Martindale News

Trip to Kentucky

2009-07-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

Doug and I took a quick trip over the 4th of July weekend to Kentucky to see Aubrey & Kyle. The drive to KY is beautiful! I have to say that the South is soooo very beautiful with all the green rolling hills. We had a good time with Kyle and Aubs, we went to breakfast at I-hop, they then took us to the 4th of July Parade in downtown KY, it wasn't a big parade but it was fun to see the patriotism of Lexington. KY is a huge horse state so there were plenty of horses and heard some bands play. We didn't stay long cause it started to rain. (Last year our whole family got together in LA and had big plans to go to Disneyland, beach etc. Well it rained the whole time we were there except the day we left to fly home. Doug and I went back out to LA at Christmas of 08 and they hadn't had rain since we were there in May... well it rained most of the time we were there. It rained when we went to St. George UT in Feb too. Ryan (our oldest son) says that we need to market that and find out where there is a drought and see if we could fly to that particular spot so they could get rain. I am beginning to think he is right). Anyway, we went shopping while it rained, then took a couple hours to nap, then went to Saul Good (a very good place to eat), grabbed a ice cream cone and saw a little bit of the fireworks they were shooting off in the rain. (I have never seen that before) Sunday we went to church and met the fine people in their Ward. And it rained most of the day. Kyle made us a delicious dinner and after the rained stopped we took a little walk around their neighborhood.

It was so fun to see their place, how they have decorated their cute Town home. They have an adorable little puppy that is just a ball of fur. He is so much fun and they have worked so hard to train him well. He runs to the door when he has to potty and when we were walking around the neighborhood he would stop at the end of the sidewalk before crossing the street and he would sit until they started to walk. It was adorable. They have a balcony that overlooks a house that has an amazing garden, every where you look you see green plants and flowers and it overlooks a body of water. What a view!

We were only able to stay 2 days but we really enjoyed seeing them, where they live, work and go to school. It is so nice to see our kids as adults doing good things!

On our way home Doug and I stopped and checked out a bit of history at the Homestead of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield KY. Very interesting. It was a short but very nice trip. Oh and no I don't have any pictures. sorry, Aubrey promised she would share.

25th Anniversary

2009-06-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

Happy 25th Anniversary Mom and Dad! We love you and your loving examples. I loved to always see you guys showing your love for one another whether it be sneaking a kiss or holding hands every chance you get. Love you guys! -kids

Weigh in

2009-06-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

I had to go to the Neurosurgeon's yesterday. Everytime I go they do the dreaded weigh-in... and I am thinking, what does my weight have to do with my brain tumor? I stepped on the scale and looked at the nurse and said "I would rather have the shots in my face, than step on these scales"! (I was actually there for the shots in my face and I waited 2 1/2 hours for those blasted shots). She laughed and told me a story about a lady that went to a resturant and when the waitress asked her what she wanted to order she replied, "Well I am going to order 1 chicken breast with a salad, and you are going to mistakenly bring me lasagna and cheescake". I love it, then she told me another one about a lady who got up to go jogging and she thought she would check with her body if that was a good thing to do and her toes were against it 10 to 1. Yeah I know it is cheezy but it is pretty funny too.

I have made it to the gym every day this week, I saw Amy Routt there yesterday, she was on this machine that strengths arms, it helps you do pull ups and push ups. And as Amy said, "it strengthens your core". Well I come from a family that has a problem with bone loss so I figured this is something I could really use. I watched her and it didn't look too bad. I told her that I had never used that particular machine, she offered to show me how to use it. Sure, sounded good. I did it and she stood there and told me how many reps to do of each one. OK, at first it was alright, but of course the more I did, the worse it got. By the time she walked away I was DYING! She said as she walked away, "Just do another set of those". NO WAY! And today, I am hurting, but they say that pain means that weakness is leaving the body. I like that, it helps me get thru the pain. I will go again tomorrow and do that same machine, I will probably change the weights a little bit.

