I won't take a long time on this post because my heart is still too tender after only 30 years. But 30 years ago today my life changed, as well as the lives of my dad and sisters. When I look back and remember all the events of that day, I remember the Lord's tender mercy of having my little one-year-old daughter asleep so she didn't go riding with her father on the corn truck. The truck filled with corn rolled over at the side of the road. Back in those days children weren't required to be belted in, so I am sure she would have been standing up on the seat and would have been hurt very badly. As it was, Garth was spared any serious injury. Which is a great blessing because of the other events that took place later that day. I am thankful that I didn't lose my husband and daughter that day. It was a sad enough day without added tragedy.
I miss my mom. It doesn't get easier, you just get used to a new normal.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Fun Weekend
Our weekend started out on Friday with a trip to Salt Lake to the wedding of the son of our good friends, the Sharps. Josh was married in the Salt Lake Temple and we were very happy to be there with the family. The Sharps have been our friends since we moved back to Orangeville. I have had all their eight children with the exception of the twins in my school class. (Tessa and Tara were in the few groups I skipped between sixth and third grade.) I taught most of them a few years of piano as well. Alan was our bishop and is now our stake president. Garth and Alan were in the scouts together, and Garth was the financial clerk while Alan was the bishop. Garth was also their home teacher for many years. They are a special family and we love their kids dearly, as they do ours. We have shared all the special weddings and baby showers. There were only a few friends from Emery County there, President Stilson, President Johnson and his wife, and us. We were honored to be there with them. As usual, we were the first of the entire group to arrive at the temple, but that gave us plenty of time to find parking (a pain!), get to the meeting room, and have plenty of time to rest. The wedding was beautiful with some great advice from the sealer which I will discuss on another post. After the sealing we hurried to Standard Optical to see if we could pick up my contacts, but they weren't able to work us in for our appointment any earlier than our scheduled appointment at 2:30. So we drove back to the wedding dinner at the Radisson downtown. It was wonderful! We were able to sit with Jacob and his family, enjoying the little kids breaking the glasses and knowing they weren't our kids! Even the Sharps have kids that like to move things around and have accidents! The food was wonderful and the company great. We had to sneak out a bit early to be sure we got back to the eye doctor, but it was a great time.
I was finally able to get my contacts and they fit nicely. The doctor is doing a bit of tweaking with the right eye, but my far distant sight is better than it has been in years. But the middle and close up is horrible! I can't see the music for the organ, and reading anything is impossible without reading glasses. I can't focus on anything closer than 3 feet away. Even the computer screen is out of focus. I have moved the text size up to the largest possible. Try it and see what Facebook looks like on the biggest print and you can see how terrible it is for me! I don't know if they can fix it at all. At one point the doctor (she) said that they can do one eye for close up and one for distance, but I think that would drive me crazy! Maybe I will need to buy a close up contact just to see what it would do. At this rate I will be using glasses for everything. They did have to redo the glasses that I bought for evenings when I take my contacts out. She said my cornea had been warped and was now back to the original shape, which is very football pointed. So maybe I will be able to use those glasses more. I guess I am just getting too old. Going with the contacts for 3 weeks made me really miss my contacts, but I want to be able to see far and near. I don't mind using reading glasses some of the time, just not all of the time!
We drove back home to get here in time for the Emery/Richfield homecoming game on Friday night. Emery is now finally able to win games again, now that they play back in the old region I grew up with.
Saturday morning we drove back up to Lehi for Tyler's birthday party. We stopped at Home Base and got come cement blocks to do some landscaping between the driveway and the new shed. We need to terrace the slope so that the water doesn't melt and run into the shed. I guess Dad and I will be working to get that done as soon as possible because a storm is supposed to be coming this week.
The party for Tyler was so fun! We got there early and enjoyed playing with Tyler and visiting with Nancy and Dallas. I was hungry and ate too many chips before dinner, shame on me! We ate good hamburgers, salads, chips, cake, and had good company. Tyler loved all his new gifts and the kids had fun playing. I could just sit and watch my grandchildren playing all day. Makes for a wonderful day.
Sunday was a very needed resting day. I am always thankful for a nice quiet day to rest and get caught up with things. We even ate leftover soup so we didn't have to cook anything. It was a great day.
