Easter Weekend

Hello everyone!!! I watched conference all week-end and am so energized. I feel that I need to get back to work trying to improve how I live my life and follow the Lord's commandments. I loved the talks given. There were so many that I really enjoyed, I can hardly wait until the Ensign comes out so I can study them. To me it was really neat that Conference came on Easter Week-end. How great is that!!

I am back to indexing for the family history cause. I have to read handwritten records and it takes some study to be sure that I am making the correct spellings of names. I feel an obligation to do the best possible but also know that another indexer is doing the same records and there is a third person who will review it all. It helps to know that I am not the only indexer upon which someone's blessings depend upon.

This last month, my "cousin-brother" died. His name is Marshall Plummer, and he was the first Vice President of the Navajo Tribe. Marshall's mother is my aunt, Grandma Nez's sister. He is also my clan brother. I think that is how come he is referred to as my "cousin-brother." I am not really sure but Irene will let me know how this all works. She is really up on all the connections through clans. I have not taken efforts to learn about the clan system, customs, etc., like Irene has done. I just look at a family pedigree chart and think of things in that way. Irene attended the funeral. She said there were so many people and he impacted many lives in his service to the Tribe. I feel good that he fought a good fight. Now he is able to see his mother and father, and relatives that have gone on before him. Marshall's brother is the Branch President who conducted the funeral for Mom Nez. I am sure he will take care of the ordinance work for Marshall. Irene was able to seal Virginia to Mom and Dad Nez. To seal Mom to her parents. I guess I can go on family search and find out who has had their work completed in the family.

Robb and I are doing well considering all the aches and pains, the long hours of working, and trying to keep our heads afloat. Simon, our dog, keeps us so busy, you know.

Robbie and Cynthia are running a half-marathon in SLC on April 17th. We will go down to cheer them on.

Robb is home so I guess I better go. Love you!

St. Patrick's Day

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's day. I sent an outfit to Jackson with green on it so he could wear it tomorrow. I hope he gets it. I also sent on that is red. If he wears red, I think he gets kisses. I cannot remember all the rules of St. Patrick's day. If you can believe it, I am still trying to think of something green to wear to work tomorrow. Seems silly . . .

Robb and I are doing well. We are both working, working, and working some more. The Idaho Human Rights Commission will still be funded contrary to the Governor's wishes. I am really excited about this. I can work for at least five more years and get retirement. AND, we are moving under the umbrella of the Idaho Department of Labor, which is a "plush" agency. We get all new state of the art computers and electronic equipment. I cannot believe our good fortune. We will be moving by July 1, 2010. The Dept. of Labor is also a big proponent of assisting its employees in pursuing educational goals. I may be able to get my Ph.D. after all. Our offices will be smaller than my current one so I will need to downsize. But that will be worth it to me. I am not sure where to put all my about twenty plants though. We will see. It is another few months but you know how time flies.

Sometimes I feel like I am being left behind. Irene and Dennis just returned from a trip to Vietnam. Tonie just returned from a trip to India. I just came back from Meridian (ten miles away) a few days ago. I do not know if I will ever be able to travel because when I think of traveling, I think of "family" trips, like going to Nauvoo with the family in a car caravan or following the Mormon Trail from New York. Robb and I have wanted to do something for our anniversary for several years now but we always seem to let go of our plans and do something as a family. If we went off by ourselves, we would think of what fun the family would have. I guess things change as one gets older, I don't know.

I remind myself of Mom Heaton more and more. I have my own chair to watch TV or read, I wish I could travel but don't, I wish my kitchen could be remodeled but it is not, and my bathroom has not been redone for years. I am fat and want to be skinny but I am not. All of these "wishes" and nothing done. I remember Mom saying one time that not a day goes by without pain. I identify with that now but I wish I did not. I wonder if hopes and dreams and pain are hereditary!! I remember Dad pinching pennies and limiting expenses - - all so he could have money to leave his kids -- is what it turned out to be, instead of redoing the kitchen for Mom. Yes, I do have some angst over that!! Now I am pinching pennies and do not want to spend money. I sometimes challenge myself to see how long I can go without spending money for food or how little we can get away with on food or how far we can drive without filling up the gas tank.

Well, Robb came home early. YEA!!!

President's day

It is a holiday and I am at home. With Robb working and the children gone, it is me and Simon that are here to keep each other company. Sometimes I wish Robb could have the same holidays as I do - then we could do something together. I have not gone outside today. I probably should have taken Simon for a walk but I did not. We have just been lazy.

Tomorrow I go back to work at the Commission. The plans for the elimination of the Human Rights Commission have been changed. The Idaho Department of Labor will have the Commission come under its umbrella agency and keep the Commission funded henceforth. The Commissioners have agreed with the plan, the two agencies are on board, and the governor is agreeable. The only hurdle left is to have the legislature agree to the merger. If all parties agree, we will be the employees for the Department of Labor. It all sounds exciting and I am glad that I will be able to continue working for years to come. There is hope in the future. I really enjoy mediation and so am glad I will get to continue that for a few more years.

