RECIPE FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR - Looking forward to 2009!

Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past—have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time. Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time. Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing— don’t do it), prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor. {Anonymous}

Wishing everybody a healthy, wealthy and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Christmas Without Our Dad - 2007

I wrote a couple of poems last year at Christmas time because it was the first without Dad and we were all feeling his absence. I had read a story about a child that had passed away and was spending the first Christmas in Heaven, so I wanted to write a poem for Dad. This one was written before Christmas, and the next one afterwards. Kacy put the poem on this background which I love!(You may need a magnifying glass because double-clicking does not seem to work. Hope you can read them).

Denice was here for the holidays last year and before coming we all were thinking what we could do on Christmas Day that would be special for our 'first' Christmas without Dad. I wanted to share this particular one because for our "something special" we went down to the Bountiful Cemetery and decorated his grave. I believe it was Denice's idea (correct me if I am wrong Whitey) to make snow angels for him. That is what we did. Because it was such a hectic day, it was hard trying to find a time Mom and the four of us could all go together. Unfortunately, Cheryl was unable to be there with us at the particular time the rest of us could go because of previous plans with one of George's daughter's and her family. She had gone down earlier to put her tree on. Clydene had kids to go visit at their homes so between visits she was able to go and I ducted out on my family and told them to finish getting dinner prepared, or as close to it as possible and I would be back soon. Mom and Denice were just waiting to see when the rest of us could go. Kacy also helped with this one and put the picture of the snow angel I made as the background for this poem.

After writing my poem this year, next post down, I felt it was a little easier to get through Christmas of 2008 than it was last year. Whitey made a comment "it was a little easier than last year without Dad, signs that we are healing". I think we are. I still think about Dad and the Christmases of our past,....I still cry,..... alot!, but I know he is where he is suppose to be. It does not mean we won't miss him anymore because we always will, but like on the ornament Cheryl gave to us all last Christmas, it says " Merry Christmas From Heaven - I love you all dearly, Now don't shed a tear, I'm spending my Christmas with Jesus this year". On the back it says, "Merry Christmas, Always With You, Love, Dad". So,....as hard as it is, I am for once listening to my Dad! Every year I'll try a little harder to at least not shed 'as many' tears knowing that he will always be close by. Besides, we still have our Momma and it is her we need to appreciate and enjoy! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that your new year will be a happy one! Love to all those who read my posts and put up with me!

A CHRISTMAS POEM - 2008

Christmas 2008

By: Janette
Christmas two-thousand-eight is now upon us
It’s time to sit down, relax and end all the fuss.
It’s hard to believe it is already here
I feel the Christmas spirit near.
It is the second Christmas without our Dad
The first we were all somewhat very sad.
But I’m confident he is in Heaven looking down
Telling us he is well with loved ones all around.
We love him a lot and miss him so much
I wish there was a way to keep in touch.
We know he is with Jesus and all angels above
This time of year our Dad is who we're thinking of.
It helps me to sit back and ponder the Christmases past
And how much I wished the years had not gone by so fast.
But I think of the Christmas Eve's when I would lay in bed
And think of ole’ Santa,… his reindeer and sled.
The four of us girls would be anticipating
What would be under the tree upon awakening.
It seemed there would always be lots of pleasure
For Mom and Dad made sure there were lots of treasures.
They made us all happy and tried to make sure
We had what we needed and made us secure.
Christmases back then were the best we had known
And now look at us all and how we have grown.
With families of our own and grandchildren galore
Made our Mom and Dad the center of this family core.
It isn’t the material things that make Christmas good
It’s all about Jesus and all that he withstood.
Merry Christmas and a Happy 2009!

It's the Hap-Happiest Time Of The Year ! ! !

What a fun time we had at our Christmas party at the office last Tuesday, the 16th! In fact,…I think everybody had a great time. The food was good,….the games were fine and the Christmas music put us in the mood. Our Director read my poem. I had added four lines to it since posting it the first time to include the education department of HR. My boss loved the poem and so did everybody else. We had an “ugliest Christmas sweater” contest and guess who won! Yes folks, it was ME! I went shopping at the “Deseret Industries” and “Savers” for a sweater I could use but could not find one. I used one of my old sweaters that was too big for me and was pretty gross looking. I loved the sweater at one time but would not wear it again because it was too old and had a couple of holes in it. I added a lot more. I made and then whipped stitched a snowman on to the one side of it and put buttons in the appropriate places for the eyes and nose and the three buttons down the front of him, and,…I put a black hat on him of course. It was Ashley’s idea to make it a “tilting” snowman. And boy! was he tilting! I rubbed the white part of the snowman until he had lint balls and ickies all over him. The sweater had lint balls all over it along with other stuff like imbedded dog hair along with other things. I also buttoned it up crooked for the party so it would look that much uglier. I must say, it did the trick! Here is a picture of the sweater. Like I said, it was a lot of fun and now we can just look forward to the holidays! Goodnight all !

WEEWEECHU !

