I'm Back

I know, I know, it's been since September since I posted.  Everyone is tired of reading about how I feel about the fall.  So, I thought that I would fill you faithful followers (yeah right) about what has been going on for the past few months.  First, the month of October was filled with my employment at Cornbelly's located at Thanksgiving Point.  I was responsible for the field trips that took place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and a few on Fridays during the month of October. I had schools come from all over the state of Utah and even some schools come from Wyoming,which blew me away because the schools traveled for 3 hours to get to Cornbelly's, stayed for 2-3 hours, then drove back to Wyoming, all in one day.  It's hard to believe Wyoming's school district would allow that kind of field trip.  I had a crew of about 8 people that I was responsible in assigning where they would work each day at Cornbelly's. I had people help me in the ticket booth, on the jumping pillow, the maze, the hayrides, the cow train rides, the sweetshop, and the video tent.  I would meet the buses that would come from all over. I was responsible in making sure that every child had a wrist band on and that all children and adults knew where everything was located.  I made sure that all the fees were paid and had to make sure that everyone knew what was expected of them while they were at Cornbelly's.  I had a few disgruntled parents ( mostly because people that came to Cornbelly's during field trips, I had to tell them that we weren't open to the public, and they were mad they couldn't come in because they had made the trip there),I had some lost kids that the chaperone's lost track of, a baby that fell in a sticker patch, some older kids that did some vandalism, a girl that sprained her ankle on the jumping pillow, some employees that never showed up on busy days, misplaced keys, a clogged mine because an irresponsible adult decided to pour a 5-gallon bucket of sand in the mining area, but other than that I had a grand time working at Cornbelly's.  I made new friends, learned how to run a credit card machine and a cash register, got a sun tan, lost five pounds ( but have since found them again) learned more skills for next year, enjoyed working with all kinds of people, gained confidence and recognized abilities that I have. All in all it was a great experience, and look forward to next year. 

One of the best parts of October was having Heather and her family visit for a week.  We had good times together.  The whole family went to Cornbelly's and had a fun time there.  We were very surprised by the anouncement that Tracie and Austin made to the family when we were a Cornbelly's, our little increase will be coming in June.  We are all very excited.  It was wonderful seeing how much my grandchildren have grown, especially Matt ( boy he has grown up).  We had a great time at pie night at Village Inn with all of the adults.  Tyler beat us all and had 3 different kinds of pie.  I loved having the Powell family visit us all in Utah.  Two other great things happened in October, the baptism of Tyson and the blessing of little Lilyan.  Two wonderful things for our family.  Tyson had to be baptized twice, but, hey, he certainly has been washed clean.  Lily looked so beautiful in her white blessing dress, she was an angel.  Trent did a great job in giving her, her name and blessing.  Heather made a awesome book for Tyson for his baptism, it will be a treasure.  Myself and Cheryl's mom, Joann Froelich, spoke at Tyson baptism.  I felt honored that he asked me to speak.  We also had a little mishap take place just before we were to go to Tyson's baptism, Mocha decided to eat Alan's teeth.  He chewed his flipper so much that there were no teeth left in the appliance.  So HayLee came to Dad's rescue and made sure that he got some new teeth.  What was sad about the whole thing was, Dad had to go to the baptism and the blessing with no teeth.  He wasn't able to talk to anyone.  It was actually a very sad time, but it all came together and Dad was able to get some awesome teeth. He loves his new teeth so much better.  I guess you could almost say that it was a good thing that Mocha ate Dad's teeth?   Now we can laugh about it.  Thank you so much HayLee for taking care of Dad so quickly and efficiently.  Also in the month of October Dad, Taylor and I went to CA for a family reunion.  It was a nice getaway for all of us. We went to Disneyland on one day and I actually went on the "Tower of Terror" ride for the first time.  I had vowed that I would never go on that ride but my sweet brother Clark decided otherwise.  It scared me to death, but I survived.   We had a wonderful gathering with my aunt and cousins on Sunday. It had been several years since we had seen each other. It was fun meeting my cousin's husbands and their children for the first time. Since we have been home it has been wonderful keeping in contact with them through e-mail. 

