Memorable May

It’s June 1st and I’m ready to write the May blog. I don’t know why, but things are just getting harder and take longer, but I still love doing this. May has been a beautiful month. The flowers are blooming and we are excited to get the garden planted. 

We were able to have Cameron in our home on Sundays for dinner and the evening.  We enjoyed how fun he was. We miss him.

I don't know exactly when this happened, but I'm putting it here. Cameron gave an incredible talk before taking the big step as a missionary. It seemed it was his homecoming talk it was done so perfectly. He used the scriptures like a pro. We were so proud as was the entire congregation. Lauryn gave the opening prayer, Clara also spoke, and the girls sang a special number with all of the young women. It was a tear-jerker and so absolutely perfect.

Notice his badge.

The Jennings

Thursday, May 2, Dad got out the garden tools and started plotting where to put everything. The peas are planted and doing fine - if we can keep the quail out. That evening we went to PG to watch Asher and Jonny play Lacrosse. We love watching with the families, even when we’re so cold. We must be crazy.

The next day we went to Utah Valley University to watch Vernon Law throw out the first pitch.  Truly a man of God. He is in his 90’s and going strong. He does his own yard work and loves people. He loves everyone and especially his family. He was a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and even a Cy Young Award winner. He led Pittsburgh in their World Series win against the New York Yankees. He feels the best thing he ever did was marry his sweetheart Vanita in the temple. 

Saturday the 4th, Dad went to help clean the church and then we started our fast for Tiffani in that she was going to have some very difficult reconstruction surgery to put things back in place after her cancer. She is amazing with her positive attitude. 

Sunday the 5th was a beautiful Sabbath and we felt very positive about this 10-hour surgery. She will be just fine.     

Monday we left for Cedar City with the Seamons and headed to my brother Delbert’s Air B&B. He has made it into a very nice place. He would not let us pay for the nights. I love him so much. We had a fun time looking for antiques. His whole home is furnished with them. He is working on the back yard and loves having something to do.

 beautiful China cabinet

This is why we decided to get a new couch.

Huge bed with a patio on the left

The next morning, the 7th, we got up and headed for St. George to do a session in that temple. It is the temple we got married in. There was not a close temple in Ohio, so we went to the nearest one which was in Utah. I had always wanted to be married in that beautiful temple and so had George. He was captain of the Dixie College Rebels football team so it fit just right for both of us. Other friends and family had to drive, but they had a good time. We enjoyed the temple and then decided if we hurried we could also do another session in the Red Cliffs Temple. How wonderful to have three temples so close. Again we looked for antique stores, but not much.

 Red Cliffs Temple

Wednesday after spending time with Del, we got up and headed for the Cedar City Temple. The weather was brutal. It was very cold and windy. I was so emotional because my brother, Del, went with us. I love when family is with us. After the session we headed to the car with the wind  blowing so hard we thought we would fall over. 

Of course we stopped at Subway. What a wonderful few days.

The 11th Dad drove me to Molly’s wedding shower. It was at her aunt's home in Lehi. The backyard was filled with friends and family. It was a beautiful time. She is a special daughter of our Father in Heaven and has always strived to choose the right. I had made a quilt a long time ago from fabric my mother had. When Molly saw this quilt, she claimed it. I had saved it for her and she was excited. I also tatted a set of pillowcases for her. Kristin and Tiffani had sent me games to wrap for the shower. How fun. I also gave her a pearl necklace and earrings. She is a jewel.

The next day was Mother’s Day. George and I both had such giving mothers who taught us the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were so loving and giving. My mother made all my clothes from the beginning until I was in high school. They were beautiful. She read to us at night and taught us to be helpful and kind to others. She made sure we went to church and followed the prophet. She was a very quiet person and never raised her voice in anger. We knew what would happen if we disobeyed. She made our home a heaven on Earth. The love will never end. 

Being a mother was my happiest time and still is. Our children are wonderful and kind to me. They all greeted me on this special day. The grandchildren they have given us are incredible. There is nothing to replace grandchildren. They are the reason for life.

George: My mother was a unique lady. She had a love for reading and a hidden talent for creative writing. She loved the world and traveled through books because she was never able to travel in person. She always made me feel like I was special and could do anything I chose to do. She gave me a love for reading and a love for the gospel. She had a deep affection for the Lamanite people and the Jewish people. She always made me want to be better

We had a terrible wind storm which pulled the light next to the back door.  Dad tried to fix it but Brother Piggot in his youth climbed up and had it done. Thank goodness for good neighbors. He was at the house to borrow our tiller. 

 flowers from Tiff and Kristin

Clark and Dianne invited us for dinner and Erik and Shanelle gave me a beautiful pot of live flowers.

Scott and family gave me gloves so I won't bleed when pruning roses.

The next say Ashley brought her 4 to help plant our garden.  They were so fun and never gave up or got tired.  

Lily always plants the potatoes. We always have plenty of spuds. They love to do this. Ashley’s kids range in age from 1 to 8. They worked so hard and did such a good job. William helped them know where the petunias should go by white and purple in a row. They are beautiful. They also planted tomatoes and other vegetables. They worked so hard. Clark was working on his beehives and getting them settled for the summer. William decided to help him. Clark put him in a bee suit so he wouldn’t get stung. He spent the rest of the time helping his Gronky (Clark). I was amazed at how long he stayed with it. We all ate honeycomb when they were through. It was just a very fun day.

We have wanted to change our couches because I can’t always go down stairs. We searched at RC Willey and found the perfect one. We just hoped it would fit in our tiny TV room.( It did!) We also decided it was time to get a new stove. I just hate cleaning the stove, so we found a new one. 

Our sons came to move furniture around, including up the stairs and over the railing. I didn’t even take one picture of these muscular men.

Somewhere in here Asher and Jonny were voted in for Student Council. We are so proud of them.

Also Jayden Spencer proposed to our special granddaughter Molly Bayles. They will be married in the Orem Utah Temple on June  21st. Pictures will be in the next blog.

We decided to go to the Manti Temple on Thursday the 16th with the Seamons. I love that temple because it was the first one I had ever been in. I was able to do baptisms with my ward at BYU. I was overwhelmed with the beauty and sacredness of that moment. I knew I would always choose to be married in a temple. It is the Lord’s house and the only way to be together forever. Bethany's sister greeted us as we came in. We just hugged. It is such a beautiful temple and we were thrilled to be there. 

After the session, we stopped in Birdseye to visit with Ruth's mother. She is in her 90’s and has a hard time seeing. What a wonderful woman. She lives all by herself and is quite far from anyone. She loves it there. It’s where Ruth grew up. She can make hangers with yarn and loves to do this. She gave us an armful. It keeps her busy and doing something for others. We love the hangers.

Tuesday the 21st I had my last visit with Dr. Tristani. I'm through with everything and feel so blessed to have such a caring and careful doctor. She is amazing.

The furniture was delivered Wednesday the 22nd. That night, I got up to go to the bathroom and ended up with my cheek hitting the toilet. It scared me, but I am doing fine. We have ordered a life alert necklace and wrist band. I will be more careful in the future.

Thursday the 23rd Scott turned 43. Our baby is not a young pup any more. We are not getting old, but he is. Gosh, but we love him. He is a hard worker and a loving father and husband. He works very hard and loves his family (also the chickens). He does many things that we can’t do and is always ready to help. He loves his dad.

We love going to the temple with the Seamons and Dad has given a copy of the Book of Mormon to the two girls who wait on us at I HOP. We love them and one day they will read the book.

Camden, our Missionary in Poland turned 19 on the 24th. He loves his mission and the people he visits with. He also loves his companions. He is serving and loving everything. We are so proud of him. He is so filled with the spirit of missionary work.

Sunday, the 26th, Tyson and the girls came to show us some pictures they had put on a thumb drive. Tyson has put thousands of pictures and old letters on an external hard drive. They are such hard-working people. Every time they come, they have to show me again how to use my sewing machine. I am always so embarrassed, but they are so fun and kind. I showed the girls how to tat and they will probably come knowing more than I do. They are so sweet and we love them so much.

Monday was Memorial Day. We are so proud of the many people who served so hard and even gave their lives so we can live in this wonderful country. We are so blessed with everything we have because of the sacrifices they made for us.

Tuesday we went to the Saratoga Springs Temple because it was the closest one we could get in. It is wonderful to know that so many temples are so full. Blessings!

Wednesday we bought garments and books at the distribution center and Deseret Book.

The last day of the month Dad got up at 4:00 a.m. to serve in the Orem Temple. I am so blessed to have a husband who is willing to do this every Friday. We have had another wonderful month with many blessings. We strive to serve and live the gospel plan of our Father in Heaven. We love our children so much and are blessed to be their parents. Our love for each other continues to grow constantly.