Another funny about the gym, this guy goes to the doctor and is told that he needs to go to the gym and start exercising but start out slowly. The guy gets up in the morning and starts out by driving slowly in front of the gym. Yeah another cheezy one but it is kind of what I have been doing everytime I drive past the Fitness center, thinking I need to get in there. Now I am going IN again.

Doug is thinking about running the Conway half marathon, he keeps trying to get me to do it. I think I am with the 2nd joke, 10-1 saying that I won't. But maybe ?

Our home

2009-06-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Doug and I like to have people in our home. Joe and Celeste were here for a few months,it was nice having them around. I had to get used to the idea that they were moving in to their own home a couple of miles away. It was exciting to help them get their home ready to live in. 2 weeks ago the big day came and Celeste wanted, no, insisted that they be in their house for her birthday. We all worked hard to make that happen... the house was lonely again.
A month ago I got a call from a lady in Utah. Her son was moving here to start a job with a new company in town. His name is Kirk, he is getting married in July to a girl from Idaho. They are making some big changes in their lives. 1. Moving from the West to Arkansas... for all of you who have made that move you know what a culture shock that is! 2. They are getting married and are coming here directly after their honeymoon... that is a big adjustment too! 3. They are both starting new jobs! No need to say anymore about that one.
He needed a place to stay before he gets married. We were more than happy to have him take the extra space on the other side of the house! He has been here about 2 weeks and has been the perfect house guest!!! His fiance' just flew in tonight and we just met her, what a cute couple and what a great asset they will be to our Ward! She is staying somewhere else in town and is going to go on job interviews, and help find a place to live. It is fun to see how happy and excited they are to make their new life together and be willing to make all these changes at once. If you see him at church say hi. They are a very sweet couple and hopefully we will make them feel welcome to good old Arkansas!

The Miller bunch

2009-05-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my parents and siblings. (Top left to right) Don, ReNae, Michelle, and myself. (Mom & Dad on the front row). All of my family live in Salt Lake City so I don't get to see them very often. It is always a special treat to visit them. I feel blessed to have been raised in this family!

Meet our grandchildren

2009-05-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

In February we were in St. George and we were able to spend one day with all our grandchildren. It was AWESOME! We love these little cuties and miss seeing them all the time.

Kris Allen Day

2009-05-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Celeste picked me up from work and surprised me with a Kris Allen t-shirt. We went to eat Mexican Food then made our way to downtown and stood on the parade route waiting for Kris Allen to make his way to Toad Suck Square for his concert. There were soooooo many people and cameras from Fox news and all the other stations going up and down the parade route. It was pretty exciting and yes I felt like a silly tinnie-bopper!

Here are pictures of the parade, Conway police, Color-guard, UCA Band, Kris' Family and friends, then Kris. I might add that there were a lot of body guards and police and it made it difficult to get a good shot of him.

After the parade I went to the concert, there were over 20 thousand people and it was very hot, but it was great to see and hear Kris sing. He sang 3 songs and sounded wonderful.

We are so proud of our Conway guy. It is huge for this small town to have him become a star on American Idol. He will go far whether he has the title or not. We all love him.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Aubrey called last week to inform us that she and Kyle were coming this weekend for Mother's Day. What a special treat to have one of our children visit at home even if it is for a short period of time. It was fun to sit around with Aubrey & Kyle, Celeste and Joe and just talk and laugh about old times and what the future may bring.
After church I had a 3 hour nap and then enjoyed a delicious dinner that Doug and son in-laws made. Joe made wonderful no bake cookies which are a favorite of mine. The day was topped off with a phone call from each of our children.
Aubrey gave me a tile that had the words "The most important things in life aren't things". How true that is! It isn't the presents that are given but the fact that we enjoy each others company, speak kindly to one another and think of each other and express our love often.
I love my family, the only thing that would have topped the day is if we could have all been together in one place. Maybe another year.