Also in the month of October was our RS Enrichment night (I was a committee member at the time but have since been released from that calling but still have my other calling of co-chair activities committee member) On the 24th of October our ward had our BIG Enrichment night.  I was responsible for 3 classes.  I taught a class on making calendars that you can get from "Close to my heart".  I have one that Jennifer had made me and they wanted to have that class available for the sisters, so I got elected to teach that class.  I also taught another class on making gift boxes for the holidays, and another class on decorating candles for the fall. Because I was doing three classes, I placed 3 tables in a "U" shape and was helping everyone all together.  I was extremely tired at the end of the day, because I had already put in a full day at Cornbelly's.   October was also busy with going to 2 football games each week-- to support Taylor.  He played on the JV team and was also on the specialty team for Varsity.  The games kept Dad and I busy but we looked forward to going to the games. Now we are starting a new season of wrestling, but that's another blog.  

We have had HayLee and Justin live with us on and off while their home was being finished.  We enjoyed having them live with us, plus I have enjoyed having Mocha around.  Mocha is my grand(dog).  I don't know why I love that dog so much, but I just do.  I think that it might be because I longed for a pet when I was younger.  I fell in love with Tyler's dog, Taffy, but when we had to put him down, it was just too much for me.  I said that we wouldn't have another pet, and we haven't.  When HayLee got Mocha I just fell in love all over again. 

November brought more busyness.  I had the ladies from the ward come over to finish their projects, I had my monthly scrap class, I had to get up at 5:30 a.m. for 2 weeks to take Taylor to hell week for wrestling, I had to catch up all the housework and ironing that got behind from October, I had to do yard work every weekend in November to get all the leaves and apples off the grass before the snow comes and I have had to help dad make cultured stones for the outside of the house.  We chose to make the stones because the stones cost $5 a piece and we needed several and just couldn't bring ourselves to pay that kind of money.  It's actually been fun making our own stones, it gives you a lot of pride in your work, knowing that you made them yourself.  They actually look quite good on the house. We would like to finish the front of the house before it gets too cold to work outside.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us.  Whew!  Could  I get any busier with life?  We also had a surprise in November, I'll post about that later.  

My Favorite Time of the Year--FALL

I love the FALL, it's my favorite time of the year.  Fall reminds me of so many things like: red apples, caramel apples, walking through crunchy leaves, peaches, corn on the cob, squash, huge pumpkins growing in gardens, crisp cool air, bright blue skies, football games-from sitting in the heat to being bundled up with coats and gloves, a new school year, new school clothes, new sweaters, caramel popcorn balls, drives up to the canyon to see the colorful leaves, the smell of logs burning in stoves or fireplaces, the deer hunt (especially my very first one), warm days and cool nights, driving down roads with the leaves falling all around, the beauty and color of the mountains and neighborhoods, a different feeling from the sun, the way the sun almost shines a different color on the world, not bright but dimmed a little bit.  Crazy, I know.  I don't know why I love the Fall, maybe because it's just a feel good time of year. Do you  love the fall?  Why or why not.

Our New Little Bit Of Heaven--Lilyan Mae McNeil

                                                    I took this picture, just minutes after she was born. 

                                            It is one of my favorite.  A proud Dad!                                                A proud grandpa--Papa Mac                                      I felt such joy at that moment holding LIly.                                                   Bright and alert and only minutes old.

On Friday, August the 22nd, at 6:01 p.m. we welcomed a little one from Heaven to the McNeil Family.  The whole family has been anxiously waiting for another baby to join the rest of the McNeil Clan, and oh, the wait was worth it.  Little Lily is so precious.  It has been fun watching Trent and Jessica become new parents.  They are so excited to have their little daughter.  This little princess will not want for anything, all her demands will be met, especially from her father.   Dad and I are excited to add another princess to our growing brood of grandchildren.  We were lacking in the girl department and Lily will be a loving addition.  

