Here on Halloween

Paula went above and beyond the call of auntie duty and made an adorable Cowardly Lion outfit for Zach and a Dorothy dress for Sarah. She has worn the dress nonstop since it arrived in the mail on Monday. Blue & white gingham with white blousy top, full ruffly skirt and big white buttons makes me a believer when I see Sarah dressed up with her red Dorothy shoes on and her hair in braids.

Alicia has kept Sara busy this week doing those projects every child dreams of making with their mom from Oreo spiders, painted paper pumpkins, napkin ghosts, pudding Frankensteins to every conceivable hanging Halloween object you can imagine.

Entertaining me hasn't been a walk in the park for this hostess. Although I have tried not to be too demanding, we have gone to Boo at the Zoo, the Botanical Gardens, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, seen the play Wicked, Chinatown, and many more that blur in crowd of exciting things. The Manhattan Temple had an opening for a session. I managed to find it with accurate directions and slept through the session there as easily as I do at home. It is as beautiful as any the Church has painstakingly built and it is a must see if possible. The NY Marathon is on Sunday and we may sneak into town to view a few runners if we find out the route and make a stop at church first.

Alicia's apartment is spacious with every room almost floor to ceiling windows that face Manhattan. It's a view that only a rich person enjoys in a very posh apartment building. I actually think it is the prettiest tower on the ridge. The ridge is a 200 to 300 foot high rock wall that runs along the length of both New Jersey and Manhattan for about five or so miles. Below the ridge is the town of Edgewater, that is only about 1/4 to 1/2 mile wide full of four plexes, condos and quaint homes.

If her camera download cord wasn't lost we would send some pictures. I am going to see if Dave will make a disk and maybe I can figure out how to do it from home when I get back on Wednesday. Start watching for cheap airfares for next spring, because you need to enjoy the Big Apple when you can feel almost like a resident. Just ask Breann.

Geo goes crunch!

Saturday night was the fateful time for the good old reliable Geo. Jed was just closing the blinds in the front room when CRASH! As he watched out the window, he saw someone pull out of the neighbor's driveway and crash into the Geo. The drivers side front door and fender went crunch under the speed and weight of a Chevy pickup. (NOT our neighbor's, but someone they obviously know.) Jed went running out front in his slippers and the lady driving aforementioned pickup pulled over (expletive, expletive, bleep, bleep!) We exchanged insurance information. I got an estimate on the repairs today. Having the car fixed will be more worth it to us than having a check for the total worth of the car. (It gets great gas mileage you guys! Plus, it has fairly low miles, considering it's a 1994!) We'll keep you informed on what's to come in the next few days!

Miss Makayla is Marking Another Birthday

Memories of Makayla at four as she entered into our lives with her round freckled face and long dark tresses are still strong. We worked at getting to know her and making her feel welcome, as well as her dad. Dad said she was a finicky eater. We thought her appetite was the best in the family. Broken arms, cropped off hair from wayward gum or glue and many adventures are all under the bridge now, as she emerges from her cocoon.

Much has changed since then, as she’s grown into a lovely and busy teenager of fourteen. Although we don’t see her often, we are grateful when she is here to help with the little ones, pal around with Brayle & is a very pleasant person to be with. Happy Birthday, M.

Jamestown, Yorktown & Williamsburg, the Historic Triangle

Jamestown was settled in 1607 (yeah, like 400 years ago). They showed how tough it was to make a go of this new land of America. It actually took about 100 years before anyone was willing to stay. There were some major challenges such as: Indians, food supplies, getting crops to grow and the Spanish. Women came in about 1625 to help encourage the men to stay. We are so valuable. See how lonely this guy looks.

Yorktown is where the final battle occurred that turned the Revolutionary War to our side & the British decided to leave us alone. The French actually came to our rescue & were instrumental in our success. That would be the reason for the Statue of Liberty. Don’t ask me why NYC got it instead of Virginia. We drove over the battlefields, stood on the exact spot of surrender and viewed the York River where the British were trapped. This cannon is on the actual battlefield.

Williamsburg is an early American town that has been preserved with Capitol building, Governors Palace, courthouse, shop smith, church, home sites, printing office & so on where fulltime employees pretend to live the real lives of those of the day. Many reenactments, performances & such take place during each day for visitors to attend. See Kristine Pryor playing & me in the background.

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.