Happy Thanksgiving

What started out as a small Thanksgiving with just Jessica

turned out to be good sized group. First my dad and Maxine said that they would join us. Next it was Jessica's former roommate, Megan. Then Jackie's family changed plans at the last minute due to weather and they joined us as well. We did a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, with everyone joining in to make it happen. With the economy the way it is we debated roasting our own wild turkey, but as he was about to turn 1, we decided that we liked this little turkey too much. He is so much fun! At the end of the weekend we celebrated his first birthday! I love having my family around. Now we have hit the last 6 months of Josh's mission and are looking forward to talking to him in a few short weeks.

Playing "Doubles Tennis" Wii style!!
Peeling the potatoes!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Here it is a couple of days before Thanksgiving and it is SNOWING!!!! This is NOT normal for Oregon. Rain? Yes, definitely, but snow? This morning I got up early to help my dad get up to the clinic for surgery to have a cataract removed. Since it was soooo icy, we told them that Reed and I would take them in. Reed had a meeting later, so we got the grocery shopping done and headed home. Then it was back in to pick up my dad and get them home, safe and sound.

Reed and I met up for lunch and then it was home to start the prep for Thanksgiving. I am making rolls today and will probably get 1 pie done. I am so excited for the kids and their kids and friends to arrive. It is such a great time to reflect on all I have to be thankful for. As I have started serving in Relief Society now, I have had many opportunities to visit with those who have not been as fortunate as I have. I am so grateful for my blessings. It has been humbling to be in some of the circumstances and to try and counsel and help those who have had to suffer so much. Poor Reed, just shakes his head as he watches me go off on another Relief Society assignment, but I am so thankful for him and his support. I have such a wonderful family.

May all of you feel the blessings that are yours. May your eyes be opened to how truly fortunate you are. May you find some way, however small, to reach out to those around you and give them a lift. Smile, reach out and give someone a hug or a handshake. Express your love to your family and friends. Find someone to be a secret Santa to. Watch the wonders of this beautiful world in which we live. That is my wish this Thanksgiving season!!

A Weekend With The Grandkids!

This last weekend was one of those wonderful Oregon weekends where the mornings are crisp and cool but with lots of sunshine. Zach and the boys came down for a long weekend while Jackie was back in New York for her college roommate's wedding! We took advantage of all the good weather and did lots of fun stuff.

We roasted hot dogs for lunch on Friday! The boys were really good at roasting.

Then we went to dinner to celebrate Jackie's birthday. Too bad she wasn't with us!! But we sent her pictures to let her know we were thinking of her!!

Saturday took us to the local corn maze. This year it was tough and we didn't make it all the way through. But there were lots of fun activities for the kids. The boys rode the "Moo Train" played on the hay slide and crawled through tubes.

We topped the day off by going to the pizza parlor to celebrate Katarina's 2nd birthday.

There was a play area there too and we had lots of fun!!

It was a GREAT weekend!!

This Is What I Have Been Up To

I know, I know. I left you hanging about my trip back east. We had LOTS of fun. We had opted to not take the Wii this year and I am so glad we did that. The TV was hardly turned on and we spent lots of time out of doors, riding bikes, walking, using the strollers, and playing mini golf. I will get around to posting pictures some time. But in the mean time, this is why I have neglected the blog so much. This project started before we headed back east and still continues today. At one time while the house was torn apart, I had 17 people sleeping at my house!!

We decided that we needed to reside our house. We have battled leaking windows for a couple of years and tried a number of fixes and solutions. We had even had to do a repair in our bedroom due to a rotting floor. It all pointed to problems with our siding. Our house used to have vinyl siding. NOT GOOD!! Over time, water had gotten behind the vinyl and was trapped next to the house. As they tore off siding we found the rot had gone through the 1 inch cedar that was still on the house, the plywood and into the studs. There were even snakes living in the wall. Gross, I know!! In some places we replaced windows with sliding glass doors. We tore apart a wall that had no insulation, just concrete retaining wall and wallboard. We put hardiplank siding on (a cement composite siding) that is a combination of planks, cedar looking shingles and scallops. I LOVE THE LOOK.