I wanted to post on my experience on the day she was born.  On Friday I usually mow the lawn to have it out of the way for the weekend.  I knew that Lily was going to be making her appearance sometime during the day and there was no way that I wanted to be dirty and smelly and not ready when the phone call came.  I had told Trent to call me when Jess reached 6cm to give me time to get to the hospital.  When Trent called me about 4:40 in the afternoon to tell me Jess was at a 6, Dad had just gotten home from work.  We had decided previously that Dad would take me to the hospital and wait for me in the waiting room while I was with Jess and Trent during the delivery.  Trent had invited myself and Jess' mom to come in for the delivery. I felt honored to have been asked because I know that this is a very special time for a husband and wife.  As Dad and I got in the car, Dad mentioned that he wanted to show me some houses near our home that had different finishes on them.  We have been trying to decide what we wanted on our home--siding/stucco, and what kind of windows. So we have been driving around the neighborhood lately trying to get ideas. As Dad was driving around the neighborhood my gut was in stitches.  I wanted to leave immediately for the hospital.  Dad said we had plenty of time before she delivered--but that didn't help with the way I was feeling.  I wanted to support Dad in being excited about looking, but yet I felt this urgency to be on our way. As we were driving down 16oo North on our way to the freeway, Trent called back, "she's to a 10". Dang!  Now I was really feeling anxious.  I didn't want to miss out on the experience of being there for Lily's birth.  Dad drove as fast as he could without breaking the law.  He knew that I was feeling fretful and anxious. He could see my nervous twitching.  I could hardly even talk to him.  I told Dad that I hoped that I would make it on time and  yet in my mind I was resigning myself to missing the event, and if it happened, it would be okay. 

We finally arrived at the hospital. Whew!   Dad parked and up we went to their room.  I walked in the room and the first person I saw was Pam, Jessica's mom.  Then I looked over to Jess and thankfully she was still pregnant! Yeah! Trent came over and wrapped his arms around me and said that they were waiting for the moms to get there.  Thank you, I thought.  Trent and Jess had a great midwife.  She was very laid back about the whole delivery thing, which made everyone feel at ease.  There was a comfortable feeling in the room, which made it very relaxing and nice. Soon the midwife said that it was time to start pushing, so Pam and I each took a leg  to help Jess with her pushing.  Trent was at the foot of the bed doing his coaching.  You could tell that he was very excited about becoming a father. Pam and I were holding our breaths with Jess each time she took a breath, it was quite funny.  Jess was so strong and brave during the whole experience.  It is hard to describe how I felt at that time.  First of all, I felt honored to have been asked to be present during the delivery, knowing that this is a special time for husbands and wives. Second, you never feel closer to God than when you are with a new born babe. It was fun to hear Trent say, "Jess, I can see her head."  I'm sure hearing him say that made Jess happy to know that it would soon be over. Giving birth is a wonderful feeling, but it's something that you are glad to be over and done with.  That was the way I always felt during all my deliveries. 

What a wonderful sight it was to see little Lily be born.  Tears came to my eyes, knowing that she just left her Father in Heaven and now she was with us--her family--her mother, her father, and both of her grandmothers. She was joining many aunts, and uncles, parents and grandparents, who were so excited to finally meet her. She will be a joy to her parents and loved ones. I thank Heavenly Father for my wonderful family. They are a joy to my life every day.  That's what it's all about--Family.  Thank you Jess and Trent for a  wonderful experience that I will always treasure. 

Ready-Set-Hike

It's that time of year again.  Football games.  It's also time for Mom's stomach to be in knots for the school year. Whether it's football or wrestling, the knots are there.  And it doesn't matter that I've been doing this for many years, starting with Troy at age 6.  You would think that it would get better.  Nope.  I love watching my kids in their activities of choice.  Taylor is my last child for me to watch, only 2 more years left.  Then I will move on to grandchildren. Taylor has been putting in the time to be ready for the games, he started conditioning in June, Monday through Thursday.  Last week he went to Unity camp in Idaho for a week.  Now this week he has 3-a-days.  Thank goodness he has his license. Last year I was running him to the high school all day.  His first game this year is on September 4th against Timpanogos High School.  He has his blue/gold scrimmage game this Saturday the 16th, this is where the team plays a few scrimmage games for the parents to watch.  His coach told him that he will be a starting player for the team, which made him feel good about all the hard work that he has put forth this summer.  He's a good player.  I'm excited to watch him.  I love football!

