At the end of the day.....

We went to see the Hunger Games new movie the other night.  It was just after a grand jury verdict was announced in a racial event that happened in August of this year.  When we got home and saw the news - the riots - looting - fighting - were we in America?

I've thought alot about things that have happened throughout history - and some things - people - events - religions - will never be treated equal.

Some of these events have had a direct affect on my life - starting with the Pilgrims coming to this continent.  My Mormon ancestors wanting religous freedom and making the long Trek to Utah.  Women receiving the right to vote and wanting to be treated equal.

I don't know if I will ever not be "persecuted" for my religious beliefs...
I don't know if I will ever be treated equally as a women in the workplace...

But that doesn't mean that I give up on trying and doing and believing in what I think is right. 

We live in a great country...we have freedoms - rights and privileges - we are a blessed nation.  There will continue to be problems - in fact - things are going to get a lot worse.

     AT THE END OF THE DAY...we can be victims - or we can be fighters for the things we want for ourselves and our families and continue to work, to serve and to love others. 

     

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PSW......

TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY...I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE 18 YEARS OLD...WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE.  YOU ARE HANDSOME, SMART, KIND, LOVING, FUN AND SOMETIMES YOU CAN BE A BIT OF A COMPLAINER BUT THAT'S JUST YOU....YOU HAVE YOUR WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF YOU.  THERE WILL BE GOOD TIMES AND NOT SO GOOD TIMES. ALWAYS REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE AND THAT YOUR FAMILY LOVES YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!

 

 

 

UEA ROAD TRIP 2014

We had talked about taking a road trip up the Californa/Oregon/Washington Coast this year and I personally didn't think it would happen....but it did. 

We left on Wednesday and flew to Oakland, CA (I know scary).  We got there way late - picked up our rental car Mitzi (short for Mitsubishi) - found our hotel and ate at a nearby Dennys.  Welcome to Oakland....basically chased by a homeless guy wanting money. 

On the plane ride, I sat next to a robotics engineer who had been at the U Med center fixing a robot - he lived on a sail boat in Oakland Bay and suggested we take the Oakland Ferry to San Francisco to avoid traffic.  We took his advice - it was great - taking us right to Fishermans Warf. 

We gave money to a guy that gave us a sticker that said "Are we having fun yet?" Walked around the Warf - got some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl - took a Harbor boat tour around the bay, including under the Golden Gate Bridge - walked to Ghiradelli square for ice cream and chocolate - met the "bush" man - and even with Parker warning me about him - he did jump out and scare me.  We took the cable car to Union Square - riding with a mixed bag of Russians, Americans, Germans, Asians, etc.  Went to the biggest mall ever - the Westfield Mall - where the strange people sightings heated up - a guy in a spandex outfit with high black patent leather boots - a scarf - and pink lipstick.  We then headed down Market Street to the Ferry Building to catch a ride back to Oakland.  Glad to be going back to Oakland.  Then ventured to Berkley to see Cal's campus and get something to eat.  Also, stopped by the Oakland Temple - it was dark - the temple was pretty - not sure how the surrounding neighborhood was.

The next day we headed towards Oregon...we decided to take the 101 inland and saw beautiful vineyards - stopped at the absolute worse Walmart we have ever been to - drove through places I had never heard of - like Willits, California - a bit sketchy -major SQUATCHY- stopped at a Big Foot tourist trap - drove through the Redwoods - stopped at an Oregon Beach - went through an area with "ELK" signs everywhere - even seeing a small herd off the road - brought back bad memories - stayed in Brookings, Oregon - it was late - dark and rainy - ate at The Onion Grill - interesting!.

Saturday we got up and still headed north - beautiful scenery - trees and more trees, lakes, rivers, fisherman, more trees lakes - sea lions - headed to Eugene to see the University of Oregon Campus - not too impressed - then headed up the road towards Portland - stopped at the Portland Temple (a BEAUTIFUL TEMPLE) - a sister missionary in the Visitor's Center gave us a lead on a burger joint downtown - "The Little Big Burger" - it was good - downtown Portland was cool - headed East to get some miles/times behind us so the 13 hour drive wasn't so daunting - made it to Pendleton, Oregon and watched BYU lose their Football game.

