It's Snowing At College For My Baby

It's been a forever time since I've written even just a sentence in my blog. All of our family has had a huge rush to get my daughter off to college. These circumstances are so different from any of my other children. We always trusted a relative or our children attended colleges close to home. This is different in so many ways. I uploaded the pictures but to find words is very hard.

Kiely's Going Away To College Party

Instant Family Gathering.
Marnie Planned A lot!
Thank you Dear Daughter!

This picture was taken near Salt Lake City, Utah with Grandma Orpha Lucretia Tilby, born 23 Nov. 1900. Grandma's last memories that we remember were at her 90th birthday. Kiely was just under a year old and even though "Big Grandma" held Kiely, of course, didn't remember her and her sweet way of talking. I always thought Grandma was from Vernal or Hannah, Utah ... but we heard her Southern Utah drawl with everyone we spoke to in this little town where Kiely was going to go to college. The picture above shows Orpha at 100 and Kiely was crying because Grandma Orpha didn't know Grandpa Doug and she could see that as her son, it hurt him to see that his mother. Grandma Orpha didn't know any of us, especially her own son. Grandpa Doug took out his harmonica and played the songs of his childhood and Grandma Lazenby, "Big Grandma" (that too, confused her grandchildren from California. She was very, very small) Anyway, she started singing along with the harmonica. Steve's uncle sang along with her. Her voice soft and dear and it touched my children so deeply that they never forgot this sweet meeting with her. Just a moment of good-byes.

We always knew that Patriarch Moroni Lazenby lived in Manti and even our Doctor in San Jose, who was the Stake President of West Stake had wondered if we were related because his Blessing came from Steve's great, great uncle. Maybe one more great. I do have a picture of him.

Yes, this is where Orpha Tilby, Steve's grandmother, was married to Henry Lazenby. We just all assumed, not knowing much about the cities in this valley, that they did live in the same town that they were married. Manti is very close community to Ephraim. The towns seem to flow together as you drive through the countryside. We even have family in Salina, south of Manti. I couldn't even pronounce the name. Yep, I say it like it's Spanish. Nope, it's SAW--LINE--AH! And it's famous for pigs. Thousands of pigs. No wonder with the array of livestock... there's even more.

Deer just walk right through the middle of town, so do cattle in October in Manti and in Ephraim, Utah ---The sheep come down for the winter about one or two weeks later. Yes, right through the middle of town. The sheep were all woolly and ready to sell and the rest settling in warm barns. The cattle were out in the fields of large pastures and fed daily. I suppose, was time was to get a layer of fat to help them fight the cold winter. The deer we saw didn't seem to need food at all. The deer were beautiful and healthy.

This is a picture painted of the sheep being driven down to the valley on just a flat piece of barn wood. The Manti Temple in the background.

We delivered our daughter to this amazingly cold place that sparkled everywhere.

We would go to Manti the neighboring town and tell her about the Manti Temple and her great grandmother. She loved the Temple, I mean really loved it, but when we came back to her appointment at the college she said, "This is my place!" I have this happy feeling here. Kiely tried to explain what she was feeling... it was because a class last semester. The very first day her speech teacher had heard of this study of "Happy DNA Cells" She explained that her teacher had gone to a seminar and learned about this feeling of happiness one has, when a person has "roots" or family that have lived there. It was described by the speech teacher as an unusual feeling of being home, even if the person had never been there before. The speech teacher at Moorpark College, doesn't do genealogy, but is now interested. She isn't a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or even is aware of the interest that members of the Church have in DNA research. Kiely was like a sponge and remembered her talk like it was a message to her. How odd was it that she had these tingled happy feeling when she entered college town?

We went to Conference were given tickets under very extraordinary circumstances. Steve, my husband stopped for an accident on the way to Conference and we were very late. No tickets and then we had tickets. Prayer was involved and a dear person was inspired to give us a place for each of us down close, where we could really witness the prayer offered, the beautiful Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the speakers that session. Kiely, Steve, and I saw the Prophet and heard him speak for the first time. Actually, it was the first time we had ever been able to attend Conference.

We returned back to the college. Kiely had the same "happy feelings" that she couldn't describe and I love this phrase---"Junk and stuff" just fell into place. Steve had gotten some overtime, she really related to the Animal Science Department, there also was this brand-new Performing Arts Department ... with the added plus of being a sister college with Julliard. Dance & Livestock. What an unusual combination. How did this fit Kiely? Well, it fit her exactly! Actually, it nailed it! But...still that feeling of home. What was that all about?

Genealogy

Orpha Lucretia Tilby was born there. Her father John Robert Tilby was married there to his wife, Lucy Amile or Amelia Stevens. John Tilby and Mary Ann Underdown and Lucy Amile or Amelia parents were Henry Barnabus Stevens and Lucy Adeline Allred. My daughter is related to Peter Christian Anderson, Parley Eric Christensen, and Mary Olsen Stevens and on it goes.

The day we left her there. I cried about five minutes. She cried longer because I think she's worried about me doing her chores and living without her. It is hard, very hard. To live without that bubbly laugh and unstoppable service. I can't begin to explain the void that Steve and I feel now that she's gone. She not coming home and we know that also. I'm so proud of her taking off. This is the butterfly that her counselor talked about for more than five years ago as she attended Ventura Community College. Kiely always overlapped her high school classes with classes at the community college. She had emerged and her metamorphosis even in the heavy winter chill is spectacular. I am excited and so happy for her and the peace I feel is because of the answer to her prayers. I felt this is were she belonged. It all...even under completely impossible odds, is living there.


How did we find the school? How was she touched to go there? It wasn't a referral. Our very closest friend's daughter lives there and went to the same school, her cousin went there. A former member of our ward lives there and works for the college. Why did Steve manage so much overtime for the money for her to attend? She was given an out-a-state waiver and Steve even had the time-off to help her move. And that's another miracle, itself. More and more we are finding great connections. "Treasures of Truth" Heavenly Father from above watches, and we wonder.

Empty Nest