A Party Like No Other!

I was lucky enough to stumble into a month-long party today, and I'm excited about it! I'd already decided to take a break from blogging, and to tell everyone I'd be away for awhile. But now I'll be away attending party after party after party after party! And you can come too, if you like. I hope you do like!
This has always been a big party month in our family. Dan was born in September, as were three of our seven sons, as well as our first grandson. Happy birthday to Shane on the 3rd, Dan on the 10th, Ethan, Greg, and Jaxon on the 30th! In the words of Marie Antoinette, "Let them eat cake!"

But I've just learned that starting today, there's a huge month-long family proclamation celebration going on all over blog land. You can join the party at Jocelyn Christiansen's blog. Find it at http://beinglds.blogspot.com/2010/09/are-truths-of-family-proclamation-new.html

I confess I don't know how to post the link properly, but I'll ask Colin or Brianna if one of them can do it for me. Until then though, you can probably copy and paste and get there. So long for now. You'll be in my heart and prayers.

Honey Bunches of oxoxo's

Little did either of us know that morning 37 years ago, what our life would be like today. It hasn't been a cake walk; it hasn't always been sweet. But we are changed and we are better for having spendt these years together. And yes, we love and are more grateful for each other than we were way back then. Who knows if there are limits to these feelings. Perhaps they continue to grow throughout the eternities. Stay tuned, and we'll find out. Happy anniversary from Bonnie to Dan.

Miracle, or Lucky Break?

Well, they feel like miracles to me, but I suppose others might call it luckk. I guess the difference is how invested you are in the issue, and how much divine guidance you've sought? I feel extremely grateful to Heavenly Father for what I see as two life-changing blessings, or miracles, I believe He's had a hand in during the last few weeks. One of my beloved sons is at the center of the first huge blessing. Greg was almost persuaded to marry Mae, over-ruling his reservations for lack of hard evidence, focusing on her talents instead. But often, we've learned, warnings precede evidence. Fortunately, the evidence arrived just in time to prevent additional hardship and heartache for him and the children. He found her unconscious on his garage floor, suffering from the unpleasant side effects of huffing propellents. What if she'd managed to keep it hidden until they were married? The kids have had to learn about divorce; thank goodness they've been spared the need to learn any more about addictions! Their mom's brother has unfortunately exposed them to that already. We're so grateful Greg was more than forewarned, he was given proof that this match was not one made in heaven.
The second big blessing is just for me. For four weeks I've had a lot of pain which has made the very act of walking difficult. It started the day after my birthday. What was my body trying to tell me? "Hey, Bonnie, you're getting old!" "Gee thanks, body, I know that. Now be good and work the way you should." My body probably put up some kind of defense, but I couldn't hear it for the pain. Finally, just yesterday, I followed the advice of a few smart people, and started searching for a chiropractor who could help me out. I needed someone who was located pretty close to my home, and I knew I'd feel more comfortable consulting with a woman. I chose someone who met both criteria, and made an appointment for today. This morning I found her website and read the following Q&A there, which sort of calmed my mounting fears.
"Are you going to hurt me? We take great care to provide effective, yet gentle treatments, with your uniquesituation in mind. There are many modern techniques that do not rely on great forceto restore normal joint motion.Do I have to have x-rays? Often x-rays are used to help diagnose Chiropractic conditions. We do not requireevery patient have x-rays before treatment. However, in certain traumatic cases,we may recommend x-rays before you receive treatment. This is for your protection,as we would not want to make your problems worse by incompletely diagnosing yourcondition.Will you rush me in and out? We work with you individually. We listen to your concerns and always try to answeryour questions. We avoid rushing or hurrying to the next patient. We offer lunch,evening and Saturday appointments.How much is this going to cost me? We contract with many major insurance companies and will submit claims for you.We also have payment plans available. We will tell you the cost before we do anything.By combining Chiropractic care with proper home exercises, your treatment time isoften shortened, saving you money.How many times do I have to return? We recommend the treatment program suited to your specific needs. By combining Chiropracticcare with proper, specific home exercises, your treatment and healing times are considerablyshortened. We offer Acute Pain Relief, Corrective Care and Preventive Programs. Thechoice is always up to you.What if I don't get better? We enjoy a good working relationship with many other health care providers in thearea. If you do not respond to our treatment within a reasonable amount of time,we will make referral recommendations to the appropriate specialist."
She understood what was going on very quickly, explained it to me, and showed me what to do to set things right, and said that she is willing to make housecalls. Possibly a past injury (maybe that time I fell down the stairs) damaged my right gluteus medius muscle, causing it to stop doing its job properly, and now some other muscles are working too hard to pick up the slack, becoming angry and inflamed. She taught me a specific exercise to do, and she's coming over Thursday to make certain I'm doing it cdorrectly. Now I can get better, I'll be able to walk on the beach, or just around the block, and I won't have to bug my friends about giving me rides to her office. Both of these blessings have one main recipient, with many others receiving benefits, too, a happy ripple effect.

