Trench Memories

Over 200 hundred feet of trench to bring the water to the house. 200+ feet of digging a five foot deep trench through cobble rock infested ground. If anyone needs rock, come and get it! I think I will be using cobble rock as part of our landscaping!

Seeing this trench and the house progressing reminded me of when Opa built most of our house on Redfield Road. I remember going out to the site after school nearly every day. Sometimes we were put to work, sometimes we were the "gophers", a few times I was on the roof helping lay out the shingles (Is that where my fear of heights developed?), and often my brothers, sister, and I were left to play and "stay out of trouble."

One time we were playing this dumb game--OK, it didn't seem so dumb when we thought of it. Someone was "it" and would find a place to stand. "It" would talk to us and, with our eyes closed, we would try to find "it." The game passed time and kept us out of Mom and Dad's way.

David was "it" and decided it would be funny to jump across the trench that had been dug for the underground electricity. He would call our names and Keith and I would try to find him. Being the honest person I am, my eyes were completely closed. I did not peek even one little tiny peek. I got closer and closer to David. I could tell he was almost in my reach. He called my name again, and I walked toward his voice--only to find myself falling into the trench with dirt falling on to my head, in my mouth, and up my nose. Now, it wasn't that much dirt, but enough!! I remember being so, so mad at him!!!

To make matters worse, I couldn't climb out of the trench on my own. Once I did get out, Mom and Dad would not take me home to clean up. There was still more work to do, so I had to wait out the rest of the afternoon and into the evening with dirt in my hair, mouth, down my clothes, and even in my underwear. I was ticked! I don't think David even got in trouble--just had a good laugh at his successful prank pulled on his older sister.

Oh, the sweet memories!!!!

This is the House that Wake Built

Do you remember the poem "This is the House that Jack Built"? (I remember memorizing it in kindergarten!) Well, this is the house that Wake built. OK, technically we aren't building the whole house, a contractor is taking care of most of it. But we, and some of our awesome family, are helping! And we will be paying for it--that must count for something! Can you believe it? After three-plus years we are finally building our house!

This is one month's progress. Yes, one month ago we had a barren field and an approved loan. Now look what has happened!

Jake, a nephew, and his first time working a tractor. He helped smooth out some of the Russian olive trees, some rough areas, and excavate for Mike's shed. (The shed will eventually end up being his "man-cave.")

Deegan, Sy, and Grandpa W digging for buried treasure.

Sy wanted to help with some of the measuring. She "measured" all over the place!

Of course Sy had to be in Poppa's arms as much as possible. I finally took her back to the house so Mike and Grandpa could get something accomplished without all of the extra help.

Big house!!! Really, this is Mike's building--not the main house. I am sure he will spend almost as much time in his little domain as he will in the house!

Heidi's husband, Josh, hauled a track-hoe to the property and excavated for the footers/foundation and dug the water trench. Much to our surprise, his digging turned up LOTS of extra water! The hole was wet and muddy. The trenches filled with almost four feet of water. Interestingly, the perc test results were dry enough that we could have put in a basement. So, so, so glad we decided not to!!!

Watching Josh work the track-hoe was amazing! I could have stood there for hours and hours watching him maneuver the bucket here and there. Sometimes a huge bucket full of dirt and rocks was smoothly pulled up from the ground and deposited. Other times the bucket teeth would gently pick up one or two errant rocks or precisely spread dirt to even up the site. (Heidi is in the blue hat holding the leveling 'thing'.) It was like watching an artist create a magnificent work of art.

Footers poured--trying to beat the forecasted snowstorm.

Foundation/crawl space walls poured and Mike backfilling. Again, trying to beat the winter snow and frigid Uintah Basin temperatures. We did have to cover the curing cement, but did not have to put heaters into use.

Outside walls framed and some of the inside walls as well. The following day all walls were up and outside sheeting, too.

The day after Thanksgiving the trusses were lifted and put into place. I thought the contractor would wait until the holiday weekend was over, but they were on the job getting things done. I know he is anxious to have the house under cover before we really do get the snow. We have been fortunate in that all the blizzards and snowstorms have come from the northwest so we have been missed. It may help that our contractor is a very righteous and good person. His prayers must have a little bit of pull!

As you can see, the house is progressing. The anticipated completion date is the middle of February--if everything goes well. If it doesn't go just right, it will be March or so. Either way, I can be patient (sort of--after all, it has been over three years to get to this point!)

