Alan & Stella

2009 Family Christmas Newsletter

2009-12-17T21:18:00.001-08:00

Greetings from the Shumates! 2009 has been another great year! We’re pleased to be able to report to you how our family is doing.

Matt’s family continues to enjoy life in Spokane. We were able to take a couple trips to visit and really enjoyed having the girls spend two weeks with us in the summer. Reagan is turning ten in February and is such a sweet girl. She loves to read, excels in piano and is a wonderful big sister. Kelsey turned seven at the end of their at the end of their summer vacation with us on August 1st. She loves lots of activities and also takes piano lesson. Gwyn turned three on December 1st and is very sweet and loving. She is definitely a grandpa’s girl. Gina works nights at Safeway and volunteers at the girls’ school. All this while keeping up with her mom duties keeps her very busy. Matt continues his job as a graphic designer and has started his own photography business. His photography keeps him very busy and he is very good. Check out his work at http://photo.mattshumate.com.

Devin and Dacia have big changes ahead of them in the real near future. They are moving to Columbia, South Carolina in January. Devin got a big promotion and this is a wonderful opportunity for them. We will really miss having them live five minutes from us. We will be saving our money for plane tickets. Dacia has an unbelievable amount of talent and hobbies, and makes use of each of them as she spends nearly every waking moment raising four children. Tanner is seven and is a very sweet and gently boy. Anson is five and loves to be the center of attention. He is also a gifted reader. Both boys played soccer and baseball this year and are also taking piano lessons. Ella is 2 ½ and is an active, busy little girl. She loves all things pink and girly. She has also learned to say "South Carolina" with a Southern accent. Joseph Palmer was born on April 9th. He is a loving and calm baby. Learning to crawl is taking up his attention right now.

Cory continues his property development business, Sustainabuild. Check it out at http://sustainabuildnw.com . He is also drawing up plans for their own house to be built in an historic part of town. It has been thrilling for us to watch his drawings develop into actual houses, which he built. Danielle is back at school with plans to become a teacher. Actually, she would like to be a middle school science teacher. She volunteers in the classroom and enjoys it quite a bit. She will graduate next year and work on her master’s degree. They have been spending their free time this year snowboarding, hiking, and enjoying nature.

Travis got a promotion at his job. They love him and the creativity he brings to the job. As a supervisor, he is able to inspire others to be more creative, as well. His band, Colonies, just put out a new album. It is excellent. Listen to it at http://colonies.bandcamp.com/. Jaqui changed jobs and is now working at a dentist’s office, instead of the craziness that was the real estate office. Jaqui and Travis also have a photography business, which keeps them hopping. Go to their web site, http://jaqshu.blogspot.com/, and look at their work. It is very good.

Alan’s dad passed away this year. He lived a long and full life and his passing was a sweet experience with lots of opportunity for time with family. We are thankful for the example he was to each one of us. Our lives haven’t changed much. Alan still works for the city at the Tacoma Dome and Stella is still the cashier at an elementary school cafeteria. We have really enjoyed spending time together and with our family. Our church responsibilities have changed, with Alan working with the teenagers as the Young Men’s President and Stella working with six year-olds as a Primary teacher. We enjoy the opportunities that come to us from serving in those capacities. We also appreciate the many people who have touched our lives over the years and consider ourselves lucky to have people as you as our friends. But most of all, we are grateful for a Savior who gave His life for us and continues to love us even when we least deserve it. Merry Christmas!

And a Child Shall Lead Them

2009-04-20T21:04:00.001-07:00

Just a couple of Anson's cute events. On Friday, Stella took the day off so she could help Dacia, who had given birth to Joseph just a week ago. She dropped Anson and Tanner off at school in the morning and then picked up Anson from school a little before lunch, when his school day was completed. Stella took Ella with her, and after picking up Anson, they went to MacDonald's for lunch. Just as they were turning in to MacDonald's, Anson said he would rather go to Burger King. So, they went to Burger King, where each of the kids got a kid's meal (which included a little toy).