We are proud of our missionaries - Camden in Poland and Cameron in Las Vegas

(The beginning of Cameron's mission call is listed at the beginning of this blog with pictures.)

Again, I thank Kristin for all the time she spends with me to do my blogs. I couldn't do them without her. She gives up time with her family to help me.                                     

Highs and Lows of April

What a happy day to begin this blog. Tiffani is now 51 years old and still kicking. She is on top of this chemo and ready for the next step. She rang the bell. Her attitude is incredible. She has had many steps go wrong, but survives with a smile. The Lord has blessed her all the way.

Dave, Tiff, & Cameron

On the 2nd, Dad went to pick-up Kristin and her kids so they could go to the Manti Temple open house. Kristin wanted to show the kids where they were sealed. 

Tiffani actually planned a surprise and showed up with the twins so they could go with us. What a fun shocker! The kids were so excited to see each other! I love this family. Tiffani came to help Cameron pack up his apartment in preparation for his mission.

Erik, Shanelle, Kolton and Asher joined us and the girls and their kids for the open house Wednesday. Clark had told us about a great food truck that made yummy smoked turkey sandwiches. We had to try them. It was worth it.

Manti

When we got to the temple, there was a line all the way around it with a long, long wait, but this was so special. Everyone but Grandad, Kristin, and I got in the back of the line while we went to the disabled section so I could have a wheelchair. We waited for a few hours, but it was wonderful. 

 Almost there. Waited for two hours.

It was a bit windy, but it didn’t bother us. I knew I couldn't go up the very high spiral staircase because of my stroke, but when I reached that part, I was just so sad. I decided that if my wonderful grandson, Kolton would hold on to me, I could do it. HOORAY! I MADE IT TO THE VERY TOP. THANKS TO HIM. It was a desire I wanted so badly. Thank goodness for my returned missionary, Kolton. (Jalen pushed me around inside the temple.) 

By the time we finished, it was dark and so beautiful. It was 8:00 p.m. Tiffani and her girls headed for Vegas and the rest of us headed home. Tiff got home in the early hours, very tired, but they unloaded the truck before they quit. What stalwart women!

This temple was the first temple I had ever entered. I was a freshman at BYU and our ward did baptisms there. It is a very special temple for me. When we lived in Blanding, it was the closest temple for us. We would get up early and make the 6-hour drive, do a session, and then stay overnight in a home that people owned for that purpose - to share with people who wanted to go to the temple. They were so kind. We would do another session and then go home. I was pregnant and they asked if we would be the witness couple. I guess I passed out at the altar. When I awoke, there were these people dressed in white around me. I thought I had died. How embarrassing! We couldn’t go very often, but it was wonderful.

Thursday the 4th, Dad and Jalen worked very hard in the garden. Jalen raked the entire plot so that it was more even, and then Dad showed him how to use the tiller. Jalen tilled the entire garden by himself. It was very hard work, but he never quit. What a great kid. Baylie read on a blanket and slept. 

Baylie also worked very hard.

The family came when Cameron opened his call for his mission to serve in Las Vegas.

We love this picture of Baylie. 

The next day, Dad took Kristin and kids to the SLC airport around 11:00 a.m. They had quite an adventure. They missed so many planes, but David finally got to pick them up in Charleston after they had been traveling for 24 hours. They were excited because they didn’t miss General Conference. They were flying all over the states to get there (SLC-DEN-IAD-CHS).

General Conference was amazing. I have notes on every speaker, but just know it was so special. I can’t even begin to tell you about each one. My favorite was when Elder Holland began the conference with such power and love. He is such a good speaker and speaks from the heart.

Our Prophet, Russell M. Nelson, was the final speaker. He did not attend any other time due to the fact that he is in his 100th year of life and still recovering from a fall. He is still going strong. He announced 15 new temples. That will make 352 temples in various phases all over the world. We love this great man of God. How blessed we are to have a Prophet of God to guide and teach us the path that leads us to our Father in Heaven for all eternity and especially with our families.