We Love Being Grandparents

Being a grandparent is the best.  Dad and I have the cutest, smartest, most lovable, adorable, funniest, grandkids of all.  Hands down, no need to argue with us.  It's a given.  We are just getting a good start to our family of grandchildren.  Dad and I are so excited about the new arrival that will be coming to our brood of grandkids.  Our newest addition will be here in just a few short weeks.  Recently we had a baby shower for Jessica and Trent's little one.  I can hardly contain myself with the excitement of a new granddaughter.   And she will be right up there with the rest of them.  She will be darling (of course) and smart, adorable, funny, and very loving. I have many people tell me that Trent and Jess will be wonderful parents.  Of course, we all ready knew that.  We have had so many fun and enjoyable times together with our grandchildren and look forward to many more.   We just recently had a great visit with Maddie and Eric. Eric just finished his swim lessons and has no fear of the water.  He tried to show me how to swim in the bath tub. I was laughing just watching him. I got to play house with Maddie and Eric.  I was the mom of course.  Maddie was the teenage daughter (so she told me) and her name was Roxie, and Eric was Josh the little brother. Maddie wanted to play house very spare minute.  Oh what imaginations!  We watched Maddie  swim her heart out at the meet and we all cheered for her.  She worked so hard to get to the Jr. Olympics.  Troy and Jen also sacrificed to help her achieve her goals by taking her to her practices everyday. They deserve a  gold medal.  We visited Yosemite National Park and saw many beautiful sights.  The California fires dampened the view a bit, but it was still beautiful.  

We visited with Seth, Cade, Leah and Matthew in May and loved being there for Seth's birthday and ordination to the priesthood, and celebrating Matthew's birthday.  We loved the beauty of the mountains and surroundings on our tour of the canyon.   Seth and Cade are dare devils on the bikes, makes grandma nervous. Seth and Cade are good athletes.  Leah is a beautiful dancer.  Matthew is an athlete in training, he's on his way of being just like his brothers.  Heather and Ryan deserve a medal too, with all the running around they do with the kids. Four kids in four different places -whew!  We have had many sleep overs with Tyson, Preston, and Mason this summer.  Each of them had their own weekend with grandma and grandpa-- Shopping, picnics in the canyon, slip'n sliding, late nights with movies and popcorn, playing in the park, all kinds of fun. Tyson is a great reader and very smart, just ask him, he'll tell you. :) Preston can count to fifty, and he can, he told me, and oh, he's a cuddle bug.  He's excited about starting school soon.  Mason, he's the one that keeps everyone in line, and is very obedient.   We love being with our grandkids.  We are looking forward to more grandkids coming in the future.  I have Mocha as my surrogate grandchild from HayLee and Justin (until they are ready for a baby in their family).  It's okay, I love that dog, he'll always be a part of the family. :)

I wish that my own children could have experienced what our grandkids our experiencing with us.  They have grandparents that are great, and I wish they could have spent more time with them, to get to know them even better. Grandparents are important to a child's life and every child should have the opportunity to feel the love of a grandparent.  Heavenly Father knew that we needed families. Aren't we lucky!  We have great grandchildren. 

I've got --Tagged!

Well, I was hoping that I would be able to evade the game of tag.  I always did poorly at playing tag, partly because I DID want to get caught by the boys!  Hey, that's how girls work.  They say that they hate being chased by boys but in reality, they want to be chased and to be caught.  Admit it, all you girls know what I'm talking about.

Okay, here it goes, mind you my answers involve my children because they were and are a major part of my life:

10 years ago I was....

Preparing for Tyler to be married.  I thought he was young to be getting married, but hey, I got married at nineteen and so did  his dad.  What can I say.   I had 2 grandchildren, Seth and Cade.  I still had Troy, Trent, Tracie, HayLee, and Taylor living at home.  I started substituting at Canyon View Jr. High in the Life Skills class with Mrs. Cook.  And I loved it.  It was from this point that I started subbing for other schools and  found that I totally love teaching.  Still serving in the primary as a counselor.   

5 years ago I was....

Grandchildren by 2 more, making it 4:   Seth, Cade, Tyson, Madeleine.  Trent  graduated in 1999 and then went on his mission to Thailand in 2000. Returned home in 2002.  Troy married Jennifer  in 1999, and they had Maddie in 2001.  Tyler and Cheryl had Tyson in  August 2000.  Tracie and HayLee were involved with a singing group and also did the play Cinderella.  That was a lot of fun for the family to go and watch them in their performances.   Got released from primary and was called as compassionate service leader for a year.  