Our Week in Eden

There were plenty of fun activities, and good eats, even a restaurant called Eats of Eden that I missed out on this time and would like to go back for, but the highlight of the trip was, tada, spending time with nine very special sweet and lively Washburn children that we don't get to see very often. Colin has promised he'll post some pictures of them (soon). The three of us, Dan, Colin, and I, shared a cabin with Greg's and Neil's families. Of the three cabins we've rented thusfar, this was my favorite by a longshot. It was modern and well furnished and in good repair, with a wonderful deck surrounded by scrub oaks and wildflowers, which were not only attractive to us but to various welcome winged creatures. I heard my first hummingbird ever out on the deck. And there were butterflies and bees too. We spied a few hornets that we made sure to steer clear of. I think they were making a home for themselves in the ski lift swing on the deck, so when the sun woke them up for the day, we vacated the swing until sunset. I spent a few happy hours there reading Miss Hickory, my favorite book from my childhood, to Tori, who is a very good listener and observer of nature. I sent Little House in the Big Woods on CD to Tori, Juli, and Christian so they could enjoy it during their long drive from Denver to Eden/Liberty, Utah and back.. Dan and I listened to The Hunger Games while there. I think it's the first book we've ever read together. Colin heard little snatches of it and is reading it now too. The protagonist is a very strong and competent 16-year-old girl. I asked Dan if he knew girls could be so strong, and he replied, "Yes, .... in a book." From now on, I'll be packing a good book to take along on vacation. We've found that it's important to have some quiet time interspersed with the busy, active times.
Greg brought along his girlfriend, Mae, and we appreciated the cooking and cleaning she did! I told her she made it seem like we'd hired a caterer for the reunion. It's clear she's a very talented and capable young woman, but we pray they will take their time before making any serious long-term plans. Once bitten, twice shy, and we know they've both sustained more than one set of toothmarks. OUCH! Guard your hearts, my friends, guard your hearts! I certainly shall. Greg's little ones buzzed about Mae like bees around clover. She seemed to dote on them, putting the girls' hair in French braids and giving Christian his favorite do, a Mohawk. So cute. ( pictures, Colin, pictures!)

Tuesday: Hike to a waterfall; a wiener roast and smores in North Fork Park; swimming in Pineview reservoir.

Wednesday: We met up with Kimball's and Ethan's families for exploring and picnicking at the cool dinosaur park in Ogden. Then we all went back to the cabin for a baby shower for Neil and Penny, and a pulled pork dinner prepared by Mae, followed by a high-spirited talent show!

Thursday: A visit to Carver's Cove Petting Farm for Greg's gang, and a trip to Les Schwab for a brake job on our car for Dan and me. Can you guess who had more fun.

Friday: Ethan and Missy invited us to meet them at a park in Kaysville for a yummy hamburger and fruit picnic, and lots of cousin time on the playground.

Saturday: Kaden's baptism! A luncheon in Jessica's brother's backyard. Then it was time for a few last pictures and saying goodbye all around.





Afterward, we had nice visits with Alan and Linda Washburn, and Julie and Lonnie Baird, including Liz and Amy and their cute little girls, also Joe, Shonn, Zach and Caleb; and Seth even took a little time to favor us with some banjo picking. And we finally got our paws on one of the famous In and Out Burgers. Colin was a huge help in cleaning the cabin and packing up for the trip home. Once back in Boise, we met Ethan and Missy and family at the cemetery and had a family prayer at Jordan's grave. It was our way of including him in our week of family togetherness. Our missionary, Shane, was remembered in our prayers. We are so grateful all went well, everyone stayed safe, and that most of us would even like to reunite again next year. Now that's what I call a success!

