Pants-again.

I got to thinking about those pants I had on yesterday, old, baggy, warm, and comfy. (I know just like my body). It seems like the things we enjoy most are things that seem old, warm, and comfy, and that goes for friends too. I have, and I know you have , met people who you felt were old, warm, comfy friends at first meeting. I often wonder how we knew each other in the pre-life. Some people are just so familiar that you just start talking like old friends right away and feel a deep connection and understanding with them. You always feel that way with your close family but once in a while you feel that with a perfect stranger. I have several friends I feel that way about and know that I knew them in the life before this. You feel an instant kinship with them and just want to spend a lot of time with them because you feel so warm and comfy. Aren't friends wonderful?

Pants

To day I'm wearing a pair of Buckskin colored jeans that are two sizes to large. They're kinda handy, I don't have to unbutton or unzip them to take them off and they are nice and soft and warm and comfy. I enjoy wearing them even if they are baggy. The only problem is I have to be cardful getting up after I've been sitting down, they have a tendancy to just slid down my hips and right on down to the floor. Needless to say, if I ever wear them out of the house I always put on a belt and cinch it up so my pants will stay right where they belong. I'd really hate to moon someone and with my luck it would probably be a police man and I'd get arrested! Oh well, maybe they's be good looking!

I lived thru it!

Well, Bill's birthday and our Anniversary and Christmas have all come and gone and I lived thru it all. Yeah, for me. It's hard to get thru these family times without Bill, but there are still some great compensations. Time with family and friends, people bringing me food and goodies, and presents.
The 20th was the hardest but I made it thru. Christmas was great fun with Kimber, Anthony and kids. We all had a good time, the kids loved the few simple toys I managed to get for them and I loved the things I got from them and all the other kids. I even learned how to work some of the electronic gadgets I recieved. We had some good food, but most important were the great hugs I got from everyone.
Friday Paul and Tina and the kids all came over, what a crowd but what fun! Paul and Tina stayed 2 nights with me and the kids were in and out. They took me with them to a Pre-Birthday Party for Tina's parents (whom I have known for years) and it was so much fun to hear all the laughter and joking going on between them all. Tina's parents are both turning 80 this year and all their children were here for the party. I know they really enjoyed it, and of course, the food was great being that Paul grilled most of it! Later they all came to my house and had a running game of something or other going on at the game table but mostly they were laughing. It was so good to have family here during these tough times. I certainly have been blessed by a great family and I thank my Father in Heaven for them everyday.
I am grateful for this blessed Christmas season. I have had quite a bit of time by myself to ponder the blessings of the life of Jesus Christ and his sacrafice for us. I am so grateful for this blessing, it gives me so much hope to know that someday in the not too distant future I will be with my beloved husband again. What a great blessing!
I am looking forward to having Christine and Pete here for New Years. It is such a joy to spend time with them and I really don't know what I'd do without them. I was so sorry to see Paul and Tina leave for home this morning, however before they left Paul offered such a beautiful prayer. It is wonderful to have children who live such good lives and a great blessing to have sons and grandsons who hold and honor the priesthood. I am so blessed! And I do have Christine & Pete's visit to look forward to. Wonderful.

Bah, humbug

I am just not in the decorating for Christmas mood at all. I finally went to the Cemetery today to put Christmas flowers on Bill's grave, what a bummer! I put out my wreath and a Christmas throw and kitchen towel--that's it. I haven't put up a tree or any lights or anything else. This time of year is just no fun any more. I haven't even made out a single card or made ant goodies. I am just in a Scrooge mood, I guess. I can't even decide what I want to do for Christmas. I gress I'll go eat worms!!
Christine and Pete are coming down tomorrow, they want to be here to hear me talk in church Sunday. Boy that ought to be a mess. I hope they won't be disapointed. It has taken me almost two weeks to write my talk, to much info out there to decide what I wanted to stress and what the Spirit tells me is what is needed. I think the Lord is getting tired of me praying so much and not just about this talk. I certainly am glad that I have such a strong testimony that is about all that is holding me together right now Sorry if I sound down but I am.