Today....back to school. We only have three days because of UEA this week. We are going up for the classes. It has been several years since I have attended, and I need a shot in the arm on new things to add to my classroom. Dad said he will plan something with the kids, after he gets a few hours of sleeping in. We need to be home on Friday night for Josh Sharp's wedding reception, and a birthday celebration for someone here at work. We are looking forward to General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. We are hoping to be able to get the landscaping done, or at least started on Saturay before and after sessions of conference. This will be the first conference in 3 years that I have not been off to math classes. I am looking forward to sitting, crocheting, and watching conference.
I was finally able to get my contacts and they fit nicely. The doctor is doing a bit of tweaking with the right eye, but my far distant sight is better than it has been in years. But the middle and close up is horrible! I can't see the music for the organ, and reading anything is impossible without reading glasses. I can't focus on anything closer than 3 feet away. Even the computer screen is out of focus. I have moved the text size up to the largest possible. Try it and see what Facebook looks like on the biggest print and you can see how terrible it is for me! I don't know if they can fix it at all. At one point the doctor (she) said that they can do one eye for close up and one for distance, but I think that would drive me crazy! Maybe I will need to buy a close up contact just to see what it would do. At this rate I will be using glasses for everything. They did have to redo the glasses that I bought for evenings when I take my contacts out. She said my cornea had been warped and was now back to the original shape, which is very football pointed. So maybe I will be able to use those glasses more. I guess I am just getting too old. Going with the contacts for 3 weeks made me really miss my contacts, but I want to be able to see far and near. I don't mind using reading glasses some of the time, just not all of the time!
We drove back home to get here in time for the Emery/Richfield homecoming game on Friday night. Emery is now finally able to win games again, now that they play back in the old region I grew up with.
Saturday morning we drove back up to Lehi for Tyler's birthday party. We stopped at Home Base and got come cement blocks to do some landscaping between the driveway and the new shed. We need to terrace the slope so that the water doesn't melt and run into the shed. I guess Dad and I will be working to get that done as soon as possible because a storm is supposed to be coming this week.
The party for Tyler was so fun! We got there early and enjoyed playing with Tyler and visiting with Nancy and Dallas. I was hungry and ate too many chips before dinner, shame on me! We ate good hamburgers, salads, chips, cake, and had good company. Tyler loved all his new gifts and the kids had fun playing. I could just sit and watch my grandchildren playing all day. Makes for a wonderful day.
Sunday was a very needed resting day. I am always thankful for a nice quiet day to rest and get caught up with things. We even ate leftover soup so we didn't have to cook anything. It was a great day.
Today....back to school. We only have three days because of UEA this week. We are going up for the classes. It has been several years since I have attended, and I need a shot in the arm on new things to add to my classroom. Dad said he will plan something with the kids, after he gets a few hours of sleeping in. We need to be home on Friday night for Josh Sharp's wedding reception, and a birthday celebration for someone here at work. We are looking forward to General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. We are hoping to be able to get the landscaping done, or at least started on Saturay before and after sessions of conference. This will be the first conference in 3 years that I have not been off to math classes. I am looking forward to sitting, crocheting, and watching conference.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Happy Birthday, Tyler
***Note--For some reason I can not access my photos from my school computer to put in this blog. I can get them up on my computer but the drive can't be accessed through blogger.com. I'm done with trying. Got work to do. Sorry, no pictures until my home computer comes back.
What a miracle! Four years later and skill going strong! Four years ago our little Tyler was born. We were so scared when we got the phone call late that night, because he wasn't due until Christmas. We hurried into our clothes, said a quick prayer, and headed up to SLC, Tammy coming along with us. When we drove past UVU we got the call that a little boy had been born. The rest is history. Today Tyler is a growing, happy boy (sometimes happy according to his mother:)He loves to throw balls, play with blocks, look at books, and roll in the grass, now that he lives he lives back in Utah where there is grass instead of in Arizona. We are so proud of the advances he is making. He is learning to communicate in his own special way. We love him so much and are thankful for the patience he is teaching us, the unconditional love he gives us, and the special spirit we see in him.