I am also blessed to have a good mom. She is a special person and I love her. She has taught me many things in my life. I hope she had a great mother's day too. I am glad that I have sisters and a brother that live close to her to help take care of my parents as they age and need more attention. It is that cycle of life that just goes on and on.

I am blessed!!!

Family Treasures

2009-04-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I got a special package in the mail from my aunt Jeanette my mom's sister. After my grandpa died in Feb my aunts and mom had the the difficult task of going through my grandparents house and all their belongings and trying to divide what they had between siblings and grandchildren, great-grandchildren etc. The sisters divided the family items between them and then they gave us the opportunity to have some priceless possessions as well. There came a point where there were items that they wanted the grandchildren to have so they put all of our names in a hat, then they would pick up an item and someone would pull out the name and that person got that item.
I was blessed to get some very old and precious books. Some of the books are signed by the author. I also got an old pitcher of my grandmothers, a framed poem that my grandfather sent to his mother (my great-grandmother) for mother's day while he was on his mission in 1933.

One of the greatest treasures is a stone necklace, my aunts had one made for all the grandaughters. With the necklace came a letter telling us where the stone came from. In the early 1950's my grandparents and 3 of the daughters traveled back east to pick up a new car. On their way home they stopped to see the remains of the old Navuoo Temple. They collected a few of the stones from the Temple to remind them of the sacrifice of the saints (some of our ancestors were in that group of saints). Those stones were in my grandparents house and the aunts decided to have the stones made into necklaces for the grandaughters. This truly is a treasure for me. Some women wear a rock (diamond) around their neck that might be worth more in money but this rock has more value to me than any other stone that I could purchase or own.
Included in my treasure box are some letters that my grandma sent to my grandpa, letters that my great-aunts sent to my grandpa while he was serving his mission in 1932. My aunts are in their 90's now and one is deceased.

Opening that box last week was like opening 97 years of history. Looking at their handwriting, reading their letters and the love they had for each other. Realizing the trials they endured made me appreicate my heritage and the legacy that they left.

I will cherish these things for the rest of my life!

Doug update

2009-04-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

My how prayers are answered! Thank you for all your prayers and concern for our family. It makes a huge difference that we have people who love and support us and are concerned. The burden is easier to bare.
Doug was released from the hospital late last night. All the tests they did for a stroke came back negative. Whew!!! It is determined that he had Transient Global Amnesia. It is a condition where you can forget 6 - 24 hours of your life and you never recall it. It is a rare condition, his specialist only sees about 1 or 2 a year. He told us about another case where a lady drove from California to Washington and when she came to she didn't know where she was or how she got there. You function as normal but don't remember anything for a certain time period, ever!
He does remember early that morning getting dressed but his next memory was talking to me. He doesn't remember the conversation but does remember the policeman at his car door and the paramedic making him get in the ambulance and taking his blood.
This condition can be brought about by several different things. Physical activity is one of them, stress, trauma, bad news etc. We don't know what brought his on but it is something that only happens once in a life time. (Thank goodness) It is so weird to know that for 6 hours he didn't know what he was doing. I think he was walking around the whole time and then just got in his truck and then somehow knew to call me. We are thankful that it is nothing serious and now we sit back and appreciate each other, laugh about it some and remember that life is too short to take for granted.

I just can't tell you all that things that went through my mind as I watched him on the bed trying to figure out simple things. I count on him for everything. He is my rock. We will need to do things a little differently now. I will know all the numbers of his phones, not just his personal cell phone and his bosses phone number. I will have a file of people to call if anything happens with numbers. Insurance companies, bills all those things that he does will be done together and the file will be labeled Emergency File with people and places to call if something happens. When things like this happen, the last thing you want to think about is who do I call for this or that and if I only knew ... If it is all there then it makes things much easier.
Thanks again everyone for your support