It was while I was serving as compassionate leader  (2004) when I had my accident with my foot.  I was going down the stairs in my home, carrying a large box of food for the funeral of our dear neighbor.  I thought that I was on the bottom step and stepped out.  I landed on the rock floor with my high heeled sandal and crushed my foot down, twisting as I went.  The food flew everywhere.  The pain was so intense that I nearly passed out.  I would give birth again with no medication before I would go through that pain again.  I called out.  Tracie was in the upstairs bathroom on the phone, the fan running.  She couldn't hear me.  Danielle was in the downstairs bathroom getting ready for a doctors appointment.  She heard me screaming and came running.  I told her I was hurt, to get the phone and call Alan.  I could barely talk , the pain being so intense.  She called Alan and then she handed me the phone.  I tried talking to Alan but could barely get out any words to inform him that I was hurt, and it was bad. I told Danielle to gather up the strewn food and take it over to the church for the funeral.  I waited on the stairs for Alan to come home. Alan had called the paramedics on the way home, and they showed up before he did.  Alan had also called the bishop and he ran over from the church to be with me until Alan arrived.  So I was hauled off to the hospital in the ambulance after getting hooked up with some good feeling drugs.  The hospital staff said that I had just sprained my foot.  They wrapped up my foot and placed me on some crutches and out the door I went.  But six months later I found myself in the hospital ready to have surgery on my foot that was supposedly sprained.  That was a hard year.  

Yesterday I was...

Getting ready for RS enrichment night.  I was called to be on the enrichment committee, as well as the activities committee after being released from young women's.   I have had a hard time adjusting to the new callings.  I loved working with the young women.  But I'm getting older and I guess they needed some young blood.  We had a light dinner at our enrichment activity, and we had a sister in the stake come and do a reading about the Prophet Joseph as his mother, Lucy Mack Smith.  It was a great evening.  

5 favorite snacks....

chocolate.....just about anything chocolate, but I am particular, chocolate kisses, Hershey bars especially with toffee bits.  (symphony), all nut bridge mix.  

chips and dip ...and along that same line..cheetos...but not too often

homemade chocolate chip cookies....used to make them sooo many times in one week, but now I cook very rarely, hey I'll eat those dang cookies if they are around.  No self control at all.  

almonds....  I love nuts, but hazel nuts don't love me

5 favorite books....

Follow River

Hey I'm Alive

The Children of the Promise series

The Tennis Shoes series

The Twilight series

Really anything church related.  I especially like historical books.  I'll read anything history related.  

5 Favorite Movies....

The Saint

Sound of Music

Great Escape

Princess Bride

Eighties movies:  Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, 

Braveheart

5 favorite places to runaway to......

The movies, I absolutely love going to the movies....just give me a bag of popcorn and I'm in  heaven

The mountains...I love listening to the birds sing and the breeze in the trees....the peace that's found there

My wonderful, comfortable bed....with a good book is the best

Anywhere where Alan is...we loved walking on the beach together in CA.... it was wonderful

With our friends .... just being together 

5 bad habits......

procrastinating....I think that just about everyone procrastinates..except Jen, she's a go-er and do-er

too quick to be upset about things

too picky.....I need to just relax sometimes

 judgmental....I am trying to work on this one 

swearing.....it's trying being married to someone who does not swear....but I am getting better

5 things I would never wear...

my shirt tucked in...never have and never will

a bikini

a thong...tried to one time,  never again

mismatched clothes....(see picky)

bright blue eyeshadow.....a thing of the eighties

5 pet peeves.....

people who drive under the speed limit..especially when I'm in a hurry

phone sales people who just won't listen to you when you say, "Not interested!"

people who talk when they just need to be quite...movies...listening to speakers....church

people who litter..don't clean up after themselves

fake people....those that think that they are a bag of chips and everything else

5 things I enjoy.....

my husband

my children

my grandchildren

the above are all givens, I know, but it's true

hotfudge/banana shakes,  yummm the best!

smelling freshly baked bread, reading, eating, scrapping, napping, shopping

5 favorite TV shows...

all time favorite--Andy Griffith...still love to watch

24

AMC black and white movies..they make you have a good cry sometimes

Stargate SG1

those make it, fix it, clean it shows and recently American Idol

5 people I would like to meet.....(I'll follow Austin's blog)

Dead:

Jesus Christ

Captain Moroni, Captain Teancuam (sp?), Nephi

George Washington

Joseph Smith

Marilyn Monroe

Alive:

Thomas S. Monson

Mel Gibson

Steven Spielberg ( sorry I copied you Austin, but he is a genius)

Arnold S.  (I won't even attempt to try and spell his name, you know the governor of CA)

David Archuleta

Well, that was a pretty long post.  Hope that you enjoyed reading it.  I promise not to have them so long next time.  But it was fun.  I haven't posted a 100 blogs, so don't go looking for my hundred things about me just yet. It's too hard on the brain to figure out what to say.  