Sunday headed out for home stopping in Boise - visited Boise State Campus (I might be a bit partial - but the University of Utah Campus is so much nicer than the 3 we stopped at) - the Boise Temple - the State Capitol and then back on the road stopping in Twin Falls to eat at Jakers - a good prime rib/steak house - then homeward bound......

It was a good trip.  Oregon is interesting.  The people that live there are a bit quirky.  Their road signs are limited to one word such as "ELK" "SLOW" "STOP" "SPEED" "TURN" "BUMP", etc......  Whereas Northern California is a bit more descriptive - maybe TMI.....  Also - Oregon speed limits are ridiculous - sometimes the speed on the freeway (45 mph) was slower than the exit ramp - Parker happened to be driving at that time and I thought he was going to lose his mind!

We didn't make it to Astoria, Seattle, Vancouver...and I can't believe I thought we could.  That will have to be for another trip.  Mitzi the rental car ended up being okay - just major ugly.  We only had a couple of melt downs...and when we went home we all darted to our separate areas...24/7 together time was awesome and I can't wait for the next roady!!!!!

Beau Evan Wood

Born Saturday, August 30th - 12:12 p.m.
7 lbs 7 oz
19 3/4"

He is precious..
Mom and Dad are happy
Grandma & Grandpa are extremely happy
Aunt Meranda and Uncle Parker are crazy happy

Picture of the Family

Oquirrh Mountain Temple - August 23, 2014

Names

Oh my, sitting at Great Clips on Monday afternoon, a family came in to get haircuts....are you ready for their names.....

Dad.......Bush Jones
Son........Ash Jones
Daughter....Cedar Jones
Daughter....Tandem Jones

I asked Parker (named after a Mountain in Wayne County) and Meranda (maiden name of Grandma Huber) if they liked their names....they said they did. I didn't ask Preston (just a name we liked) - but I hope he likes his name.

Just think what I could have named my kids with the last name Wood......

    Dolly Wood (after Grandma Dolly Jenson - and a theme park in Tennessee)
    Fern Wood  (after Grandma Eccles - also a delicious candy)
    Ranch Wood (Grandpa Wood thought this was a great name)
   
Or -  maybe....
    Oak Wood
    Aspen Wood
    Cedar Wood
    Bash Wood
    Cutter Wood
   
WOW!!!!!!
   

Proud Moments

I sometimes forget to look at the great things my three kids are doing with their lives.....so here goes......

Preston - graduated from the 'U' in December, started working full time at his part time job, decided there was opportunity there and went after it!  Once Preston decides to do something, there is little that will stop him with the things he has control over.  The result is a promotion, a raise, a week in Miami for training.  When they bought their house last year they looked for a home in a ward where they would have the opportunity to serve.  They bought a cute little house in Magna - he was called as Assistant Scout Master - then to an Assistant Clerk in the Spanish Branch - and now Elder's Quorum President.  He is about to be come a father.  Katie is a great wife for him - a hard worker - and excited to become a mother.  Oh - and he ran a Marathon in May! 

Meranda - since coming home from her Mission she has had three different jobs.  After many applications and rejections - she finally landed at LDS Hospital as a Dietary Tech - which is right up her alley.  She has been attending the Spanish Branch in our Stake and has four callings relating to that - YW 1st Counselor - Ward Chorister - Ward Missionary - English Teacher.....WHEW!!!!  She also bought her first car last week - a VW Passat - SWEET!  She is focused - driven - and is working towards her plans for the future - grad school and becoming a Registered Dietician.  She also has turned into quite the fitness nut - running a full marathon in May - a half in July and playing on a slow pitch softball team. Great things in store for her!

