Nana and Papa's Blog

Karen Cancer

2011-02-13T12:30:00.013-05:00

Over the past four months I have been battling cancer. It has been a road that I have grown from and found faith, hope and most of all love from all who have participated in this journey with me. Here are some pictures that I would love to share. When my hair started to fall out I asked Katie to cut it for me. I know how hard it was for her, but we had some fun doing it.

We even did a Mohawk, just for fun. But soon it all had to go. I really don't mind being bald. It is more comfortable that a wig.

One of the treatment rooms. This blanket was made for me by Brian and Michelle. I love the breast cancer hearts. It is very warm and soft.
I stayed in school and here I am doing homework and listening to Jazz. I really couldn't keep from dancing.

Now that I am almost through with this part of this battle I can truly say that it has been a blessing. I feel yucky only about four days out of the treatment cycle but then it gets better. The Dr. say that they can't find the masses anymore by touch which is fantastic and a blessing from my Heavenly Father, through faith and prayers of everyone that I know. I will be okay and this too shall pass. Thank you again for all of your love and support.

Long Time

2010-03-22T18:53:00.007-04:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted anything. School is really getting to me. I will be glad to have the summer off. But that hasn't been as bad as the snow this year. It has been cold since Oct. and lots of snow. This is a picture of our table on our deck just about two weeks ago.
Finally this week all of the snow is gone. It helped having weather in the high 60's and low 70's.
Beside school; I have started my own business. I purchased a vinyl plotter/cutter and off I went. I have had 2 jobs complete and 3 more to do. It is a lot of fun and I will be glad when I can quit work and just do this. The name of my company is:
This is the front of my brochure. My cards look like this:
Jim thought of the idea to use the vinyl on different items to show what I do. I have to thank Jenn for putting up with all of the phone calls to help me get going. I am really enjoying it and now if I can just make more money.

The rest of the news is that we are busy this year with three new grand-babies coming. Two on my side and one on Jim's.

Karen's Birthday

2009-08-06T17:54:00.016-04:00

For my birthday Jim decided to surprise me and take me to Cape Cod Mass. It was a place that I had never been but heard so much about all of my life. It was such an adventure. Friday night we went to Melissa and Bob's for ribs, corn on the cob and cake. It was a great meal, also some very nice gifts. Thanks to Melissa's family and Laura. Thanks to Abby for the great birthday cake. Then up bright and early to the Cape we went. At the very tip is a town called Provincetown. It is very artsy, and we had a great time looking in all of the fun stores, and watching people.
Last year we found the famous Old North Church with Julie and this year we found the Old South Church. I thought that was funny that it was advertised here in Provincetown. Jim's comment was "I never knew there was an Old South Church"!

This is the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum. It is the tallest granite monument in the USA, it is 250 feet tall. The granite came from Maine. This was the first landing of the Mayflower Pilgrims in 1620. (thanks to Julie for talking to me while I climb this so I could breath right and not need to use my inhaler).

From the top of the tower the view out toward the Atlantic Ocean.
View of the bay from the top.Looking up and down the tower. It is a very long way.

Jim on the way down.

Us after the walk up and down the tower. We don't even look winded. (Jenn, this is the picture that we were taking when you called)
Jim certainly caught me just over one and half years ago.

It wouldn't be a day at Cape Cod with out going to the beach. I even got into the water. It was cold but very nice.
We had dinner at a Lobster Restaurant in Hyannis Port. This is where the Kennedy compound is. It is also where you catch the ferry boat to go to Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. Thanks to all who made my birthday great. Especially my sweet husband.

Hike with Dave at the reunion

2009-08-06T15:39:00.024-04:00

At the reunion in June while we were at the beach Dave decided that he wanted to go on a hike really early in the morning. The only people that he could get to go with him was Papa, Anna, Kim and Hadley. They left the house at 6:00 AM and got back around noon. It was a fun time for all.

The girls along the trail.
Each of the girls had to look through the roots of a tree.

The all love see the roots from this angle. It was fun to see how big the trees are.

It was a little cold that morning so the girls took every chance to cuddle.
Over the river and through the woods to where no one knows. Well maybe Dave!
Walking can be tiring Hadley needed a ride for just a little while. The swing bridge behind now more trail to hike.

The girls ready to leave the forest and head down to the beach.

Dave leading the way out of the woods to the beach. What an adventure.

Walking along the beach just to see what they could find.

Crossing a small stream going to look in the cave and find what lives there. They all got a little wet crossing this very small stream. It got bigger each time because the tide was coming in. Glad more people didn't come.

A starfish, is what they found they took it off of the rocks and let each of the girl hold one and here is papa taking his turn.
Here they are inside of the cave. There was more that just starfish.

The tide was out but coming back in, so they could see lots of sea animals, including starfishes. Which is what they are pointing at.

A large root ball of a tree that fell. Now this is a big tree. Anna on top of Papa's shoulders. Kim and Hadley looking on.
The end to a perfect hike. With lots of water, caves and trees.

Fun at Julie's

2009-03-30T11:16:00.017-04:00

On our way home we stopped at Kirtland to see some of the Church History sites there. It was great to see. I hadn't ever been there and it was very impressive.We went into the School of the Prophets room it had such a great spirit there. I really enjoyed our time there. I look forward to going back and seeing more church history sites. This year we went to Palmyra, Nauvoo, and Kirtland. At the Visitors Center they had on display these bronze statues that a women did of the life and miracles of Christ. It was so great. Our favorite one was the one of raising Lazarus. If you have a chance to see them you should. The details are amazing.
While we were at Julie's we celebrated our 1st Anniversary. We decided to go and see Nauvoo. We went to the temple and visited a number of sights. Then we drove back to Julie's. It was a great day.

Sights of Nauvoo

I know that all of you have seen the pictures of Amelia and our visit but here are some of our favorites.

I love how Miya is just touching Amelia so lightly. I think this really shows how much she loves her little sister.

Julie put on the picture of Miya a little happier and me not so much but this is the other one. Me happier and Miya not so much.
Brian and Michelle waiting for pictures so they could get on the road to their new home.

Papa soon became the favorite to play with. I think it is because he was so much fun and always gave good rides on his back.
It was Papa and my job to entertain the children. We had so much fun with Austin, Spencer, Logan and Miya.