My First Job: An A&W carhop

My access to the real world came when I applied for my first job. I applied for my first job in the summer after my junior year of high school.  My sister Terry had applied at the A&W Drive In and was working there when I decided to find a job.  My senior year was coming up and I needed money for the fees that were required for Tigerettes.  I was required to earn my own money for just about everything that I needed and wanted.  I was a little nervous about applying for the job, but Terry put my fears to rest because she had told me that her employer was really nice.  I met with Leon Childs, the owner, for my interview. Terry had been an excellent employee so Mr. Childs, I think, thought that I would be a good hire.  My interview went off without a hitch. He told me that he would give me a call if a position opened up.  I didn't have to wait too long.  I remember being extremely excited when Mr. Childs called an asked if I could come to work. Yes, a job!  I found working to be very fun.  I not only earned money, but I also gained somewhat of a social life that I had never had before. I found it rewarding working with other people and getting to know them. 

I remember my first day on the job was thrilling, exciting, and very nerve wracking. I was sent into a back room and was asked to find a uniform that fit.  All of the new uniforms were either too small or too big, so I ended up wearing an old, outdated uniform, which made me feel uncomfortable. I looked different compared to all of the other girls, and I hated having to look different.  I was way too self conscience. I didn't like being the center of attention, and being dressed different made me stand out from the others.  I didn't like was what we had to wear while working:  skirts, with shirts tucked in.  The skirt was okay, but I never tucked in my shirts and still don't to this day. But, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? So I tucked my shirt in.  Later we were asked to wear dresses. Pretty hard to be modest in dresses, especially when you have to bend over to clean things up.

I was trained pretty fast on what to do (you had to be, that's why it's called "Fast Food").   There was a lot to remember.  I had to learn how to answer the order phone and write down the patrons orders. Memorizing the menu and the prices took some time.  My math skills of addition were put to use full time in this job, everything was done long hand, no computers to print out the orders.  I had to learn how to count back money while car hopping and do it quickly.  The hardest part of the job was carrying the trays out to the cars.  Sometimes the trays were loaded with  several rootbeer mugs, and  I'm talking about large mugs of rootbeer.  So to maneuver between the parked cars and carrying a loaded tray was very tricky.  One time I dropped a heavily loaded tray right on top of this guys car, spilling everything everywhere.  The guy wasn't too happy with me.  There were other occasions that I dumped the trays, but they got fewer and far between.  I learned the trick of carrying trays and developed some pretty strong muscles in my arms.  I was buff!!!  I also learned how to make the homemade rootbeer.  It was quite the process.  We used specially made syrup for A&W rootbeer, 50 lbs of sugar, water, and dry ice.  Then you had to mix the rootbeer using a special mixing sieve.  I also learned how to cook all of the menu items, even the hand dipped halibut fish and chips.  Yummm!  My favorite menu item was the rootbeer freezes.  I would bring home many for my dad, he loved them too. 

There were many opportunities to flirt with the cute guys.  Hey, that was half the fun of working! On one particular Saturday evening, a bunch of guys from Provo High came to A&W to hang out. All of the girls workers were freaking out because they were all cute.  Now I was dating Alan at the time, but that didn't mean I couldn't flirt, right?  After all, Alan was one of the biggest flirts I knew, and fairs fair. There was one particular boy from Provo that kept flirting with me, his name was Craig.  He kept after me and I was loving the attention. What girl wouldn't.  He had asked me a question that I will never forget.  He asked me if I was thorney (minus the "t").  Now being terribly naive, I thought that he was asking me if I wore horned-rimmed glasses, I didn't give him a straightforward answer.    I said, "Well, maybe I am, and maybe I'm not."   I didn't want him to know that I wore glasses.  Remember in my earlier posts,  it's  just not cool to wear glasses.  I was too embarrassed to talk to him after that.  I never went back outside.  It wasn't until a couple of years later that I found out what he was really talking about.  Man was I naive.  

There were many days that work was terribly busy.  Those days were dubbed, "Being Bombed."  After the summer was over, and I started back to my senior year of school, I had to quit work.  It was too hard asking for every weekend off for all the times that were required for Tigerettes.  I didn't really want to quit, I was having too much fun.  And I loved the money.  I laugh now when I realize how much I was  making an hour, $1.15, which wasn't too bad at the time.  

