AUGUST 2009

Happy Birthday to my niece, Shellie on August 4th.
Happy Birthday to my brother, Steve on August 24th.
This month started out with Bob going fishing again on Saturday, August 1st. He's taking Richard and the kids up to Strawberry again. They have to bring our boat back...and hurry home for a PARTY. Tonight at Julie's house in Kaysville, we are celebrating Grandma/Greatgrandma's 85th birthday.
Varda Rose Barrett, my mother-in-law, is such a sweet, lovable person. (Her birthday was actually on July 29th.) I couldn't have asked for a better mother-in-law. She has raised six great children (including Robert, the oldest). Each of them are so special in their own unique way, and have always benefited from her love and attention. She's one great lady, and I love her very much. She has many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren that adore her also. She has been a blessing to all of us, and we appreciate all she has done for us.

Bob cancelled his hernia surgery and will do it later this year in December.

Bob's sister, Julie gave me some apricots and I made some jam and even dried some of them. Apricot jam is so good with "Hootenanny Pancakes." We love to make those. It's a recipe Bob's mother had. Someone said they're also called German pancakes. It's a fun recipe to make, and even funner to eat!

Monica wanted Bob and I to come visit her and see her new house, so we drove to Reno on August 10th and stayed until the 15th. We were able to take Ian to visit them, too. He wanted to go see Aunt Monica and his two cousins, and Angie let us take him with us. Thanks, Angela!
We left early Monday morning (8/10) and got into Reno about 4 p.m. We were so glad to see them. (We hadn't seen Monica and Tatum since our San Diego trip in February.)
Monica's new house is so pretty! She keeps it really clean, even with her two dogs, Katy and Tahoe. While we were there, Monica cooked a great dinner for us every night. She loves to cook, and says it relaxes her (?!?). She's a great cook and loves to watch all the cooking shows on TV.
Bob kept busy every day digging weeds in the back yard. He got them all done for her. He also helped clean the house every day. I stayed busy washing clothes every day (it relaxes me!)
We had such a fun time with the kids. They played lots of games on their "Wii" game system. Bob even had a sore shoulder from playing tennis and baseball so much. Monica didn't work on that Tuesday, so we got to have fun with her that day. Ariel had her soccer practice on Monday and Thursday evenings. So while she had practice, we played tennis at the same park. It was so much fun...even Tatum got really good at it. While we were there, we went to a movie, to the park a few times, went on walks (with and without the dogs), went to Coconut Bowl and the Grand Sierra Resort Hotel and played arcade games. The kids won lots of tickets and got lots of prizes.
Other than that, we just had fun hanging out with them.
We had such a great visit and wished they lived closer to us. We left on Saturday morning (8/15) to drive back to Salt Lake. It's a very long drive to get there and back, but well worth it. Ian kept us entertained while we were driving and we enjoyed having him with us. What a fun trip!
Ian and Anakhan and Azure started school on Monday, August 23rd. Ian is in 6th grade. Anakhan is in 7th grade now, and is in junior high school. Azure started 4th grade. They are all getting too big too fast!!

Bob also had to leave town again that Monday. I had to get back to working...but
Monica called up and wanted to know if I could come back to help her with the girls the next week. They didn't start school until August 31st and she needed me to watch them. I was happy to help, so I spent a day and a half trying to get my hours covered for work, then, I drove to Reno by myself. I had never done the trip alone by car, but I got there safely. The entire way there and back, I listened to the scriptures on CDs. I finished the Book of Mormon on the way there. I know Heavenly Father wanted me to go and help Monica out, and he blessed me with the physical strength I needed to get there. I left Thursday afternoon, August 20th, and drove part way, and then got to Reno before noon on Friday, August 21st.
It was fun to be with them again. We stayed busy having fun together. We played games watched TV and I walked while the girls rode their bikes. One of Ariel's friends, Nicole, came over to play with them. Almost every day, Tatum and I went out to the garage to play the piano. (Monica hasn't found a place to put it in her house yet.) When we gave them the piano, I had given them a Primary song book, so Tatum and I tried to play children's church songs from the book.

Every morning as usual, I have a 30 minute bath, and I always listen to the scriptures in the bathtub. When I'm at their house, Tatum usually follows me around, and some mornings she even joined me in the tub! One day she asked me, "Grandma, why do you like Jesus so much?" I proceeded to tell her that I loved Jesus because he made us and he made the earth and he gave us all the blessings that we have, and that he loves us. She then started asking, "Did he make the grass? the sky? and so forth. I answered yes, God and Jesus made everything we have. She also asked some questions like, "Did he make airplanes? "Did he make my house?" cars? the roads? After smiling a bit, I would answer, "No, he did not make those things, but he gave us the things we needed and the intelligence to make them." Even though my answers were simple, they seemed to satisfy her. I am always struck by the insight, the intellect and the curiosity of small children.

{Tatum is our grandchild who came for a visit one year. She was not even three years old and while looking around the house, noticed a picture of Jesus we had in the living room. She said, "I know him. That's Jesus. I used to live with him!" This is from a child who has never been to church except for when she was a baby. She was so sincere and Bob and I both agree that small children must still have a partial knowledge or remembrance of the pre-existence for a while after they come to live on earth. What a great blessing children are in our lives. What a blessing our grandchildren have been in our lives!!!}

That week, I was able to go to Ariel's new middle school and helped her get registered. (Well, I tagged along!) It is a beautiful school and very "high tech." I also got to meet some of her teachers. It was fun seeing all the students getting ready to for their new school after leaving their elementary schools. They were so nervous and so excited at the same time. Ariel has some great friends and can't wait for school to start. (Both of the girls started back to school the day after I left, on August 31st. Tatum is still in year-round school, and is in the first grade. She has lots of friends as well and when I left, she was having a sleep-over with one of her best friends, Zoe.)
I stayed with Monica and the girls that week and then drove back on Sunday morning, August 30th. I love spending time with them any chance I get. They always make me feel good and are so much fun to be around.

I had to drive all the way home so that I could start back to work on Monday. I lstened to scriptures again while I drove. I had started the Doctrine and Covenants while I was in Reno, and continued listening to that all the way home. Heavenly Father blessed me again with safety and physical strength to make this journey. If anyone knows how bad my neck and back have been all of these years, would realize that it really was a miracle that I was able to do this. I am so thankful for his presence in my life and for the strength he gives me to do the things I need to do. I hope that one day I can be worthy of all the blessings he has given to me and my family.