My dear sweet man

2009-04-17T05:14:00.000-07:00

My husband was on assignment with his job in Russellville for 8 days and was supposed to come home yesterday. I was excited to have him return home and have things back to normal. I tried all morning to call him on his cell phone but there was not answer. He always returns my calls and I thought it was strange that hours went by and nothing. About 1:00 yesterday he called me from his company cell phone (which I don't have the phone # for). I asked him why he hadn't called me and asked him where he was. He was very confused and didn't know where he was or how he got there and he just kept asking me the same questions over and over again. He was laughing and being silly but just kept asking me questions like, did I leave the house this morning, when did I talk to you last, telling me he didn't know where he was. He did not know what day it was, who the president of the US was, who the prophet was, didn't know the names of family members. He did remember my phone number though (thankfully). I kept him on the phone and called 9-1-1 and got the police and ambulance dispatched to the area that he described for me. He as at a walking trail there in Russellville. They got to him as I was talking to him on the phone. He was not happy that I called them and didn't want to leave his vehicle. I had to talk him out of the car for them to be put in the ambulance, (as I was flying in my car with Celeste to Russellville) to meet him at the hospital. When I got there he was in his running clothes with scratches on his legs and he was still really confused and not acting himself. They ran a few tests and determined that he might have had a stroke. They wanted to admit him in the hospital but it was decided to transport him by ambulance to the our town hospital instead, which is where he is now.
Here is what we know, he knew he was done on his assignment and was going to check out of the motel but he decided to go walking that morning (he works out every morning so normal routine). Last night he finally remembered getting his running clothes on and going to the sight but he does not have ANY memory of between 6am to 1pm and what he did during that time. He apparently walked somewhere cause we could tell by his shoes and the marks on his legs. But it is a mystery of what happened to him during 6-7 hours. He does not remember our conversation, he remembers talking to me but not what was said. He kept asking last night what time it was cause he was so shocked that the day was gone and he couldn't remember any of it. Poor thing. Anyway he is at the hospital and many tests are going to be done today to determine the problem.
I love my man more than anything and pray that he will be fine! I don't know how to live without him. This was a huge wake up call of how we take day to day life for granted.
Please remember him in your prayers if you would.
Love ya'll

American Idol Junkie

2009-04-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

I am an American Idol Junkie! I love me some American Idol! It comes on while I have been studying for Institute or teaching on Wed nights. Doug got tired of recording it and so he surprised me with a DVR. AWESOME!!! I flip thru those commercial and the garbage I don't want to watch and get to see the good stuff. A whole new way to watch Idol. I do admit I usually fast forwarding thru Paula's looooonnnnngggg opinions!

This year is extra special cause our very own Conway Arkansas boy Kris Allen is in the top 8! Last year I was for David Archeletta, not only cause he had a beautiful voice but he was from our old home town Murray Utah. I lived just a couple of blocks from his high school and all. It was exciting to watch him get to the end and being the 2nd best. (I still consider him the best but I will say that David Cook sure has done an awesome job with the title).

I am cheering Kris Allen on and voting as many times as I can during the 2 hours that the lines are open. He is our boy this year! Are you with me on this one?

PS. We found out what Celeste and Joe are having but I want her to blog it first, stay tuned.

First fun of Spring break

2009-03-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Celeste picked me up from work and we went shopping for maternity clothes. I didn't even realized that she had started showing. We had fun picking out clothes for her as she grows through the summer. And I loved looking at the little girls Easter dresses. They are sooo very cute. I love Easter time!
We came home and made some mean Chicken Fajitas. yum! Think I will plant some flowers tomorrow.

Spring has Sprung

2009-03-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for spring, it is my favorite time of year. I love the full blossoms on the trees, the tulips, all the flowers starting to blossom, the smells of lilac and all the blossoms in the air, (I can enjoy it cause I don't suffer with allergies). I have been amazed while living in Arkansas for 21 years at the beauty that abounds here. It is absolutely breathtaking!!! I have never seen so many colors on trees. The dogwoods are like lace with yellow, pink and white blossoms, the Bradford pears are bursting with blossoms (they don't smell the best though), the Azaeleas are vibrant pink and white and the red bud trees are bright purple! It is so beautiful in Arkansas in the spring.

