Kyle's Graduation

I bet you can guess where we went this last week-end. We had a fast and enjoyable trip to Provo for Kyle's graduation. He graduated with a Bachelor's in Math. Now they are on their way. We are so proud of him! Kyle and Cyn will stay in Provo for the time being. Kyle has a job working for BYU in their computer area at the Bookstore. They can stay in their nice apartment for a while longer. We are very proud of them. Actually I hope Kyle stays at BYU for years to come. I don't think you could find a better employer than the Church. The benefits of a learning environment will be great as well as the spiritual atmosphere that permeates the campus. WOW.

While in Provo, we stayed in a room that is called "The BYU room." Everything in the room was blue and white and BYU memorabilia. We felt like we were trapped in a time warp. The headboard had BYU in it and so did the foot board. The bed was about 36 inches off the ground and we had to use a three step ladder to get into bed. The walls were covered with all sorts of items from BYU. Even the closet rod was held up by a "Y" on each end. I think we decided that this was a once in a lifetime experience. We would rather have a more spacious room.

Unfortunately Tonie was not able to attend graduation. She was completing her papers and classes so she can graduate with an MSW in May. She is not going to walk the line or get hooded. This is a great sadness for her mother but Tonie does not like to do this. I will continue to work on her and maybe when she gets her Ph.D. she will walk the line if not for herself, for her parents who are busting their buttons with pride. She would have walked the line on the same night as Melissa (niece) is getting her Master's degree in Nursing. I don't think I will be able to get down to SLC but I always wish I could make it to all the special events for my nieces and nephews.

The next big event, after Tonie gets her MSW, is Robbie's wedding on September 4, 2009. We are excited to have Tracy join our family after all these years of dating. She is really sweet and is good for Robbie. They go together well.

My fruit trees are all blossoming. I took some pictures. This is the apple tree. What fun to see the beautiful blossoms. We really trimmed our apricot tree this year so I am not sure how much fruit we will get off of it. I also planted some raspberries so I hope they will grow and produce fruit. Yum! Yum!

Well, I better get to cooking dinner. Talk to you all later.

Yard work is here.

Well, today Robb was home from work before the sun went down. SO, we mowed the lawn, planted flowers, dug a hole for an extension on to our grape arbor and planted raspberries. I hope everything grows. I am replanting a lilac bush next to our bedroom window to make it easier to mow around. We really don't want to pay someone to mow the lawn every week but I think we will have to. We are so tired. And the big wheel on the lawnmower broke. Now we need to replace that. My Quaking Aspen is really growing and so are my fruit trees. Now if we can beat the squirrels and birds to the fruit, we will be excited. Our yard looks fantastic with Scott's Lawn care taking care of the fertilizer, weed treatment, and such.

Last week was Easter. We spent it by ourselves. Robb got a ham for dinner and we are still working on it now a week later. I think we have about 1/3 of the ham left. We have eating sandwiches and eating ham and eggs all week. Maybe it will last us through Tuesday evening because we are going to Provo on Wednesday. I am really excited about going down and seeing Kyle graduate. He has accomplished a lot by graduating from College. Now I hope he continues one with a Master's degree to something like that. Well, you know, my family is all about education to the max.

Speaking of school, I am half way through my graduate certificate for conflict resolution. I will be taking three week-end classes in June. I am anticipating that I will graduate in 2010. I love graduating in even years. Maybe by then BSU will have a Ph.D. in Public Affairs that I can take. If not, I am thinking about psychology second bachelor's degree. I will have to see. I sure get tired of working and school but I cannot stop.

The Idaho Human Rights Commission is having its 40th anniversary celebration on May 5, 2009. I made invitations for the event. Now I need to order dessert napkins with the 40th anniversary on it. Because the state does not give us any money, we are footing the bill ourselves. There are about four of us and others that are trying to do a nice affair.

I know I am going to feel really tired tomorrow and will ache. It is okay. As long as I can move, I will go to church. Well, I will leave this blog for this evening. catch ya all later.

Broken Windshield

Well, not getting full coverage insurance for the rental car finally caught up with us. While driving to SLC this last week, to be with Tonie, we must have been hit by a rock or something. The chip was on the edge of the window and then it cracked from there. I had to pay to replace the window on the rental car and thankfully, it was not as much as I was worried it would be. Out of all the trips I have taken, this is the first time there has been any incident of damage to the car. Whew! I can count my lucky stars that it was not worse.

On the way to SLC last Thursday evening, it rained and snowed. It was really difficult when trying to pass a semi on the road becuase they sent up such a spray of slush that it would cover the front window. The wipers could not keep the window clear. I had to brake several times becuase I could not see anything in front of me. Then when we, Robbie went with me, got into Utah, the road top is white and the lines on the road are white. I could not see the lane marking for the life of me. Robbie kept watch and would begin frantically saying, "you're over the line, you're over the line" or "lane marker! Lane marker!" I think he kept me from side swiping a couple of cars.

Tonie had surgery on Friday and she did well. She is recovering at home and feels so much better than she did before the surgery. Robbie, Cyn, Kyle, and I all met to keep her company while she convalesced. On Saturday, we watched conference together. Then Saturday evening we went to dinner at "DoDo's" a bistro named after the extinct bird. The desserts were to die for and we really enjoyed ourselves.

On Sunday, we watched the morning session of conference and then Robbie and I started our trek back to Boise. The roads were much better and I was driving in the daylight. The trip was uneventful. We got home in good time, turned the car in, and crashed for the evening.

This week, I am back to a normal schedule at work. How boring is that!! Ineed to put in some work days this month so I can bring up my stats for case processing. I think I have been enjoyoing myself for too long. Now I need to buckle down.

Robb is almost finished with tax season. YEAH!! I will get to see him more evenings. Right now he comes home, grabs a bit and hits the bed. Not much of a life. The rest of the year will be much better and he promises he won't put in so many hours next year. We will see when next year comes.

We are both very thankful we have jobs. The economy is so bad that people are losing jobs right and left. We are blessed. We hope the Lord continues to bless us as he has done. Take care. I better go now.