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.

Salt Lake City and Back

Well, it is March! The days go by fast when I am having fun. This last week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I went to SLC to visit with Irene and Dennis. I also visited with my daughters, Tonie, Cyn and Cyn's hubby, Kyle. I was in SLC to sit with Irene while Dennis was in surgery at the VA. Besides that, we ate and played and visited. Irene and I visited a bunch at the hospital and Dennis came through surgery swimmingly. In fact, the people waiting in the surgery waiting room with us commented that we must not live close since we visited non-stop through the surgery. We told them where we lived. It was really fun to visit with the others waiting. One guy does a lot of crocheting. You would never guess he did that as a hobby because he looked like a biker. He made cartoon animals, rugs, afgans, doilies, etc., as a hobby. Irene was working on Keyah's quilt so that sparked a discussion on crocheting.

Tonie, Cyn, Kyle and I ate dinner at the Navajo Hogan. We had frybread. I like getting frybread if I can when I go to SLC. We visited for a long time and I think they were waiting for us to leave so they could close the restaurant. On Wednesday morning, Tonie and I had breakfast at the Oasis. This was a really neat place with a bookstore. I wish I had the time to spend in the bookstore because I like getting exotic gifts for my friends. I wanted to get a present for Tamara becuase she was going in for foot surgery on Thursday. Alas, I did not find anything really fast. Oh well, I will send her a card. I was also looking for something for Leslie, it is her birthday on Saturday. Yup, another card.

After breakfast with Tonie, I went to the hospital and visited with Irene and Dennis for a bit more before leaving. Dennis was doing very well. It is very fortunate when one does not smoke or drink -- much healther and recovery is so much faster. Thank heaven that we have the "wisdom word" to guide our lives.

I left SLC at about 3:30: On the way home, it started snowing. It snowed from just before Snowville until the junction near Burley. After that, it was raining all the way home. The most difficult part of driving was when the semis would pass and spray slush all over my windshield. Going 75 mph and not seeing anything in front of you is very disconcerting. I almost came to a stop after one such incident. And then I was very grateful that there were no cars behind me. Whew!

I have to go back to work tomorrow. I really do like my job. I really do like my job. I really do like my job. I have to convince myself before tomorrow morning so I can go in and do something productive. Actually, I read my e-mails today and I have a couple of offers and counter-offers to discuss with the parties. What I should really be feeling is gratitude for having a job. Many people are losing their jobs in this downturn in the economy. I worry about budget cuts and how it will affect my job. The legislature has already voted on an across the board pay cut of 3% for all state employees, which means me. Another 2% cutback is to be decided upon by each agency. I think we will be taking furloughs to make up the 2%. I am not happy about the pay cut but having a job is better than not having a job. I am glad that Robb loves his job and he can continue with his job during this turmoil. Finally, I am thankful that we have the family and friends that we have. I know that we have lots of help if we need it. We will weather the storm and come out on top.

The Sweet Sixteen finals playoffs are beginning tonight and I am now watching UConn and Purdue playing. They are about mid-way through the second half. I think UConn will win but Prudue is sticking to them. We will wait and see. I am really hoping and UNC wins the NCAA championship. Since both BYU and Utah lost their games, I have to switch teams. One of these days, Utah or BYU may make it pass the first and second rounds of the play-offs. Boise State, of course, did not make it either.

Robb is deep into tax season. I do not see him much during the daylight hours. He comes home anytime between 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. and leaves the house to be at work by 8:00. I have company at home though because Buster and Funky Mama are home and so it Sashi.

Well, I better fix dinner. Maybe Robb will be home in time to eat something before he goes to bed. Yummmm.

Christmas 2008

This is the picture that I received from Cyn and Kyle for Christmas. It is beautiful and there is a little lamb that he is holding. I don't know if it is a boy or girl but I think I will pretend it is a little Navajo girl with a lamb. This is already hanging on my dinning room wall - a place of honor.

Robb got an MP3 player for all his music he likes to take to and from work. He and Robbie were checking out the player this afternoon.

Tonie was home for Christmas. She and I seem to get tired at about 4:00 each afternoon so we come home and take a nap before we begin the evening activities. Then like silly people, we stay up past midnight! We go through the same cycle each day. Oh well, I guess reality will return when I have to get up early to get to work.

