Our Thanksgiving

         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 arrived – but it all took place within the same spot.  I thought that was awesome.

         The first number performed featured Jimmy Kimmel and cast performing “Dancing in the Streets” – it seemed full of life and gave hope to this bizarre year.  Most of the performers wore masks and carried social distancing (six-feet-apart) signs while they performed.  It was what was needed to liven up a Thanksgiving Day.  I enjoyed it and the “Schyler Sisters” number from Hamilton. 

“Look around, Look around to see how lucky we are . . .”  Jenna is not feeling lucky living in 2020.  (She is the one who suggested I add that comment)

 

Somebody had asked Alexa a question and some commercials came on. “Amazing Grace” played over a car commercial, health care and McDonald’s.  I thought “oh, how cool that they are playing this song during the commercials somehow linking them together” and then the music stopped and a black and white memory of Macy’s came on.  Then I decided Alexa had been responsible and that the “Amazing Grace” had been from her and had nothing to do with the ads (which did seem abnormal though I thought it was part of it . . . I don’t know why) and Jenna suggested I turn off the TV and turn it back on again in order to get sound.

Roland had dismissed himself to cut up the Christmas cards and gave the cut cards to Jenna so that she could fold them.  I stuffed them into envelopes and Roland sealed them after he finished with the cutting part.  We began to lose interest in the parade after a while but did manage to leave the parade on the entire time it aired.  Jenna put up the tree and we started decorating – even before we had our Thanksgiving meal.

Jenna had the opportunity of making the pizza dough.  We tried contacting the boys and Uncle Bill while the dough was rising. Each call was a bust. After the dough had risen Jenna and Roland made our Thanksgiving Pizza (which is a first for us . . . we usually have Turkey, Yams, etc.) and decorated with pineapple and ham.  We did talk with a couple of families while the pizza was cooking. We then ate our Thanksgiving pizza in front of the television.  We started watching the Christmas Chronicles part 2.  

Jenna excused herself after she ate.  Roland started to fall asleep and I wasn’t about to watch this squirrelly picture by myself!

 We called Jenna back in to discuss our gratitude.  I asked each one what they were grateful to since we moved to Oregon and what specifically this year.  We are all grateful that Roland is still able to work and is a job that we brought with us as he has been working remotely since before the move.  Jenna and I both appreciate living in the country as opposed to the city.  Especially this year.  It was nice to enjoy even just a few minutes being thankful.

        We ended the night with Jenna and I attempting to play games but ended up on with me on the computer looking up the events for Light of the World this year and her programming ideas into her phone about how to fulfill each day – disappointed with the request of posting said activities online.  Take day 10 for instance – “. . . learn about your ancestors and share their stories on social media” I don’t go into facebook to read paragraphs.  Does blogging count as social media?

Dash TV #33 Tucson, Arizona

          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 back to his same size. He had also asked Roland if I was pregnant.  I was, but did not know it at the time.

          I have been to Tucson five times to visit Roland’s family.  The first time was before we were married when we had gone to get the boys so that they could start school.  All three of them would be starting junior high. I really don’t remember many details except that the boys wanted me to move faster when I was behind the wheel.  But that was on the return.  I was pretty wiped out during our first visit.

          The second time was when Jenna was three.  Roland and I took his mother to Old Tucson shortly after we arrived.  We allowed Jenna to stay home and get to know her cousins.  I don’t know how many pictures I took of Old Tucson.  And one who has internet can look up photos or may be familiar with scenes from many westerns or Little House on the Prarie.  I will not put all the photos I took in this post, but will create another post of some of the ones that I took (or were taken of me)

When we came home from Old Tucson, we found Jenna painting Kristen’s nails.  

I think we spent two or three days and Jenna had a blast getting to know her cousins – so much that she and John decided that she just stay and live with him.  They decided that if they dressed Jenna in John’s clothes that we would mistake her for him and wouldn’t take her with us. 

Of course we knew it was her.  They were both disappointed that they hadn’t fooled us and so she hid in his room.  She would not budge not even to say good-bye to Roland and me – or his mom who we were taking with us.  I did finally manage to trick her into either saying good-bye to a beloved stuffed animal that we had taken with us, or to retrieve her so that it too could live in Arizona.  When she got out to the car, I seat-belted her in and she cried for a good portion of the ride. 

