Monday, June 18, 2012

Good-Bye

I would have to say that my first experience with good-byes took place at the age of 8.  Our family left the lush, fertile Salt Lake Valley for the dry, desert oil field  located in Rangely, Colorado.  We left behind a small new home in suburbia, maternal extended family, friends, neighbors and a very happy childhood.




Experience #2 came with graduation from Rangely High School.  By now I  had come to love the desert and the beauty of the oil field.  I loved the house on the hill, the neighbors and my friends.  It was a wonderful time of life and I found graduating a rather difficult good-bye!




Experience #3 came when I left the Belgium Brussels mission.  After serving the people of France and Belgium for 18 months I had come to love the people and the countries.  I loved the language, the cobblestones, the crazy driving habits, the shops, the missionary spirit and camaraderie. but most of all the Belge and French people.

Years later I would be taking my own children to the Missionary Training Center to say my good-byes. Knowing full well when they returned life would not be the same. They would return as adults, attend Utah State University, find a spouse and begin life on their own. 

A very difficult good-bye took place in the year 2000 when I said good-bye to my parents.  My father on the 6th of July and my mother on October 27th.  While bathing her one morning I had remarked that  for Halloween she was going as a skeleton!  She had lost so much weight.  She thought that was funny and agreed.  She was buried on Oct. 31st.  She had a change of costume.  She went as an angel!





My most recent good-bye took place in Salt Lake at the Utah National Guard Air Base.  My youngest son would be leaving us for a year or so for tour of duty in Afghanistan.  Seeing the airplane close and in full view and seeing all the men in army uniforms was quite an emotional moment.  I had taken 3 children to the MTC to say good-bye for 18 to 24 months and not shed one tear!  Now it was a different scene!  Yes, I did shed some tears and I do not cry easily!!  I did not have my camera with me, but KSL had theirs and it was much better than mine!!  You can watch Phillip and Kristina on:
www.ksl.com 
Type this in search:  150 National Guard soldiers deploying to Afghanistan and click the video.
  

"How blessed  I have been in life to have someone that makes saying goodbye so hard."  ~Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie

Yes,  my life has been extremely blessed.  I also recognize that  without those good-byes I would not have hellos.  Saying good-bye to Kearns meant saying hello to Rangely.  Saying good-bye to Rangely meant saying hello to B.Y.U., France and Belgium.  Saying goodby to France and Belgium meant saying hello to Scott and Delta.  Saying good-bye to Matthew, Jonathan, Alizabeth and Phillip meant saying hello to Laura, Melanie, Ben, Kristina and 9 little grandchildren with 3 on the way!  As difficult as good-byes may be I would not ask to do without them.

Goodbye for now and thanks to all for blessing my life! 

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

The Day the Relatives Left

The day the relatives left...
Granny slept and slept and slept some more!
And snored and snored and snored some more!
Grandpa did the same.


Saturday, June 2, 2012

The Day the Relatives Came...

They came by car.
They came by plane.
They came from the north.
They came from the east.
They came from the west.
They came, and they came, and they came!
And while they were here...

They hiked in the snow. 


They rode horses.


They jumped on the tramp dry.

They jumped on the tramp wet.

They exploded Diet Coke and Mentos.

They broke open a pinata.

They enjoyed good food and good company.

They got a hair cut.


They 'chilled' out together.
  
They went swimming in the pool.


They relaxed in the hot tub.

They partied in the hotel room.

And when it was time to say good bye 
they gave Uncle Phil a great BIG hug.