I got this email from my sister-in-law, Sylvia. She's Dave's oldest sister who lives in Plano, TX. I thought this was so cute! I noticed I received it from a couple of other folks also so it is going around. I thought you all could use a smile. Enjoy!..........Oh, c'mon baby, let's you and I do Weeweechu. I love you and it's the perfect time," Pedro begged. "But I wanna just hold your hand and watch the moon." replied Rosita. Please, corazoncito (my love), just once, do Weeweechu with me. "Rosita looked at Pedro and said, "OK, one time, we'll do Weeweechu. "Pedro grabbed his guitar and they both sang....."Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year."MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

CHRISTMAS DOOR DECORATION CONTEST - 2005

I wanted to share this picture with you all. When HR was still in our older office building the Christmas before we moved, we had a door decorating contest. Because Sunnee's office and mine were one in the same at that time (separated only by filing cabinets and shelves) we shared our door for the contest. This is looking at the door from Sunnee's area, my desk is to the right of the door. I wanted to do something special so her and I talked about it and decided what we wanted to do. We decided we wanted to do something with a fireplace look to it. I was thinking of contact paper or one of those plastic hanging door decorations. I can't remember what Sunnee was doing the day I went shopping, but she was not available so Nathan (my 2nd son) and I went looking for 'something' we could use. We went to Home Depot and was starting to think I just wasn't going to find anything when I remembered there was a paneling out there that looked like bricks. So we went over to the panel department and there it was! I was so excited! I had already measured the door and before I bought anything, I called the HR Manager and asked her if it would be ok to use nails in the door since we were going to be moving 2 months after Christmas. She didn't have a problem with it so I hung the phone up and we had a worker there at the store cut me a piece of the paneling the size of the door. After Nathan and I got the paneling home, he built a mantel on it out of 2" by 4"'s and covered it with the paneling. The next day, Sunday, him and I went down to the office and he nailed it up on the door. He was working at the Veteran's Nusing Home at the time and had to go to work after he got it done. Then Sunnee and her son came down and we started decorating it. I told my sister Clydene what we were doing so she had some decorations that she let us use for the door, plus Sunnee and I had a few things also. It turned out absolutely wonderful! We were so excited to have it done and looking so good. On Monday Nathan came to my office before going to work and he couldn't believe it! He was amazed. Behind my fireplace screen Sunnee and I tacked a piece of black poster paper on the paneling to give it a fireplace effect. Then Derick, her son went out and found some twigs that was used for the wood in the fireplace. I had bought some red and gold tinsile that Derick helped us make it look like the fire. We really didn't spend very much on the panel and everything else was provided for us by Clydene or ourselves except the little stuff. Well,....needless to say, Sunnee and I won the contest. We had judges come from other offices on the facility to pick us as the grand champions. Anyway, this was the result of the door decorating contest. "Twas' the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there" (Double click on the picture and it should make it bigger).

We're Gonna Have A Party

So,....I'm on the Christmas party planning commitee at work. We are having our party on the 16th and we are allowed ONE hour for it. We aren't going off station like to a restaurant or anything, just to the building across the street from our's that has the Mult-Purpose Center (MPC) in it. It's like a large open room where they hold a lot of the staff trainings. Anyway, it is going to be a 'potluck' and we're having a couple of games. We are also exchanging 'White Elephant' gifts. The way we are going to do that is one of the other ladies on the commitee is going to read a short story about "Mr. and Mrs. Right". In the story whenever she reads the word 'right', we'll pass the gift to the right. Whenever she reads the word 'left', of course we'll pass it to the left so that we all end up with a gift at the end of the story. Good idea, right? or is it left? I guess it is a good thing my little sis won't be at the party with me because as you all know, and it is a well known fact,....she does not know her right from her left, or her left from her right! Sorry Whitey! We'll have Christmas music playing also. I got creative last night and wrote a poem that I will read at the party. Let me know what you all think. It goes like this,.....

Tis’ Nine Days Before ChristmasPoem

By: Janette
Tis’ nine days before Christmas it was plain to see,

HR was buzzing and getting ready for the tree.

The lights need to be hung and there are ornaments galore,

Looks like the tree will be beautiful with its Christmas décor.
The cubbies are cheerful, it’s time for displays,

Looks like HR is expecting Ole’ Santa on his sleigh.

It will soon be Christmas, let it snow, let it snow!

The angels have been singing since a long time ago.
On the other hand there was much whimpering and whining,

For there was so much to do and actions to be signing.

The piles were growing and there seemed not an end,

It will soon be the holiday, the boss will not bend!
Another year of training is quickly approaching,
The folks in education are ready for coaching.
You can’t be a sissy if you work in HR,
You have to be tough and that’s what we are!!!
There’s discipline actions on hold, and filing a waiting,

And numerous employees that want reinstating.

There is coding to be done and appraisals to review,

There’s a whole bunch more for us all to do!
Oh my, oh my, we’re in a terrible state!

Most of us here need to give our updates.

The workload needs editing, the leave requests need granting,

Get the lead out now, there’s no sense in ranting!
The work keeps coming, there will soon be relief,

The spirit of Christmas will hit us, …. that’s my belief!

We have to get done with all our piles of work

So we can go have a party, so we don’t go berserk!
It’s time to be festive, and put our worries away,

It’s time to be jolly and be on our way.

Come on, let’s go to the MPC for some fun,

There may be some prizes there to be won.
We’ll all gather round and have a bit of a feast

For ONE AND A HALF HOURS today the work has been ceased.

It’s time to be happy without a care for a while

This is the season that makes us all want to smile.
May this holiday be one of your very best,

And all of you certainly will be wonderfully blessed.

It is our wish for a happy holiday season,

Whatever your Faith or whatever the Reason!

Tis' The Season !

I guess I got a little over anxious and decided now that Thanksgiving is over and "Black Friday" is pretty much over, I am changing my template on my blog. I thought this one was nice, so this is it folks at least for the Christmas Season.

