Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Priesthood of God. Tanner Lazenby is A Deacon


My grandson, Tanner, the first to be twelve, received the Aaronic Priesthood recently. I know all the aunts and uncles wanted to be there. The room was full and there were maybe 11 children there. Steve is in his uniform because he was teaching a CERT class (Community Emergency Response Team) in Santa Paula. It took a real coordinated effort to get a substitute teacher for him to cover him while we went to Ventura Stake for the ordination. We pulled in the parking lot and Dustin was waiting on the steps. Right behind us, Kiely and Grandma Dune pulled-in and Marnie and her kids, and Larin and her kids...convoy...but it just looked that way.

Dustin looked so serious and focused on the ordination. He would only have two young men in his family to bless and pass on the Keys of the Priesthood. I think about the greatness of the moment it not only brings joy, but great hope, and responsibility. The Priesthood is real and the ordination, is one of the most spiritual blessings I could even attend. In no way is this ordination taken lightly or without great reverence.

Dustin has such a wise and wonderful, Bishop Larry Young.

                               
Tanner received not only the Aaronic Priesthood but also a blessing and it was beautiful. I hope he remembers it always.

We took a few pictures afterward and Steve and I left quickly because he had to get back to class, pronto. It was hard to leave. Bishop Young is so right, in every way. Bishop Young's words of wisdom and love made the ordination ever more memorable, especially under the circumstances. We all were edified, uplifted, spiritually lifted, and our testimonies grew and love. It was just a small passing moment but... imprinted on my mind, as everyone in attendance felt the Spirit, and reverence, and the magnitude of the importance of The Priesthood is.. in our lives. All of the children felt it and were quiet as when the Prophet came in to General Conference.


Here's The Order and Line of Priesthood for Tanner Lazenby.

Tanner McKean Lazenby was ordained by:
Dustin McKean Lazenby
Who was ordained by: 
Steven J Lazenby
Who was ordained by:
J Douglas Lazenby
Who was ordained by:
Kenneth Tanner
Who was ordained by:
Samuel E. Taylor
Who was ordained by:
Orson F. Whitney
Who was ordained by:
Joseph F. Smith
Who was ordained by:
Brigham Young
Who was ordained by:
Joseph Smith
Who was ordained by:
Peter, James and John
Who was ordained by:
Jesus Christ


I'm so grateful I was able to attend that spiritual moment. Tanner passed the Sacrament for the first time on Sunday. Dustin was so worried about him. I remember the first time Dustin passed the Sacrament. The Young Men's President didn't give him any slack and put in on the center section, I understand, that section is the hardest to do. And Dustin, as I remember, did really well.

 
Tanner's first assignment as a Deacon, was passing the Sacrament. Dustin tried to take Sunday off, I mean..really tried. But with the flu and fire season...Dustin was mandated to stay at the fire station, as was my husband. Kiely took the Lazenby kids to Church and other family came. They all sat in the center. Jeff and Susannah are in the same ward and Susanna is Dustin's cousin. Jeff said he'd take care and help Tanner if he needed anything and would keep Dustin updated and he did. Of course, Tanner was assigned the center section, but maybe he choose it to be able to pass the Sacrament to his own family. It was reported from all our family, he did great.

Steve, Kiely, and I are really proud of you Tanner, and so is the huge, rest of your family. We love you.
We were able to see Tanner pass the Sacrament in the Santa Paula Ward. We have no deacons right now. Tanner was visiting to see Finlee's Blessing and he went to go help to pass the Sacrament. He passed it to our family. First time Steve and Dustin were able to see him. It made all of us cry. Steve's heart was especially full. (translation: lots of tears of joy)

Sunday, October 25, 2009

I Stinking.... Have the Swine Flu





Here I am enjoying the beach and I have the Swine Flu. I totally posed for that picture. My head feels awful. I had to leave soon after our picnic because of the glare of the water and sand.

You just might want to compare symptoms:
  • A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough). Aches
  • Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
  • Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.
  • Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.
  • Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.
  • Chills are uncommon with a cold.
  • 60% of people who have the flu experience chills.Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
  • Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.
  • Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
  • Sneezing is not common with the flu.
  • Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
  • The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
Headache YES!!!! Swine Flu
  • A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
  • A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
  • Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
  • Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.
  • Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
  • Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.
One way to stop the spread of the epidemic is to spread the awareness.





Thursday was rough. I had a strenuous workout at the pool. My head felt like bursting and no, I had not been bitten by a vampire. The physical trainer said I need more water and that would help the headache. I figured I really doing something here. I'm so weak I almost can't get out of the pool. Yep, I worked, worked it! My long muscles were really sore and I was so hot I felt like I was having a hot flash that wouldn't quit. I positioned myself between two windows for the breeze. My brain was telling me, "Working out is really doing something here, so hot and I'm in a pool." Yes.
Steve came by to pick me up and we went straight to the
beach out at the Piers on the Rincon. (no piers, now...but we still call it that) It's where you see the Richfield Island.

I had sunglasses, a cap, wet hair and old, torn-up, boot-cut, flared levis. I felt right at home there at my brother's favorite surfing spot. Short
, fast, waves...I don't know, I didn't like a short ride. All that moving the board back-out and catching a wave; and it's over in seconds.

I have great memories of this spot. Parties mainly, but the travel to the Richfield Island was incredible. It's man-made. I went there for school on a school bus that was the same width as the pier. I was so scared, but it was fun noticing all the schools of grunion swimming around out there. My class was a special summer class that was college credit and what California calls an AP class.

I was so naive that when we were going out there the older boys told me that the big rocks around the island were painted with reflective paint so ships wouldn't hit it. I believed it because back then, in the mid-1960's our main Telegraph Road was repainted with the reflective paint. Shoot, I thought the reflective stuff would be painted everywhere. Good idea even now. We got out to the island and I saw what it really was... all a bunch of bird poop.

There's a heavy, heavy walkway that's made of wire mesh that you can go down to a boat, or for scuba, or just to fish. I saw 4 foot in diameter starfish down there on those huge cement boulders. Beautiful purple color. The pier's heavy posts are covered with mussel and pretty fish everywhere, trying to munch on them. We were in the water to our knees because the tide had come in. We really were in there with the fish and they weren't afraid of us. I do remember it was really cold water. Remember that point.

This would be a perfect surfer day. Maybe not for professionals, but for beginners. The waves were about 3 to 4 feet and broke perfectly to the left. East. Our beach faced south. The offshore winds were going good and the mist was spraying behind the waves--so smooth looking.

I would never, ever surf here. My dad told me when I was a little kid that this place was the string-ray incubation and breeding area of the Rincon. My brother's surfed the Piers all the time and never even saw a string-ray. However at the Cove or Mondos, if you fish there...you're going to catch a sting-ray.

It's a great grunion spot with lots of sand. All Mormon YW and YM have their parties there. We always have a fire and the fire station is less than 1 1/2 away. Never busted. It has no signs, no lifeguards, but the best thing is... some boy scout (?) built a great set of stairs to get down the rocks.

It was a wonderful place to go for a picnic. Steve had made us bologny sandwiches and after we ate, Steve started snoring. My head was pounding from the reflection of the water. I had a hard time standing. I was so worn-out from swimming and finally my fireman got on his knees and I actually used his bad shoulder to steady me as I stood-up.

I walked down to the wet sand and noticed that the tide must be coming in and the breakers were getting a lot higher. I was so hot.... so I just walked into the clear water and watched my "piggie toes" be happy. I really got wet and sandy. The water was so warm and felt so good. (odd, I thought before the water was really cold, before) I wanted to farther-out but Steve was already up the hill. I didn't think of sting rays, just watched the Sand Pipers look for sand crabs. Of course, I started looking too. I walked toward the shore and as I got to the sand I looked down and I was like a Border Collie herding a flock of Sand Fleas. Actually, that was kinda' fun. Some joy in little strange things, it's so easy to entertain me. I got up the steps but the hill was harder than I thought and I was so weak. I thought of my "inner-surfer-girl" and just scurried up the hill not even thinking I might just slip-down the loose dirt.

Steve came around the bush to help me and was surprised I was already up and ready to go. I did that without my arms out for balance, not holding on to anything, but my pants...they were so heavy if I hadn't held on to them I would have lost them. My feet and legs were super sandy and I got in the FJ, just that way. I thought I would take some sand in the house and sprinkle it on my bed. Memories of a kid's beach-cabin days of every summer.

Later:

I was so much sicker than just tired. My head was killing me and my back, and I just couldn't down enough water. I attributed it all to my hard work-out, even my hot-feeling. As soon as I laid down my tired, pounding head; the coughing started. I made an appointment for the doctor. I'm having trouble with my medication for my heart, right? Wrong, it's the Swine Flu. I was "Typhoid Mary" at our swimming aerobic class. There were only about 2 people left swimming besides me, still attending the class. I was confirmed that I had The Swine Flu at the doctor's office. Temperature. Great, no wonder I liked the cold water. No wonder I hurt so bad... everywhere, and tired, and pounding head-ache. I was growing a bronchial pneumonia in my right lung and had a sinus infection.

So now... I'm quarantined. Actually, doing my blog is hard, it's hard to sit-up straight. I was so lazy to not get the shot. This stuff hurts and if you don't take care of it, this flu will put you in the hospital. My great-grandfather, Emmett O'Connor died of the Swine Flu in 1917. My mom says that my grandpa was just a little kid (he was 9, I looked-up the records) and had to walk though deep snow in Salt Lake City, Utah to the druggist because he was the only one that didn't get sick. Odd that my thoughts go to T
wilight and the Swine Flu Epidemic and Edward dying in bed.

I think I'm having a mild case because younger people, my grown children's age, would have a really hard go at getting through this. It's so easy to blame aches and pains on other things and then you're the carrier or to give it to someone who could become very, very sick.



Pigs laughing! Not funny, McGee! All pigs bite me when I go in the pen, like dog bites, always! Soooooo, I've had bland pork tamales since I've had this Swine Flu.. and I plan on eating more. Maybe I'll have bacon tomorrow!

BTW....Don't work on your blog when you are sick. This was the hardest blog I've ever done. It took on a life of it's own.














Monday, October 5, 2009

Computer Troubles... But Loving Utah and Feeling Great

I'm back online, but we were celebrating disaster week at Danger Ranch: Three injured and one dead. No dead horse, sheep, goat, or chicken. It's my phones and my computer! The injured ones were real...Adree slipped-off the horse. Horse's fault..... and Dallin cut his finger. No details here on that sweet mess, but it just hurts me to write about it. Razors. The third injury was one of the horses. Steve's horse has decided to kick her feeder when it's empty. Nice mess and she hasn't learned yet that it hurts her leg.

Oh yeah......FROG DIES ALSO..SAME DAY...the fire sprinkler wires and early morning 1:30 am making the smoke alarm scream throughout the land. DEAD FROG. FRIED! Sorry Marnie, I forgot. Danger Ranch has interesting, crazy, every daze! Marnie's house, not mine. The mansion is not immune.....it sits on Danger Ranch!


Okay..a couple neighbors and I were talking... and we found-out all of us that bundled our stuff, like...our phones, the Internet, and TV. It came to light that we must have bought them all at the same time. The big phone lines are shared.... and we are out of luck. Sweet. That made my husband furious, mainly because we all didn't have 911 and he was going to the city council to really "stir the mud" and I mean, really! He's the Disaster Specialist for the City of Santa Paula. We couldn't even call in a fire, get an ambulance, nothing.

Steve talked to the cable company and they said it will be a few days maybe 24 hours and still they didn't get it done. Steve did one more "mad march" to the cable company with the admonition that it better be fixed before Monday night, or they will hear about their inept service over channel 10 and in the newspaper. The cable guy was here in 1 hour.

I had so many plans to write about Conference, Kiely's college, the Temples, and my dear family.
And of course...squeaky cheese. You all know that squeaky cheese is a mistake. It's the cheese that gets too high in temperature too fast and it is lumpy and rubbery....just exactly like my whole family loves it. I make cheese, but I've only done that once--save the real "Beaver Squeaky Cheese" to Utah. It's special, it really is!

Funny thing when Kiely put the cheese in her mouth, and she's 20, she said exactly what she said when she was about 6 years old. "It feels like a bunch of mice in my mouth" and laughing hard at the same time. I thought she was going to choke. Yummmm.


Cache Valley Cheese


I wish we had complained about the phone and Internet earlier. We went along over 3 weeks without phone and Internet. TV worked, why could we get TV? Kiely, Steve and I had just come home from Utah and Kiely has all these beautiful pictures and I have so much blogging to do, so frustration just took over. Actually, my physical activity level went-up because I had to do my Internet at the Family History Center in Ventura and I did more of my aerobic swimming class...well, I just stayed and it's also relaxing. I really love that place and playing in the pool really tires me out. Wonderful! Really, I sleep like a little kid that has played at the beach all day. And I think that by working-out longer; I may have lost more poundage off my bod (Something that sneaks-up on me while tripping-out) That didn't sound like it was supposed to. I gain weight when we travel. How's that?