Miya is so glad that dad is still around.
First time seeing Amelia not really sure what to think.

Finishing up with Winter

2009-03-30T11:01:00.007-04:00

For New Years Eve and Day, Missy and Bob invited us to come up and go skiing with them and Abby, Matt, and Ryan. We were very excited and had a great time. NO! we didn't end up in the hospital nor did we break or hurt anything, just a little stiff. Thanks Missy, Bob and Kids for a great time.

Ready for another day of skiing.
Jim was doing great going off ski jumps and skiing like a pro.
Looking good I do remember how to ski! :)
Missy and I had a good time riding the chair lift and talking.

Getting ready for a day of skiing. It has been about ten years since I skied. Jim skied two years ago. He really got going and wanted to keep up with Abby, Matt, and Ryan.

The reason we needed to be ants during the summer

2009-03-16T11:26:00.023-04:00

Why we need so much wood. . .

First the ice storm came and we were without power for 7 days. . .

Then the snow started. . .

It came and came and came. . .

I was beginning to wonder if it would ever go away. . .

Then Brian and Michelle moved here and we got even more snow. . .

Austin, Lucas, and Papa built a snowman and it was okay again to have so much snow. But I will be glad when spring comes.

Staying warm through the winter because we are ants

2009-02-25T20:29:00.028-05:00

From the very beginning. Our pile started out very small and grew. I hope that you enjoy our journey from the beginning of us being ants to us enjoying our hard work each day during this long hard winter.

Here the wood is cut down and some split in the woods.

It just keeps growing

Out of the woods we come.

Just a few more piece to cut and split.
All the wood split and ready to go into the shed.
Jim was taking pictures of me from on top of the pile and slipped he ended up chipping his ankle bone. I couldn't get him out from behind the pile so I had to call 911 and have them move some of the pile to get the gurney in to take him out.

The results of Jim's fall

The young men of our ward came out and put the wood in the wood shed and stacked it for us I am so glad that they wanted to do service for us.
The pile is ready to keep us warm I am so grateful to have the wood.

The wood stove is all ready to go with wood next to it and everything. Boy has it been a long time coming.

Here we are enjoying all of our hard work all summer this is why we did it. So nice when the wind, ice, snow is going on outside we are safe and warm.

NYC at Christmas

2008-12-24T14:28:00.031-05:00

For our Christmas presents to each other we decided to go to NYC for the Christmas season. It was so much fun. We spent a couple of days just touring around and seeing the sights. I love NYC and so does Jim. This was a perfect gift for us to share.

Jim and I took the subway to Canal st. He usually takes a taxi but I talked him into trying the subway. It was really an adventure. Of course everything we do is an adventure.

The first thing that we did when we got to NYC was go to Canal street to do some shopping. Jim was there a long time ago and I was there just a couple of years ago with my sisters. So it was fun to go back. We ended up in a van. Jim wouldn't get in. The lady kept saying you get in and Jim would say no. I couldn't believe how many police were there this time. It kinda took the fun out of it, especially since everyone thought Jim was an undercover cop. The sales people wouldn't help or show us anything. So we bought a couple of items below the asking price and left.

We had lunch at Bubba Gumps in Times Square. The city is so festive at this time of the year. After lunch we headed out for some serious shopping.

This is one of the windows on the tour of department store windows. It was so fun to look at all of the windows and how they were decorated. The stores went all out. The Sleigh rocked back and forth. The picture really doesn't do it justice.

This is Santa checking the naughty and nice list. Notice who is standing in front of this window. Of course we all know which list he is on. That is why I am not standing there.

Of course we had to go to the famous F. A. O. Schwarz toy store. It was great to go into and see everything that they had.

This is the door man. He was so nice. He let people take pictures of him with their children, wives, and families.

Dolls Dolls everywhere. I love dolls. I couldn't decided which one I wanted to buy, so I didn't get any. There where so many to choose from. Jim said it looked like a pediatric ward.

This Darth Vader is made up of lego's Ryan is really into lego's so I had to this picture for him.

We went to Saint Patrick's Cathedral. They had a large nativity in there. It was so neat but the baby was missing. They said that it was because he wasn't born yet. I thought to my self well then the shepherds and the wise men shouldn't be there either, but it was still neat. Jim bought me a beautiful nativity from there. This I believe is number 77.

The tree at Rockefeller Center. It was so pretty. It was so much fun to be in NYC for the holiday season.

This is us in front of Rockefeller Center. It was such a great day. The wind was blowing but not to cold and not snowing or raining.

We decided to go ice skating at the Center. It was something that I had seen in so
many movies that I thought it would be so much fun. We had to stand in line for some time and the rink had a lot of people there some had never skated and some were really good. But most were like Jim and I skated once a long time ago and was trying it again. I would say we did pretty good no trips to the hospital. :)

Yes, I fell down but nothing hurt except my ego. I was trying to turn to take a picture of Jim coming up behind me and down I went. Jim said wait right there until I take a picture, so by the time he was done I really had a wet bottom.

Jim, enjoyed himself even if it took a little while to remember how to skate. He might not look like a professional (pathetic) but at least he didn't fall.

Here I am showing how great I really can skate. But I tell you right now it is a lot of work and I realized that for 2009 I will need to get into better shape if I want to do this again.

We got pretty good towards the end of our skating. We had such a great time. I just kept saying that I can't believe that we were there ice skating at Rockefeller Center.

We thought about which show we wanted to go and see while we were in NY and finally decided that we wanted to go and see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. I had heard all about them since I was a little girl and was really excited to go and see the show.

This is inside of the theater it was great to be there. I have always wanted to see them and I have enjoyed dancing since I was 3.

This is at the end of the Rockettes' Christmas show. It was so neat that they portrayed the birth of Christ. I was really surprised and thrilled. It was the perfect ending of our trip.

Decorating and getting the tree for this year.

2008-12-23T21:31:00.017-05:00

This is the tree we liked right? I think it will be just right but it might be a little tall for our 7 ft ceiling. The branches look sturdy enough to hold all of the big balls that we have.