Also, the little picture of the angel below is a free clip art I found on the internet. I took it and blew it up so that it filled an 8 1/2" by 11" piece of photo paper and printed it out twice. After doing that, I cut out around the angels and glued them back to back on an empty toilet paper roll (just poked the top of the tree up in to the roll) and made it my tree topper last year. It turned out really cute!

Happy Thanksgiving From Our House To Your's

Double click to read the poemThis is the time of year when we reflect upon the past eleven months and count each and every one of our blessings. As I look back on this last year I have seen many changes, .... some not so good. But as we live each day, one day at a time and think about what we have, and not just the material things, we can thank our Heavenly Father for the opportunity we have to live in this great country of ours. We have so many good and wonderful people out there that protect us and fight for our freedom every day. They should not go unnoticed. Please give thanks for the sacrifice they make for us and remember their families in your prayers and that their loved ones will come home safe and sound. Don't forget that we as Americans have a lot to be thankful for. We have the greatest gift of all , and that is our freedom.


I am thankful for my mother whom I love very much. I am thankful for my husband and what he does every day for me and the love he shows me continually (even tho' he makes me mad sometimes, and he can be very annoying!), it is great to be married to your best friend and the one you do fun things with. I am thankful for my three children and the love they show me every single day in one way or another. And their spouses,.....thank you for what you do to show the love and support that you do. I am very thankful for my grand-daugther and the joy she brings in to my life. I'm greatful for my three sisters and Sue and the love they show to me in so many ways. And to my mother-in-law and Dave's sisters and their families and all the rest of my extended family, I love you all! To all my friends that read my posts,...thank you for your love and friendship. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Congratulations University of Utah Football Team !

U of U won over BYU Saturday night 11/22/08 and is now the 2008 "MOUNTAIN WEST" Champions! What a great game! Score was 48 to 24 and the Utes had a perfect season of 12 and 0! GO UTES! (Vicky, this post is for you and Serge,....and you know why!)

Happy Birthday Jase ! ! !

Grandma and I Want to wish my nephew Jase a very Happy Birthday! He is the first son of Ina's (Denice). He is the second Grandson of Clyde and Nadine. Those of you distant cousins out there that don't know him, he was in a small group picture at my Dad's funeral that Sioux posted back in April of 2007. He was born 9 days after my son, Christopher. He too lives in Montana so visits with him are few and far between. He's always been such a handsome young man, and I'll let all of you determine if you think he looks a little like Tom Cruise or not. I hope your wonderful little family will spoil you rotten today! Again, Happy Birthday Jase! We love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLYDENE ! ! ! !

A Happy Birtday to my Sister!

When she was young, what a blister!

She would pretend she was Maye West,

To "come up & see me sometime" was her request!

With her white hair she was called "Whitey",

Although she doesn't know her lefty from her righty!

She likes to have things "Her" way,

In most cases she can't be swayed.

She is the baby of the "Spencer" clan,

Her three sisters and Mom are her favorite fans ? ? ?

From that white haired little girl she grew and grew,

To a beautiful, talented women thru' and thru'!

We love you Sister with all of our hearts!

You have such an array of all your arts.

But the best of all "those" you have created,

Is the love and devotion to all those related.

Not only your husband and children galore,

But all of "Us" others we know you adore!

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! ! !

On Thanksgiving

HOW TO OBSERVE THANKSGIVING.

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;

Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth;

Count on God instead of yourself.

~~Author Unknown.~~

Happy Birthday Tracy!

Grandma Spencer and I wanted to wish our beautiful Tracy a Happy Birthday! (and 'yes' folks, November is certainly the Spencer's month for birthdays). Grandma and I called her up to sing Happy Birthday to her tonight. We sang our hearts out, but guess what? It was Cimber that answered the phone and not Tracy. So after we sang she said, "now do you want to sing it to my mom?". Ooooops! But actually I think we sang it better the SECOND time around anyway. Tracy and Bill with their children live up in Dell, MT so of course we don't get to see them often enough. She just recently graduated from college and made us all very proud of her. She is certainly a very special young lady, not to mention crafty and a wonderful mom and grandma! She has more patience than anybody I know except for her Aunt NaNa of course. Tracy is the second daughter of Cheryl Young and Steven Hess and the second grandchild of Clyde and Nadine. We hope your birthday was a fun filled day and one of the best! We love you Tracy!

This was a Davis County Clipper newspaper article which shows Tracy as one of the winners of the logo contest for the Knowlton Elementary School in Farmington, UT. In case you can't read the top of it, the picture was in the October 8, 1980 edition of the local newspaper when Tracy (second from right in front row) was in the 4th grade. I found it in my box of treasures and wanted to share it with you. Dave and I were back in North Carolina living at the time, so Cheryl sent this to me when it was published. (I thought you would be able to double click on the article to make it bigger, but it's not going to work.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTOPHER ! ! !