After my senior year of school I went back to A&W and asked Mr. Childs to hire me back.  He gave me the job and I put my whole heart into it.  I worked hard and earned the supervisor position.  My wage increased to a whooping $1.65 an hour.  Wow!  The supervisor position required you to be in charge of all the employees on your shift.  Also, you were required to count the money on the night shift and place it in the safe and lock up the building.  Many times Alan would come and visit me on my shift during my break.   I would give him my discount of half-price for the food, not taking any for myself.   He loved the Teen Burgers and I would make them extra special for him. Sometimes he would show up close to closing time and wait for me, I would call home telling my folks that I had a ride and that they wouldn't need to pick me up.  I looked forward to those times.  

Looking back now on my experience of working at A &W, I have fond memories.  I wish that I hadn't quit working before I got married.  I could have worked and been married at the same time, but something in my brain said, "You're getting married, you don't need to work."  How dumb was that?  I could have contributed to the family income, a small amount, but every little bit helps.  

The above photo of the drive-in is not where I worked, it's just a picture of an A&W.  The A&W I worked at is  in Provo where the Stevenettes Ice Cream Shop is now located. The photo of the logo on the can is what the A&W logo looked like when I worked there.  It has changed a bit since, but the orange and brown logo is what I remember. 

   

Birthday's, Priesthood and Good-byes

Dad and I had a great time in sunny Arizona for Seth's birthday and his special ordination to a Deacon.  Our visit was a short one, but a great one.  We arrived in Arizona on Saturday morning/afternoon and took off to a restaurant for lunch.  A family tradition with Heather's family.  Whether Heather comes home to Utah or we go to AZ, we visit a restaurant for lunch or dinner. We chose to go to Chili's for lunch.  Cade said that he didn't like it there.  He asked if they served pancakes there.  No. No pancakes Cade.  What's funny though is that Cade cleaned his plate. After lunch we went to Heather's home to relax a bit before we went to Cade's baseball game. When we arrived, the kids followed Dad and I everywhere we went.  We loved it!  The weather was really nice, a bit warm, but nice for the game.  Cade had two hits during his game.  He's a great player.  Sunday was Seth's big day.  I made him his own special breakfast of french toast, hash browns, and scrambled eggs.  Everyone else had cold cereal. Then we went to church.  It's so nice that their church  is just minutes away, before they got their new church building, it took over twenty minutes to drive to church.  My are we spoiled, I've never been less than five minutes away from any of my ward buildings.  It was such an honor to raise our hands to sustain Seth to be ordained a deacon during Sacrament meeting.  After church was Seth's ordination by Ryan, at first in the prayer Ryan said,' Elder' instead of 'Deacon.'  I had to smile to myself.  He gave a beautiful blessing. Heather and I prepared the food for the BBQ that we were having later in the day with Ryan's family.  Before everyone showed up Dad and I gave Seth and Matthew their presents for their birthdays.  Heather decided to celebrate Matthew's birthday too because we were there.  Seth was surprised at his gift, I think that he liked it. We gave Matthew a singing card, he went crazy with it.  The card was a lot of fun.  Everything was 'sweeeet' according to Matthew.  He got tons of action figures from everyone for his birthday.  He considered that he was five since we celebrated his birthday.  We had a great time visiting with everyone.  It was great seeing our niece, JoLynn, when we visit, and all of her children.  Monday morning all the boys took the motor bikes out to ride. The girls stayed home and did girlie things.  I painted Leah's toes and fingers, braided her hair, and we put make-up on together.  Oh, what a pretty girl!  When the boys got home  from riding we got ready to go out for lunch.  We went to another family favorite, "Hometown Buffet."  Hey, you can get what you want!  Then off to the mall to shop or whatever, mostly just killing time till we needed to go to the airport.  Dad had forgot to bring his cell phone with him so we had to really be careful not to get so separated from each other at the mall. Dad got Seth and Cade cool survival kits for scouts.  I think that they will really like them.  We were dropped off at the airport at 4:30 p.m. It was hard to say goodbye.  It seemed like we just got there, and in reality we did. I find it really hard to say good-bye to Heather.  With not being able to really communicate with each other, I miss being able to talk with her, and I miss her face, but I  am so thankful for Skype.  What a wonderful invention, especially for me and Heather. See you in the computer Heather, :)  Till our next visit together.

Long Time No See

I guess it's been a long time since I have posted the rest of the story.  So I will get right to it!