Thanksgiving

What a great Thanksgiving we had. Kimberly and Anthony and the children came over and also Anthony's co-worker Richard Harris and his wife Claudia. It was nice to finaly meet them, as I'
ve heard alot about them. What nice people! Everyone seemed to have a really great time and we all ate too much, of course. The kids were so good and had so much fun playing both inside and outside, even though it was a little damp. We've had some lovely rain!
Anthony and Kimberly furnished the turkey, and Richard and Claudia brought a homemade Apple Cobbler and ice cream. I furnished a ham and the other fixings and of course the oven to cook the turkey (Kimber's oven is broken). We also had a wonderful Pumpkin Pie that one of my Ward members brought to me. Yum-Yum. The feast was great but being together with family and friends and the laughter is what makes it great! But I sure do miss Bill being there--He would have loved the deserts!
I am so grateful for all the blessings I have recieved this year. It's been a hard year without Bill, but I have been so blessed. I have always read in the scriptures about how much God and Jesus Christ care about the widows and now I know first hand that they do, and they really watch out for us in our times of need and sadness and I'm surely blessed and am so grateful for these blessings. I'm so greateful for loving family and friends who keep in touch with me and worry about me, what would I do without you all!?! Especially Christine and Kimberly who call me everyday. Thank you all so much, and know I love you.

Paul

Happy Birthday, Paul. Hope you have a good one. It was nice to talk to you again. What a great son you are, even if you don't call me very often. I'm proud of you and of what you have accomplished in life. I know that things are hard for you, being in Washington DC, so far from your family, and I'm proud of the way you are handling it. I know how lonely it gets! My prayers are always with you, Son.
You were such a cute little fiesty boy and I love thinking back about what a cuddle bug you always were. May God watch over you and keep you safe (especially when you are out spying). I love you.

Friends

What a fun evening I had with my dear friends Jordan and Betts and Bob and Pat Gunter (from Idaho). They are some of the people we served missions with at the Family History Center years ago. Such fun to be with! I drove over to The Strebeck's and then the 3 of us met the Gunter's at Nando's Resturant in Gilbert. It's a great mexican food place. We ate and then went back to the Strebeck's home and played 2 games of Phase 10. Of course we laughed and talked alot so we were there a long time. (I didn't get home until about 11 pm). It's so great to spend time with such good friends especially when you have so much in common and really enjoy each others company. I didn't win either of the games but that didn't matter at all, because I won a wonderful evening and made some lovely memories that will last forever. As I was leaving Jordan made me wait so we could go put and cut some roses for me to bring home with me. They have had the most beautiful roses this year (no yellow ones though). I have them in a vase on my bar and can smell the lovely fragance of roses all over the house. Wonderful!
I will be so sad to see them all go. The Gunter's are going back to Idaho today, and the Strebeck's are planning to move to St. George as soon as they can. They already bought a house there. I hope they don't go real soon, but that's just me being selfish. I will miss them so much. We get together as often as possible usually at least once a week. I know they'll be happy there but I won't be-- Boo Hoo!! Don't I sound pitiful!?!

Strange week.

Boy oh boy, this has been a strange week. I went to Holbrook last Wednesday to visit Christine and Pete and to get my hair cut. Pete was not feeling well when I got there and didn't seem to get much better all the time I was staying with them. He went to the Doctor but that didn't help much, the doctor thought it was something he ate. On Saturday morning he got up feeling much better and being that I was coming home, he encouraged Christine to come down with me, so we did. But that evening he called to say that he was having Vicki and Rick take him up to the Hospital in Show Low. This really upset Christine, naturally. But I just couldn't drive back up there that night, so we got up early Sunday morning, went and picked up Kimberly, and drove back to Holbrook. Christine wanted to get her car from Vicki and Rick and then go on to Show Low. Kimberly and I went to breakfast up to Denny's so we could see Melanie, and then came back home again. Thank goodness Pete is doing well now and Christine was able to take him back home last night, so all is well. They said it was a small blockage in his small intestine.
I was so tired when I got home that I didn't even get dressed all day yesterday! That high country is just to hard on my poor old body! I still have the nasty headache I always get up there and guess I will have it for another day or so. Not fun!! I am just glad all turned out okay!

Alone again!