This next week is spring break for all the schools. Some people are going away for the week. My friend is going to ride a train to San Diego, I have Institute kids that are going to Switzerland, another friend leaves for a cruise tomorrow and my brother flies to Hawaii today and ... well I am rather jealous. I want to do something fun. I have to stay home and work but I am going to do something fun! Don't know what but if you have any ideas then I want to hear them. Keep in mind that I work 8-5... I will work in the yard some because I like to do that but I want something fun. So friends, let hear your ideas!

Friends

2009-03-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

I feel blessed to have many friends in my life. When I was younger I seemed to visit with my friends on the phone more. I would take our children to friend's homes and the moms would visit and the kids played. We would go on outings together and just have fun. Now that I am older I find that I don't visit friends much, don't sit and talk on the phone for long periods of time. I email more than anything, or text, but if I go to Facebook I can visit with friends that I haven't seen or heard from for a very long time. (I do like Facebook)
Last night I went to our Relief Society Birthday Dinner and I sat at a table with friends. It was nice to just sit and visit face to face, laugh and talk! Beckie, one of my friends and I were talking about our future plans. I mentioned that in just over a couple of years Doug and I plan to move out West. As I sat and looked around the room during the program I realized that all these people are my friends. Some of them have been my friends for more than 21 years. We have been in callings in the church together, raised our families together, or I taught them in Primary or YW (which makes me feel old). It will be hard to leave here after putting down roots in a small town. Some of my friends are actually friends of my kids. They are adults now, having babies, raising children, doing the parent thing. They have turned out well! My friends are valuable even if I don't see or talk to them all the time. Tonight we are going out to dinner with friends (couples) then I am going to the girls night out. I look forward to these times. I like being with people, with friends and I don't care what age they are. Life is all about relationships isn't it?

Good Tribett News

2009-03-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

Celeste posted a couple of weeks ago in a round about way that she is pregnant. I didn't catch it at first so I decided that I would come right out and announce it (mentioned in my last post too). She is due in September... and we are very excited for them. We will finally have a grandchild that we can see all of the time. Poor child will have to endure a lot of kissing and hugging from grandpa and grandma.
I do feel bad that she is so very sick but I remind her that it will all be worth it and she will forget this bad time. She informed Joe that they are only having one child! I remember saying the same thing. How soon you forget after you hold and love on a new baby. This will be grandchild #7 and we find out in 5 weeks if it is a boy or a girl.
Have I mentioned how fun it is to be a grandma. Well it is the best fun in the world. While in Utah last month there was one day when we got all 6 of our grandchildren together and took a ton of pictures, a few days later 5 of the grandchildren got together and went to a museum and the park. We had so much fun. Then we played dress ups and had a pizza party. It is a day I will always cherish. Those times are very rare so it was a day to remember for both Doug and I. In fact I will say it is much more fun being grandma than being a mom. I love it!

Are you kidding?

2009-02-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

I have been told by a daughter that I am too serious in my posts. I generally like to laugh alot more than I like to be serious. I have another daughter that when you tell anything sad she says "wha wha wha" in a sort of a singing tone. Makes you think you are being a "Debbie Downer" or something so I am going to lighten the post some and hope I don't make anyone sick.
I will mention that when I laugh I can sometimes get out of control and I have a hard time stopping. This made me laugh all last night and today every time I thought about it!