Jim cutting down our tree from a tree farm just up the street from where we live. Of course, he knows all about cutting down trees.

Me pulling the tree out to the car while Jim takes the pictures:) not really I just held it so that it looked like I was helping while Jim actually did all of the work.

Bringing the tree home. We got a new car and I am so glad that it is a SUV. It wasn't large enough for our tree, so we drove with the tree hanging out the back.

All of the grandkids were so excited to help do the decorating of the tree. It was really a great night and made the whole Christmas time come alive for us.

Abby on the stool to reach the high branches. I thought this picture was so cute of her.

Laura holding Carter and talking to Dillon. If you look close to the table it is full of Jolly Jolly Treats. Everyone could not believe how they could have anything that their hearts desired.

Everyone having fun those not decorating the tree were playing scrabble or just talking, but eating no matter what the other activity was.

Lucas, and Beau really liked the branch right in front all of their bulbs needed to be placed right there.

This is a picture of everyone that helped decorate our tree.

After decorating the tree and eating treats we gave each one of the grandchildren their Christmas gifts. But before they could open them we wanted a happy picture of them all. So this is what we got. I am not sure if there are smiles or grimaces.
The children for those of you that don't know them are Abby, Matt, Dillon, Tyler, Lucas holding Carter, Beau, Mason and Ryan.

We had a great time and hope more of the family can be here next year.

Family Reunion at Our Home

2008-12-02T08:46:00.010-05:00

In October the Jim's side of the family decided they wanted to come and camp out at our home. So most of them showed up and we had a great time. Here they are on a walk in the forest behind our home. The hole in the ground was put they decades ago. We are not really sure if it was a root celler for a home.

The grandkids had a lot of fun. Trying to carve pumpkins, and working on the tree house. Along with swinging on the tree swing and moving the wood to make them a fort.

After dark we played games. I actually got someone to play games with me. They usually don't play games they just sit around and talk. So I was really excited to teach them Hand and Foot. We only played it once and then wanted to go out and enjoy the fire that Jim had built.

Turtles

2008-12-02T08:37:00.002-05:00

If you remember last May we found the turtle that Jim had come to his home for the past 4 years. We waited all summer for the babies to hatch. We had just about given up hope when our neighbor found one and told us about them. For the rest of the day we looked for babies. We ended up finding 5 alive and helped them across the road to the stream. We found three smashed in the road. It will be fun to see if she come back this next year and we have more babies.

Yearly Trip

2008-12-02T08:07:00.011-05:00

This last summer Jim went with most of his family on their yearly canoe trip. They have been doing this river for the past 17 years. They had a lot of fun and there were about 20-30 people this year. This is their camp site. The gang

They had lots of fun, face painting, dancing, playing baseball and of course eating.

Jim and Lisa's Dad at the camp site.

Headed home.

Cliff Island with Missy and Family

2008-11-26T21:41:00.016-05:00

We were invited to go to Cliff Island off the coast of Maine for a visit when Melissa and her family rented a house there for a week. This is a picture of the kids waiting for the ferry boat to arrive. They were so excited to see us that they starting yelling Papa Nana. Everyone on the boat said boy are you guys loved. We of course said yes we are. It was Melissa, Bob, Abby, Ryan, Matt and then Bob's sister Carolyn's family. It was really fun and I look forward to next summer.
Bob, Melissa's husband jumping off the pier he was the first one to do it. It is the thing to do after the ferry boat leaves. The piers are really high and I thought way to scary to do it. But everyone tried it at least once. Even Matt (Melissa's 7 year old)
Melissa jumping off the pier.
Papa jumping off the pier after the ferry boat left. It looked like fun but I didn't bring another change of pants so I just took all of picture. Everyone waiting in line.
This was the first time that I collected sea glass. I had a hard time seeing it among the rocks but Missy helped me to pick them out, and soon I got the hang of it. We have this picture in our bathroom along with the sea glass in a shell.
The sunset was so pretty what a fitting end to a wonderful day. I am so glad to be here on this beautiful earth. It is nice to be at the ocean again and hear the waves and smell the salt air.
The grandkids and papa took on Bob and Jon with some of the other grandkids in badminton I am not sure who won this game or if everyone just got tired of playing. Some of the grandkids are really good at this sport.
They also played croquet. It was just about time to head to the boat so we only played a short game. But I think Papa was winning at the time we had to leave.
When we left they all came to the dock and told us good-bye. We had such a great time with all of them. It was fun to get to know the grandkids better. I love the island and look forward to next year.

End of Summer

2008-11-26T20:47:00.010-05:00

Ben called Jim and wanted him to come with Lucas and try out their new canoe. So they are fishing. They didn't catch anything but sure had a great time. It was Jim's job to paddle the canoe while they fished.
Lucas was so tired from a hard day of fishing that he fell asleep on the way back to shore. I thought this was so cute of him. He is such a loving little boy.

This is the Mayflower II I am not sure what happen to one. But it is a lot smaller that I would have thought it should be. They say that its size is like the size of the boats that were used at that time.
We went to Plimoth and saw the Mayflower with Jim's brother George and his wife Jeannie. We had spent the night at their home and played cards all night it was so much fun playing games with them. I didn't even have to teach them how to play. They new Hand and Foot and Golf. It is so much fun having them up here. They go to Florida in Nov. until May. I miss them when they are gone.

I was laughing here because Jim told me that really about six years ago some people got together and decided that they would take a big rock stamp a date in it and say that this is where the Pilgrims landed and charge people to come and see it. What a money maker that would be.

Here we are at Plimoth rock. I told Jim that I thought is was funny that the Pilgrims landed jumped off the boat and hammered the date on the rock where the boat hit. I was laughing so hard that I couldn't stop. People were looking at me funny.

The rest of our summer

2008-10-08T18:46:00.011-04:00

The Thursday before my b-day Melissa and her kids (Abby, Ryan and Matt) came over to build a tree house. They stopped by and picked up Lucas (Ben's boy) It was great to see Jim, and the kids build the tree house. Now every time they come over they want to put more up on it.

This is the falls that Julie and her family and us went to this last spring. At that time they were frozen now people slide down them and jump off the rocks that are there and swim all over the place. I didn't know we were going here or I would brought me suite. The water wasn't even very cold. So it would have been fun to jump in because it was also very hot that day.

We went for a drive one day Jim wanted to show me the bridge of flowers. It was so pretty and it smelled wonderful. This bridge was right around where we took Julie and her family when they were here.

We had the some of Jim's grand kids over to camp out. Jim and the boys spend the night in a tent in our backyard. They really had a great time. We went to a lake just around the corner from our home and then went for ice cream. We had the boys several different nights at our home.

The Trek

2008-09-25T20:42:00.010-04:00

Here we are getting ready for the trek it was the greatest thing to see all the youth excited to start out and get going. They were ready to take on the world. We didn't have to take on the world just hills, valleys, rivers, and small streams. The wagons weighed about five hundred pounds. We had been put into families. We had two families from our ward because we had so many youth go. By the end of the trek we were tired and ready for a hot shower, but so appreciative for the opportunity to do this trek. We learned so much about ourselves and about our pioneer heritage.

Jim and I were the ma and pa for our family of six youth. It was fun being the ones in charge of the youth. When we started I thought that I would have to push the youth to help out not only each other but the other families on the trek. We were so impressed with how they acted and helped out not only our family but the other families on the trek.

The stake had eighty-five youth and 20 adults. It was so neat to see the youth get together from all over the area.

We had such a great group of young men and women in our group everyone helped out and took their turn in pushing and pulling. It was such a wonderful experience. I will never forget.

This is the bridge that Jim went and cut down the trees and placed them over the river. We were one of the last families across the bridge. They called this the sweet water river bridge.

The last big hill until we are able to make camp for the night.

The day is at a end and it looks like we had gone 100 miles instead of only 13 miles. What a day we got a great respect for the pioneers.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

2008-07-01T19:28:00.008-04:00

I am sure you all remember the ant and the grasshopper story that was told to you when you were young. Well, I can say that I am an ant. We heat our home with a wood stove. I am grateful for this considering the price of heating oil now. Since, we have around three acres we have enough wood to do this without buying any. But we have to cut, spit and stack the wood. Here are pictures of Jim and I being the ant. The beginning of the pile of wood to split. Jim through out the fall of last year cut down several trees out in the woods. Now we need to bring them to the wood shed to split and stack. We still had some wood left over from last year so we do have a head start of this next year. The end of day one. I hauled most of this wood, while Jim cut down some more trees. Some of the pieces of trees where to big and Jim had to split them before hauling them out. I had to try my hand at splitting them. Jim started it for me so I could have a better chance at splitting it but still no love. So I will leave the splitting to him and I will do the hauling. The end of day two. We have still about seven more days of hauling and then it will be time to split and stack. It all needs to be done by the middle of July so that it will be dry by next winter. It is a lot of work but I will enjoy being warm when it snows outside. I will keep you posted on our progress and the end result.

Block Island

2008-07-01T18:03:00.013-04:00

We went to another island called Block Island. There is a hotel there named the Spring House Hotel, that Jim ran for a season for the bankruptcy court before he auctioned it off and he wanted to show it to me along with the island. We had to take a ferry ride to the island. It is off the cost of Rhode Island near Long Island NY.

This is the down town part of the island. We rented bicycles to ride around the island. It was great fun and I enjoyed seeing the sights and eating at the places that Jim once enjoyed with his children.The buildings with the red roofs are the hotel that he and his children ran for the summer season. Jim loves telling the story about how the staff (about 20 people)were so rude to him when he first came and when he told them to knock it off. They said "what are you going to do fire all of us?" and of course, Jim being Jim, he said Yes!! and did. Each and every one of them. Then he called Melissa, Jimmy and got them with their friends to come and work along with John, Laura, and Ben. Twenty plus people showed up the next day. They all worked and lived in the hotel for the entire summer. This is us outside of the hotel. The chairs are original from the time that the hotel first opened. The inside was so neat with all of the original furniture and bar area. We stayed here for a while before going on to the lighthouse and the beach. Us outside of the light house, the beach is right behind us. It was a beautiful day not to hot and not to cold.This is the light house. About ten years ago they moved it back from the cliffs because of erosion. They didn't take it apart they just jacked it up and moved it. That was really interesting. After riding up lots of hills and feeling like my legs were going to fall off we reached the beach but to get to it you had to descend the stairs. I thought that this is okay but I wasn't sure about coming back up. Jim assured me that it would be worth it to be at the beach. Jim immediately ran into the water diving into the waves and loving every minute of it. He looked like a little kid body surfing. I on the other hand went out to touch the water and found it too cold for my taste and just as a wave hit my feet I turned around and ran. After a long day of bike riding, and swimming in the ocean it was time to go home. While on the ferry we both fell asleep on the bench. We stopped at Jimmy's home for a belated Father's Day dinner. Melissa was there with the kids. It was a great day.

Menagerie

2008-07-01T12:11:00.012-04:00

Living out in the rural area you find that you see a menagerie of animals. Starting with the chickens and the dog that is usually around everyday. But lately we have seen several other animals. Ones that we didn't get pictures of are a beaver heading for the river, a family of skunks crossing the on ramp to the freeway, a raccoon just off our road, a pair of vultures, a donkey walking down the street and a snake in the grass that I stepped on with my bare feet. We had a picture of a bald eagle in our tree but I couldn't find it right now. Following are the animals that I did get pictures of. I have yet to see a black bear but Jim promises that I will some day.

We have a dairy down the road that makes the best ice cream and has bunnies, cows and pigs to pet. This is not a real cow but it was fun to be this close without the smell.This is Miss Piggy she wanted my ice cream I wasn't willing to share it with her. She really stinks and I didn't enjoy her touching me at all. In fact I was watching Jim take the picture and she came up and touched my arm it startled me and I screamed.

