Beneath the Wraps

          We started off the day watching the last half hour of “ It ’ s a Wonderful Life ”.   Jenna decided that it would be a good time to put up the Christmas decorations and proceed to go out to the shed.  I followed as her last attempt at bringing in the Christmas decorations by herself ended in tears.  We brought the decorations into the house and then watched the Macy ’ s Thanksgiving Parade – which has never really been tradition for me personally.  It comes on and people come and go while the parade plays.  Occasionally we glance at what is going on.  But come on.  Three hours of parade . . . that is entirely too long.  Parades should not drag on as I mentioned in this post            Thursday ’ s parade was pretty awesome – I think mostly because it wasn ’ t the traditional parade.  Everything took place in front of Macy ’ s.  Acts were performed – floats arrive...

           I don’t know how often the boys went to Arizona to visit Roland’s sister, Jean before I joined the family.   I know Biff had lived with her for a while – perhaps a couple of years.   He had returned to live with Roland shortly before I met them all. I remember driving to Tucson with Roland to pick the boys up three times after summer was over.   The first time we had gone all the way to Tucson to get them.   The second time we met them in Panquitch, Utah, believing it was a half-way point.   The third time was further down south at Glen Canyon Dam.    We toured the facility before we parted ways and made observations on how much both Tony and Randy had grown.             Biff asked, “What about me?   Haven’t I grown?” His hair was like a small “Sideshow Bob” afro.   He was taller due to his hair.   But once he got it cut, he’d be...

                          I really did get a gem of a guy when I married Roland.   He is so thoughtful and compassionate.   For every year we were living in Utah, Roland would make or purchase valentines for my mom and my sisters.   We would drive to my mom’s house in Midvale and then my brother’s in Sandy (my sister-in-law, Sunny) and then later to the house in Kearns after Kayla and Bill were married.           Valentine’s was always something different.   A box of chocolates or homemade cookies. One year we attempted Brigham Young Doughnuts in the shape of hearts.   I could not find the individual pictures for this post so her is a scrapbook page I had made.            Another year he purchased pizzas from Papa Murphy’s. ...

          Jenna LOVES it when we sign up to feed the missionaries.   Just a few days after we fed the missionaries, Eva called to ask when we could sign up again.   If it were up to Jenna, we’d be feeding them on a daily basis, I think.   But I really wasn’t ready to make a commitment for the optional dates which Eva had given.             She had really been pushing for this past Friday, but Beth had already contacted me to see if Roland and I could meet her and Graham for lunch as they were passing through from Ashland on their way back to McMinnville.   At that time I didn’t really know how late we’d be eating and so said I would just talk to her on Sunday.   Only we didn’t have church on Sunday as it was General Conference.   I think she called five times in less than 24 hours.   One was to fill in for a cancellation the Elders had made for ye...