Grace

As I watch my Mom, I am struck with the grace she shows when faced with hard decisions. I am particulary impressed with her calmness in facing death. She told me Monday she doesn't want to die right now (doesn't want to miss anything), but is not afraid to die. She said she is ready and excited to reunite with her Mom and two sisters and meet her father and oldest sister.

My desire for me is to be ready today if it happens to be my time. What a gift it is to have the grace to accept our death whenever it comes and to be ready. Mom has that grace and calmness. As always, she is a great example to me.

God's Blessings

The last 5 months have been filled with 'daily miracles' of which I am so grateful. Mom was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma the first part of August and since then her kidneys have failed causing her to need dialysis 3 times a week and surgery for a fistula to be inserted and then her heart to fail and the need for a pacemaker. She has endured chemo, falls, and maybe the hardest part a separation from my Dad while she has been in a rehab center for 4 months. We almost lost her several time.

I have watched her handle this with grace and dignity.

I have also witness my Dad's strength as he has done everything in his power to make her life comfortable and easier.

If Cliff and I have the great love for each other my Mom and Dad do, I will be happy. God gave me great parents and they are still teaching me every day. I am thankful to them and Him for that blessing.

What a great example they are for their posterity. Their love is truly an inspiration to everyone. :)

Happy Mother's Day to the BEST Mom!!

Just a note to tell the world my Mom is the BEST Mom and I thank her for everything she has done and continues to do for me!

I LOVE YOU, MOM!!!!

THANK YOU!!!

Have a Happy Mother's Day

PS...that's my Mom with just some of her 'stuff'! lol

I have been HAD!!!

It is in the DNA and there is NOTHING anyone can do about it to change things!! We just have to learn to live with it....hard as it may be! lol Thanks, Dad, for all the good things you passed on...but, the bad jokes aren't one of them!! lol

Chris! You are SOOOO weird!! I told Dad this morning. "Well, I have discovered who my 'cyber stalker is...it is Chris!" He asked how I knew, and I told him I could just tell by the tone of your voice. You weird-o!! I also told him it had to be you because of knowing Terry and Alan (the correct spelling! lol).

What you turned out to be is an experted kidder (could say 'liar', but I'm too nice! lol). The scum gave you away....I should have gone with my first instincts!!! I knew it was you, but couldn't believe you could pull the wool over my eyes that easily. Yep, your mother always believes what you tell me! Stop taking advantage! ;)

Love you and I guess you are right....you are the KING of jokes! lol Great trick! lol

So, now you know....Chris can NOT be trusted! lol

Cyber Bullies and Cyber Stalkers

Well, I'm making some changes to my blog. All comments will now be moderated. I guess I should have done this from the first, but thought it would be more fun to have thoughts posted immediately. But...things happen...

I watched a show on cyber bullies/cyber stalkers on Oprah. Very interesting. It is hard to believe young people get involved in it, but like Dr. Phil says, "their brains are not wired, yet"! So, teenagers are a bit easier to understand than adults who think like this!

I have had some cowardly people decide that they want to use my blog to spread their lies and bigotry. I do NOT mind someone having a difference of opinion and posting on my blog. In fact, I welcome it because it stretches my mind and makes me think harder on my own beliefs.

But, anonymous posts are nothing short of cowardice (not those that just don't bother to sign in....Josh! lol). The absolute worst poster, though, is the one who makes their opinion known but signs someone else's name. How juvenile is that?!?

If you want to say something, put your own name on it. Don't impugn someone else's good name.

No wonder they don't sign in....no courage. Like my daughter said..."Man up"!!!!

Now THIS is the Spring I have been waiting for!!

Finally, Spring is here!! This is a great start on the yard. Cliff has been out working tonight getting the pool ready. So, bring on the heat! Yah, I know....rain for the next week! :( One can always dream, though.....

Some Thoughts of the Place I call Home!

Just some thoughts of the people in my Rose Park area neighborhood. That includes a wide area. :)


I LOVE where I live and hope to stay here until I die!


It is a place where people are happy for your good fortune and mourn with you for your losses. People who choose to live here because they love the laid-back atmosphere, the location (we are always headed against traffic! lol), people who don't care about keeping up with anyone...let alone the Joneses, and who have enjoyed the extra cash because our 'little' houses are enough. We like to say we are Utah's "best kept secret".


It is calm and very peaceful. Never have we been afraid.


Some of these people helped raise my kids, and some of us were kids being raised together! They have become my friends and my family! We have a lifetime of love and memories and I know that we will share the same love on the other side.


I'm also grateful for the 'new comers' that have joined our neighborhood and all the great things they have brought. It is fun to have new friends join the old.


I hate to hear people who are uninformed make judgments about a place I love dearly. Come and join us! You'll LOVE it here! :)

This is Spring?!

I was having a wonderful, late Sunday morning. Just relaxing and watching TV, when Cliff came in and very gently open my drapes on the sliding glass door. I just about died! It was snowing so hard and windy and VERY cold. This is a Spring day??!!
Must push on and find the joy in a spring day that looks like this...and a week that promises more of the same. Sick, sick, sick of winter! lol

Happy Easter!

I LOVE this time of year! So beautiful! I think winter is the only season that, by the time it is over, I am totally sick of it! lol So glad it is over! We had our last fire last night (the wood is all gone) and now bring on the good weather. I'm sick of the cold and snow.