This is our Humming bird feeder. Jim says that by the end of summer they will be so fat that they can hardly fly. There are two of them a male and female. It is so fun to watch the come and eat. For those of you that would like the recipe for the humming bird juice it is 1 C H2O to 1/3 C of sugar.Every year for the past four years Jim has walked out of his front door and found a female snapping turtle laying her eggs. This year it looks like a different one but still we were walking out of the house and there she was. I loved the spinney tail. Jim tried to move her so she would not lay the eggs in the middle of the driveway she wasn't really happy with him. Notice how her mouth is open and she is ready to bite anything that will come close to it. As we were leaving our home the other day we saw a police car with its lights going and the officer out side of the car. Then we looked a little closer and here came a cow walking down the road. Maybe it was going to fast or slow and the cop was trying to stop it. ;) The last animal that we saw and took a picture of is a baby porcupine. The mom was to fast crossing the road to get her picture but the baby was slow enough to get it just before it went into the woods. I am sure the before the summer is over I will find several more animals. We hear in the woods by our home moose, fisher cats, and bears. It is so fun to be here were nature is so close.

Rest of May

2008-06-02T19:22:00.007-04:00

Jim was introduced to how I do Birthdays. He had three the first one was given by his oldest daughter Melissa. It was the Friday before his birthday this was because Jimmy couldn't come to the surprise party on his birthday. So that was the first one and of course he got presents there. He had also received cards in the mail and I wouldn't let him open them until his actual birthday. So then on his birthday I told him I wanted to take him out for his birthday so we went to his favorite Japaniese restruarant. After we were seated his kids and most of the grandkids came walking in. He was so surprised. That was great. He got presents there also and he loved it. Then on the following Sat. we had a party out at the house. We had about 25 people here it was so much fun. We cooked hamburgars and hotdogs. Had salads and chips. All who came had a great time. And he got even more presents what a spoiled man. I think Jim enjoyed all of the attention.

The Saturday before Mother's Day we met Jim's brother George (84 years old) and his wife Jeanne at the nursing home where Jim's mother is. Who by the way is 101 and still as bright as ever. George is a snowbird and had just come back from Florida. It was great to meet him because I have talked to him on the phone several times. When we were leaving Jim's mom didn't want us to go so we told her we would be back on Mother's Day to bring her some Dandylions.(acutually they are weeds but the northerns eat them like spinach) She likes them cooked with vinegar, garlic and butter. She was excited for that.

Here is a picture of Jim and his Mom on Mother's Day. We had such a great visit with her. She wasn't really sure who I was since this was the first time that I had met her. She was very alert and happy to have us there. We spent most of Mother's Day with her. I thought this was a great way to spend the day because you never know how long she is going to be with us. She asked me who I was and then turned to Jim and said why didn't you tell me that you were going to get married. Jim said that he just didn't get around to it. I thought that was so funny.

Here is me opening my Mother's Day gift from Julie. I had a great Mother's Day it was nice to be with Jim and his mom.

I really missed all of you and the grandkids.

Going to Maine to look at a boat

2008-05-05T13:38:00.008-04:00

Jim said that we were going to find a boat for us so this is our story of searching for a boat.

We decided to go to the islands off of Maine. This is on a ferry boat that is also the mail boat for the islands. There are several islands up there some are private, some are state parks, and some you can live on. We both love the islands and think that maybe someday we will purchase a home on one of them. But for right now we will just enjoy going up for a day trip.

We caught the ferry in Portland, and it was a two hour ride. It stopped at several different islands, the one that we were going to is called Cliff Island. It has a lot of cliffs verses sandy beaches. The water is more gray than in NC but it is still beautiful. The sun was shining and we both got a sunburn. The wind was blowing just a little to keep it cool.
You might ask is this the boat??? No, this is not the boat that we are looking for. However, it is a very nice boat! There are of course a lot of lobster boats in Maine. Up here they pronounce lobster as lobsta. They don't believe in moving there mouths to talk. I have decided that it is a very efficient way to talk but hard to understand sometimes. As you look over the water you will see a lot of floats telling you where you left your lobster traps so that you can come and find them again, later in the day.

Is this the boat? Well, no this isn't the boat either. However, this was a really nice island that had a lot of great homes on it, but not the right boat. It was great to see what the homes look like on the islands of Maine. There were some very small ones and on one island that is a private island had a house on it the looked like it should have been in Atlanta instead of on an island off the coast of Maine.

We finally made it to Cliff Island it was a great island with lots to see and a good selections of boats. But none of these were them. This is a place where the lobsta boats dock and people of the island come to buy the lobstas right off the boats. It is also where they can repair their cages, boats, or anything else. Jim has purchased many a lobsta here. We started to walk around the island looking at all of the nice homes, planning, wishing and deciding that maybe someday.

Finally after walking for a while we came around a corner and there it was! Jim was so excited that he ran right up to it and got in. Isn't it just lovely. I think we could use it to get back to the main land. :)

About this time the camera died and I could not take anymore pictures of the island. We did however have a great day. Laying on a grassy knoll just above the cliffs and ending up napping, writing in our journal and just enjoying each other. I can hardly wait to go back when it is a little warmer. It is so wonderful to have all of these adventures in a new area. To be able to experience some of the places that Jim has gone for so long and has great memories of.

Abby herding the chicken

2008-04-04T15:27:00.003-04:00

Abby meet the chicken's yesterday she wasn't really sure what to think of them and they didn't know what to think of her. She got to close to one and it turn on her and fluffed it's feathers and pecked toward her. After that she kept her distance. But still would follow them around the yard. Once in a while she would come into the house but soon was right back out to find them and see if they are okay. Everyone loved the sunny warm day of spring. But this morning we had a trace of snow on the ground again. Just when I think spring is coming it snows again. Jim keeps saying in two weeks it will be warm and green. I will wait another two weeks to feel the warmth of spring and see the green.

Fun in the Northeast

2008-03-27T22:44:00.006-04:00

We heat our home with a wood stove and since it still gets in the twenty's at night we have the wood stove going all of the time. When the winter started the wood shed was full as you can tell it is getting less each day. We might even run out but then Jim will disappear out into our woods and chop more wood.From throwing snowballs in the house to carrying in the wood I love New England. Yes, those are my slippers and yes, it is later in the day and I am still in my Jammies. . . Being retired is great!!!!!

Bubbles Bubbles everywhere

2008-03-27T22:33:00.004-04:00

After moving all the stuff around the house Jim was so tired and hurt that he decided to take a bath. He added bubbles to the jetted tub and as you can tell it was a little much. So now we found Jim.

To many bubbles? No just enough to lose yourself.