We are still working on the inside. Right at this moment we are tiling the laundry, hall and bathroom area downstairs. New carpet has been ordered and will be installed within a month. I still have painting to do. I wrote Josh and asked him what color he would like his room to be. He replied that I should leave it blue because he knew I would never go with red which was what he wanted. Won't he be surprised when he comes home and finds that I am actually painting one wall in his room red. This is a HUGE break for me, but my girls have banned the colors of pink or blue downstairs. They are my favorite colors and I do tend to over do it!!

Enjoy the pictures.

Corn, corn, and more corn

Day 3 was spent driving across Nebraska and part of Iowa. We have seen so much corn. I find it hard to believe that people think there is not enough food. Of course much of this corn will be used for ethanol. So silly, when you think about how people could be fed. And these states at least offer gas w/o ethanol:). We stopped at Winter Quarters. That place has such a sweet spirit. I am struck once again how much these pioneers sacrificed. It makes me ponder again how Pres. Hinckley always admonished us to remember. While at the visitors center, who should we run into? Reed's uncle Rodney from Denver. What a small world!!
As we drove to our motel for the night, we saw many fireflies. Morgan had never seen them. It is so fun to have her. She is seeing and experiencing so much for the first time.
Tomorrow we spend the day at Nauvoi!!



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Day 2

Today we had our granddaughter Morgan join us. She is Norma's oldest and she gets to be with grandma and grandpa for the next 3+ weeks. Today we visited the Mormon Pioneer handcart center known as Martin's Cove. As we arrived we saw black clouds from a thunder storm approaching. This has happened every time we have visited. We left in time, but got hammered on the highway by a torrential downpour and massive hailstorm. It came down so hard we could not see the road. As we crawled into a rest area, we had no idea that we were at Independence Rock. We couldn't even see it!! It was another exciting day!!








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The Journey Begins

I have decided that I should journal our trip across America. I am very grateful for this beautiful world and the country in which I live. Today we drove to Utah. We stopped for lunch in Ontario, OR and watched the Wendy's there burn to the ground.
Then Reed did a good deed while at a rest stop in Utah. A family pulling a boat were stopped trying to change a broken wheel on the trailer. The dad was on crutches. Reed went over and helped the family. What a good man.


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Quick Update without Pictures

Guess I will give a quick update while I scramble to get everything done. Alas there are no pictures because I don't have time. So on to the update. Since last I posted, I have pulled off a family reunion for my side of the family. We had 60 people camping at our cabin by the river. I planned and pre-prepared all the meals except for breakfast which was assigned out to different families. We had a GREAT time. I hope to get pictures up. We made 2x the money for the next reunion AND raised money to reside the cabin and replace windows.

Jessica has started her new job and so we don't see her or hear from her like we used to:( I miss having quick access to her, but she is very happy working and we will get to see her for 1/2 of our vacation. We got to take Jessica and her roommate up to camp and sight see at Mt. St. Helens after graduation and had a wonderful time! I will post some pictures from that too - someday!!

Let's see, then Keegan (my 6 year old grandson) broke his arm. Reed and I had gone up to the temple and to talk about becoming ordinance workers. That has to be put on hold. We are way too busy and I have a new calling and responsibility at church that will probably postpone it for a while. Anyway we came out of the temple to a text message from Jackie asking us to meet her at the hospital because Keegan has broken his arm. Brave boy never cried, just calmly told his parents that he had broken his arm. They didn't believe him at first until he removed the hand that covered the broken arm. Glad we were up in the area and could meet up with them, take the baby and stay with the younger kids while mom and dad were at the hospital with Keegan. Kind of changed plans we had for how the summer was going to go.

Jackie then came down to our house for 2 weeks of swimming lessons and the reunion. It was fun to have all those boys here and the house sure filled up with people!!

My sister and her husband arrived from Indiana as well as her daughter and son from Georgia for the reunion. Meanwhile my house is under construction AGAIN!! What started as a residing project became a major remodel as we found major rot problems. So fiascoes continue daily with that. But I am getting used to all that now. Just a major mess in my home with the downstairs basically out of commission until everything is done! Norma and her family made it to the reunion and it was sooooo good to have them here. After the reunion we had 17 people staying the night at my house and that was with the downstairs and bedrooms out of commission!!