Doug, Celeste and I went to Wal-mart before we went to the church Chili Cookoff last night. We were walking over to pick up some cheese and one of the employee's walked past us (a guy I see quite often). He walked over to the door where they bring out the meat. There was one of those garbage cans on wheels sitting in the door way where everyone could see. He walked over to the garbage can, cleared his throat and started spitting in the can, and he kept spitting, and spitting. I immediately shot a glance at Celeste. Remember she is pregnant and gets sick at the slightest thing. Both our eyes got big and I started to gag some. She took off walking the other way. Like a dummy I was so shocked at what I was saw that I just kept watching this guy. It was crowded and he didn't seem to find anything wrong with spitting and hanging his head in the garbage can. Celeste and I were laughing about it today that we both should have ran over there and started gagging and hanging our heads in the can with him as we puked.
It was gross. I have a friend Katie who blogged about her Wal-Mart bingo card. I suppose that is one she could add to her bingo card now.
I had Doug go to the store a couple of times today and I insisted that he go to
KROGERS! I may convert for good at least in the food section.

Back to normal!

2009-02-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

I am finally back in Arkansas and back to a normal life now. February has been an interesting, and very busy month. I am sure that people at church think I have moved or gone inactive. I have a huge pile at work that will take hours to go through. I have a friend who has been taking my Institute class for a whole month and she deserves a big treat for doing that! I appreciate her so much! I also have a Beehive class that I haven't taught for a month either.
It was great seeing all of my family, immediate and extended. I saw people that I haven't seen in many many years. As good as it was for those reunions, I am soooo very glad to be home. There really is no place like home!
I missed my blog friends!

Saying hello & goodbye

2009-02-18T21:19:00.000-08:00

On Feb 1st Doug and I flew to Utah (St. George) to see Julia and our new grandson Ty Martindale Boone and family. He is a cutie! It was an amazing feeling to say hello to a new grandchild and have them placed in your arms and to feel an instant love for this sweet little blessing from God. He is perfect and I am grateful for the knowledge that he came from a beautiful peaceful place and a Heavenly Father who has an important mission for him on earth. I looked into his sweet little face and watched as he made his little squeaks and cries. I have always been amazed at babies instincts to eat, cry and want to cuddle up to their mommies. Birth of a child is a miracle!

On Feb 9 & 10 we drove to Orem Utah to visit my 97 year old grandpa. He has been a strong, vibrant and active little man and he has always be there for our family. He is a wonderful example of charity, endurance, obedience, hard work and many other great qualities. He became ill and was failing quickly, it was amazing to sit by his bedside and look into his sweet face, much more worn with wrinkles and age but still that instant ability to show his warmth and love. He knew what was happening and he was ready to go. How do you say goodbye to someone who has been there your whole life? Grandpa was there for the blessings of our children, missionary support and he sealed Doug & I and all our married children to their spouses in the Temple. He has been the family Patriarch, and a fine example of service to God and others! He grew tired and we expressed our love for each other and said our final goodbyes. I was having a hard time leaving him and his last words were "It's OK you can go, it will be alright... Heavenly Father took him home this morning, he finished his mission here on earth. It is so comforting to know that grandpa is having the greatest reunion in the Spirit World. Death is a miracle too! I felt the sweet spirit in both the hello and the goodbye!

I love you and will miss you Grandpa Royle!

We have a new grandson

2009-01-30T16:26:00.000-08:00

Julia had her baby boy this morning at 5:30 am. He weighed 5lbs, 14 oz and he 18" long. They have a couple of names picked out but want to see which one fits him best. He is a cutie! He looks like Brooklyn his older sister. He is healthy and strong and does not have to be in the NICU at all. This will be a first for Julia and Nathan to actually take the baby home with Julia and not have to have extra care. The 1 month of bed rest worked! We are heading out Sunday to go see them and spend some time getting to know the little guy. I will blog when his name is set and will send pictures later.
From proud grandma and grandpa Martindale :)