Today is Christopher's Birthday, my firstborn! We were living at Ft. Devens, MA at the time when they still had Army OB/GYN's, so my care was at the Army Cutler Hospital. He was born on November 14, 1973 and was a BIG baby (not my biggest tho') at 10 lbs. 9 1/2 oz. and was 22 1/2 inches long. He had very dark brown hair and he was perfect! My mom flew in to MA to help before having him and then afterwards of course. I had just gotten out of the hospital when Dave had brought her home from the airport. I had developed pre-elampcia and was drugged up plus I had been having gull bladder attacks the last two months. Those were awful! I kept telling Dave that if this is what having a baby is like, then I don't want to do it! I was 3 weeks late having Chris and had been put back in the hospital. Fortunately within a day or two I went in to labor and so the work began. He was born a little after 5 p.m. on a Wednesday and after the trama of the doctor trying to give me an epideral and getting mad at the nurse because she kept yelling at me to "hold still"! the doctor tossed the tray across the room and told her more or less to keep her mouth shut. What an awful experience that was, however every bit of it was worth it when I saw my baby boy for the first time. My mom was there with us for a total of 6 weeks. But because of my bad gull bladder, she came back when Christopher was 3 months old. I had my gull bladder removed on February 14, 1974. She stayed that time for 4 weeks. I don't think I ever told her how much I appreciated her for doing what she did for us. Not only did she make sacrifices for us, so did my dad because he was home alone all that time. I can hardly believe he is 35 years old! Happy Birthday Christopher! I hope you had an enjoyable day. Love you!

The craft bug bit us in St. George!

A week ago today (Thursday), Ashley took the Shuttle up from St. George. She got to SLC around 1 p.m. I took a break from work and went down to pick her up by the Conference Center. She took me back to work, then went to run a couple of errands. She came up to go to the UofU vs. TCU game that afternoon with us and stayed til' Sunday. We kept pretty busy while she was here. Her friend Lisa just had her second baby girl so Ash and I went shopping for fleece to make a fringed baby blanket for her. We brought some lunch over to Mom's on Saturday to not only visit with her but to put the blanket together. It was so cute! The material was a pink and black plaid with a bright pink backing. Mom helped Ashley with it while I went and picked Diana up. When I got back to Mom's we three helped finish it up together. It turned out really cute. Sunday morning Dave and I left and took Ashley back to St. George. We stayed down there til' Tuesday early afternoon which was also her birthday. We got bit so hard by the craft bug again that we went to a scrapbook store not to buy anything, but to get some cute ideas for neighbor's Christmas gifts. We ended up picking out 2 kits to make Thanksgiving decorations. We did that on Monday night while Dave was watching Monday Night Football and Joey was working. We had so much fun making our projects together and were pretty pleased with the finished products. In fact Tuesday morning we decided to go back to the same store picked another kit up for the both uf us. She did her second one Wednesday,....I guess I'll do my second one this weekend. Here are some pictures. I'm not going to put them all on however. As much fun as I was having with Ashley and taking pictures of each step of the project, I looked way haggered in some of them. Anyway,.....enjoy! By the way, after leaving the scrapbook store on Tuesday (we had been to Walmart in Bloomington because we wanted to see Joey in action at his new job as a Pharmacy Tech) we headed over to Washington specifically to get an "In And Out" Burger for lunch. But what I was going to say is we turned on to Bluff Avenue near the Kmart store and guess who we saw walking hand in hand down the sidewalk? Kris and Terry (my cousin and her hubby for those of you that don't know them)! They got back from their mission in Africa not too long ago and are living in Hurricane. Didn't want to honk and scare them but I did wave to them as we drove by.

Happy Birthday Ashley ! ! !

Today is your birthday
It’s been twenty-five years
We couldn’t believe it
When you happily appeared.
Mom and Dad were so happy
Your brothers were too
Don’t want to get all sappy
So Happy Birthday to YOU!
It’s hard to believe that our little girl has turned 25 years old today. It seems like yesterday when we were calling all the family and friends to let them know we had her. She was born at the University of Utah Hospital on November 11, 1983 (our Veterans Day baby) weighing 8 lbs. 15 1/2 oz. and was 21 1/2 long. We were living out at Dugway Proving Grounds at the time. Dave had brought me in for an appointment and they ended up keeping me. They admitted me to the hospital around 11 a.m. and “started” me, however come 10 p.m. I still hadn’t had her so the doctor told the nurse to stop the medicine. He expected to come back in the next morning and “start” me again. Well, funny thing about that medicine and much to the surprise of Dr. Kochenhour ….. once it got me going, there was no stopping. She was born around 5 a.m. that next morning (Friday). While still in the “birthing” room waiting to be taken to our hospital room, Dave turned the television on to the BYU channel. There was an exercise program going and he thought he could talk me in to getting out of bed and start doing the “jumping jacks” and “sit-ups”. Yeah, right! Ashley, we just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday and let you know that you have been the sunshine of our lives and such a joy to us!

We love you !

Utah Utes are GREAT!

What a great game to be at last night! It was a "keep you on the edge of your seat" type of game. TCU was ahead most of the game with a score of 10 to 6 until the last 47 seconds of the game. Utah beat TCU 13 to 10. WOW!!!! There was so much enthusiasm and the fans were going crazy! It was truly awesome to be there. We had fun, and my throat is now raspy from all the yelling I did. The U of U football team stands at 10 and 0. They play San Diego there next weekend, then it is BYU coming to the UofU the following week, I believe. Better explain why going to these games are so important. Dave graduated from the UofU in 1972 along with ROTC. He originally went down on a football scholarship from Davis High, but because he was doing the ROTC thing also, he was told he needed to do one or the other. He decided on the "other" and gave up the scholarship. Anyway, he is a loyal fan which in turn makes me one also. The Utes were sporting their new black uniforms with a little red and white. They asked the fans to wear all black. I would say 90% of them did. It looked really different looking out over the stadium. We thought we would be freezing our behinds off but it was really quite comfortable with a couple of layers on. Ashley is up from St. George and our friend Wally came down from Wyoming for the game. GO UTES!

Now This Is Scarry ! !

BOO ! ! ! !