We Have Enjoyed Many Things, and Hope to Be Able to Enjoy All Things This Week

For openers, my birthday was great, made so by kind and caring friends. I won't mention everything, but Erin and Cindy brought a lime cheesecake; Ali and Pam brought balloons and the best chocolate pie I have ever inhaled, um tasted; Kylie and Marie brought flowers, lotion, and candy, Karen helped me with important pre-trip errands, as did JoLyn from afar; Jamie made a cute shirt and shorts set for me; and Gail and Hank left my check for their carpet cleaning job on my counter with "happy birthday Bonnie" written on it! I was spoiled royally! Then Dan, a man of uncommon good sense, let me choose my own gift, a Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker, which will keep the party going year round if we let it. So far I've made strawberry ice cream and Nutella gelato, with coconut, peach, lemon custard, and many more to follow. Next, a friend, Joan, asked me if I'd like to walk with her several mornings a week, and I quickly agreed. I've been praying for someone to walk with for awhile now. On one of said walks, she asked if I'd like to attend the temple with her the next morning. Yes! Another prayer answered. She goes most Saturday mornings at six AM, just perfect for me. I was glad to be able to go before our family reunion begins this week. Bummer news though, I may be forced to give up the walks. My left hip is killing me. Blind AND lame is a bit much, don't you think? I hate going to doctors more than anyone I know. Well, maybe make that second to Dan. But this is pretty nearly insufferable, and will make things difficult for me when I'm tramping ( more like limping) around with the grandchildren.. I'm praying it resolves without medical intervention.

Thanks to Colin, we also had the pleasure of meeting some nice young people last weekend. A former missionary companion of Colin's, his wife, and his brother stayed with us for a couple of nights. They were like comedians, had me laughing almost every time they opened their mouths. Good luck to you Mikey and Kim, and Joey Geurts! You are so cool! The first locking and break dancers I've ever met.

Marie and I had a little party for our Primary class last Thursday. We linked a good assortment of party games with stories from the Old Testamant, and served our idea of bible era foods - grape juice, homemade round loaves of bread, honey butter, cheese and olives, honey almonds, and, fruit kebabs. With that over, we are now bound for a whole lot of family fun, a baby shower, and a baptism in Utah. Neil and Penny are expecting twins next February! And Kade just turned eight! Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll see ya soon.

RHS 10 Year Class Reunion

The Royal High School class of 2000 is holding a reunion today. Jared Sprague, a friend and classmate of Jordan's, put together this memorial for him. Thank you, Jared.

Reliving the Fourth

My patriotic spirits ran especially high in July of 2006. I was reading David McCullough's excellent book about our founding father, John Adams, and as far as I knew, all was well in my little corner of the world. On the evening of the Fourth, I settled into my new patio swing, determined to finish the book before the dawn's early light. Colin and Shane were out with their friends, Dan was tinkering around on the computer in the family room, and Jordan was out in the game room, the pleasant sound of his music occasionally drifting through the open sliding glass door to my appreciative ears. From time to time, he'd wander out onto the patio and sit beside me on the swing for awhile, describing the colors of the distant neighborhood fireworks we heard going off all around us, or just talking. The night was beautiful, quiet now, peaceful and still. The air was warm, perfectly comfortable, a deep sense of contentment surrounded me, and I felt no need for sleep.. So on the patio I stayed, all night. At sunrise, Jordan came out for another chat, describing the shyest shades of pink, peache, and violet, transforming into bright bold stripes and swirls of red, orange, and [purple. This is a gift I will always treasure. It was the last Fourth of July I was ever able to spend with my son Jordan, and in a few weeks, he would be leaving to begin his life with Brianna in China. He felt he had to keep it a secret from us, afraid we would somehow prevent him from going. His unexpected departure, though hard to bear at the time, turned out to be a very good move, a blessing, for all concerned. For Jordan, because he made many friends there and got to learn about another culture, and most of all, because he and Brianna were married and had almost a year and a half of living on their own together there. I have never seen a young couple who were so in love as they were, and who enjoyed each other's company so much. Their marriage also made it possible for Brianna to become a legal resident of this country, and she says she greatly prefers living here to living in China. She was an angel of mercy to him during his last five months upon this earth. Whether He gets credit for it or not, I believe Heavenly Father's hand was in the details. After Jordan was taken from us, it was an immense comfort to be able to assist her as she gradually regained her footing and made her way along a new path. We cried together, we laughed together, in a way we were even sort of reborn together. In many ways, we are no longer the people we were on that July Fourth. The question is, are we better than we were then? I hope so, but ulltimately, I await my Father's judgment on that matter.

This Fourth finds me again reading a book about the Revolutionary War. It's called Stories of Georgia, and it's by Joel Chandler Harris, bettr known for his Uncle Remus stories. Last year we were in Denver, having dinner and doing fireworks with Greg and his three little kittens, and Penny and Neil. Two years ago, Brianna and I went walking through the neighborhood just to have something to do. It was a dark time despite the rockets' red glare. The year before that, Dan and Shane and I drove the 10 or 15 miles to Eagle Island State Park and watched the big fireworks display out there. We talked about bringing Jordan and Brianna there with us next summer. At that time, the summer of 2007, they were already applying for a visa for Brianna, and looking to enroll at Boise State University in the fall of 2008. Just goes to show, you never know what the next year will bring. So, make sure to have a happy Independence Day this year, July 4th, 2010, and let your children, well everyone in your family, know how much you love them!