New Friends

Earlier this month David and I were called to serve in a rehabilitation and care center where a branch of the church resides. We have felt blessed already by this opportunity. We work with three other couples in the presidency and I have a fourth counselor for Relief Society. The residents there are so grateful and warm and they love everything you do. It is almost childlike. I love how they support one another and have created a family. They are inspirational. We are blessed by this calling. How did we get so lucky? These are some of my new friends. This darling man suffered from a stroke several years ago. He is always happy and has this wonderful smile. Sometimes when we are sitting in Family Home Evening or in Church he reaches out his hand and flashes this great smile. He doesn't speak but his face says it all. He is a regular attender at Relief Society and serves on our branch council. He's pretty proud of the tag around his neck that shows his position in our branch.

This woman is recuperating from a knee replacement surgery among other things. When I was introduced as her Relief Society President, she fell into my arms and cried with gratitude. She is a great crafter and is always working on a gift for someone. Give her a crochet hook and she's off.

Saturday the 8th, were going to accompany this lovely woman to the temple for her first time. She has been so excited to make her preparations to go. Everyone is invited. She is a nurturer to everyone in the home. She has a lovely way about her and is always cheerful. This young lady signed a thank you card she had made for me as "Miss Hollywood" and that she is! It reminds me of the nursery rhyme that says "rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, she shall have music wherever she goes." She has many braclets, necklaces, hats, rings, and hair clips. She knows just what to do with them. Check out the pose. She brings a smile to everyone. What a great attitude for 82 and not being well. Her room is filled with pictures of her life. She has had a good one. I always feel happy when I see her. You can imagine why. "Stupid kid tricks" when he was in high school had a life changing effect on this dear man. He doesn't speak but he understands everything. He never misses Church, FHE or RS. He, along with all the others, loves the donuts we pass out on Family Home Evening.

This is my instant dear friend. She is 90 years old and has a masters degree from the U of U. Her husband was an associate of Marlowe's at the U. We made an instant connection and I love our visits together. She hasn't been strong enough to come to any meetings but always hopes for the next time. She tells me that she loves life. We connect. We said we would be friends forever.

These are just a few of the many ones we love. All have a story. All have something to teach. I haven't been able to get pictures of all of our loved ones so here's just a beginning.

The Pumpkin Party

The Attendees: l-r back row: Aunt Lindsay, her boyfriend Chris, Sarah, Katherine Analisa
Front row: l-r Matthew, Samuel, Abby and Joseph.

For the last few years I have had a Pumpkin Party for the grandchildren. It started because one October Sarah, Analisa and Katherine wanted a sleep over at grammy's. I decided to do something a little special so I bought some pumpkins and paint and they painted some adorable pumpkins to take home. They were so cute that I took pictures for my scrapbook. (I wish those pictures were still in my computer... but no) The next year we expanded it to include all the grandchildren sans the sleepover. Again the pumpkins were adorable. I wasn't planning on starting a tradition but it just happened because it was fun for me, it was fun for them and partly because one year I wanted to bake the ghost cake that I had seen in a Martha Stewart magazine. In order to have the cake we had to have lunch first so Wha La, the tradition was born: A Saturday in October, a lunch, some pumpkins and some paint and Aunt Lindsay coming to help. Learning of the Pumpkin Party my talented sister, Laurel, sent me a Halloween apron to wear. So last Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 the table was set, the apron was pressed and all was ready.
First granddchild to arrive was little Abby, age 6 with her mom, Alison. Abby had been talking about the Pumpkin Party for several days with much excitement. She came with her Witch hat ready for the festivities. Then "the cousins" as Abby calls them, Katherine, Analisa, Sarah, Matthew, Samuel and Joseph arrived with their dad, Brett. Let the fun begin! We had a pizza lunch as requested by Matthew and Joseph the day before. I got a small cheese pizza with Abby and Alison in mind and Matthew was sure that everyone in his family loved the veggie pizza best so we got a big one of those and Grampy, Brett and Chris surely would like the Cowboy pizza with all the meat and fixins. Well, as it turned out, most of the kids wanted the cheese pizza and rolling their eyes, they told me that I could never trust Matthew. What's a grandma to do? In spite of that, all the pizza was eaten. Next year I'll buy more cheese pizza!

The day was beautiful so we opted for painting outside on the deck. There was much creative thought and careful consideration going in to this project. Sarah said that she was out of new ideas. We expected a lot from Chris, the boyfriend, because he's an artist. He came prepared and didn't disappoint. Samuel just liked the paint. Matthew, Joseph and Abby painted both front and back. They labored hard to get them just right. Lindsay said it was the only creative thing she ever does. Katherine quietly worked and encouraged the little brothers. Analisa had finished hers first then Grampy said she needed to add a little more so she returned and embellished. Alison and I were at beck and call of all to provide whatever was needed. Grampy and Brett watched the football game.


The sun was warm, the pumpkins came alive and were admired by all. Samuel, our 4 year old, painted the white "ghost" whch we all thought looked like a witch after he added the pink. Chris created a Peanuts Pumpkin patch. The talent in this bunch is obvious. We had a fun time. The Pumpkin Party lives on.

Top to bottom pumpkins left to right: Joseph, Chris, Abby, Analisa, Lindsay, Katherine, Matthew, Sarah, and Samuel's

Birthday Boy

Birthday Celebration this year for David included three parties. The first was lunch with Lindsay and Chris at a fun restaurant. The second celebration was with the "Movie Crew" with some dear ones sadly unavailable and the third was with all the Utah family. All celebrations SUPER FUN. Did you notice that it all revolved around one of Dad's favorite things? Eating....... By the way, where are the Kroghs when you need them????

Here's the little poem I wrote for the occasion:
Dear David,
Through all the years of ups and downs
Of plenty and of lean,
My love for you has grown throughout
As all our friends have seen.
You hold my hand---
You keep me safe.
I feel your love abound.
I'm thankful that He gave me you
To love eternal round.

The Kindness of Strangers

We decided that we needed one more trip this year on the motorcycle so we planned to go to see my sister, Laurel in Colorado. She is a crafter and was participating in the Applefest in Cedaredge. It's a big deal for a small town. We loved the idea of going there and enjoying the Applefest. This part of Colorado has a wonderful harvest of many variety of apples. So we packed the bike and headed out. A storm was coming to Utah but the Colorado part had a better forcast. We thought we would miss the storm. We did.....sort of, well, at least for one day. The first day out was without a drop of rain. It got a bit chilly but we were well prepared. We met our friends, the Richards, in Grand Junction and went on to Cedaredge the next morning. As we traveled over the Mesa into Cedaredge we encountered cold and snow but coming down into town the weather was overcast but fine. We looked for a parking place and found a little one way road by some condo's. We pulled in and as soon as we did a couple of residents came out and we felt sure that they were going to ask us to leave. They approached and we visited for a few minutes. They were curious about the bikes and all about how we travel in weather etc. They were very friendly and warm. As we began to take off all of our layers Sue, the woman in the picture above, began to fret about the safety of our leaving our coats and helmets etc. on the bikes. "It'll be fine" David kept reassuring her and we continued to peel off. Sue and her friend and the dog were going off to see the antique cars but she was worried about us, the strangers who had just blown in. She said that she would worry all the time we were gone and wondered if she should stay home to protect our things. She wanted to put them all in her home for safety. It was such a kind concern that we all agreed that she should enjoy her day as well so we picked up our coats, liners, helmets, overpants and lugged them in to her tiny apartment to await our return. Above is Sue and her friend by the bikes and here she is in her apartment. Our gear took half of her living room!
There are many good people in the world and this is one of them. She didn't know us at all but she percieved a need and did everything she could to meet it. What a great example she is of loving her neighbor.
If you ever get to Cedaredge, Co. you can count on Sue. We'll be sure to look her up next year when we go.

The following pictures are of the Applefest. There were many booths for food and crafts. There were entertainers and steam driven whatevers. My sister Laurel and my niece Julie had the booth you see. They did just fine until the rains came down about 2pm. Things cleared out pretty fast then. Our trip home was full of rain but we were warm and dry thanks to the forward thinking and grand preparations of my dear David, the biker dude.