FEBRUARY AND LOTS OF LOVE

Well I guess you remember that on December 23, I fell going down stairs and got enchilada soup all over the family room, especially the ceiling. We waited to have it cleaned, so that if the furnace people made a mess, it wouldn’t matter. They were very clean. On February 1st, the carpet guy came and finished the job.  It looks better and we are so glad to have a furnace.

Thursday is our Payson Temple endowment. The Seamons were home from their trip for two weeks (paid by their grandson) in Hawaii.

Friday the 3rd, Dad finally got a prescription filled for me after working on it for two weeks. Crazy.  Sometimes I wonder if I need all these prescriptions.

This is what our February front door looks like.

Sunday was so special. We went to Centerville for testimony meeting in Ashley and Tyler’s ward. Tyler gave little Rosemary such a beautiful blessing. It was amazing at how many youth bore their testimonies. After church, we headed to the John’s home for lunch. There were so many relatives and friends, but Ashley handled everything so well.

Many pictures were taken with little “Rosie.” Grandparents were there from both sides. It was a special day to say the least.  Dianne had made her dress and it was perfect. What a beautiful, snowy day.

Luncheon

Great Grandparents

families

Rosemary Johns

dress by Mimi Dianne

tatted booties by Grammy

NEW ETERNAL FAMILY

We drove home in a beautiful snow storm.  We are so blessed to have this moisture from the Lord.

Kelby Turk called to let us know his dad was being flown to the Provo Hospital with a massive stroke and the doctors didn’t think he would last out the night. What hard news. Katie, his wife and Mikki's daughter, headed by car to Provo. He took his last breath at 1:00AM. It will be very hard on this family. Larry was a good man and was loved by many.

Monday, Dad bought a modular shed to hold the two mowers, the snow blower, and other large objects.  After all, his Man Cave is overflowing.

Tuesday, the 7th, we sealed four couples, four sons and two daughters. Nothing gives us such pleasure as doing work in the temple.

The next day, George got a great report from Dr. Larsen and he doesn’t have to see him for three months. The bones in his shoulder are growing. Yeah!!

Dave Jennings turned xx on the 9th. He is such a good husband for our Tiffani and they do so much together. He honors his priesthood and absolutely loves his children. We love how he takes care of Tiffani and honors her. We sure do love him. I couldn't find a recent picture of him, so I used this photo of their cruise to Scotland and Iceland. This is Iceland.

The 10th, I fell again. George was serving in the temple and I was doing laundry to be ready for our trip to Vegas to watch the twins in the Youth of Zion Performance. It is one of our favorite things to do. We fly on Allegiant and get there in less than an hour and cheaper than driving because of the prices and the five hours it takes to drive. We go to both performances and love every moment. I was so afraid we would have to miss because of my fall. I don’t know if I passed out or just missed the cement step going into the back door. I landed on many parts of my body, but didn’t do much harm. I rested the rest of the day and everything went well. The next day was a little hurty. We took a late flight so all was well.  Clark and Riley came while we were gone to haul our treadmill out and take it to their home. Hurray!

Dave’s parents always go to this concert and we enjoy our time with them. That evening, Dave took us to Lucille’s for dinner. It is one of our favorite places and the food is sooo good. Mainly ribs and steak.

The next day, the 19th, was Sunday and the Stake Conference in Vegas. Amazing! Every speaker was right on with uplifting messages and thoughts. Tiffany had prepared a Thanksgiving meal in advance with all the trimmings.

That afternoon and evening we went to both concerts. These youth are so talented and sing and play with all their hearts. Clara plays the violin and Lauryn plays in the  percussion section. They performed The Lamb of God and many tears were shed, it was so good. Tiff and Dave had box seats so we were blessed to see both girls. 

The Grands and the Girls

everyone

Lauryn on top and Clara in front of her

The next morning, Larry and Camille left for their home in Arizona and we flew home that evening.

Valentine's Day, Dad did a session at the temple and then we left for Blanding and the funeral. We were very tired, but wanted to get there. When we got to Moab, we noticed a little snow. A few miles down the road, it was a blizzard. 

It was getting dark and George could hardly see the road. He followed a semi truck the rest of the way to Monticello. Many trucks and cars were off on the side of the road. Some trucks were even jackknifed. Our only hope was to keep following the red tail lights of the trucks. When we got to Monticello, we pulled over mainly because our right front tire showed it was very low. George put air in it and asked a man how the road was to Blanding. He said it was the same. Kristin talked us into getting a motel and she canceled our room in Blanding. It was the right decision and we felt good about it. We got a room in the only motel available and got some rest. The next morning we headed onward. The roads had been cleared and we hurried on to Blanding. When we got there, I realized I had left my coat home. It was very snowy and cold. Mikki loaned me one of hers. We went to the North Chapel and waited for people to come. The viewing was for the family at 10:30 and the room was overflowing.  Brother Turk, Larry’s dad, gave the prayer. The casket was closed and then a beautiful, huge American Flag was draped over it. Then the room was opened for the many people who came to give their love and respect to the family. 