As they were sitting there, Anson heard a couple of little kids saying that they wish they could have gotten a little toy. They weren't complaining loudly, just kind of verbally wishing. Anson asked if it was all right, and then took one of the little toys over to them and gave it to them. What a wonderful, charitable act.

The second experience of Anson was that at school, each of the kids was given a piece of paper to draw on. Anson asked if he could have an additional piece of paper, as well. He took the two pieces of paper and stapled them together. On the first page he wrote (spelling corrected), "by Anson" and "the Book of Mormon."

He then gave it to his teacher. That's right. He gave his teacher a book of Mormon. She has had contact with the church before, and thought it was very sweet. We should all be so bold.

Book of Mormon cover

Inside his Book of Mormon

The Miracle of Life

2009-04-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

"There are two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is
a miracle."
--A Einstein

We had the opportunity to experience the miracle of life Thursday when Joseph Palmer Shumate was born to Devin & Dacia. The birth of a baby is full of tender mercies of the Lord. What a sweet blessing it was. He is perfect and beautiful. We took Tanner, Anson, & Ella to the hospital to see mom and dad and brother. We were going to the room even before Dacia got to her room (she had been in the recovery room until then). As we were walking down the hallway to the room, we turned around and saw Dacia in her wheelchair and Devin alongside her. The kids, especially Ella, just squealed with joy and went running to their parents. What a beautiful sight. The nurse was touched by the scene. As were we all. The nurse was impressed by their family. Two wonderful, loving parents with nice, cute children. How could she not be impressed. It was very sweet to see the children crawl up onto the bed with their mother and baby brother (one at a time). It brought back memories of when each of our children were born and what special times those were.

Proud siblings!

Tanner-biggest brother and exemplar

Anson will protect him

sweet Ella...her world is about to change

Joseph Palmer Shumate-one week old

Anson Shumate--master photographer

2009-04-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after General Conference, our family gathered together for dinner, as we do every Sunday. While we were sitting around, Anson (Devin & Dacia's five year-old) wanted to borrow my camera. These are the results.

Stella

Devin (thinking)

Jaqui & Travis

Danielle & Cory (Zombie pose)

Alan (giving Anson the eye)

If you know of someone who is getting married, keep Anson in mind. His rates are very reasonable (due to the child labor laws).

I Love Family Photos

2009-02-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

This is our latest and greatest family photo. It was taken at the beginning of the year when Matt and his family were here. Stella and i enjoy it when we all gather at Cory & Danielle's to have family pictures taken. Luckily we have people with artistic ability in our family...photographers, graphic designers, and all those who make our family look like it could be on the cover of a magazine.

And quite the photo shoot it was. With all the equipment, you would have thought there were visiting celebrities and paparazzi gathered for the occasion.

And no photo shoot is ever completed until all the grandkids are gathered together and trying really, really hard to sit still for the photographs.

This is how we bribe them to sit still for the "formal" photos....we tell them that the last picture will be one of them acting silly. I'm not sure if Gwyn and Ella appreciated having their pictures taken upside down.

Now this is the photo of what we seem to do and enjoy best. Eating Sunday dinners together. Now when we are all together, there is an actual children's table. And by the way, the right side of Danielle's face is just as beautiful as the side you can see.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot...

2008-12-22T20:08:00.000-08:00

In a ploy meant to decrease the frustration of putting our Christmas tree together and carefully installing the Christmas lights, we purchased a brand-new ready-to-go Christmas tree. One of those new ones where the limbs are already attached and the lights are already carefully wrapped around the branches. That's right...just like in the Norman Rockwell paintings! It was great. All we had to do was carefully place the ornaments on it and presto...instant tree. Just add presents. When our children were little, we went out and cut down a real tree and then decorated it with lights and ornaments. Honest. I have pictures.

