Catching Up!

Here's some updates you might find entertaining.

1st day of school socks.  Thinking of you Cooper!

Shortly after school started, my friend Lucy and I went to the Barking Frog for lunch

This is what we ate:

Cactus Fries with Prickly Pear Vinegrette

Cheese Cake with Pineapple and Red Pepper Flake Marmalade

Salsa, Cheese Fondido and Quacamole

It was a lot of fun and we were able to pick about 3 bushels of fresh Oak Creek apples.  Lucy makes the world's best apple crisp!

My Navajo friend gave me some "Kneel Down Bread"  It's made by taking Indian corn (not the sweet corn you buy at the store) cut off all the kernels, grind them up and put them back in the corn husks to bake in the coals of the fire.  This is one of the apples we picked and a picture of the Kneel Down Bread.

 Jacob Emily and I got to ride to the top of Snow Bowl.  It was a beautiful fall day.  It was only about 45degrees at the top but 90 degrees by the time we got back to Sedona.  This is another of my co workers and her daughter.



Before you could say Jack Frost--it was Halloween.  

Registrar Office Team.

And suddenly, Indian Summer was gone.

We got about 6-8 inches that day.













Love to all--stay safe and warm.



Light is Stronger than Darkness



Mt. St. Helens, May 18, 1980

Mount St. Helens is located in southwestern Washington (state) about 50 miles northeast of Portland Oregon.  We lived in Lacey Washington when on Sunday, May 18, 1980 the volcano blew up.  Even though it was only 8 o’clock in the morning it looked like it was night.  Geologists call Mount St. Helens a composite volcano.  Composite volcanoes tend to erupt explosively and pose a considerable danger to anything living by it.  Hawaiian volcanoes erupt nonexplosively, producing lava that can flow great distances.  The ash cloud went up so high that other winds took it all the ash as far as Oklahoma.

Ash Cloud

We lived in Lacey Washington at the time of the eruption.  It was a Sunday morning.  Church was cancelled and Dad was called to work.  He installed the emergency phone system for this natural disaster and was very busy.  We put up the quilt frame in the garage and tied a quilt.  Dianne was almost 10, Mark was 7, Janet was nearing 4 and Susan was nearing 2.  It was an awesome but frightening event to witness.

It was so dark that the birds started to fly in the path of the headlights of cars.  They flew into the windows of people’s homes.  They wanted to find the light.    As children of our Heavenly Father, we seek the light too.

 



Oakland Temple Where Dad & I were married June 17, 1969

When things in your life seem dark and frightening, Remember that Jesus said "I am the light of the world:  he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

Love you!
Mom

Lessons Learned



Snowflake temple--sister temple of the Winter Quarters Temple


We have had months of trial and disappointment just like many others.  Believe me, I don't feel like I am the only person on earth that feels almost desperate at times.  I choose to rely on the heritage of faith I know will not desert me.  So here ar a few lessons learned straight from my journal!

• The Lord does not expect that which we cannot achieve.  God will not require more than the best we can give, but he does require our best.
• D&C 121:45 ...let virtue garnish thy thought unceasingly; then shall thy confidence was strong in the presence of God;....  This means thinking in a hopeful and positive way.  This promotes faith.  Thinking in a fearful and anxious way invites contention and allows Satan to magnify our fears.
• Four things you need to say often:
1. I love you
2. I'm sorry
3. Yes dear
4. We can't afford that
• The road to exaltation is marked by 3 things:
1. Covenants Kept
2. Service Given
3. Love Extended
• Spiritual growth is a choice to choice process--Learn to recognize the Lord's approval.


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Kansas City Temple during severe weather in May 2011
for more pictures go here.

We too can weather the storms of life.  Just remember your covenants and keep your chin up.

Love,

Mom

Kansas City Roller Warriors

I never thought I would find myself at a Roller Derby bout--but I must admit it was a lot of fun.  I'm not sure how but Dianne, Susan and Kimberly are all involved with Women's Flat Track Roller Derby.



Warm up laps



Pre-bout warm up--Quite the stretch



 These women are tough!  The Kansas City Roller Warriors were the 2007 WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Assoc.) National Champions! This is one of the first "Jams"  The girls with the striped helmets are the Pivots and set the pace of the pack and the Jammers (With the star on her helmet)  try to pass the and try to score by passing "the Pack".



Jammers from The Knockouts (blue) and the Black Eyed Susan's (yellow)



One of the ref's--Authori-Kitty

 

This is the sport court floor that Kimberly drafted the plan for.  She is the only female on the crew that sets it up and takes it down after each bout!  It was fun to see her direct 3 men and multiple skaters who were assisting with the set up and take down.  You go girl--tell 'em how it is!

 

Recognize these fans?  I need a face lift--or maybe just some makeup.

It was so much fun.  I have a new respect for these girls and this sport.  If you get a chance to go see a bout you should!  But I advise taking your ear plugs--it gets very loud.

Spring Outing

It's been one of the first warm, sunny days in a long, long time.  Since Grandpa's birthday is in March, we decided it should be his day and we should go wherever he wanted.  So we went to Ft Scott,Kansas, Balltown Cemetary, and Rich Hill.

Ft. Scott is a historic restoration of an early fort on the frontier.  Everything has been restored to look as it did in the 1860's.  It was in use before, during and after the Civil War.  It was the site of conflicts over slavery and soldiers were dispatched from there to the Mexican-American War.  



The Hospital, my favorite building



     

Love the big door!


    

Officer's Quarters

 

Old restored cannon housed in the stable

 

Love the caption on this sign--the most unique shop in the Land of Oz!



 

Then it was off to Horton MO to Balltown Cemetary where several of our Reese ancestors are buried.  This was a fun discovery for us when we first moved to Missouri.

We found some Price's that we'll have to research too.

Then on to Rich Hill Missouri.  This is where Great Grandpa Hamit Allen Reese was born.  It was a mining town with a rich deposit of coal--hence the name Rich Hill.



This is the 'Big Mouth' drag bucket that they used to clear the earth off of the coal.



It was a great day and we wish you were here to enjoy it with us!

Snowpocalypse 2011

This is what we experienced during the last week:
         

That's not my car, but that's the same amount of snow Dad shoveled to get me out.  The snowdrifts were amazing!  I should mention that I 70 was closed from Kansas City to St. Louis due to blizzard (blowing snow) conditions. 

It makes me grateful for the home, food and warm clothes I have.  We all owe a debt of gratitude to those that worked through the night to get the roads clear.

This is what braving the storms of life by yourself feels like:

This is what it feels like with the love of family and the warmth of faith:

Stay safe

Stay warm

Give thanks

Gifts of Love

I know it's February and the month of Valentine love,

but I want to tell you of eternal love.

The Randall family has a tradition of giving 'Gifts of Love' at Christmas time.  I was the lucky recipient of a red birdhouse made at Cub Scout Daycamp by my wonderful grandson Kevin.  This year we sold our house and completed our move by December 18.  Needless to say, we didn't have many Christmas decorations or traditions this year.

I saved my favorite birdhouse and decorated it for Christmas.  This was the only personal decoration I kept out.  I love it!

                                           

Families can be together forever.... Thank you Kevin.  I love you!



They call me Mr. Tibbs!

Kimberly's kitty, Raven, has adopted me.  Apparently I am human extraordinare!  He meets me in the morning at the sink.  He's there before I turn on the light.  When I do yoga, he is mat side.  He'll lay on his back if it's a reclined pose.  If my hand is stretched out, his face is in my palm.   He purrs and sings.  He'd sleep with me if I let him!

It's amazing to have a live animal love you.  I don't know what I did to deserve it--but I like it!