A historical day

2009-01-20T03:14:00.000-08:00

Today is one of those historical days for our nation. I don't want to get all political on this post, I will say that today as we see a new President take office, I for one am praying for our new President and all those who will work with him to guide our country. And I hope he will do a good job. I have been very vocal to who ever would listen (although not on my posts) about how I feel politically and as a matter of fact I got in a very heated discussion last week with an old friend over my views. My friend and I are at the complete opposite ends of the spectrum of where we stand. We have the some of the same moral standards but view this new presidency completely different. So here is what I said to her. "I hope this new president does a good job". Regardless of your political views, why would you want any different? I hope it will be a good and safe "change" that we can count on. Again I pray for our leaders of our country and other countries! I love this country and want the best for it. Even though we disagree on things I believe we can all agree on that and come together to try to make it a strong nation. I hope we don't forget what our nation was based on in the beginning and I hope we will not forget God who gave us all that we have. We also can't forget all of those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms! Join with me and pray for our nation and our new President Barack Obama!

Facebook friends

2009-01-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

I joined the Facebook world in November just for fun. I had heard a lot about it and a co-worker told me how many people she had found from the past and I thought I would give it a try. I did it all by myself and it was really easy... within a day I had 19 request to be friends. I didn't know what to do so I played with it and figured it out, thank goodness it is pretty user friendly. Anyway I have been looking for some high school friends. I found a few and contacted them. It was fun visiting with them but there are a couple that I wrote on their wall and I never got a response. It kind of makes me feel like I did with some people in high school maybe you know the feeling, don't they like me or want to talk to me. Or maybe they just learned how to use Facebook and don't know how to respond. One of the people I wrote to is a guy I grew up with, he was in my Ward for many years. I haven't seen him since I graduated and well... I won't tell how long that has been. But he didn't respond, why? I wonder. When he saw that I wrote did my picture scare him, I don't look like the 18 year old girl that he knew with long blond hair. Oh well!
Needless to say my friend pool has grown and most of them are people in Arkansas and that is OK and most of them are much younger than I am... guess I can say that about the blogs too. But I have noticed that more people my age are catching on and joining. I think some of my kids wanted to die when they found out that their mom was on Facebook. Celeste laughed at me tonight when she saw I was checking out my profile. I asked her, "why is that funny" she didn't respond she just laughed. One of my Institute students told me she thought it was OK that I was on Facebook but she didn't like it when her mom got on it. I laughed cause I am sure my kids felt the same way.
I like it... and I will continue! My problem now is how do you find girls when you don't know their married names? And is it inappropriate to write to guys you knew that were friends? I don't want to look like a stalker. Any comments or suggestions?

Inspiring Obituary, wierd I know!

2009-01-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

I know this is weird, 2 posts in one day but had to share. I was looking in the Utah Obituaries (my great uncle died and was looking for his obituary) and came across this Obituary of a guy I don't know but I thought it was very inspiring and very well written and it had a real "feel good" touch to it. It started with his name and date of birth - date of death, then said this: "When you die your headstone has the date of birth and the date you died. But what is most important is the dash - in the middle". It is what you do with your life that counts, and apparently this guy thought life was great and lived it to the fullest. It also said that one of his favorite saying was "It's not whether you can survive the storm, but rather whether you can dance in the rain". You can bet this guy had a lot of love of family and friends with an attitude like that.
I took the sayings and put them at my desk so I could look at them all the time to help me remember them. I put it along side a couple of others that inspire me, I will share those too. "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want" and "Brick walls are there for a reason, it shows how badly you want something". They were said by a professor that was dying of cancer and had a family and became very well know because of his positive attitude (I can't remember his name).
I know enough about the dying guys right? But sometimes we learn from how others lived their lives and how they died. Both of these men apparently suffered with a sickness and they endured to the end well. The poor guys didn't know that their obituaries inspired some lady in Arkansas who needed a little lift.
Anyway life is good and I am happy that I am here to live it!!! Now back to work with a smile! (Besides it is Friday)

Puzzles, are they a waste of time?