One of the fun things we did this Christmas is that Travis & Jaqui took us to see the local presentation of the Nutcracker at the Pantages Theater. It is a beautiful building, one where I remember seeing movies when I was younger. I have always enjoyed listening to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, even when it's not Christmastime. The performance was very good and the live music by the Tacoma Sinfonietta was quite enjoyable. And the company was without equal.

It had been snowing off and on, and when we came out of the performance, it was definitely on. Driving home, I took a picture of this building. It is actually "Tacoma Self Storage," but one year the "S" broke, and so now, every December, they turn the "S" off on purpose. It makes me smile every time I see it.

It is quite strange to have this much snow in December. We rarely have a white Christmas. If it snows at all, it is usually in January. And then it only lasts for a day or two and then is gone. So far, we have had a total accumulation of 6-12 inches. In fact, for the most part, church was canceled yesterday. We only had a one-hour Sacrament Meeting with the three wards which meet in our building meeting together. This is a picture of me shoveling the driveway (after I had cleaned off the car and the front deck). It was quite a workout. Maybe that is why people from Minnesota live so long. I thought about titles for this photo as I was shoveling.

1-Why I like rain
2-Things I DON'T like doing on my birthday
3-Let Al Gore try to explain this "global warming"
4-An hour of my life I will never get back

Surprise!

2008-12-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

We got a phone call Friday night from Reagan telling us that they were coming to visit us. Not only were they coming to visit from Spokane, they were already past Ellensburg and would be here in two hours. She called us so that we wouldn't go to sleep before we got there. What a treat that was.

Gwyn, Reagan, Anson, Kelsey, & Tanner--Ella was still at home

We spent almost all of Saturday with the grandkids, so their parents could spend time doing some things and also spending time with each other. It is a real blessing that our sons (and their wives) enjoy being with their siblings. When the boys would call home from their missions, it was just as wonderful to listen to them talk to each other, as it was to speak to them ourselves.

Matt, Gina, Reagan, Kelsey, and Gwyn had to leave early Sunday afternoon. It was sad to see them go, even though they are only five hours away. Before they left, Kelsey and Reagan left post-it notes all over the house. Check these out---

35 Years of Dating

2008-11-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

This is the 35th anniversary of our first date. I remember it as if it were yesterday, probably because I was so nervous at the time. I talked to Stella on the phone for over an hour before I got the courage to ask her out. She has since told me that during that phone call she was wondering if I was ever going to get around to asking her out. Being the big spender I am, and trying to make that great impression on her, I took her out to the Old Spaghetti Factory. Honest, we have been out to nicer restaurants since then, but we often return here to remember what it was like over 1/3 of a century ago.

Where it all began

I have always liked this picture. Stella was working at LeRoy Jewelers at the time. Before we started dating, we spent a lot of time in our Young Adult group at church. We were good friends before we ever started dating. That was a good thing.

Hard to believe we looked like this in 1974. It is also hard to believe that nobody told me how goofy I looked with long hair and a Fu Manchu 'stache. Maybe all my friends looked goofy, as well. My parents and church leaders must have thought "this too will pass." They failed to tell me that the photos will live on forever.

Eighteen months after that first date

Explosion of Color

2008-10-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have really been impressed and amazed with the colors of autumn I have seen in the past week. I don't remember the leaves ever having been as vibrant or bright as they have been this year. I think it is because we have not had a lot of rain, which means the leaves are not crumpled up and withering on the ground, and the skies have provided a bright blue background. I choose not to believe it is because I am just getting older and appreciating the autumn colors more.

Wright Park-built in 1886

I love the contrast of the leaves and the tree bark

Wright Park--27 acres of heaven

Wapato Park--opened to the public in 1889. Named after small potato-like vegetables which grew there

Railroad tracks near the T.O.A. not far from Titlow

Looks like New England, but it's our beautiful Tacoma

Bridge to the Tacoma Outboard Association

Joy and Pumpkins in Spokane!

