How Come?

Why me, say's Jane ...

2011-07-31T20:55:00.000-07:00

Just an update from my perspective.

We were called to the bishops office just prior to church this afternoon. Brother Johnson called and asked what mom's schedule is on Sunday's now. Well, she is taking calls from cousin Carole and making visits to the rest home; trying to visit different wards when our family asks us to when someone talks or sings; keeping up with Mom Call's health and visiting when needed; preparing dinner every other week for 30 to 50 people; and being a fantastic wife to me, going with me to Music and the Spoken Word on special occasions!

Brother Johnson said he would call the person who requested her, and called back. He assured mom this would not be a calling where she would be required to be there every week. Guess what, she was called as a Nursery worker and can skip a week if she'll get a substitute. She, of course, accepted her calling and will do a great job! I'm thinking timing was not great, but when is a calling convenient.

I wish her well and wish her blessings for her service.

Feel free to offer prayers on her behalf as she starts her new career as a full fledged teacher at Orchard Elementary School in North Salt Lake. She is an amazing person and we all are blessed to have her in our lives!

Love you, Jane!!!!

Why is A Cappellastock so Great!

2010-08-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I was asked by Jeff Petersen to make arrangements for the headline group for A Cappellastock to visit the broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.

Afterwords, they were able to go to the North Visitor's Center and speak with a couple of sister missionaries.

These sisters were able to arrange it so this group could try out the acoustics of the Tabernacle! Listen to the overtones! It's amazing!

Presenting ... MOSAIC!!!!

Why is Jane so sad? and happy?

2010-07-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful time at Jeni and Jason's last night! The food was excellent! SO TASTY!!! Chicken cordon bleu casserole! Wonderful rolls with cinnamon honey butter! Delicious fruit and fruit dip, veggie tray and dip! Patriotic jello! Cooked vegetable medley. Super green salad! Homemade ice cream: our choice of blackberry or peach, and a wonderful filled cake with a cute message! (Happy Anniversary, Love and Grapes) Erin found some (40 year) old wedding pictures and put them in a frame. SO SWEET! We have such good kids!

Jeni and Jason have such a wonderful atmosphere at their home and their yard is so beautiful! The kids just played and played. Eric dethroned the reigning volleyball champ. :( SO SAD!!! Volley ball happened. The younger generation-Cade, Ari, and Sophie are surprisingly good at getting that ball over the net!!!

The kids jumped on the tramp and Gracie decided to try a back flip. OOPS! Her yell alone should have been our clue. She landed on her elbow and after numerous unsuccessful attempts by everyone to soothe her , Grandpa Scott decided to compare her elbows. Her right elbow was swelling and started to turn a little blue. waaaaah!!!

Diagnosis: broken elbow. Treatment: not surgery, although it was a consideration for a few minutes. She left the ER about midnight with her arm wrapped in a temporary cast and will go back on Tues. for a permanent cast. SO SAD!!! GET BETTER, GRACIE!!!

Why is Ari so cute?

2010-07-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Today, Ari commented, "When I was little and I said my prayers, I always prayed that I would get married to a boy just like Eric."

Why does Jane want to see these pictures?

2009-11-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

She's glad I got this basil cell carcinoma taken care of! This past Wednesday I experienced a Mohs treatment where they take layers of skin off and test it until they're sure they have it all. They got mine on the first cut! Yay!!!!

This is right after the operation. The nurse really knew how to dress this wound! We're adding pictures at the bottom of this to tease Erin and gross her out! Proceed with caution!

Another shot of the back of my ear!

Here comes the raw wound!!!

Now aren't you glad you stayed to the end of the story?

They told me this will heal in about 4 weeks.

What did we do Saturday?

2009-11-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

It was our granddaughter Gracie's baptism. We spent the morning at the baptism and the afternoon going out to eat with family at Red Robin.

Gracie showing off her program with her original artwork. David is sharing his lap with Brielle. Gracie came up to me after I took this picture and said, "I'm so nervous". She did great! David needed a little help since he's never baptized someone in English! Only in Portuguese!

A close up of Gracie's artwork.

People at the baptism.

More people in the congregation. Recognize anyone?

Rachael Parrish played the piano.
Nothing like simple primary songs to warm your heart!

Gracie's Duet at her baptism.

Erin had me pose in front of the "Beam me up, Scotty" poster at Red Robin.

How many quarts?

2009-10-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

October 24th, 2009 was applesauce day at our home!

People worked!

Kids helped, then played!

What a great day!

Oh yeah, 97 Quarts!!!!

What's the deal?

2009-10-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged, so here's a few bits and pieces of life:

Here's the old gang at the Big Band dance at Weber State University last night. Hansens; Haynes; Taylors and Woodburys. Kenny; Bruce; Lamar and I all lived in the famous basement apartment next to Grandma Sessions in Riverdale during college days. Bruce took my place when I went in the Army. Isn't Jane pretty in blue!

The fall leaves under the walnut tree in our back yard. The grand kids love playing in the piles.

Grandpa Woodbury loves to pick up the walnuts.

Sara and Eric love each other!

Gracie loves to steal the show, after all - it was her birthday!

Are you it? I Tag Jeni; Kim the Girl; Ali; and Brindy - thanks Erin!

2009-07-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

This is my 4th photo from my 4th album on my computer. If I tagged you, those are the rules. Simply go to your 4th album and select the 4th photo. I like this tag because it doesn't require a whole bunch of effort :)

This is Eric with "soon to be Utah Governor" Gary Herbert when Lt. Governor Herbert was throwing out the first pitch at a SL Bee's game.

Why are we showing Boyd and Dianne on camera?

2009-06-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

We are so happy to have been with Boyd and Dianne when they opened their new mission call on Saturday! Just as a note, they just got back from being a Ma and a Pa on a Pioneer Trek for their stake. The call came Wednesday and they had to wait until they got back.

We're so HAPPY FOR THEM!!!!

Watch the video and you'll see their reactions, here our comments, and hear where they are going!!!!

Why are we at the Bees Baseball game?

2009-05-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

We planted the garden this afternoon then went to the Salt Lake Bees baseball game and watched as our son Eric - helped Lieutenant Governor, soon to be Governor, Gary Herbert warm up to throw out the first pitch of the game. Herbert did a great job and it was a fun night!

The crowd assembling! Including Carmen Rasmusen Herbert - American Idol contestant and singer who made her name on the American Idol show in 2003. She's in the purple shirt! She sang the National Anthem!

The pre-jitter posing!

Our son Eric and Lieutenant Governor Gary Herbert, soon to be Governor of the Great State of Utah due to Obama's appointment of Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. as the Ambassador to China.

Getting ready!

The windup!

The congratulations from the catcher after throwing a great strike!

Our son Kim and our granddaughter Brielle enjoying the experience!

What's a Grandpa to do?

2009-03-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

Since Tom doesn't have a blog, his siblings have been after me to post pictures of baby Caroline! Here are some of the most recent.

Our #14 Grand baby!

Caroline Marie Woodbury
Born - January 25th 2009

YOU'RE WELCOME Ali and Jeni!

Why Am I Smiling?

2009-03-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

My daughter Jeni featured the "African Alphabet" on her blog from The Muppet Show. It featured Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

It brought back so many memories that I searched and found this video of Ladysmith with Paul Simon from a concert given in Zimbabwe in 1987.

Ladysmith rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his album, Graceland, before the end of Apartheid.

Apartheid in South Africa was not abolished until 1991. The release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years imprisonment brought a celebratory album release from Ladysmith Black Mambazo - 1993's Liph' Iqiniso. The last track, "Isikifil' Inkululeko" ("Freedom Has Arrived"), is a celebration of the end of Apartheid.

I had a missionary companion from South Africa when I served in Scotland in 1966-68. I had many discussions with him about their culture. I was aware of his feelings and it was interesting to follow the cultural breakthroughs that continue today.

This song makes me happy! Click on the link and ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OafqYNCzq5U

Why is this exciting?

2009-02-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

It's been years since our whole family has been together for a family picture. I'm posting these so the family can copy them into their own "My Pictures" and make copies and have them printed. Have fun and thanks, everyone, for making the effort to be there. Thanks Jeni and Jason for having the party and arranging for a last minute photographer! Thanks Angie if your out there somewhere!

Why did I get tagged?

2009-02-10T12:49:00.000-08:00

Ali tagged me to put the 4th picture from my 4th folder of pictures on my blog. Here it is and I tag: Jane; Erin; Eric; and Kim the Boy.

This was our chariot in the South Weber Days Parade. Next year we need to teach restraint in throwing candy. Ours was gone half-way through the parade route. It was sure fun though!

What's Your Name - Who's Your Daddy (and Mommy)?

2009-01-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

Caroline Marie Woodbury - January 25th 2009

We welcomed our fourteenth grandchild into the world today. Her name is Caroline Marie Woodbury and is the daughter of Tom and Lisa Woodbury. She came weighed in at 6 pounds 13 onces and is 19 inches long. We received the first inclination of this event when Tom called last night. They were are the hospital and Lisa's water had broken.

This morning Jane decided to come to choir with me so we could go visit after the broadcast. My internal clock went off at 5:13 AM. When I got out of the shower we had a text message that Caroline was born at 5:15 AM. I think she nudged me and said, "Get up Grandpa, It's time to go to the hospital!"

We went to the Broadcast and I did my duties. We sat in the seats to the left of the choir and watched the run through. The second song on the Broadcast, I'm sure, was dedicated to Caroline - "Children of our Heavenly Father" - it showed pictures of children all over the world. We called on our way to the hospital and asked Tom and Lisa to watch this song that was dedicated to their new daughter.

We are so happy to have this little spirit in our family. Tom and Lisa you have made a beautiful baby and your lives will never be the same! We love you!

The first family portrait!

The proud Grandma Jane!

Lisa's Aunt Sue and her daughter Julie. This was their expression when Lisa took Caroline's cap off and unleashed all that hair! There have been visitors all day! At last count - 40 visitors!

Julie needed a closer look.

Grandma Jane checking to make sure the nurse takes the vital signs correctly!

Sweet mother and baby!

The proud papa!

Boy, are we proud!

Why is Jane POSTING?

2009-01-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

She wants to wish EVERYONE Happy New Year before she is too senile to figure out how to do it! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

That's all.

Why are we laughing so hard at Jane?

2008-12-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

Today is Jane's 60th birthday. Yep, you'd never know it but Mrs. Wonderful Woodbury has started a new decade!

We were about to have her party and went to Roy to pick up her Mom. My parent's car was parked behind our car and they offered us their keys to make the trek to the west. Yep, clear out to Weber County to pick up LaJean.

On the way there Jane wanted to stop at Walgreens Drug to pick up some marshmallows for the pink fluff that Ari and Sophie had made earlier. Well, I dropped her off at the front door and backed into a parking spot where I could watch the front door. What happens next will go down in the annals of Woodbury history!

I watched her come out of the door, so I started the car and turned on the lights. She apparently didn't notice my actions and proceeded to open the door of a complete stranger's Lincoln Continental with a handicap sticker hanging from the rear-view mirror. She plopped down in the front seat and turned to talk to "me". An elderly (older than us) bald man said, "Well, hello!"

I tried to find the horn on the white Lumina but had no luck! I then watched her double up with laughter as she proceeded to try and explain to the gentleman her mistake! I was rolling with laughter in the Lumina while the gentleman casually mentioned, "You remind me of my daughter!" I'm just wondering if his daughter is in the habit of entering unfamiliar cars with the hope of meeting new friends! :-))

If you see an elderly bald man still laughing, tell him it was an honest mistake!

Jane's party playing "Who the Heck are Ya?"

Cade and Conrad on the famous Rocking Horse!
I think Conrad got the wrong end of the horse!

Why are we SO grateful on Boxing day?

2008-12-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a VERY bad driving day. In fact, it was SO bad, that Ethan and Kim who were heading back to Texas made it from Kim's parent's house to our house. They walked in and said, "Can we stay one more night at your house?" We were delighted to have them another day!

Erin went to the temple about 6:30 pm with a friend from Australia. As she left, I made a comment about how bad the roads were and it probably wasn't a good night to be out. But when somebody from Australia comes...you just go. About 9:30 my phone rang. It was Erin. "'I've been in an accident. My car is totaled but I am okay."

She was heading south on Highway 89 going about 20 miles an hour. A jeep(from Herriman) was going north, hit ice and spun out of control. It clobbered the front of her Toyota. It was amazing that she wasn't hurt any more than she was.

We are taking her to the doc today. Her face is swollen. She has a purple dimple. And both her feet are hurting. She is using Scott's cane and looking totally hunchbacked. But she is SAFE! And it could have been SO MUCH WORSE!!! If the jeep had hit her a few more inches closer to the driver...wow. Who knows if she would be here today....at the least, she might be in the hospital!

She told us that going to the temple had been such a sweet experience. They did some of her Aussie friend's ancestor's names. About two minutes before the crash, she had a silent prayer about "please let me be safe." She was obviously shaken up and shivering, (It WAS a COLD night!) but she was in good spirits.

We are SO GRATEFUL she is okay and all we are doing is looking for a new car and tending her minor (hopefully) injuries.

Erins car "Gladys Tinman" being put on the tow truck!

Thank heaven for air bags!

Erin is showing off her puffed up cheek after the collision. She has a purple dimple today!

I don't think it hurt the engine - we can probably fix her ... not!

Look where the bumper of the Jeep hit the windshield - She is extremely lucky and blessed!

This is the Jeep that hit her!

What Will Ari Do At The Second Coming?

2008-12-19T18:05:00.000-08:00

Jane's Post: Yesterday, Cade, Sophie and Ari were with us (Jane and Erin) and we were talking about the Tab Choir Christmas concert. Cade and I were mimic-ing Bryan Stokes Mitchell and his version of The Friendly Beasts. Sophie mentioned she and Ari couldn't go because they didn't have enough tickets. I said, "But you can go next year and you will be 8 years old."

Sophie replied, "Well, we were just gonna lie and tell them we were 8." Borrowing a quote from Uncle Dave, I said, "Well, it will be better for you at the Second Coming." Ari piped right in, "I can't wait for the Second Coming. I am going straight to Africa and pet a lion."

You don't have to wonder why I love my GRAND kids so much!

Why would I post a picture from the Dark Ages

2008-12-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I could not stand the previously posted picture entitled "Handsome Scott". It was just too much! I decided this would evoke more pleasant memories - especially during the Christmas Season! So Merry Christmas everyone! This photo was taken over 35 years ago.

What Does Jane Think About Conference Posts?

2008-10-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Jane and Amelia Jane

THANK YOU!!! for all your conference tidbits. Way to strengthen me! So many spoke to me. We had just taught a lesson in our Strengthening Marriage class about Equality and Unity in Marriage. Elder Eyring (or Hal as Pres. Hinckley called him) totally reinforced our lesson. I just kind of was in awe of his talk. SO cool!

Thanks to all you Blog Commenters. I thoroughly enjoy reading your thoughts also.

And Jeni, you DEFINITELY should be in Rome with Jason, Finn and Tracey for the temple dedication. Start planning and saving now! Love, MJ

The following is a post copied from our Daughter-in-Love's blog aka Kim-the-Girl:

President Monson, "Never let a problem to be solved be more important than a person to be loved."
Two talks in a row talked about being "poisoned by degrees"
Sister Dalton, "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Quoting the winner of the New York marathon.
I loved what Elder Hales had to say about meekness. I've always wanted to understand it better so I can be it better. I also appreciated his words about, "opposition presents opportunity."
Unity. So many people talked about unity, wasn't that interesting. I guess we really need to work on that. I liked what President Eyring said about speaking kindly of each other, "There are times we must judge others... but more often we have a choice."
I loved Elder Bednar's words about more meaning prayer...I love the way he gives his talks so we can really follow his counsel. I appreciated his example of one losing their temper and praying for forgiveness and help and thanks... that one was for me.
I thought Elder Lawrence Corbridge's talk was interesting in the way he presented it. Of course, the truth taught being, either you follow Christ and are happy or you don't and you're not. I love that he explained that following Christ is an act of God and that every single person can do it. Unlike human endeavors when the higher the standard the fewer the people can actually reach it. And I love, love, love this statement, "The Lord's way is not hard, life is hard. Life is also simple." We have 2 choices, either we follow the Lord or we don't.
I love the story told by Elder Holland about the 7 year old boy and the cows crossing the river. I cried and cried as I felt the spirit on this one. "On occasion we may feel alone" but God is always watching and angels are always there, both immortal and mortal.

And finally...Elder Wirthlin. His talk was shouting to me! ... I loved this talk. In case you've forgotten his 4 ways to be happy with whatever comes our way, I'll remind you. Laugh-I have since laughed and laughed and I feel so much better; Seek for the eternal-wow. I need help with this one and these kids; Understand the principle of compensation-I hadn't ever thought about this, but I liked what he said about "every tear today will eventually return 100 fold in rejoicing" I guess I have a lot of rejoicing to look forward to; and Put our trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ-He wants us to succeed and to be happy and you know with God nothing is impossible even being happy.

What's Smells Fishy?

2008-10-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

How silly does a post need to be to make the users actually post on their own? Here goes another shot at it:
Question: What did the fish say when it ran into two cute girls and a Grandpa? (no Eric, not a cement wall)
Answer: Nothing silly, fish can't talk. This was July 24th, 2004 at the fish farm. Grandpa is teaching Sophie and Ari how to fish.

Here they are waiting patiently for the fish to bite.

Luckily, the fish were biting that day and...

Whabam! Sophie catches a fish! Its a good thing there was more than one fish because...

Whabam! Ari catches one too! What a great Grandpa (not to be confused with Great-Grandpa) to teach his granddaughters how to fish.
This probably wasn't silly enough to make Scott and Jane actually post on their own but at least it will keep you all coming back until they actually do.

p.s. this was done and posted at the same time as the ping pong post. Good job Scott and Jane! (if you are the real authors of that post) I'll leave it up anyway because of the cute pictures!

What's so funny?

2008-10-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

Kim the Boy! He is the author of our last post! Kim this was fun! Feel free to continue to tell about our many adventures in life. By the way, all those things were supposed to secrets! So, everyone out there ...........SHHHHHHHHH!

Why do we forget to make new posts?

2008-09-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Well Erin just reported from her mission in Brisbane, Australia and did a wonderful job! But back to our story. Where have we been? Some have asked our kids where we disappeared to. Others have speculated with their own theories. Here is a list of some of the theories:

We ran away and joined the circus, Scott guesses people's age, weight, or gender, and I ride a motorcycle through a ring of fire
We decided to move to the conference center and live there in hiding, like the phantom of the opera
We moved to Alaska to hunt wolverines
We thought it would be fun to live like Survivorman and 'rough it' in the wild and went to the Uintas (mountain range) with only a video camera and the pitching machine and saw how long we could survive with only these items
We have been making a fake Bigfoot costume for Scott to wear while I filmed in order to become famous for shooting a rare video of the legendary creature.

Well, none of these are true. You see, Scott was out surfing and I was busy being the Sheriff of a cartoon world.

As part of being Sheriff, I had to bowl a perfect game so that the church-going ninja in the background wouldn't reak havoc on the small town of crazyshoeville and goldbeltland.

We are finally back from our big adventures and now that Erin is home we hope to have many more, only closer to home.

How Did This Happen?

2008-07-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, Grandma Woody has become a "Blog Monster"!

I don't know how it happened but she is always looking at all our family and friends Blogs now. I originally set this blog up for just me but, as you know, she is making comments with my picture only! I felt it was time to give her some ownership! :-) She will probably post more information than I ever did, anyway!

She has already asked people how to add pictures and videos to this domain...something I've never done!

So, sit back and enjoy! I'm sure great things are about to happen to us now!

Love to all!

Grandpa Woody

Why are we pleased and proud as punch?

2008-05-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

We just returned from Oregon where we witnessed Ethan receiving his Doctorate of Optometry Degree from Pacific University in Forest Grove. He also became a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. As near as I can tell, he is the first Doctor on the Woodbury/Condie side of the family for many generations. Way to go Ethan!

We also were able to see Eric receive his Bachelors Degree in Technical Sales; Kim the Boy receive his Bachelors Degree in Zoology; Sara receive her Bachelors Degree in Mathematics with a teaching certificate; and Kim the Girl receive her Bachelors Degree, all from Weber State University.

In addition, if you haven’t heard, Ali had her baby last week. She is 9 and ½ pounds and 20 inches long. Everyone is healthy and the baby is beautiful! They are naming her Amelia Jane Shepherd.

It’s been a great month for degrees and babies.

Ethan is now an O.D. and Josh will be a D.O. You put them together and they will be awesome DOOD’s.

Why Not Summer?

2008-04-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we're home from a much needed trip to St. George and Las Vegas. We attended the midyear convention of the Utah League of Cities and Towns. We left last Wednesday and came home on Saturday night. (We told everyone we weren't coming home until Sunday.) Surprise Eric, Sara, Kim, Brindy and Brielle! They were at our home watching the Jazz game ... so we rang the doorbell! They were shocked, but excited to see us! :-))

We attended meetings all day Thursday and until noon on Friday. Mark Eubank even spoke to us about Utah's great weather! Thursday night was an outdoor dinner in the St. George Square. We had a real good meal with BBQ ribs, chicken, etc. and enjoyed entertainment by Brenn Hill, a cowboy singer/songwriter from Hooper, Utah. He did a great job! Jane reminded me I had hired him for a credit union function when he was just starting his career, back in the mid 80's. Small world, huh?