We finally purchased a fake Christmas tree. It looks really pretty but the smell of pine is missing even when we have so many candles going. I guess we have to find better candles to get the smell. We did not get our socks out for Santa to fill so he just left piles of items on the couch.

Well, we are enjoying out Christmas break. We have seen the new release, Valkarie, and it is was super good. We are going to see The Day the World Stood Still tomorrow at the IMAX screen. We are trying to have fondu but we cannot find a store open - Duh!! Oh well, we will have fondu before Tonie goes home. Other than watching football games, Myth Busters, and movies on TV, we have not moved around much.

We hope everyone had a nice Christmas.

Thanksgiving

This is Vinney. He is Robbie and Tracy's new little min pin. He is really cute and he loves to visit me and sleep on my shoulder. It reminds me of Chico, the little chihuahua that I grew up with.

For Thanksgiving, we ate dinner with family and had a really enjoyable time. We did not do the turkey so we did not get turkey to bring home. We are cooking our turkey tomorrow for dinner. We hope that Cyn and Kyle will be able to have dinner before they leave to go home to Provo. They came up on Wednesday night for the week-end. It has been fun having them here. Cyn got busy and cleaned her bedroom, packed some of her keepsakes away and we put up new curtains. We are fixing it up as a guest room with her touch of style so when she and Kyle come home, they will have a new decorated bedroom to stay in. We have to keep the doors closed tightly in between visits because Kyle is allergic to cats. We have funky mama and she just keeps on trucking through her teen years.

Robbie and Tracy have been living with us for the last two months. They are anxious to get to a new apartment and are hoping that they will be able to move by the 15th of the month. They will be able to decorate their apartment for Christmas. It will be fun. They will live close to BSU and across town from us. We will put pictures up on the blog when they bring pictures home of their apartment.

Tonie was not able to come home. She stayed in SLC and will be coming for Christmas for a couple of weeks. She is really busy with school and work. We don't hear from her much but do appreciate calls and updates as we get them from her.

As for Robb and I, we are busy working. Robb is getting prepared for the Tax Season. They are building up this month to begin the marathon beginning in January. I guess I won't see him very much for the next five months. After that, we may be able to make some limited trips to visit different places. We want to go to Great Falls, MT to see old familiar sites when Robb was growing up there.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we are on the way to Christmas. My how times flies.

Toppenish, WA Trip

We went to Toppenish, Washington, which is about 20 miles south of Yakima. We went there for a wedding. Marge's granddaughter Rose was married in the traditional Yakima tribal ceremony followed by a Hopi ceremony and then followed by a Navajo ceremony. Rose's father is Joseph Sekaquaptewa, Marge's son. This is a picture of the "sisters." Laura, Sarah, Irene, Marge, June, and Marlene Sekaquaptewa. Laura and June are Aunt Florence's daughters. Marlene is Marge's sister in law (Ed's sister).


We (Robb and I) left on Saturday morning and traveled to Washington. We enjoyed a nice drive. Irene and Dennis were in Seattle where Irene did a presentationn at a conference. Merrill and Cori were in Seattle so Merrill could help Irene in the presentation. They drove down on Saturday afternoon to Toppenish and we stayed overnight at the Best Western. Saturday night, Joseph (Father of the bride) arrived. On Sunday, we got up and attended the wedding and the dinner after the ceremonies. We then stayed for a "give away" which is where the family of the groom give gifts to the attendees. Irene and Marge got Pendleton blankets. I got two Pendleton pillows. Then they wanted the educators to come to the front so they could receive a gift. Irene and I went up and got shawls - like the kind women wear at the Pow Wows. Irene's is red and black and mine is turquoise and lime green. How appropriate, huh. Robb and I left Toppenish at about 5:00 and drove home. We arrived home at 12:30. Long drive home because I was super tired.

This is the bride and Groom.



On Monday, I stayed home and cleaned our bedroom. Believe it or not, you can see the bedroom floor!!! Monday afternoon, we switched from Dish network to DirecTV. We also have the highest speed internet now available in our neighborhood. Robbie says it is FAST!!

I had to go back to work today and it was tiring. Then to top it off, I got my flu shot. I usually have some reaction, aches and pains. Well, I better get to bed.

Here is my Honey. :)

and here is the Richland, WA temple: