CHRISTMAS 2008

Christmas was great because Ben was home this year. I felt satisfied because the Christmas that he went into the mission field, I did not receive a phone call at Christmas nor when he got to Colorado. I got a call from his mission president, but I didn't get to talk to him. It was great to have Ashton and Lydia visit as well.

After Christmas, Julia and I went to Utah to visit with my parents. Here are a few remembrances of that time.

Ben Comes Home

We waited with anticipation as Ben's plane pulled up to the gate. We could hardly wait to see him. It was the best feeling when we put our arms around him. We went to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and then to President Bluth's house for his release.

Julia Sings Like An Angel

Julia has joined the school choir. She had a concert last week and it was great. Here is a photo of her singing.

The Grand Canyon

We went up to Utah to visit my dad and Lydia and Ashton. It was great to see everyone again. We had lunch with Marisa VanSkyver. On the way back, we stopped at the Grand Canyon

Shoulder Surgery

I had shoulder surgery on Aug. 27th. They did a lot to my shoulder. They unjammed my arm fro the socket, took off a bone spur, got rid of a floating piece of cartilage, and fixed the SLAP tear of my rotator cuff. My shoulder healed so much faster than I expected. The doctor couldn't believe that all I had was three full weeks of physical therapy. I am being released from physical therapy and I am so excited. I am getting back to exercising and it feels great.

The Pains I Have Been Through

I have been on a journey for the past couple of months over my shoulder. It has taken two months to get to the point that I will more than likely have surgery. I wish that we could have gotten to this point sooner. Sometimes, our trials are not just for our growth, but for the growth of those that surround us. It is hard to know that I have another week before I can get into the doctor and then surgery is one to two weeks after that. The recovery will take two months after that. Even though, the end is three months away, at least the end is in sight.

ANWA Retreat

Julia and I went up to Pinetop/Lakeside for the annual American Night Writers Association (ANWA) retreat. The smell of pine and the beautiful wild flowers (weeds) was in the air. I learned so much about grammar, writing a scene, and getting to know my character. The only problem is that I am working on my memoirs (OK, I really don't remember that much) and the characters that spoke to me were from Julia's Mistressland. I have this brillant idea of bringing all of those wonderful young ladies to life. It is a little spokey to think her characters are speaking in my head. It was great to be with so many wonderful and talented women. It seems that chocolate is essential to a femal writer's ability to think. I know I think better with chocolate.