Friday afternoon we got in the car and headed for Las Vegas. I wanted to check out a new project Hugh Morgan and I are able to sell called "Manhattan West". It's a walkable community being created from scratch and is going to be beautiful. We are able to sell condominiums in a couple of the units for $1000 down, a person's good credit and a bond taken out to secure a persons down payment at closing. They are able to purchase now at today's prices and not have to close on the loan or make payments for, up to, two years. It's a nice concept.

On our way back from Las Vegas we stopped in Mesquite and met with Colorful Cousin Carole and her friend from Connecticut. I believe her name was Mary. We had a nice Mexican meal and visit before returning to St. George that evening.

Saturday, we got up, filled the car and went to Jane's cousins home in St. George. Jan and Bob Smith live in a beautiful home with a view that will knock your socks off! They offered to take us on an excursion in their yellow, Jeep Rubicon, open aired vehicle, to the Petroglyph's located outside of St. George in Nevada. It was ton's of fun! I don't know if we enjoyed the company, the sites, or the ride best. It was all good! It was fun to watch Mom and Jan catch up on old times when Mom lived with Grandma B in Napa, California when she was a teen. Jan's mom was Aunt Phylis who was Grandma B's sister.

Well we came home, watched the remainder of the Jazz game with the kids, and then went to bed. We got up early Sunday morning and went down to Music and the Spoken Word. Eleven of my friends were retiring and it was nice to be there for the occasion. It brought back memories and the whole experience was sweet!

The spoken word was entitled, "A Lifetime of Learning". Here are some snippets from the message:

"An elderly man sat in his easy chair carefully cradling a book. Magazines and newspapers lay on the table in front of him. 'My books are like friends to me,' he said. 'I share so many memories with the old ones, and I enjoy learning form the new ones. And there is always so much to learn?' This from a man for whom learning had been a constant practice for the better part of a century. ... to consume a good book, to digest a report of current events, to savor the words of great thinkers past and present is to feed the soul and nourish the heart. We are never too old for such a feast."

"And learning is found not just in books. People and places are great sources of new information and experience. We can ask questions and enjoy discussions with friends and family members, learning from their points of view. We can visit a local museum to hear the story of a historic landmark or inquire at a public library about any topic we choose. Or we can visit the Internet, where a world of information is right at our fingertips."

"Formal education may be designed for the young, but the young at heart can enjoy a lifetime of learning. And when we leave this life, though our earthly goods will be left behind, the knowledge we have gained will be ours forever." -given by Lloyd D. Newell, April 13, 2008.

Since we were still on vacation, we walked around Temple Square and took time to smell the flowers. We then found a Sacrament Meeting in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We walked in a little late and sat right behind Lloyd and Karmel Newell and their sweet family. We played incognito through the meeting and watched the interaction with their "well behaved" boy's and girls. If I remember correctly they have two boys and two girls. What fun! Lloyd wasn't even married when I joined the choir, so I have seen this little slice of heaven grow.

After the meeting Lloyd turned around and recognize me and said, "I thought I heard a great voice behind me". I smiled and told him he was too kind! We found out they were on a Park City vacation and also took advantage of this sacrament meeting. It was the Eighteenth Ward of the Salt Lake Ensign Stake. Bishop David M. Berrett conducted and the speakers were Arthur and Joyce Walnum. They spoke of how the Holy Ghost has played a part in their lives.

Well, we came home around 2 PM, kept our curtains closed, only answered important phone calls and enjoyed the rest of a wonderful sabbath day.

St. George and Las Vegas temperatures were in the mid to high 80's. As I look out my window I still see snow on our lawn and the promise of more white precipitation threatening us. My outdoor thermometer reads 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Hence the title of this post, "Why Not Summer?" --Don't you think? or at least Spring?

Why does Ali want me to update my Blog?

2008-04-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Ali keeps hinting I should update this blog. I don't know why! Nothing has changed! Except, Jane wants you all to know she passed her "Rational Expressions" test. This is really something since the test was full of "Irrational Answers"! Quite a dichotomy, don't you think? Also, Jeni and Jason were able to sell their dog, for a profit! Also, again...Jane and I both picked the final four in the NCAA tourney. It went downhill from there. Jane picked Memphis to win the whole thing and I picked UNC. Congratulations to Ethan and to all those who picked Kansas...it was a lot of fun to brag about brackets during the past month! Now, we'll turn our attention to the Utah Jazz! How 'bout them Jazz!!!!?