I have some pictures of him I would like to post, but they are on my other computer (still in the shop), and on my school computer. When I get to school and have a few minutes I will load them here. In the meantime, we love you Tyler, and happy birthday!
What a miracle! Four years later and skill going strong! Four years ago our little Tyler was born. We were so scared when we got the phone call late that night, because he wasn't due until Christmas. We hurried into our clothes, said a quick prayer, and headed up to SLC, Tammy coming along with us. When we drove past UVU we got the call that a little boy had been born. The rest is history. Today Tyler is a growing, happy boy (sometimes happy according to his mother:)He loves to throw balls, play with blocks, look at books, and roll in the grass, now that he lives he lives back in Utah where there is grass instead of in Arizona. We are so proud of the advances he is making. He is learning to communicate in his own special way. We love him so much and are thankful for the patience he is teaching us, the unconditional love he gives us, and the special spirit we see in him.
I have some pictures of him I would like to post, but they are on my other computer (still in the shop), and on my school computer. When I get to school and have a few minutes I will load them here. In the meantime, we love you Tyler, and happy birthday!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Dad's Maiden Voyage
Garth has been looking for a float-tube for a long time, but we didn't want to put out the money for one. Call us cheap, I guess. But a few weeks ago he was told there was one advertised on KSL.com Classified and it was located in Spring Glen. It was at a better than basement bargain price, so he called and was told to come over and see it. It turned out the owner had purchased some other toys and needed the garage space for storage. He said he got it from a member of his family and had never used it. It was brand new, with a motor, oars, and everything, except the battery. It was a very good deal and he made the purchase. A few days later he was given a battery from his friend the battery man, so he was able to come out with a sweet bargain. We drove up to Pete's Hole and took it out for his first experience. There was a fisherman nearby who was as excited about the boat as Garth was. He helped him get it into the water, gave him a few pointers and Garth was off! I was glad he had something he has wanted for so long.
This video was an accident. I didn't know it was being taken as a video. My comment about the bikers leaving: When we got to Pete's there were 25 4-wheelers lined up along the dam, meaning about 35-40 people fishing. Didn't leave many fish for us, but as you can see, Garth did get one. Add that to the one the next weekend and we had a good meal of trout.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
September 11
It was one of those times you remember where you were and what you were doing. One of those times you will never forget. One of those times when you tear up by simply thinking about it, contemplating all the events around that day. All the emotions come flooding back. All the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I know I am writing this on September 10, but my home computer is not working, so I am writing this at school before I leave to go home. I am sure you understand that tomorrow I'll be too busy to write before the day is over. Indulge me for a bit.
Do you realize that the students I have this year were less than one year old in 2001? They have no memory of that day. It is up to us to teach them the importance of that tragic day in history. What will we teach them?
I always turn on the TV and watch the morning news. I heard the "Breaking News" announcement coming on and I stopped to hear what the big news happened to be. I sat at the bottom of my bed to watch as they showed the first tower with smoke billowing out. I listened to the news anchors try to describe what little they knew. Everyone was guessing on the cause and wondering just what was happening. As I watched, the camera was focusing on the towers. Suddenly you could see another plan flying nearby. I, really WE, watched it as it turned and headed toward the second tower! I remember placing my hand over my mouth and gasping. My thoughts were, "Who is making that big mistake?" I was thinking that the radar tower that directs the planes was making mistakes and sending the planes in the wrong directions. The news anchors were so horrified, speechless, and confounded. Words could not describe the emotions. I called to my husband to come in and watch. It was too horrific to even thing about what was happening.
I tried to get myself ready for school, to continue on with what had to happen. We turned on the TV in the living room so we could hear while we ate breakfast. By then I was thinking "Who is attacking us?" What is going on?
I don't remember exactly when the third plane hit the Pentagon. Was it after the collapse of the towers? My mind gets muddled up with the details.
I always felt upset at myself for not taking the time to call each of my children that morning. But they each called me, so we did touch base. I should have called them and let them know I was thinking of them, wanting them near while our world was falling apart. But I was just walking around, doing what I needed to do in survivor mode. I know I won't let that happen again if, heaven forbid, something like this happens again.