Parker - when Parker decides to do something - watch out - he gets totally focused.  He started dieting last year and has lost close to 40 pounds!  What a BEAST!  He has been playing tons of tennis and softball this summer - which included traveling to Moab and Monticello to pitch for a team out of Blanding.  He has also played in two different USTA Jr. Tennis Tournaments this summer and has been playing tennis at least twice a week at the Oquirrh Park Fitness Center.  He wanted to be involved in school his senior year and will be a Senior Class Officer!  He has also been serving on the Stake Youth Council.  He's not sure what he wants "to do with his life" but I'm sure he will figure it out!

Yes - I am a proud mom!!!!!

Just a bit late....

A late Happy Birthday to Meranda Kay!  I can't believe I didn't post on her birthday....but life is just a bit crazy right now.

So much to say about my amazing daughter.

She is faithful...
She is strong....
She is ambitous...
She is loving and kind....
She loves the Spanish Branch she goes to...
She is a great sister to her brothers....
She is a bright light to her Grandpa....
She is a wonderful friend and support to me...

So Happy Birthday Meranda Panda Bear with the Red Hair. Your future is bright! 

Love Momma Bear

You just never know......

Dad has been in Legacy Rehab for almost three months.  He has done everything he has been asked to do to get stronger and prepared to go back home.  When the accident happened, we were told it would be 3 months before the neck was healed.  The swallowing would come along, but would also need "time" to heal.  He has exercises to strengthen his throat muscles and does them diligently - again everything he could possibly do.

I'm the kind of person that looks for a reason that things happen.  Most times, you don't know why, but you have faith that every thing happens for a reason.

So my first reason that Dad possibly broke his neck was so that his prostrate could be fixed.  He knew he had problems - had doctors tell him over the last 20+ years that he should have it fixed - but he just never did.  Well because of a really bad attempt to place a catheder prior to surgery, he ended up getting his prostrate problem fixed.  It was painful, scary and he was even in ICU for a couple of days...but the prostrate is fixed.

There were at least two times that I was with Dad when I thought he would not make it through the night.  One was the Monday after the surgery when he was at Legacy.  The cathedar was clogged - he had a fever and was in terrible pain. I felt Mom's presence.  I knew she was there.  I thought it was his time. The nurse on call asked if I could drive him to the hospital...it was crazy.  I think I left around 2:00 a.m. sending a text to Dee saying that we needed to get the problem fixed.  Dad made it through the night and the next day Dee spent the afternoon with Dad and the Urologist getting things working.

The second time was when Dad was back in IMC with the same "clogged" problem and another painful procedure was done to get things working.  I stayed that night - after the procedure - again he was in terrible pain and was running a fever.  The nurse on call put ice packs all around his body and we turned the air conditioner so that the room was very cold.  He was in and out of conciousness.  Again I felt Mom's presence and again he made it through the night.

The second reason I believe he is at Legacy is the example he is to everyone that is there.  Dad has had an impact on the staff (nurses, cna's, therapists).  He keeps the staff on their toes - every night reminding them that he goes off the "sauce" at 6:00 a.m. so he can get his medication at 8:00 a.m.  They know where he likes his chair, walker and other medical equipment.  He is the model patient and sometimes feel he gets neglected...quite the contrary I think it is very respected.

The third reason I believe he is at Legacy is the impact he has on the other residents.  The Kinikini's across the hall told Dad that they could feel his spirit coming from the room and that they knew he would be healed. When they left the other day, they wanted his phone number and address and wanted to stay in touch.

He sits in the Lobby and says Hello to everyone. People have commented on what great family support he has.  About a week ago, a new patient "Mark" (from Bozeman, Montana) sought Dad out because he too has a feeding tube.  Well Mark and Dad visit on a daily basis.  A week ago on Sunday, we were sitting in the Lobby after Church - Dad in his white shirt and me in my dress.  Mark wondered why we were so dressed up and we told him we had been to church.  He asked what kind of church service and if anyone could go.  So we invited him to come with us the next week (which was yesterday).  We were a little late getting going and we found Mark coming to find Dad.  Meranda was with me and she went into full "missionary mode" - answering his questions and explaining what would happen during the sacrament meeting.  The songs and talks were so appropriate - the speaker even talking about his in-laws that lived in a tiny town in the corner of Montana that had joined the church.  After the meeting, Mark talked with Dad about God and the Church.  Dad was eager to answer Marks questions.  He asked what the difference was between Mormons and Catholics and  Meranda basically gave him a lesson on the restoration of the gospel.  It was awesome.  First to see my Dad in a teaching mode, then seeing my daughter in a missionary mode and seeing that Mark was actually listening and asking questions.  Meranda asked if he would like a Book of Mormon - and he said sure!