OK,....I thot' I would post a picture taken at work on Friday, Halloween 2008. This cute (well, maybe not so cute) big rag doll is me as "Raggedy Ann". My co-worker Sunnee is in West Virginia right now on vacation but if she had been here I would like to think she would have dressed as "Raggedy Andy". Over the years while working at the VA, we dress up for Halloween so Sunnee and I have always tried to do our costume themes alike. One year we were big Pumpkins together. We got those orange leaf bags that had pumpkin faces on them, with hats that looked like a leaf and stem of a pumpkin. We started to stuff our bags with dried leaves to make us look bigger around, however they were falling out as quickly as they were being stuffed in. We won the best costume prize that year. Another time we dressed up, her being the nurse with scrubs,stethoscope and first aid kit and me with a band aid around my bloody head with pj's (as the patient), a crutch and a splint boot on my leg. The reason for that one? Well, a day or two before Halloween, another co-worker, Garry was getting in his car the same time Sunnee and I was going to mine. She went around in front of his car, and because I was parked right next to him, I was going behind his. Well,....he started backing up without looking to see if it was safe to do so and almost got me. Hence, the costumes. Another year we were "Yin and Yang". She was the white part of the circle, I was the black side. Another fun year was when we were "Ebony and Ivory". We were dressed as piano keys that actually fit together when standing next to each other, I being Ebony and her being Ivory. You need to know Sunnee to appreciate the way we dressed. It has always been fun for us. We may have won more than one costume contest over the years, but I can't remember any more which ones specifically. Two years ago, the whole office had a theme of being pirates, or something to do with them. I paid a good amount of money for my costume but it was well worth the fun. Last year the theme was the "Blues Brother's". I wore my pinstriped suit, had dark glasses & hat and won the best costume of the women. What fun!

This is what I do when I'm home alone.........

My Yesteryears
By Janette
I Ponder and think and look back on my days
There’s lots to remember, some things are a haze,

But there are those times when in the back of my mind
I dig deep within myself for treasures to find.

My Mom and my Dad played a very big part
In my life’s journey, they gave me my start,
There were four of us girls Mom & Dad was so blessed
Dad feeling out numbered but loving it,….he confessed.

Growing-up on South Main was filled with lots of fun
We had plenty of space to walk, skip and run,
Lots of games we would play, one was “Red Rover, Red Rover”
It was always so fun to send someone right over.

Having the hollow to play in was the best by far
Playing down there was better than going for a ride in the car,
It was a whole different world down in that hollow
Through the brush, mud and water it was fun just to wallow.

At night on the grass in our bags we would sleep
Didn’t take long before we were counting the sheep,
But we’d look up and see the bright stars and the moon
Knowing that morning would come all too soon.

My parents were the best, they sacrificed what they could
To make sure their girls had every thing they should,
There were swimming lessons at Lagoon and matinees to see
We would anticipate weekly the movie displayed on the marquee.

There were music lessons to be had for Cheryl and I
Didn’t do much good to be timid and shy,
Me with my mandolin, her with her guitar
Entertaining we did, we were near and went far.

A new house Dad bought, was pleased as could be
To be able to move his whole family,
To a new home on three-fifty South
He was so proud when he bought that brand new house!

In February of nineteen-sixty one,
The BIG move started, it had already begun,
When Dad said out loud, we have had some luck
“Get packing”, he said “get your stuff on the truck”!

These are just some of the memories I have shared
In the back of my mind nothing can compare,
To what I remember and what is in my heart
Yes,….my Mom and my Dad played a very big part!

I’d like to say more but no more will fit
One of these days there will be more to submit,
To my friends and family I’ll be ready to bare
More of my memories to those who care.

It’s time to stop, and stop I must
There’s things to be done, and things to dust,

Washing the dishes and cleaning the floor
It’s time to start and get on with my chores!

Here's more of Nettie's Stuff

I was going through some "stuff" today and came across this Primary talk that Ashley had given when she was ten years old. The subject was: "I can feel peace in knowing I am a child of God". She started it by saying the words to the song, "I Am A Child of God".

I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here;
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.
I am a child of God,
And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand his words
Before it grows too late.
I am a child of God,
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will,
I’ll live with him once more.
I am a child of God,
His promises are sure;
Celestial glory shall be mine,
If I can but endure.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way,
Teach me all that I must do,…
To live with him some day.

"When I was a little younger than I am now – I would get ready for bed at night,….tell my mom I was ready for her. She would come in to my room. I would say my prayers. She would tuck me in my bed, then lay down beside me, and we would sing together the first verse and the chorus to “I Am A Child Of God”. Every night after singing the song with my mom – and right before I fell asleep, a sense of peace would come over me. I knew I really was a child of God. And I knew he would watch over me through the night, and take care of me, and bless me. And help me get up the next morning to start a brand new day. I knew that then,…and I know it now. And even though my mom and I don’t sing the song at night anymore, I still get ready for bed, --- I call to her and tell her I am ready for her, --- she comes in and sits with me and listens to my prayers. She gets up and tucks me in, then bends down to give me a kiss goodnight --- and tells me she loves me. She quietly walks out of my room. I lay there and still think about this song, and I still feel the peace in knowing that, … and that he is still there to watch over me. I know my Heavenly Father & Jesus loves me. {Ending normal for a church talk}