Why does everyone want to know how I feel about being an audience member now?

2007-12-16T07:38:00.000-08:00

After 16 years singing in Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concerts, this week, I am now officially an audience member! Jane and I attended the Concert on Friday night with Grandma Call, Kim and Brindy, Brindy's sister Brook, and Dave and Sarah with an"h". Now, everywhere I go people want to know how it feels to now be a member of the audience.

Let me just say, "it stinks!" I would much rather be singing!

The choir, bell's, orchestra, dancers, stage crew, camera operators, producers, and the King's Singers did a magnificent job! It was a great evening and I saw many of my old friends. Two numbers stood out..."O, Holy Night"...sung by the men of the choir and the King's Singers (see it on Sunday's Broadcast of M.& S.W.)...and the extravagantly costumed, "12 Days of Christmas"!

So many great memories, so many experiences of joy have erased all the…laborious rehearsals, traveling through the snow, early mornings and mournings, late nights, traffic, missed church meetings, missed family events, crooked bow ties, construction headaches, waiting for the G.A.’s to leave so we could, yielding to carts underground, honking, yielding, uniform fittings, unintentional solos (presented by me and others), last minute Christmas shopping, and memorization standards I have experienced over the past 16 years.

Now, I find myself smiling in the audience wanting to wave like an idiot to all my friends who are still on stage--but remembering how idiotic it looked from my view on the back row of the choir loft when other people did the fractured, enthusiastic wave from the hall. Usually, the people they were waving to were not looking…and could not see them from that distance. Choir members are instructed not to wave from the stage, anyway!

Sure, I have comments I could make about...disjointed rhythm and intonation issues-downward intervals sung wide and upward intervals sung narrow (choir members can relate); the tenor in the last row from the top whose watch gave us an unpleasant, irritating reflection ( I could name names, too); or a number of small, itty bitty picky things…but I won’t!

Let me just say I was edified, enthralled, and totally enjoyed the moment! The choir concert was fantastic and it just was lacking one thing, a very emotional baritone! Oh, by the way, I noticed an empty seat at the top of the loft. I would have been very happy to fill it, and boy, could I fill it!!!! :-)))

Why do we have kids?

2007-12-14T06:54:00.000-08:00

So, why do we have kids? ... So they can tell you all the things you shoulda', coulda', needta', etc, etc... do! Here is my first comment posted on this blog. Even though my daughter is right, it proves my point! I love everyone in my family but sometimes you don't want everyone to know everything!

Ali says,
"ha hah aha ha hah a! I'm laughing because I asked you to make a blog once upon a time, and you just kind of shrugged and acted like you were too cool for it. You said, "I'm not a blogger."
Ha ha ha, I'm so glad you had a change of heart.
I hope you can post often so I can see what's going on with YOU! (and mom!)

ha hah aha ha hah a! ha hah aha ha hah a! ha hah aha ha hah a! ha hah aha ha hah a! ha hah aha ha hah a! ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a! ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!ha hah aha ha hah a!

So, Ali - here's what's going on with ME! (and mom!) ... Got up around 6 am, went to the bathroom, came back to bed to get warm. Mom woke up around 7 am, we read scriptures ( in Acts chapter 7) had our family prayer and got ready for the day. We are now writing this epitaph and expect to be working around 8 to 8:30 am. SO EXCITING!!! Yesterday we did the same thing. We also did the same thing on Wednesday, Tuesday and Monday. However, we did read Acts chapter 6 on Wednesday, Acts chapter 5 on Tuesday and Acts chapter 4 on Monday. Is there a pattern? Sure! That's whats going on, though! Thanks for asking!

Seriously though, we are excited for you Josh and Conrad to visit for the holiday's. You're coming next week!!! Your visit will be the real reason or answer to my question, "Why do we have kids?" Because they're so much fun and help you know all the tedium of everyday life is really worth it! Love to you, and to all others who have stumbled upon my funny blog thing!!!

Why are there blogs?

2007-12-09T22:57:00.000-08:00

I've been intrigued by those who seem to want to share their lives with the whole world. Why is this? How Come?

I wondered - until some of our family moved to places far away from Grandpa and Grandma Woody. It has been wonderful to watch our grandkids grow up on the internet. What a great feeling it is to look at them through the eyes of their mom's and dad's comments, photos and videos. We are blessed to have this opportunity. Keep it up!