A fabulous New Year!

I think I am going to make it a New Year's resolution to always spend New Year's in California. The sky is blue, the waves are big and the temperature is 70 degrees! Perfect.

We have had a great time doing nothing. We sleep in, go for walks, Jim surfs while I read or go for a run. We eat, shop, take naps, and just hang out.

Last night our neighbors invited us over for a New Year's get together and surprisingly enough, we had a good time. There are some really nice people who live in the complex.

I don't really have a lot to say because, like I said, we aren't doing much of anything but, we are having a great beginning to 2010 and hope that the rest of it goes as well.

To all our family and friends....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It is Christmas night and it has been a wonderful day.

One of the blessings of being an empty nester is being able to sleep in on Christmas morning. Another great blessing is having all the kids and grandkids home for Christmas every other year... but this wasn't the year! (Dang!) However, it was an enjoyable day none-the-less.

My sweet husband surprised me with a trip to Italy for Christmas! We are leaving on May 10th and will be gone for 10 days! We are going to Rome, Perusia, (some other city I can't remember) Florence and Venice. I couldn't be more excited! I have wanted to go to Italy for as long as I can remember. Our daughter-in-law, Kelly made all the arrangements; plane and train tickets, hotel reservations, everything! (Thanks Kelly!) Did I mention how excited I am!

Aside from my wonderful Italy surprise we had a nice dinner with Jim Carroll and his new wife, Mary. It was really nice to get to know her a little better.

I did really miss all the kids and grandbabies this year, though. I have already started the countdown to next Christmas when they will all be home! I can hardly wait!

Tomorrow starts my workouts and dieting again. This house is chalk-full of wonderful (bad) things to eat and I have endulged waaaayyyy more than I should have. Monday we are going to California for a week to relax in the sunshine and warmer weather. It should make it easier to be away from all the holiday treats!

Thanks to all my sweet family and friends who made Christmas wonderful. I love you all!

Wow! I haven't updated this blog in months! So much has happened, I'm not sure where to start.

Angie and Brent were married on October 10th. They make an adorable couple. We are so blessed to have Brent in the family and we are thrilled Angie found a great guy.

Kami and Steve found out they are expecting a boy! He will be born in April and we are so excited to add another grandbaby to the list. Miss Malia Shea just turned four and is excited to have a baby brother

Little Noah Kenyon Graff was born to Jon and Bonnie on October 1st. Ella makes the best big sister! How can we be so lucky to have such adorable grandkids!

All the kids were able to come home for Thanksgiving and we had such a fabulous time! We helped out Grandma Graff with some things, toasted marshmellows over a fire in the canyon, put up a Christmas tree, shopped, ate, played games and laughed. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

That is a brief update. If I can remember how...I will add a few pictures.

I don't write near as often as I should. I just can't imagine that anyone is interested in reading what I have to say. The only people who even know I have a blog are my children and I talk to them several times a day so, it seems rather pointless. But, nevertheless, here goes....

Today was my niece Sherry's husband's funeral. He was a year younger than I am and that is way too young to die. He had been sick for awhile but still, that is way too young to die. He was a very quiet man who loved his family very much. I guess in the big scheme of things that is all that really matters.

Anyway things like funerals, (which we have had a lot of, lately) always get me to thinking about my own mortality. Am I ready to die if I should get hit by a bus tomorrow? No one is really ever 'ready' to die, but by that I mean am I right with all the people I love? Do they know how I feel about them? Am I truly trying to improve on the person I was yesterday and working to be even better tomorrow? Do my children know how I feel about the "important things" in life? Have I taught them what is important? Have I spent my time here on earth, wisely or have I wasted time on frivolous things?

More than my own mortality I think about Jim or one of my children or grandchilden dieing. Could I get through that? My mind can't even go there....

There are too many things I haven't done yet, to die. I want to read all the good books there are to read; I want to see my grandchildren all grow up and I want to be important in their lives; I want to go to Italy and to Ireland and Tahiti and Africa; I want to scuba dive, I want to run five miles without stopping (or passing out); I want to go sailing with Jim, Yes, I want to skydive! I want to write a book, give a seminar, market an invention and be on Oprah, (for whatever it is I did, not because I admire Oprah!) Anyway, the list goes on and on....

So, I ask myself, "What did you do today to move a step closer to a goal?" And I have to say, "Nothing!" Why is that? We realize our time here is short and we could die at any time but we don't seem to get to the things we really want to do because "everyday life" gets in the way. That is the challenge.

That's enough profound thinking for one night.

OK, so my daughter has made me feel guilty for not updating my blog. No one but her looks at it anyway so it really isn't that big of a deal, right? But nevertheless, I should keep it more current so my kids know that I do have a life - albeit an uneventful one.

So yesterday Jim took Cheryl and I fishing on Deer Creek. We really did have a good time but fishing isn't my thing so I am happy to only do it a couple of times a year. We caught ten but 'landed' seven. Which ever one of us caught the fish, the other one would grab the net. "Nice fish." "Nice net." Became our montra...unless of course we lost the fish and in that case we said, "Dang!" (That's it, nothing more.)

Aaron came down for a visit and I love having him here. He Ryan and Jon can make me laugh just while they are having a conversation. Aaron can be pretty blunt (does that run in our family) and he calls things the way they are no matter who is around. Thanks Lawlers for loving our family anyway!

Anyway, it has been a great weekend! Gosh I love my family!

I am feeling very frustrated and a little down, tonight. Jim left to drive back to California at 2:30 this morning. I didn't even know he was gone until 4:00 AM when the alarm went off at the time he was supposed to get up. But, he said he couldn't sleep and he might as well get on the road. Apparently I was sleeping so soundly (translate: snoring) that he didn't want to wake me.

It has left me feeling a little weird all day. I didn't get to say good-by and it is still making me sad.

Yes, I get the hidden message and that is probably what is bothering me, too. What if something was to happen to him and I didn't get to say good-by? Would I always feel a little sad, even years later? Is that why we are always told to live each day as if it were your last because you never know...it might be.

Anyway, he made it safely to California, but he too, is feeling down. Something is messed up and I can't put my finger on it. I'm going to have to think on this awhile.

Love you Jimmy.

Our Busy Lives

Our lives are so full and busy it is hard to keep up with it all! I was just recouperating from having my sister pass away when I had to begin preparing for Trek. It was a great experience but one of the hardest things I have ever done. Let's just say I don't want to do it again, anytime soon.

We were only home from Trek one day when received a phone message that Jim's dad was not doing very well. He has had health problems for a long time but this was a new development. The long story short is...he had to have emergency surgery to repair a piece of dead intestine and his poor body and heart just couldn't take it any more. He passed away on Monday afternoon.

It has been a busy week with funeral preparations and out of state family members, but it has also been a wonderful week. We have had a chance to reflect on Grandpa's life. We have looked through pictures and and sorted through some of his things. We put together a display at the funeral that I hope, depicted who he was.

The funeral was wonderful. Jim and Emarene, his sister, did a wonderful job on their talks and Mel's family sang two beautiful numbers. He was buried with full military honors because of his valiant service during World War II. He will be greatly missed.

We just said goodby to the last of our family members who gathered for the funeral. Although the occasion was somber we had such a good time together. I always love it when my whole family is together! How blessed Jim and I are to have such great kids and wonderful grandkids.

Life is hard, but life is good. Those who do not know the purpose of life and our reasons for being here, (and what happens when we die) really are at a disadvantage and have a much more difficult life. We are so blessed.