Tuesday the 9th we went to the Orem Temple to do a session, which we love to do. We then left for Salt Lake City and The Huntsman Cancer Center to see Dr Tristani. She is amazing. I have a few cancer spots on my face and she is a miracle worker. The traffic was so slow. We finally made it right on time. It is a beautiful facility. Dad drove to the first turn in and someone took our car to park it. We then went in and talked to a lady who informed us that we would be on floor 3. It is like walking into a very fancy resort.  There were windows along every floor that faced the snowy mountains. It is just very plush.Dr. Tristani is a miracle worker. I was in her room for 5 ½ hours. She is so careful and serious. I couldn’t have a better doctor. 

I felt bad because Dad had not taken a book to read. When the surgery was over, we went out to our car which had been moved to the 3rd floor. Amazing. We go back in a week to have the stitches removed.

Wednesday Dad made sticks to mark the rows in our garden. Way too many rows. I will never win that discussion. 

The flowers just plant themselves.

Friday we met with Jason to get our taxes done. We are so happy to have him do this. Landon, Jason’s assistant, bought our child’s saddle. He has the cutest little girl. She’s 4 and loves to ride.

Dad was in a hardback book about the history of Dixie College.  He was the Captain of the football team.  It's a very impressive book.

The next day Dad put up a flag for Cameron’s mission. He is so nervous. The next day when Cameron came for dinner, he fell asleep, so we just turned the lights out and went to bed. He left shortly afterwards. He’s so fun to have.  

Tuesday I got my stitches out and my nose accepted the graft, so I gave her one of my tatted snowflakes. I did this because she does such tiny knots in her stitches and tatting is all about knots making a beautiful design. We will see her again in five weeks. 

Friday the 18th we went to see the movie Escape From Germany  It was a true story of how the Mormon Missionaries got out of Germany days before WW2 and didn’t lose one missionary. It was thrilling every minute and a true story. It was filled with a special spirit.

The next day I worked getting all the weeds out of our brick wall in front. Then I went inside and took everything out of the China cabinet and cleaned everything. Unbelievable!.

The 20th we were surprised because the bees had left the hive and made a swarm in our green apple tree. We were nervous, so we called Clark and he came with all his equipment and brought more boxes. He shook the tree and the bees fell into a tubby. He stayed until the bees went back to the hive. He hoped they brought the new Queen. He went home to get more hives and the bees were so thick that it darkened the sky. When he returned, the bees had moved to the red apple tree and formed another swarm. Bees are amazing and know exactly what they are doing. They are so smart. Clark got that swarm and dumped the bees into the new hive and made it so they couldn’t leave. He just hoped the bees had the new queen. It was again amazing.

On April 22 we went to a funeral for Sister Atkinson. She was a member in our ward for a long time and I was her Relief Society president. She and her daughter had to move because her apartment was on the 3rd floor. They moved to a place that was better for them. Not many people were there, but four of her past bishops were, Dad included. It was a nice service.

The next day we went to a funeral for Sister Carol Hoglunds' daughter. This was a hard one. She was only 51 years old and married to a very nice man. She loved the beach, so they moved to Florida and enjoyed this time together. She had wanted children ever since they were married, but with no luck. A year and a half ago she finally delivered the joy of her life with a little baby girl. Sixteen months later, she died. This was so hard for everyone. The funeral was at our church building and was wonderful. Carol and all her brothers talked and did such a healing job. It was beautiful, but so filled with sorrow. 

April 24th, Wednesday, Dad helped Cameron move out of his apartment. He is so nervous about going on his service mission. He will be great. We bought plants for our garden the next day.

The 27th Kristin helped me work on my computer. She is always helping someone and has so many talents. The 27th was also her birthday. She is a great cook and keeps a beautiful home. She homeschools Jalen. She loves to travel and see new things, She loves her chickens and they follow her around the back yard. She has a great supply of love for everyone.

The 27th and 28th were our Stake Conference and it was amazing. Elder Johnson of the 70 was the speaker for both sessions and it was filled with the strongest spirit. A very small child (Primary) gave the opening prayer and set such a special spirit.

Monday we worked on the garden and inside our home doing spring cleaning.

Tuesday we served in the temple and after that worked again on the yard. Dad mowed the lawns and realized why we have Erik’s family do it.

This has been an up and down month with rain falling so many days. This is very unusual for this area, but we love it. We desperately need rain. We love life and our wonderful family and being able to do so many things by ourselves. Life is beautiful.

Picture of our missionary, Camden, in Poland.  He is working very hard and loves the people.  The language is coming along.  It is a beautiful country but is also very difficult.