Larry had served three deployments in war zones overseas and was honored. He loved his country and worked in the National Parks until he retired. He was only 59 when he died. He was a wonderful “PaPa” to his many grandchildren and loved his family. The chapel was full of people. The service was completely done by his family. The sons talked and the grandchildren sang a song. Katie was the closing speaker and all was comforting.

We then went to the cemetery for the burial. The military and the police were in great numbers to honor him. They gave a 21-gun salute, which was so impressive. All was well. We left and then went back to the church for a well prepared luncheon given by the Ward Relief Society. It was a special time to see friends and relations and have a visit with people we hadn’t seen in years. Funerals like this one are so important to bring friends and families together.  

Michael, Jackie, others, and Mikki in the red coat

Stephen, Sherrie, and Justine

cousin, Annie, Amy, and Lyman

Alisha, Jean and Steven

Ann and Bill

Justine and Shawn

We changed clothes and headed back to Provo.  Thank goodness the roads had been cleared but the truck traffic was forever. We were so happy to get home and rest.

Thursday, February 16th, we headed to the Payson Temple to do a session with the Seamons. We were very tired but the session was great. We then went to I-Hop for breakfast. It’s a thing we always do after Payson. When we got back home we flopped on the couch and took a nap. I don’t know when Dad woke up, but I didn’t wake up until 6:00 PM. I just knew I would never get to sleep at night, but I don’t even remember getting in bed.

The next morning we were still tired, but Dad was at the temple by 5:00 AM.  After he got home, we called and sang Happy Birthday to George’s sister Julie Ann Johnson. She is such a loving and wonderful woman. She just knew we would not forget to sing to her. Whew!

Saturday, the18th, was a free day and we cleared out shelves in our kitchen and got rid of some things we hadn’t used in forever. We boxed up a set of bowls and dishes for Kristin and felt very good about the space we now have to fill again. I didn't even know I could buy Kool Aid like this any more.

Hall closet

One of the best things I found in all this was these little books filled with pictures of when the 

Grands were so little.   

Bethany and Rowan brought Leah, the dog, for us to tend for a few days while they watch Nixon in a soccer tournament in St. George.

Sunday we came home right after church because of Leah. She didn’t have a leash and she’s a runner.  All was well.

That afternoon, we took Asher his birthday present and sang to him. He is such a sweet boy and loves sports. He knows all the teams and has his favorites. He is now 15 and we are having a hard time with that. He has grown up way too fast. He loves his family and especially his brothers who are so good to him. He lives in a home with lots of love. He honors his priesthood and life. We took carrots and potatoes to Clark’s house from our garden.

When we got home, Cameron came just to be here. We love that he likes to come. It’s a Sunday thing.  Later that night, Brook Adair came just to be in a home. She's a friend from the Jennings' neighborhood in Vegas and we have done many things together. She’s a student at BYU. Dad made cookies and served ice cream. We are still very tired.

By the time I got up on Monday the 20th, Dad had cleaned the entire house, vacuumed, steamed, and even did the toilets. Words cannot even come close to say how much I love him.

Tuesday, the Seamons came to Provo because they couldn’t get into their temple. We did sealings and then went to Charley's Philly Cheese Steak. So yummy.  

Wednesday, the 22nd, was a blizzard with 12 inches of snow.  It was so beautiful and Dad was out with his snowblower. The roads were dangerous going anywhere, but we just hunkered down in our cozy, warm home. Snow makes everything so beautiful and we are so blessed to have this moisture in this very dry climate. We depend on snow for the coming summer to fill the lakes, rivers, and pastures for the livestock and homes. It snowed over a foot which meant Dad had to get out the snowblower and do some clearing. He did a beautiful job. Snow makes everything so beautiful. We are so blessed to have this moisture.

Friday was a day I had time to work on my life history. I am finally in my sophomore year at BYU.

Sunday our young Primary boys sang for the musical number and they were in full volume. They sang with all their hearts and we were blessed. The next day Judy Sandstrom brought us some yummy chili for dinner. She is an angel and does so much for other people.

The month of February is over and I am caught up. We ended it by going to the temple and doing a session and then sealings. No better way to end a month. We have had much snow and are so grateful to our Father for this gift. Many prayers were answered.

Jalen ended up in the hospital with a serious infection and we were so worried. Many prayers were again offered and a priesthood blessing. He is home now and doing so much better. The restored gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ is so true and offers us eternal life as families with our loved ones and our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. Life doesn’t get better than that. It is a perfect plan.