I knew I wouldn't turn on the TV in my classroom because I didn't want my students to be subjected to the horror of the day. But they came in with the knowledge of what happened. They were excited to talk about it, acting as all children do. It was pretty "neat" for them to watch the plane hit the building. They thought it was cool how the plane nearly came right through the tower. They just didn't have the background knowledge that there were real people in the building who no longer existed.
I remember running up to the faculty room after I got the students busy, hearing up-dates, going back to class for a few minutes, running back up. Not soon enough recess started and all the kids went outside to play. I raced back to the faculty room and joined the others as we watched the events again. We were watching as the first tower fell, speechless again. What horror, what anguish we felt. We cried and sobbed together, watching those people running away.
As the day progressed along and we tried to keep students busy, it was just a surreal feeling of doom, terror, and fright. What was happening in our world? By the end of the day, flags were flying everywhere. Our country was in turmoil, but we knew our country would survive and fight back. We knew we would show our strength, the strength of our people, joined in an unknown cause.
The TV didn't go off in our home for most of the night. We were glued to the events of the day.
As a famous author said "It was the best of times....(we joined together as a country, showing our true patriotic colors of red, what, and blue), it was the worst of times....... Pray that we don't have to experience any more terrorism on our own soil.
I know I am writing this on September 10, but my home computer is not working, so I am writing this at school before I leave to go home. I am sure you understand that tomorrow I'll be too busy to write before the day is over. Indulge me for a bit.
Do you realize that the students I have this year were less than one year old in 2001? They have no memory of that day. It is up to us to teach them the importance of that tragic day in history. What will we teach them?
I always turn on the TV and watch the morning news. I heard the "Breaking News" announcement coming on and I stopped to hear what the big news happened to be. I sat at the bottom of my bed to watch as they showed the first tower with smoke billowing out. I listened to the news anchors try to describe what little they knew. Everyone was guessing on the cause and wondering just what was happening. As I watched, the camera was focusing on the towers. Suddenly you could see another plan flying nearby. I, really WE, watched it as it turned and headed toward the second tower! I remember placing my hand over my mouth and gasping. My thoughts were, "Who is making that big mistake?" I was thinking that the radar tower that directs the planes was making mistakes and sending the planes in the wrong directions. The news anchors were so horrified, speechless, and confounded. Words could not describe the emotions. I called to my husband to come in and watch. It was too horrific to even thing about what was happening.
I tried to get myself ready for school, to continue on with what had to happen. We turned on the TV in the living room so we could hear while we ate breakfast. By then I was thinking "Who is attacking us?" What is going on?
I don't remember exactly when the third plane hit the Pentagon. Was it after the collapse of the towers? My mind gets muddled up with the details.
I always felt upset at myself for not taking the time to call each of my children that morning. But they each called me, so we did touch base. I should have called them and let them know I was thinking of them, wanting them near while our world was falling apart. But I was just walking around, doing what I needed to do in survivor mode. I know I won't let that happen again if, heaven forbid, something like this happens again.
I knew I wouldn't turn on the TV in my classroom because I didn't want my students to be subjected to the horror of the day. But they came in with the knowledge of what happened. They were excited to talk about it, acting as all children do. It was pretty "neat" for them to watch the plane hit the building. They thought it was cool how the plane nearly came right through the tower. They just didn't have the background knowledge that there were real people in the building who no longer existed.
I remember running up to the faculty room after I got the students busy, hearing up-dates, going back to class for a few minutes, running back up. Not soon enough recess started and all the kids went outside to play. I raced back to the faculty room and joined the others as we watched the events again. We were watching as the first tower fell, speechless again. What horror, what anguish we felt. We cried and sobbed together, watching those people running away.
As the day progressed along and we tried to keep students busy, it was just a surreal feeling of doom, terror, and fright. What was happening in our world? By the end of the day, flags were flying everywhere. Our country was in turmoil, but we knew our country would survive and fight back. We knew we would show our strength, the strength of our people, joined in an unknown cause.
The TV didn't go off in our home for most of the night. We were glued to the events of the day.
As a famous author said "It was the best of times....(we joined together as a country, showing our true patriotic colors of red, what, and blue), it was the worst of times....... Pray that we don't have to experience any more terrorism on our own soil.