2008-10-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took the opportunity to go to Spokane, where Matt, Gina, Reagan, Kelsey, & Gwyn live. It just so happened that Devin, Dacia, Tanner, Anson, & Ella were there, after having visiting Utah. It's not frequent that we are able to get together with all the grandkids any more. And this was the first time that they were all in Spokane. All six of them love each other so much! There are major tears when they have to say their goodbyes at the end. OK...so maybe the tears are mostly grandpa and grandma's.

While we were there, Matt took us to a place called Sieman's Pumpkin Farm to take part in all the fall activities there. It was the perfect place for kids to run around and have fun. And their parents. And their grandparents. There was a hay loft, a corn maze, a castle, a boat to play on, pretend animals in cages, two tractor-powered "trains" (Big Toot & Little Toot), and even some pumpkins.

Ship of Grandkids

Playing in the hay loft

Ella enjoys the excitement

Entering the maze

Tanner & Anson aboard Little Toot

After that, we all went out to Wingers for dinner. I hope everybody in the restaurant had as much fun as we did.

Tanner & Kelsey have always been cousins & best friends

The End!

Fireside talk and General Conference

2008-10-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Today I gave a talk at the Single Adult fireside. I tried to get about six others to do it, but when they couldn't for various reasons, I knew the Lord decided it was my turn. As I was watching the Relief Society broadcast last Saturday, I realized my topic was supposed to be revelation. Interesting that it was revealed to me that the topic of my talk should be revelation. It was not because I am excellent, or even good, at receiving revelation, so I guess it was something I needed to learn more about. As I sat in sacrament meeting last Sunday, I had dozen of thoughts come to me, which I immediately wrote on my church bulletin. One of the things I learned is that when revelation comes, it needs to be written down and acted upon immediately. So I did. I spent all week studying and reading and pondering the topic of revelation. Then during all the sessions of conference, I heard so many general authorities mention revelation, that I knew they were talking to me. I spent all the time in between sessions of conference trying to organize my thoughts into something coherent and that made sense. In my calling as a high councilor, I give a talk every month in an assigned ward on an assigned topic. When I prepare for a talk, I prepare enough for a fireside talk. So when I prepared for this fireside talk, I prepared enough for....I don't know, maybe a book or something.

As I was finishing up my talk after the last session of conference and before dinner, all of a sudden I became frantic and frazzled. I couldn't remember any of the things I had read, or where I had read them. So I did the best I could, took my talk with me, and trusted in the Lord. I think it turned out very good, but I don't take credit for it. I know that when I do my part in preparing a talk, or fireside, that the spirit will help those who have prepared, to hear what the Lord would have them hear. As the speaker and hearer are prepared, their spirits communicate with each other through the Holy Ghost and give the inspiration and revelation which is needed. I also realized that it is all right to over-prepare. As people made comments, I was able to use parts of the talk which I was not planning to use.

I learned from my preparations, that the Lord reveals things to us on his time frame. Many is the time I prepare a talk for the next day, only to awake in the morning and realize that it's not right, and then while I am taking a shower, all these thoughts come to me. Amazing how it works. I also realized that many is the time we receive revelation without even knowing it. I think about my father taking a couple of years to write his life story, only to finish it just a few years before dementia set it. I'm sure he was inspired to do it when he did it without even knowing it.

Conference was also wonderful. It was enjoyable to have Travis & Jaqui come over to watch conference with us. I am always reminded of how, when King Benjamin gathered everyone together to listen to him speak (I imagine it was a general conference of sorts) they gathered as families in their tents to listen to his words. Not as wards, but as families.

When I was younger, I used to enjoy talks about tithing and the Word of Wisdom...things that I can say I do 100%, but that really does me no good. Now I enjoy hearing talks about all the things I am lacking in, which inspires me to improve myself and be a better person. I think when I hear talks like that, the spirit speaks to me, which is a comforting feeling. Hopefully I will be able to realize some changes in my personal life because of this conference. If you don't notice them...maybe they're deep inward changes.