This picture just doesn't
look real--
like someone painted it.
Kiely took this beautiful
picture in Snow Canyon.



I love Utah!

More blogging very soon!



Sunday, October 4, 2009

College, Conference, Collision, and Happy Ancestral DNA



We are on the far-left-center, where the tiny little arrow points Steve out. I saw the photographer but didn't quite know the scale of what the picture was going to be and it is not even all of the 21,000 or more people that were there on Sunday afternoon.



It was a bit of a slow-go when we arrived in Las Vegas, right as the sun was going down. Traffic was terrible. But we made it to St. George about 7:00 p.m. or so.

Kiely's Choice

Conference weekend and we finally confirmed that we were going to try and attend one session of Conference. We were going to be in Utah looking at Kiely's college pick. Okay, so why not try to make Conference? We had no tickets, but my daughter Bree assured us that the stand-by tickets are available if your group arrives early. We were excited about Conference and the chance we had to show Kiely that there is more to Utah than gray, brown, black, and white. Our family always traveled to Utah in the winter, the season when our business was at the slowest time.






I still can't believe that in the neighboring town where Grandpa Doug's parents were married the cattle passed right by the Temple down one of the main streets. The cows were wondering all over everyone's yard and eating flowers and NO ONE is watching this... but us three and the SUV guys. And "TA DA" Here we are taking pictures and being cheerleaders along the way. I so felt like "Duhr, Big-City, California." All of us were embarrassing ourselves.


We couldn't see how the Norwegians made this an upside-down boat. Maybe when the Visitor Center is open we can come back and revisit and really learn the details of the architecture . Kiely loved the Temple and it was just beautiful. This is Kiely's picture from the road below.







































The beautiful St. George Temple. We picked cotton right outside the Visitor's Center. I had never done that before and was excited about it because we raise wool sheep. No one else thought the cotton was that interesting especially my husband, who served his mission in the Central States. It's still in the pocket to feel in my Toyota FJ.





















Oh St. George! We had so much fun. Kiely and the Knapp family hiked all over Snow Canyon and we tried to take pictures. The names on the cave were made by early settlers to the valley and are written in axle grease. All of the Knapp Family and Kiely went to the Petrified Sand Dunes and the caves.



All of us went together to eat and meet a missionary were knew from our mission. The picture is my son-in-law Dave, Larin and Finlee. Below, I have a couple pictures of the boys, Jaxon and Dean. Why does Dean always think he's a pirate? Pirate grandchildren. I have a lot of them. Huh, Jane?



I think the restaurant was very, very popular place because it was so crowded. Yummy.... and We met the recent, former Elder missionary at the restaurant and was able to meet his beautiful Fiancee.



Grandma Dune's house that she helped her family build. The original was taken down at the same location. This is in Payson, Utah. The Patten family lived there and were some of the first to settle the area.


Peteetneet Grammar School. It's now a cultural arts and historical museum. It has this center foyer and all the rooms on each floor are like petals of a flower. Steve's mom, aunts, uncles, and cousins and probably even more ancestors went to that school. It's a mighty structure in honor of a Chief of the Native Americans that were near the town.


My picture came out a little fuzzy. I couldn't see much it was raining and I was crying.

This is a picture from the Church News and it shows the people pouring out of the Conference Center. It's the same view of the front only, way up high and and a little right. You can see the same four columns in the front. I have no idea where we are in this picture. hahaha


We were blessed to visit with Aunt Margaret, just a few blocks away. We had to stop and say "Hi" and give hugs. I have to admit I was glad to stop and catch my breath, too. Now there was light rain, but it felt like sunshine to us. Kiely said, "Man, she's spunky!" "I wanna be like her at her age!" Steve told her that your Grandma Dune is the same way and she said, "No...she's more direct." (Aunt Margaret)



Back To The Beginning from my Journal

We started late on our "trek" to Utah. Kiely was still in class and we didn't leave Santa Paula until about 1:00 pm. There is no way to explain the excitement Kiely had over seeing the college. She was just as impatient as she was when she was six years old. "Are we off the road yet?!" Her constant baby saying, that we heard over and over. Kiely was in what seemed like a repeat. Deja vu, only grown-up. We took my mother because my Aunt Eileen and Uncle Terry O'Connor that now live near St. George. Mom wanted to see him a lot and we really wanted to stop and see them--we don't know Hurricane at all, but we found their house. We love them so much! They are really fun couple and Eileen is the same age at I am.