Life is never dull around here. This week I have been sewing like mad for a family in our stake that is going on TREK. Trek is where they enact the pioneers crossing the plains in handcarts. They will be hiking about 25 miles in 3+ days. Everyone wears pioneer costumes and they are organized into "families" and have a handcart that they must push/pull along the old Santiam wagon trail. Thank goodness my knees are not up to that kind of torture (well sort of). So instead I said I would help. So in one week I have made 4 bonnets, 2 dresses, 1 apron, 2 pioneer shirts, pantaloons, and altered 4 shirts for the family. All this while I have 2 different construction crews pounding, hammering, taking out windows so I can't run my AC and showing up at 6am to start work. Not to mention there is still the lab, workers in the trees and and a high school student doing yard work for me. Oh did I mention that I had a 16 year old young lady that stayed with us for a week while her family was away. She is in summer school and could not go with them.

So today I actually cleaned my house, ran errands and did the laundry. I am trying to get my brain to function so I can start packing cuz we are leaving to drive across the country. I think I am totally insane!!!

I will try to post pictures as we vacation with the kids back at the beach house. Is this really a vacation? Stay tuned and next time I promise pictures.

The Master

Here is our first Master. A Master in Social Work



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Work, work, work!!

Don't you just love those pig tails?

Reed is piled high with work. Jayme is currently employed full time just in the lab. I help out when I can and where I can in the lab. I do all the books and have named myself CFO. It sounds so professional don't you think? What it means is that I pay the bills, balance the checkbook and deposit the checks. I do all the book work and have finally started learning to do the taxes. I am helping with the point counts of slides of thin sections of rock from wells that have been drilled - yes by oil companies. Hey I don't complain, it pays the bills and we are currently swamped with work. I am also trying to pick up the slack at home. I am on a HUGE organizational kick and have helped Jackie set up her financial records and recently helped Virginia set up a plan for organizing and planning menus. I am also planning menus now as I try to eat more healthy and lose weight. Today I had a big helper as I worked around the house. Katarina (Jayme and Virginia's 20 month old) got to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa. Mommy and Daddy went to the temple to celebrate their 5th anniversary. I picked Katarina up after my morning walk and she happily waved goodbye to mom and dad. We then got to spend the morning wiping down the bathroom, putting on makeup, sweeping the floors, and vacuuming. We even did a couple of loads of laundry. Then we got to help Grandpa who is ripping off the siding from the house by picking up nails. We ate a good lunch and took a nap and when she got up, the sun was shining and we could swing on the swings and go down the slide. In fact we had so much fun that when Mommy and Daddy came home we didn't want to stop to give them hugs and kisses cuz we were having so much fun! What a great day!!

Results of Yard Work

Here are some photos of what we got accomplished!!

Happy Mother's Day

This year for Mother's Day, the kids gave me a day of yard work. It was so much fun. Most of them showed up in time for a big Glasmann Family style breakfast with cheese eggs, bacon and Aunt Jemima Coffee Cake. Then we went outside and planted flowers, rototilled some areas, dug up and replanted 3 different bushes. We burned some brush, roasted hotdogs over our outdoor fire place, and played on the swing set. We rewarded them by taking them all out to dinner at our favorite Japanese Steak House with a Tepanyaki table. It was a great weekend topped off with a call from Josh. What more could a mother ask for???