Well, all of my company has now deserted me, and I'm back alone again. I do not like this being a widow bit at all!!! It was fun to have my sweet sister here with her wonderful husband, we always have fun together even when we're not doing anything special. I'm always bummed when they go back to Holbrook and I know she is too, being that she's not to wild about living in the armpit of the world!
We had such a quiet Halloween. I never have any Trick or Treater's come to my house. No young children live in this neighborhood at all. And being that the school, our HOA, and my church all had parties for the kids, there weren't any out and about. We did go to Cracker's & Co. Cafe for early lunch to see all the staff dressed for Halloween and those were the only costumes we saw. It is always so hard to go back to Cracker's, there are way too many memories there. Bill loved to go there and especially loved their Corn Chowder. Some places are hard to visit, especailly being that I still think of myself as a couple. I wonder how long it will take to get over this! Christine, Pete, and I went over to Jordan and Bett's house to play games. I went in to help Bett's get some drinks for everyone and just automatically got out 6 glasses. It wasn't until Bett's pointed it out to me that I realized what I had done, it just seems natural to get a glass for Bill too. It's is such a weird feeling to realize that I'm no longer a couple! Not one bit fun!

Pete's visit

Another great week. Paul left to go to Edgewood and then fly back to Phx and then fly on to Washington DC. It was wonderful to have him here. I managed to get the bed changed and washing done, and then Friday evening Pete flew in from Tennessee. I picked him up about 7 pm, we went and had dinner and went home and in a very short time Pete went to bed. He was really tired from Jet Lag and all the meetings he'd been to all week. He got up bright and early Sat. am and we had breakfast and bummed around some then went back home and Pete took a 3 hour nap. Poor thing didn't know weather he was coming or going he was so tired. Kathy did not drive in until Sunday morning, so Pete and I had a good visit and spent time just doing nothing improtant which was just what he needed. After Kathy got here we visited some, went out and ate lunch, and then they went to a concert by LangLang in Phoenix. They left from there to drive back to NM, as they both had to be back to work on Monday morning. It was fun but way too short a visit. Monday I did washing and changed the bed again. Keeps me busy but I love it, especially when it's such wonderful family visiting.
Yesterday Christine and Pete came down again, Yeah! They are going back on Saturday, darn it, it's way too soon! It's always so good to spend time with my sweet sister.

Paul's visit.

This has been a very nice week. Paul came to visit Saturday and because he was here Kimberly came over to see him (her brother) too. Kirsten (Granddaughter) and Steve (her husband) picked Paul up at the airport and came to visit also, and then Michael (Grandson) and Monica ( his wife) came to see his Dad and had cute little Milan (Great-Granddaughter) with them. What a joy it is to have so many of them visiting. Paul came from Washington DC where he lives and works, so it's a special thing when he has time to just visit with family. And being that Kimber lives in Timbucktoo, I don't get to see her very often either. And the Grandkids are so busy it's hard for them to find time to visit me, so it was wonderful to have them here. It really does a mother's heart good to spend time with them all. I'm amazed at how big Milan has gotten, what a cutie!
Yesterday Paul did not have to work but the others all did, so Paul and I got to spend most of the day together, what a treat! I learned more about his work and how he is doing than I've known in all the time he's been in Washington DC. A very special day and one I'll always treasure. I think he enjoyed it too. We spent some time with his parents-in-law and had a good visit with them. They are both doing well. It's too bad Tina wasn't with us.
We then went over to the Visitor's Center at the Mesa Temple grounds and saw the Book of Mormon art exibit they are showing there. It was wonderful! Paul is very learned in the Book of Mormon and it was great to discuss it with him. I just can't wait to visit more with him and the grandkids, either tonight or tomorrow. Great fun!

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I go this award from Kimber and Ber, Thanks!

Chris's Cupboard I nomanated you Christine because I don't know what I'm doing either!!!

Company

It's funny how company comes and goes. Sometimes I sit here for days and don't see anyone and other times it seems like everyone comes at once. I had Visiting Teachers this morning and shortly following them my dear friends Jordan and Betts came by for a visit. Tomorrow Christine and Pete are coming and Saturday Paul is flying in from Washington DC, I am so thrilled to have him coming, I never get to see him since he moved. He will be here for several days, so we should be able to get in a good visit. And I'll probably get to see the Grandchildren and Great-grandchildren who live here as they will all be coming to see their father. Fun!!
After Paul flys home Pete is flying in for a couple of days, and Kathy is driving over to join him here. I'm so tickled to have them coming, sure wish they would move over here closer to Mom!
It's hard to be alone after all these years and the visits of family and friends are what keeps me sane (well kind of) and makes life worth living. How I do love them all!