Part Ten

After coming into the house from being out too long in the car, and the lights going on and off, I knew that the lecture would be coming.  I came in and lucky enough Mom was the one that approached me with--" Never stay in a parked car with a boy for a long time! What will the neighbors think?" So now I had to worry about what the neighbors were thinking?  I had already noticed the curtains moving when Alan and I were in the carport. Who else was spying on us? The lecture didn't last too long and I was thankful for that.  I didn't let the lecture dampen my spirits about my evening "with the most wonderful boy there ever was."  I flopped on my bed on my back and went over the evening in my mind, trying to keep to memory everything that had taken place.  I couldn't help but smile while I was recalling. My first real kiss.  Girls always dream about who will be their first kiss.  Now I didn't have to wonder anymore.  My date with Alan was the best time I had ever had I thought, right up there with the evening when Alan had first taken me home from the dance, but tonight was better because I had kissed the boy of my dreams.  The euphoria lasted for a few weeks, but then it began to wane because I hadn't received any phone calls or contact of any kind for weeks.  Then my mind began to wonder if maybe my time with Alan had just been a one time shot, kind of like "kiss 'em and leave 'em," kind of thing. The summer moved along and was very boring and uneventful, and soon school would be starting.  I felt very deflated, sad, and a bit angry about not hearing from Alan the rest of the summer.  I was worried about how my first day of school as a Junior would be and what my reaction would be when I ran into him.  

I went to school feeling very apprehensive.  As I was walking the halls (by myself as usual) before school started, I saw Alan surrounded by all of his football buddies, the popular crowd, in the student lounge.  I walked by and we made eye contact, but I just kept on walking.  There was no way in heaven I was going to walk up to Alan and start a conversation with all those football players hanging around.  I was just too shy to do that. First period went by, my stomach was in knots.  After first period the school had planned a student assembly to start the new school year.   After first period I went to my locker, I was by myself, then all of a sudden he was standing there right beside me.  "Oh my gosh," I thought!  Alan asked if I would like to sit with him at the assembly.  "Are you kidding," I thought to myself, "yes, yes, yes," my mind was saying.  We walked to the auditorium together,  I was so nervous my heart was pounding.  We watched the assembly, I remember that I hardly paid any attention to what was going on in the assembly.  I was thrilled to be sitting next to Alan and then --he took my hand. 

Stolen Identity

Well, it happened! I got robbed!  Yes, my purse was stolen when I went to the movies.  Dad and I decided to go the the late movie on Saturday night at the University Mall.  We were watching "Vantage Point".  We sat on the second to the last row.  The back row had a larger space between the last to rows because they had changed the back row seats.  I walked in and got our seats while Dad was getting the popcorn.  I noticed an older gentleman seating on the back row all by himself, and thinking to myself that it was odd that he was alone.  During the movie he took my purse that was on the floor next to me by pulling the purse from behind.  Not only did he take my purse but he took another ladies purse that sat three seats away from me.  During the movie Dad and I noticed that he left the movie quickly, we brushed it off, then we went back to watching the movie.  A little bit later I reached down to get my purse and couldn't find it.  I thought to myself, did I bring it?  Yes, I remember saving the seat next to me with my purse, while Dad was getting the refreshments.  When I started searching for my purse, the lady next to me noticed me searching for my purse so she went to get her purse.  I went out into the lobby and the lady came out too.  She asked me if my purse was gone and mentioned that hers was gone.  We reported it to the manager, who then immediately called the police.  

I feel violated, mad, angry at myself, and ready to punch that guy out! How dare he steal from me!  He took all my credit cards, my check books to two accounts, my drivers license, my social security card, my prescription glasses, my recommend, my keys to our cars and house, basically my life.  

So after speaking to the police and giving him the information he needed, Dad and I went home to call all the numbers to report stolen cards.  Then we took off to Walmart for new locks on the doors and theft protection for our cars.  You never know what he will do.  He has our address and keys to our cars and house, he could just help himself to our property. 

What have I learned from this experience?  First, listen to my gut.  I thought to myself when I first sat down, to put my purse on the arm of my seat like I usually do.  Second, don't carry so much in your purse, only the absolute necessary things. Third, never trust anyone you don't know.  Fourth, don't put your purse on the floor of the movie theater.  Well, it's 3 a.m.  and Dad is still taking care of protecting our house and cars.  I'm waiting up with him, so I decided to write on our blog to vent off some steam.  What will I do if I ever run into the scumbag?  Don't ask right now, I'm too spitting mad!