggles, Cammie is a real challenge to raise. She has some deficits that will make her life harder, much like a child with ADHD. The other kids are small, but they seem to instinctively understand, and Cameron and Janik are really good with all of them. Janik told us that Kylie sings the song from Sleeping Beauty, about her prince coming, all the time - her dad is her prince. Isn't that cute? I always used to sing it as, "Some day my prints will come," when waiting to get pictures back from the developer. We'd wait years to send them off, and then couldn't wait to see what we'd taken. It was hilarious to see ourselves years younger. Janik gave Phillip a ride to Idaho Falls with her and some of the kids. (Cameron drove the moving van, with Braden riding shotgun). Phillip is probably excited (for Phillip) to see more family and his friends. We were pretty boring. :/ But really friendly! :) I would play in the craft room or our room, while Phillip played games in the family room and Mark worked on his job search in the dining room and Seth recovered from allergies in his room. We did go see a movie together, and we watched a couple of them on DVD. Phillip's catching up on game time, I think. One of them is a college football game, and it sounds just like a real BYU game in the next room. I grew up listening to football, back in Illinois - till my dad decided to quit watching; he felt he got too frustrated when his team lost, and besides, they were all on Sunday afternoons. Not quite conducive to spiritual reflection. Anyway, I love the background noise of a football game. Mark is waiting for further interviews on the Sequim job. The higher up the interviewer, the longer it takes to hear from them. Meanwhile, he's been doing a little work (unemployment allows you to earn a tiny bit, as long as you're seeking regular employment). It ain't much, but every little bit helps. I think it's so fun to consider all the places we could live. Many of them would be fun to explore. I think I was Daniel Boone in a previous life. Or Christopher Colombus. I'm an adrenaline junkie, and learning, discovering, and exploring are right up my alley. :) And if we lived in a house, what would we like? A cool, older home? I want a really good metal detector. I would love, love, love running it over historical and old home sites! What are you passionate about?

New Baby Jolley

Go to Haley's blog to see their new baby - he's cute! We went up and saw him Sunday evening. That was also Haley's 21st birthday. Monday was Megan's birthday - Happy Birthday to both! We also picked up Phillip at the airport on Monday. We haven't seen him in a year - he's been to Iraq meanwhile, and he actually looks better than he did when he left. More soldierly, muscular, and healthy. It's so good to have another body in the house - it was feeling deserted! Mark is on his third round of interviews with one company, and his resume has gone to their committee at another. We had adjusted pretty well, but it's up and down at times. Then we readjust. It's good for us old folks. Pictures later...

All Kinds of Celebrations

We have a lot to celebrate~ I'm sure Haley will want to blog about her and Dallin's occasion to celebrate (and ours), and Phillip will be here, from Iraq, tomorrow afternoon, and tomorrow is also Haley's birthday, and Monday is Megan's birthday, and a bit after that is Linda and Ben's surprise - an incoming bundle, and then it's Alex's birthday. Whew! July is going to be a very busy month around here, from now on! All good things, too. We're blessed with an embarassment of riches all year round, via lots of children and grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews, and so on. A huge extended family. Sometimes, practically daily, I am hit with sadness, longing for us all to be together forever. Now is not too soon for me. And I long for family on the other side of the veil, though I'm happy for them. I try to be worthy to be with them, doing what I can on this side, but it really doesn't feel like I'm doing anything more than coasting. I'm always grateful when I can help someone, or teach or lift someone else, but I miss lots of chances every day. Good thing we can still progress on the other side! In the meantime, I'll work on it. I promise.

15th Anniversary and Other Pictures

Mark bought us tickets, back in March or April, to the Americal Idol Top Ten concert in Salt Lake City, so Tuesday we got to go! It was for our 15th wedding anniversary, and we wandered around taking pictures of flowers and looking in a wonderful pet shop (Bird World), and we went to Sam Weller's bookstore. S. Weller's store is on Main St. in SLC, and the whole downstairs is filled with used and unusual books. I love it, although I didn't find anything to buy this time (we were only there for a relatively brief visit). Nothing was rushed, which was just perfect.

At 5:30 or so, we went to the E Center to park and get settled for the 7 p.m. show. Most people didn't make it there until a few minutes before the concert!

It was fun to know we were there, and we enjoyed the last part of the show, featuring Danny, Allison and Adam and Chris Allen - Mark likes Chris more than I do. Allison and Adam also did a duet together. Adam really rocked the place. Wooo Whee! It was fun!

Wheelchair seats were all as far away as possible. I measured with my pinky nail, and the performers were the size of a third of the nail. Can you believe that? There were screens up, but I preferred to look at the real people.

I love that we were part of their live audience!

It was great to do something to mark our anniversary. Made me love Mark even more.

PS I'm also including some cute shots of Leto begging for caramel corn, since I was such a total flop in the photography dept. lately. :/

I'm so...something!

Weird? I don't know what it is. I get so I don't want to leave home or do anything at all, as soon as I've been home for a couple of days, yet staying home from things (I wanted to go to previously) causes me to feel depressed, and I'm always happier when I go. Still, I don't want to go! I have things I'm excited to do at home, but if they're out of my sight at all, I can't make myself do them. Therefore, I have to have everything out where I can see and I totally forget things exist otherwise. I end up seeing things as I go by and wanting to stop and do them, but I can't - I'm on my way to do something else, like go to church. If not on my way to church, for instance, I won't come that way and then I won't see those things. And there's only so much room in one room for projects, books, computer, etc. Does that make sense? Then I get depressed because I'm not getting things done. I need help and I plan on how I'm going to use help, but when it's here, I feel totally shy and stupefied and just want to say that I don't need any help. Same thing - it stops me accomplishing things and that's depressing. It sounds like I'm neurotically reenacting something, but I don't think that's it. I think it's that I don't get out much (over the past 13 years or so) because we had clients in our home that I was with, or because of having to be off of my feet for years and not being able to drive now (or even get into the yard). Normally, I'm fine with that. I love being at home! But I get out of the habit of leaving, dealing with others, getting ready to go somewhere, etc. And I am used to having oxygen, insulin, food, test strips, breathers, and negotiatable floors here. So I always go through this tug of war with myself before I can go anywhere else other than church. Crazy! It reminds me of the parable of the talents. I'm passing up opportunities, then, that I won't have again. Guess I'll have to make myself get out more, once I've been out. No getting used to being here all the time and learning to hole up in my room. I'm going to try...but will you hold my hand? ;/

Hurry!

It's not too late to enter the GREAT giveaway at greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com! Go see about it! What are you sitting there for? Oh, and where are all the comments about Sequim? Don't you love those pictures? Isn't it gorgeous? I love looking at them. I'm also, however, open to anything. Send me pictures of where you live, okay?

Our Ward

Today was so touching at church. The lessons and talks all happened to be on charity and the ward members had helped each other with flooding in their homes just the Sunday before, so there were so many personal stories told today, and I love our ward and don't want to leave them. They always remind me of the people in Third Nephi being taught by Christ. They would want Him to stay with them and teach them. They would weep, and He would weep. I just love them.

Private Friday

Just kidding about already going private. I'll figure out how to do this first. Maria, thanks for wanting to stay in touch. I think I would be very sad if you didn't. After all, that's how you can hear about my girls, too. :) And Mark is looking all over for jobs as an Assisted Living Administrator or Director or Manager. Who knows where we'll end up!

Today, Mark did a phone interview with someone who needs a Director in Sequim, Washington. It's NW on Seattle, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca (or something close to that), not far from Forks! However, the Olympic Mtns. block the rain, so it's very dry and mild, with humid air from the bodies of water around there. It's so scenic and beautiful there! I'll post some pictures on top for you to see, ok? They are from ads for homes for sale there. That's always a good way to see some scenery, plus peek inside people's homes for decorating ideas. Heheheh.

Some pictures are obviously of irrigated land , others of along the coast with high and low coastlines, and others of more natural vegetation. I see some pine forests, and there's a rain forest not too far south of Sequim. The rainfall level changes dramatically when you move away from Sequim at all. Variety!

Also, last night was Linda's baby shower, given by Sisters Arnoldsen and Baird! I forgot to take pictures until the very end, but I'll post them asap. At least they might show how happy Linda was and how pretty she looked. There were 27 people there, and Haley and Sis. Jensen and others dropped off gifts, too. Little Josh got such a variety of presents, for quilts and blankets to a baby monitor and bibs and grooming/bathing/medical kits to diapers, burp cloths, Changing table pads, a homemade baby sling, books and toys, a carseat pad for baby's head, some things for Mom, snack bowls that don't spill, all kinds of shampoos and baby bath and on and on. Plus, lots of cute little clothes! And a hat and some socks. I can't remember it all, but it was really fun to see what little Josh got as welcoming presents. :)

We are feeling better today, I think. I know I am, just having something concrete to focus on. It's fun learning about other towns, so today I learned all about Sequim. It's a popular retirement community, and it's growing fast. It has about 7,000 people right now, and 20,000 in the immediate environs. It has a fairly high crime rate for being rather small, because it's near another country (narcotics) and because of the elderly population (easy victims). I gather it's an artifact of being within easy driving distance of Seattle and Vancouver. Anyway...

So, I'm still not editing. But eating homemade beef jerky right now. It's kind of hard to chew! Earlier, I ate a whole container of strawberries. Yum. What else did I eat today? Oh, a dill pickle and a tomato (from the store). I'll have to take a picture of our little red Early Girl tomatoes - almost ready to pick! Yay!

Mark watched 2 movies today on his computer: The Matrix 3 and Hancock. He seems all proud about it. And about the jerky he made.

Seth isn't here right now...

That's all. Mark is watching Knowing now, and Seth is home.

Catch you later!

xoxoxo

Front Page!

Mark scanned the front page of the Idaho State Journal for me, so that you could see the headline and picture. There were some more pictures on the inside, similar to our photos, but not featuring anyone in particular. Isn't that a cool headline and photo? It was at the top, with nothing else but it and the story.

The picture was taken from the bldg's. front porch, by the newspaper's photographer, and those are some of the aides struggling through the parking lot. Very dramatic!

On another topic, please see the comments on my last 3 posts, as I added my own comments, with more info for you.

Thanks, kiddos!