Ditka

I just got an email from my daughter, Tonie. They had to put Ditka down. She is broken hearted of course, Ditka has been with them since he was a puppy, and has been a good friend and companion to both Tonie and Jim. He was a really great dog. Even I am going to miss him and I didn't see him that often. I feel so bad for them, but poor Ditka has been bad for quite a long time, and now he was suffering with kidney failure. Poor dog, I'm thankful that he is now out of pain, but I know that doesn't make it any easier for them. After all a pet is a member of the family. So sad!
Today has just been a weird day all around. Some different things going on. I finally got someone to answer my messages at Kimberly's HOA office. I have left them several messages for several days and they finally got back to me. What a poorly run office that is!!!
I went to the grocery store and everything I wanted was moved and I couldn't find a thing without searching. Strange! I do think it must be getting close to Halloween!!

Visit- being a idiot

I just had a flying visit from Pete and Kathy. What fun! It's always so good to see my kids. I was so glad to have them here that I forgot I had visiting teachers coming and went off gadding with Pete and Kathy. Well about 3 hours later I got a call from my next door neighbor, (who was in Utah for Conference) wanting to know if I was alright, and then 30 minutes later I got a call from my visiting teacher wondering if I was alright. Boy, it's sure nice to know that people care enough to check up on me! I get so wound up in my own world and I think nobody worries about me except my family, so it's nice to know that the Ward is looking out for me. Makes me feel safer.
Speaking of feeling safer, I did the dumbest thing today--locked myself out of the house. Went out to get my newspaper and shut the door, without knowing the doorknow lock was turned, and imagine my surprise when I couldn't get back in! And no one else has a key to my house, because of the new doors, I just haven't given a key to anyone. My neighbor (Bishop) managed to get one of my windows open, finally, and I got back in. Needless to say, I gave him a key to my house before he left so this couldn't happen again. Man oh man, I sure felt like a fool! I went out without my cell phone, so I couldn't even call a lock smith. IDIOT!!!

Plants

Do you ever wonder what it is with plants!?! You give them just a little water and leave for a few days and you come back and the plants have taken over the sidewalk and the wall, and the arch! it took me an hour just to find the sidewalk and get the "June-ie Blues" cut down, then it was on to the Boganvilla which was taking over the walls and arch, and the darn things have thorns that bite back! Besides that they'r an ugly color!
I didn't even mention the weeds that sprang up! Grass and trailing plants that are just weeds but are impossible to kill, they just keep coming back again and again. Can't they tell when they are not wanted? I've certainly given them enough reason to surmise that they are not welcome here. You would think that pulling them up and spraying them with Round-up would tell them something. I think they just don't pay any attention to me!

Home

My, it is so nice to be home and off that mountain!! When I first go up there I don't feel so bad, other than the awful headache, but as time goes by and we travel to other places which are higher up, I get to feeling worse and worse. About the time I come down off the hill to Ray I start breathing better and then in a day or two or three, I'll start feeling like a whole person again.
I enjoyed my visit with Christine and Pete and family. I am amazed at how big Halie is getting. It was nice to meet Victoria's fiancee, Rick, and to see her so happy. I do hope she and the kids will enjoy living in New York. Christine and Pete had a family dinner on Sunday, so I got to see most of the kids. Lotsa fun!
I was happy to find my home in one piece. While I was gone my friends Jordan and Betts, who had been in St. George, came home and found thar someone had broken into their home and ransacked it. It is a real mess. Lots of things stolen and ruined, but worst of all was the personal items missing. Information and computers with personal info in them. What a mess to try to clear up and replace all the info and cancel credit cards and etc. I just feel so bad for them. Hope the police catch whoever did this!

Almost back to normal.

I'm almost back to normal, at least what I call normal. I have had more soup and soft food than I care to mention. Most soft food is just not very tasty!
Christine and I are back to just being two again. However we are going up to Holbrook on Tuesday. I'm going to get my hair cut and visit for a few days and then come home by myself again. It looks like Pete is going to have to have surgery on his other knee soon, so Christine is planning to stay in Happy Holbrook! (I use that term loosely). What a sad town. While we are there, Christine and I are going to Snowflake to go to the Temple with Ken and Lue for their 55 wedding anniversary on the 25th. That should be nice. Boy oh boy, is my brother getting old!?! 55 years, thats alot. I do not think very many people have anniversaries for that many years, too many divorces in the world today. I wonder if they'll make it to their 65th like our parents did? I hope so.
Today is the 9th anniversary of our baby brother, Leslie's, death. I can't believe he's been gone so long. I still miss him everyday. He had the driest sense of humor of anyone I ever met. He just come out with these funny little sayings in his quiet way and it would just crack us all up. He was the cutest little boy when he was little, I used to hurry home from school, when we lived in Flagstaff, so I could play with him. For quite a while he loved to play Easter Egg hunt, with rocks or anything else, even after Easter had been over for months. He was just so tickled when he'd find those "eggs". It just seems odd to think he's been gone for 9 years.

The Dentist

I've spent the last 2 days at the Dentist and I'm sick and tired of them. I spent about 1 1/2 hours Monday and 3 1/2 hours yesterday, then I had to see another dentist yesterday afternoon. What a PAIN! It wouldn't be so bad but the antibiotic makes me sicker than a dog, and I have to have one every time. I am going to have to do this again in December. Just lovely!
All the time I was in his chair he kept asking me if I was alright, you can imagine what I wanted to say!!!
Thank goodness I can now get off the antibiotic, maybe by next week my stomach will be back to normal. I do not recommand that anyone becomes allergic to all antibiotics. It's just not a nice thing to have to go through.
Today is Pete's (my brother-in=law, not my son) Birthday, so we are going out to dinner to celebrate, even thought I can't eat very well. I guess I'll have more soup! It's nice when Pete comes down but he never stays long, I guess he worries about his mother too much and doesn't want to be away from home very long. I think he's going back at the end of the week, so it will be just us two little old ladies again! But we do have fun together so that is good. I'm sure grateful that I have this sweet sister and don't know what I'd do with out her.

The 11th.

I fine this date extreamly hard to get through. My Darling, Bill, died on the 11 of July 2007, which makes the 11th of any month hard to get through, but I also had to go to the Doctor today (the 11th) and be desensetized so I can take an antibiotic, which is no fun at all. It takes about 5 hours to do this so it was not a fun day to start with.
Also, of course this is the anniversary of 9/11, which is one of the saddest days in american history. I have lived through alot of tough times, I well remember World War 11, the Korean conflict, Vietnom, and now the war in Iraq. But the only other time I remember anything like 9/11, was when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and I well remember that. I remember all the men I knew as a child who didn't come home from Europe or Asia, or Africa, or any number of small islands in the Pacific. The ones who did come home were in such awful shape that it was scary. I knew guys who were in the Batan Death March, men who had ships shot out from under them, (one had 5 ships shot out from under him), guys who went behind enemy lines and came back (if they came back) so messed up that they were never the same. Guys who came back so injured that they never got out of the VA hospitals, some in there for years.
I know guys who came home from Korea and Vietnom in such bad shape they had to be put in mental health hospitals. I've seen alot of misery that wars cause and I often wonder why the terroriests and others never learn that war does not get them anywhere! What a sad comentary on the human race that we never learn from the mistakes of others.
Needless to say, I hate the 11th no mater what context it comes in, and I will be glad to see tomorrow come and the 11th to be over again.

IKEA

Well, I asked for it. Christine asked if I minded going with them over to IKEA to look at some dining room chairs. We went to IKEA last time they were here just to look around and I tthought I had walked my tush off before we could get out of there, and here I agreed to go back. I think I need my head examined! At least this time we weren't there all day. What a strange store it is. I've never been in such a weird set up, and I can't decei de if I like it or not, just too much to see and try to understand.
We left IKEA, went to lunch at Chandler Mall and then went to Peir 1, and then Michael's. Wow, so much to see, smell, and sample. Of course when I'm in Michael's I'm always looking at flowers for Bill's grave so Michael's isn't much fun any more, it just makes me kinda sad. Any way it was a fun day but it always surprizes me to see so much Christmas stuff out so soon, especially sine it's still 104 here, it's just not proper to look at autum and winter stuff when it's so hot!!