Windows 2008

2008-09-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I didn't really get a new, secret edition of Microsoft Windows; I'm still hooked on my Mac. We did get new vinyl windows in our house, though. After waiting for years for the stars to line up so that we could replace our old, outdated aluminum windows, it finally happened. I can think of three benefits of having vinyl windows without thinking too hard.
1) Energy savings
2) Being able to see through windows which are not filled with moisture
3) No more door-to-door salesmen constantly trying to sell us vinyl windows
I think the third benefit is the one that finally put it over the top

Mt. Rainier-fact or fiction?

2008-08-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

How can you not see a 14,410 foot mountain when you are standing on it? I don't know, either, but that's what happened to us when we took a drive to view our beloved Mt. Rainier. I would have thought in August not only would you be able to see the mountain, but you wouldn't encounter any snow. Bizarre. Anyway, we had an enjoyable time viewing the beautiful area, complete with August snow.

Stella is happy to be hiking (Tatoosh Mtns. in background)

the Skyline Trail seemed almost surreal

Normally, Mt. Rainier provides a beautiful backdrop to this view of Myrtle Falls

I just thought this was an interesting photo

What a surprise to see a UFO land on the road to Paradise!
(Some would say it's the Visitor's Center, slated for demolition)

In November 2006, 18 inches of rain fell in 36 hours
The Nisqually River filled this entire area and caused much destruction

Here we are at Narada Falls--we just love being together

Flora, Oregon--ghost town

2008-07-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Stella and I were recently in Enterprise, Oregon visiting Stella's mom and some of her family. One of the things we wanted to do was visit Flora, a "town" about 40 miles North of Enterprise and about ten miles from the Washington border. My brother, Roger, joined with us for that little expedition to explore the area where my Grandma Jessie Shumate (Botts) grew up with her parents and seven siblings. The last time we were there was when my family went there in 1964 to visit my Uncle George, who was still living in the old family home. The town wasn't much then, and is even less now. In fact, after the post office shut down in 1966, the town became un-incorporated. It is officially a ghost town now. Anyway, the purpose of our expedition was to see what was left of the town, see if we could find where the Botts homestead was, and check out the cemetery for grave sites of ancestors.

On the way to Flora, there was a beautiful viewpoint of Joseph Canyon. I would guess the canyon is 2000 feet deep and was the winter home of Chief Joseph. He would go down into the canyon every winter, where it was warmer. He couldn't figure out why the homesteaders would stay up on the plateau in the winter, where it was so cold. The homesteaders, in turn, couldn't figure out where the Indians went every winter. This photo in no way shows the grandeur of the canyon. I dislike the word "awesome," so I will say that it was awe-inspiring.

The first thing that Roger, Stella, & I did was to visit the cemetery. The Flora Cemetery is overgrown with all sorts of vegetation, and is very small, about the size of a football field. It was established in 1891 when a frontiersman donated a corner of his homestead for the cemetery.

These are the headstones of my great-grandfather and great- grandmother. It was quite a reverent feeling to be at the graves of so many of my ancestors. To think of what they went through was very humbling. It was a good feeling to know that their temple work has been done and that I will one day have the opportunity to personally thank them for their lives.

After the cemetery, we went on the hunt for Uncle George's place. We went down some little dirt roads that seemed to go nowhere. Actually, we were in the middle of nowhere, which explains roads going nowhere. The old homestead was not where we thought it was, but I'm guessing it collapsed some time ago. However, we did find the Lost Prairie School (pictured above). It was built in 1910 and opened with a total of six students! The building off to the left is the wood shed. We found many similar one-room school buildings out in the middle of obscure fields. Most, like this one, had metal roofs on them and are now being used as storage buildings by the owners of their property.

We then went back to Flora to "take in the sights." Here are a few of them.

The Flora (Methodist) Church. It was built in 1896

A couple of old houses located on what used to be Main Street

1908 Blacksmith shop of Durwood Conley (the husband of my grandmother's sister)

It was quite a unique experience to go to a place which remains pretty much the same as when my ancestors lived there. It helped me to appreciate their lives just a little bit more and the legacy they left. I hated to leave there, but at least I have the knowledge that if I travel there again, the town will pretty much be the same.

Enterprise, Oregon

2008-07-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

We just got back from spending a week away from home. One of the places we went to was Enterprise, Oregon, which is located in the very Northeastern corner of Oregon, to visit Stella's mom and PJ and Shawna (Stella's niece) and their family. Enterprise is a beautiful town located at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains. There would be worse things than to wake up to this view every day.

We got there in the evening and were having a barbecue on their back deck when dark clouds started to roll in. Fast! In a few minutes it was raining in a way that it doesn't rain in Tacoma, and we had the added pleasure of lightning and thunder. It was beautiful. And powerful. It makes me think of the power of God who creates all of those things. Shawna and PJ are wonderful hosts and we are grateful for the generosity of them and their children. It is also more fun to visit Enterprise than Wendell, Idaho, which is where they lived before.

The next day we went to Wallowa Lake, which is also beautiful. We rented a pontoon boat and explored the lake. It was fun and nobody fell overboard.

OK, so we look kinda weird or bored, but we were having a wonderful time. Honest.

Because of the large amount of snowfall this past winter (it snowed last month), and the hot weather, the Wallowa River, which feeds the lake, was near overflowing. In fact, some of the campgrounds were flooded. We are planning on having a family reunion here next year, which promises to be a lot of fun. There is a tram which goes 3700' up the side of a mountain. It is said to be the steepest in the nation. I honestly want to try that one out.

On the way to Wallowa Lake, we went through the town of Joseph. It is a little bit touristy, but in a tasteful sort of way (?). We had a nice lunch at a 60's diner and checked out most of the stores. The town has a western feel and is known for its bronze sculptures. I am not a great fan of western art, but I thought these were impressive.

I Love To See the Temple

2008-06-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to attend the temple today. It is sure nice to be able to go to a place where I can focus on eternal things and not be bothered by the things of this world. It is wonderful to be able to go to an oasis of peace and solitude to escape the loudness and confusion of the world. I have been blessed to have always lived near a temple. It caused me to think about all the temples which have had an impact on my life and the life of my family.

Logan Temple-where our family was sealed in 1958

Salt Lake Temple-first temple I went through

Ogden Temple-first temple Stella went through

Manti Temple-where Stella & I were sealed

Provo Temple-the temple we attended as poor students

Seattle Temple-our "home" temple

Portland Temple 1989

Seattle Temple 2002

Sound to Narrows

2008-06-16T21:03:00.001-07:00

It's been kind of a tradition for our family to run in the Sound to Narrows every year, and although not everybody is able to participate every year, enough are there so that we can consider it an official family tradition. This year, Matt used his graphic design skills to design a logo so that we could all wear shirts proclaiming our pride and athleticism. Maybe that's overstating it just a little bit. We really loved the red color, as it helped us find each other with a minimum amount of difficulty. This was especially important because we all participate in indifferent events. Matt and Dacia took part in the 12-K run, Travis and Jaqui did the 5-K run, Reagan, Kelsey, Tanner and Anson (with Devin and Matt running as the support team) did the 2-K run, Ella and Gwyn ran the Diaper Dash, and Stella and I did the 5-K walk. Gina, who happens to be one of the more serious runners in the family, had to sit the race out, as she was feeling very ill before race time.

Reagan, Kelsey, Tanner, & Anson--The 2-K medal winners

One of the neatest things was that in the 2-K run, Reagan finished well ahead of the others. As the other three neared the finish line, Reagan ran back to be with them so they could all cross the finish line together. They have a very deep love for each other.

Team Shumate 2008

Gwyn & Ella--the Diaper Dashers

Anson Call Shumate--future Eagle Scout

Tacoma News Tribune, June 14, 2008, page A-12

We take a lot of family pictures and one of the things we do is bribe the kids by telling them that if they act good in a "normal" picture, we will take a picture of them making funny faces. We had finished taking our "normal" pictures and were taking the promised "funny face" pictures, when I heard somebody behind me taking a lot of pictures. I looked around and noticed it was a photographer from the Tacoma News Tribune (the local newspaper). After getting all of the names, he included this photo in yesterday's newspaper.