So you just never know why things happen.  There is a reason for everything and I believe Heavenly Father is in control.  I'm sure each of my siblings have had experiences during the last three months where they have seen the Lord's hand at work. 

Dad has a lot of faith.  He has been through so much in the last three months.  He isn't perfect, but he tries his best.  He knows that there is a reason he is still here and has said maybe it's for his family, maybe it's for his ward, maybe it's for his neighbors. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I have been able to be there and experience things that I wouldn't have otherwise.

Lots of stuff going on

Tons of stuff going on....here are some pics

There you go.....

My First Born

Today is Preston's Birthday. I vividly remember the day he was born. I was working at Coopers & Lybrand (one of the Big 8 accounting firms in the day). I think I was the first pregnant professional they had ever dealt with. It was the 80's - kind of a weird time - though at the time we didn't know just how weird. I had worked out of town during my pregnancy - mainly in the booming metropolis of Price, Utah. I worked up to and including April 28th. There was a retirement luncheon that day for the Office Manager - a woman named Ruth Gonet. It was at the Salt Lake Country Club. I was feeling pretty miserable.

For some reason after the luncheon, I ended up in the office of Dick Goode, the Managing Partner. I must have also looked miserable, because he asked me what I was doing at work. I don't remember what my answer was. I intended to go to work on Friday, the 29th and got up, felt kind of crappy, had a shower and then asked Evan to call work and let them know I wasn't going to be in. Of course, I had never been in labor before and didn't quite know what to expect. Well, I was in labor.

We went to the hospital at around 1:00 p.m. It was a beautiful spring day. I delivered Preston at around 7:30 p.m. It was interesting and was the hardest delivery of my three children. Two days later, on May 1st, we took him home in a total blizzard. Typical Spring in Utah! The days following were a blur, but were quite an adjustment to a 31 year old woman who had been able to come and go as she wanted. I remember Mom appearing at my door every day for a couple of weeks around lunch time to help me get my act together. She was an angel!

Being a mother is a blessing. Preston was/is a good "first" child. He is loving, kind, smart, ambitious, competitive, respectful, and a little feisty.

Now, 26 years later, Preston is going to be a dad. The circle of life is amazing. I'm so thankful for Preston. He is going to be a great Dad and I can't wait to see his life change as he welcomes his child into the world.

 

 

My Dad...now there is a man!

Today is Dad's 85th Birthday. He is not spending it where and how he would have liked.

We had gotten his approval to have a Birthday Bash (of course he was a bit hesitant). But then in an instant...his life changed.

A fall resulted in a broken neck. The surgery was a success---it's just that everything else hasn't been.

He is a strong man. He is a determined man. He is a great example of never giving up. I can't even imagine the pain he has been in and continues to go through.

I have a great family. We have not even thought twice about not being there for him. I feel for those people who don't have the support system that Dad has. We don't always see eye to eye but we are all willing to help when needed.

As my niece Haley said, "he the last of the old wise people" in our lives. He is loved by his children and their spouses, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, ward members, neighbors. He has had such an influence over so many people. Preston moved to Magna a little over a year ago and he now understands and realizes how many peoples lives his Grandpa helped in so many ways as their bishop, neighbor and friend.

He loved our Mom so much and did everything he could to help her as her health failed. I have felt my Mom's presence many times over the past three years and I have felt her near this last 2 1/2 weeks. The veil is thin...life is fragile...I'm grateful for my parents and the great examples they have been in my life.

Time Flies

I can't believe it's March already. I am ready for Spring. Looking back, I'm trying to think what we were busy with????? I guess that's why it's good to keep journals.