2009-01-09T03:36:00.001-08:00

Every year during the holidays we break out a puzzle for the family to work on. It has been a tradition for many years and this year was no exception. We were in California for Christmas and Joe and Celeste were staying at our house and when I called home she informed me that she broke out a puzzle to work on. It was one that a friend gave me last year that was reserved for this years holiday entertainment. Celeste and Melanie worked on it and finished it the day we returned. Celeste was so proud to show us the finished product. Well I wanted to do one and she wouldn't hear of putting the same one together again so we took it apart and did one that I bought in Salt Lake City at the 2002 Olympics. (Oh did I mention these are 1000 piece and not real easy)! We sat down and worked on it together, Celeste lost interest and Doug and I finished the dumb thing in a couple of days which happened to be my birthday. Joe & Celeste decided we hadn't had enough puzzle time and they gave me another one for "my Birthday". Joe was proud that he picked it out. It came in a small box, but it had 1500 pieces and it was a picture of colorful hot air balloons in front of a lake. So you had a reflection of everything and it was hard! We finished that dumb thing last night and here is the thing, we worked on it every waking hour that we were not working or sleeping (and it cut into the sleeping time). It is like an obsession like there is a time limit to get it done. Is is a waste of time? My friend Kathleen tells me that it keeps the brain active and helps prevent Alzheimer's. Well that helped knowing that we were contributing to our mental health in a positive way... but really how many hours did I waste? Have you ever watch how people put puzzles together? There are the people like Doug who zone in on a spot and study the color, the shape, and then look and look until they find "the piece" and then pop it right in (which is a real talent and it amazes me) and then there are people like me (who drive others crazy) I look at the color find a piece and start trying the piece all over the space (now I will say that I do consider the shape as well but I have to be moving and trying ya never know unless you try). Both ways get the job done but it seems that the first is more brain usage. Anyway I will say I possibly wasted more time in the last 2 weeks but I had fun! The question is... how long before I will sit and look at it completed until I take it apart and stick it back in the box knowing how much time was put into it. I guess I can look at it this way, Doug and I were together along with Celeste and Joe to get it completed and the TV wasn't even on, that is good family time, right? I will take it down in a couple of days and look forward to wasting more time next year.

Movies at the theatre

2009-01-06T04:34:00.000-08:00

I don't go to the movies at the theatre very much, we usually rent movies and watch them at home snuggled up on the couch with some goodies to munch on, feet propped up and the remote in hand. It seems like an ideal date and there is no one to bother us. You can stop the movie when you need to or just turn it off if you don't like it and it is cheaper. OK I will say that the screen isn't as large but that is not a real big deal to me. And now I feel even stronger about renting after going to the theatre, here is why.
We went to see Marley & Me on Sat. Paid $9 to get in and had to find our seats in the dark ( it was about 15 minutes before the show started) we sat on the second row to the back where no one else was sitting. And waited for the movie to start... just as it started, people came in and of course they wanted to sit on our row, we got up so they could get in, people came and sat behind us, but wait that isn't all... they had the popcorn, lots of popcorn. They chomped on that stuff for more than half the movie. The guy that sat right behind Doug was Very large and he had a problem sitting in his seat, so he leaned forward the whole time and was right in our space. He felt the need to narrate the movie. Example " Oh he is going to tear that couch up! or Oh no not a good idea! Then he would throw his head back and laugh so loud that you could hardly hear the movie. I actually laughed more at him a couple of times than at what I was watching on the screen. He calmed down some at the end of the movie and at the saddest part (the end) he got up and left before the movie was over. OK I will admit that we should have gone to Little Rock to one of the nicer places, but who wants to drive 40 minutes one way to see a movie besides we were meeting Joe & Celeste for dinner in Conway. (which was a lot of fun)
I will say that I did like the movie, the book was better though. There were people in the room with little children and there were some things in the movie that were inappropriate for them to see or hear. Why do they have to put that kind or stuff in movies? But it was a feel good movie, and yes I cried a lot! Doug went with me and he wasn't so moved by it, but he was a good sport.
We will continue to rent instead of going to the theatres!