This last month, I had my birthday. I am now 57 years old. I do not know how Mom Heaton started again with Irene and me at this age. She had a lot of gumption!!! I sure am thankful she did because I have been blessed tremendously by her decisions. For my birthday, I got a massage chair from Robb and the kids. I love it and I use it each day when I come home from work. I have to be careful though because I fall asleep and could sleep for hours. My muscles are relaxed and the heat feels good. I also got a DVD set for 24. Robb really likes this show and now he has me hooked on it. We have watched season six, season one and now season two. I just picked up season three and we are starting that. Lots of watching but it is all without commercials. I also got a "Snuggie" which I use to cover the massage chair unless I get chilly. Simon has his own Snuggie - - thanks to Tonie, we both have matching snuggies. How funny!!

Better go.

Funky Mama

Funky Mama died this month. She was between about 16-17 years old. Cynthia brought her home from the farm when Funky was just a kitten. Over the years, Funky had kittens and then was spayed so she would not have any more kittens. She lived a long happy life, we think. Always had food and a nice warm place to sleep. Throughout her life, she was teased tremendously by Tonie's two kittens, Roman and Bernice. Eventually we had to let the kittens go because of the allergic reactions to their presence. WE simply could not let Funky go because she was getting older so we kept her. Then Cynthia got married and her husband is allergic to cats. We had to cover the couches, make sure Cyn's bedroom was as clean as possible, and generally take steps to lessen the allergic reaction for Kyle. We even thought of putting them up in a hotel because we felt so bad for him. BUT, we kept Funky because she was getting old. WE also kept Kyle, too. :)

In the recent years, Funky has gone through several dogs. First there was Peanuts, cockapoo, who really got along with her. Peanuts knew not to tease her or chase her. Then came Buster, miniature schnauzer, who had a difficult time controlling himself at first and tried to chase her. Buster did eventually learn that he could chase every cat he saw BUT Funky. Then came Vinny, Robbie's miniature pincher. Vinny never did learn that he should not chase funky but Vinny was smaller than Funky and did not dare push his luck too much. Then came Simon, our Yorkshire Terrier, who tried to sneak in a chase while we were not looking. Simon and Funky just tolerated each other, Simon giving her a wide berth. Then came Mikey, miniature pincher and Vinny's younger brother. Mikey has tried to play with Funky on many occasions and we are thankful that Funky was declawed. Otherwise, Mikey would have had ribbons for ears. Despite all the dogs she had to deal with, Funky ruled the house. She even took over Simon's bed. Towards the end, she became much more comfortable in being petted by Robb and Me. She would eat from Robb's fingertips, and purr really loud when Robb held her. We did not know what was wrong although I kept watch on her food dish which was not emptying. Funky generally came and got us to show her the food dish and to have us watch her eat. She did not do that and we wondered where she was. It was way too quiet and she had not come to get us. We found her asleep in the front room. She kept quiet. Then when we got home after work, Robb saw her lose her balance as she tried to walk into the bedroom. We all panicked and picked her up. We watched her but it did not look good. Of course we had to let everyone in the family know. The next day I missed work so I could try to get her to eat but she would not. That night, she passed away sometime between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. when Robb saw her and told me that she had passed. I often wonder if there is a heaven for animals and whether they are part of our lives after this life. I guess we will have to see. Now we have Simon at home. I wonder if he misses Funky or even wonders what happened to the cat that lived in the house and used his bed.

What a way to start of the New Year

The governor for the State of Idaho gave his address and presented his budget for the next fiscal year. Not good news. He has recommended that the Idaho Human Rights Commission be phased out over the next three years with a 25% reduction in funding each year. If the Commission can generate funds on its own without relying on the general budget, then it can exist. But, if it cannot, which it cannot, it will have to close its offices unless another plan comes into play that will keep the Commission going. I never thought I would see the day!!! Essentially, the Commission has been given a life span of three more years. Unfortunately for me, this is one year short of early retirement. I don't know what will happen but I will hang on for the long haul.

On to other things, I do have blessings in my life. First, I have a job for the time being. I have my kids and my husband for whom I am very thankful. I have Jackson who is adding joy to our family with each new day. We have a home and cars, albeit old ones, to drive us back and forth. We have food on our shelves and heat for our home. I have been blessed when many are seeking these basic things in their lives. The economy is so bad that unemployment has sky rocketed - - people have lost their homes, families, and all sorts of disruption has occurred. For Robb and I, we are very thankful to have what we do have.

Somehow this begins to sound like the Book of Mormon over again. The turmoil in the world is great with wars going one in various places. Our nephew, Kendall, is now serving in Afghanistan, a hot bed of warfare. We hope he remains safe and will return home safely when his turn is over. He is with the Marines. News reports come every day of some fatality that has occurred. We keep our fingers crossed and pray he returns safely.

The war on terror is still raging on. The latest incident was when a person attempted to blow up a flight coming into Detroit. The incident was stopped and everyone was safe but this man got past airport security. We never know when our turn will come, whether we will fall on the way to work, in our homes, or in a public place. I guess the lesson is to prepare and always be prepared to meet Heavenly Father at any point in our life. We have to remain vigilant in all that we do.