No Swimming

Sorry, we are calling off the swimming party, now you are going to have to sail in on your yacht or maybe an air carrier. Being that we are scheduled to get dumped on again tonight, maybe it ought to be a submarine. We had winds in some areas of the Valley up to 100 miles per hour and over 2" of rain. The power has been off in some areas of the Valley all night and all day, lots of power poles blown down. Trees down everywhere and many roads closed. I have never seen or heard so much lighting and thunder, it just never stopped. The weather people said we got thousands of hits every minute. It sounded just like a jet plane was just sitting right on top of my house, reving his jets! The Valley really gets hit with violent monsom rain and storms some years and this just happens to be one of them.
I'm planning to go to a Tail-gating Birthday party tonight, hope I don't drown. I may have to take my floaties!!

Rain

Anyone want to come swimming? The pool is back in my back yard. Of course you do have to watch out for the rocks but thats a small hitch. It has rained for the last 2 nights and looks like we are going to get more to day. Monday night I was over to Jordan and Bett's house, playing dominos and going out to eat, and I got home and in the house just as it started to rain. It came down in buckets for about 2 hours. I was glad I made it home before it rained because they had to close parts of the freeway and other roads again. What fun! I used to really like it when it rained, but now it just makes me blue and lonely. Oh well, this too will pass.

Footprints

Last time I was in Holbrook Christine got a Serority magazine. I leafed through it and saw they had a Poetry contest winners poems listed. One of them named Footprints got me to thinking about my footprints. The part that really impressed me is:
"Have I touched anyone's life
In a way they'll recall,
Has my being here
Really mattered at all."
I started wondering how my children will react when I go, and I decieded that they would all sit around and laugh about what a goofball their mother was. How many weird manerisms I have, and they would have a really good giggle. Christine is of the opinion that her girls will all get to gather and dance around her grave and sing "Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead". I don't think either one of us gets much respect from our children, maybe it's because they know us too well. I know this really is a morbid thing to think about but for some reason death has been with me for quite a while, wonder why???

No more wild parties

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to renige on all those party invites I sent to you all. There will be no more wild parties at my place, they just made my next door neighbor our new Bishop. I am so tickled, he is really a fine man and I know he will do the Lord's work with a steadfast heart and a strong testimony. His wife is my Visiting Teaching partner as well as a really good friend. so now I'm sure we will be church buddies for at least the next 5 years.
I am sorry to see Bishop Mullenaux removed but he and his sweet wife are putting in their papers to go on a mission and I know they will do great work there. He sure helped me through some tough times when Bill died and even before then, when he was so sick. I could always count on Bp. Mullenaux to be there if we needed him. However when Bill died the first one there was Ron Reed, my next door neighbor. The Reeds have been really good to me, and always see to it that I am never left out of anything.
The second counselor is a young man from Holbrook area, Barry Turley. So it is kinda nice to have one of the old hometown guys in there too.
I'm sorry if this ruins all your plans about coming to any wild parties but it can't be helped. You'll just have to wait 5 years or so!

Service for Van

Yesterday I went to the service for Van, my brother-in-law. It was so hard to be there, it was almost like having Bill's service all over again. A lot of the same people were there and they even sang one of the same hymns. Van was a really good gentle man and he and Bill were almost as close as Christine and I are. I know he had a really rough time of it after Bill died, Bill was his baby brother, and I know how that feels.
The services were held in the chapel at the mausoleum which was at 27th Ave. and Van Buren St., forever away from here. I had forgotten what a seedy part of town it is, I really got nervous driving through some of that area trying to get back to 19th Ave. to the freeway. The cemetery is surrounded by freeways now and hard to get to. It's an old cemetery and used to be in a nice part of town. Bill's parents, Brother Cliff, and his wife Thelma, and Carrie are all buried there. So I have been there several times but this was the first time I had driven ther by my self and it just seemed different.
One of Van's daughter-in-law's introduced me to some friends of theirs as Van's last remaining LIVING sisters-in-law. That was a startling thought. It really shook me up for a minute. I guess that means that June and I are the last of the old Beck family. Now how did that happen!?! It's funny how aging creeps up on a soul, you don't even realize it and suddenly there you are OLD. Strange!

Van died.