Where did Jim go now??? I am sure he will pop up soon. It is sure fun being married to a wonderful man like Jim even if he gets lost sometime.

Where's Jim

2008-03-27T22:12:00.009-04:00

Now that we are married and I am here in our home with all of this stuff. Maybe that is why Jim had a Heart issue. The boxes where piled this high in each room of the house. What a mess!!

Even the kitchen was a mess. We had two and three of everything that I brought. We took two full boxes down to the cellar to see if Laura wanted them. While living in this mess Jim went to the hospital with A-Flutter. He was there for five days and had to have a procedure to correct the condition. Now he is all better and the house is put together. Thanks to Julie's family coming to visit. I work for 12 hours straight to get it taken care of. The eves are full of Christmas and all the closets are full of clothes. Every nook and cranny is full of something. Every room is put together except for my den and that still has boxes in it. But someday it will be done also. For now I just shut the door and don't go in there except when I have to.
Now that the work is all done. It looks great. We still have some pictures to hang. On one side of the fireplace are pictures of his children and on the other side will be pictures of my children. It will look really nice. We are enjoying spring here, even though we had snow yesterday and are expecting some tomorrow. But it is warming up and I love the beauty all around me.

Mr. and Mrs. James Gordon Dusty

2008-02-25T21:51:00.017-05:00

Yes, We did get married. On February 8, 2008 at 5:45 PM at the church in Shallotte, NC. It was a beautiful ceremony and the Bishop did a great job. I am sorry that we couldn't have everyone be a part of it but hopefully you will enjoy seeing the pictures.This is one of our engagement pictures that we had taken up in Washington when we were there for Christmas. I really love how we look in this picture.

Getting ready...

Michelle, started my hair and Melissa finished it when she arrived.

We were to be married at 5:30 and this was at 5:25 so we the girls were running a little late but I guess that was okay to make Jim wait for me just a little longer.

Jim is proving that at the Church he really did have the ring and was ready to go at one time. Waiting for me. So if the ring was lost we knew that it had to be close by.

Finally all ready to go and Jim is waiting up front for me.

The actual ceremony. . .
Brian and I ready to walk down the isle. . .Great wisdom given to us by Bishop Gore. . .
The first kiss as Mr. & Mrs. Dusty. . .

The Cake table All we had was cake, punch , mints, nuts... The cake isn't exactly what I wanted it looks like a porcupine. But it was so good.

Cutting of the Cake. . . He was very nice and so was I we didn't smash it at all. . .

It was a great day. . . We are planning a open house here in MA the third week of March. I know that most of you can't come. But I will have more pictures from that. We will be posting them also.

Cruise with the Girls

2008-02-25T21:00:00.007-05:00

I know that y'all have been waiting for pictures of the cruise and the wedding so I am now blogging them.

This is us in line to get on the ship. If you go to Tara's, Lisa's blog you will see more pictures of us on the cruise. So I will just put on a few that they do not have. The line was long and Jo was so dizzy due to an ear infection that she could hardly stand. We all are so happy to be this close to getting on the ship. We had so much fun I think that we should do a trip so that every girl in the family can go. Maybe to New York City or Vegas.
This is one of the restaurants on the ship. We had alot of fun trying out all of the places to get food. It was an Italian place. Not our favorite although.

We loved to dance each night we went to a night club and danced the night away. This night was 50's and 60's . Each of us had our moves on the floor.

At some ports of call you dock and others you have to take a ferry boat. This is us ready for a fun day at the beach on the ferry to Grand Cayman. The day was beautiful and hot. We are all looking great. A little red from the day before in Mexico.

Check out the line up on Tara's blog.

The last evening on the ship the sunset was so nice that we have a picture taken on the back of the boat. I really had a great time with all who went and look forward to having another "Girl's Trip" when more of the girls can come.

My New Home

2008-02-06T08:48:00.000-05:00

This is my new home. It is divided into three parts. We will live in the section that has the fireplace. Maybe in the future we will take over the other two sections but for now they are rented out. I love the area and the snow I didn't know how much I missed the snow until I was up there. There is a pond and a creek on the property. Along with a lot of big trees with a tire swing.

This is the creek.

This the view from the house to the pond.

This is Jim in our living room.

Rest of the week

2008-01-02T14:22:00.000-05:00

We all had a good time at OMSI here are Anna and Kim working the play duo. This is in the Children play area. They had so many things for them to do and explore it was great. The guys stuck around in the play area for a few minutes and then they looked so bored that they left to go and explore the rest of OMSI while Jenn, Katie and I stayed with the girls. It was fun to watch them play and play with them.

Ethan loved the water and wanted to go there first. He played in there for a long time until the guys left to go exploring.

Papa Bear , Hadley and I played in the construction site area. We built all sorts of stuff with our golf tees as nails. The hammers were rubber, so it didn't hurt when you hit your thumb. that was nice.
Even Sarah found something to do and someone to play with. She would get really excited and kick her feet to make the balls go up and down. It was really fun to watch her play and crawl around in the small children area. I was so surprised to see that they had such a variety of things for the children to do and for all ages.

Maybe Katie should have gone with the guys and she wouldn't have fallen asleep. I guess maybe this was as exciting for the parents as it was for the kids. What you don't see is that I also feel asleep in a chair by Jenn and Sarah. But only for a few minutes. But it did feel so good. It is surprising how a quick nap makes you able to go on for the next events. After we were through here Jim and I went to the Portland Temple for a session. It was fun to go with him to a temple that he had never seen or been in.

The next day Andy and Abby came over. Eric, Dave, and Papa Bear wanted to go with the kids to play in the new snow. Andy and Abby were tired of the snow so Katie, Jenn, Sarah, and I along with them decided to do some after Christmas shopping. So the kids went one way and the adults went another. Here is everyone getting ready to go and play. They had a lot of fun in the snow. Jim couldn't believe how beautiful it was.

Ethan was the first ready to go and could hardly wait to get out the door. He was so excited to go and play in the snow. Papa Bear was also excited to go and play with them. He was like one of the kids.

Ethan and Anna having fun on the tube. I love the expression on Ethan's face. You can truly tell that he is loving every minute of it.