Robb has started tax season again and he is gone long hours. I spend evenings by myself and keeping myself busy writing posts and other things. It is difficult to prepare meals when Robb works so late. Often times he comes home and eats very little and goes directly to bed. Well, so much for the "wonderful" outlook on my work and life.

It is now December

Since the last blog, I have had a new grandson, Jackson Kyle Brown born on October 26, 2009 in Orem, UT. Cyndie and Kyle's first. They had one hour notice before going in for a C-section because Cyn had preeclampsia. What a scare. I raced down to Orem and stayed with her for one week. Most of the time was spent in the hospital and I was not much help other than to provide moral support for Cyn. Poor Baby, she had a rough go of it for the first time around. Jackson is beautiful. He looks a lot like Kyle, blond hair and blue eyes but we don't know if he will change color as time goes on. He is such a sweetie.



We all went to Tonie's for Thanksgiving. Robbie and Tracy came with "the boys", aka Vinney and Mikey. Simon also came with us. They enjoyed the trip more than being kenneled in Boise, I think. They all rode well. We had dinner at Tonie's and then played the rest of the week-end. On Saturday, we went to Park City because I had never been to Park City. It seems silly since I grew up visiting SLC all the time. I just never went up the Canyons unless it was to visit Aunt Claire at her cabin. I do not remember which Canyon her cabin was in. I do remember that she taught me how to play rummy. OOOOH, playing cards were "bad" in our home but Aunt Claire played them.

We watched the BYU v. Utah game with Tonie. She was the only Ute fan and BYU WON!!! I did not appreciate the words spoken by Hall, BYU's quarterback. I also did not like the fact that he got into a couple of scuffles. Oh well, he needs to control his emotions better I think. In any event, it was really fun to watch. an EXCITING FOOTBALL GAME. Right after the game, Robb, Simon and I packed up and left for Boise. Robbie and Tracy and the boys left before us. it is nice to have cell phones as we kept in contact all the way home. Robbie, going ahead of us, warned us of the fog and other road conditions, such as "Smokies" out on the road. Robbie was not speeding so he did not get pulled over - - we count our lucky stars for that. We all got home after midnight.

Now it is "Championship Saturday" for NCAA football. BSU is playing New Mexico State and it should be a win for Boise State. Then BSU will find out if it is invited to play in a BCS bowl or what happens next with the football program. I will have to find out what happens with BYU's bowl games also. I don't know if Utah will get invited but of course we would cheer for them if they get to play. lots of games are being played today. I guess you can tell that I like football. I like it at the NCAA level and the NFL level. BUT, the basketball season is going already and some of the teams are playing. I could be a regular sports couch potato if I did not do anything else.

Oh, Robb has been called as the new Sunday School President for our ward. A new teacher will be called to be the Gospel Doctrine teacher, the calling he has had for about eight years. It will be different. I tease him because he gets to ring the bell to dismiss Sunday School classes. :) I have been asked to substitute for a Relief Society lesson in two weeks but other than that, I continue to work as one of the Humanitarian reps. for our ward.

We got a new bishopric. The old bishopric was Bishop St. John, Dennis Wallace, and Bro. Van Leuven. Now the new bishop is Greg Schley, with counselors, Bro. Van Leuven and Bro. Tobiason. We will see what new changes occur in the ward with the new bishopric. There are always changes.

Well, I better scoot.

WOW, HOW TIME FLIES!!

I noticed that my last post was in June. Since then many things have happened. Buster passed away on July 13 from Lymphoma. We have missed him tremendously as he use to greet us at the door. It is amazing how we get attached to our pets. I look at his sweaters occasionally now and still miss him. July was Robb's birthday, Tonie's birthday and Robbie's birthday. Whew! Then on to August. In August we had our anniversary but we were not able to go to the temple as planned becuase Robb was sick. Oh well, another time we keep saying. We were going to go to Twin Falls and go through the new temple.

In September, on the 4th, Robbie got married to his sweatheart, Tracy. We are so excited and we had a fun time. They got married at the Warm Springs Chapel and Bishop St. John of the Bitteroot Ward did the wedding ceremony. Bishop St. John is our bishop now and has know Robbie since Primary. After the wedding, we all went to Barber Park Pavilion. Irene traveled from Page with her decorating things and made the place look beautiful. Pictures were taken and food was shared. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Now it is the end of SEptember. Cynthia had her birthday and Kyle's birthday is coming up. My visiting teachers, Betty Bufford and Glenna Mavencamp are doing a baby shower for Cynthia on Saturday, October 10, 2009 from 1- 2:30. It will be at the Relief Society room and we will have fun. Cyn and Kyle and Tonie are all coming home for that. After ths shower, we will wait for Baby Brown to arrive.

Tomorrow I am involved in the Idaho Inclusiveness Coalition Symposium. I will be so glad when Friday comes. I will be able to get back to work on my regular work. I have been concentrating on the IIC stuff.

Well, I better get going now. Bye.