His Hands

So the last month has been really tough. On March 19, 2010 we lost Reed's dad due to complications from a massive stroke. He had suffered a smaller stroke on March 1st. Reed went out and I followed a few days later and stayed for about a week. It was a great time to be of service to him, Reed's brother's family and be the sounding board for everyone. You become the eyes and ears of those that cannot be there to keep them updated and coping with what is happening. I recognized that the first stroke took him a big step down from where he was. It affected mostly the cognitive function and so it was like his Alzheimer's had just become worse. Just a few days after I left, Jay suffered another stroke, this one massive. Reed and I immediately packed up and headed back to Utah that very day, arriving in the middle of the night to spell his brother. We are so thankful that everyone got there before his passing was a part of helping to implement Jay's wishes for how he wanted to die. Please, if you have not done so, do an Advanced Directive/Living Will and be specific. The doctors and nurses at the hospital praised his clarity and his defining what quality of life meant to him. We were all in agreement to move him to a beautiful hospice center in Salt Lake City that provided in residence care. Thirty-six hours after having him transferred there he passed away. He was 85 years old and he went the way he wanted. All of his children and his wife were with him. This is the second time in less than 6 months that I have lost a loved one and been able to be there with them as they return to their Heavenly Father. Jay has the most characteristic hands. Those hands were misshapened by arthritis but those hands came to mean so much. Those hands were famous with the grandkids for the "dreaded knee clamp"! It was nothing more than those hands grabbing the child's knees. Of course it was accompanied by a terrific roar and by screaming and sqeals of giggling as the kids ran away only to return and see if they could escape before those hands got them again. Those hands were boxer hands. He never lost a fight during his boxing career in the Navy. They were gentle hands that cradled kids, grandkids and great-grandkids as he sang sweetly to them. Those hands were wise hands that became a prominent tax lawyer in Washington DC. As we held 2 different memorial services in Utah and Maryland we learned so much about the man that belonged to those hands. Those hands loved tennis and would help you to learn only long enough to beat you with his wicked slices. Those hands played football with kids, adults, even the Kennedy brothers once upon a time. Yet those hands chose not to go into political life because his family was too important to him. Those hands expected you to be honest and true to yourself. He lived his life by that motto. He wasn't perfect, but he was gentle and full of love. He counseled with you, asked questions that became ever more probing as he wanted to be sure that you were truly being true to yourself. Those hands in later life carried a cane. That cane became his extension as moving became more difficult and was often used to snag a grandchild or great grandchild by the hook and upend them as he played with them. Those hands would weild a mighty plastic sword while he was dressed in his armour and he fought off knights, dragons and any bad guys that were thought up by the kids. Keegan, his oldest great-grandchild quickly learned that it was better to be grandpa's guard than to battle him, because somehow he always won!!

Those hands reached out and helped so many. When he gave a sizeable contribution to a university, they wanted to use it build a building and name it after him. He refused and said that he wasn't interested in bricks and mortar, but in helping people. Instead he began a literacy program that was aimed at underprivelaged parents and their kids and taught them to read to their children. Those hands reached out to families that he befriended and lifted them to a differnt station in life and changed the course of events for their children. Those hands would carry his friend who had been crippled by polio and refused to let him wallow in his pain and grief. He encouraged is friend to go out and live life to it's fullest and those 2 families became inseparable over the years. Those hands counseled and loved and made bets that always benefitted someone else if they would live up to their side of the wager.

Those hands loved dogs. And they always loved him back!!

Those hands have come to mean so much to me. They have changed me. They have changed my family.
Jay leaves behind a legacy of family first. He chose not to let his children become involved in extra curricular sports because he figured there was enough of them (6 kids) to form their own teams and that way they could all participate together. He chose to give most of his Saturday's to his children and to grand adventures hiking, and playing at things they all did together. He chose to analyze everything on his yellow legal pad and write it all out.

Those hands will be greatly missed, but he will always be remembered. It was put best by someone at the Memorial Service when he said: "Jay was not much for religon. He was a self proclaimed agnostic. But he was the most Christian man I ever knew." We love you Jay. We will miss you. We can't wait to see you again and be reunited with you! Your hands will live on through us as we try to emulate what those hands have done!

Life's Little Twists and Turns

Life never provides a dull moment. Just when you think things are on an even keel, you are thrown for all life's little twists and turns. I am currently writing this from Utah. I came out on short notice to help with Reed's dad who suffered a moderate stroke last week. I am also here to help Tommy's (Reed's brother) family as they have a young family and this is where Jay is staying. I have the day duty, Tommy, bless his heart has night duty. While Jay was in the hospital they found that he had pretty severe sleep apnea. Monday night he went in for the test and he most definitely has that problem. However, he could not handle the big pressure mask. Jay suffers from Alzhimers and is blind, so all this presents different problems. We have managed to get him to wear oxygen most of the time at night, but not always. Meanwhile, Jay's wife is trying to take care of her mother, who is in her 90's and is not doing so good. Unfortunately, Jay's wife ended up in the hospital with chest pains. She is feeling much better now and we are waiting to hear if she was sent home. We are also waiting to hear if her mother is all right.
So, I am in Utah trying to help however I can. I have been soundly beat by a 5 year old at Wii Mario Bros. I have helped the 8 year old make some crafts and practice her reading. I helped the 13 year old with her Spanish homework and stayed up with the 15 year old whole she finished her biology project. I've been to the track to watch the 2 older kids throw javeline and discus. I have tried to hold down the fort while mom and dad shuttle kids to practices, lessons and schools. Don't you just love that time when you have 4 kids in 4 different schools? I've tried to be the peacemaker and to help others see the other side of the picture and played fireman in hot debates, trying to put out fires and keep things calm.
Jay is doing pretty good. He has listened to lots of Lous L'Amore books and had LOTS of phone calls. It has been pretty to see a little bit of winter since it seems to have skipped us in Oregon. But, alas, while I am gone it has turned cold with snow/hail/sleet and rain!! I will be home soon, ready to walk again (I hope!) and spend some time with my hubby before I return to Utah again for Sara's baptism!
Life keeps me hopping!!