It is interesting to note that five years ago, Gina and Reagan had their picture on the front page of the News Tribune after Reagan had just finished running the Diaper Dash. Soooooo, if you want your picture in the newspaper, it may just pay to apply to be part of Team Shumate. Worse things could happen.

Walking together

2008-05-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today Stella and I can say that we have walked the entire Scott Pierson Trail. It is an urban trail which begins East of the Allenmore Golf Course and parallels Highway 16 all the way across the Narrows Bridge. Recently, we have spent a lot of time walking various trails throughout the area and have enjoyed every minute of it. Most of our children and their spouses either run, bike, go to the gym, or work out in some way. Stella faithfully walks on a treadmill, but there are times when we go out walking together. Our contribution to fitness. Not only does it have health benefits, but it gives us the opportunity to spend quality time together. I have always enjoyed driving places with Stella by my side. I just love being with her and taking in the scenery. Walking together has added another dimension to that experience. As we walk, we spend a lot of time talking, enjoying nature, and just being with each other. We're also able to see a lot of things which we would normally miss in driving by. These are some of the places we have enjoyed walking. Bring on the Sound to Narrows! 5K that is.

Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

Chambers Bay Golf Course

Tubbs Hill, Coeur d'Alene

Ruston Way

Narrows Bridge

Scott Pierson Trail

We just love walking with each other

Ten women

2008-05-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today was Mother's Day; and what a wonderful day it was! Matt and his family were in town for the Tacoma Marathon. Matt had planned for a long time to run this marathon, but he hurt his back moving a piano, which threw his training schedule off, and made it impossible for him to run the marathon. However, he did run the 10K race with Gina. Although it was very easy for Matt (he ended up running to our house from the finish line), he enjoyed the very rare opportunity of running with Gina in a race.

With Matt's family visiting us, and Travis & Jaqui staying with us for a while, it was great to have the entire family here in town at the same time. It gave me a chance to ponder the importance of the women in my life. There are ten of them. A mom who trained me up in the way I should be. She was always there for me and sacrificed everything for me and my siblings. A wife who is, along with the gospel, the best thing that has ever happened to me, and to whom I owe everything. I can't imagine my life without her. It seems that we have been best friends as long as I can remember, even though it has only been 33 years. Four daughters-in-law, who are perfect complements to our sons. I love them as much as I love my sons, and consider them to be as my own daughters. I also appreciate the fact that I can enjoy them as grown women and didn't have to deal with them through those emotional teenage years. Finally, there are four grand-daughters, who are the cutest and most enjoyable girls in the world (at least to me). They are so sweet and innocent, and I hope and pray they will remain that way. With the parents they have, they have as good a chance as anybody.

The joy of the day was tempered, however, in the fact that dad went in to the hospital with congestive heart failure. That is a condition in which the heart is not pumping out enough blood as the body needs. Although he will most likely make it through this, it will only worsen with time. He has lived a good life, and he is one of the great ones to whom I owe everything.

Visiting Dad

2008-04-24T22:29:00.001-07:00

I visited my dad on the way home from work yesterday. He fell a while back and had his hip replaced and has been in a special care facility since then. After wondering if he was going to even survive the ordeal (he just turned 87), he seems to be doing fairly well, although I'm not sure how mobile he will be. It has been very difficult for him to be away from his wife for this amount of time. The end of this year they will have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary and I can't recall them being away from each other for more than a day. In spite of all that, he seems to be doing fairly well.