Kim and Hadley were next they also had a great time.

It truly was beautiful up in the mountains with the snow on the trees. It makes me miss the snow and how pretty it is during the winter. But no I still will not drive in it. Jim will have to take me everywhere during the winter in Mass. or I will just stay home and hibernate like the bears.

All in all we had a great Christmas. Thank you Jenn for all of your hard work to make this year very memorable and full of the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas in Vancouver

2008-01-02T13:48:00.000-05:00

Jim and I arrived just minutes apart on Sunday Dec. 23. He was coming from Mass. and I was coming from NC. Then we went to church where Jenn had written the Christmas program for her ward. It was so beautiful. It was spiritual and full of music and love. Then we went to Jenn's for dinner along with Katie's family, Aunt Barbara, Uncle Scott, Laura their daughter and Helaina's family. We ate played games and had a good evening. Jenn and Katie made a Turduckin. That is a turkey with a duck and chicken inside. It was amazing.
The next day was Christmas eve. Jenn and Eric open their gifts to each other on Christmas eve so Jim and I exchanged gifts to each other also. I received a camera and I gave him some cologne.

This is a picture of Jim with my new camera that he gave me for Christmas. My camera stopped working and he dropped his so we were without a camera. I am very glad to have one again. Isn't he so cute.

Here is him opening up the gift from Jenn it was a picture that says Dusty family is forever. He really liked it. I think he also had a great Christmas it was fun to have a man to buy stuff for and to spoil again.

Playing games was fun. Sarah took a little while to come to me but not to long. Hadley came right over and gave me some loving. It is so fun to be with children at this time of year.

Here we are in matching PJ's of course we stayed in them all of Christmas day and just played around the house. It snowed on Christmas. That was exciting because in NC it was 68 and sunny. It just seems wrong to have Christmas when it is that hot outside.

Here I am reading stories to the kids while we wait for everyone to get ready to go to OMSI on the 26th . We had so much fun there. Jenn really planned lots of fun things for us to do.

The special event

2008-01-02T13:42:00.000-05:00

I had a great Christmas in Vancouver with Jenn's and Katie's families along with Jim. It is now official Jim and I are engaged. The date is March 8, 2008 here in NC, we would like all who can come to come.

This is the ring. It is just what I have always wanted. Didn't he do a great job. I think so!! I received it on Christmas eve. It was so neat and special the way he asked me. He was so excited and it is a day that I will never forget. I am so blessed to have someone like Jim in my life and to spend the rest of my life with him. I know that those of you that haven't meet him will love him just like I do. He is so kind and full of the spirit.

Jim's visit to Shallotte

2007-12-18T22:12:00.001-05:00

Jim finally arrived. It was a great five days, we did so many things and finally with a lot of batteries and broken camera's we were able to get some pictures. He arrived on Thursday. Friday we went to the ward party and then on Saturday we drove to Raleigh Temple and went through a session with Brian and Michelle. We both enjoy being with Brian, Michelle, Austin and while we were there we spent some time with Clyde.

While he was here we went to the beach, played games, shopped, and most of all laughed until our faces hurt and then laughed some more.

We both love the beach so today we went to the beach for the second time. No one else was with us so we took a self portrait. It isn't the best but it is fun.

It was a beautiful day at the beach even though it was only 57. As you can tell we had our coats on but no shoes. I had a great time and can't wait until Christmas.

The rest of the house

2007-11-27T17:49:00.001-05:00

After four days and 20 boxes my home is ready for Christmas now I just wish I was. I love decorating and see all of the stuff that I have collected over the years. I have chosen a few pictures to share with you and maybe help get you into the spirit. So turn on some Christmas music and enjoy. If you want to play a game you can count the nativities.

This is taken from my kitchen area looking toward the front door. The nativity by the rocking horse is one that Austin can play with so that he leaves all of the other ones alone. He has so far made them line up like a parade and the loin couldn't join them because baby Jesus was afraid of him. Then it was bowling with Christ, at that point Michelle said that he was done for a while.

Here is a closer shot of the snowmen collection if I can't have real snow I might as well make my own .

I made this Santa when Julie was in Kindergarten he has been around all this time. Some of the grand babies had their picture taken with him. I have taken him to school for the kids and for several years a cabbage patch kid sat on his lap but Julie took her doll so now he just has a story book. The story book is the night before Christmas we read this story every Christmas eve. The mouse is one that Ron purchased because in the book he had the kids find the mouse on each page.

The entertainment center all changed from normal to Christmas. I have seven nativities on this if you are counting. I believe this year I put only 25 up in the house. The rest will be on display at the Stake center. So that is less than half.

My village is up over the counters. I didn't dare drill holes for the cords to plug them in because I have officially purchased the house yet. You can't tell very well but I have snow on the ground and a nativity in the village. Just one more. Can you tell that I love Christmas yet.

My nook I love the shelf it is a great spot for all of the small nativities. In the south people put candles in the window so I decided to do it this year. Even though it is in the back of the house. I sill love the look of them. I hope you have enjoyed seeing my home as much as I have enjoyed sharing it.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas at the Nana's

2007-11-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

Putting on the lights. This is the first time that I have done the lights in a very long time. I also did white lights like when I was a child. I think they are so pretty.

Austin helped me decorate the tree, after breaking a bulb he had to stay in the great room and I would bring out two and he would pick which one he would like to put up. I would put up the other one. I would do all of the high ones and he would do one or two branches, putting several on the branch. Then I would suggest that he go some where else and he would for the bulb and then right back to he favorite branch.

Here is a branch that Austin did. It was just like when my children where little. It was so fun to have him help with his excitement and he was so careful not to drop or break anymore. Children really bring out the joy of Christmas.

The end product but of course I am still moving bulbs around. I just can't seemed to get it right the first time. :-)

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T20:40:00.000-05:00

I want to tell all who see this email just how thankful I am for them, without all of your love and support this past year I don't think I would have made it. Marilyn asked me what I had learned this last year and I have been thinking about that subject every day since she asked. I would say the biggest thing that I learned is that Heavenly Father has a plan not just the general plan but a plan for each of us and when we are told by the Prophet that he know us; I know that he does. I am so grateful for this last year and the personal growth that I have had. I am also thankful for the life I had with Ron and the love that we shared. I am thankful for all of you and your support and love. Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving!!