I was not able to be at church the day she gave this talk because I was out of state on training for my job with BLM. I did help her put it together before I left, but with the subject that it was,....it was her idea to talk about our nightly activities when she was younger. I was told by all that did get to hear her talk that she did a wonderful job and she had all kinds of people in tears. She truly did know that she was a "Child of God" and when she presented it, they say that the "spirit" was definitely present. This talk was given about a month before she was hit by a car while we were living in Kemmerer, WY. She was a real trooper during the whole incident from the time the lady got out of her car and ran over to where Ashley lay to when the police got there (her daddy was at home getting ready to go on duty when he got the phone call) and to the hospital in Kemmerer, then the whole trip down to SLC in the ambulance. She didn't shed one tear the EMT's told me even tho' she was in horrific pain after I met them at Primary Childrens. I was already in SLC when the accident happened and met the ambulance there. Anyway,....when she lay there and the lady that hit her tried to move her, she had enough wits about her that she told her just to leave her where she was. She also said (by the way, this accident happened about 2 months after her Grandpa Sprankle passed away) that her Grandpa was there and he told her to just lay still and everything would be ok. She knew with her Guardian Angel (Grandpa) there and Heavenly Father, she was going to be taken care of and that she really wasn't afraid. When she told me this about Grandpa, chills ran down my spine. I truly feel that the same "sense of peace" she felt in knowing she was a "Child of God" came upon her again after she had been hit and she knew she would be ok, just like Grandpa told her. My Mom and Dad came to the hospital and when the doctor showed them the xray that had been taken, Dad said that it reminded him of a broken tree branch with all the splinters sticking out from it. (It was a compound francture of both the Tibia and Fibia (sp?) bones. Soon my sisters came and some of my nieces and was there with Dave and I when they took her in to surgery, which lasted about 3 hours or so. Anwyway, I just started thinking about all of this after finding her handwritten talk today and wanted to share it with whom ever read it. It certainly was a hard day and six more months to get through but I realize no matter how hard some things are for us to bare during our lives, there are always other's that have challenges to face that are much worse than our own and our's really aren't so bad.

Happy Anniversary to Ashley and Joey

Just wanted to wish Ashley and Joey a Happy Anniversary!!!! It's hard to believe that it has been three years already since your BIG DAY. I'm posting the poem I wrote for Ashley's wedding. Sioux read it for me at the bridal shower at Whitey's house. I knew I couldn't have gotten through it myself, and although she didn't volunteer to read it, she was kind enough to read it for me when asked.

To Ashley With Love
From your Mother
On November eleven, nineteen-eighty-three
The Sprankle family was jumping and shouting with glee
Born to Dave and Janette a perfect little girl
She certainly had our hearts in a whirl!
This new little life to us all did touch
She had her two big brother’s hearts in a clutch.
Christopher and Nathan were so proud of their sister
Often they would argue who was going to hold her.
You could say she was Christopher’s 10th birthday present
Nathan was excited and much in amazement
Daddy was the proud Papa, she was the “apple of his eye”,
And well Mommy, she was so happy all she could do was cry.
You’ve added sunshine to our family in so many ways
Your cute little smile lit up all our days
Everybody loved you and thought you were special
You surrounded us all in a colorful dazzle
The years have come and the years have gone
It’s been over twenty-one-years, you’re ready to move on
You have met your soul-mate and ready to be his wife
His name is Joseph,…no doubt he’ll make you a happy life
When I think of the wonderful new life you will live
I think of the happiness and love to Joey you’ll give
So go on, be happy and never have any doubts
He is the one you have chosen, it’s time for a new route.
Never forget the dreams you have always had
Always remember the love of your Mom and Dad
We are giving you to Joey who will love and protect
But never forget we are still here in every aspect.

Ashley, we want you to always be happy, and no matter how old you grow, you will always and forever be “Daddy’s Little Princess” and “Mommy’s Little Girl”. Remember I love you all the way to Heaven and back, and always will!!!

Love you,
Mom
10/2005

Fall

Fall Is A Beautiful Time of Year
By: Janette
Pumpkins, Pumpkins everywhere
The smell of Fall is in the air.
Vibrant colors all around
On the mountains and on the ground.
Orange and brown and yellow and gold

Not much longer til’ it is cold.

Shorter days and longer nights

Gives us lesser broad day light.
This is my favorite time of year
When the harvest moon appears.
Crunchy leaves under my feet
Yes it’s time to turn up the heat.
When the wind begins to blow
Pretty soon,… here comes the snow!

These Are The Boots That Our Dad Wore

The weekend before last I was sitting at the computer thinking a lot about my Dad, in fact I'm always thinking about him. It's hard not to,.....especially this time of year when the annual "Pumkin Pickin Party" is in the works and plans are being made for the event. Last October was the first one without Dad. Mom was a real trooper and was out in the pumpkin patch standing in for him. Pictures were taken of all the great-grandkids that live down here and Mom with their pumpkins. A group picture was taken of all of them sitting on the lawn with Mom behind them. What memories come to mind! I'm not sure, but I believe this will be the 6th party. It's scheduled this Saturday the 18th. The first party was Clydene's grandchildren I believe, and now it's every year with as many of the greats that can come. What fun it is too! Anyway while I was at the computer I started thinking of this poem that involves Dad's work boots. KC had taken a picture of both boots Clydene planted with geraniums in them in the Spring. Now that those flowers are gone, Clydene made arrangements in them,....one for her and one for Mom. So I started thinking that I'd like to get pictures of all three arrangements. Then Clydene said she would try and put an arrangement together that would represent Winter since we felt we had the Spring, Summer and Fall ones,... and that she did! (Or we thought the four pictures could represent us "4" girl's birthday months,...December {Cheryl}, August {Janette}, November (Denice & Clydene}. Anyway, KC was kind enough to put my poem with the pictures of Dad's boots. She did about 4 different styles. This one in my post is the picture Mom liked most. (Here's to you PaPa,...bet you never thought a picture of your boots would be on a Blog with flowers in them, eh? We love ya!) I hope you all can read it. I thought you could double-click on it to make it bigger, but I don't think it works. I may need some help in figuring it out. I inserted the poem below the picture if you do have a hard time reading it.
Here it goes,......
.....