When we stopped across the Utah border, I asked if she would like for us to buy a cactus for her (as she had been hinting for one the entire time we were in Arizona).  But she saw something else that she wanted more than the cactus.  We ended up buying a stick horse which she named “Pinky” (the same name as the small bear we had brought with us) I think she ended up giving that same name to four of her toys.

Two years later we returned for Uncle Mike’s funeral.  It was in January and the weather felt nice compared to Salt Lake – though those who lived in Arizona thought it was cold.  It appears I took a lot of pictures of the family though we were not there for long.  We left right after the funeral.

The following year we spent some time with the family at San Xavier.  As we walked through there were several statues of different saints.  Roland told Jenna that if she was good her Aunt Linda would tell her the names of each of the saints represented at which point Linda slugged Roland and he laughed.

We also went to Old Tucson as a family.  I think there were eight adults and three children who went. We all ended up riding the carousel and had stopped off for pizza on the way back to Jean’s house.  Jenna and I wanted pineapple on our pizza but Aunt Linda wouldn’t hear of it.  So Roland purchased two more pizzas so that Jenna and I could have our pineapple.  Guess whose pizzas were first to be eaten?

The pictures indicate that we had Tony with us.  As I recall, Biff could not get the time off work and Randy must have been on his mission.  I took more pictures of the family and our activities.  I am grateful to have the photographic memories.

My last visit to Tucson was in 2012.  That time we had Randy and Biff with us.  We had gone there for mom’s birthday (see this post)

Missing Valentine’s Day

               

          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.  I think Brian (Sunny’s youngest boy) claimed that as his own.  Perhaps he shared. 

         Before we moved to Oregon, Roland extended his valentine giving beyond my family, but included all the single sisters in the West Valley ward (and there were A LOT of single sisters) with a candy bar with a note not to go nuts on valentine’s day but enjoy the sweet parts about it (or something like that)

          Since we moved to Oregon, his Valentine giving hasn’t gone beyond me and Jaime.  That’s too bad because I know he really enjoyed that.  I wonder if my sisters miss getting Valentines from him.

How Cool Is That?

          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 yesterday. 

         I told her that we would be at the Pizza Palace between two and four as we’d be having a birthday party for Jenna and had actually planned on mentioning it to the Elders anyway.  Jenna was ecstatic when I told her that the missionaries would be coming to her party.  I think she had invited over 20 peers – some friends, some just acquaintances.  We ended up with 14 people total - six were adults. 

          Annette had spent the night so that she would be sure she made it to the party.  I really don't enjoy when Jenna has sleepovers as she doesn’t sleep and therefore I don’t sleep either.  And then I am grouchy.  Jenna, on the other hand, is always happy.  She says that’s what she is known for by many people – and they admire it.

          Savannah's mom went wild with the birthday gift – or giftS rather.  In case Jenna didn’t already have a stuffed animal collection going, the gift bag came with a collection starter – five animals I think – not counting the other three or four that Savannah had won for her after they had finished eating.

          The first at the top of the bag was an angry faced emoji pillow with a note explaining that “The happiest girl needs to know what ‘mad’ looks like."

          Jenna enjoyed the company of her friends and shared her wealth.  When she presented the Elders with coins, they declined and said not only was it against the rules to play the electronic games, but  they couldn’t in good conscience accept the money either.  That went for the huge stack of coins that Savannah’s mom had placed in front of them – possibly passing out more coins for the entire teenage crew than Richard had.

          Roland played chauffer to several of Jenna’s friends.  Kylee spent a few hours with Jenna before we took her home.  She would like to do a sleepover.  I don’t want to deprive her.  Perhaps if I have enough notice, I can take a nap before she comes.

          Jenna did not get her rainbow on her birthday, but did get one on the day of her birthday party.  For after we returned from taking Kylee home, we found a rainbow at the end of our street.  Battery in my camera decided to quit at her party and Roland’s phone needed to be charged.  So Jenna took my cell phone to take pictures.  When we were viewing them on the monitor, I realized that it had been a double rainbow as there was a faint mirrored image in several of the pictures.