The college was better than we ever imagined. The classes and programs, the amount of Church members, and even the weather, was way above our expectations. Kiely kept saying this was were her "Happy Ancestral DNA" was making her jump around and be like she was on a huge high of Mountain Dew and chocolate. We were at the college and the town that had been settled by the Danish. The sheep were due down from the mountains like the cattle in the town near there. Another big round-up. I would have loved to see that, too.

We went to the Norwegian town and said, "FEEL your Ancestral DNA, here, silly." We found the Patten house and tried to tell her how Patriarch Moroni Lazenby lived here, also. He is a great-great uncle to Steve. The town seems like it has thrown us back in time to the 1890's and was made like Brigham Young liked. Big wide streets, so a wagon team could make a U-turn anywhere and not have to make a "three-point-turn". That would be so awkward, I can't even imagine. If it weren't for all the SUVs and snow mobiles parked everywhere; the whole experience would have been surreal. I noticed all the architectural stars on all the houses in both small towns, like Texas. Kiely sure took a lot of pictures of just houses.

Back to the college town. She had appointments and a tour. Kiely's "bells and whistles" went-off again. This is were my "Happy Ancestral DNA" is, it's here. Steve and I in unison, "You just like the school, stop it!" I told her it was because there's Walmart across the main highway and she just wants to shop. She didn't take that well.

We stayed in Richfield and then Sunday morning took off to Conference. We had plenty of time to get there. Our pit-stop was a Stake Center in Payson and we took pictures of the family home and the museum that was once a grammar school. All the Patten family children attended school there in the beautiful building called, Peeteeneet Grammar School. It was raining so hard, I didn't even get out. Of course it was closed, but Kiely wanted to peer in every window.

The FJ was back on the road again and it started raining harder and harder. Lightening and thunder and slower traffic. We couldn't even see out the front window, our wipers weren't fast enough. Then it hailed and near Sandy almost to Salt Lake City, and then it started snowing! It was so pretty. We couldn't see the tops of the mountains, but the canyons were breath-taking with the Autumn leaves of gold, red, and green.

A wreak happened in front of us and my fireman hero just parked it in the medium and jumped-out. No words. He has done that so many times. A lot of people stopped, but he was in his working mode. Everyone standing, but the blue car ahead. He stuck his head inside and it looked like a bunch of young adults going to Church (Conference). They were all fine except they were dazed and kept going out into oncoming traffic. Steve was pulling them off the road, checking them for, I think the term is TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury.

The paramedics arrived and we just left, knowing now we would be late. I never feel bad about the prospect of postponement or "change of plans" it has been with me, all my life. Fireman's wives have to be flexible and how much more important it was to stop, then to be at Conference. It was still on the radio, loud and clear. I love new cars, not because of the shiny new paint, or the new smell, but the fact is that the car can be so totaled and yet a life-saving cage of protection. Cars rolled, truck was upside-down. Everyone scooted-out, okay. I do believe that there were guardian angles with all these accident victims. The accident could have been so much worse.

The only place we could park was way down along a neighborhood street, about a mile from the Conference Center. Steve went on ahead to the stand-by line. I couldn't catch my breath. I now realize the altitude was getting me. Kiely sat me down in the front on a rock as big as a bench right at front of the Center and took-off to see where her dad was in line. I started crying, people everywhere with signs to try and get tickets, they were like street beggars, everywhere. The protesters were behind me, but I never heard a word. The Temple wall across the street, was surrounded by young adults singing and they drowned-out any noise from the people that were there to cause a continuing source of intimidation, protesting, and religious harassment. The protesters were on private land and I believe were breaking the law. No one even looked at them or engaged them in conversation. It was like the protesters didn't exist. Latter-day Saints generally are so cool-minded.

Hundreds, if not a thousand people were in line for stand-by tickets. Steve or Kiely were updating me on their progress. There, finally.... were only about 100 people ahead of him, then only 10. The tickets were stopped, being held-back for only those in line. I wasn't there and Kiely and Steve decided that they would take me to Temple Square and we would listen to Conference on the grass and in the rain. I was soaked on the rock bench. Kiely and I had been praying hard for tickets...I think that's why I was crying. I wore my swimming mascara so my face didn't turn black.