Easter is such a wonderful time of new beginnings. How grateful I am for the Atonement and Resurrection of my Savior, Jesus Christ. What a wonderful time to celebrate that great gift to me and to all of us.

Enjoy your life and family right now. Life is so short. Hard to believe I'm 75% over...on this earth anyway! lol

Have a great Spring! :)

Thoughts of family

I have been thinking the last few days (since turning 57!) what in this life makes me the happiest. No doubt about it....my family and the time I get to spend with them.

Time goes by so fast....it seems like just yesterday when I realized my Grandmother Warner was 57. Now, not only have my parents passed that milestone but Cliff and I have!

As we enter these last years of our life (though I am hoping for 20 [or 30] more good years), I pray our children and grandchildren are happy and live good lives. I pray this world will be a good place to live, that they always remember us with love, and remember the things that are most important to us.

Sometimes it is so hard to think that the vast majority of our life is over. Cliff and I have loved each other twice as long as we haven't! lol It has been a great life and I hope my children experience the same joy, love, and happiness that we have.

I appreciate my parents for their great example of love and righteous living and I'm grateful for the love I feel for my brothers and their families. I love them all.

My goal is to be ready to meet my God when it is time...but, that my time is not yet. :)




Dann, Jayci, Chris, Katie

Josh and Katie

Chris, Karen, Blake, Logan, Abby, and Jaxon

James, Temaire, Parker, Kylee
Kearney, and Ireland

Look what Cliff and I started!!

Last of the Summer Days

This is the last week the Erb family will be here!! I try hard not to think about it. Can't believe they won't be here for another year. It is too awful to contemplate. I sure wish they could be closer, but they can't so we have to make the best of it.

The kids just grow so fast and we miss seeing the changes in their lives. But, we do feel so blessed to live in an age with such remarkable technology that we are on top of their comings and goings. I feel God's hand in it all.

Just showing a few pictures of our finished back yard. It was fun having the kids here to watch the process with us. Hate that summer is almost over! :( Too much left to do. ;)

Sharing 8 Random Things about Me

OK...Katie! :) Here is my list from you 'tagging' me:

1. I have a huge thing about railroad tracks. I think I was in a car with the driver trying to outrun a train across the tracks and when I was 16 I was the driver that almost ran into a train. Awful!!! Warped me for life!!

2. I am SOOOOO tired of trying to find the right hair color. Don't like my natural color but have a hard time getting the right 'paid for' color!

3. I used to be able to sing....can't anymore. :(

4. As I have gotten older I have gained the ability of not taking offense (a LOT of training from Cliff has helped me!) Sure wish I could have learned this 37 years ago!

5. For 30 years I prayed that I would love the ones my children loved. The Lord blessed me with the greatest love for these four. Just like they were my own. I am very grateful!

6. I like Pink & Purple now! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER could stand them before!

7. I read 6-8 newspapers (on-line) every day.

8. Can't eat beef. Makes 'that thing' happen. Thanks, Grandma! ;)

Well, Katie, that wasn't as painful as I thought...kinda fun, in fact! We all ought to do a bit of introspection about ourselves occasionally! :)

A Hard Working Man

I know everyone things that they are married to the perfect man...but, I REALLY am! ;) Cliff is the hardest working man I know. He does everything he can to make our life wonderful. He has been working for 3 months trying to get our backyard ready for summer and some fun family times. No wonder I have loved him for almost 38 years!! Here are some pictures of his latest (and almost finished!) project.

With GREAT thanks to all of those who have been able to spend some of their time helping us! :)

A Time of Sorrow

Today I was outside helping Cliff lay the counter tops in our new outdoor kitchen. He was sawing away, so I got online to read my emails. My friend (Doyle) emailed me that his ex-wife passed away yesterday.

I am in such a state of shock. I haven't seen Jan in a long time, but not only was she my friend, but her children have been my children's best friends. Such a sad thing. It has made me really think again of the fragility of life, and to appreciate it while we can.

I have been studying my lesson for Relief Society in August. It is titled, "Words of Hope and Consolation at the Time of Death", a message that is one of great comfort to me.

I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the hope of the Resurrection and of Eternal Life. I don't know how people function without it. I hope to someday be with my family and see those that I love who have passed on before me. It is a strange feeling to be at the age to have so many of my peers gone on already. I miss them all.

My goal is to appreciate this life on earth and those that have an influence on me and mine, and most especially to acknowledge God's watchful care over us.

If you are reading this, you are one of the people I love and I thank you for all you mean to me. May God fill our lives with love, joy, and peace.

Fulfilling Life

Just some thoughts I have as I sit here after a busy day.

I have had seven of my ten grandchildren here the last couple of days. I so enjoy that. I love seeing Cliff with them and how much they love him (and he them.) I also love seeing them play with each other.

There is nothing greater for me than to see my children (the eight of them) love each other and want to be together and to see these grandchildren be with each other. There can be no better life.

I am grateful for my parents to still be here with us. I appreciate them so much and all they have done for me. It is a wonderful thing to see how much they still love each other after all these years, and how tender and solicitous they are of each other.

I love my brothers and their families. They have enriched my life immensely and I so enjoy being with them and their children.

Most importantly I love my husband. He is such a kind, loving, and genuinely good man. I have been lucky for 37 years to have him in my life and to have his love.

Just some tender thoughts this evening as I watch them.

I am missing Dann, James, Katie, Blake, and Logan. I am so excited for our Warner Family Reunion so I can get pictures of ALL of my kids and grands. It is so hard to get us all together at the same time! :)