Thankful

I love listening to Josh Groban sing "Thankful." It is a beautiful reminder to look outside ourselves and recognize the many blessings we have. A few lines of the lyrics:

Some days we forget to look around us.

Some days we can't see the joy that surrounds us.

So caught up inside ourselves

We take when we should give.

So for tonight, we pray for what we know can be.

And on this day, we hope for what we still can't see.

It's up to us to be the change.

And even though this world can be more,

There's so much to be thankful for.

As we finish up this Thanksgiving Holiday and head into the Christmas Season, I want to take time and share some of the things I am thankful for. (These are not in any particular order.)

I am Thankful for. . .

1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ

2. The Temple and the blessings received there

3. Jesus Christ--His life, the Atonement, His death, and His resurrection

4. Repentance--I need it so often

5. Prayer--the peace, the answers, the strength that comes from praying

6. Scriptures

7. Latter-day prophets and apostles

8. Church meetings--yes, I am thankful to get to go to church

9. Opportunities to serve in the Church (well, most of them)

10.The privilege of serving weekly in the temple

11.Mike--what a wonderful man, husband, father, and Poppa

12.Each of my children--Sven, Vi, Lars, Heidi, Mikie

13.Each of the grandchildren--Deegan, Roux, Sy

14.My parents--their love, examples, patience, wisdom, faith, upbringing, and the list goes on and on and on

15.My grandparents--they still influence and bless my life

16. My brothers and sister

17. The spouses of my brothers and sister

18. The nieces and nephews

19. The "in-laws" (Yes, I am grateful for them for many reasons)

20. My education and the continuous opportunities to learn new things (most of them)

21. Our employment--it may not be glamorous or pay much, but it is steady and of service to others

22. The beautiful world around us. Most definitely the world was created by the Greatest Artist!

23. Warm clothes

24. Heaters and furnaces

25. Running water

26. Indoor plumbing

27. Modern Transportation

28. Technology--at our fingertips we have access to information, the ability to talk "face-to-face" long distance with loved ones, and so much more.

29. Electricity

30. The USA--though not perfect, it does allow us many freedoms and blessings

The list goes on endlessly. Each day there is something new to add to my blessings. I hope all of us will take time to look around us and see the joy that surrounds us.

UEA trip

Mike is trying his hand at adding posts to our blog page. Up until now it has been my job. So, here is Mike's first post (with a little bit of editing).

Ranell and I took off for a beautiful bike ride and weekend watching BYU volleyball and hanging out with the Browns for a while. She looks comfortable and very good on her bike.

We are trying to go around the south side of Strawberry Reservoir, but the road wasn't paved the whole way. So, we turned around and went back on the main road. The leaves are at the end of their colorful climax and not quite as breathtaking as they were a few weeks ago.

Over looking the Kokanee spawning in our leathers. It was beautiful and nice when we stopped, but it was cool riding.

The kokanee staging for the spawn.

This is my GQ look. The silk scarf really blocks the wind and is very fashionable.

It was a fun weekend and the last of our motorcycle outings for the season. Today (Nov. 21) the bikes were put into storage and will be winterized this week. Unless we haul them someplace warm, like Phoenix, they will not see riders until Spring.

The Gang!!

On a cool September Saturday we gathered the nearest family motorcycle enthusiasts and planned a ride to Red Canyon Lodge. Colton (a nephew), his friend Emily, Mikie, Heidi, Josh, Mike, and I geared up for the event. It was going to be cool enough in the mountains that we needed to bundle up a little more than what was needed in the valley, and we were so glad we did wear the extra gear.

First on the agenda, was attending Deegan's soccer game. What a sight to have these motorcycles drive up with leather clad riders. Then to have these people come and sit on the grass to watch a soccer game! We received a few odd looks, but who cares! We were going to have fun, and we were watching our little man play soccer!

Josh and Heidi took Deegan and Sy to the Justice grandparents and traded their family vehicle for one of Jim's (Josh's dad) bikes. They rode in style! Heated seat for Heidi, and who knows what other perks they enjoyed.(Thanks to Jim and Julie for watching the kids and loaning out the bike.) Mike rode his bike with me on the back, Mikie drove his newly purchased 1800cc Kawasaki Vulcan, Colton drove my bike with Emily riding behind. We stopped to gas up and make sure everything was ready, then the ride began!

Love the smiles!

Quick stop for Heidi to add her coat to the layers, and for us to stretch and document the moment.

What can I say? This is what we have just a few short miles from our home.