This is the appetizers before the dinner. Brian said that today was the national eat day. So we did. We started at 8:00 this morning and this was our 11:00 meal and then at 2:30 we had the real dinner. It was fun.

This picture is of Melanie, Michael and Michelle we were playing a game and eating of course.

"Oh I ate to much" Brian said and then I replied We haven't even had dinner yet. Austin is ready to go for anything. How about playing "Sorry" his favorite game.

Our Turkey was so juicy when we were carving it the juices ran down the front of the cabinet and onto the floor. Abby(the dog) was so excited she just stood right there and licked it up. What she didn't realize is that the juice was dripping onto her ears and side of her body. So even though she got a bath this morning now she has to have another one, but I really don't think she would care. She was in heaven.

2007-10-03T19:31:00.001-04:00

Brian and Michelle wanted me to spread the news they are going to have a baby Boy. Logan Harlow Kruse he should be here around the end of February. Austin is so excited. He asked me the other day if Logan was going to be born crawling. I think he will be disappointed that he just lays around and cries. Brian and Michelle are excited to have another boy and I am excited to have nine grandchildren.

Sister's weekend in Boise

2007-09-15T11:46:00.000-04:00

In August my sisters Jo, and Marilyn and I went to Boise to my Aunts and Uncles 60th wedding anniversary. This is on my dad's side. We were at my cousins Patti's house. As usual my sisters and I had so much fun. We went to see our old house where Jo's reception to Frank was and where Marilyn graduated from High School. We also went to the ice cream parlor that Marilyn worked at. Yes, It is still there and looks just the same. They even make the ice cream just like they did when she worked there.

This is my Aunt Lee and Uncle Dewayne it was their 60th. Uncle Dewayne was grandpa Griffith's brother. He is the brother that lived in the same town as my family in Ontario and Boise. He is also next in line as far as Brothers and Sister. This is also the uncle that grandpa had his trucking company with. He is 90 years old. He lives in Boise. Aunt Lee is one of my favorite Aunts she always smelled like perfume. She also had funny ghost stories about her houses that they lived in. When I was twelve we moved to Boise from Ontario on my birthday. She had a party for me at her home.

Next in line is my Uncle Mac his real name is Charles McCurdy Griffith. But we call him Uncle Mac. Aunt Nima is his second wife. His first wife was Aunt Lorna she passed away several years ago. They live in Riverside CA. Grandpa married uncle Mac and Nima in the Seattle temple when they were married. I have great pictures of all the of Aunts and Uncles. My funnest memory of them is when we stayed at their home in CA and Marilyn and I went swimming in their pool. After that trip I was really sick and they sent me a get well card. I still have the card.

Next is my dad's only sister Laurel. She married a real cowboy, Uncle Verl. They lived around Ontario also. My sister Jo went to high school with their son Scott and Marilyn was close to their daughter Susan's age. I don't really remember going to their farm at all, but I did know that every time we saw them Uncle Verl had a cowboy hat on. Even now when we arrived he had his hat on. I also remember that when they were at my moms and dads house they were always really nice to me.

They last of my Aunts and Uncles on this side is my uncle Lloyd and Aunt Bobbie. His real name is John Lloyd but he goes by Uncle Lloyd. They have always lived in Idaho Falls. Ever since I can remember. Their oldest children are around my age. They took care of Grandpa Griffith's mother. I can remember going to see them when we would go and see my grandmother in Pocatello. She has always been such a classes dresser. I can remember one time that I went to see them and their children were doing their homework I wanted to play and they couldn't until their homework was done and their reading time was up. When I was at the "Y" so was their son Doug. So we did some stuff together but not much.

This is a picture of my cousins that where at the reunion. In the front row is John who is Uncle Dewayne's son. Then comes Scott who is Aunt Laurel's son, next is my sister Jo. In the back row is me then Patti who was the hostess and Uncle Dewayne's daughter then Sharon Uncle Dewayne's oldest daughter and then my sister Marilyn. It was fun to see all of my dad's family. I can only hope that next year when it is a Griffith reunion that more of the cousins will come. A long with all of you. It was great to talk to the Aunts and Uncles and find out more about them and their children. I have learned that Family is so important.

Nana's New Home

2007-09-08T08:23:00.000-04:00

This is my new home. Julie just ran outside and took the picture of my home. It was the last part of May. I really love this home. You can't tell by the picture but it is a light yellow with blue shutters. I don't have anything behind me yet. Brian's home is right next door. Just to the right of my home. I have a lot of work to do out in the yard but I do love it. It has three bedrooms including the master. As you will be able to see the only rooms that are decorated the way I want them are the bathrooms.

This is my living room the room that you can see is the kitchen and the nook is next to it. The opening to the right of the entertainment center is the opening that goes to my garage and to the master bedroom.

This is my master bedroom. I am going to paint it a different color but right now the neutral color of the house works okay. I need to get blinds because the sun comes in first thing in the morning and for the days that I want to sleep in forget it by seven it is bright and sunny. Brian and Michelle bought me the new bedspread and pillows for my birthday. I love the colors.

This is my
master bathroom. I love this area because it looks so peaceful. It is nice to go in and see that at least this area is done. I had most of this stuff from when my bedroom was oriental but I love it so much I am keeping it. I have a very small shower next to the tub and double sinks. It is funny because I still will use the sink in the corner because Dad/Ron would have taken the other one. I laugh each time I hit my bottom on the door that goes to the potty room.

This bathroom is the hall bathroom. I love this because it was the first room that I decorated in my new home. I also love it because it is so bright and cheerful. It has a fun beachy theme to it. When I was in St. Thomas with Laurie Elder she found some fun flip-flop decoration so she bought it for me. When I told Jenn about my bathroom she made me this cute sign that says Bath. It has flig-flops hand painted on it. I added the ribbon to hang it. The bathroom isn't quite done yet, I want to cut out of wood some flip-flops and make them into towel holders. You can see the cute little bench that Julie sent me.

My home is coming along. I am trying to buy blinds for the window one a month and then I will save up for the bigger things that I want to do. So I will keep you posted on my progress.