just some thoughts...actually a lot of thoughts!!!

My mom is getting ready to go on a month long cruise. I was excited for her . She loves to travel especially with her "hiking buddies" is what I like to call them, because when I was young we would go hiking and camping and biking and four wheeling and cross contry skiing and snow mobiling, but mostly hiking with them all the time!! I need to find me a fun little group like that!! Anyways When she told me she was leaving for that long it made me a little sad. I have starting going over there quite frequently and I have come to enjoy it so much!!! It is even better watching my children bond with my mom. My brother Clay and I decided to get her an early christmas present for her trip a camera and so we thought we would give it to her on Sunday Dinner. Sunday dinner use to be an weekly thing that my whole family use to do every Sunday. It all started wtih my dad, when my mom went to Europe for a month. My Grandparents invited my dad to come to dinner every Sunday and so he did. It has been a tradition that I have come to love. When I was young I loved to go to my grandparents and play wtih my cousins, but now that I am older I love that I have a reason to go visit my grandparents every week, because for some reason we tend to need reasons to ssee people that we love. But it has been a great way to keep our family to see each other although lately to seems we don't get together as much as we should. When Bryce and I first started dating it took me a while to invite him to sunday dinner. My grandma instantly loved Bryce she liked flirting with him. She even gave him her picture of when she was younger! But things got complicated and soon it became a struggle with Bryce and I whose family we would spent time with on Sundays! It really irratated me at first, but now I am glad that we went through that struggle long before we ever got married. It was really hard for me to detatch myself from my family that I grew up with and the one that I building wtih Bryce. I think it was a hard adjustment for my mom too especially since Bryce and I started dating right after my dad died. I always use to side wtih my mom about everything no one was ever allowed to get mad at her. I had her back no matter what!! But Bryce and my mom didn't always see eye to eye on everything and it tore me up. I wasn't sure where my illiance was. Anyways I feel like things are better now back to where they use to be, and I think that my kids have helped with that. My mom had brought over a friend from her past. She knew him from Swan Lake. My grandpa told me that the first time that she went there she went kicking and screaming, but once she met some of the guys there. She seemed to have a pretty good time. The next year my grandparent told her that she could bring a friend, but she said I don't want to share those boys with a friend, Steve, my moms friend, just so happends to be one of the boys. and he is single too I might add. I always thought that if my mom ever wanted to re-marry I would be totally okay with that. I only want her to be happy, but there was something about seeing Steve there that brought a flood of emotions that I didn't expect. I still wouldn't mind if my mom wanted to re-marry, but oh man do I miss my dad. I wish he was here to see what amazing kids I have. Steve sharred some stories with me about my mom and dad when they were younger. He said that he instantly had a conection wtih my mom. He felt like he was friends wtih one of the Dallas cheerleaders. She was so gorgeous and full of life. I have seen pictures of my mom when she was younger I know she was gorgeous, but it made me happy to hear someone talk about her like that. I have always that that she was an amazing mom, but seeing how much my kids love her just makes me love her even more. When we first got to dinner Ryann every minute wanted to go tell Granny something. Her head couldn't fit through all the chairs and so she ran all the way through to kitchen to get to the other side of the table so that she could talk to granny and then she would come back just so she could ask me if she could go talk to granny again. I loved it, but I think my mom loved it even more!! Major was no exception as soon as he saw my mom, he wanted her and only her! and if she set him down then he would just sit there and cry and cry until she picked him up again. I sure do miss my dad, but I am so thankful that I still have my mom here and it made me realize that I don't want to take advantage of that. I saw steve this past week at grandmas again. My mom was still on her trip...made me think of the story of my dad. Who knows what will happen!

A veteran story

It being veterans Day I thought I would share a story from one of my favorite veterans My dad served in the Vietnam war, and every so often they would have to do a fitness test. Part of this included jumping out of airplanes. My dad hated this the most of all the obsticles that he had to do, and it didn't help that he had sprained his ankle a couple of days before his test. He told me that he knelt down to says his prayers the night before his test and pleaded with Heavenly Father to help him with his test that he might be able to pass it. He said that he called upon the blessings of the word of wisdom. He had always stived to live the word of wisdom, and to keep his body healthy. When he woke up in the morning his ankle still hurt, but he was able to do what he needed to pass the test. Not only was my dad a patriot, but he was also hard working, and a man of God. My dad never talked about Vietnam in fact I know very little about that war. This was the only story that I had ever heard of his experience, and he wasn't even the only who told it to me, it was another guy in my ward when I was younger who was substituting for one of my teachers in sunday school. I am grateful that he told someone his story. My dad was a quite man. He wasn't one who shared his feelings a whole lot, and like I said before we never talked about Vietnam, but one day in priesthood our bishop who wasn't the bishop at the time, probably one of the nicest guys you would ever meet. he would never say anything to offend anyone, but he was speaking light about the Vietnam War, and my dad got up and put him back in his place. He reminded them that many people haven't had to see the things that he saw and that it isn't something we should talk about so lightly. I think that is a good reminder for all of us. It sure did make an impression on Bryce!! Happy Veterans Day Daddy I miss you so much! On a side note today is my grammy's 86th Birthday, the kiddos and I made her a card that had their handprints and footprints on it. It made my grandma light up. She showed to everyone at least 3 times. It made me happy that she liked her card so much! My grammy is losing her memory quite fast. Just her short term stuff. She tells me the same stories whenever I go over there, but I don't mind. Today however she told me a story that I hadn't heard in a while! She told me the story of the day she met my grandpa. We joked that she robbed the craddle because he is a year and a half younger than she is. She said that when she first met him she thought that she would introduce him to her younger sister since they were closer in age, but more she got talking to my grandpa she decided that she didn't want to introduce him to anyone!!! She told her sister "Go find your own Rulon!" and so that is exactly what her sister did! She married a Rulon too! My grandpa owned his own business for a while called Jordan Builders, and my grandma work right along side with him doing his book work and managing the money. The more that I think about that the more I am amazed that they could work in a business together. I think Bryce would probably want to kill me!!! Grandma said that sometimes things got tight, but he would give his money to the employees first and then take whatever was left over, and sometimes that wasn't much of anything, especially after paying tithing but they lived off of bread and milk and they always managed to get by. I love that about my grandpa it is so rare to see that in people! Grandpa said that when he proposed to my grandma he made her propose to him next. Marriage was a joint effort that they both had to be commited to, and I think that they have done a pretty good job at it just as long as my grandpa doesn't call my grandma "the Boss". We sang Happy Birthday to my grandma 3 times. Ryann had been eyeing that pink birthday cake all night, but I told her that we had to wait to sing happy birthday. She said okay I will sing happy birthday to her, and started singing away. My grandma didn't hear her, so we all sang it again! Now can we have some birthday cake Ryann asked? Jeanne told her that she would go get the spatula so that she could serve it, and when she came back Ryann asked again. Now can we have some pink birthday cake, not yet my grandma said you have to sing happy birthday to me first!! and so we did!! Just like we were singing it for the first time!! Grammy was grinning ear to ear!! I would have sung it to her 10 more times if she wanted it. Ya just never know when it is goig to be the last.