We did take a quick vacation over President's day to the D-Land. The weather was perfect, the crowds were not perfect. But it wouldn't be Disneyland if there weren't crowds right? A lot of the rides were closed or down from time to time - and a lot of the crowd seemed to be Californian's - with the good weather I guess they all decided to visit the Park

It was so crowded on Saturday, that Evan and Preston spent a couple of hours locating Survey Monuments in the Park. Evan had heard about them, Preston found an app, I think they found 4-5 monuments - people kept asking if they had lost something. Preston and Katie had also mentioned that the U played UCLA on Saturday and maybe they would go. Well, we all went. It was a great experience to be in Pauley Pavillion even though the Utes didn't show up to play. I decided that the Huntsman Center is a great place to watch a game. We also visited the Bookstore and the softball field. On our way back we made a detour to our favorite Huntington Beach.

Our lives continue to be busy. We are blessed.

What a year.....

I can honestly say that I'm not feeling too bad that 2013 is in the "books". It was a crazy roller coaster ride - but we made it over the last hill!

We took trips to San Diego (January), Disneyland (March), and Mount Rushmore (August).
We were called to be the Ward Nursery Leaders.
We cheered Parker on in Swim and Tennis - he lettered in both sports at HHS.
We dealt with a broken hand-a freak accident for Parker-that caused him to miss the Region/State Tennis Tournament and the USA Softball Camp in Michigan.
Preston and Katie bought a house.
We remodeled/finished our basement - LOVE IT!!!!!
Parker moved his bedroom to the basement.
Evan started his own business "Pioneer Land Surveying".
Evan and Parker spent a week at Lake Powell with the Scouts.
Grandma Wood passed away September 1st.
We had a run in with an Elk on I-15 in October and totaled the Durango - poor "Rango".
Parker became an Eagle Scout in October...(still need to have that court of honor)
We bought a new (used) car (thanks to the ElK) - footnote - I never thought I would buy a FORD!!!!!
We bought a truck for Parker - affectionately called "Doug" "Alfredo" and now "Pedro".
We went to Denver in November to watch the Broncos - "Happy Birthday" to Evan.
Preston graduated from the University of Utah in December.
We celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary on December 19th
Meranda returned from her mission on December 19th (happy anniversary to us) - she loved her mission - we love that she is home!
Grandpa Wood passed away December 28th.

WHEW..........what else can I say!!!!!

Grandpa Wood

Grandpa Wood passed away sometime between 3:00 - 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 28th. His passing was just as I would have wished for James - passing in his sleep - no drama - no doctors - no ambulances.....

Even though his health problems had been a challenge, he seemed to be accepting of the current state of his mental and physical health.

He had days when you weren't sure he would make it through the night and then the next time you went to visit him you thought he would live another 10 years.

It is an absolute blessing that he as able to return to the presence of his loved ones as I'm sure they were waiting for him. James wasn't a big church attender - but he was an honest, hard working man and loved being a rancher and farmer.

When Grandma passed away in September, he cried and said that he had never felt so bad. He truly loved his wife. They were a couple and had been together since they were just teenagers. I can't even imagine their first years of marriage - diving into their lives - starting their family - acquiring land, cows and permit - and they never wanted to stop doing it.

He might not have always been the easiest guy to get along with - but in the end he was a proud Grandpa and Father!

Welcome Home Hermana Wood

I am extremely late posting a shout out Welcome Home to Heramana Wood.

She arrived LATE on the 19th of December. The airport was insane. Tons of missionaries - don't know if it was planned or it was because the weather in Salt Lake had been ridiculous all day - even closing the airport at one time.

She was wiped out - but still had that wonderful smile and put up with all of us as we snapped pictures.

When we got home - one of the first things she did was open the refrigerator doors and gaze in at the abundance of fruits, vegetables, milk, diet coke, caprisuns, etc.

She was glad to see carpet and was in "heaven" as she laid on our bed between me and Evan talking until about 2:00 a.m. It was awesome!