These Are The Boots That Our Dad Wore
By: Janette
When he worked in the garden outdoors,
And When he went out to do all his chores.
In the yard when he planted the old tree stump,
And when he took the rubbish to the dump.
When the horses he would help feed,
And in the garden planting his seeds.
When he took the dog for her walk,
Or when he unloaded his boat from the dock.
When he was outside to those who passed by,
With those boots on he would wave and say “Hi”.
Now they are a beautiful planter,
With flowers planted inside of all colors.
Yes,…these are the Boots that our Dad wore,
BUT NOT in the house on the floor!

Columbus Day - Oct. 12th

I often wonder what it might have been like if Columbus didn't leave to come and discover America? Would things have worked out the same as they did if it had not been him who sailed the ocean blue? It's funny the difference in the stories and how they go,....some of them. I'm greatful that it was he who discovered the lands that he did because without him , how long would it have been before America was actually discovered? The year 1492 is so long ago,...like was there really that time in time that we hear so much about today? I wonder. I enjoy that we will be off work this coming Monday. And I enjoy the fact that I may get to see some of my kids because I'm not working. I remember back in 1980 for the Columbus Day holiday, I packed my two little boys up in our Toyota station wagon and headed for Fort Indian Town Gap, PA (from North Carolina) where Dave had been for a while after the new Cuban exodus started on April 23. He originally was in Miami, FL for quite some time until they started disbursing a number of the Cubans around the United States. He ended up in PA which was good because it had been 15 years earlier when his family moved from there to Utah. Even though the reason he was there was not a pleasant one, it was nice that my little guys and I could drive up there and visit Dave and some of the relatives and friends that were still there at the time. (If there are any of you traveling this weekend, we hope that you drive safely and return back home again soon enough to get rested up and ready to start the rest of the week in whatever way you spend your weeks). I know where I'll be after the weekend. Below is the complete 1492 poem. I couldn't remember it all,....never did memorize it I guess. Maybe when you start reading it, it will take you back to that period in time and you can reflect on "Columbus Day" and what it means to you. Enjoy the story (Columbus Day History) from the "Alphabet-Soup" website and the poem I "googled" for. Have a goodnight all! (READ ON)

COLUMBUS DAY HISTORY: Christopher Columbus was a great explorer who lived long, long ago. He traveled across a big ocean with three ships called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. The three ships traveled together so that if one had trouble, the others could help. At night Columbus used stars to find his way. In the daytime he used a tool called a compass.Once, after sailing a long time, Columbus and his men thought they had landed in India. Columbus called the people he met there Indians. But he wasn't in India at all. He was in America. The year was 1492 and the date was October 12. He landed on an island now known as San Salvador.In 1934 President Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 as Columbus Day. It is now celebrated throughout the Americas, in Puerto Rico, Central and South America, and Canada. Columbus Day is now observed on the second Monday in October.

IN 1492

In fourteen hundred ninety-two

Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He had three ships and left from Spain;

He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.
He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.
A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.
Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.
Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.
Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.
October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!
"Indians! Indians!" Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.
But "India" the land was not;

It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.

The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.
Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he'd been told.
He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain. The first American?

No, not quite.But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.

FOR COLUMBUS DAY - Long ago most people thought the world was flat.....we know it's not. Columbus said, "The world is round!" that's how America was found.

The Nina, the Pinta and the Flagship, Santa Maria

UPDATE ON SADIES DIET - FIRST FOLLOWUP VISIT

Does this look like a happy pup or what? I know you have all been anxiously awaiting results of the first followup visit for Sadie's diet,....right? Well, I know she wanted to tell you all herself, but she's pretty tired tonight and asked that I give you all her news. Ashley and I went over to Dr. Moss at the Kaysville clinic. Izee had to have stitches removed from her spaying surgery that didn't totally dissolve. Harlee was in for her first round of shots. The doctor had us put Sadie on the scale, and much to our amazement it appeared that she had lost 6 1/2 lbs.! WOW! But that concerned Dr. Moss. He didn't want her to lose that much that quickly. So we weighed her again. Our little darlin' had actually only lost 3 1/2 lbs., which is still really good according to the doctor. She started out at 51 1/2 lbs. on September 1st. She went back in yesterday for her followup visit and after weighing her a second time, she weighed in at 47 1/2 lbs. ! ! ! ! So folks, you can see how excited we must be. We are trying to decide where she has lost this few pounds. I was thinking it may be at the base of her tail on her behind,....it doesn't seem like the roll of fat is there anymore. Or, I told Ashley it may be in her neck because her chain collar doesn't seem to be as tight. Oh well,...maybe it's just too soon to say for sure, ya' think? Anyway, the doctor seemed quite thrilled with the results, and told her to keep up the good work. His first goal for her is to weigh 40 lbs. Once we get her there, he may want her to lose another 5 lbs. for a total weight of 35 lbs. We'll see! Stay tuned,.....next update towards the end of October. Good girl Sadie, we are soo proud of you and we love you!