Dad's broken hip is made much more difficult by his dementia. Seven or eight years ago he started suffering from memory loss. About five years ago, mom started suffering from the same illness. It is now to the point that they can remember me and my siblings, but not much detail about our families. Or much of anything else. Since dad has been at Evergreen, Roger has stopped in nearly every day before work and I have stopped in nearly every day after work. Unfortunately, dad can't remember who has visited him during the day, so others may be visiting him, but he can't pass that information along to us. I have enjoyed my visits with dad. He knows he can't remember things, and he feels bad about that, but I am able to reassure him that it is not his fault. We are able to talk some about his life growing up, but even some of those details are getting fuzzy. I am so glad for the resurrection when his memory will not only be returned to him, but will be perfected in such a way that we can't comprehend. It will be fun to talk about these days with perfect recollection.

One thing which has affected me is that many years ago he wrote his life story. On a typewriter. And not a self-correcting typewriter, either. It took him years to do it, but it is a true 118 page literary work. It contains not only experiences from his life, but his thoughts and ideas. I am not sure what possessed him to write it, but I'll bet he was prompted to do it, even if he didn't know it at the time. I find it miraculous that he finished his history only about five years before his dementia started setting in. I know he wrote his life story not only for himself, but also for his children and grandchildren because he not only made copies for each of his children, but also made one for each of his grandchildren and gave them out as Christmas presents. It is a testimony to me to know that his legacy will live on for generations after his earthly life has ended.

Reagan's Baptism

2008-04-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

One of the “tender mercies” which the Lord has shown me happened February 16th. Reagan turned eight on February 10th, which meant she was able to be baptized. Matt and his family decided to travel from Spokane to have her baptized over here, since most of the family is here. It was a wonderful experience to see our oldest grandchild baptized by her father. I think baptism is one of those events in which “he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (Malachi 4:6). Reagan is a sweet and wonderful girl who was definitely ready to be baptized. One of the things which impressed me was that a week ago she, on her own, decided to let her hair grow, have it cut, and donate the hair to “Locks of Love,” an organization which makes wigs for those who are undergoing cancer treatment.

The second part of this event happened after Reagan’s baptism, when we all went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate her birthday. Kelsey and Tanner (both are five) are inseparable as friends and just love being with each other. All of the grandkids were given a cup of tokens, which are used for the rides at Chuck E. Cheese. Kelsey and Tanner went off, hand in hand, to spend their tokens. They came back to eat birthday cake a while later and were counting their tokens. Together they had seven token left. They asked me if I had any, which I did not (what grandfather would keep tokens from his grandchildren?). They had realized that if they divided up their remaining tokens, one would have three and one would have four. A few minutes later Tanner came to me with a token and said, “Here grandpa, take this token because we don’t want to fight over it.”

I knew at that time that the Lord had taught me a lesson from these two little children. They were willing to give up something that was very, very important to them in order that they would not have bad feeling towards each other. I have thought about this even frequently since then and have used it in several talks and teaching instances. Sometimes I wonder if I would be willing to give up something that was very important to me in order to become more like Christ. And which things in life are really important to me? Grandkids are so cool!

Why am I doing this?

2008-04-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start this blog so that I might record the events and thoughts I have and especially to make a record of how apparent the hand of the Lord has been in my life. It seems that things happen on a daily basis, both big and small, in which I can see how truly blessed my life is. Many times I notice the hand of the Lord in the larger events, or in the happier experiences of my life, but often the smaller events, or the experiences which may seem to be more challenging at the time, go either unnoticed or appear to have no spiritual relevance. I hope that by writing these things down that I will recognize the hand of the Lord in all aspects of my life, not just the more obvious ones.

Yesterday I gave the same talk in two different wards. Actually I gave a talk last month on the same subject. The subject of my assigned talk was a talk given by President Eyring in last October's General Conference, "O Remember, Remember." In preparing my talk, it became obvious to me that spiritual experiences happen to us on a daily basis, sometimes without us even recognizing them. The key to recognizing them is with the help of the Holy Ghost. In the book of John we are told that "...the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14: 25-26) I believe that the Holy Ghost even has the ability to help us remember things which we may not have recognized at the time.

This is my attempt, as Pres. Eyring said, "to find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him."