JANUARY 2009

JAN. 4, 2009

YEH, I GOT THE YEAR RIGHT SO WON'T NEED TOBE CORRECTED THIS TIME. IT DOES TAKE ME AWHILE TO GET THE NEW YEAR RIGHT EVERY TIME ON CHECKS ETC.
PENNY JUST LEFT ABOUT 10:30 THIS MORNING AND ANDRA WILL BE BACK THIS EVENING. MY HOUSE IS KINDA LONELY WITH JUST ME HERE AGAIN.

WE HAD A A VERY GOOD CHRISTMAS 2008 WITH GIFTS AND DINNER AT CLAY AND KARENS. WE HAD NO CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN LANIE. IT SEEMED RATHER STRANGE AFTER THE PAST FEW WITH SOME OF THE GREAT GRAND CHILDREN BEING HERE. CJ AND LENELL STAYED HOME BUT CAME UP NEWS YEAR EVE AND THAT WAS ENJOYABLE TIME SPENT WITH THEM AT CLAY AND KARENS THAT EVE. ANDREW SLEPT OVER BUT WAS A BIT SCARED IN THAT BIG BED AND THE ROOM. I SHOULD HAVE PUT HIM ON THE UPSTAIRS COUCH I GUESS. HE'D ONLY STAY THE ONE NIGHT.


FOR MY GIFT FROM CJ AND LENELL THEY TOOK ME TO DINNER AT TEXAS ROADHOUSE MIGHT I SAY THE RIBS WERE TENDER AND DELICIOUS. MAYBE PARTLY BECAUSE THE COMPANY WAS SO SPECIAL WITH OUT CHILDREN AND WE WERE ABLE TO VISIT. HOW EVER DON'T GET ME WRONG I"VE ALWAYS ENJOYED HAVING THE CHILDREN ALONG. THANKS FOR A GREAT AFTERNOON I LOVED YOUR CHRISTMAS GIFT.

HERE I WILL EXPRESS MY LOVE AND APPRECIATION FOR TWO PARENTS WHO HAD A GOOD WORK ETHIC AS WELL AS LOVE FOR THEIR MAKER AND THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. ABOUT THEIR WORK ETHIC THEY SET AN EXAMPLE FOR ME THAT NOBODY OWES ME A LIVING, I LEARNED YOUNG THAT I OWE IT TO MYSELF TO WORK AND MAKE SOMETHING OF MYSELF. AS SOON AS I COULD FIND A JOB I WORKED SO I COULD AT LEAST BUY MY OWN CLOTHS. WHEN I LEFT SALT LAKE AND WENT HOME AND WORKED IN THE BANK I HELPED PAY SOME OF THE BILLS AT HOME AS I WAS LIVING THERE NOT BECAUSE IT WAS EXPECTED BY MY PARENTS BUT BECAUSE I FELT I OWED THAT MUCH. THEN I PAID MY OWN WAY TILL I MARRIED. FROM THEN ON IT WAS A JOINT EFFORT BETWEEN MYSELF AND VERELAN. IDID WORK BEFORE CHILDREN AT SEVERAL THINGS LIKE CUTTING SEED POTATO"S FOR A FARMER TO PLANT. CAN'T RIGHT NOW REMEMBER WHAT ALL ELSE BUT I WASN'T LAZY.

WHILE PENNY WAS HOME SHE BROUGHT HER COMPUTER AND TYPED UP DADS LIFE STORY FROM BITS AND PIECES THAT WE HAVE COLLECTED OVER SOME TIME. THEN ONCE ARE TWICE AT DIFFERENT TIMES WE"D HAD DIFFERENT FAMILY MEMBERS SEND THEIR SPECIAL MEMORIES OF MY PARENTS. THOSE WILL BE ON WITH DAD'S STORY WHEN IT IS COMPLETED.

WE FOUND IT VERY INTERESTING HOW MANY GRAND CHILDREN WHO WROTE ABOUT THEM NOT ONLY EXPRESSED THEIR LOVE FOR THEM BUT HOW MOM AND DAD WORKED SO HARD NOT JUST TO SIXTY TWO BUT ALL THEIR LIVES ALMOST. THEY WERE NEVER SUPPORTED BY CHURCH, STATE, NOR GOVERNMENT. THEY WORKED AT THE D.I. IN OGDEN IN THEIR DECLINING YEARS AND PART OF THEIR WAGES WAS TO TAKE COMMODITY'S. MOM WOULD NOT TAKE ANY CANNED GOODS SHE BOUGHT THEM IN A REGULAR STORE AS SHE DIDN'T WANT HER GRAND CHILDREN TO SEE THE CANS AND THINK SHE AND DAD WERE BEING SUPPORTED BY THE CHURCH. THAT PART OF THEIR MEGERE WAGES WAS NEVER COLLECTED. THAT WOULD NEVER DO IN HER MIND AND HEART. MOM DIDN'T STOP WORKING UNTIL SHE WENT TO THE HOSPITAL THE LAST TIME A FEW WEEKS BEFORE PASSING AWAY AT AGE 76. DAD WORKED ALSO UNTIL MOM WENT TO THE HOSPITAL THAT LAST TIME HE HAD TURNED 91 IN AUGUST. IT WAS IN OCTOBER WHEN THEIR LIVES MADE SUCH A DRASTIC CHANGE.

DAD HAD A HEART ATTACK AT A FAIRLY YOUNG AGE DID NOT GO TO THE HOSPITAL WAS TENDED BY MOM AND RECOVERED TO GO AHEAD AND FARM. THEN AFTER THEY MOVED TO TOWN HE HAD A STROKE AND ALMOST TOTALLY RECOVERED FROM THAT AGAIN NOT GOING TO A HOSPITAL WHILE PENNY WAS TYPING SHE WAS SIMPLY SHOCKED HE'D HAD THOSE TWO THINGS AND NOT GOING TO A HOSPITAL AND SHE NEVER KNEW NOR SAW ANY SIGNS OF HIM HAVING HAD THAT STROKE. SHE SAID SHE FELT HE SURVIVED AND DID SO WELL WAS BECAUSE HE WORJKED HARD ALL HIS LIFE. THERE WAS NOT LAZY BONES IN EITHER OF MY PARENTS BODY'S.

THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR HELPING ME BECOME WHO AND WHAT I AM TODAY. I'M FAR FROM MONETARILY RICH BUT OH THE RICHES I DO HAVE BECAUSE OF YOU MY PARENTS AND YOUR TEACHINGS. THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST MY WEAK TESTIMONY AND A GREAT FAMILY ARE MY GREATEST TREASURES.

THANKS VERELAN FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUSTAINING ME IN VARIOUS ENDEVERS AND THE ENCOURAGEMENT YOU ALWAYS GAVE ME TO IMPROVE. MOST OF ALL THANKS FOR YOUR KIND PATIENT WAYS ALL THE YEARS OF OUR EARTHLY YEARS TOGETHER. NO ONE ELSE WOULD HAVE BEEN SO SWEET TO ME. ABOVE ALL ELSE THANKS FOR TAKING ME TO THE TEMPLE WITH OUR CHILDREN AND MAKING US AN ETERNAL FAMILY IF I CAN HANG IN AND ENDURE TO THE END.