On The Road Again - Part I

Dave had an assignment down south of Moab this morning, so because it was my regular day off (RDO) and an annual leave day (he obviously worked his scheduled time off) so he invited me to go with him. We got on the road about 9:30 a.m. Monday. According to the “talking” GPS unit, (which by the way I wished us girls had on our trip to Grand Junction), Moab is 4 hours from home (Kaysville). It was raining pretty much the whole way down to the Spanish Fork Canyon exit. Once we started heading up on Highway 6, the rain had stopped. I had called Mom before we got off the interstate to check on her and let her know we were on our way, and if it stopped raining we were going to stop in the canyon to go check out this cemetery us girls had noticed on our way up the canyon heading towards Grand Junction. Dave and I ended up stopping and I am so glad we did! It was well worth the 15 minutes we took off the road. It’s called “Mill Fork Cemetery”. What a history this place has! I “Google”ed on the name and added “Spanish Fork Canyon” to the search. Apparently some of the people (including children) met some violent deaths. There are 17 burials in the cemetery with some other information. This link tells of the tragic deaths of half of the known people buried in the cemetery: http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/249781/ It’s pretty interesting reading if you have time to sit down and look at it. The following link tells a little bit of the history of Mill Fork town: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_Fork,_Utah. (You may have to copy and paste these addresses in your browser. I can’t seem to open them here). These are the directions on how to get there: Take the US 6 exit (#261) off I-15 heading east. Travel up Spanish Fork Canyon on US 6 for 24.3 miles. There is a dirt road on the north side of the hwy here. Turn up this road. It leads to a small parking area. The footbridge west of the parking area crosses a drainage ditch and the path on the other side leads to the cemetery. (East of railway marker, 1.4 mile up on a hill). Anyway, if you are interested, visit these two sites. I hope you find it as interesting as we did. This information was posted at the cemetery and we thought it was interesting. "Mill Fork, Utah": "As one looks upon Mill Fork today it is hard to visualize it as it was before the turn of the century. There were three saw mills inn Mill Fork Canyon. Here ties were cut out of Spruce, Pine or whatever was available. It helped supply ties for the Rio Grande Railroad and two branch lines. Also the lumber was used to build homes here at Mill Fork, and up and down the canyon. There were three Charcoal Kilns located along the highway just west of this cemetery. Men with teams and wagons cut Pinion Pine to burn in these kiln. One can walk for miles on the north side of the highway from Sheep Creek to Tie Fork and count thousands of Pinion Pine stumps left standing. My mother, Hannah Chadwick Atwood told me many times of the upper Charcoal Kilns located about three or four miles east of here, near Garner Hollow. Father lived about one-half mile east of this cemetery along the side of the hill. I had two brothers born here. Many homes were built here in its early life. Some were located across the river to the south on the large flat. Others were built back in some of the side canyons. Some were rock dug-outs. There was a general store and tour section houses for the railroad employees. In 1885 a large water tank was built along the tracks. There was a reservoir located about three-fourth to one-half mile up Mill Fork Canyon that fed the tanks with gravity flow water. As a young man, I worked on the section and had to help maintain the reservoir. There were farms along the river where ever there was a level spot. Beautiful potatoes were grown up here, also hay and grain. Men worked on the section, for the Charcoal Kiln and other means to make a living. Mother said they had dances held in the school house between here and Sheep Creek to the west. A cousin of mine burned it down so he wouldn’t have to go to school. Mother said they made their own fun visiting eah other, and with house socials. About two hundred fifty people lived here and around Mill Fork at its peak. When I was a small boy I lived at Old Tucker. A school bus, driven by Merther Davis, picked up the children along the highway. In 1930-1935 there were at least twenty-five children riding this bus. Some were picked up here at Mill Fork to go to school at Thistle and Spanish Fork." “Mill Fork Cemetery References”: The Atwood section is on the north and the following buried here. Grandpa Aaron Chadwick, Grandma Ida Viola Winder Chadwick; Dads two sons, Durward Atwood and Thayne A. Atwood, two Cousins, Philex Chadwick, Olive F. LaDam and Parris Ballard, and his wife; Aunt Ida Viola Chadwick Ballard are also buried here. Note: “All work has been performed in the temple for these souls”. The south section belongs to the Elliott Family. In this part of the cemetery are Edson W. Elliott, Mary M. Elliott, Myrtle Elliott, Carol L. Elliott, and Mary E. Jensen. The section on the west contains thirteen or fourteen travelers killed in Indian Massacre. There is a possibility that others are also buried in this section. All information came from the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by Andrew Jensen, Assistant church Historian, Page 504 Mill Fork was a brethern of the Palmyra Stake Utah County in Spanish Fork, Utah. The cemetery is cared for and maintained by George D. Atwood and Family, and was given the charge to do so by my mother, Hannah Ellen Chadwick Atwood. The Elliott descendents help. Also we have a family organization who meets here on the 3rd Saturday in March to do a general cleanup. Edison W. Elliott was married to my father’s sister Mary Ellen Atwood. She is buried in Utah Valley. My father and mother, Walter A. and Hannah Ellen Chadwick Atwood are buried in Spanish Fork City Cemetery. There is still work to be done around the cemetery, rock work, etc. Roy John of Spanish Fork made and helped put in the new arch way by the highway. Many friends also helped". - George D. and Christie S. Atwood.
We made our way up to Price, UT and stopped for lunch. By the way Mom and Sisters, there is a lot more to Price than what I thought. Now I am wondering if we were really ever in the town of Price at all!