My last remaining Brother in Law on Bill's side of the family died early this morning. Oh, how I am going to miss him. He was the last of the older generation of Becks. That means that Mike, Tonie, Victor, and Kimberly are now the older generation of Becks. The oldest living Beck is now Stanley and he's not that much older than I am. Scary! Van was a wonderful guy, a great husband and father, grandfather, uncle, brother, brother-in-law, and friend. He was 99 years old and would have turned 100 in Jan. so most of his friends and all of his brothers were already gone. But those of us who knew and love him will surely miss him. It's especially hard haveing him go so soon after Bill, which is a constant pain and emptiness. But I am so happy that they will be together again. Van's first wife died many years ago, so I know that he is glad to be with her again too. I just pray for his sweet wife, June, remaining here. May God bless and comfort her at this time and always, and may she know how much she is loved by those of us that know her. Dear Brother Van, I am going to miss you so.

Good to be Home.

I've been to Holbrook to visit with Christine and Pete and to get my hair cut. It was a fun trip and was nice and cool up there. One day we went up to ShowLow and Lakeside to shop. We picked up Kenneth on the way thru Snowflake and had a nice ride. It was really green in the mountains and rained while we were having lunch. Lovely! We ate at a place named Darby's, great food. It was nice to visit with both my sister, Christine, and Pete, but also with Ken.
It is sad to see Holbrook, it is just going down and down all the time. Saw quite a few people I knew at church but none just out around town. I think I've been gone too long to remember very many.
Both the ride up and back were beautiful, everything is so green, thanks to the rain we have recieved all over the state. Christine came back with me and we boht enjoyed the green grass and sunflowers. However it is great to be back home. It'll be nice to sleep in my own bed. I miss this hot, and I do mean hot, valley when I am gone very long.

Tuesday

Well, Kimberly, said my blogs sounded like an old person wrote them, she hasent noticed that I am old, I guess. So, I'll try to write about something besides the weather and traffic.
Saturday night my grandson Tyler came and stayed with me. We went to the Mall and ate at Garduno's. He ate quite a lot of food, I had forgotten how much a growing boy can eat. He went to church with me Sunday morning and of course the priesthood grabed him right away to help pass the sacrament. We don't have very many youth in our ward and some of the young men were in Philmont Scout Camp, so they were really short handed, so they were glad to see him. I think he was a little embarressed, but I was proud to have a grandson who is worthy to just step in that way. What a blessing! It was wonderful to spend time with just him

Later Sunday, Michael, Monica, and Heaven came over to get Tyler and spent quite a bit of time visiting with me, it sure made my day. It's great to have family!
Today Tonie came by for a few minutes too. It was great to see her, it's been several months. Jim is going in for surgery on the 5th of august, so evertone, pray for him and Tonie too. She said that Kristi and baby Daniel are both doing well. And it looks like Daniel may turn out to be a red head. His full name is Daniel Louis Terlip.
Christine sent me pictures of Marni's wedding, so it is official. She said it was really nice and everyone enjoyed it. I hope they will be very happy. They also bought a house. I'm not too sure that Christine was happy to go back to Holbrook. However she said it was quite cold in Silver City. Of course shes almost always cold even down here. Here I am talking about weather again, so I guess I'd better just quit!

Sauna

Man, you talk about a sauna the weather outdide is really hot and sticky. It's only about 108 today but the humidity is high and the ground is still wet from the bad rainfall we had the other night. I almost had to run for the ark, thought for a little while I had missed it and was bound to drownd. We got all the rain and Kimberly didn't get any. Weird- they always get more rain than I do. Oh well, now I don't have to water the trees for at least a week. Yeah!

Traffic

I am always amazed at the way some people drive. Weaving in and out of traffic as if they thought they would really get there faster. Most of the time you pull up to the red light and there they are, and after all that work to try to get one car length ahead. They must be in more of a hurry than I am to get so harried and upset just to get to the light first. Strange! Then of course on the other side of the coin is the driver that gets in the speed lane and just pokes along and makes everyone go out around them especially on the freeway. I have found that quite often it is faster and less stressful to take the access road especially when it is rush hour. I just keep wondering where everyone is going in such a big hurry, they must want to get to the doctor a lot sooner than I do! Thank goodness I do not have to drive in rush hour traffic everyday and I am sorry for anyone who does.