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Saturday, June 7, 2008

My big brother turns 50 today...

Today is my big brothers 50th birthday!
06.07.08
It was so good to talk to him on the phone today!
I really wish I could be with him, but being 3000 miles away in Simpsonville SC makes it a little tough.
Things about my brother that make me smile...
He has always been really really tall... so he looks big and tough, but he is a huge teddy bear, the nicest generous guy I know.
He was a bouncer at a night club... that always made me giggle cause he really would never hurt a fly.
He was my best friend through some of the hardest times in my life.
He used to be able to throw me in the air when I would practice cheerleading stunts.
He taught me how to stand on his shoulders and I could do it with ease, steadily for hours at a time.
I used to love to pick out the tallest tree I could find for Christmas and I would stand on his shoulders to decorate the top.
He took me to see my first scarry movie... jaws! We had to find the exact center of the theatre to sit. We laughed through the entire movie together (when I wasn't closing my eyes).
It was the saddest day of my childhood when he moved out.
He took me for a ride in his hotrod car in the snow when he was a teenager and we came to a big corner in the road and the car kept going straight, in an instant there was a small driveway opening in the fence and we went perfectly through it down a steep hill and somehow managed to stop at the bottom without crashing into anything... that was the 1st time I remember believing in angels.
I can relate to him emotionally.
I love that he plans and thinks everything through the same way I do, before making decisions.
He has a horse named Kali.
He lives on our Papa's farm and takes care of my Mama in an assisted living home.
He loves kids, and it doesn't matter who they belong to or how bad they act out, he can handle them, and kids always glom onto him and love him.
He is a hard worker, but doesn't give himself enough credit.
He is in a mysterious part of his life and only shares on a need to know basis.
I love his smile! It always makes me smile when I see it or think about it.
He is very family oriented.
His is honest and full of integrity.
He doesn't like turmoil or drama around him, and has a knack to sift through it and calm a situation.
He loves dogs.
He has beautiful blonde curly hair, and is graying gracefully.
He isn't afraid to show tears.
He gives the best bear hugs.
I love my big brother, and have some really special wonderful memories growing up with him!
Happy Birthday Jim!

Friday, June 6, 2008

My Boys gone to camporee...


Camporee? What is a Camporee?

According to wikipedia... A camporee is a gathering of Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. Okay, whatever... nobody told me about a camporee this weekend!!

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My boys might have mentioned some kind of camp out coming up, but no body wrote it on the calendar, and they hadn't mentioned they were leaving on a Thursday, and certainly didn't tell me it was THIS Thursday!!!

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So it snuck up on me, while I was focused on the last days of school activities. It has been a really busy crazy week.

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Making almond roca for the Seminary class... I was so flattered, they remembered it from the Christmas party and made a special request for the end of school party to have me make it again.

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Making cookies for going out to the orchard and picking peaches with the youth group. Which got forgotten and left at home, by the way.

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Plus, making rice crispy treats for yet another stake young women activity... no wonder I can't seem to lose any weight, making all these goodies all the time.

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It has just been a very hectic week.

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The teenagers last day of school was yesterday and we were able to go to our annual traditional after school movie together on his last day.

Then we rushed around picking up tents and stoves and camping gear, and getting everything packed for this "camporee" that they forgot to tell me about.

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The teenager was asked to come as a leader, so it will be a different camp out for him, doing camp inspections and teaching classes.

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The biggest mistake they make was telling me that every time they have camped at this location, someone has gotten seriously hurt!

The father son outing a boy had to get stitches in his head from falling off some rocks, and the scout camp before that a boy was hurt and had to be airlifted to the hospital. All these stories right before they leave, and me already in a frazzled mess because I didn't even have it in my head they were going to be gone this weekend!

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My first night alone went okay, all the dogs were pig piled up in the bed with me... so I didn't sleep much, but got in a few good chick flicks!

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I still bet I got more sleep than my boys did. he he he

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I hope it goes by fast and they get home soon, in the meantime... I have plenty to keep my busy! Work, 3 dogs, camp meetings, more work, newsletters, making cards for my relief society activity, freezer meals to trade on Tuesday with my group, laundry, dishes, clean the house, mow the lawn, and more work, oh and did I mention 3 dogs!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Uncle Fred visits...

Uncle Fred is in town from Louisiana!
He drives from his home to Idaho in some crazy record setting time, and he is like 80 years old!
He is so funny... this trip he at least stopped along the way to see his brother (Jim's Dad) and sis n law in St George. Really, it exhausts me just listening to how long of a drive and how fast he can do it. I don't mind airplanes at all, so I would much rather fly!
We always have fun with Uncle Fred. He is an amazing cook, so to have him for dinner is kind of intimidating... but I threw on some hamburgers and had some left over chicken fettuccine Alfredo, and had just gotten some great corn on the cob and had melons in the fridge... so at least we could feed him well, and he is always so appreciative. He must have told me 50 times how good the food was and thank you so much!
From a cook like him, it makes a girl feel really good to hear that!
I was also able to get what may be one of the last cases of peanut butter I will ever see again. His ward cans these at their cannery and it is the BEST peanut butter in the entire universe, the BEST! But this year was their last time. So I might not get anymore. I hope that doesn't turn me into the p-butter Nazi at my house... I have a feeling, it will be watched and monitored very closely! I love this stuff!!!!
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He is the oldest of 12 children, and he and his late wife Aunt Joyce never had kids of their own. It is so weird how much he and his brother (my fil) are so much alike. Sometimes he will say something or in his actions and I think.... that is just like Dad.
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We talked about getting together more while he is here visiting, he is staying with his sister a couple of towns over. And he has another brother that lives a short distance from them. I hold a huge huge guilt trip that we haven't gone and seen them, or visited and we are soooo close. I just hate having that over my head, but I know they love us anyway... it just stinks. We laughed a little that we would have to get beat up if we come over there, because we only come once in a blue moon, but it would be such a deserving beating!
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Uncle Fred has been a huge Houston Astro fan for years, and he and Aunt Joyce had season tickets forever. They kept all kinds of memorabilia, all their ticket stubs from ALL their games, hats, mugs, score cards (even Nolan Ryans no hitter games) seat cushions, bobble heads. And in his collection Uncle Fred has an Astro team signed baseball every year from 1965 to 2001!!!
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Last year he brought some of his collection and gave it to the teenager, some hats and the score cards, and memorabilia and even an Astros official jersey.
It was soooo generous and the teenager loves it and is so proud to have it.
In the collection there were tons of pins Aunt Joyce collected, and two charm bracelets... I have always wanted to make a charm bracelet with the dangley charms! ALWAYS!!!!
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He gave me hers... I was so thrilled and honored!!! One has charms from all the states they visited, traveling and going to games. It is awesome! The other has very personal items on it, her 1st wedding band, his 15 year pin from Dupont, her high school class ring, a football charm from 1944 Burley Idaho High School championship, and her cheer leading charm... I get teary every time I get it out. I am afraid to wear it outside the house, I don't want to lose any of the charms on it. It is priceless to me! It is so fun to have something from Aunt Joyce to treasure that way. I absolutely LOVE IT!!!

This year Uncle Fred brought his precious baseball collection to the teenager.

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So the boys went through all the balls, one by one. It was so fun to hear his stories and go through the collection. I can't believe he is letting it go, but the teenager LOVES IT, and will take care of it and have it forever!

It is an amazing collection, and we have heard him tell stories of going to different games all these years. But last night I actually thought to turn on the video and record a few stories. He told about one foul ball hit that Aunt Joyce got, and all the men around them were diving trying to get it first, but didn't see where it went, they were climbing all around the seats trying to find it... and she quietly tucked it behind her back and showed Uncle Fred later that she had gotten it.

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It was so cool, they dated it and marked what game and who had hit it.

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Later last night, after Uncle Fred had left, my husband came to me and we were talking more about the collection, and he started tearing up !!!! (this is huge...)

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He said "I can't believe he is letting go of that ball that Aunt Joyce caught! He said I would have that with me until the day I died if it were me, and a ball you caught..."

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Okay, he couldn't have said anything more sweet to me EVER!!!!

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(or was it a dump on me that I can't catch???? hmmmm... no I will believe it was just really sentimental and sweet)

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It just really hit us what Uncle Fred was giving us, it was much much much more than a collection, or memorabilia... it was a piece of his life. A pretty big piece. It probably held more memories than I will ever have in a lifetime. It was a piece of his marriage, his dear wife, something they shared together, they loved it together, and had kept all these precious memories in safe keeping, and now handing them over to us to keep safe, and hold dear.

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How will we ever show him how much we love him and how special he is to us?

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A very dear Uncle and very unselfish and loving to share something so special with us... his time and stories, and hauling peanut butter all the way out to Idaho from Louisiana!

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We love you Uncle Fred!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The Yard Sale finale, and a Game of Golf...

Our Yard Sale went really well. We had sold all of the big stuff, furniture, and higher priced items along with allot of really weird things by 11:00am. So by noon we were ready to pack it up and take the rest to the donation trailer.

We had 4 requests to buy our rose bush that is in bloom. Of course it wasn't for sale. But funny to have more than one person ask for it.

It made me kind of nervous that 3 people who bought furniture, paid for it and said they would pick it up later... then didn't come pick it up until late in the afternoon. I didn't get phone numbers or anything, so if they didn't show up, how long would I have to hold on to it for them? I hadn't researched any of these yard sale etiquette questions. But they finally showed up one by one and retrieved their paid items.

My boys wanted to take me with them to play a round of golf...

So I went along to see if I could get some good pictures and analyze the game a little before I take lessons and buy my own clubs and dive into a mans world.

Very soon I learned the extreme level of competition between my boys...

I knew it was there, they are always jabbing and making fun with each other... but I had no idea the magnitude and how it would affect the teenagers sportsmanship...

I soon focused my attention elsewhere, and found these two trees. I love how they look like they are leaning over hugging each other. They make a beautiful arch over the course, but they look so in love.

The teenager was pretty embarrassed how he was acting and wanted me to be with them... I wondered if it was all just about impressing me?

Sweet, but pretty sad what it brought out in him, and it really didn't help the trust issues I have in letting him get his license and drive off into the sunset on his own. Hmmmm....

In the end, it was a beautiful course, a nice afternoon.

And a good time was had by all... (kind of)

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