Good to have Cheej home.....

We love it when our kids can come home for a visit and having C.J. home is great! He is working so hard to get his education and his upcoming marriage to our sweet Amber as his top priorities!! Our sons are our strength and Dad loves to spend as much time as he can with them. C.J. is a wonderful help and having his sidekick with him is a plus. As you can see, Kipp is fully in charge and making sure his buddy has the assignment well in hand! I know he has alot on his platter but if anyone can make it work, its him!! He has the greatest examples in his sisters, their spouses and Rex so we have the blessing of knowing if he needs help they are there in a heartbeat! Vergene and I are so thankful for the wonderful people Heavenly Father has given us for this ride through mortality. Having C.J. close to help Dad is a blessing in its self . Thanks, C.J.!!!!!

SANTA GILA

Here in the Gila Valley, we have winds I refer to as the Santa Gila winds! The reason: IT BLOWS LIKE A GALE!!!!!!!!! We have had winds so strong, we were going to name them as hurricanes!! People here drive crazier, had have VERY short tempers and the hair-dos are hilarious!!
We can really count on the wind to spoil activities for the outdoors but then we could be living where there are real hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes and 60 degrees on a good day! Sooooo, I'll take my 120 degree summers and drives up to Mt. Graham.

Oh yah, 2009 is an eye~opener ...

On February 24th, my sweetheart had a heart attack while DRIVING and crossing the Continental Divide coming back from Silver City, NM. He blacked out and so blessed to have the inspiration to have his helper, David Carpenter, with him. It scared David and after getting Vergene in the passenger side of the setting truck (a feat in it's self) hauled it to Safford. Verg and David kept track of the mile post markers in case they needed an ambulance to meet them. After making it to our house and me not home yet, Verg called me and asked me where I was and I said I was on my home. He couldn't finish the sentence and handed the cell phone to David who told me Verg needed to go to the ER. I told him to take him and I would meet them there (now he had been to the dr. the day before so imagine my shock when this happened!). I beat them and started the paper work as Verg came in, he was teary-eyed and very red and they took him right in (as a cardiac case). After blood work and every tube known to man on him, they said he had a heart attack and was flying him to Tucson (road trip they called it). He informed them he WAS keeping his boots and to coin the western phrase, "I'll die with my boots on" which the helicopter nurse informed Verg, "No one dies on my watch"!! Well Tifani, Flo and David and I were shocked and watching him being put in the helicopter sent chills down my spine~this was a man who had flatten quarterbacks and running backs, built furniture, embalmed movie stars, chased his girls and Rex around a cattle tank playing alligator, gone to ball games and summer theater productions, worried when his children weren't home when they should be, watched one son be Pluto while the other was an all~state wide receiver, held each grandchild with such tenderness gave blessings to anyone in need~ I just couldn't believe it.

When he lifted off, I called my brother who went to be at TMC with him and Tif, Di (my sweet sister) and I hauled it to Tucson. Heather, Trevor, Shawna and C.J. came to Tucson as did Ben the next day and Rex was on standby in case he needed to come from Californa. The next three days were filled with anxiety, tests, angioplasty, xrays, CAT scans, suicidal roommate and wonderful nurses, techs and doctors. So in the end it was a WAKE UP CALL for this wonderful man and his family.

Thank you all for your prayers, phone calls, visits and love and support! A HUGE thank you to the most awesome family two people could ever be blessed with! I love you all!!!!!!!!

Has it been that long .......

I can't believe it's been over a month since I have been on my blog!!!!!!! Totally embrassed but now I need to continue with the whole blog thing. We are doing our house and yard this year as far as painting, planting trees, flowers and lawn. We have a big job and for two people who work and is SO out of shape, 2009 will be a big eye-opener for us. I need to be more diligent with my picture taking also!!!!!
Here's to turning old into young!!!!

Quote of the day ...........

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave this world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life was breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded.
Emerson

Dad and Kipp ......

Here is Dad with Kipp before the run with the four wheeler. This is the "do" Dad had when they got back. Must say, he is stylin'!!!! The wind was blowin a gale this day and both Dad and Kipp had unusual dos.

SNOW 2008 !!!

The view from our front window
The view from our back window

The view from our front yard!! Stunning!!

Here is our snow storm for 2008 and let me tell you, IT IS FREEZIN' !!!!! How crazy in our desert state we get snow below 3000' and we see temps at 28 degrees. Being from Maine and having to spend 30 min. getting ready to just go out and play, this is heaven! I get to enjoy the snow and watch it melt within a day. YAHOO!!!!!! Roads frozen so you have to go 15 mph so you don't spin out of control and believe me people in the lower elevations DO NOT know how to drive in this weather unless they have lived some where there is the frozen stuff!!!

So here is the Safford snow for 2008!