Out of nowhere... a man handed the couple behind Steve two tickets and then turned to Steve and gave him three. I asked Steve if he was praying for tickets, he said, "No, I was doing the work and I left that up to you and Kiely."

Diana and Jim were there with friends and we couldn't find them.... so many people. Our seats were wonderful. Actually any seat is wonderful...Diana and Jim were way up high. I was in heaven and overwhelmed by the crowd of people in the large room. The lilac backdrop and dresses of the choir were just beautiful. And the jewels of the pipes to the organ made this place even more incredible. We were about... give-or-take.... 50 or so, rows away from the front. My picture shows Steve, who towers over us all and he stood out just enough for me to find him in the picture. I saw the photographer take it. He's under the tiny lilac arrow above.

I have never been to an assembly of people so large. I have never experienced the complete and total reverence given to the Prophet when he walked-out of the hallway. Not one peep. I sat down again and started crying--no noise, just happy to be there and see the Prophet of the Lord and get first-hand counsel from the Brethren, Sisters, and the Prophet himself. The Spirit was so strong and we all will never be the same. I knew I was in the right place. Heavenly Father blessed us, even though we were late. Were we blessed because we stopped to help the young adults in the wreck, knowing that the time spent there meant losing a seat? I have no idea, but I am so grateful for the chance that Steve, Kiely, and I attended Conference for the first time.

Funny thought came to mind: I stopped and did this silly wave when President Monson was waving good-bye and he stopped and did the same silly wave back to me.

My hair was straight as a stick. I saw myself in the windows of the Conference Center. I was a drowned, chubby, rat. My handkerchief will never be the same. I even made holes in it. What's that about, excitement? yeeaaahhh.

My Steve ran like the marathon man that he is... and he brought the car over to a parking lot to help me inside. We didn't say much, but we knew we needed to see Aunt Margaret Gasparac. She opened the door like Dune and waved us in and also apologized about the rain. We were loving the rain. I'm sure with all the hay fields just cut, we were about the only ones enjoying the raindrops and wonderful fresh smell of rain. I hope the weather quickly dried the fields and there wasn't much damage to the crops. We only stayed a few minutes, took pictures, gave hugs, and love. She stood at the door until we were around the corner, just like my mother-in-law, Dune.

I don't know where the time went. We talked about movie sets in Payson and sang a few songs on the MP3 and we were back. Kiely again talked about her dang, DNA was happy as we passed through the college town. We still continued on to Hurricane and had a wonderful meal with my aunt and uncle. We sorta' forgot to eat along the way. My mother showed me all of my Aunt Eileen's paintings that hung throughout their home. I knew she had painted a little quail on a leaf for my mother, but this all was so incredible. I was touched by the one of her most recent paintings and that was of her and her sister at the edge of a beach shoreline saying "goodbye." I know that it represented the knowledge, hope, and faith that they will be reunited again as a family, after death. I'm so glad that they like being there with Latter-day Saints around them. I think even a Bishop lives close to them. I'm grateful because I know they will be taken-care of there.

A trip to the Cache Valley Cheese Factory to get "squeeky chesse" was next. I already blogged about that fun experience! "Mice in her mouth" When we finally got to Fillmore, California. We called Tressa to be out in front of her house to get the cheese. If she wasn't there, we would throw it on her lawn. Steve had to teach a CERT class in just an hour and we were so rushed and so tired. My poor mom and Kiely in the back seats. It was not exactly cozy back there.

As we got in the driveway, it seemed Steve jumped-out almost with the car moving. j/k He took-off to his class and Kiely and I laughed at the cacophony of the animals greeting us at home. The "Rooster Donkey" cracks-me-up! Still!

I just want to add... that I looked for Steve's ancestors in Utah. Hmmmmm. They were born in Ephraim. The great-great grandmother named Stevens was also from Ephraim. The great-great grandfather was born there. The Tilby and Stevens family homes are even displayed in his records. My mind is going...let's go find them, next time. The ancestors have a lot of connection with the Prophet Brigham Young's Muddy River Mission. I understand now, Kiely's "Happy Ancestral DNA". Her ancestors were from Ephraim, Utah and she really did have this... "Happy Ancestral DNA," feeling. I am excited for her. I have to remember this experience during my "empty-nest" trial. Journaling is good.