Red Canyon Lodge

Lunch on the patio at Red Canyon Lodge. Once we didn't have to contend with the mountain air rushing over us, it was a nice enough day to shed the layers and enjoy the mountain sunshine. Good food, great company, warm sun, and beautiful scenery. A great combination!!! (As a note, for the next several days I had severely sunburned lips from the day. I forgot to sunscreen the lips! Never again!)

Hiking wasn't in the original plan, and Heidi (dressed in the highest fashion, as always) wasn't quite prepared for it. We didn't walk far, but I don't think I could have done it at all in her way cute boots.

Mikie overlooking one part of Flaming Gorge Reservoir. We truly live in a beautiful area with diverse habitats. It is fun to experience it all on the back of a motorcycle and with family and friends.

Josh carrying Heidi back to the bikes.

It was a fun day, and thanks to those who joined us. Sometimes it is the little journeys that bring great joy. I truly felt joy spending the day with some of my favorite people in a beautiful setting.

More Random Summer Fun

Summer is gone, but the memories aren't. One of the best parts of this past summer was the time spent with family. We really didn't do anything BIG and WONDERFUL, but had plenty small and memorable moments. Below are just a few of those moments.

Riding horses has become one of the standard activities when the grandkids come to the house. Deegan is comfortable on the horses and wants to help Sy enjoy the experience as well.

Roux has decided that he now likes to ride horses. A year ago, he was still unsure of the big animals.

Roux and Poppa taking a late afternoon ride.

One afternoon while Mike was riding, he noticed fish in one of the stock ponds. Naturally, a "fishing expedition" was planned for Dee and Roux. Deegan proudly displays his catch, while Roux tries to be excited about it as he looks on.

Roux and Deegan on the 4-wheeler. Dee is pretty experienced with riding one of these and has little fear about using the throttle. Poppa (Mike) had to coach Dee about being careful and slow while Roux was riding behind. They didn't go far, stayed in the flat fields, and Dee was very careful.

After a long day of play, where is the most desirable place to relax? On Poppa's lap of course! (Can you tell the kids had been around all day? What a mess! I will be so excited to have our "real" house finished so we have more room to enjoy the grandkids!)

Inspiration or Desperation?

In the LDS Church, we sometimes joke about callings to positions being callings of "desperation" instead of inspiration. For me, it has always been just that--a joke, that is, until a couple of weeks ago. Now I wonder if desperation sometimes fits into callings. I say this because I was called to be the ward organist a few weeks ago.

Many people will think, "So what is the big deal?" I will tell you what the big deal is. I play, sort of, the piano--not the organ. Oh, I have played around a little on the organ and filled in playing prelude at the temple when someone doesn't show up (I get to choose the easy songs and play at the speed I am comfortable with--S-L-O-W). But, I do not play the organ. I do not know about the stops, I do not know about the foot pedals, I do not know the intricacies of fingering the keyboard, and the other nuances of playing the organ are unknown to me.

It isn't just the organ playing, it is performing music of any type with an audience that is part of the problem. For over 40 years I have played the piano or violin. And according to my recollections, for most of those 40 years I have NEVER, NEVER, NEVER enjoyed playing in public. Especially solo! My knees shake. My fingers shake. My insides vibrate with fear and anxiety. My heart races. My mind goes blank. The music that I practiced endlessly suddenly is foreign to my fingertips. Rappelling down a cliff invokes less anxiety than playing an instrument in public. I don't even play them in my own home unless I am the only one to hear it. So now, every week I am asked to play an instrument I am unlearned with in church. Playing music everyone is familiar with, so I can't even fake it when I make a mistake (and the mistakes happen all too often).

The sad part is that this "opportunity" could very easily cause me to be inactive--not to lose my testimony, but to avoid going to church. After completely humiliating myself during sacrament meeting, I would rather poke my eye out with a sharp instrument than stay and face the members of the congregation. No, they are not mean to me or anything like that. I am just too embarrassed to stick around. Last week I forced myself to stay for Sunday School class, then left because I could not control my tears of shame any longer. This week I made the excuse of going to "support my husband" in his responsibilities in another ward--just so I could leave my own ward.

I understand inspired callings help us grow, develop talents and testimony, serve others, and demonstrate our devotion and commitment to the Lord. There have been many times when the Lord has guided me in difficult callings that I knew were inspired. I knew there was a purpose for the calling. But, this one will either cause people to quit singing in church and drive away the sweet spirit music is intended to bring, or will cause me torment and frustration that will permanently damage my already fragile self-image. Can that really be good for anyone?