El Nino Spring

Now that I am finally getting around to posting this, of course it has turned rainy and cold!! While most of the country is still in the throes of winter, we have been having incredible spring like weather. My daffodils are up and blooming. I have some tulips that have begun to come up and I have already mowed the grass for the first time since last fall!

The other day, Jessica called and said that she only had to be at her internship for a few hours and that she was in need of some outdoor, sunshine time. She wanted to go to the coast and wanted me to go with her! I changed my plans and we bundled up and took the mustang with the top down and headed to the coast. After a late lunch we took about a 5 mile walk on the beach. We watched a guy who had a big sail that was strapped to him and he had a skateboard type board and was sailing on the beach. It was so fun to watch him. Another guy had 3 kites up in the air at once. The weather was incredible and we just talked and talked. Thank you Jessica for inviting your mom to spend the afternoon with you!!

The next day, Jayme and Virginia called and asked us to join them up at the sheep barns with Katarina. Our timing was perfect and we witnessed the birth of a baby lamb. Reed and I hung around to watch as within just a few minutes the little lamb struggled to it's feet much to the delight of all the people and young families that were there.

I have been on a huge self improvement kick! This time I feel like I am actually making some progress! I started first with deciding to be regular with walking and exercise. I am aiming for walking in a 1/2 marathon in September. I go walking 5 days a week with a couple of friends. Our short walks are between 3 and 4 miles. We did a long one that was about 7 this week. I have come a long way since a knee replacement 2 years ago and ankle/foot being rebuilt last year! I am also getting up and reading every morning. I have just finished reading the entire conference issue of the Ensign from last November. It has been so uplifting to me. I have really been on a cleaning and organizing kick. Poor Reed. He doesn't always like these kicks, but so far I have done pretty good. I am loving the flowers that are starting to pop up. I love all the wonders of this world. I love life right now! Here is hoping it continues. Maybe it is El Nino, which we will pay for later with not enough water. Maybe it is just that for the first time in 4 years I am not having a surgery!!! Whatever, I will enjoy it while it lasts!

Missing In Action!?!

I have been missing in action for the last little while. Let me give you a run down of what I have been doing!

The day after Thanksgiving, Reed and I headed up to Jackie and Zach's to help them move AGAIN!! This is the 3rd time since they arrived here 3 years ago. And this all happened 3 days before the arrival of:

KYLER JAY! Kyler weighed in at 8lb. 4oz. This is HUGE for Jackie. Her other 2 boys were only 6lb. He has a head of hair and is putting on the chub! He has been lovingly nicknamed "Bubba Jay", being born on Grandpa Jay's 85th birthday!!

Then Reed and I traveled back east for the wedding of his neice!

I returned to Jackie's and when school was out for Keegan we packed up for my house!

Somehow we managed to get ready for Christmas. We made a Gingerbread House with Aunt Jessica!

We decorated the tree and wrapped presents. We had a traditional Christmas Eve party with loved friends whose children have grown and had children of their own and we now total over 25. We were missing 2 married couples and 2 missionaries, but we have grown and this was the biggest get together yet! Santa arrived and Reed and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Christmas through the eyes of our grandchildren!!

There were Wii tournaments!

Feeding the dog!

And spending time with the new baby!!

Missing? Maybe from the blogging world! In Action? Most definitely, but having lots of fun! Now it is off to more adventures and whole new year to do them in!!