Artist in Residence

That is what we now call Dad, because he sold his first piece of artwork last week. Wood has become the palette for many a famous profile, whimsical house, scene and much more. Tom Mellenthin encouraged him to join the Salt Lake Carvers Guild and attend the weekly classes at Wheeler Farm. A variety of techniques have been tried and perfected. Tools, woodworking magazines and competitions have been helpful in developing his newfound hobby.

After honing his carving skills on friends and family, Allan is now a professional. A well respected home teacher mentioned Dad’s work to a business partner. $200 was the amount he happily paid for the Joseph Smith portrait as a birthday gift to Guy Moore. Imagine seeing Dad’s pieces in gift shops, office walls or even the Ensign. It’s possible.

Firefighter Fighting in Favor of His Birthday

Chef Mike is having a birthday this weekend. Will he whip up a fancy cake, gourmet chicken alfredo or grill those yummy steaks to celebrate. Happy birthday, Miguel.

Jennifer got lucky when she found her mate, knowing that years of ignoring the kitchen would eventually catch up with her. Little did we realize finding chef a la Mike would solve that problem. Where did he acquire this passion or talent? It doesn’t matter, because everyone benefits when he generously steps up to the stove with spatula in hand.

The greater Othello area also is safer because he became a volunteer firefighter this year. After months of classes, training and on the job experience, he’s official. His face even made the cover of the town paper, which is a fireman’s last wish. They have to pay money to the kitty when this happens. Hide behind the hose, house or flame if you must.

A great dad of Makayla, Noah, Kade and Jacob, Mike loves to spend time with his family. May you enjoy this year and continue to get smarter by serving the community.

Deductible, Meet the Schmidt’s

We’ve met. July, wasn’t it? When your $500 ($1000 family) deductible is met, it is time to think about your aches & pains in a different light. That’s right, everything that has ever hurt is examined and an appointment is made to see the doctor before the next year, when it starts all over again. That’s what I did and will continue to do for 75 more days.
Get rid of that lumpy bump,
Leg with a limp,
Itch or glitch,
Scar & joint that is ajar.

After yet another visit to the IMC campus to have a lump removed yesterday, I treated myself to a black raspberry malt. The in-office surgery resulted in an egg yolk size tumor & quite a pain in my neck. Slathered with super glue it only feels like a bad sunburn, but I am free of that annoying bump on the back of my nape.

If I’m going to break a leg, get gall stones, tear a meniscus or such, please, let it be this year. I only have to pay 20%. All 2008 with almost every payday, a portion went to the $1000 deductible & 20% we have incurred since Jory ‘slam bam thank you ma’am’ started this spiral on December 29, 2007. Combine that with my $1000+ trigger thumb fiasco and that is why Allan was able to have his much awaited colonoscopy. Achy shoulders & hips, stuffy nose, sleep apnea here we come. Sorry, eyes & implants are not covered.

The Mega Monument Mall

The Mall is about 1 mile long and 1000 feet wide with gravel paths, lawns & water features down the center. The edges are full of Smithsonian buildings for Air & Space (amazing), American History (closed), American Indian (missed), Natural History (boring), etc. etc all w/more than you can see in a lifetime. The north end of the Mall is the Capitol and on the south is the Washington Monument standing 500 feet tall. We got to go on a tour to the top (neat). Behind that are the memorials: the Lincoln Memorial, World War II, Vietnam, Jefferson & such. I was able to find the name of Raymond Moon, a young man from Bluffdale, who died when I was a teen in the Vietnam War.

Somewhere in the maze is the White House, which forms a triangle with the Capitol and the Washington Monument. There is huge security around it & if anyone even looks remotely cross eyed, says ‘Oh shoot’ or forgets to bring their proof of residency they will close all the roads & sidewalks leading to it for an hour while sirens blare & we all swear.
It is definitely not a place you would want to spend a lot of time hanging around at.

A Trip With a Good Start

One of the first stops on our D.C. trip was to visit the temple. Driving directly there from the Garmin directions, we discovered there were dressing rooms for those traveling. We carried our church clothes into the temple & changed. From there we officially entered this great building. The four corners of the six storied structure are stairways leading to the baptistry(basement), main floor entry, offices & waiting, second floor dressing rooms & clothing rental, third floor ordinance rooms, fourth & fifth sealing rooms, and sixth a solemn assembly hall.

In the ordinance rooms which are like small theatres, men & women may sit beside each other at the center of each row where a wooden arm rest separates the two sides. I was able to sit next to Dad on our row. Each row is the same for those that claim the center seats. The celestial room is a two story spacious and large mirrored room complete with chandeliers, cherry wood furniture and a quiet reverence. We felt safe from the worldly governmental influence of the area. Driving on the freeway that evening, the temple appears out of the trees like a lighthouse in the night shining the way to help lost souls

Jerky, Anyone?

Jed and I went on our (semi)-annual hunting trip. Jed, the mega-shot hit this deer about ten minutes after we left the truck. He spotted it, shot it, and then we headed towards it. We were prepared in case it took off, wounded, but then a HUGE guy took off towards the ridge. It was moving too fast for both of us, neither of us got a shot off. Jed was freeking out because he was sure that he'd hit the deer in his first shot. We decided to see if he'd hit it and we could track it and, low and behold, there was this guy sitting there. Jed had hit it in the head. I gutted it (or attempted to) and it took us the rest of the day to skin it and all other required things before we could take it to be processed into jerkey (Mmm. Mmm.) After all the work, we were both so tired and sore that we aren't ready to do any hunting again anytime soon. (We'll probably forget this all by next year though) The last deer we got was six years ago. We decided that every six years is enough!

The Great Gray Debate

For twenty plus years now, I have been a brunette fighting nature which wants me to be gray. Dyeing my hair an assortment of brown shades & such, I decided to let a professional do the job to keep it looking more natural. We all hate seeing those women that have the skunk hair (white strip down the middle of their head) parade around. If I am unable to get in for an appointment, I become one of them. I wantto put a bag over my head then or wear wild clothing to draw attention away from the hair.

This week I have been contemplating what to do about it. Shall I go gray? Is there something I could ‘invent’ to put on my part to cover the gray until it gets so bad I have to color it or cut it off. Shall I cut it all off now to ½ inch & look like a cancer survivor? Then when it grows out I am there! My kids wouldn't know me.

Yesterday walking out of the store two ladies nearly bumped into me that had made the ‘change’. Two more were driving by in their cars that were also gray headed. Wouldn’t you know that my dream last night was about Catherine Peterson, another great gray head. How would I look with a gray starfish shaped streak on my crown? The decision has to be made, but I need your help, your vote or opinion.

It would be easier if we were to move. I could be any color I wanted blonde, streaked, gray, bald or red. The new ward wouldn’t know anything else. Stay brunette until I turn sixty, move, cut all my hair off or go gray? I need your input for my great gray debate.